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Superintendent Communiqué Midland Public Schools

Thank you to the Plymouth Elementary choir and instructor Mr. Farison who performed the National Anthem at the Jaunuary 17th Chemic varsity girls basketball game. Go Pioneers!

January 30, 2023

Volume 10 Edition 26

Midland Public Schools District Vision Statement: Lead with respect, trust and courage. Ensure an equitable, collaborative and inclusive culture. Enable all to achieve success.

Dow High Student Leadership

Throughout November and December, Dow High Student Leadership 2 was given the task of thinking of, organizing, and executing projects that would benefit the community. Through the creativity of the class, seven different projects were organized to give back to the community during the holiday season. Students successfully ran the projects listed below and were all able to head into second semester knowing that they made a positive impact on their community in many ways.

  • Adopt a Family: The class partnered with the Salvation Army to help make the holidays special for a local family in need. Through the generosity of the class, a family with two parents and three children were able to receive everything on their wish list.
  • Blankets for Teens in Foster Care: After discovering the need for items for teens in the foster care system, a group of students decided to organize events to make blankets to donate to Midland County Foster Closet. With the help of the Dow High student body, the class's initial goal of 15 blankets turned into 50 blankets donated to the organization.
  • Bickford Buddies: Through a student's personal connection to the facility, SL2 students were assigned a resident at Bickford Assisted Living and Memory Care. The students and residents have exchanged letters multiple times since the project began. Students have enjoyed getting to communicate with their "buddies" and are happy to provide an opportunity for the residents of the facility to have someone that they can regularly communicate with.
  • Thank You Notes for Essential Workers: Leadership recruited classes from throughout the school to create thank you notes and cards that could be given out to essential workers who don't often get time off during the holiday season. Students spent several days delivering these notes to local restaurants and stores and were excited to see how surprised and grateful the recipients were.
  • Free Babysitting Event: To help give parents some time to shop or do whatever they needed during the holiday season, students organized a 4 hour babysitting event that was held in the Dow High gym. Students from all three Leadership classes came together to provide crafts, games, movies, and snacks to around 30 local kids.
  • Packages for Aaron's Gifts from Home: Students shopped for and created several holiday themed care packages to donate to Aaron's Gifts from Home. This organization collects supplies to send care packages to American troops who are deployed overseas.
  • Winter Gear Drive: A collection of coats, gloves, hats, and other winter gear was held in 3rd hour classes. At the end of the collection, students were able to donate several bags of items to Midland's Open Door.
On January 10, members of Student Leadership attended a MAHS/MASC (Michigan Associations of Student Councils and Honor Societies) Regional Conference in Bay City. With the goal of preparing for the state conference in February, two competitions are held at these events. Caleb Kaiser (12), Wil Kuper (12), Taylor Neuman (12), Emilee Bonter (11), and Lauren VanSumeren (11) prepared a Student Showcase to share information about service projects that were completed by SL2 in November and December. They competed against two showcases from John Glenn High School and were selected as the best showcase from the event. They will get to share their presentation at the state conference with the chance of being the overall state winners. SL1 student Hannah Ober (10) participated in the Michigan Student Voice competition. Hannah prepared and presented a brief Ted Talk style presentation about the importance of being not only kind to others, but also to yourself. She was selected as the winner for this event. Hannah will also have a chance to compete against other students from around the state in February. Congratulations and great work to everyone involved!
14 members of the Midland High School Student Council and Student Varsity Student Leadership Class attended the Michigan Association of Student Councils and National Honor Societies' Regional Connect Conference in Frankenmuth on Thursday, January 12, 2023. 12 schools attended the event with over 200 participants. The event provides participating schools with the opportunity to "showcase" programs at their school that has been successful. The programs encompass a broad range of topics from spirit weeks to homecoming, to elections and community service projects. The events, held throughout the state of Michigan, help member schools to build a culture of care and support at their schools through the networking of ideas. At the event, Midland High School presented three showcases with two showcases advancing to the student state conference that will be held at the end of February in Grand Rapids. Bella Sullivan, Alexander Servinski, and Addison Birchmeier advanced with their presentation "Breaking the Barrier" which featured the different ways that ESA students are included in the school. Sam Ringgold, Chloe Nieto, Heather Herron, and Keara Banks presented, "Take a Chair, Be Aware". In this presentation, they shared how to plan and execute an awareness campaign that benefits the student body.

