Welcome to Blackhawk Country! Leslie Public Schools educates approximately 1370 students, classifying us as a “Class C” district. The district encompasses seventy five square miles. It is situated primarily in Ingham County and partially in Jackson County. The population within the district’s boundaries is approximately 7200.
We have three buildings: Woodworth Elementary (K-4), Leslie Middle School (5-8) and Leslie High School (9-12). All are fully accredited by the state of Michigan.
The city of Leslie lies approximately 13 miles north of Jackson and 17 miles south of Lansing on US 127 and with a population of approximately 2200. We are largely an agricultural community with the average farm being 350 acres. The major employers are manufacturers, education, and retail food. Many of our residents commute to Lansing and Jackson.
Leslie is a small town, but close to the opportunities offered by larger towns. In this way, our citizens and students enjoy the best of all opportunities: small town comfort with opportunities for culture, entertainment, shopping, and athletics only a short drive from their homes.
Both the district and individual buildings use data to drive instructional decisions and programming for all of our students. Data primarily comes from MEAP (Grades 3-9) and Michigan Merit Exam (Grade 11) scores, but other sources such as the PLAN, EXPLORE, and PSAT tests, district assessments, grades, and classroom tests help paint a picture of student performance. This data is compiled and reviewed regularly at both the district and building levels.
Based on data over time, the district is working on goals in the core content areas where we strive for continuous improvement. Those areas are:
Reading
Writing
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Our plan includes strategies for instructional delivery, funding sources, and professional development initiatives. We evaluate the plan annually to see if achievement continues to accelerate. Strategies that are ineffective are discontinued, and the search for “best practice” in each content area is ongoing.
Each building is aligned to the Michigan Curriculum Framework in the core areas (English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies). We have used a process called Curriculum Mapping to ensure that students are provided an opportunity to learn each of the Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs) set by the state. All students have access to this curriculum regardless of grade placement or classroom teacher. We have also put in place a district-wide system of “common end-of-trimester” assessments for our students to help us evaluate the effectiveness of our curriculum.
Leslie High School operates on a 5-period per day trimester format. All courses in the core areas have been assigned a course owner (a member of the teaching staff) who has developed a curriculum map that ensures that the High School Content Expectations (HSCEs) in the Michigan Merit Curriculum will be taught as part of the course. Each map contains a timeline that shows the students when each important topic will be studied. Common end-of-trimester assessments are given in cases where more than one teacher teaches a particular course. We recognize that the arts, athletics, and other exploratory classes are important parts of the development of the total student. To that end, we also strive to provide an array of classes where students can immerse themselves. Our ultimate goal is to provide rigor in thought, relevance to the students’ lives, an appreciation of the humanities, and a base for a successful future.
Woodworth Elementary is organized by grade level for K-4 including K-Club (Young Fives) and a H.U.G.S. (MSRP Grant) 4 year old program as well as the Early Childhood Special Education program housed at the Jean Ekins Family Learning Center. We are a school staff committed to developing strategies and skills to assist with student achievement with an intense focus on early literacy.
Over the past few years, we have been the recipients of the $50,000 Golden Apple Award from the State of Michigan in 2001 and the Educational Excellence Award by the Michigan Association of School Boards in 2002. Currently, we are accredited under the North Central Association (NCA) for our 6th year.
This labor of knowledge and extra hours by the Woodworth staff has guaranteed our successful accreditation process. Our staff voluntarily participates in monthly professional development meetings to work on our goals of reading, writing, and mathematics. Their desire to develop and support best practices to aid in student achievement is the goal of these extra meetings. Collaboratively, the staff supports each other with ideas and problem solving, collecting data before bringing student learning or behavior concerns to the Student Teacher Assistance Team (STAT). This is an updated design as part of our Response to Intervention. Our excellent Reading Recovery and New Heights programs help to ensure that all of our early readers have support in this extremely important part of our curriculum. The entire Woodworth teaching staff has been trained in LIFT (Literacy Initiatives for Teachers). Part I of this training focused on the teaching of Reading. Part II encompassed the work of Lucy Calkins in teaching writing to elementary students. Developing curriculum maps that align with the State of Michigan Grade Level Content Areas (GLCE's) has been a priority for our highly qualified and experienced staff.
Parents are welcome as part of the Woodworth Family. You will see them helping in the classrooms, participating in special events, and as decision makers on the school improvement team and the PTO. One reflection of parent involvement is the participation rate reflected in parent teacher conferences, shown below:
|
Woodworth Elementary |
||
|
|
Percent of Parents Attending |
|
|
|
Parent/Teacher Conferences |
|
|
School Year |
Fall |
Spring |
|
2003-04 |
96 |
97 |
|
2004-05 |
98 |
98 |
|
2005-06 |
98 |
94 |
|
2006-07 |
96 |
95 |
|
2007-08 |
95 |
96 |
|
2008-09 |
95 |
94 |
The district developed and adopted a policy during the 2004-2005 school year defining and embracing parent participation.
Our average attendance for 2008-09 was 96%. This exceeds the standard of 85% set by the federal government.
