The LMS Express

Hello, and welcome back!

The action and the anticipation are in full swing at LMS! Our new staff members were in the building this week, learning about their school, meeting colleagues, and getting their classrooms ready for next week. Many other teachers and staff members have been in and out, catching up with each other and sharing their excitement about next week. In short, we're all looking forward to welcoming our students back, and a fun first day on Thursday to kick off another great year at LMS.

Thanks for reading this edition of the LMS Express.

Be well,

Tom

Tuesday, August 27th - Popsicles on the Playground (details to follow)

Thursday, August 29th - First Day of School!

Monday, September 2nd - No School - Labor Day

Thursday, September 5th - LMS Parent/Guardian Information Night (no students)

Thursday, September 10th - Picture Day

Wednesday, 9/11 - Friday, 9/13 - NWEA Testing, Grades 5-8

Friday, September 27th - LMS Team Unity Day

Tuesday, October 1st - Early Release - Professional Development

Thursday, October 17th - LMS Open House (students welcome)

Thursday, August 29th. Students start getting dropped off at 7:05. First period classes begin at 7:30.

We are lucky to have a fantastic new group of staff members joining us this year. Here is a bit of information about some of them:

Maureen “Mo” Marquis will be joining the Maple Team, and teaching math and financial literacy (one of our new EAs). She has been teaching for 7 years, at Samuel Morey Elementary School and Dothan Brook School. Mo is a Lebanon High School alum, and was a student at the old Junior High School on Bank Street. She likes to watch football with her family and roots for the Patriots. She also enjoys playing sports, walking with her dog, playing with her bird, and being a mom. Welcome to LMS, Mrs. Marquis!

Amy Marcoux will be joining LMS as our School Psychologist. She has worked for 6 years in the Lebanon School District, 3 as a para, and 3 as a teacher helping students with behaviors at Hanover Street School. Amy enjoys making and teaching art, hanging out with her family, hiking, and swimming. She supports most Boston/New England sports teams, but as a Maryland native, her baseball heart is with the Orioles. She’s excited to return to LMS, and we’re excited to have her - welcome back to LMS, Mrs. Marcoux!

Dawn Frost will be joining LMS as a Special Educator working with the Pine & Spruce Teams. She worked for 2 years at a school for students with Language-Based Learning Difficulties in Florida, and comes to us from Indian River Middle School in Mascoma, after teaching there for 8 years. Prior to teaching, Dawn worked as an archaeologist in the Southwest and in Northern Mexico. In her free time, she enjoys exploring places she’s never been and eating different foods from around the world. Welcome to LMS, Mrs. Frost!

Dylan Hartwick will be joining LMS as the new Birch Team ELA teacher. Dylan has been a teacher for 8 years - 3 in Binghamton, NY, and 5 in West Philadelphia. Dylan enjoys Rowing, Running, Reading, Playing Video Games, Eating Good Food, and spending time with his fiancée and their dog. The Legend of Zelda is his favorite video game series that, coupled with books like Narnia, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings, fostered his love of storytelling! Dylan can’t wait to be a part of the Lebanon community, and we can’t wait to have him. Welcome to LMS. Mr. Hartwick!

Shawna Newcomb will be joining LMS as our new Physical Education teacher. She’s been teaching at Haverhill Cooperative Middle School for the past 17 years, where she also coached girls and coed soccer, basketball and Little League baseball and running club. Before that, she taught PE and Health at a school in Arlington, Ma. In her free time, Shawna loves to hang out with her husband, son, and 2 dogs. She also enjoys running, working out, playing games, going to the ocean, and reading many different types of books, but mostly light comedies. Shawna also enjoys watching The Office, How I Met Your Mother, and almost all of Adam Sandler’s movies. She and her family recently moved to the Lebanon area, and they’re enjoying the positive energy here. She’s excited to join the LMS community, and we’re excited to have her join us. Welcome to LMS, Mrs. Newcomb!

