Lawrence Public Schools
All Students. One Team.
Hello, Lawrence Public Schools Community,
It’s a busy time in our schools as we extend our learning and participate in the many December school activities. We value the hard work of our students, teachers and teams, school families, and community partners as we wrap up this fall semester.
Student and Community Engagement
It has been wonderful to continue to participate in conversations in our community, and I very much appreciated the opportunity to engage in conversations recently with students from our high schools. Students from Free State (a few of whom are pictured here), Lawrence High, and LVS inspired me with their depth of thinking and the interesting insights they shared from their experiences in our schools. I value their thoughts about how we can better serve our students in the future.
Community Conversations & Survey
Many thanks to all who have attended a conversation, either at your school or at one of our community gatherings, and to the many individuals who have participated in our survey. There is still time to share your feedback in the community survey, open through December 19. We are excited to continue making these connections and to prepare an update of what we have heard in a full report to the community, planned for January.
Prioritizing a Focused Learning Environment - Cell Phone Expectations
We continue to prepare for next steps to ensure classrooms and learning environments are free from the distraction of student cell phones. We will soon be sharing guidance to be implemented at the beginning of the spring semester.
In summary, the expectation is that cell phones and personal electronic devices must be off and stored out of sight during instructional hours; devices should not be seen, heard, or interfere with instruction. More specifically, we will follow a developmental approach, prohibiting cell phone use all day for elementary students, and allowing some flexibility for middle and high school students. The overall practice reflects an age-appropriate increased level of responsibility. For example, high school students may use their phones during designated times, such as passing periods and at lunch. Find more information by reviewing the draft policy.
I will share more detailed information after the Board of Education votes on the policy Monday evening. We are excited to work together to prepare for the January change to benefit all students.
Thank you for sharing your students with us! We value our partnership and appreciate your support of our more than 10,500 students and the remarkable teachers, staff, and leaders who serve them each day.
Sincerely,
Jeanice Kerr Swift
Interim Superintendent
Lawrence Public Schools
FSHS Student's Heroism Leads to Lifesaving Award
LHS Student Artists Earn National Awards
We join Lawrence High in celebrating its two national YoungArts award winners -- Lola Brown (Photography) and Adele Erickson (Painting). They are students of Angelia Perkins and Todd Poteet. Heralding the next generation of artists to watch, YoungArts announced more than 800 of the most accomplished young visual, literary, and performing artists from across the country.
According to YoungArts, the award winners, ages 15-18 in grades 10-12, were selected from 11,000 entries through a highly competitive application reviewed by panels of esteemed, discipline-specific artists in a rigorous adjudication process. Each receives $250 and joins a distinguished community of artists offered creative and professional development support throughout their careers.
Thank You, Farm-to-School Partners!
As winter weather arrives, we thank our Farm-to-School partners for providing delicious fruits, vegetables, and protein to our kitchens, cafeterias, and stomachs during the fall growing season. All of our farm and ranch partners -- South Baldwin Farms, Jirak Family Produce, Juniper Hill Farms, Table View Farm, and 2 Trails Ranch -- are within 50 miles of Lawrence, ensuring freshness!
Nutrition and Wellness Director Julie Henry provides this by-the-numbers look at some of our purchases, including the just-picked, red, ripe tomatoes from Table View Farm pictured.
- 97,750 Apples (32,258 lbs.)
- 3,650 lbs. Cantaloupe
- 500 lbs. Snacking Peppers
- 30,600 lbs. Watermelon
- 1,300 lbs. Grape & Cherry Tomatoes
- 215 lbs. Cucumbers
- 925 lbs. Slicing Tomatoes
- 40 lbs. Jalapenos
- 1,759 lbs. Bell Peppers
- 20 lbs. Radishes
- 8,793 lbs. Ground Beef
