Dear Northville Public Schools' Families, Staff and Community Members,
As we bid adieu to 2021 and welcome the new year with hope and resilience, we invite you to join us in celebrating the work of our students, our educators, staff, and all those who support our ongoing journey to open a World of Possibilities for and with our students. This issue of Connections features some great examples of the culture of learning and leadership we strive to foster across our classrooms, our schools, and in every aspect of our work - enjoy! We have a number of great learning opportunities for parents and families in the coming month, opportunities for stakeholders to weigh-in on the qualities you are looking for in the next Superintendent of Northville Public Schools, and enrollment information for the Class of 2035.
Thank you, Northville community, for joining us in expressing appreciation for the work of our NPS Board of Education, as we celebrate National School Board Recognition Month. These dedicated public servants continue to devote hours of time, talent, and thoughtful leadership as they serve the students, families, staff and community of Northville Public Schools.
In January, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services updated its K-12 school COVID-19 quarantine and isolation guidance to reflect recent updates made by the CDC that modifies or shortens the quarantine and isolation periods in some circumstances. The NPS COVID-19 Response Protocol along with the District's COVID-19 2021-22 General Mitigation Response/Continuity of Services Plan and the FAQ documents have been updated. Thank you for your patience and perseverance in following daily symptom-screening, abiding by COVID-19 protocols, and working together for the health and safety of our students, staff, families and community.
We are grateful for your partnership and collaboration as we work together to meet the needs of each of our students and families, and continue our journey to open a World of Possibilities for and with each and every student.
With gratitude and hope,
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In this issue of Northville Connections:
- Superintendent Search Firm Selected
- School Board Appreciation Month
- Kindergarten Enrollment Dates Announced
- Snow Day Protocols and Communications
- UPDATE: NHS Community Open House
- National Merit Scholars 2022
- NEF Grant Recipients
- Student Kudos
- ABCD Awards
- NHS Hall of Fame Nominations for Fall 2022
- Big Upcoming Events
- Job Opportunities
- Calendar
The Search is on...
The current Superintendent, Mary Kay Gallagher, is retiring from the District in June of 2022 after working in NPS since 1985 and serving as the district’s Superintendent for the past decade. It is expected that a new Superintendent will assume the role no later than July 1, 2022. Feel free to read Superintendent Gallagher's retirement announcement.
The Northville Public Schools Board of Education made the decision to utilize the services of a consultant to conduct a thorough national search for a new Superintendent of Schools. The Board invited proposals from qualified consulting firms to provide Executive Search Consultant Services, conducted interviews, and selected Ray and Associates, Inc. to help facilitate the search for a new superintendent. The Board of Education has begun working with Ray and Associates to develop the timeline and process, which will include a number of opportunities for stakeholder input from across the Northville school community. Visit NPS Superintendent Search 2022 for ongoing updates.
NPS Celebrates Board Appreciation Month
Northville Public Schools is celebrating January as School Board Recognition Month. In another year of challenges for public education, our school board members persevered through the adversity of 2021, and have grappled with providing the best possible education for our students.
As a community, we are fortunate to have an actively involved, deeply committed Board of Education dedicated to leading and supporting our ongoing quest to open A World of Possibilities for and with our students that will prepare them for life and work in a global society. This responsibility requires the time and energy to prepare for, and attend countless meetings and school functions; review agendas, documents, proposals, and reports; and make difficult decisions that are both fiscally responsible and focused on what is best for the students, families, staff and community of Northville Public Schools.
The Northville Board of Education is made up of seven members, each of whom brings varied perspectives and experiences to the table, working together in partnership with educators and administrators to provide Northville students experiences, opportunities and endless possibilities steeped in tradition and excellence. Each Board member serves as a voice of the community along with building connections between community organizations and the district. We are proud of our long history of board members who have created lasting imprints within our Northville Public Schools community.
