Superintendent Newsletter

Dear Lansing School District Community,

I hope that this newsletter finds you well. As always, it is a pleasure to email you all.

I wanted to write about last week's board meeting. After almost four years as Superintendent, working with our incredible community, laying the groundwork on a myriad of programs and processes, focusing on retention and recruitment, and investing in buildings and curriculum, Thursday, May 1st, was a culmination of sorts.

We honored staff that served 40, 45, and 50 years. Over the last few years, we have started to celebrate our staff in more formal and informal ways. They deserve it! Next week, we are hosting our annual spring educator appreciation event at Eastern Fields, another new way we show love for our staff. We also celebrated a wonderful board member who is leaving us to move to Texas. I especially appreciate Trustee Bouyer's work on the Board. She brought wonderful insight as a parent of multiple LSD students, a former educator in the district, and a current non-profit leader who supports many of our scholars. You will be missed, Keturah.

During the Board meeting, we conducted learning walks, where students, teachers, and principals shared their exemplary work, aligned with state standards, and evaluated by thoughtful rubrics. After their share-outs, we received a report from the Director of Enrichment, which discussed how we have increased programming for arts, music, athletics, dance, and drama. Stephen Draper invited community partners, our own educators, parents, and Lansing School District students to share their experiences. We were serenaded by the Drum Line at Sexton as we started our meeting. Then, we heard about our robotics clubs, our musical theater productions, our athletics, and so many other programs.

It was so powerful to hear from our stakeholders, their stories, and how appreciative they were of the incredible hard work that the Department of Enrichment has done to support our students. Yes, as Superintendent, I care deeply about our students reading at grade level and being proficient at math, but hearing about the increase in participation in girls' soccer, seeing the Sexton Drum Line perform, and watching students at Cavanaugh present their work is what makes all of our jobs worth it. Something special is happening in Lansing. If you get the chance, please watch the video of the enrichment presentation so you, too, can share in the success of the district's work.

Thank you so much for all of your incredible support of our district. Together, we will do great things for the children of Lansing.

Benjamin Shuldiner, Superintendent

Lansing School District

Click the photo or scan the QR code to get started.

The Lansing School District Board of Education proudly recognize three outstanding staff members for their dedicated years of service!

Their commitment, passion, and hard work continue to make a lasting impact on our students and community.

Thank you for being a part of the Lansing School District!

• SUE GRACE - 40 YEARS
• CYNTHIA CATES - 45 YEARS
• ORTENCIA MARTINEZ (not pictured) - 50 YEARS

The Greater Lansing Optimist Club holds an essay contest for Lansing area students each year. Of the 28 essays they received this year — 20 were from our students at Eastern, Everett, and Sexton High Schools! On Wednesday, Fahd Siddiqi from Eastern High School was honored for his essay "How Optimism Has Paved My Road to Success," which took third place among his peers. He is pictured here with essay contest co-chairs Elizabeth Johnson (left) and Annette Shauver (right).

Congratulations, Fahd!

The hard work, determination, and optimism you used here will take you far in life!

All families with a current 8th-grade student are encouraged to explore the possibilities at Lansing Technical High School, where career training in four separate pathways starts from day one.

The Village Lansing Chess Club starts this week! Open to youth and adults ages 9 and up, you will learn at a comfortable pace, in a very positive learning environment.

Our instructors offer the understanding of chess under the United States Chess Federation (USCF), this way participants that learn to play the game of chess in our program can play anywhere!

Our mission is to give an appreciation of how thoughts affect outcomes, how every decision affects every outcome, and the ability to see the bigger picture. We believe that by teaching the game of chess, we are giving extra support to our young people for the appreciation for their own thought processes. We want to give them the tools to think before they act, tools that they can apply to everyday situations and life.

WE ARE TAKING SIGN UPS UNTIL MONDAY 05/05!

➡️ Youth Registration: https://thevillagelansing.dm.networkforgood.com/forms/village-chess-club-youth-registration

➡️ Adult Registration: https://thevillagelansing.dm.networkforgood.com/forms/village-chess-club-adult-registration

The Lansing School District has gathered critical graduation information and links for families to plan a successful senior year and graduation day. The resource web page is being updated with new information as it becomes available, please bookmark the page and check often.

May 9 — No School | PD Day

May 15 — Board of Education Meeting | 6:00 p.m. | 519 Kalamazoo St.

May 20 — Family Roundtable | 6:00 p.m. | 519 Kalamazoo St.

May 23 — Half Day | Elementary Only

May 26 — No School | Memorial Day

May 28 — Parent University | Managing Stress and Emotions | 6:00 p.m.| 4200 Wainwright Ave.

May 28 — PCAC | Topic TBD | 6:00 p.m.| 4200 Wainwright Ave.

June 3 — Adult Education & WIOA Graduation Ceremony | 5:00 p.m.| 5815 Wise Rd.

June 3 — CAK12O & LLH Graduation Ceremony | 6:30 p.m.| 5815 Wise Rd.

June 4 — Half Day | High Schools Only

June 5 — Half Day | High Schools Only

June 5 — Board of Education Meeting | 6:00 p.m. | 519 Kalamazoo St.

June 6 — Half Day | Last Day of School

June 7 — Class of 2025 Graduation | Breslin Center | 534 Birch Rd, East Lansing

Sexton 9:00 a.m. | Everett 12:30 p.m. | Eastern 4:00 p.m.

June 19 — Juneteenth | District Closed

June 26 — Board of Education Meeting | 6:00 p.m. | 519 Kalamazoo St.

Did you know that you can subscribe to our calendars?

Visit www.lansingschools.net/district/calendars, select the school(s) whose calendar you would like to subscribe to, and tap the tiny calendar at the top right. For more detailed instructions, click here.