Hosts: Miles Azzeh (Director of Teaching & Learning) & Sharon Burns (Director of Communications & Marketing)
Episode Highlights:
Employee Spotlight: Josh Yoakam (Gifted Facilitator, Lansing Middle School)
Recognized for eight years of dedication to gifted education.
Formerly worked in public health before shifting to education.
One of three Lansing Middle School teachers piloting a CRE AI grant in partnership with KU.
A Lansing graduate and proud member of a family deeply rooted in the district.
Academic Spotlight: Lansing USD 469 Virtual Academy
First year of the Virtual Academy, initially expected to serve 24 students but now supporting nearly 80 students.
Uses Acellus Gold for curriculum and features academic learning coaches to provide structured support.
Open to homeschool families, allowing students to participate in extracurricular activities while learning remotely.
Plans for expansion next year with additional learning coaches and capacity for over 100 students.
District-Level Update: Launch of ‘Rooms’ for Parent Communication
New two-way communication system integrated into the district’s mobile app.
Aims to simplify communication for parents, reducing the number of apps they need to track.
Official launch with parent information sent via Skyward on February 27th.
Directly tied to feedback from the district’s strategic plan and efforts to improve communication consistency.
Student Voices: Early Childhood Highlights
Featuring Gage and Lennon, two early childhood students, sharing their favorite learning experiences:
Lennon: A crocodile hunt in class.
Gage: Learning about frogs.
Hosts emphasized the importance of early childhood education and praised the dedication of the early learning staff.
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