August Principal's Message
2025-2026 LHS Back to School Information
August Office Hours: The office hours before school starts at Lancaster High School will be from 7:30-3:00. Our administrators, counselors, and secretaries are all fully back to work in August. Please call, email, or stop in for anything you may need before school starts. Counselors will be working on schedules and will email students if they have questions. Please be sure to be checking your student emails.
Athletic Meetings: All fall athletes planning to participate in a fall sport must attend this meeting with a parent/guardian. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 5th at 6:00 PM. This meeting will be held in the Lancaster High School Auditorium. Athletes also must register themselves online for the upcoming school year, the registration link can be found on the Lancaster Gales Athletic website. Meet the team night will be held at Fulton Field on Saturday, August 9th. This will be for all fall sports participants grades 7-12.
FroshFest: The first day of school for freshmen is our Froshfest on Thursday, August 14th. This day will be for freshmen only and will follow the normal school day hours from 7:44-2:38. Busing will be provided as normal and freshmen may bring a lunch or receive one in the cafeteria. They will receive their schedules and follow an abbreviated period schedule during the day as well as building tours, small and large group presentations, and an activity fair. Freshmen will not need to bring any school materials on this day except for lunch. Lunch will be provided for free of charge this day as well as throughout the school year. The building will not be open until 7:15 AM on this day.
First Day of School: The first day of school for grades 10-12 will be on Friday, August 15th.
PowerSchool & Student Schedules: Schedules in PowerSchool for the 2025-2026 school year will be available through the online portal. Please note that counselors will still be working on cleanup at the time that schedules are available to view. Students should be checking their email as counselors reach out to them about any conflicts. Information about how to request a schedule change through a google form will be emailed to students. Hard copies of schedules may be provided for 10th-12th grade at the Back to School Family Kickoff Event on August 14th at 6pm. 9th grade students will receive a hard copy of their schedule at FroshFest on August 14th.
Parent Information Nights: There will be a freshman and senior parent information night at Lancaster High School on Wednesday, August 6th at 5:00. There will be separate meetings to provide information for those parents with freshmen or seniors. If you have a 9th or 12th grade student please plan on attending.
Back to School Family Kickoff: The LHS Back to School Family Kickoff will be on Thursday, August 14th at 6:00. This will be a time to mingle with staff, listen to some music, and get something to eat at one of the food trucks. There will be general informational tables set up as well. We are excited for this event to kick off the school year. The Mobile Immunization Clinic will be on site this evening as well.
Chromebooks: Freshmen and new students will receive their new Chromebooks at the start of the school year and grades 10-12 will use their previous Chromebooks. Please charge them to see if there are any problems before school starts and if so bring it on in to the tech office in our library.
Cell Phones: To comply with state mandates, cell phones and other electronic communications equipment (Earbuds, Headphones, Gaming Devices, Use of Smart Watches) are prohibited to be used in all academic classes. We realize this will have an impact on our students, but we feel strongly it will have a positive impact on our student learning and on our school culture. More detailed information will be provided to students during class meetings and can be accessed in the LHS Handbook.
Transportation: Please visit the district website and under the transportation page you will find bus route information on the MyRide K-12 app.
Parent/Bus Drop Off & Pick Up: Parents may drop their students off in front of the Main Office entrance. Students will depart and board school buses in front of the GAC Courtyard entrance. Only school buses will be permitted to access the GAC Courtyard entrance area after school. No other vehicles will be allowed north of the 4 way stop after 2:00 pm daily due to the space needed for school buses to line up for after school pick up.
Attendance Office Information: To call or email about your students' attendance, please call Mrs. Turner at 740-681-7500 ext. 1 or email to l_turner@lcsschools.net . Anytime your student is not at school you must communicate that to the Attendance Office. If your student is leaving school during the school day use the same number or email leaving the student's name, date, and time of release.
Parking: Licensed student drivers who plan to park on the LHS Main Campus must obtain a parking permit for the 2025-2026 school year. We will begin enforcing the use of parking permits on the LHS Main Campus on Tuesday, September 2nd. There will be a google form emailed to students in the near future that they can use to register for their parking permit. After completing registration they can then pick up their parking permit from the main office.
Junior/Senior Campus Pass: Campus pass forms for juniors and seniors will be emailed to students and may also can be picked up in the office starting August 4th. Students need to turn these forms into Mr. Smeltzer.
School Fees: School fees may be paid through myschoolbucks.com or contact the finance office at 740-681-7540.
Gales Live: This app is available to download on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. It is a great way to stay up to date with what's happening at Lancaster High School. The schedule of events, concerts, games, etc. can be found on the App.
We are very excited for this school year and the Class of 2026 as they begin the final year of their Lancaster City Schools careers and will be the last graduating class of this school building. This will be the 62nd school year in this building as we look forward to saying our goodbyes as we will be entering a brand new Lancaster High School in the fall of 2026. We will be providing information before school starts and throughout the year in various ways. Make sure to update your students information in PowerSchool including parent emails so you will receive all LHS informational emails throughout the school year. Also follow the LHS Facebook page to get all updates regarding news and events at Lancaster High School.
We are looking forward to another school year providing the very best opportunities and programs for our students, families, and community on #granvillepike
Scott Burre, Principal
Lancaster High School