Legacy Ledger

Happy February Legacy Families!

I am looking forward to seeing you at our conferences this week. While most of you are already in touch with your student’s teachers, conferences are a great opportunity to have good face to face conversations. This part of the year is really important to work closely with your teachers to address any concerns, gaps in learning, or even to have some celebrations before we move into the last stretches toward the end of the year.

Additionally overall, our mid-year testing results have been amazing! It looks very strong going into the second semester and we are on the trajectory for another successful year of learning. Please give your students kudos and encourage them to keep up the good work and finish strong. They should be proud of themselves! Legacy is a school of excellence because of our students and our teachers' hard work.

Although it may not feel like it this year, we are in the middle of winter. I just want to remind everyone that when we do (hopefully at some point) get more inclement weather, Legacy will follow the rest of the Elizabeth School District for delays and closures. We have families with students in several buildings throughout the district and we will stay consistent with their determinations. Decisions for delays or closures are always based on safety considerations though it can often become hard to predict the weather and what it will do. If ever there is a day where school is not closed, but the conditions are not great in your neighborhood, please call the school and let us know that you will not be coming in. It is perfectly all right to make that decision as a family. Everyone needs to stay warm and safe!

Thank you for choosing Legacy Academy and being a part of our great school community. You are what make us great! As always, reach out anytime if you have questions or concerns.

Tony Vruggink

Principal

Legacy Academy

The LABOD (Legacy Academy Board of Directors) will have a board meeting on February 10, 2026 at 6pm in the cafeteria (AGENDA HERE). If you cannot attend the LABOD meeting in person, feel free to watch via this Zoom link. You can find the past meeting minutes on our website or click HERE. Attending these meetings on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month counts towards volunteer time.

Middle School Dance Volunteers: Lydia Tenny, Vickey Harjo, Stephanie Gillen, Hannah Maynes, Kim Kieca, Signe Dejong, Denise LeSage, Jessica Spensieri, Reilly Fredell, Tony Vruggink, Karen Whittman, Tanya Engel, Jen Zander, and Danielle Griffith. Thank you to our families that donated food items: PTCO, Karen Wittman, Jessica Benson, Laurie Helm, Megan Velgersdyk, Courtney Chaney, Simon Tang, and Bryn Cerasoli. Thank you to our staff for volunteering your time to allow us to host these events. Thank you to our parents for providing dinner items.

Nerf Volunteers: Tracy and Colin Mckennan, Jesse Milne, Vickey Harjo, Rebecca McRee, Jessica Yosten, Tyler and Dana Hartman, Mary Anne and Tim Stephens, Rebecca McRee, Tracy Steube, Becky Whetten, Liz Kelley, Jonathan Schimkaitis, Stacie Garrison, and Samantha Heidbreder. Thank you! Don't forget to log your volunteer hours.

If you are interested in volunteering to help in the lunchroom or with carpool please contact Vickey at vickey.harjo@legacyk8.org. You must have a current background check completed.

We are proud to offer a full and exciting schedule of social events for our students. Our goal is to create frequent opportunities for connection, fun, and positive school experiences that help students build friendships and feel a strong sense of belonging at Legacy. We can not do this without our generous parents and staff. We have many families that have surpassed their 40 hours of volunteer time. Please take a moment and log your hours. Thank you!

Looking for other volunteer opportunities? Keep reading for more options at future events!

Art Squad is designed especially for our creative students in grades 2nd through 5th! This unique class will guide children in exploring the beauty and versatility of different materials—such as leaves, old papers, twigs, rocks, wood, tin, yarn and more—as they create one-of-a-kind art pieces. Not only will this class foster creativity, but it will also help students connect with the natural world and learn how to use sustainable and recycled resources in fun, innovative ways.

Each week, students will have the opportunity to:

• Work with natural, unique, new and recycled materials.
• Learn techniques for crafting with textures, shapes, and colors found in nature and in an everyday environment.
• Create projects by developing problem-solving skills as they create their own unique works of art.
• Improve their manual skills while having fun with their friends.

