Dear LMS Families,

On Thursday, September 4th, LMS will open its doors to a brand new school year. Ms. King and I are so excited to welcome all of our LMS Cubs and Lions to the 2025-2026 school year! 

Please carefully review the following information about the opening of the school year. Pay close attention to our Auto Drop Off traffic pattern and directional rules highlighted below. 

First Day of School - Thursday, September 4th is our first day of school. This will be a Single Session day with a 12:51pm dismissal for all students. At 8:17, when our morning bell rings, our teachers will meet our students at the following designated pick-up areas: 

• 5th Grade - Christie Heights Courtyard, located on Christie Heights Street between Broad Avenue and our Athletic Field. 

• 6th Grade - Broad Avenue Courtyard, located at the front of the school where our main entrance is located. 

• 7th Grade - Rotunda Courtyard, adjacent to the front of the building on the north side, and accessible from the Broad Avenue sidewalk. This is also where our bus riders are dropped off. 

• 8th Grade - Our 8th graders will report to the Gym to meet their Homeroom teachers. 

Homeroom teachers will meet their students in these areas, and will identify themselves by last name and room number. Homeroom teachers will gather their students, and escort them to their classroom. Additional faculty will be in place at each area to assist students who need help connecting with their homeroom teacher. NOTE: 5th graders do not have a separate homeroom teacher. Our 5th graders will be meeting their assigned 5th grade teacher during this process.

Auto Drop Off Zone - For our parents who will be driving their child/children to school, we have a designated Auto Drop Off Zone on Christie Heights Street. To safely drop your child off in our Auto Drop Off Zone, parents must adhere to the following traffic pattern. During morning drop off hours and afternoon pickup hours, Christie Heights Street will become a ONE WAY roadway heading east from Hillcrest toward Broad Avenue. Cars will NOT BE PERMITTED to turn onto Christie Heights Street from Broad Avenue. In order to enter the LMS Auto Drop Off Zone, parents must turn onto Christie Heights Street from Hillcrest or Grand Avenue, and drive east toward Broad Avenue, keeping the LMS school building on your left. Leonia PD will be setting up cones to divert traffic into our drop off zone, which is adjacent to the Christie Heights Courtyard. Please pull all the way up to our Christie Heights Courtyard (which will be on your left) and pull all the way to the end of the drop off zone. Please have your child exit your car on the driver's side, directly onto the sidewalk. PLEASE DROP AND GO. Please do not park your car in this area. After your child exits your car, you will safely leave the drop off zone, following the traffic pattern established by Leonia PD, and drive towards Broad Avenue where you will be directed to turn right onto Broad Avenue. NOTE: As per Leonia PD, cars will only be permitted to turn right onto Broad Ave during morning drop off and afternoon pickup hours. NOTE: Kingsley Street will also be closed to auto traffic during morning drop off and afternoon pickup hours. Once safely dropped off from your vehicle, your child will then walk to their designated morning “hang out” courtyard (as listed above) until it is time to enter the building at 8:17am. This traffic pattern and corresponding street closures, directional rules, and turning rules are in place for the safety of your children, and the safety of the adults driving to and from school. Please follow ALL directions as instructed by Leonia PD without exception. With your cooperation we can make our Auto Drop Off Zone a safer place for everyone. Please be advised that double parking on Broad Avenue is both dangerous and illegal. The Leonia Police Department monitors Broad Avenue diligently, and will issue tickets as they deem necessary. 

First Day Extended Homeroom - On the first day of school we will be holding an extended homeroom before moving through our 8-period day. During extended homeroom, teachers will assign lockers, and students will receive their school-issued combination lock. Students will have time to practice opening their lock during homeroom, and teachers will be helping them with this. NOTE: Do not send your child to school with a personal lock. They may only use the school-issued combination lock for their locker. Also during extended homeroom, teachers will talk with students about our cell phone policy, the LMS Core Values, and our expectations for exemplifying these values each day. Our LMS Core Values are at the heart of everything we do. They are: Respect, Integrity, Community, Perseverance, Responsibility. 

