Principal's Letter
March 2nd, 2026
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______________________________ Dear Middle School Families,
As we step into March, we’re excited to welcome the first signs of spring and the renewed energy this season brings to our school. This month brings the perfect mix of seasonal transition and celebrations, especially with St. Patrick’s Day adding a touch of green and a bit of luck to the air. March also includes Spring Break, offering a wonderful opportunity for our students and staff to pause, refresh, and return ready for a strong finish to the school year. Thank you for your continued partnership!
As always, I encourage you to take a few moments to review the important information and upcoming dates shared in this newsletter.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Best Wishes-
Lauren Gallagher
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March Important Information
CMAS is Next Month
Students will be CMAS testing during the following times. Students will attend all their classes throughout the day when not testing.
Testing Times:
6-8 ELA April 7-9 9:15 - 11:15
6-8 Math April 14-16 8:45 - 10:45
8 Science April 14-16 10:45 - 12:45
AALM's Student Spotlight
Reminder: We have begun our new Student Spotlight that we will display on our TV in the Lincoln Meadows lobby. This is an opportunity to highlight our students' talents and achievements, beyond the classroom!
We invite parents to submit a short blurb describing their child’s accomplishments outside of school along with one photo. This may include, but is not limited to, making a competitive team, winning a championship, dedicating their time and talents to a charitable event, or participating in a musical solo or big performance. These spotlights help us celebrate the amazing things our students are doing in and out of school.
We will be updating the TVs once per month. For the next round of student spotlight, students' accomplishments must be received by Monday March 23rd to be on display for the following month. If you would like to have your child's accomplishments highlighted, please submit no later than March 23rd. Submit by clicking the highlighted text that will take you to the form.
Family Literacy Night
We’re excited to invite you to our very first Family Literacy Night on Friday, April 10, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. — an evening designed to celebrate reading, creativity, and time together as a school community!
Families can enjoy:
Guest authors sharing book readings and talking about their journey as authors
Storytime with our SRO, Officer Marcus - a student favorite!
Fun literacy-based activities
Light snacks for families to enjoy
A free book for every student to take home
This is a wonderful opportunity to spark a love of reading, meet authors, and enjoy a relaxed, engaging evening with your children. We’ll share more details as the event approaches, but for now, be sure to mark your calendar for this fun night!
To help us plan, please RSVP using the link below so we have a general idea of attendance:
[RSVP for FAMILY LITERACY NIGHT HERE]We hope you’ll join us for a fun and meaningful night celebrating literacy!
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March Important Dates
Spring Door Decorating for MS Teachers: March 2-6
Help make our hallways fun and bright! Middle School parents are invited to decorate our teachers’ doors in spring-decor. Sign up here.
8th Grade Yearbook Dedication Due: Friday, March 6
Wish Week: March 9-13
We are excited to celebrate Wish Week, a special week dedicated to supporting our school ambassador, Everleigh. Throughout the week, students will learn about her story and take part in meaningful, community-building activities that raise both funds and awareness in her honor.
Students can participate in themed dress-up days by donating $1 per day or $5 for the entire week. All proceeds will support classroom Change Wars, with friendly competition across grade bands (K–2, 3–5, and 6–8). The highest-earning classroom in each group will win an extra dress-of-choice day on Tuesday, March 24th.
Daily Themes
Monday – Pink Out: Pink top with uniform bottoms
Tuesday – Kindness Rocks: Favorite music shirt with uniform bottoms
Wednesday – Kindness is Magical: Favorite Disney top with uniform bottoms
Thursday – Blizzards and Beaches: Beach or winter-themed top with uniform bottoms
Friday – Once Upon a Dream: Pajamas to celebrate Everleigh’s hopes and dreams
Please make sure pajamas follow dress of choice guidelines.
New This Year: Tattoo Takeover
Monday - Thursday of Wish Week, a temporary tattoo store will be open during morning carpool. Students may purchase tattoos for $1 each and place them in a teacher-labeled envelope. On Thursday, teachers will receive their envelopes — and on Friday, teachers will come to school wearing all of their temporary tattoos. Friday we will also host Everleigh at AALM with a sweet send off to Disney!
Wish Week is a meaningful opportunity for our school community to come together in support of Everleigh. We look forward to a week filled with spirit, generosity, and celebration. Together, we look forward to making this a joyful and impactful week for our school community.
If you are looking to make a difference through a donation, please click the link below.