Please note that all materials and tools used will be safe and age-appropriate, and they will be provided during the class. Please consider that the fee includes research and planning time, purchase of materials, prepping and clean up time.

We look forward to inspiring a love for art, nature, crafts and creativity in each child, and we can’t wait to see the unique creations they’ll bring home!

Calling all photos for our yearbook collection! We need your photos! Please make sure you select the correct event when submitting your great event photos.

Yearbook Photo Upload Link

Entries due 2/11. Please submit to an art teacher or the front office. Please review the design requirements below:

• 8.5"x11" for front cover
• 11"x17" for whole cover front and back (front of the cover goes on the right side half
• 1/2" margin within the 8.5"x11" for text
• All other art can go all the way to the edge of the page
• MUST INCLUDE "LEGACY ACADEMY" and "2025-2026"

We celebrate our students in many ways including character education. Our elementary students have R.O.A.R. Store and students of the week while our middle school students have a T.W.I.X. program. In our lunchroom, we have a Kindness Hero Award as well. All students have moments of recognition during assemblies that build confidence, encourage positive choices, and strengthen our school community. If you would like to get involved and celebrate our character trait program, please use the links below.

Legacy parents are excited to provide dinner for our amazing teachers Thursday, February 12th. It’s a way to say thank you for all the hard work, care, and dedication you give our students every day. We hope they enjoy a well deserved meal during conferences.

If you would like to help by providing dinner items or help with cleaning up please see the signup below. This will take 15 minutes to clean up. Please use a slow cooker bag, and label your items so we can return it to you. Please bring items by 4pm as staff will eat dinner at 5pm between conferences.

Thank you parents!

As we approach Dr. Seuss Week, we look forward to celebrating the joy of reading and creativity of his stories. Students may celebrate Dr. Seuss Week by participating in our themed dress days. Students can either dress in the theme of the day or wear a uniform. Dr. Seuss books and math sheets will offer an opportunity to support our curriculum in a joyful way. His text supports critical thinking, creative expression, literacy development, such as rhyming, phonemic awareness, vocabulary and comprehension skills.

March 2: College Shirt or Vocational Attire “Oh the Places You Will Go”

March 3: Twins Day “Thing 1 and Thing 2”

March 4: Mismatched/Backwards Shirt “Wacky Wednesday”

March 5: Stripes Day “Cat in the Hat”

March 6: Favorite Seuss Character (Middle school may do regular dress of choice this day only)

Feb 10: LABOD Meeting 6pm

Feb 11: All School Dress of Choice, Elementary Class Parties, 8th Grade Parent Night at EHS 6:30pm

Feb 12-13: No School- Spring Conferences

Feb 16: No School - Presidents' Day

Feb 20: Middle School Dress of Choice, Kids Heart Challenge Day, Middle School GT Field Trip

Feb 24: LABOD Board Meeting 6pm

Feb 27: All School Dress of Choice

Feb 28: PTCO Father/Daughter Dance 5:30pm

Mar 2: Dr. Seuss Themed Dress of Choice: College Shirt or Vocational Attire “Oh the Places You Will Go”

Mar 3: Dr. Seuss Themed Dress of Choice: Twins Day “Thing 1 and Thing 2”, PTCO General Meeting 5:30pm

Mar 4: Dr. Seuss Themed Dress of Choice: Mismatched/Backwards Shirt “Wacky Wednesday”

Mar 5: Dr. Seuss Themed Dress of Choice: Stripes Day “Cat in the Hat”, PTCO Science Fair 4pm

Mar 6: Middle School Dress of Choice, Dr. Seuss Themed Dress of Choice: Favorite Seuss Character, Kids Heart Challenge Closing Assembly 2:15pm

Mar 10: LABOD Meeting 6pm

Mar 12: End of 3rd Marking Period

Mar 13: No School - Teacher In-Service

See more events, sports and club schedules HERE