The Board of Education recently voted voted on their 2022 officers, as follows:
- Ms. Sarah Prescott, President
- Ms. Suzanne Lynn, Vice President
- Ms. Angela Jaafar, Secretary
- Mr. James Mazurek, Treasurer
- Mr. Roland Hwang, Trustee
- Ms. Lisa McIntyre, Trustee
- Mr. Lindsey Wilson, Trustee
Trustee Roland Hwang will continue to serve as liaison to Instructional Services, Trustee Lisa McIntyre will lead the Policy/Human Resources subcommittee, and Trustee Lindsey Wilson will serve as liaison to the Northville Educational Foundation. For a complete list of 2022 committee assignments and liaison roles, please refer to our district website.
Northville Public Schools is honoring Board of Education members during the January 11 and 25, 2022 Board of Education meetings. Residents are also invited to express gratitude to the Board with a note of thanks sent to the NPS BOE email account at npsboe@northvilleschools.org.
We hope you will join Northville Public Schools in taking an opportunity to show your appreciation for these servant leaders, who work together with our staff and families to prepare today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders.
Kindergarten Enrollment Dates Announced for Fall 2022
Northville Public Schools is now accepting kindergarten enrollment for Fall 2022. If you have a child who will be five years of age on or before September 1, 2022, please go to Enroll on the district website and follow the link to the Enroll in Kindergarten ONLY-Fall 2022-23 to schedule an appointment with a member of the Office of Student Data.
Kindergarten Enrollment Dates:
Please complete the three easy steps on the website to pre-enroll including the gathering of documents you will need to upload prior to your scheduled appointment. If circumstances prevent you from being available for an appointment during the dates listed above for your child’s school, please select an appointment at any other school. If you are unsure of which school your child will be attending, please view the Attendance Boundary Map on the district website.
A parent meeting for incoming 2022-2023 kindergarteners will take place at each school. The following are the dates for each Kindergarten Parent Orientation and Round Up. Please inform the school ahead of time if you plan for your child to attend Round-Up.
All six of our elementary schools are fully-engaged in The Leader in Me framework, which emphasizes a culture of student empowerment that helps unleash each child’s full potential. To find out more about this innovative school-wide model, visit the Curriculum & Instruction page on the district website. If you have any additional questions about your child’s school, click on the link to the school’s website on the district home page at www.northvilleschools.org.
In addition, please note that Northville Public School Early Childhood Education and Extended Day programs offers Kids' Club at each elementary school. This tuition based program allows parents the option to have their child participate in a before and/or after school childcare program. Kids' Club is offered as an option on school days from as early as 7:00AM to the start of school and from school dismissal until 6:00PM. Early Childhood also offers Preschool programs for children as young as 33 months old and toilet trained. A Parent/Child class is also available for children who have turned two by September 1, 2022.
Early Childhood will host an Open House in March 2022. This Open House is intended for potential new families to learn about our Preschool programs. More detailed information will be forthcoming via the Early Childhood website.
Inclement Weather & Snow Day Protocol
With winter upon us, we want to remind everyone of our protocol for inclement weather days. Please know that we do not take the decision to close school lightly. We value learning, and recognize the impact that cancelling school has on our students and families. When a “snow day” or “inclement weather day” is called, it is done as early as possible (generally by 5:30 a.m. and often earlier, including the night before in some cases.) The decision is made after much deliberation among district officials who monitor road and building conditions throughout the night in consultation with other area school superintendents, and with expert advice from a meteorologist.
The quickest and easiest way to learn about school closings is via the district’s parent notification system (Q Communications), which uses the main contact information within MI-STAR to call, text, and/or e-mail parents with snow day notifications, student attendance issues, building updates, and other important information. School closing announcements are also sent out via the district’s ListServ email service, and through radio and television stations that participate in the Detroit Media School Closings Alliance. This includes WJBK-TV (FOX 2), WDIV-TV (Local 4), WXYZ-TV (Channel 7/ABC), WWJ-TV (CBS Detroit), WKBD-TV (CW 50), WWJ Newsradio 950 and News/Talk WJR-AM 760.
For more detailed information about the inclement weather protocol, please refer to our District website at Winter Weather/Snow Day Protocol.
We also want to make sure that all students have the necessary outdoor gear to travel to and from school safely and to enjoy opportunities to get outside for recess. The general rule of thumb for outdoor recess at the elementary level is an actual temperature and wind-chill above 0 degrees. There are resources available for those who may find it a hardship to secure the necessary winter gear. If this is the case, please contact your child’s principal and/or school social worker for assistance.
