Lexington Community School District #7 will hold it’s Preschool Screening Jan. 31, and Feb.1, 2012.  This will be held at the Lexington Community Center.  Call the Elementary Office at 309-365-2741, 9:00-4:00 p.m. beginning Jan. 19, 2012 to schedule an appointment.  This is a learning check-up that focuses on development of fine and gross motor skills, concept and communication skills, as well as vision and hearing.  Screening is for all children 3, 4 and 5 years of age after Sept. 1.  All Kindergarten-aged children are encouraged to attend.  All children screened will receive a book.  Children are encouraged to bring a small, stuffed animal with them to the screening.

The State of Illinois has issued a new requirement for school children. Please read carefully because this may affect your child. This new requirement will go into effect for the 2012-13 school year. Up until now, the state required children to have 4 or more doses of DTap/DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) before entering kindergarten, with a Td (tetanus) booster required before freshman year of high school. This has changed!

In addition to the 4 doses required for Kindergarten, a Tdap booster is needed for all students in grades 6th-12th.

The rule now says

• Any child entering sixth grade shall show proof of receiving one dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) vaccine regardless of the interval since the last DTaP, DT or Td dose.
• Students entering grades 7 through 12 who have not already received Tdap are required to receive 1 Tdap dose regardless of the interval since the last DTaP, DT or Td dose. 

If you are unsure whether your child has received the Tdap booster, please contact your child’s healthcare provider or the school nurse. We would strongly suggest that you don’t wait until too long before checking into this matter. As you know, doctor’s offices get very busy by mid-summer causing difficulty in getting an appointment for your child before school starts.

Support the Lexington Minutemen with a Minutemen car magnet!  Magnets are 6" in diameter and are $5 each. 

Magnets can be purchased in the Elementary Office (checks payable to Lexington PTO). Please click here to view a magnet!

It's time for the Winter version of Lexington Minutemen Spiritwear!  Orders and payment are due to the Elementary Office by Friday, November 18.  Please click here for an order form!

Parents of Lexington High School Students,

Many of you received a letter in the mail from Parchment telling you to request your student’s transcripts through their website, www.parchment.com.  The letter was signed, Guidance Staff at Lexington High School.  Please be aware that I did not send this letter, nor did I approve its content.  The Parchment Company sent this letter without consent of anyone at Lexington High School. 

Please be aware that if a LHS student needs to send their transcripts to a college they should fill out the paper request in the high school office.  If you or your student has already created an account there is no harm done, however, please be aware that transcripts cannot be sent until the paper request is filled out and submitted to the High School office. 

Thank you for your understanding in this matter.      

Mrs. White

Guidance Counselor

LJHS/LHS

Students in grades 5-12 will benefit from a private donation which allowed for the purchase of 32 Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch eReaders. The Barnes and Noble Nook is a convenient, portable reading device.  It is the size of a paperback and capable of holding hundreds of books. A student can highlight sections of text, and unfamiliar words can be instantly defined using the onboard dictionary. We are excited to see our students advance their reading skills while incorporating the evolving world of technology!

The chance to use this device is a privilege that we are able to provide to students provided they use extra caution and responsibility. For this reason, we require a signature from a parent or guardian and the student before a Nook can be issued. Students in grades 5-12 with positive school behavior who have demonstrated appropriate use of school books, materials, and other school property are eligible for this program. They may download a User Agreement from the school website found in the Documents section and be eligible to borrow a Nook when the form has been completed and returned. A document showing the book titles loaded on the Nooks is also available in the Documents section.

Students in grades 5-12 who own their own eReaders will be allowed to bring them to school to use for reading assignments after they have completed a User Agreement and obtained parental permission. This document is also available on the school website in the documents section in the Library folder.

The Library has a new look! Please stop by and “check it out” next time you are in the building! Mrs. Leake obtained some new comfy furniture (free from the State Farm Warehouse) and it has been added to provide areas where students from all grades can enjoy reading, studying and working on assignments throughout the school day.

Our theme in the Library is “Dive Into Reading” and students are doing just that! Students in grades 1-12 may check out 2 books for 2 weeks. Kindergarten students may check out 1 book for 2 weeks.

This year elementary students may return their books on any day of the week rather than having to wait until their “Library Day”.

Each classroom now has a new basket available for students to return their books in. The high school students have the opportunity to return or renew their books in a new Book Drop. Of course, students may always return them in the Library, too.

New in the Grade School

 Kristin Cochran, who was a student teacher last spring in Mrs. Leake’s class, has joined our staff as the aide in our Pre-K classroom.

Ashley Krippel, from Pontiac, is a new teacher working in the Special Education Department.  This is Ashley’s first teaching job upon her graduation from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

 New in the High School

Amy Burcenski is our new English teacher.  Amy is replacing Bev Kirby who retired this past June.  Amy is from Ursa, IL and got her degree at Illinois State University.  Amy is also a member of the Illinois National Guard.

Joe Schneider is our new Ag teacher.  Joe replaces Tom Guth who retired in June.  Joe is from Benson, and brings a lot of experience to the position.  Joe most recently was the Ag teacher and FFA advisor at Woodland High School before going to work in retail and joining the Lexington staff.

Not a new face, but a new place! 

Nann Leake, who has been teaching in the district for many years, has moved to a new position as the District Librarian. Nicole Christianson, who has filled some long-term sub positions the past couple years is the new 6^th grade teacher, and veteran teacher, Michelle Hayes is now teaching 4^th grade. Jake Leake is now an aide in the upper-elementary resource room as well as assisting with special needs at the high school.

Select from the menus at the top to find information about each of the schools in our district. Articles and announcements for each building are available inside each section in addition to information about faculty and programs.