SharkMail
December 12th, 2025
Old man winter had a lot to say last weekend, and I'm glad he quieted down so we can get this final push to the end of the second quarter completed.
On Wednesday evening, we enjoyed music from our Band program, led by Mr. Gregg. It was a lovely evening where nothing out of the ordinary happened at all. OK - except the fire alarms and flooding on the other side of the building - it was otherwise a beautiful performance. I am so proud of our sixth and seventh graders who took the brunt of the alarms going off while performing, and I appreciate the patience and support of our audience while we had to temporarily shut down the bathrooms and navigate around all the excitement. In our motto, "Be a Shark," the R stands for resilience, and it was on full display as students still put on a great performance in the face of the distractions. Many of you saw the picture here as you were coming in where water was gushing out of the light fixtures outside - I don't think it's supposed to do that. Our emergency building services crew and the fire department came to the rescue, and the flooded area in the Art room was ready for students first thing in the morning.
In other classroom ventures, our Health classes took on an exciting project as teachers prepared escape room activities to engage with the material (pictured below). Students had to solve a series of clues related to what they are studying in health to get the combination to open the locks. What was in the box? You will have to check in with your student to find out!
In Ms. Benham's World History 2 class, I was drawn to some very interesting projects that were decorating the wall. Students created an interactive "puzzle" that showcased their knowledge of all aspects of immigration. Students had to pull together facts, maps, and artifacts related to various countries to learn all about the impacts of immigration. This kind of project really goes to show that students can demonstrate their learning in a lot of creative ways, and our teachers are creating a wide variety of engaging ways for them to do so.
This week's message is getting a little long, so I'll wrap things up with some exciting news that came out from the State this week. Our accreditation information came through, and, of course, Lakeside remains fully accredited and less than a point shy of earning a 'distinguished' designation. Even more impressive, in the Region 5 snapshot, representing 20 school districts in our area, Lakeside was the number 3 overall performing Middle School as well as:
Number 1 in Math performance
Number 3 in Math Growth
Number 4 in Science Performance
Number 3 in Reading performance
Number 3 in English Learner Progress
No other school showed up on as many Top 5 lists as Lakeside, and this only confirms what we know about the caliber of this school. Our Lakeside Team, Students, Families, and Community make this one of the best Middle Schools a child could attend.
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Band Concert
US History 2 Projects
Escape Room in Health Class
Free Volleyball Clinics are Back!
December 21 | January 11 | January 25
9am-11am - AHS Gym
No registratin necessary and open to all ACPS Middle School students!