Midland High French Class and Drama Club Field Trip fun!

Students from Madame Rankin's French 3 class at Midland High had the opportunity to see the special Van Gogh in America exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts on January 19. The students had studied Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in French and this unique exhibition allowed them to put what they learned in the classroom into practice at the museum.

In addition to the Van Gogh in America exhibit, the students toured other galleries at the DIA and viewed some of the Impressionist works permanently displayed at the museum. If you look closely, you can see a Claude Monet painting in one of the photos!

And of course, a visit to the DIA wouldn't be complete without visiting the Detroit Industry Murals by Diego Rivera.

The students left the museum with a new appreciation for Van Gogh's works, with one student stating, "it's a completely different experience being able to see the actual brushstrokes that Van Gogh made on the canvas!"

Members of MHS Drama Club took a field trip earlier this month to see the Broadway Touring Company of Les Miserables at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit.

Students were able to see professional actors perform this iconic musical and appreciated its updated technical elements.

Band and Orchestra News

Congratulations to the 22 Midland Public Schools band and orchestra students who performed in the Michigan All-State Bands and Orchestras the weekend of January 21-22! These students were chosen from among 2,364 auditionees as some of the best young musicians in Michigan. They spent all of Thursday and Friday in rehearsals at the DeVos Conference Center in Grand Rapids, MI, and on Saturday, January 21, they performed in DeVos Hall.

Also, Congratulations to the Jefferson and Northeast orchestra students who participated in the MSBOA All-Star Orchestra on Saturday, January 14. These students joined the top students from Saginaw Public Schools and St. Johns Public Schools to rehearse and perform all day at Central Auditorium. They were directed by Alan MacNair, who was an MSBOA Teacher of the Year and was one of USA Today’s Top 20 Teachers in America in 2007.

Logan Gessford – Northeast Trombone; Danny Farison – Northeast Trombone; Elliot King – Northeast Trumpet; Ashley Pietrzak – Northeast French Horn
Emma Huang – Jefferson Clarinet; Louis Huang – Dow High Clarinet
Ben Bucci – Midland High French Horn; Autumn Brutyn – Midland High French Horn; Samuel Ringgold – Midland High Alto Sax; Elijah Skutt – Midland HighTrumpet
Mia Bayardo – Dow High String Bass; Zaky El-Nachef – Dow High Violin; George Gu – Dow High Viola; Hope Ridley – Dow High Violin; Boaz Qiu – Dow High Violin; Sarah Li – Dow High Viola; Audrey Fanning – Dow High Viola
Sydney Ma – Jefferson Viola; Emma An – Jefferson Viola; Katie Cai – Jefferson Viola; Seoyeon Yoo – Jefferson Viola; Emilia Garces – Jefferson String Bass
From left to right, the Northeast students are: Back Row: Delaney DeBoer, Jaelynn Alvarez, Danielle Isberg, Cadence McPeak, Jackson Moyers, Hunter Lince. Front Row: Magdalene Spears, Eve Rankin, Jacob Perez, Abigail Hough, Alycen Bruce, Bradley Chesney, Adam Ogamba, Andrew Vo.
From left to right, the Jefferson students are: Selene Moor, Jenny Niu, Grace Goodell, Carter English, Karen Gray, Monica Ludwick, Henry Ladwein, Tyler Loose, Vera Roberson, Evie Baldwin, Braeden Truitt, and Megan Caldwell.

For the 22-23 school year, Midland Public Schools started advanced programming for students in Grades 1-5, called Advanced Learning Program for Students (ALPS). Program Facts:

  • This grade 1-5 program is housed at Central Park Elementary School
  • The IB-PYP overarching framework is utilized
  • Extension and advanced learning opportunties are embedded in everyday learning
  • Teachers receive continued professional learning to meet the unique needs of advanced learners

Some of the unique ALPS learning experiences are shared below:

