Dear HLS Parents,
As you are well aware, our school recently lost a portion of our "Share Program” which is funded by the Lansing Public School District. The Wednesday afternoon program has served us well, and all were disappointed to see it end so abruptly. We have discussed many options in response to this, talking through many different scenarios that could possibly meet the needs of our students and faculty. Many thanks to all of you who sent in ideas and comments; your input shows your support of our students, faculty, and program.
After much deliberation and prayer, we have decided to implement a 5-full-day instructional week. The following points made significant impact on our decision:
- Finances: we do not have funding available to pay people to replace the Physical Education and Art instructors from Lansing Public School District.
- Licensure: we do not have sufficient "coverage" on our license to serve the number of students who utilize this program. (Non-academic programs like this count as after care programs rather than instructional programs.)
- Curriculum and Instruction: We need to meet our curriculum goals and objectives, including but not limited to the Michigan GLCE's and the AdvancED standards for Accreditation. Those missing afternoon hours are significant to our educational program.
These considerations, along with many not stated, played a major role in our decision. Beyond these, though, we return to the question we ask ourselves whenever we consider program changes or any other decisions. What is best for our students? There is nothing better than giving them access to their teachers for five full instructional days per week!
We realize that this will be a big change, and will cause some inconvenience, as family schedules will shift. HLS has run a half-day Wednesday program for decades! The differences within the elementary program will be minimal; the teachers will run their normal academic subjects during their normal time slots. The high school schedule will change only during the fifth hour (12:30 -1:25) class on Wednesdays; the rest of the afternoon will be run as a normal instructional day.
Ultimately, we believe that this change is in the best interest of your students. Our goal here at HLS is to provide them with the best spiritual, academic, and social program. We look forward to continued partnership with you in this endeavor.
Serving Christ together with you,
Daniel Burk – Principal
Traci Backus – Assistant Principal
Bill Schmidt – School Board Chair