Spring Break: March 16-20
8th Grade Class Photo: Thursday, March 26
Dress of Choice: Friday, March 27
8th Grade Slideshow Photos Due: Tuesday, March 31
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______________________________ Some Highlights of our Amazing Adventure Together this Year!
8th Grade STEM (Russo/Pranke)
We are very excited to begin STEM with your 8th Graders! This month, students will continue to develop their knowledge and skills in CAD; 2D using Adobe Illustrator & 3D using Tinkercad. Projects will be sent home upon completion. More information and details will be emailed in a beginning of the Trimester informative letter, check that for important dates and events.
6th Grade Math (Knox)
We are starting our unit on Statistics which is always a favorite because it has so many ties to real world problems. We’ll also be finishing up our Stock Project, so we’ll be able to use some of our stock performance data in some of our statistics lessons and learn how to make some charts and graphs in Google Sheets. I am quite positive that most of the student groups outperformed me, so while most of our portfolios haven’t done very well, the students will love getting to beat me. It’s not a competition though, right?
8th Grade Math (Knox)
It’s hard to believe that we’ll be starting on our last chapter of the year this month. We’ll be working a lot with Volume including Volume of Cylinders, Spheres, and Cones, so we’ll be using 𝝿 a lot. This is always the time of the year that the students realize that the word “ins𝝿re” on the wall over my whiteboard means “inspire”. We’ll also be finishing up our Stock Project at the end of the month, so we’ll be putting together some charts and graphs to study how well the stocks have performed, and doing a few mini stock market lessons. I am quite positive that most of the groups outperformed me, so while most of our portfolios haven’t done very well, the students will love getting to beat me. It’s not a competition though, right?
6th Grade History (Black)
New Trimester - New Unit: French Revolution. We have watched a History Channel documentary which gave students a solid glimpse into the causes of the French Revolution, events during the rebellion and outcomes. They learned today that it was fumed and stoked by the ideologies and philosophies of The Enlightenment. It was fun to see students make that connection to their newly gained knowledge obtained throughout our recent study on our enlightenment philosophers in Europe during the 1600 and 1700s. We will explore our lessons with note taking, class discussion, analyzing events, a simulation, gallery walk concluding the unit with an individual diorama project and research paper.
7th Grade History (Black/Shaffer)
To prepare for our unit on WWII (the last of the year), we have been exploring the Rise of Totalitarianism in Europe in the 1920s: Stalin, Hitler, Franco and Mussolini, followed by Hitler’s rise to power and the creation of his Nazi ideologies and discriminatory practices, moving Germany from a Republic post WWI to a Fascist dictatorship by 1933. We will briefly stop back in the US to see how the nation managed the massive challenges brought about by the Great Depression and then the effects of the New Deal. We will end the month back in Europe walking the road towards war in the late 30s.
8th Grade History (Shaffer)
We have spent a few weeks in the Middle East building up background knowledge on religion, cultural norms, and sources of conflict in the region. We are learning context related to events in Israel, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, and the overall idea of the War on Terror. Our goal for this unit is to understand the roots of modern conflicts. There will be a test before break, and a final mini project when we return. We will end our month back in the Cold War trying to figure out why the war is winding down.
7th Grade Science (Mr. Ericson)
In March our students will apply what they have learned about Body Systems with the unit's final project, a body systems flip book. Then, it's spring time and there is new life all around us: bunnies, flowers, baby chicks… we will learn all about this as we begin our unit on reproduction. Please note that in this unit we do not teach human reproduction specifically, rather we take a general broad look at the scientific fundamentals of how all organisms replicate to make new life.
6th Grade English (Wilkesheski)
Our 6th grade English students have had some sweet learning going on! We have just finished diving into a deliciously exciting research project — all about chocolate!
7th Grade Literacy (Ms. Cummins)
In 7th Grade Literacy, students will soon begin our next novel unit with Night by Elie Wiesel. Over the next few weeks, we will thoughtfully prepare for this powerful text by building background knowledge and deepening our understanding of the historical context surrounding the Holocaust. Before beginning the novel, students will take part in lessons and discussions focused on developing empathy, compassion, and respect as we learn about the experiences of Holocaust victims and survivors. We will also explore the Four Basic Freedoms and examine how these foundational human rights connect to the themes of justice, dignity, and belonging. Through reflective writing, guided conversations, and collaborative activities, students will build meaningful connections that will support their understanding of the novel. My number one goal is to approach this unit with care and maturity, helping students grow not only as readers and critical thinkers, but also as compassionate and informed individuals.
Lauren Gallagher, M. Ed.
Middle School Principal, Lincoln Meadows