1st grade - Measurement Olympics Miss Cooper’s 1st grade ALPS students participated in the Measurement Olympics: Going for the Gold. Students competed in six different measurement events that included: frog standing long jump, paper plate discus, fingerprint high jump, paper airplane throw, cotton ball shot put, and searching for something heavier than 100 grams. Students were able to use a variety of measurement tools during the games such as: a ruler, a balance scale, and a tape measure.
2nd grade - Personal Narratives Mrs. Weihl’s 2nd grade ALPS students wrote, illustrated and published personal narratives utilizing the new Lucy Calkins, Writing Units of Study. Students embraced the use of voice and expression in their writing pieces. Students were excited and proud to share their published stories with 1st graders.
3rd grade - Flat Stanley In the PYP unit: How We Organize Ourselves, Miss Rielle’s 3rd grade ALPS students studied geography and economics. Students learned about maps, natural and human characteristics of Michigan, and natural, capital, and human resources. Students gained an understanding of Michigan’s economic development and specialized products. To extend this unit, 3rd graders read Flat Stanley, where the main character becomes flat and is able to travel by mail to different locations. The 3rd grade ALPS students created their own flat versions of themselves and sent them across the United States to go on adventures, experience different natural and human characteristics, and identify specialized products from various locations. Finally, students created a project showcasing the adventures of their flat selves, using the photos, flyers, postcards, etc., that they received, to compare and contrast Michigan to the various locations.
4th grade - Immigration In the PYP unit - Where We Are In Place and Time, Mrs. Vieau’s and Ms. Meinema’s 4th grade ALPS students studied the central idea - The movement of people and how it affects the development of America. Students learned about the informational writing process using the Lucy Calkins Writing Units of Study. To synthesize their learning, students researched a person or a group of people who immigrated to this country by writing an informational piece about the journey. To enrich this overall experience, students created presentations using the Book Creator app.
5th grade - Team Literacy Each month, Miss Ladach’s 5th grade ALPS students complete a book project. In November, they created either a "book in a box" or a "book diagram" for a novel of any genre. They persevered on the projects all month. At the end of the month, students participated in a gallery walk to show off their end product which highlighted both creativity and comprehension skills. The projects were a huge success! The 5th grade ALPS students also paired up with Mr. Besaw's 3rd graders to be writing buddies. When 3rd grade students finish a writing unit, the classes convene to share the 3rd grade writing. 5th grade ALPS students provide feedback to the 3rd grade students and collaboratively they revise and edit the stories.
  • 3-Year-Old Tuition Preschool
  • 4-Year-Old Tuition Preschool
  • 4-Year Old GSRP Preschool (PHONE: 1-844-492-7707)
  • Developmental Kindergarten
Great Start Readiness Program

Traditional Kindergarten - 5 days a week. Inquiry-based, proven, highly effective, robust Kindergarten program to provide a firm educational foundation. Offered at all six MPS elementary schools. 989-923-5024.

Some of the students in Woodcrest Elementary School who participated in the China Art Program organized by the Midland County 4-H program have been selected to display their art and present it to Chinese students as gifts. They prepared and drew the pictures instructed by the collaboration of Dr. Dee Howe (4-H program coordinator), Mrs. Hall (Art teacher), Mr. Wang (Chinese teacher), and Mrs. Qiu (Chinese teacher). Their artwork shows life in Michigan to enhance cultural awareness and understanding. Congratulations to them. Pictured above are as follows: Back Row: (from left to right): Mrs. Qiu (Chinese teacher), Claire Simon, Hazel Hetherington, Callie Burr, Evie Becker, Zoey Alesteffer, Chaeri Lee, Mr. Wang (Chinese teacher), Mrs. Hall (Art teacher). Middle Row (from left to right): Briggs Bowman, Philip Lai, Lucy Williamsen, Drew Bitter, Tatum Hinken, Kaitlyn Vogel. Front Row (from left to right): Phoebe Lai, Felix Matteucci, Ethan Finley, Jack Morley, Jack Brey, Talia Bader. Not Pictured: Asher Martindale, Lillian Canales, Dr. Dee Howe (Midland 4-H coordinator).

Parent information committee

Parent Information Committee - Sign Up Here

Dual Enrollment Virtual Information Session

The Dual Enrollment Office at Delta College will be hosting a Virtual Information Session on February 2nd at 5:30 pm for students and parents interested in learning more about Dual Enrollment. Sign up using the button below to be sent a Zoom Webinar Link. We will cover the benefits of enrolling, different course options, and the process of getting started. We will also be available to answer questions via chat as well as at the end of the presentation.

Delta College Dual Enrollment Session sign up
To join via zoom, click the link below.
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