Please read the letter I sent to our State Board Members. I sincerely appreciate our LPS staff who are serving on our Together Again task force for their leadership, time, & dedication to this challenging task. This is an uncertain & emotional time for staff and families. (cont.)
She said YES! Our first daughter got engaged last night and we are so happy for her. Congratulations Jasmine and David! Thank you
@TrevorMowry
and
@gracefawcettt
for capturing the memories.
Today marks the final day of my first year as Superintendent of
@usd497
. While we have accomplished a lot together, there is much more work to be done. Thank you for welcoming me & my family to this great community. Highlights from the 2018-19 School Year
I don’t agree with the title, being a Superintendent is an honor and a privilege. Even during these uncertain times, we still have an opportunity to transform public education. Remember, “On your worst day on the job, you are still some child’s best hope”.
There is no higher priority for us than the health and well-being of our staff, scholars, and school families. While the Governor’s Executive Order was not approved, we are preparing a proposal to begin the school year after Labor Day for the July 27 school board meeting. (cont.)
I appreciate the
@UnivOfKansas
honoring me as their Community Leader Honoree at today’s
@KU_Football
game. I am humbled by this recognition and thankful for all of the more than 1,700 staff of
@usd497
who support our scholars and families.
#AllStudentsOneTeam
Congratulations to Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis on being officially sworn in this morning! 🎉 We’re excited for the future under your leadership and look forward to all the great things ahead. Welcome aboard! 👏
#WeAreDPS
So proud of this team! In addition to our five sites, we are mobilized and ready to deliver close to 300 meals to our families. Families will receive text notification when we are en route with estimated arrival time and a notification once it has been delivered.
#USD497Strong
I can't tell you how exciting this is! This is Gracie and Katherine, two of our fabulous Lawrence High Scholars. They have been chosen to be Youth Ambassadors for Special Olympics North America!
If you dont’ know me, you can’t teach me. EVERY student needs and deserves a caring adult.
Teacher-Student Relationships (0.72 effect size)
Teacher Content Knowledge (0.09 effect size)
Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
When I stopped by our Enrollment Center today, this beautiful future
@usd497
scholar caught my attention. To her parents surprise, she came to me! She knows a good looking man when she sees one. 😁
The Lawrence High student section themed their final home boys basketball game “Orange and Navy” in solidarity with the Olathe East community following yesterday’s attack.
When I hear about stories like this, I get sick to my stomach. It then fuels me to continue the work - true equity work. This one is personal.
#LetsGo
#GoodTrouble
A Black teenage employee of a fast-food restaurant in Lawrence was threatened and called the N-word by one of his white co-workers, the boy’s mother said.
As educators we have the civic responsibility to teach the tenets of the
#BlackLivesMatter
movement for racial justice. My good friend
@DenaSimmons
reminds us of five actions for teaching for an antiracist future:
I can not let this day end without wishing my Wife, my heartbeat, my music, my song, my joy all day long, a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! If I lost everything and didn’t have anything, and you were the only thing , I’d still have everything. I Love You
@mrstiffanylewis
!
#ThanksBri
This is what I envision
@draslewis
phone looking like as all the
@usd497
students start begging him to call for a SNOW DAY!! (& yes I know he has better phone game than a flip phone 😆)🥶🙏☃️
Wishing my beautiful Wife and Queen a Happy 10th Anniversary! This has been an amazing journey filled with joy, laughter, good times, bad times, and a lot of love. I wouldn’t want to do this journey with anyone else. Read our love story here:
My thanks to NCAA National Champion
@KUHoops
Jalen Wilson for speaking to our scholars about is experiences, adversity, and learning from mistakes. One mistake does not define who you are.
Thank you
@GovLauraKelly
for your swift action forming the Commission on Racial Equity and Justice. I am excited to be a part of this Commission and look forward to policy actions that will create meaningful and lasting change.
I am super proud of
@MarkBedell_KCPS
and
@kcpublicschools
as they celebrate the highest state performance score in the history of the district. Congratulations! The best is yet to come.
The new
@usd497
School Board President Melissa Johnson began her tenure tonight. Excited to work alongside her as we continue to improve outcomes for all of our scholars.
@missy3460
#AllStudentsOneTeam
During my visit to Cordley, Dwayne informed me that I did not have any hair on my head. After reminding him that sharing is caring, he still did not want to share his hair with me. Where’s the
#AllStudentsOneTeam
Dwayne?
