Our Focus: Your Student's Success



The Kansas Standard of Excellence recognizes schools for exemplary achievement on the 2007-08 state assessments.

Congratulations, 2008 Kansas Standard of Excellence Schools!
Broken Arrow: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 3-6; Math Schoolwide & Grades 3, 5 & 6.
Cordley: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 3-6; Math schoolwide & Grades 3, 4 & 6.
Deerfield: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 4 & 6; Math Grades 5 & 6.
Hillcrest: Reading & Math Grade 6.
Langston Hughes: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 5-6; Math Grades 5 & 6; & Science Grade 4.
New York: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 3, 4 & 6; Math Schoolwide & Grades 3 & 4; & Science Grade 4.
Pinckney: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 3, 5 & 6; Math Schoolwide & Grades 3 & 5.
Prairie Park: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 3 & 4.
Quail Run: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 4-6; Math Schoolwide & Grades 4-6; and Science Grade 4.
Schwegler: Reading Schoolwide & Grade 4; Math Grades 3 & 4.
Sunflower: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 3-6; Math Schoolwide & Grades 3 & 6.
Sunset Hill: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 3-6; Math Schoolwide & Grades 3, 5 & 6.
Wakarusa Valley: Reading & Math Schoolwide & Grades 4-6.
Woodlawn: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 3, 5 & 6; Math Schoolwide & Grades 3 & 4.
Central: Reading Schoolwide.
South: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 7 & 8; Math Schoolwide and Grade 7.
Southwest: Reading & Math Schoolwide & Grades 7 & 8; Science Grade 7; & History/Government Grade 8.
West: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 7 & 8.
Free State High: Reading Schoolwide.
Lawrence High: Math Schoolwide.
Lawrence Virtual School: Reading Schoolwide & Grades 7 & 8.

Lawrence Public Schools celebrate achievement growth and focus on continuous improvement with the district's 2008 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report. "We're seeing some remarkable achievement gains and students performing at high levels," said Superintendent Randy Weseman. "We have more than 90% of students meeting state assessment standards in eight of our elementary schools in reading and in six elementary schools in math. Three of our junior high schools met or exceeded AYP targets in both reading and math, and Central Junior High met the AYP target in reading. Both high schools continue to make great progress. At the same time, we continue to work to address the academic needs of each and every student, and to improve all students' performance on state assessments."

Congratulations to Lanell Finneran, USD 497 Therapeutic Classroom teacher, for her receipt of a Governor's Award for Arts in Education from the Kansas Arts Commission.

Kansas Education Commissioner Alexa Posny is nominating Lawrence's Broken Arrow Elementary for the No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools award program. Nominations will be sent to U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

Lawrence Public Schools congratulate the Free State High School football team, runner up for the 2008 KSHSAA Class 6A State Football Championship!  

The College Board has named Free State High School's Rodolfo Torres-Gavosto a 2008-09 National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar. The NHRP identifies outstanding Hispanic/Latino high school students who perform well on the PSAT/NMSQT exam. Approximately 5,000 students are selected for this recognition from a pool of more than 200,000 students nationwide.

The National Council of Teachers of English has honored Nash Riggins, Free State High senior, and Ursula Rothrock, Lawrence High senior, as outstanding writers in the 2008 NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing. This program encourages high school students in their writing and recognizes publicly some of the best student writers in the nation.

National Merit Scholarship Corporation announces the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 54th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, including Molly Albrecht, Lydia Belcher, Katherine Burk, Ruth Byers, Christopher Carter, Timothy Clark, Elizabeth Murray and Rodolfo Torres-Gavosto, of Free State High; and JoAnn Doll of Lawrence High. 

The American Institute of Architects recognized Gould Evans with its Central States Design Excellence Award for the South Junior High School facility, which opened to Lawrence students and staff in fall of 2007.

Lawrence Public Schools congratulate the Lawrence High boys' cross country team, winner of the 2008 KSHSAA Class 6A State Cross Country Championship, and the Lawrence Free State High girls' cross country team, the third-place finisher at State! 

