Building Lansing's Future!

Each week we will share district news and offerings.

Update from

Superintendent Shuldiner

Dear Lansing School District Community,

As always, I am happy to write to you today. This week has been incredibly eventful. Our Pre-Kindergarten program (GSRP) saw the arrival of our students, and our K-12 classes finished their third week of school. When I came to Lansing, one of the first actions we took as a district was to create Universal Pre-K. This year we have the most Pre-Kindergarten students in the history of our school district. Not only does this mean we have more young people being taught and nurtured by our incredible staff, but it means more families are starting their time with the Lansing School District than before. We have found that families that go to Pre-K with us have a much higher likelihood of staying in our schools for the long run. This is incredibly important.

Every morning, over 6000 students wake up, living within the Lansing School District boundaries, yet choosing to go to school somewhere else. Sadly, some of the reasons families choose to “choose out” of Lansing School District is a false perception of our schools, teachers, and community. By having more students start their time with us, families see firsthand how things are changing for the better. Our Pre-K programs have certified teachers, a rigorous curriculum, and warm and safe environs. Additionally, our Pre-K programs are embedded within our schools; they are not located in stand-alone buildings. This way, parents and students can get used to attending class in these school buildings and meeting the principals and other staff members. Hopefully, during the year of Pre-K, all of the families are being welcomed and made to feel a part of the Lansing School District community as a whole. The more families feel connected, supported, and loved by our schools, the more likely they will stay with us. It is certainly our hope that the Pre-K families become Lansing School District families for life. We are striving to be a district where everyone chooses to be here.

We continue to receive positive emails about these newsletters. Please continue to contact us with your thoughts. We would love to hear your feedback, especially around topics you would like us to cover.

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

Meet Our Featured Student!

Da'quarius Alexander, Sexton Senior

This week's featured student comes to us from J.W. Sexton High School. Da'Quarius Alexander, or DQ as the Sexton family refers to him, is a senior on a mission. He is an outstanding young man who is hard working, driven, and passionate about building his T-Shirt business No Handoutz Clothing for himself and others. DQ has a quiet focus that is rarely seen from someone his age which hasn't went unnoticed by district staff who look forward to DQ doing great things in the future.

Staff Feature of the Week

Karen Hoekstra, Eastern High School

Karen Hoekstra is a National Board-Certified Physical Education Teacher as well as a Lansing Eastern High School alumnus. She demonstrates care for her students by educating them to make conscious healthy lifestyle choices and a lifelong commitment to physical activity. She introduces students to uncommon sports, activities and games, teaching them the rules and sports history. Student knowledge is reinforced through opportunities to referee, play and keep score for the sports they are taught. Karen Hoekstra brings pencil and paper as well as bats and balls into her Physical Education classes, often times teaching cross-curricular.

Mrs. Hoekstra extends education to students beyond her classes as the seventh and eighth grade Athletic Director, and Boys and Girls Basketball coach. This past school year she presented to staff and her students on Title IX as it pertains to the inequality of NCAA Men and Women’s March Madness Basketball tournament television coverage. With all of the many hats she wears she doesn’t forget to also wear a smile on her face and compliment her students for a job well done.

The Lansing State Journal interviewed Lansing School District Spanish Family Advocate Claudia Cabrera-Rodriguez as part of their feature article Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating Cultures Rich in History, Music and More.

Click here to read her story.

Mayor Andy Schor Visits Wexford and Mt. Hope STEAM

On Monday, September 12, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor joined Board President Gabrielle Lawrence and Superintendent Ben Shuldiner on a visit to Wexford and Mt. Hope STEAM (which has been temporarily relocated to the former Woodcreek building while the NEW school building is constructed). While there, they talked with principals Bishop (Wexford) and Bowden (Mt. Hope).

They were able to see the new Student ID system and tour many of the upgrades including a new parking lot and many other interior and exterior improvements. Of course no school visit would be complete without visiting several classrooms and this visit did not disappoint.

Good news for Lansing students who are interested in a more hands on, career-centric educational experience:

We are opening a Career Technical Education (CTE) high school in 2023!

Unlike other CTE programs - ours will be made available to 9th and 10th graders within the district, not just 11th and 12th graders as is often the case.

Rachel Rademacher at WILX News 10 covered this story in more detail on Wednesday. Click here to read the article and make sure to watch the included video with student and staff interviews.

Stay tuned for more information on this exciting new program in the coming months.