The LMS Express

Hello all,

So much going on these days at LMS! We are lucky to have a staff that is dedicated to the overall wellbeing of our students, both in and out of the classroom. We're all very excited for Winter Carnival this Friday! Thanks for taking a look at this edition of the LMS Express.

Friendly reminder that school is closed on Monday, February 16th for Presidents' Day, and school is closed Monday, February 23rd to Friday, February 27th for February Break.

Be Well,

Tom

Monday, February 16th - No School - Presidents' Day

Wednesday, February 18th - School Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, February 20th - Winter Carnival (more information below)

Monday, 2/23-Friday, 2/27 - No School, February Break

Wednesday, March 4th - LHS Counselors Visit LMS

Wednesday, March 4th - School Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday March 8th - Daylight Savings Time Starts (Spring Forward)

Tuesday, March 10th - Voting Day

Thursday, March 12th - 11:30 Dismissal, Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences

Friday, March 13th - No School, Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences

As part of our annual LMS Winter Carnival. a group of students and teachers go to Storr's Hill for a morning of skiing. We are in need of 2 more adults that are willing to help keep an eye on things. If you are willing and able to assist, please let Tom know (tharkins@sau88.net). Students will be skiing from about 8:30 until about 11:00. "Partial shifts" are available and appreciated.

On Wednesday, March 4th, the Lebanon High School counselors will be visiting 8th graders in their Social Studies classes. They will discuss the course registration process, how credits work, and the general school day schedule. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about LHS!

Later in March and in April, the 8th graders will be divided into three groups to visit the Hartford Area Career and Technology Center. They will learn about the 16 different programs, visit classrooms, and meet current students and teachers. Permission slips will go out before the trips.

The annual LMS Winter Carnival is this week! For those folks that will be experiencing their first LMS Winter Carnival on Friday, February 20th, here's a bit of information:

Winter Carnival is a day of fun activities planned and led by LMS teachers. Students will have the opportunity to indicate their preferences of which activities they participate in, and we work hard to include them in the their "top-choice" activities.

Some students stay on campus, participating in outdoor activities like snowshoeing and snow art, and indoor activities like floor hockey, escape rooms, and making dog toys.

Some students go off campus in mixed groups of 5th through 8th graders. Our off-campus activities for this year are: Skiing/Snowboarding at Storr's Hill, Ice Skating at Campion Rink, and art activities at AVA art gallery. We are always "on the hunt" for more off-campus opportunities, so please pass along any ideas if you have them, and we'll consider them for future Winter Carnival activities.

To end they day, 8th grade students will have the opportunity to participate in 3v3 students vs staff basketball games. The rest of the student body will be in the gym watching the fun, or they can choose quiet activities with other members of their teams.

Teachers and staff put in a lot of time to make this a fun and enjoyable day for everyone. It's always a big hit with the students, and we're looking forward to making memories and strengthening our LMS community!

Ending Spirit Week and celebrating Valentine's Day with some cookie decorating in advisory!

Crazy Hair Day was a blast!

Mrs. Marquis’s 5th grade STEM class putting in code to make their robots do various movements.

Mrs. Davis Science students using slinkies to study the properties of a wave. Doing geometric proofs in math.

MSM3 students work together to create scatter plots and trend lines. Students interpret the slope of the graph as a rate of change.

Mrs. Duford took her Humanities classes to the Hood Museum to see how abstract art helps us explore ideas, emotions, and materials in new ways.

Students in 5th grade have been learning about dividing whole numbers by unit fractions and dividing unit fractions by whole numbers. Students got a chance to practice these concepts by solving problems that they could recreate with play-doh.

Seventh grade students in Mrs. Sturtz's science class dissect chicken wings to learn how the skeletal and muscular systems work together.

Our spring plant sale is nearly over! Choose from 50+ varieties of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds, ready to grow in our area. Order by February 14; seeds will be distributed the last week of February. **For those who have already browsed the sale, most seeds are now back in stock!

Our next PTO meeting is next Wednesday, March 4 at 6:30 PM in the LMS library or on GoogleMeet. We hope to see you there!

Visit our website for meeting and event information!

Mrs. Lenning and Mrs. Marquis's classes visited the Hood as well this week!

There are a number of afterschool clubs that are up and running at LMS. For more information, including how to register students for these clubs, please click here. If you have any questions, please reach out to LMS Director of Athletics & Co-Curriculars, Autumn Lanseigne, at alanseigne@sau88.net.

On Friday the 13th, students from Lit Lab were treated to a reading experience in Lebanon Middle School's library. Centered on the Valentine's Day theme of "Love It or Leave It," students chose books wrapped in brown paper, with only the genre, themes, and a single quote from the text on the front of each package. Once selected, students participated in a long reading session and completed a short review, either "loving" or "leaving" their chosen book. Many students expanded their reading universe by choosing books outside their usual genres and checking them out to finish. Many thanks to Valentina Fusco and Rachel Roper for helping make this day happen! Enjoy the photos from a great reading day in Lit Lab.

The LMS Podcast channel can be found here.

Coaches Series Race in Waterville Valley & Sweetheart Race in Woodstock

Our Design Studio class, also known as LMS Art Merch and LMS Yearbook, has been hard at work this trimester on two major projects that connect creativity with the real world.

Students have been building our online LMS Art Merch store by creating original artwork and thoughtfully applying their designs to real products. From concept to final mockup, students are learning how artists and designers turn ideas into items people can actually use and enjoy.

