Parent Newsletter February 2015

Lake Hazel Middle School 11625 La Grange, Boise, ID 83709

Main Office: 208-855-4375

Absence Reporting: 208-855-4388

2nd Semester is in full swing and there are some great

things happening in classrooms around the school. This

month we begin the process of asking parents and

students to select courses for next year. It is important

that the students bring home their packets and that

parents and students discuss what courses students want

to take next year. 8th grade students will also be

completing a high school 4-year plan. More on the

important dates are below. Our 2nd quarter positive

behavior rewards party for those students who qualify will

be held on February 6th. 8th grade party is 1st & 2nd

period, 7th grade party is 3rd & 4th period and 6th grade

party is 7th & 8th period.

Registrar Information If your child is leaving, moving to a different school, please

give us a full day notice before their last day so that we can

take care of all of the proper paperwork for checkout.

A Note from the Yearbook Staff Parents,

Please remember that you must order a yearbook for your

student before Spring Break or there will not be one waiting for

them at the end of the school year. The cost is $24.65 and

cash/checks can be brought to the LHMS office any time

before March 20th. We now offer online purchases that you

can do from home. Go to the LHMS school website link from

the West Ada School District site and on the school webpage

you will find a green shopping cart icon. From that icon you

can purchase a yearbook for your student. Please note that

processing fees will be applied and that the purchase will not

be allowed if fees are due. Thank you.

Upcoming Events February

4 – Boys Basketball @ EMS

6 – 2nd Quarter Positive Behavior

Rewards Party

9 – Boys Basketball vs. LCMS

11 – Boys Basketball vs. SMS

12 – Boys Basketball @ HMS

16 – No School – Presidents Day

18 – 7th to 8th Grade Paperwork

Due

23 – Boys Basketball vs. LSMS

24 – 6th to 7th Grade Paperwork

Due

25 – 8th to 9th Grade Paperwork

Due

25 – Boys Basketball @ MMS

27 – No School – Inservice

Attendance Reminders!

School begins at 8:35am. Students are expected to be in their classrooms and in their

seats by this time. If a student arrives after this time they must check in at the main

office. Wednesday is Late Start and school begins at 8:50am.

If your student will be absent from school, please call to report the absence at 855-

4388 and leave your child’s name, grade and reason for the absence. You may report

an absence on the Attendance Line 24 hours a day. This reporting is appreciated as it

helps us to properly record attendance.

If your child needs to check out during the school day, please come in to the main

office to sign your child out. It is helpful to send a note with your child to give to the

office or call the office ahead of time to let us know of the time you are needing to

pick up your child. This allows us to minimize classroom disruptions and makes for a

speedier check out once you get to school.

When returning to school from an appointment, please send your child with a

doctor/dentist or orthodontist note to the main office. Your child can then sign in and

get a pass to class. This will excuse your child’s absence.

Students are allowed six (6) absences per class period during the semester. Students

who receive seven (7) absences in any class will lose credit unless cleared by the

attendance office as extraordinary within five (5) days of the absence.

Verbal or written communication must come from a parent/guardian within 48 hours

of an absence to prevent truancy.

Our school website can be found at www.westada.org, choose Lake Hazel Middle School

from the top drop down menu.

Thanks for your help with attendance! :)

Lake Hazel Middle School

Absence Reporting Line:

855-4388 Main line: 855-4375

Thank you!

Notes from the Nurse

Students miss more than 51 million school hours per year because of dental problems. Dental pain

can distract students, cause their schoolwork to suffer or lead to school absences.

Dental care should begin before your child’s first tooth comes in. Wipe your baby’s gums with a soft

damp cloth after feeding. When teeth appear, start using a soft children’s toothbrush twice a day.

