November 2009 Inside the Spotlight School Funding... 2 Meet Your School Board... 3 Advanced Academics... 4 East Olive... 5 Eureka... 6 Gateway... 7 Oakview... 8 Riley... 9 St. Johns Middle School... 10 St. Johns High School... 11 St. Johns Alternative School... 12 School Nurse... 13 Alumni... 14 Community Connections... 15 District Calendar... 16 www.stjohns.edzone.net • 501 W. Sickels • PO Box 230 • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-4001 St. Johns Spotlight Learning Today ... Leading Tomorrow Gateway 5th-grader at Eagle Village ropes course
Transcript
November 2009
Inside the Spotlight
School Funding... 2Meet Your School Board... 3
Advanced Academics... 4East Olive... 5
Eureka... 6Gateway... 7Oakview... 8
Riley... 9St. Johns Middle School... 10
St. Johns High School... 11St. Johns Alternative School... 12
School Nurse... 13Alumni... 14
Community Connections... 15District Calendar... 16
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 501 W. Sickels • PO Box 230 • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-4001
St. Johns SpotlightLearning Today ... Leading Tomorrow
Gateway 5th-grader at Eagle Village ropes course
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 501 W. Sickels • PO Box 230 • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-40012
School Funding
School Board President
Bill Tennant
Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff and Community:
This year’s State Aid budget imposes a $165 per student reduction in funding for
St Johns Public Schools. We are also looking at an additional $127 per student cut
from the State effective December 1st for this budget year. There is speculation of an
additional cut from $300 to $1,000 per student for next year.
The school funding mechanism in Michigan is broken and must be fixed, but this does
not change our current situation. A plan will be taken to the Board of Education to cut
$292 per student or $950,000 overall. Because these cuts are coming four months into
the budget year that began July 1, this is equivalent to a $1.2 million shortfall. SJPS has
already faced difficult times by cutting its operating budgets by $6 million since 2002.
These new cuts will impact classrooms in St Johns schools. While everything will
be done to minimize the impact on children, it will still be very disruptive. There is
absolutely no area that can be held harmless in these tough times.
To put these budget cuts into perspective, the $950,000 recently cut from our budget
is equivalent to:
• Compensation for 12 teachers
• 4 times our general fund allocation for athletics
• 2/3 of our transportation budget
• More than our entire annual energy costs
The future of our children still rests in our hands. We still owe them an excellent
education. Our children will still compete in a global environment so they must have an
excellent education in order to succeed. None of this can deter us from our goals.
Sincerely,
William Tennant, Board President and Ken Ladouceur PhD, Superintendent
Superintendent
Ken Ladouceur
PhD
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 501 W. Sickels • PO Box 230 • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-4001 3
Please Share Your Opinion About School FundingPlease consider contacting the decision makers in Lansing to express your opinion about these recent events.
Your reaction to these reductions will be very significant in the coming days.
State Government Contacts:• Governor Jennifer Granholm: phone: 517-373-3400
St. Johns Middle School offers a Pre-Algebra class to its seventh graders and Algebra 1 to eighth graders (for which they
can earn high school credit). The Middle School also offers two advanced technology classes to our seventh and eighth
graders, Advanced Computers 7 and Advanced Computers 8.
Science Olympiad The Science Olympiad competition is comprised of a series of team events requiring knowledge of science concepts,
process skills and science applications in biology, earth science, chemistry, physics and technology. Interest in this year’s
Science Olympiad program is expected to be greater than ever among our St. Johns High School students and families.
The Science Olympiad reflects a passion to devote free time to learning more about the world around us.
Differentiated Instruction Teachers in all grade levels throughout our St. Johns Public Schools system provide differentiated instruction, teaching to
individual student levels and challenging each student as much as is possible and practical. Our district aims to provide
an educational environment and professional development to enable more differentiated instruction to occur, adapting
to individual learning styles and learning levels.
Important College Information TThe ACT and SAT school code number for St. Johns High School is 233-375.
ACT test dates 2010: February 6, March (for juniors as part of the Michigan Merit exam), April 10, June 12,
September 11, October 23, and December 11. For more information visit http://www.actstudent.org.
SAT test dates 2010: January 23, March 13, May 1, June 5, October 9, November 6 and December 4. For more
information visit http://www.collegeboard.com.