This project gives students the opportunity to see their artwork move beyond the classroom and into the hands of classmates, families, friends, and our wider community. It is authentic design work with a real audience, and students are taking pride in seeing their creativity come to life in tangible ways.

Keep an eye out as more student designed products continue to be added.

At the same time, this class is leading the initial design and layout of the LMS yearbook, which will be published at the end of this school year. Students are working on themes, page layouts, typography, and visual organization to capture the spirit of LMS this year.

Yearbooks are on sale now.

Eighteen dollars for 5th, 6th, and 7th graders

All 8th graders will be provided a yearbook

Please see the flyers included in this newsletter for ordering details, and watch for additional reminders as the year continues.

Thank you for supporting student creativity and celebrating the work happening in our Design Studio.

Have great photos from LMS sports games, concerts, or music events? We’d love to include them in this year’s Yearbook!

Upload here! Access Code: lmsphotos

Please include the student’s name, grade, and event details when submitting.

Thank you!

Should sports betting be regulated by the Federal Trade Commission at the federal level, or should it be left to the states? That's the question that nine members of the LMS Debate Team grappled with at the inaugural New England Middle School Open, hosted at Lebanon High School on January 31st.

The tournament drew over 40 middle school students from six schools in the region: Lebanon Middle School, Keene Middle School, Richmond Middle School (Hanover, NH), Thetford Academy, St. Johnsbury Middle School, and The Riverside School (Lyndonville, VT).

LMS brought four teams: Rose Gibbs & Evie Duchaine, Grace Mlodzik & Charlotte Roy, Bradley Schmidt & Penn Hartman, and one three-person team of Alice Hembree, Gwyn Foree, and Natalie Rhoads. We had a very successful day! The team of Gibbs & Duchaine had a record of 3-1 on the day and finished in second place overall. Each of our other teams went 2-2.

In the category of individual speaker awards, two students on the LMS team grabbed top spots, each earning medals and a hefty jar of maple syrup: Rose Gibbs (2nd place) and Evie Duchaine (3rd place).

Our debate team will now start preparing for next month's tournament. The topic for the next tournament is "Resolved: The United States federal government should ban corporate acquisition of single-family residences." It's never too late to join the debate team. There are still about three months left in the season. (We're especially open to any 8th graders who think they might join the debate team in high school and would like to try it here first.)

At yesterday's Math meet we took 14 students and two teams! Both teams won (Gold team in 3rd, and Maroon team in 2nd). We also had two students with perfect scores ( Samuel Buckwold and Victoria Pomeroy). It was a fantastic meet held at LHS and we look forward to our last one in March!!

Echo Lacrosse Winter Skills registration is now open!

Sessions will be held at the CCBA in Lebanon, NH from 7:15–8:45 PM on the following dates:

• 2/17 & 2/19

The program is open to girls in grades 5–12, and it’s a great chance to stay connected, build skills, and keep growing as athletes through the winter months.

We’re also excited to offer:

• Three strength and speed sessions with Christine Dorman (KUA Strength & Conditioning Coach)

• A training session with Maeghan Finnigan, owner of The Studio

• A set of recovery videos from Maeghan to support training outside of sessions

If you’re planning to join us—or even just thinking about it—you can find all the details and register at echolacrosse.com.

February Vacation Camp

We’re excited to offer our February Vacation Camp. For details and registration information, please visit the link below:
https://joinccba.org/vacation-camps/

Now Hiring: School-Age Program Group Leader (He-C 4002.35)
We are currently looking for a School-Age Program Group Leader to join our team.

Requirements:

• Must be at least 17 years old

• Must meet one of the following qualifications:

• 600 hours of experience working with school-age children

• 3+ college credits in child development, education, recreation, or a related field

• Certified coach documentation

• 5 years of parenting experience

• Previously qualified as a group leader prior to the 2022 rule changes

If you or someone you know may be interested, we’d love to connect.

AVA is a non-profit gallery and art center with wide-ranging visual arts education opportunities for the whole family. We are located just off the Colburn Park traffic circle in Lebanon, New Hampshire. AVA Gallery and Art Center seeks to foster support and appreciation for visual artists and their work. Our education programs serve as a solid foundation to nurture future artists and cultivate an enthusiastic audience. Have your children join us for creative winter fun and learning beginning the fourth week in January. For information about AVA Camps, please click here.

The Hood Museum of Art is delighted to invite everyone to drop in anytime to enjoy the following:

• Exhibition Spotlight Talk | 1:30–2:00 pm Learn about the horses featured in Nurturing Nationhood: Artistic Constructions of America from the curators. Space is limited; guests may sign up at the Welcome Desk.

• Horse Banner Contribute to a community banner celebrating the Year of the Horse.

• Red Envelope Decorating Decorate a red envelope and write a note for someone special.

• Snack Station & Coloring Page Enjoy a snack while decorating a Year of the Horse–themed coloring page.

• Book Nook & Discovery Table Browse Lunar New Year–themed books and explore traditional celebration objects.

• 
  

Thank you, as always, for your support. If you have questions about any details of the program, do reach out.

Hope to see you at the museum on February 14th!

Bailey Gibbons got a shout-out in Amy Allen's Superintendent Update. Woohoo!

For the full update, you can click here.

SAU88 District Calendar (2025-2026)

2026-2027 School Year Calendar

LMS Lunch Menu

LMS PTO Page

LMS Athletics & Co-Curricular Offerings

Elm Team (8th Grade) Homework Page

Willow Team (7th Grade) Homework Page

Spruce Team (6th Grade) Homework Page

You can see the full LMS Mission Statement by clicking here.