Congratulations to
@turnercorcoran
on being honored as a 2020 All-American. Today at
@FSHSFirebirds
during the jersey presentation he received the official invitation to play in the
@AABonNBC
. The only athlete in the State of Kansas! Am I that short?
#OneProudSupt
To all of the healthcare workers who operate with an others above self mentality, THANK YOU! I happen to live with one and I see the care, compassion, and concern for everyone’s safety daily. To my beautiful wife
@mrstiffanylewis
, THANK YOU!
Grateful to
@GovLauraKelly
for giving me the opportunity to work on this commission to do this important work in addressing concerns unique to the African American community in Kansas.
Another great day of feeding the scholars in Lawrence! I can say thank you again to the ten partner restaurants, but this scholar said it best with this sign they made and showed us in the line today.
To all
@usd497
high school students, if you have not taken the ACT or you want a higher score, all I ask is that you spend at least one hour of your Snow Day tomorrow on one of the following sites: OR
It’s 8:00 pm and the ceremony should have started now. Our daughter would be walking across the stage right now. We are so proud of you Jasmine! You are truly the definition of perseverance, determination, and dedication. Congratulations Jasmine!
#TroyUniversity
#Classof2020
Proud Husband would certainly be an understatement.
@mrstiffanylewis
made a decision to accomplish a task. She worked hard toward her goal - sometimes late at night….and today, it was well worth it as she graduated with her Master’s in Healthcare Administration. She did this all
Thank you
@GovLauraKelly
for the vision and urgency of assembling a dynamic team and for facilitating a discussion with us today as we address community-based police reform. I look forward to our continued work and progress in this area across the state.
As we celebrate
#Juneteenth
, we recognize that there is still work ahead to ensure our ancestors’ dreams become reality. Now is the time for ALL of us to be good ancestors.
#FreedomDay
Today marks my last day with
@kcpublicschools
. For 7 years I had the amazing opportunity to be a part of a team that moved a district towards the full accreditation mark.
@MarkBedell_KCPS
once said when your work is done, you should get a standing ovation if you made an impact.
I’ve seen how positive relationships can have a tremendous impact on student outcomes. What if schools focused on improving relationships rather than test scores?
Decisions that the district makes are not made in isolation or in a vacuum. As communicated earlier, we have been and continue to be in constant communication with state and county health officials as well as the State Department of Education.
To say I'm grateful is an understatement! THANK YOU to Hugh Carter with the
@LawrenceChamber
as well as the Lawrence Restaurant Association and ten local restaurants (listed below) for stepping up in a major way to provide meals during the suspension of
@usd497
meal services.
Nobody knows what the future holds with this pandemic, but please know, there is no higher priority for us than the health and well-being of our staff and scholars.
#AllStudentsOneTeam
After completing four weeks as Superintendent of
@usd497
, I’ve accomplished goals 1, 9, and parts of 5 and 7. I still have a lot to get accomplished! Also, don’t forget to check out my official entry plan at
We made it! All four of our
@usd497
schools (Broken Arrow, Deerfield, Hillcrest, Free State) that submitted applications for
@KSDEredesign
were approved to move forward. Buckle up! Great things are happening for our staff and scholars!
#AllStudentsOneTeam
Look who’s turning 8 today! Please help me wish our youngest son, Braxton Alexander, a happy birthday! You have brought so much joy to our family. We love you Braxton! Happy Birthday! 🎂🎊🎉🎁
All he was doing was being a father to GiGi. This is beyond heartbreaking. My wife and I send our condolences to Mrs. Vanessa Bryant and the entire family.
@mrstiffanylewis
This may be a historic first. Two Native American women win seats on Lawrence Public Schools Board - and its National Native American Heritage Month. Congratulations Paula and Carole!
I am tired. Tired of wondering how do we respond to this.....again....and again. Tired of having yet another conversation with my two Black sons. We can’t do it alone. We need more white allies. It may be uncomfortable talking about race, but we can no longer afford to be silent.
“We will not be able to close the achievement gaps until we address the equity issues.” Dr. Daniel Domenech,
@AASADan
, Executive Director of
@AASAHQ
#NCE18
My day, week, and possibly month has been made! I had the honor of touring
@VanGo_Lawrence
for the first time and my mind has been blown. 🤯 The staff and scholars do phenomenal work there! Many thanks to my tour guides Ayana, Jafiya, and Winona.