A Message from the Superintendent
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are so excited to welcome you back to the 2021-22 school year! We anticipate much joy as our students meet their new teachers, settle back into the school routines, reacquaint themselves with their peers, and join one of the diverse extra-curricular activities open to them. This stability and structure will do wonders for kids! Our daily focus is to assist every student to maximize their learning and make measurable growth as we individually work with students to address unfinished or gaps in learning stemming from the Covid pandemic. We are prepared to meet students where they are at and move them forward in collaboration with our parents. It has been a unique 1 ½ years and it will take a team effort to ensure we address any learning gaps for our students in a meaningful and individualized manner. We have the greatest staff in the state and they truly believe your kids deserve our best — EVERY student matters!
Thank you for your continued support of our staff and our mission, Dr. Meyer, Superintendent
Welcome Back Message from Superintendent
As you know, our District is starting the year in the Green Level of Operations. The DRAFT Operational Plan was reviewed at the first Parent Subcommittee meeting on Wednesday, September 1, 2021. Parent input was incorporated into the DRAFT LJSD Operational Plan, which the Board of Trustees will review and/or approve at their next Board meeting, Thursday, September 9. If you have any questions or comments, please contact your school’s parent representative using the contact information below.
- DRAFT 2021-22 LJSD #272 Operational Plan
- Parent Subcommittee contact information
| Name | What school(s) does your child(ren) attend? | |
| Sarah Gage | Swike1201@gmail.com | BKE |
| Melissa Karrmann | mkarrmann@icloud.com | JBE |
| Tim Haag | tjhaag@yahoo.com | JBE |
| Samantha Tuskan | Samantha.tuskan@gmail.com | JBE, LMS |
| Yvette Roffe Hiller | Akyvette@yahoo.com | GE |
| Raelynn Varner | Redhotchilly_peppers@hotmail.com | GE |
| Maria Barnhouse | Manm_6@yahoo.com | GE |
| Jackie Keck | dnjkeck@gmail.com | GE, LMS |
| Erica Yager | Erica.yager@gmail.com | GE, LMS |
| Jeri Humphreys | jerimay22@hotmail.com | LMS, LHS |
| Chandra Neils | chandra_neils@yahoo.com | LHS |
| Tara Thompson | Taravanessathompson@gmail.com | LHS |
| Jami Anguiano | anguiano2012@yahoo.com | TLE |
| Jessica Barnett | kevinjessicabarnett@yahoo.com | TLE |
| Celene Thomas | thomascelene@gmail.com | SLE |
| Kasi Mackie | kasiraeann22@gmail.com | SLE, TMS |
| Corilynne Smith | Corilynnesmith@protonmail.com | AE, TMS, THS |
| Hilary Howard | hilarys.haven@gmail.com | THS |
Quick Links! Information you Need to Know
Click on any of the images below for more information!
Junior Highs No More
Over the past two years, the District has been planning the transition for our junior high schools to become middle schools. So what is the difference? Traditionally, our 6th grade students have been housed at the elementary schools and our junior highs housed our 7th and 8th graders. In the past two years, we have slowly incorporated some of our 6th grade classes into the junior highs and this school year, all 6th graders will be at the junior high schools, which will now be official middle schools. There are many benefits to adding 6th grades to the middle level. Students are able to spend a full three years in the middle school, form relationships with peers and staff, and slowly transition into a school where they will have a variety of classes and teachers. The benefit to our elementary schools is that a little more room is freed up to accommodate our very quickly growing school district. You may not have noticed yet, but Lakeland Middle School and Timberlake Middle School have new signs to celebrate this change.
Resources
Need Skyward Assistance? helpdesk2@lakeland272.org
Zone Transfer/Open Enrollment Form
LJSD Technology Resources for Parents Website – CLICK HERE
Food Bank locations in Kootenai County – CLICK HERE
Dear Parents and Guardians, 
The District has a need for volunteers to join our subcommittees.
We ask all families with returning students to log into Skyward between now and August 31st to complete the online verification process. This process reduces paperwork and provides teachers with the most current contact information available for your student and helps school administrators plan classroom assignments for the upcoming school year.
We have a new online tool to help you look up your bus route and school boundaries. Just type in your home address; including the N, S, E, W for street direction if applicable and you will be able to get the information you need. 
The federal fee waiver for all school meals has been extended through the coming school year. There will be no charge for breakfast or lunch for any students in 2021-22.
Wondering what school supplies your child may need for the upcoming school year? You can find all of our lists by following the links below!
Parents and community members play a vital role in the education of their children, the Board of Trustees of the Lakeland Joint School District plans to form a District Curricular 
As we head into the home stretch of an unprecedented year, I hope our Lakeland families are as grateful as we are that school has been in session all year long. I have been hearing from parents, students, and staff that it is refreshing to have more social interaction and opportunities to celebrate together. We are super excited that all graduation ceremonies will be in-person this year. I know it has been a challenging year for everyone — our world was turned upside down — so I want to remind everyone to pause and enjoy a long weekend to relax and re-energize with your kids. The three day weekend is coming at the perfect time for our students to disconnect for a few days and gather up steam to “finish strong!” We are looking forward to our last two weeks of school before summer arrives. As we celebrate Memorial Day, we honor the Americans who died while serving in the U.S. military and extend a very special thank you to all military men and women, past and present, for everything you have done for our country.
Lakeland is offering two FREE STEAM camps this summer to our students! One will be located at Lakeland High School and one at Athol Elementary. 
As we head into the home stretch of this school year, I reflect on how our incredible staff and students have approached the unknown and uncertainty this year with grace and optimism. 