Katherine Wood (soon to be Thurston following her October (!) wedding) will be joining LMS as the new Oak Team Social Studies teacher. She comes to LMS from Newport Middle School for 11 years, mostly as their 8th grade Social Studies teacher. In her free time, Katherine loves to run and walk, baking, listening to historical podcasts, and spending time with her family, especially her nephews. Katherine is passionate about teaching middle school students and she’s looking forward to the opportunity to work with the students at LMS. We are looking forward to it as well - welcome to LMS, Ms. Wood (/Thurston)!

Sydney Johnstone will be joining LMS as our new full-time French teacher. She has taught English in France, and elementary school in Colombia. As you may have noticed, traveling is something that Sydney enjoys! She also enjoys reading, cooking, baking, and playing board games. She enjoys being on the water in the summer, and skiing in the winter. Sydney’s favorite book of all time is Pride and Prejudice, and she adores mysteries, especially the Bernie Gunther series by Phillip Kerr and anything by Donna Leon. Sydney is excited to be back in the Upper Valley and a part of SAU88, and we’re excited to have her! Welcome to LMS, Madame Johnstone!

Joseph Gordon will be joining LMS as the new Maple Team Social Studies teacher. Joe comes to us having taught 10 years in Wilder and 3 years in Springfield. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and hanging out with his kids. He also likes watching New England professional sports teams (especially the Patriots) with his family. His favorite author is Robert Newton Peck, and his favorite TV series are MASH, the Office, and Parks and Rec. Welcome to LMS, Mr. Gordon!

You may have heard that we will have a new traffic pattern around LMS during drop-off and pick-up times. Vehicles will no longer be permitted to turn left into our traffic loop during those times.

Why? The line of cars that backs up almost daily during drop-off and pick-up times is unsafe due to the fact that it regularly blocks a lane of traffic in at least one direction on Route 4/Dartmouth College Highway. The congestion greatly increases the likelihood of a car accident or a pedestrian getting injured. The recent relocation of the Lebanon Fire Department trucks to the Department of Public Works building across the street from the school has added to the complexities of the situation.

Unfortunately, this plan will cause a lot more traffic on Prospect St. Extension than there has been in the past. I recently met with Superintendent Amy Allen and Lebanon Chief of Police Phil Roberts, and we discussed the plan and the concern over pedestrian traffic and the increased volume of cars. The consensus was reached that the new traffic pattern will be the best course of action due to the dangers presented by cars spilling onto Route 4/Dartmouth College Highway. We are all of course hopeful that everyone will be safe. The police department also plans to have a visible presence around all the schools during the first few weeks, with particular focus being paid to the traffic around LMS.

The goal of this change is to provide the safest possible situation for our students and anyone traveling on Lebanon roads. We'll be constantly evaluating the efficacy of this new traffic pattern, and we will communicate any further changes if & when they happen. We are also looking into more long-term solutions that will allow us to accomodate more vehicles on the LMS campus.

You can click here for information about the new traffic pattern, and here for a video with more details.

On a related note, the City of Lebanon is looking to hire a crossing guard to help students as they walk to school. If you know of anyone that might be interested in this position, please share this link with them, or provide them with the phone number to Lebanon's Human Resources department - 603-448-0683.

To complete the required District forms, such as student registration, photo permission, internet permission, etc. for your student, go to sau88-lms.getalma.com and log in with your username and password (generally firstname.lastname format). If you forgot your password, you can reset it from the login screen. If you are having trouble logging in, please reach out to Nikki Small at nsmall@sau88.net or call the school.

Once you log in, click the link under your LMS student that says "Alma Start Forms & Tasks". The link will take you to Alma Start to begin your back to school forms.

Some District forms such as free and reduced lunch applications will still be completed on paper and will be sent home on the first day of school. Please read through the Alma START information carefully. Accurate completion of this student registration ensures that you will receive calls and emails from the School/District for school cancellations, upcoming events, and emergencies as well as ensuring that your child will have internet access while in school. If you do not have a computer or internet access at home, access is available at school, the SAU, and at the public libraries.