Lunch - Although Thursday is a single session day, we will still be serving lunch to our students. Students are encouraged to bring their own lunch from home on the first day of school. Maschio’s will also have lunch available for students to purchase. NOTE: Parents/Guardians may view their child’s lunch balance directly in Genesis Parent Portal.

Chromebooks - 5th, 6th and 8th graders must bring their district issue-ed Chromebook and charger with them on the first day of school. This weekend - please make sure that your child charges up their Chromebook so that it’s ready for Thursday. 7th graders will be receiving their new district-issued Chromebook and charger during the extended homeroom on the first day of school. Students should fully charge their Chromebook each night so that they arrive at school with it ready to work. Students are not permitted to bring their own device to use at school. 

Student Cell Phones - If your child has a cell phone, they are permitted to bring their phone to school. However, their phone must be turned off and locked in their locker for the duration of the academic school day (including lunch/recess). Phones should be safely locked in lockers before homeroom. Students may use their cell phones after the dismissal bell rings. In the case of our 5th graders, phones must be safely kept in their classroom cubby. The purpose of this policy is to limit distractions to our students. Cell phones are an awesome tool. They are also an awesome distraction. Please reinforce this policy with your child at home. If you need to contact your child during the school day, please call the LMS Main Office and we will get the message to your child. If your child needs to contact you during the school day, they will be able to do so using one of our phones in the LMS Main Office. If your child is not feeling well during the school day, they will be directed to see our school nurse, who will contact parents/guardians/caregivers directly if a student needs to be picked up. Please refer to our LMS Handbook for all the details about our cell phone policy, including consequences for infractions. 

Physical Education and Locker Rooms - Our 5th and 6th graders will not be changing for Physical Education classes. They will not need to enter our locker rooms. Please refer to your 5th and/or 6th grade child's schedule, and plan for your child to arrive at school ready for Physical Education class on the days PE is scheduled. Our 7th and 8th graders will be utilizing our locker rooms to secure their personal belongings, and change into PE clothing should they choose to. After PE they will return to the locker room to change back into their school clothing (if need be) and collect their belongings before continuing their day. 7th and 8th graders may also arrive at school already wearing PE clothing if they prefer not to change in the locker room. However, all personal belongings, especially those of value, must be secured in your child's locker room locker before attending PE class. Our PE teachers will talk with students during our first few days of school about appropriate PE clothing, and locker room expectations. 

Lockers - Students in grades 6-8 will be issued a Homeroom locker and combination lock. Please encourage your child to utilize their locker. The school day is too long for children to be carrying all their belongings with them in their backpack. Students may visit their locker before homeroom, during lunch periods, and after school. Remind your child to keep their lock combination confidential. They should not share their locker or lock combination with anyone. 

Backpacks - Please have your child use a traditional shoulder strap backpack to carry their school supplies to and from LMS. Please refrain from sending your child to school with a rolling/wheeled backpack. These types of backpacks create unsafe trip hazards in both our classrooms and our hallways. NOTE: Students are not permitted to bring their backpacks to the cafeteria during lunch. Rather, students must secure their backpacks in their locker or cubby before they go to lunch. 

Clubs and Activities - Throughout the month of September our club advisors will be hosting informational meetings. These will be posted in our daily LMS Announcements page. Check here: LMS Daily Announcements to check it out, and I recommend bookmarking the page for your reference. All sports, music program, and club information will be posted in the Daily Announcements. 

Sharing a Podcast - I recently came upon a podcast episode for families that focuses on middle school. The episode title, “The Good News About Middle School,”  immediately grabbed my attention, because sometimes middle school gets a bad rap. The conversation resonated with me both as the parent of middle school age children, and as a middle school educator. I think it’s a pretty good listen, and wanted to share this with you as your child is either beginning, or returning to their middle school journey. Check it out here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/flusterclux-with-lynn-lyons-for-parents-who-worry/id1506503059?i=1000627180237 

Once again, on behalf of Ms. King and the entire LMS faculty, welcome to the 2025-26 school year! We are excited to embark upon the new school year, and we’re looking forward to seeing all our students on September 4th!

With Lion Pride,

Dave Saco

Principal