Get ready for Summer Book Club! This program is part of the Literacy Project of North Idaho’s Family Literacy program and is open to all families in the Kootenai County area. Parents and their students will work together to enjoy a great book, learn how to read with your child to foster an acquisition of reading skills, and help our students develop a life-long love of reading. This is a great opportunity for parents to read with their child and participate in rich student led discussions of fiction. We are excited to surprise you with another great book this summer! Our suggested ages vary depending on your reader, but generally 3rd grade to jr high school students would enjoy the book club. Summer Book Club runs during the months of June and July. Sign-ups begin on May 13 and can be found by going to the Literacy Project of North Idaho website 
Lakeland Gifted and Talented teacher, Laura Spurway has been on a mission over the past two years along with her students to collect stamps as part of the Holocaust Stamps Project. April 8, 2021 marked the day of remembrance for the Holocaust . The #weremember hashtag is a Holocaust memorial initiative that has gained steam throughout the world. The Holocaust Stamp Project has been teaching about history, tolerance, acceptance, and respect for differences since 2009. The projects’ 11 million stamps and 18 collages fashioned from the stamps depict moments and people from the Holocaust. Laura Spurway and her students created a beautiful piece of artwork from stamps collected so far and they will continue to do so. If you would like to donate stamps, they can be clipped from envelopes or new, you can deliver or send them to the Lakeland School District Office @ 15506 N. Washington Street, Rathdrum, ID 83858
Spring Break is even more important than ever this year – there have been so many changes and new issues that families have had to manage throughout the last year – it is time to unplug, disconnect and take a break! I hope you all find time next week to do something fun, get outdoors, play a game, and truly interact with your family🥳. As we head into the fourth quarter, I am so proud of the hard work and commitment our staff, students, and families have put in to make this such a successful year – a definite team effort! We are extremely grateful to our community for your support of the two-year Instructional Levy, ensuring we continue with the amazing programs and services in our District. Directly following the successful March 9 Levy vote, we held the much-anticipated Student-Led Conferences (SLC). The parent feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and many expressed gratitude that we did not cancel the SLC’s so parents had the opportunity to hear from their kid(s). Our students were able to successfully showcase the great work they do, as well as share growth areas and goals for the year. We look forward to expanding the SLC’s next year to K – 10th grade. 
In a year of unknowns, one thing is certain. Our students will continue to have an exceptional educational experience in the coming years. Because of our community support, the two-year Instructional Levy has passed and our District is grateful! We would like to extend a huge thank you to all who came out to vote on March 9th.
It’s hard to believe we are already heading into the last quarter of this strange and challenging school year. As we plan for next year, we are interested in your feedback regarding the start and end times for our schools. If you have already taken this survey, thank you so much for providing your input. If you haven’t had a chance yet, the link to the survey is 
As we finish out February and head into spring🤞🏼, I am reminded how much we have to be grateful for in our District. We have been the only local District to keep students in school 5 days a week this entire year! Our District’s Mission – maximizing student learning and ensuring all students are growing academically, social-emotionally, and behaviorally EVERY day – has remained the focus. Whether in-person or online, our students have benefitted from being in school every day and staying connected to their teachers, staff, and peer group. Many thanks to our staff for their unwavering dedication and the School Board for the supportive stance!
taxpayers. What can you do now? The window is open to request your absentee ballot and register to vote if you haven’t already. It is important to note that you must request a new absentee ballot each year. We are continuously updating our 
Timberlake High School FFA students competed in the recent North Idaho District FFA competition in Greenhand Knowledge. The team of Carlene Ross, Ethan Howard and Gracie Haeder placed second!! This is a huge accomplishment for these freshmen students!
As we shift into Thanksgiving break, I am reminded just how much we have to be grateful for. Despite this being the most challenging year I can remember in education, our District’s families have coalesced to face this overwhelming pandemic together. People in our District have been respectful of the LJSD Reopen Plan and have done their best to follow the guidelines. This has allowed us to stay in a consistent Yellow Level of Operation, with students being able to attend five days a week in-person, if parents desired. This is not true with other districts throughout the state. The consistency and support for our students has truly been a blessing. Although we have had several hurdles to overcome and an uptick in cases recently, our families continue to reach out to staff to offer support and appreciation for their dedication and continued compassion. This is truly a special place to be. Next week, please take the opportunity to look back on our year so far and acknowledge just how many positive blessings we have in this District, even in the most difficult of times. I hope you take the time to really enjoy your family and take a break from the daily demands of our lives. This is the perfect time to model rest and rejuvenation for our kids so they know how important it is to unwind for the week. Thank you for supporting the District and working together to provide the best education for each and every one of our students. Much gratitude for the LJSD family, Dr. Meyer, Superintendent
In order to best meet the needs of all students in the district, whether that is in-person, blended learning, or completely online, we have stepped up the 1-to-1 Chromebook program started three years ago. Initially funded by Instructional Levy dollars, we have used the CARES funds to expedite the 1-1 Chromebooks for students. We made this decision based on the possibility of having to move to the Orange Level of Operation, which would require our students to have Chromebooks in order to participate in their classroom from home every other day. Although we have been able to stay in the Yellow Level of Operation, 5 days a week in-person, we continue to utilize the Chromebooks as a tool in the classroom, as well as at home, with online learning, homework assignments, or in self-quarantine. Thankfully, this proactive planning will ensure our students are prepared for whatever educational circumstances this year may bring. The delivery date continues to be moved back due to Covid issues with the manufacturers, but you will hear more specific information from your building principals once the Chromebooks arrive.
Reminder to families that during the upcoming holiday breaks (November 23-27 & December 21 – January 1) there will be no Grab & Go Meals services for children in our District. For more information, visit our