Financial Aid: Most colleges request you to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form,
as soon after January 1st as possible. For more information visit: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Both students and parents
will want to obtain a PIN number from the US Department of Education to complete the FAFSA application; go to
http://www.pin.ed.gov.
Advanced Academics at St. Johns Public Schools
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 2583 E. Green Rd • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-4800 5
East Olive Elementary School
After-School Math Plus at East OliveEast Olive’s partnership with the Capital Area Science and Math Center and Impression 5 Science Center is providing our fourth and fifth grade students with a new opportunity to expand their horizons in the areas of math and science. Instructors from Impression 5 will guide students in their work both at East Olive and on location at the center. Students will work in a team to design a scale-model of their community using acquired math skills. Later, they will meet with teams from four other Lansing area schools selected for this special pilot program. Together, they will build one large exhibit showing all five combined communities. The exhibit will be placed on display at Impression 5!
East Olive was filled with smiling faces for our annual Family Fall Festival, an event sponsored and coordinated by East Olive PTO. Children delighted in having their hair and faces painted bright colors! Former students returned for the evening, many of them running games and handing out prizes for the younger children. Dinner was served and families had the opportunity to enjoy relaxing together on a hay ride. Students entered their creative pumpkins and cakes in a variety of contests. The grand finale highlighted the evening! TV news anchor and East Olive parent Jason Colthorp announced the winners of a wide variety of raffle prizes, including the grand prize of a gas card packaged with a gift certificate to The Great Wolf Lodge. Whether winning a prize or not, everyone walked away a winner from our evening of family fun.
Family Fall Festival
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 7550 N. Wellington Rd • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-49006
Eureka Elementary School
Literacy TermsAll of our students have been given the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) test to assess where they are in their reading skills. Our first and second grade teachers are working together to provide instruction to every student based on his or her need.
Our literacy groups are meeting every afternoon for 40 uninterrupted minutes. We’ll have three groups of students, and students will be placed into a group based on need. Students can move in and out of each reading group depending on their growth. Every trimester the teacher will teach a different group of students, so all students will benefit from the expertise and experience of each of these teachers. This is best practice in action!
Eureka’s New School RulesThe entire Eureka staff met together on August 31 and decided on our new school mascot, the Rocket Stars, along with our new school rules:
Stay safev
Try your bestv
Act responsibly v
Respect yourself and othersv
Eureka PTOOur new Eureka PTO officers are President Kris Clark; Vice President Stephanie Dyer; Secretary Laura Hyde; Treasurer Shannon Coombs; and Hospitality Sandy Jury and Michelle Sample. Lots of exciting events are planned! In addition to our Spring Carnival, the Eureka PTO would like to host a family assembly one evening in the spring. Your suggestions are welcome, please become an active partner and volunteer to help as much as you can! Meetings are usually the third Thursday of the month at 6:30pm in the library.
“ … Students can move in
and out of each reading group
depending on their growth.”
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 915 N. Lansing St • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-4600 7
Gateway Elementary School
A new school year at Gateway North Elementary has ushered in a few new initiatives and a new principal. Christopher Smith joins St. Johns after two years at St. Therese School in Lansing. Smith replaces Mrs. Gretchen Baarman, who after serving Gateway for the past eight years, left to be closer to family and accepted a position in Greenville. Smith is enthused by the staff’s and students’ strong start and commitment to student growth, especially demonstrated with two new initiatives at Gateway – “bucket filling” and non-graded instructional groups.
Initiatives for Success – Rigor, Relevance and Relationships
“Bucket Fillers”
“Our goal is clearly to be ‘bucket fillers” in what we say and how we treat others.
Instruction to Individual Student Levels
”“Bucket filling” is a school climate initiative to strengthen relationships and student behavior based on Carol McCloud’s book Have You Filled a Bucket Today?. Each person has “an invisible bucket” which is filled by being kind and demonstrating respect to those around you. When we are unkind or rude, one is “bucket dipping,” which also empties your own bucket. Our goal is clearly to be “bucket fillers” in what we say and how we treat others. We have student assemblies throughout the school year to reinforce this practice.