Congratulations to the Free State High gymnastics team for finishing in third place in state competition. 

Schwegler Elementary Principal Jared Comfort earned the Governor's Energy Achievement Recognition Award for Energy Leadership at the 2008 Kansas Wind and Renewable Energy Conference. Schwegler staff and parents involved students in a year-long environmental learning experience and celebration in 2007-08 as part of the school's 50th anniversary. 

The Kansas Music Educators' Association honored Michele Bergman as Outstanding Elementary Music Educator for KMEA's Northeast District. Bergman teaches music at Broken Arrow, Cordley, Hillcrest, Pinckney, New York and Wakarusa Valley Elementary Schools and assists with music instruction at Lawrence High.

Lawrence high school students shine on national tests: ACT composite scores and SAT scores. 

Expansion Management magazine's 2007 Education Quotient ranks Lawrence Public Schools among the Top Ten of the "Best Metro School Districts" in the United States and a "Five-Star Public Schools Metro."

What's New?

Welcome Back
K-6 classes resume following Winter Break on January 5, while classes for Grades 7-12 will resume on January 6.

You're Invited: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Education Celebration
Lawrence Public Schools will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during a districtwide event at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 15, at Southwest Junior High School. The public is welcome to attend to hear student musical performances and presentations of how students are learning about and living Dr. King's dream through their own public service. Refreshments will be served.

Inclement Weather Procedures
If weather conditions or forecasts indicate inclement weather, tune to area radio and TV stations or check media Web sites for school closing announcements. The school district announces school closings on its Web site and a recorded message at 832-5000. Beginning this year, the district will notify staff and parents of school closings with a recorded message delivered by phone through the SchoolMessenger automated notification system. The district's goal is to make school closing announcements by 10 pm, if possible, or by 6 am. If no announcement is made, schools are in session. As always, parents have the option to keep their children at home for health and safety reasons. Please notify your child's school of this decision.

Board of Education Appreciates Your Input
The Lawrence Board of Education appreciates the community's input as it begins its search for a new superintendent. A Leadership Profile, completed with input received from community member surveys, and during focus group sessions and community forums, will be used to guide the search process. The Board expects to announce a new superintendent in mid-March.

Notice: Directory Scam
Lawrence Public Schools have been made aware of a scam involving mailings from "Directory Public Office for Lawrence High School, PO Box 29920, New York, NY 10087, (914) 946-7500." This is not a legitimate organization.

Lawrence Master Teacher
Chuck Law, Free State High social studies teacher, is the 2008 Lawrence Master Teacher. Lawrence Public Schools will nominate Law to the Kansas Master Teacher program sponsored by Emporia State University's Teachers College.

Preschool Openings Available
East Heights Early Childhood Family Center is accepting applications for its half-day, tuition-based preschool program. The program will be offered from noon-3 pm four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday), beginning January 5. Tuition is $150/month. Call 832-5680 or visit East Heights, 15th and Haskell Ave., for information.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words
Parents may submit digital photos of their students involved in school activities for possible inclusion on this Web site. By submitting photos, parents grant Lawrence Public Schools permission to use them on the Internet. If other students appear in your photos, a signed permission form from each student's parent must accompany the submission. Email your school photos to Julie Boyle, director of communications.

Job Opportunities
Lawrence Public Schools are hiring now for the 2008-09 school year. We're scheduling interviews for teaching, paraeducator, custodial, clerical and food services positions. Full and part-time openings. Excellent benefits. Vacancies include Special Education Autism Resource Teacher. For job listings and to apply, click the "Employment" tab at the top of this page. (EOE) 

Outdoor Athletic Field Improvements
The Board of Education plans to improve the safety, equity and quality of high school outdoor athletic fields. Read more about the improvement plan and review site plans for Free State High, Lawrence High and the Lawrence Virtual School campus (former Centennial school campus).

     


     
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