Points
of Pride from the 2008-2009 School Year:
Grandparents Day – a special day to recognize our grandparents entertaining them with music while inviting them to join in classroom activities and visit our school.
Blackhawk Citizen – once a trimester, select students who were good role models making good choices at school, were chosen to be honored at a breakfast with parents invited.
Outreach Food Drive – students collected food items for our community every Friday throughout the year and at three special collections at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. The Girl Scout Troop picks up the food and delivers it to the Outreach as a community service.
Jump Rope for Heart – this event encouraged good heart health while collecting money for the American Heart Association while jumping rope together in the gym. Chris Dupuis- Frey hosts this event for 2nd -4th graders and they have been top donation winners for the past two years.
After School Adventure – is an after school enrichment program for 3rd and 4th graders funded by LAEF. A tennis class was added this spring and was taught by Chris Dupuis- Frey
Lunch with the Principal – each child had the opportunity to eat lunch with the principal receiving an orange bracelet that says, “Character Counts at School” and of course the popular “Fruit by the Foot.”
Retired Teachers’ Network – is a group of retired teachers that specifically works with students on core area subjects once a week. We have had 4 retired teachers participate.
Woodworth’s School Store – Jenn Shook and Kelly Sundeen’s classrooms sponsor the school store on Fridays throughout the year. Many items to be used in school or about school are sold and the economic lessons are valuable.
Mileage Club- Jim Hanson leads the way with our unofficial fall mileage club giving inspiration to those runners to prepare for the official spring mileage club. He has been so successful in motivating our students to participate in the State of Michigan’s Mileage Club. We are considered in the top ten schools for mileage in the State marking another year of over 12,000 miles!
Woodworth Computer Lab – each classroom has an assigned time each week where they use newly purchased software for practice and computer skills. Software purchases were compliments of Title monies and LAEF gift for After School Adventure program.
Woodworth Staff Family Adoption – each year the staff adopts two families at Christmas time buying presents for the families.
PTO – Woodworth’s PTO is an amazing group that supports our building in many ways. This year Woodworth received the purchase of nComputing kits for any classroom that requested one. Ten were installed to this date. It is a multi-user computing kit that attaches three monitors to the teacher computer allowing students to have access to other programs that are suitable on the Internet in their own classroom. Ex: PBS Kids and Star Net. (The monitors are being recycled from LPS labs.)
Big History Lesson – fourth grade students learn Michigan history through training to become junior docents at the Michigan Historical Museum.
Grace Hawks – provides after schools daycare on site at Woodworth. Many families are happily using the after school care services.
Mission Statement: Preparing Hawks for Flight
Leslie Middle
School is organized for grades 5-8 with the intent of creating a
bridge between childhood and the teenage years. This school was
specifically structured based on research about adolescents and how
they learn. The Leslie Middle School staff has embarked on a journey
to become accredited by North Central Association (Advanc-Ed) and
join Woodworth Elementary and Leslie High School in this
process.
The 5th grade program reflects the structure of the
elementary school: Students are assigned to one or two core teachers
and spend most of the day with them. As students mature, the 8th
grade program is designed to support the independence exhibited by
early teenagers. Students move from classroom to classroom as the
subject matter changes.
Throughout their middle school
experience, students are exposed to Related Arts classes that help
develop interests and stimulate curiosity with such classes as music,
art, study skills, and Spanish. Students who wish to participate in
interscholastic sports enjoy that opportunity.
All students
will improve their knowledge and skills in
Science
Mathematics
Writing
“A”
One reflection of parent involvement is the participation rate reflected in parent teacher conferences, shown below:
|
Leslie Middle School |
||
|
|
Percent of Parents Attending |
|
|
|
Parent/Teacher Conferences |
|
|
School Year |
Fall |
Spring |
|
2003-04 |
90 |
86 |
|
2004-05 |
91 |
88 |
|
2005-06 |
90 |
85 |
|
2006-07 |
91 |
89 |
|
2007-08 |
88 |
94 |
|
2008-09 |
85 |
84 |
Parents
participate in curriculum functions, such as Family Math, Science and
Language Arts Nights as well as participating in decision making
committees such as the building school improvement team.
The
district developed and adopted a policy during the 2004-2005 school
year defining and embracing parent participation. In addition, our
newly revised Parent Volunteer Policy establishes the parameters and
opportunities for parents to become involved in their child’s
learning.
Student Recognition:
Students are recognized on their birthdays, for honor roll,
attendance, and citizenship. It is our goal to make each student feel
unique and successful.
Olympic Day: Fifth and sixth
graders participated in a daylong series of activities incorporating
team building and sportsmanship skills.
Team Teaching:
Common planning allows teachers at each grade level to collaborate
and develop units of study that incorporate each subject area in line
with a common theme such as the “Iditarod”.
PALS: (Peer Assisted Leaders): Any interested student may join
PALS. Students receive extensive training to assist other students as
conflict mediators. PALS also befriend and help orient students who
are new to Leslie Middle School.
Student Council:
Student leaders and advisors work together to provide an environment
which fosters communication, organization, service, and citizenship
goals.
Study Skills: Students interact with peers and
teachers daily in a regularly scheduled period. This program is
designed with a curriculum to promote achievement and help bridge the
gap between elementary school and high school.