Academically, Gateway’s schedule this year has been designed to more effectively deliver instruction to what each individual student needs. As educators, we determine if learning is taking place based on student growth in curricular areas. While students are traditionally distributed by grade level groups base primarily on age, our new schedule allows us to deliver instruction to students according to their individual level and need rather than what grade they’re in. Depending on where students are instructionally, students in grades 1 and 2 receive instruction from one of five teachers in reading and math, and from their grade level classroom teacher for science and social studies. Consequently, more targeted instruction can be delivered, resulting in more individual student growth. The initiative aligns with our district’s Response to Intervention program, which allows us to provide additional support to students as needed.
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 1400 S Clinton Ave • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-45008
Oakview Elementary School
SWAMP GroupsWe have started a new program at Oakview called SWAMP groups -- “Success With All Mentoring Program.” Most of the Oakview staff have a SWAMP group. Students from kindergarten through fifth grade are assigned to groups that meet with a staff member, and do interesting and fun activities together. There are about 12 students in each SWAMP group. They meet on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons for about 20 minutes.
The purpose of these groups is to give students the opportunity to make connections with students and staff members who are not part of their grade-level team. The first few group sessions involved activities that helped everyone to get to know one another this month. Activities now focus on character building, social skills and team concepts – all designed to help students be successful.
“ Our
SWAMP
groups will
help our
students feel
that they have
special people,
in addition to
their teachers,
who are
interested
in helping
them be
successful in
school and
life. ”
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 5935 W. Pratt Road • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-5100 9
Riley Elementary School
Big LessonMany students in our building will experience a “Big Lesson” at some point in their elementary careers. Both second and fourth graders will participate in “Annie’s Big Nature Lesson,” while the fifth graders will experience “The Big Zoo Lesson.” These special week-long field trips provide our students with lifelong lessons, real-world experiences, hands-on activities with experts, and time to journal and reflect on what they are studying. The Nature Lessons are generously funded by a grant from the Ann Mason Family, with our PTO graciously helping to defray the cost of transportation. Students loved the pond-dipping experience -- observing, sketching, and identifying organisms they had never seen before. Journal writing and daily observation time was priceless.
Raccoon PRIDE tickets continue to be handed out by our staff to promote positive behavior, have consistent school-wide expectations and provide an atmosphere that is positive and safe. Students are taught the expected behaviors in every area of the school, and receive a Raccoon Pride Ticket when observed “showing pride.” • Raccoon PRIDE Tickets offer the students an opportunity to be acknowledged for doing something good.• Raccoon PRIDE Tickets are given by all Riley staff members throughout our building.• Three students from every classroom are honored each month, receiving some type of “prize.” It varies from month to month so students are eager to hear about the prize of the month. • All Raccoon PRIDE Tickets are sent home monthly so they can be proudly displayed at home!• A postcard is sent home to the students who were honored each month.
Riley PRIDE continues ”“ Students became true
scientists, uncovering new
ground, looking closely, and
recording their thoughts and
wonderings.
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 900 W Townsend Rd• St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-430010
St. Johns Middle School
Our Middle School Science department is happy to be using a new inquiry- and problem-based science program. Students work in teams on a daily basis to actively participate in solving scientific problems to better understand the concepts. As students increase their problem-solving skills based on evidence, they improve their critical thinking skills. All of this makes science a more meaningful and relevant experience in our middle school classrooms. This new science program is known as SEPUP -- Science Education for Public Understanding Program – and was developed by Lab-Aids and Lawrence Hall of Science with support from the National Science Foundation. It is aligned with the State of Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations for Science.
A More Relevant Science Program “Science
concepts and the accompanying
process skills are taught and learned in the context of an
issue that relates to students’
everyday lives.
”Sebastian Balde, Madison Ballinger, Nick Barks, Olivia Bouck, Shawn Deering, Kaylee Foster, Courtney Garlock, Mitchell Gazda, Mackenzie Graff, Joshua Hafner, Wes Holen, Kallie Iler, Eli Joy, Josh Minsky, James Moreau, Zack Palmer, Summer Palomo, Rachel Perkins, Collin Rosendale, Traven Schneider, Christine Shoup, Matt Soros, Jordan Thelen, Nick Weber, Cheyenne Watson.
