Dear LPS families,

We had a busy week at Leland, and we are gearing up for another busy one next week! We have a wonderful Veteran’s Day Celebration planned for Monday afternoon, so please invite your friends and family who are veterans and plan to join us in the afternoon Monday at 1:30.

Remember that we also have conferences next week, with half days Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Dismissal is at 11:30 and there is no Comet Club on half days.

Details on In-Person Conferences:

Elementary Teachers + Student Support Team: 1:1 conference appointments

Teachers of 6th-12th graders: Arena-style conferences in the gym

Remember that you can access your child’s grades and schedule in PowerSchool: https://psleland.northwested.org/public/

Here is the link to sign up for conferences: https://tinyurl.com/LPSFallConf24

As usual, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions: sfehrenbach@lelandschool.com or (231) 256-3802. 

Shelagh Fehrenbach, K-12 Principal

sfehrenbach@lelandschool.com

"Last week 15 teachers and administrators from Evergreen School in Grand Rapids visited LPS for a day.  This is the fourth school that has sent staff to visit LPS in the last two years.  They spent the day observing classrooms and learning about the IB Primary Years Program from our teachers and staff.  They were very complimentary about the teaching and learning that was happening in our classrooms.  We are so lucky to have such knowledgeable teachers who are willing to share their expertise with schools all over the state!" - Mrs. Keen

"This semesters music classes were treated today to a concert from Ben Traverse featuring sea shanties and songs from the Great Lakes!" - Mrs. Newman

Students in Mrs. Neilly's Projects in Engineering Class are working hard to build trebuchets and then test their designs!

Important Dates

Thursday, November 7th - 3-12 Music Concert

Wednesday, November 13th - 1/2 Day, Parent Teacher Conferences, PTO Potluck

Thursday, November 14th - 1/2 Day, Parent Teacher Conferences, PTO Potluck

Thursday, November 21st - Sunday November 24th - LPS Drama Presents Little Women

Wednesday, November 27th - HALF DAY Thanksgiving Break

Thursday, November 28th -29th - NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Break

Monday, December 2nd - Monthly PTO Meeting 6pm, Annual Budget Meeting, and

The Anxious Generation (Part 2) Book Club at 7pm

Wednesday, December 4th - HALF DAY, Teacher PD

Saturday, December 7th - Santa's Workshop

Saturday December 21st - Sunday, January 5th - Winter Break

Dear LPS Community,

We are pleased to invite you to our Veteran's Day Celebration on Monday, November 11th at 1:30 pm. Please join us that afternoon for a ceremony and Community Social to honor our regional veterans. We are excited to welcome local veterans as guests of honor. All veterans and their families are welcome to join us! We'd like to thank Mrs. Lisa Migazzi, our 1st/2nd grade teacher and a Coast Guard veteran, for her coordination of this special event.

Please contact Mrs. Fehrenbach with any questions at sfehrenbach@lelandschool.com.

-LPS Office

Parent-teacher conferences are coming soon and the PTO is hosting our annual staff appreciation meal for teachers and staff. We’re looking for sandwich fixings, salads, soups, drinks, and treats to help sustain staff during these important days. Please sign up to bring something on either Wednesday, November 13th or Thursday, November 14th. We are excited to continue this tradition of feeding and celebrating teachers during conferences.

Dear LPS students, staff, and parents:

We are reaching out to you again asking for your input through this survey for our school improvement committee. This committee has been working to achieve our strategic goals, and we are looking for feedback on our progress. It is important that we hear from a variety of voices and opinions in order to make decisions in the best interest of all of our stakeholders.

Please take between 5-10 minutes before November 15 to provide us with your valuable input. You can take the survey more than once from different perspectives (for example, first as a teacher and then as a parent), but please take the survey from one perspective only at a time.  If any question is not applicable to you, please skip it.

This information will remain anonymous and be used to help us evaluate current LPS programming and tailor our future goals. Many thanks for your time.

Thursday, November 7th

Varsity Volleyball @ District Finals (Suttons Bay) - 7:00pm

Friday, November 8th

No Events

Dear Comets, 

We are so happy to announce that LPS will no longer be charging pay-to-participate fees for athletic participation.  When pay-to-participate fees were initiated, they were necessary to offset the cost to the general fund which could not fully support our teams at that time. Our general fund is now in more stable condition and we are able to assume more of the expenses of our athletic programming. Teams and coaches will still need to fundraise to support new uniforms and other preferred equipment and activities; however, the school will cover the routine expenses of transportation, officials’ fees, registration and event fees, coaches salaries, and other administrative and program costs which will eliminate the need for families to pay-to-participate. 

For those families that have already paid their fee for the 2024-2025 school year, we wanted to notify you of this change and offer you one of the three options below:

Option # 1 - We prefer the balance of our 2024-2025 pay-to-participate fee(s) to stay as a donation to the athletic program. No refund necessary.

Option # 2 - We prefer a partial refund of 50% of our 2024-2025 pay-to-participate fee(s) with the remaining balance donated to the athletic program.

Option # 3 - We prefer a full refund for our 2024-2025 pay-to-participate fee(s).

Please choose which option you prefer here by Friday, November 15th. Refunds will be issued after that date. Please also confirm your mailing address in your survey response. 

Thank you for your continued support of our athletic program, and GO COMETS!

Stephanie

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is the two-time Newbery Honor winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of several acclaimed novels, and she is coming to Traverse City’s City Opera House on December 4th, 2024 to discuss her mega-award winning and ultra powerful novel, Fighting Words. This story explodes the stigma around child sexual abuse and leavens an intense tale with compassion and humor. You do not have to have read the book to attend this incredible event, as it is sure to be an enriching discussion. Kimberly will be sitting down with guest host, Beth Milligan, to discuss this novel at 7:00pm, followed by a Q&A and author signing.

In-person tickets are just $27, purchase them here: https://nationalwritersseries.org/kimberly-brubaker-bradley/

Rotary International Youth Exchange

Recently members of the Leelanau County/Suttons Bay Rotary Club presented exchange opportunities to Sophomores and Juniors.  The program is a full year academic and cultural experience.  Selected students would prepare for the exchange experience over this school year before departing next August to their destination country.  

This is a Rotary International program that matches Rotary Clubs from the United States with Rotary Clubs abroad.  Students will live with 2-3 host families and attend school in the host country for a full academic year.  There is a cost for this program.  Scholarship funds may be available through the local Rotary club.  Students will experience a variety of exposures to a different culture while becoming a global individual.  The Rotary International Youth Exchange promotes international understanding and goodwill one person at a time.

Interested students received information and a preliminary application.  Copies are available.  

Students and families that are interested should contact:

Tom Trumbull 419-467-1715 tomtrumbullicloud.com

Wayne Wunderlich 231-256-9294 sblc_rotary@hotmail.com