Leighton Update

Dear Leighton Families,

Our students have done a fantastic job transitioning back into their learning routines over the last two weeks. It is incredible how quickly the school year is moving, as we are already well into the third quarter.

As we shift into the middle of January, so do our recess locations more often. Whether our students are playing outside or enjoying indoor recess, our focus remains the same for our students to "Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be a Problem Solver." This means choosing kindness, inclusion, and safety above all else. We will be revisiting and re-emphasizing these expectations with our 3rd–5th graders to ensure that recess remains a fun, restorative, and safe time for every child. Your support at home makes a significant difference in our school culture and is always appreciated.

As we move into the second half of the school year, please take a moment to review the important information below. This update includes the specific Ohio State Testing dates for Leighton, essential reminders regarding our car rider protocols and transportation change form. Staying informed about these schedules and procedures ensures a safe and smooth experience for all students. As a reminder, there is no school on Monday, January 19th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Sincerely,

Spencer Warders

Principal

Leighton Elementary

The Ohio State Achievement tests (OST) are administered each year. These tests give insight on how well our students are achieving and growing in the various grade and content standards of the classes they are participating in. Leighton administers English Language Arts and Math OST assessments in grades 3, 4 and 5 as well as Science OST in grade 5. The dates for our building wide tests are as follows:

English Language Arts OST

April 15th: 3rd Grade (1/2 Homerooms)

April 16th: 3rd Grade (1/2 Homerooms)

April 21: 3rd (1/2 Homerooms), 4th and 5th Grades

April 22: 3rd (1/2 Homerooms), 4th and 5th Grades

Math OST

April 29: 3rd Grade (1/2 Homerooms)

April 30: 3rd Grade (1/2 Homerooms)

May 5: 3rd Grade (1/2 Homerooms), 4th and 5th Grades

May 6: 3rd Grade (1/2 Homerooms), 4th and 5th Grades

Science OST

April 29: 5th Grade

April 30: 5th Grade

These assessments give valuable data and information for our school. If you know your child will be absent for these dates, please fill out a planned absence form which is linked in this newsletter. Additionally, please contact our school counselor, Mrs. Wadkins, at nwadkins@aurora-schools.org

Thank you.

First, we want to thank our families for your patience and for following our car rider procedures. To help keep our students safe and ensure the line moves as quickly as possible, please keep these procedures in mind:

Fill the Gaps: Please pull all the way up to the sign (or the car in front of you) before stopping to load your child. This allows more cars into the loading zone and significantly speeds up the process for the entire line.
Passenger Side Only: For the safety of our students, please ensure they only enter or exit the vehicle from the passenger side.
Need an Extra Minute? If your child needs a little extra time with their gear, please pull into a parking spot in the lot. This keeps the flow of the line moving and prevents delays for other families.
Cones are Important: The map shown below shows where the cones are often out (the orange lines) to show are traffic pattern for for car pick up and drop off and to limit cars crossing into the bus lane with Leighton and Miller. Please do not cross where the orange lines are during the drop of and pick up times.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our mornings and afternoons running smoothly!

The programs listed in this guide are options beyond those available within our community. These options are organized alphabetically and span a wide range of interests, time periods, locations across Ohio, cost, and audience age groups.

The district does not sponsor nor endorse these programs, but compiles this guide to assist our students and families in finding summer programming of interest. Additional camps may be added, as they become available. Yellow-highlighting indicates that 2026 details are not yet available. We want to thank Becky Quinn, District Gifted Coordinator, for curating these programs for the document.

We hope that it is helpful and supports you in creating a happy and healthy summer full of growth, learning and development! Please click button below to access document.

Ohio and Online Camps and Programs: Summer 2026

During this time of the year, we begin to have students who meet the thresholds of notifying families about excessive absences. If your child meets the criteria of missed hours, a letter must be sent from the school alerting you. Please also be reminded that it doesn't matter whether the absences are excused or unexcused. We have to track the hours missed regardless of the reason and communicate to you when this has been met.

We have attached our planned absence form and policy. Please make sure you read through this important message and understand that planned absences and absences due to illness all count for missed hours. If you have any further questions, please contact the main office.

LES Planned Absence Form

As we head deeper into the winter months, we also enter the peak of cold and flu season. To help us keep all students healthy and learning, we ask that parents please remain vigilant about monitoring your student's symptoms.

A key strategy in preventing the spread of illness is to keep sick children home. Please remember that students must be free of fever (without the use of fever-reducing medication), vomiting, and diarrhea for at least 24 hours before they may return to school.

Your support in adhering to these guidelines is greatly appreciated and helps ensure a healthier environment for all Leighton students and families.

Questions? Please contact our Leighton School Nurse Mrs. Harper at eharper@aurora-schools.org

Here are some reminders for our Transportation Change Form (linked below) use. Please note:

Purpose: This form is for daily, one-time changes only. It should not be used for permanent or recurring weekly schedule changes.

Submission: A new entry must be logged for each day a change occurs.

Deadlines:

By 2:30 PM: Please submit the Google Form.

Between 2:30 PM – 3:10 PM: If you are unable to use the form or need to make a last-minute update, please call the office directly at 330-562-2209 (Option 0).

After 3:10 PM: We cannot guarantee that transportation changes will be communicated to staff and students after this time.

Change In Transportation Form

Check out the amazing skills your children have been learning with Zentangles, Watercolors, Clay tiles and more with Mrs. Girbino's Art Room News Update.

Jan 19th- NO SCHOOL MLK Day

Jan 27- Club and Candid Pictures

Feb 2-6: COGAT and IOWA testing week for 5th grade

Feb 12: Valentine's Day Class Parties

Feb 13: NO SCHOOL (Teacher In-Service Day)

Feb 16: NO SCHOOL (Presidents' Day)

Feb 19: Parent/Teacher Conferences

Feb 26: Parent/Teacher Conferences

Click Here For Leighton 25-26 Important Dates Calendar

Click Here For Leighton's Lunch Menu

You can track your child's lunch account by setting up your profile. You may also send in cash or a check written out to the Aurora City Schools.

Click Here To Add Money To Your Child's Lunch Account

Click Here to Purchase Tickets to Princess Prom

Click For Leighton Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

When reporting your child's absence, please call 330-562-2209 and select option 1. You will be prompted to leave a message with the name of your child and the reason for the absence. If you need to talk to our attendance secretary, Mrs. Mariah George, please select 0 and you will be connected during normal school hours.