Missing from picture: Carlie Smith and Kevin McCorvie
September Students of the Month
”
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 501 W. Sickels • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-4100 11
St. Johns High School
St. Johns High School Orchestra
St. Johns High School Music Calendar
November 6 HS Band Varsity Night 11 HS Band Veteran’s Day Parade, at 11am 20-22 HS Musical December15 HS Orchestra Concert, 7:30pm 16 HS Band Concert, 7:30pm 17 HS/MS Choir Concert, 7:30pmFebruary 2010 6 HS Vocal S/E Festival 18 HS Orchestra Concert, 7:30pm 20 HS Band and Orchestra S/E Festival, at Owosso March 3 HS/MS Choir Concert, 7:30pm 8 HS Band Concert, 7:30pm 27 HS State S/E FestivalApril 3-10 HS Band Hawaii Trip 16-17 State Vocal S/EMay 24 HS Band Concert, 7:30pm 25 HS Orchestra Concert, 7:30pm 27 HS Choir Concert, 7:30pm 30 Memorial Day Parade, 6pm
St. Johns High School is very pleased to have added Mr. Justin Valla as its Director of Orchestra. Mr. Valla brings a wealth of experience with him, directing the orchestras for Marshall Public Schools and Lansing Public Schools. Mr. Valla earned a bachelor of music in music education and a bachelor of music performance from Michigan State University. He is a double bass player, and has performed in numerous pit orchestras. Judging from their spectacular performance in our first concert this Fall, we’re looking forward to many more as the St. Johns Orchestra continues its high quality tradition.
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 101 W Cass St • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-520012
St. Johns Alternative School
The State of Michigan Department of Education has set a new standard for all students requiring a minimum of 4 credits of math, including Algebra 2. It is exciting to witness the expectations that will propel students to be competitive in the math and science fields.At the Wilson Center these requirements present a unique circumstance. Students arrive with gaps in their education due to a plethora of reasons: absences, relocation, health issues, and math curriculums varying from one district to another to name a few.The Wilson Center staff uses a blended
approach to address each student’s needs. We begin with Plato, a web based computer program, to help identify and assess the gaps in the student’s math skills. Plato allows our staff to pinpoint specific trouble spots and build a curriculum that helps each student review and master their identified weaknesses. The classroom instruction is then tailored and combined with Plato to provide a team approach to maximize each student’s potential. Success breeds confidence, so that more than ever before, our students recognize the importance of achieving the higher level math goal. Conversations among students in the hall and after recent testing reflect their increased desire to be successful in math.The Wilson Center staff embraces the challenge and rewards of these new higher standards, and is encouraged by our students’ growth.
Meeting Today’s Math Challenges
“More than ever before, our students recognize the importance of achieving the higher level math goal. ”
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 101 W Cass St • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-5200 www.stjohns.edzone.net • 501 W. Sickels • PO Box 230 • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-4001 13
School Nurse
The Ever-Evolving School NurseSt. Johns School District Nurse Karla Palmer, RN, BSN, wears many hats. No two days are ever the same, and every day brings a mix of opportunities to treat and prevent health issues. Karla says “It’s a little of everything. You can’t imagine the variety.” A school nurse’s role to keep kids healthy takes on so many forms. The most obvious is the treatment of illnesses and
injuries as they occur during the school day. This not only involves evaluating conditions and providing first aid as needed, but also training staff in each building to provide care to injured students. Children also come to school today with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, seizure disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, autism, and food allergies. School nurses help make school successful for them. A treatment sometimes involves serious procedures such as catheterizations, tube feedings and insulin shots. Mark Horak, assistant principal at St. Johns High School says, “Having a school nurse in the building certainly makes this a safer place for both students and staff. Karla is very quick to respond to all situations and really gives an extra sense of security when we don’t have to make medical judgment calls for which we are not trained. She works very closely with parents and always communicates effectively.” “Karla has been a life saver on so many occasions! Her knowledge and calming presence is a true benefit to St. Johns Public Schools,” says Stephanie Kingsbury, Secretary for Athletics and Clinic at St. Johns Middle School. Barb Feldpausch states, “As a parent of a son with diabetes, I am comforted in sending him off to school everyday, knowing there is a skilled nurse in the building with the knowledge of how to treat him. She is available to assist our son with any concerns he faces on a daily basis when we, his parents, are not able to be there for him.” continued on page 14, Alumni News
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 501 W. Sickels • PO Box 230 • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-4001
Alumni Profile We want to use this space to recognize a St. Johns High School alumnus, someone who you feel deserves to be acknowledged for making life better for the rest of us – whether it’s for our community, or their family, or their neighbors and friends, or their business or profession. Please email us your information, including a point of contact, at [email protected].