Once your child is pre-school age, start using fluoride toothpaste – a pea-size amount is all you

need, as young children tend to swallow most of the toothpaste. Have your child brush 2 times a

day. A new toothbrush should be purchased every 3 months as bacteria can grow on the older

toothbrush. Beware of frequent snacking as repeated exposure to sugary or starchy snacks can

increase the risk of cavities. Saliva can clean teeth but requires time to effectively work – children

who snack all day never give saliva the chance to do its job. Introduce your child to the dentist

early in life and visit the dentist twice a year for healthy teeth.

Be sure to note the article on dental care available through the Meridian Schools Health Clinic.

No Dental Insurance? Does your Student Need Dental Care?

Beginning November 7th the Meridian Schools Clinic will have a dental hygienist available

for appointments every Friday morning. This no cost program is for students in the West Ada

School District that do not have Medicaid or dental insurance.

The hygienist is able to do no cost dental cleanings, apply sealants and fluoride varnishes. If

she finds that a child needs further care, she will refer the child to either Terry Riley Dental

services or ISU dental services, depending on the severity of the problem. Both of these

dental services bill with a sliding scale according to the families income.

If a child misses an appointment, they will no longer be eligible for Meridian Schools Clinic

dental services.

If you would like more information call Sue McDonald, RN, BSN, NCSN, 855-4375 or Meridian

Schools Clinic at #514-2527.

Here’s to Healthy Kids!

Sue McDonald, RN, BSN, NCSN

Lake Hazel Middle School Nurse

Future Cities

Congratulations to all of our students who participated in Future Cities this year.

Our teams had another successful year with our 6th/7th grade team winning 1st

place in the competition here locally, they now move to the competition in

Washington D.C. over Presidents Day weekend. The team, which is led by

LHMS teacher Ann Biason and some fantastic parents are busily working to raise

funds and get their travel plans set. See the PTSO page later in the newsletter

for more information on the fundraising efforts.

SPRING Course Selection (Registration)

It’s hard to believe but we are going to be starting our process of selecting

courses for next year in just a few short weeks. Here are the dates and other

pertinent info by grade:

6th to 7th Grade: Paperwork goes home the week of February 18th and is due

back to the school on February 24th.

Parents please note that all 7th grade students must have their Tdap and

Meningoccal immunizations turned in to the nurse in order to be pre-

registered and in order to complete the registration process in August.

7th to 8th Grade: Paperwork goes home the week of February 9th and is due

back to the school on February 18th.

8th to 9th Grade: Paperwork goes home the week of February 17th and is due

back to school by February 25th. The high school counselors will be at LHMS on

March 3rd & 4th for the on-line course selection process. In order to complete

on-line registration the pre-registration paperwork must be complete.

5th to 6th Grade: Paperwork will go to the Elementary Schools the week of

February 23rd.

If you have any questions about the course selection/registration process

please contact our registrar Barb Nelson.

Bond Proposal

Election Day: Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Two middle schools One school would be located on the west side of Stoddard Road, across from Bear Creek Subdivision. The second would be located north of Beacon Light Road and East of Pollard Lane in Star, Idaho. The schools would primarily relieve Lake Hazel Middle School, which is has a capacity of 1,000 students with enrollment this year of 1452. The middle school that would relieve the overcrowding at Lake Hazel Middle School would open for fall of 2016. The second middle school, located in Star, would relieve the overcrowding at Eagle Middle School, which is 250 students over its 1,000 student capacity. This new middle school would also help with overcrowding at Heritage Middle School, which is currently 162 students over capacity. This middle school would open for the fall of 2018. Both of these schools would be built using the same design as the middle schools that have been built in the district since the opening of Eagle Middle in 1995 and would have a 1,000 student capacity. Cost: $60 million.