Related
Arts Classes: Students receive instruction in Art, Music, Physical
Education, and Computers in year long and rotating classes.
Hawk Management Office: This behavior management system helps
students to evaluate behaviors they have chosen, to take
responsibility for their choices, and to develop a plan to make more
appropriate choices.
Blackhawk Summer Adventure and
Blackhawk After-School Program: These programs consist of a wide
variety of fun and motivational activities such as theatre, cake
decorating, in-line skating, and scrapbooking.
Our
award-winning music program received a I rating at the state choir
competition.
After School Clubs: In addition to our Homework Club, each week throughout the year students may join clubs that explore Arts & Crafts, Science, Spanish, Fitness, Floor hockey, Literature, Computers, Dance, Rollerblading, and much more.
We began the process of becoming NCA accredited during the 2008-09 school year.
Mission Statement: Futures Taking Flight
School Organization
Approximately 400 students learn and develop within this state of the art building. We offer the best of all possibilities: we are small enough so that teachers and students know each other, but large enough to offer a variety of choices for our students. Students can take advanced placement classes, technology, online classes, music, and art. There are many after school opportunities for our students to make high school a rich, rewarding time in their lives. Our staff is committed to student success.
All students
will increase their skills and knowledge in:
Reading
Writing
Math
Computational Skills
“B”
One reflection of parent involvement is the participation rate reflected in parent teacher conferences, below:
|
Leslie High School |
|
||
|
|
Percent of Parents Attending |
|
|
|
|
Parent/Teacher Conferences |
|
|
|
School Year |
Fall |
Spring |
|
|
2003-04 |
66 |
55 |
|
|
2004-05 |
65 |
55 |
|
|
2005-06 |
76 |
51 |
|
|
2006-07 |
71 |
53 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
|
2007-08 |
60 |
52 |
33 |
|
2008-09 |
61 |
49 |
42 |
The district developed and adopted a policy during the 2004-2005 school year defining and embracing parent participation.
FALL WINTER
Boys’ Cross Country – Varsity (limited JV) Boys’ Basketball – Varsity
Boys’ Football – Varsity Boys’ Basketball – Junior Varsity
Boys’ Football – Junior Varsity Boys’ Basketball – Freshman
Boys’ Soccer – Junior Varsity Boys’ Bowling - Varsity
Boys’ Tennis - Varsity (Limited JV) Boys’ Wrestling – Varsity (Limited JV)
Sideline Cheerleading – Varsity Competitive Cheerleading – Varsity
Sideline Cheerleading – Junior Varsity Girls’ Basketball – Varsity
Girls’ Cross Country - Varsity Girls’ Basketball – Junior Varsity
Girls’ Volleyball – Varsity Girls’ Bowling - Varsity
Girls’ Volleyball – Junior Varsity
Boys’ Baseball – Varsity Boys’ Soccer promoted to Varsity in Fall 2009
Boys’ Baseball – Junior Varsity Girls’ Soccer promoted Varsity in Spring 2010
Boys’ Golf - Varsity (Limited JV) Boys Tennis will be Co-op with LCS Fall 2009
Girls’ Tennis - Varsity (Limited JV)
Boys’ Track – Varsity
Girls’ Softball – Varsity
Girls’ Softball – Junior Varsity
Girls’ Track – Varsity
Girls’ Soccer - Junior Varsity
Full theater production opportunities are offered in music and drama.
Ten foreign exchange students from four countries enrolled at Leslie High School during the 2008-09 school year.
Fifteen students traveled to Germany for 11 days, expanding their knowledge of world cultures.
Varsity football team was the State Division VI Runner-up.
Varsity Girls Cross Country Team was the State Runner-up.
Girls Tennis Team qualified for the State Tournament.
Varsity Baseball Team was the District Champion for the first time in 37 years.
Four students received a number 1 rating at State Solo and Ensemble competition.
The High School Chorale received a 1 rating at district competition.
Six athletes qualified for the State Track Finals.
Twenty-five student projects qualified for the Michigan Industrial and Technology Education Society’s (MITES) state competition where 10 projects placed at the state level.
50% of the students at Leslie High School participated in at least one extra-curricular sport.
Calculus and physics students toured Cedar Point and collected data from the roller coasters for a class project.
All students have an electronic Educational Development Plan, helping them match high school classes and activities to career/ college goals.
54 graduating seniors had a 3.0 or higher GPA.
1 graduating senior had accumulated 4 years of perfect attendance.
Assessment Data
The following links will open in a PDF format:
Graphical
Analysis of 2008 MEAP Assessment Data
Graphical Analysis of the highlights of the 2008 MEAP Assessment Data
2009 MME, ACT, AYP, and School Report Card Results
Leslie teachers are certified by the state of Michigan to teach in their various subject areas. The new mandates of No Child Left Behind have placed additional requirements on Michigan teachers. While teachers in the state are certified, they may not meet the new federal definition of “highly qualified”. In Leslie, all staff meets the federal definition of “highly qualified”.
Parents have the right to know the qualifications of their children’s teachers upon request.