Alumni Information on the Web Visit the web site http://www.alumniclass.com/stjohns to reunite with old classmates and discover reunion information. This web site is not affiliated with St. Johns Public Schools and is not responsible for any of its content or information, but is providing this link for your convenience.
Alumni News
14
Visit the web site http://www.alumniclass.com/stjohns to reunite with old classmates and discover reunion information.
St. Johns High School Alumni
Prevention and information to help kids and families make healthy choices is also vital. Karla says “When I am able to see students coming in with a health concern, I use the visit to educate them about ways to keep from getting sick again.” And it’s not just medical attention. Emotional support is also part of the school nurse’s job as a health care professional, whether it is the death of a loved one or stress over an upcoming test. During her years as a school nurse, Karla has observed a growing pressure felt by students, “They have a lot of expectations, and they see me as a safe haven.” School nurses perform many other activities -- reviewing physicals, monitoring vision and hearing screenings, performing scoliosis screenings; reviewing and documenting immunizations, preparing, monitoring and administering prescription and non-prescription medications, and identifying and reporting communicable diseases to the Health Department. Some are mandated by state law or required by district policy.Karla has been a nurse for 11 years, and a school nurse for six years. Before joining the St. Johns school district, she worked various positions in the hospital setting and in health care insurance. “I love it,” she said. Nursing is such a wonderful profession. One of my greatest goals in school nursing is to inspire others to go into this awesome profession.”
School Nurse continued...
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 501 W. Sickels • PO Box 230 • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-4001
Community Connections
Christmas Festival and ParadeThe St. Johns Santa Parade of Lights and community tree lighting ceremony is Friday evening, December 4th. Call 989-227-1717 for more information. The annual Christmas Festival returns Saturday, December 5th, again sponsored by the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce, at the CC RESA Building at 1013 S US 27 in St. Johns. It includes Breakfast with Santa (8-10:30am), Festival of Trees & Craft Show (8am-3pm), and Children’s Craft Corner (12-3 pm). Groups, individuals, businesses, and others may still enter decorated full-size or table top trees in the Festival of Trees. For questions or more information, please contact Brenda Terpening at 989-224-7248 or visit the Chamber’s web page at http://www.clintoncountychamber.org/Christmas.php.
15
Please let us know if you would like your organization listed on our district’s web site and community events reported in this Spotlight newsletter. Please email us your information, including a point of contact, at [email protected].
Toys for TotsWe ask for your generous support for the Clinton County Toys for Tots campaign. For questions or more information about the Toys for Tots campaign, please contact Brenda Terpening at 989-224-7248.
Youth Programs St. Johns Public Schools enthusiastically supports our children’s involvement in extracurricular activities. Several organizations providing youth sports, recreational and enrichment programs are listed along with their contact information: St. Johns Youth Athletic Association: www.sjyaa.org football (Terry Gimmey) girls basketball (Mike Maloney) boys basketball (Matt Martens) volleyball (John Cheeney) cheerleading (KC Gimmey)flag football (Rick Peters)wrestling (Jennifer Dominguez) Sea Lions: www.sjsealions.com City of St. Johns Recreation Department: Bill Schafer 989-224-8944, x227Youth Baseball: www.sjyba.comSoccer: AYSO at http://www.ayso862.org/ USSF at http://www.caslsoccer.org/ St. Johns Soccer Club at http://www.stjohnssoccerclub.org/
www.stjohns.edzone.net • 501 W. Sickels • PO Box 230 • St. Johns, Michigan 48879 • (989) 227-4001
District Calendar
November23 7pm, Board meeting – Wilson Center
24-25 High School and Alternative School – Exams, students released at 12:10pm
26-27 Thanksgiving recess
30 Teacher record day, end of first trimester – no students
December14 7pm, Board meeting – Wilson Center
21- Jan 3 Holiday recess
January
4 School resumes
11 7pm, Board meeting – Wilson Center
18 Dr. King Day – no school
21 Evening conferences -- all schools
22 Morning conferences and afternoon release time – no students
25 7pm, Board meeting – Wilson Center
St. Johns Public SchoolsDistrict Office501 W. Sickels StreetSt. Johns, MI 48879Phone: (989) 227-4001Fax: (989) 227-4099