One elementary school

This school would relieve the overcrowding being experienced by the schools south of I-84. All of these schools -- Siena, Mary McPherson, Lake Hazel, Desert Sage, and Silver Sage Elementary -- have more students than their design capacity. The new elementary school would be built near the intersection of Eagle and Amity. Because this school is planned to be a joint facility with the YMCA, the school district will save approximately $2 million on the project by not having to build some common infrastructure, including the gymnasium Cost: $10 million

Remodel and expansion of Meridian High School

Meridian High School has been under construction for the past two years, a project that will result in improving the academic classroom space in the building and also increasing its capacity by 200 seats. The current remodel project has been funded by the school district's voter-approved Plant Facility Levy. The project has an additional 5 phases to reach completion. Each phase will take an additional fiscal year to fund if paid for using Plant Facility Levy revenue. The Bond Committee that made the bond levy recommendation favored shortening that construction time by 2-3 years and also freeing up Plant Levy revenue for other building maintenance projects. Once completed, Meridian High will have a capacity of 2350, helping to reduce overcrowding at Rocky Mountain High School and Mountain View High School. Cost: $24 million

Future land acquisition

With the available amount of land that is still able to be developed across the school district, more schools will need to be built in the future as enrollment continues to increase. While 8-10 acre elementary sites are not too difficult to acquire, 30-50 acre sites for future middle and high school can be more difficult to purchase, and tend to be more

expensive if purchased when rooftops are already being constructed. This revenue would be used to purchase a future high school sites west of Ten Mile Road, where development is beginning to occur. Cost: $2 million

Impact on the Levy Rate. The following chart shows the current amounts levied for each of the district's voter-approved measures. These include the Plant Facility Levy (used to maintain current buildings) the Supplemental Levy (used to fund school operations) and the payments on past voter-approved bonds going back to 1998. The column on the left shows the amount levied this year. The levy rate is determined by dividing that amount by the total taxable value of the property in the school district. The column on the right shows the amounts that were levied this year. As promised in the August bond election, the levy rate this year decreased by $39 per $100,000 of taxable property value. Because of increasing property values in the district, the combined rate for the Plant, Supplemental, and Bond levies will remain $399 per $100,000 of taxable value with the passage of the proposed bond.

2014-15 2014-15

Taxable Value Taxable Value

14,024,766,151 14,024,766,151

Levy Amount Levy Rate Levy Amount Levy Rate

Plant $20,000,000 0.001425011 Plant 18,742,207 0.001335270

Supplemental 14,000,000 0.000991475 Supplemental 14,000,000 0.000992502

Bond 22,084,226 0.001573513 Bond 23,300,000 0.001661228

0.003989999 0.00399

In summary, the total levy rate this year decreased from $438.25 per $100,000 in taxable value to $399 per $100,000 in taxable property value. This rate will remain the same next year.

Lake Hazel Middle School Attendance Procedures

School begins at 8:35am. Students are expected to be in their classrooms

and in their seats by this time. If a student arrives after this time they must

check in at the main office. Wednesday is Late Start and schools begins at

8:50am.

If your student will be absent from school, please call to report the absence

at 855-4388 and leave your child’s name, grade and reason for the absence.

You may report an absence on the Attendance Line 24 hours a day. This

reporting is appreciated as it helps us to properly record attendance.

If your child needs to check out during the school day, please come in to the

main office and sign your child out. It is helpful to send a note with your child

or call the office ahead of time to let us know of the time you are needing to

pick up your child. This allows us to minimize classroom disruptions and makes

for a speedier check out once you get to school.

When returning to school from an appointment, please send your child with a

doctor/dentist or orthodontist note to the main office. Your child can then

sign in and get a pass to class. This will excuse your child’s absence.

Thanks for your help with attendance! :)

Our school website can be found at www.westada.org, choose Lake Hazel

Middle School from the top drop down menu.

Lake Hazel Middle School

Attendance Line:

855-4388

Main Office: 855-4375

Main Office number: 855-

4375

YOU CAN HELP LAKE HAZEL MIDDLE SCHOOL EARN DONATIONS

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Fred Meyer is donating $2.5 million per year to non-profits in Alaska, Idaho,

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Sign up for the Community Rewards program by linking your Fred

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You still earn your Rewards Points, Fuel Points, and Rebates, just as you do

today.

If you do not have a Rewards Card, they are available at the Customer

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For more information, please visit

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