Each month, the LP Link will spotlight an area of District focus with the goal of sharing valuable information and resources with our school community. This month highlights the first-year implementation of the Lancer Period bell schedule, which was approved by the Board of Education in January 2023, and previews the upcoming topics for September and October.

While maintaining the same start and end times for each campus, Lake Park designed a Lancer Period Bell Schedule to allocate 38 minutes for whole-school programming that falls outside the traditional curriculum. The Lancer Period is scheduled approximately once per month on Thursdays. All students and staff are assigned to a designated classroom for the Lancer Period to ensure whole-school participation in each activity. The lesson conducted in August introduced students to the Lancer Period process and reviewed Attendance and Behavioral Expectations for the 2023-2024 school year.

In compliance with Public Act 097-1147, also known as Erin’s Law, Lake Park is implementing a child sexual abuse prevention program in all four grade levels. During this month’s Lancer Period on Thursday, September 14, teachers will deliver an approximately 30-minute lesson that focuses on teens understanding sexual assault and harassment, learning the importance of consent, and identifying when and who to contact if they need support. District social workers and school psychologists developed this lesson to give students the knowledge and skills they need to protect themselves.

The Lancer Period next month, on Thursday October 12, will educate students about Public Act 102-0702, also known as Faith’s Law. The ultimate goals of this legislation are to protect students from acts of sexual misconduct by school employees, substitute employees, and employees of contractors; give parents/guardians notice regarding allegations of sexual misconduct that involve their student; equip schools across Illinois with better information regarding the employment history of an applicant or employee of a contractor; and give schools the resources necessary to make well-informed decisions about whom they are employing/contracting.

In partnership with Lancer families, Lake Park is committed to keeping students as safe as possible, and this includes sharing helpful resources for continued dialogue at home. In preparation for the lesson next week, visit the Resources for Parents webpage to learn more about Erin’s Law and strategies on how to address these topics. Additionally, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has developed a resource guide for parents/guardians, Sexual Abuse Response and Prevention Resource Guide, which is applicable to both Erin’s Law and Faith’s Law.

Lake Park High School was named to the U.S. News and World Report 2023-2024 Best High Schools list released on Tuesday, August 29. U.S. News and World Report ranked 17,680 schools from almost 25,000 schools reviewed nationwide using the following six factors:

This year’s list ranks Lake Park at #69 out of 723 high schools in Illinois and #1,844 out of 17,680 schools nationwide. More detailed information about how Lake Park scored on each of the 6 indicators is available at the U.S. News and World Report website. This recognition is a source of pride for the school community and serves as a testament to the hard work of Lancer students and staff!

Join the Lake Park High School Marching Band at West Campus on Saturday, September 9 for the 44th Annual Lancer Joust Marching Band Competition.

Lake Park takes great pride in hosting this exceptional music event, a tradition spanning four decades, which invites high school programs throughout the region to showcase the talents and skills of student musicians. Uniquely combining both performance and competition, this annual experience culminates many months of preparation.

Featuring 13 outstanding bands, the Joust schedule begins with the opening ceremony at 1:00 p.m. The Lake Park Marching Band will conclude the performances at approximately 4:45 p.m. with an exhibition performance of Moon Dance.

Joust admission is by ticket only. Tickets are $13 for adults, $8 for students, seniors, and children 5 and older. Children 4 and under are free. A concession menu is available since outside food/beverages are not allowed. Proceeds benefit the Lake Park Band Auxiliary.

During the 2022-2023 school year, Lake Park High School launched FirstView®, a bus tracking and communications app for your smartphone or desktop. In continued partnership with First Student, the District’s transportation provider, Lake Park will once again send password-protected codes electronically to families during the week of September 11.

Codes are automatically generated for any student assigned to a bus route; however, there is no obligation to register. Please note: Lancer families with existing accounts can already access real-time data for this school year using credentials issued last year.

To prepare for registration and to download the app, please visit www.firstviewapp.com Some of the benefits and features include:

The FirstView® map screen shows you the location and direction of your student’s bus, your student's stop schedule for the current day, and timestamps for school arrivals and departures. You will know when the bus arrives at or departs from school.

Analyzing route and GPS data, determines an estimated time of arrival to your stop provided on the FirstView® map. The app is designed to provide families with better guidelines for bus location and ETA.

Set up push or email notifications alerting you when your student's bus is a chosen distance or number of minutes away from your stop.

Buses for all your students can be tracked with FirstView®. Using individual colors for each student, every selected stop appears on the map simultaneously for easy viewing.

FirstView® requires a password-protected account for app set-up. This way, only you can view your student’s stop.

Excitement is building for "Lancers! At the Disco!" Homecoming 2023, which will be celebrated the week of Monday, September 18 through Saturday, September 23. Homecoming will include a week of spirit days and the following special events:

..............Join the Homecoming open house reception at 5:00 p.m. and ..............the Dedication Ceremony for the Ralph Krupke Memorial Field ..............at 6:15 p.m.

Get in the spirit by ordering Homecoming Gear! T-shirts and hoodies are ONLY available by advance purchase using this link. Hurry, sales have been extended until Monday, September 11 at 12 noon. 

For questions regarding Homecoming activities or the dance, contact sponsors Aimee Allison and Brittany Simpson at LPhomecoming@lphs.org, or visit homecoming.lphs.org for more info.