Post date: Sep 14, 2014 1:16:15 AM
Superintendent’s Update September 13, 2014
After a positive start to the new school year our students, faculty, and staff are settled into the daily classroom routines. Back to school open house events have been well attended by parents and guardians. The final two open houses are scheduled for Monday (Kindergarten) and Thursday (LHS). The fall athletic season is well underway with daily team practices and weekly games. Please join us for one of the many home games. I also want to remind you that the LHS Marching Band performs at every home football game. I encourage you to come out and enjoy their great half-time performance! Following are several important notices.
Annual Notification of Rights Under The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
FERPA affords parents and students over 18 years of age ("eligible students") certain rights with respect to the student's education records. These rights are outlined on the attached document and posted at our website. One important right under FERPA is the right to refuse to allow certain information to be designated as directory information under FERPA. Directory information is information that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. The Lunenburg Public Schools designates the following types of information as directory information: student’s name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities or sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, likeness on photograph or video, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous educational institution attended.
PLEASE NOTE: Parents or eligible students who wish to exclude any of these types of information from being disclosed as directory information must notify the District in writing within ten (10) days of the date of this notice, including the types of information to be excluded.
Membership Matters – Join PTO
The PTO does much to support our students and schools. Last year one of their donations added mobile labs across the district. PTO members assist with various events and activities throughout the school year. One of the District’s Guiding Beliefs is that education is a community partnership. PTO is a vital part of that partnership and your membership matters. Please help us toward our goal of increased membership by joining the Lunenburg Parent-Teacher Organization today! Attached you will find the membership form. The first PTO meeting of the current school year is scheduled for Monday, September 22, 2014 in room #13 of the Thomas C. Passios Building. For more information visit the PTO website (http://www.lunenburgpto.org/).
School Committee Advisory – School Calendar
The Lunenburg School Committee is seeking members from our school community to serve on a special advisory committee on the school calendar. The advisory committee will provide input, ideas, and make recommendations. The specific charge and membership of the School Calendar Advisory Committee will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the School Committee scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 in room #13 of the Thomas C. Passios Building. Anyone interested in serving on this advisory please submit your contact information via email to lpetersen@lunenburgonline.com or by calling Ms. Petersen at 978.582.4100 X 211 before the end of the school day on Friday September 26, 2014.
Online Registration Release Schedule for September 17, 2014
Several parent volunteers assisted us in testing our new online student registration. The final training for school personnel is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16. We will open on-line registration on Wednesday, September 17. Information about how to access and utilize the system will be sent at that time. Please note that this system will provide parents and guardians a way to update important student and contact information, including emergency information. We are very excited to make this system available to parents and guardians. I want to thank all the parents who participated in the try-out and provided us valuable feedback that was utilized to improve the program.
Groundbreaking Ceremony Scheduled for October 18, 2014
I am pleased to announce that a ground breaking ceremony will be held in conjunction with the annual homecoming celebration on Saturday, October 18 at 1:15 p.m. Planning for this special ceremony is underway and details will be made public once finalized.
School Portraits
We are excited to begin our partnership with Lifetouch School Portraits in Marlborough. Lifetouch has a high standard of excellence in the portraiture business at an affordable price for our students and families. They are the only company that has an exclusive partnership, 24/7 rapid response program with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: SmileSafe Kids. Lifetouch also provides a secure data portal for student images and student information. In addition to ordering through the backpack picture day flyer, parents can easily choose an extensive variety of packages and backgrounds through the Lifetouch website. The choices are quite impressive! Mark your calendars picture days are: September 17 - High School; November 3 - Middle School; November 5 - Primary School