If you have any questions, you can check out a tutorial on our website under Parents > Alma and by clicking here.

For the 2024-2025 Bus Routes, please click here, and for information about how to find your bus route, please click here.

Fall Sports Are Off and Running!

-The Fall 2024 LMS Athletic season officially kicked off on Monday August 19th for Football and Wednesday, August 21st for Field Hockey. Coach Brandon LaHaye leads the Football squad for his third season and is looking to keep the program trending upwards after an undefeated season in 2023. The participation numbers for football are strong this season with roughly 30 students coming out for the team. The Raiders will partake in the Laconia Jamboree at Laconia High School on Saturday August, 24th. Fans can find the complete 2024 regular season schedule HERE.

Field Hockey also opened up preseason practices this week. The program is once again being led by veteran coaches Meagan Henry and Stacey MacAskill. Raider Field Hockey is also coming off an unbeaten 2023 campaign despite their small roster. Any student interested in playing Field Hockey this year, it is NOT TOO LATE TO SIGN UP. Reach out to Head Coach Meagan Henry for more information. Fans can view the 2024 Field Hockey regular season schedule HERE.

-LMS Golf will begin sometime after Labor Day. Coach Binaghi will email everyone who has officially signed up through Arbiter Sports about an official preseason meeting with Parents/Guardians.

Clubs/Activities Information

Most LMS Clubs and Activities will start sometime after the first day of school. Announcements will be made in school as to when particular clubs and activities will officially start.

IMPORTANT Information Regarding After School "Late Bus"

There has traditionally been a "late bus" that left LMS at 3:45pm and transported students home after clubs and other activities. Due to a lack of staffing, the Transportation Department can no longer guarantee a "late bus" ride home to all students participating in after-school activities. Families need to plan accordingly for their student's transportation for all after school activities this school year.

LMS Coaching Vacancies

LMS is currently hiring a Nordic Ski Head Coach for the 2024-25 winter season. For those interested in applying, please check out the official posting here.

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In its first annual performance, students from Lebanon Middle School and other area schools participated in the Nexus music event over the summer. Students worked hard over the summer to perform at this event and performed several advanced concert band pieces. Those students involved include Elise Weale on French Horn and Trill Baldwin on Flute. Several former LMS students were involved in this event as well. Congratulations, Elise and Trill!

Please accept my apologies for providing the incorrect link in my family summer letter. The correct link to add money for students' meal payments is here. More information is here:

Where do I find the student ID # so that I might complete my LINQ Connect registration?

Step one: Log into ALMA

Step two: Click on the icon on the top right and then click My Info – Your student will appear and their District ID # is located under District ID.

**Please note - you may also use your student’s birth date for registration in LINQ Connect. Your student’s ID will also be included in your school packet as a reminder.

If you have difficulty locating your number after following these steps please contact us.

For other LINQ Connect issues contact LINQ Connect support directly at Support@linqconnect.com or 844.467.4700.

Don't forget to stop by the LMS playground for a popsicle on Tuesday, August 27th! You'll be able to see some familiar faces, meet some new people, and say hello to LMS administrators and teachers. We hope to see you there!

Create a video game using SCRATCH and have it showcased and played on the LMS ARCADE! Mr. Masi, Mr. Warren, and Mr. Schachtner have teamed up and created this awesome opportunity for LMS students to be creators of video games.

Those of you who play video games know that a good video game has a creative and engaging narrative (Language Arts skills), awesome action (Math and Science: Physics), fun and challenging gamification (Social Studies: economics and psychology, and sociology), aesthetic and cool graphics (art), and great sound effects and soundtrack (music). Great video games incorporate all the core subjects middle school students work hard on throughout the day and much more!

Here is your chance to make a video game of your own!

Click here for a full decription of the contest.
Click Here to see the requirements and deadlines for the contest.