UPDATE: NHS Community Open House 2022
The in-person Northville High School Community Open House originally planned in January has been postponed to a later date. In the meantime, check out the NHS Virtual Open House 2022 website which showcases the many special features at Northville High School, including a variety of academic, athletic and extracurricular programs that make Northville High School one of the top high schools in Michigan. Click your way through each department to learn more. Plus, on each department's page there is a video from a staff member giving an overview. Stay tuned for more information, including a future date for an in-person NHS Community Open House!
Congrats to this year's National Merit Scholars!
National Merit Scholarship honors are awarded each year by the National Merit Scholarship Corporations to academically outstanding high school seniors based on their results on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Qualifying Test taken in their junior year. Those named National Merit Semifinalists rank among the top 1 percent of their peers across the nation. National Merit Commended students rank in the top 5 percent of their peers across the nation.
NEF Awards NPS Staff with Innovative Grants
Since 2009, the Northville Educational Foundation has awarded over $250,000 in innovative grants to teachers and staff throughout the district. This year, a total of $25,000 has been allocated for multiple grants, up to $3,000 per grant submission. An additional $10,000 has been allocated for Cooke School Innovative Grants through a donor-designated gift.
Grants are awarded through a competitive review process led by an impartial review panel and evaluated for factors such as: Is the project innovative and/or does it offer a unique approach to learning or teaching? What kind and level of impact will the project have on the classroom, the teachers, and most importantly, the students? Does the project address curriculum standards and/or the School and/or District Improvement Plan?
Here's the 2022/23 recipients and the name of their awarded project:
- Jessica Rohrhoff (Amerman) - Alcohol Ink Tile Mini-Mural
- Blake Vertrees, Markus Hartnett & Courtney Robinson (Amerman) - Coding with Drones & Designing Community Solutions
- Sandi Maynard & Rebecca Rosevear (Early Childhood) - Enhanced Math & Science Experiences
- Beth Hutton (Hillside) - Learning is Magnetic
- Guy Tumolo & Meaghan Monk (Hillside) - Social Studies Graphic Novels
- Josh Kolpak (Moraine/Ridge Wood) - Resonator Bells and Music Theory
- Richard Cole & Melanie Obrigkeit (NHS) - Spectrophotometer for Real-Life Scenario Chemistry Labs
- Angie Mazurek & Jessica Baitinger (NHS) - Hunt A Killer
- Karin Nelson & Melissa Stendardo (NHS) - Crispr/Cas 9 Transformation Lab + PCR Genotyping Experiment
- Gabe Pak (NHS) - The Next Level of Virtual Reality & CNC Cutting for Applications in Wearable Technology
- Dianna Shamus (NHS) - Strengthening SEL Skills for Staff
- Scott Szukaitis (NHS) - Water Sampline Project
- Heather Zoldak, Debbie LaLonde & Teri Glotfelter (Ridge Wood) - Individualized Literacy Learning Stations
- Charlotte Collins (Ridge Wood, Moraine, Winchester) - Music Fun for Everyone! Parachutes, Streamers and More!
- Sean Kiebler (Silver Springs) - #WHYYOUMATTER
- Kristin Kreiss (Silver Springs) - One-to-One World Music Drumming
- Pam Schulman & Courtney Silence (Silver Springs) - A Path to Success
- Catherine Gibson (Thornton Creek) - Develop the Whole Child
- Tara Fortino (Winchester) - Learning through Lego!
- April Murphy (Winchester) - Storytelling with Drums
- Connie Wendecker (Cooke) - Accessible Adapted School Vegetable and Flower Garden
- Elizabeth Adams (Cooke) - Movement Breaks Opportunities to Promote SEL and Instructional Time
- Kelly Johnson & Heidi Main (Cooke - NHS Satellite) - Recipe for Success
- Heidi Main (Cooke - NHS Satellite) - Touch Screen for Improved Computer Access
- Cathy Noble, Carolyn Mitchell, Jeanine Lithgow & Kristi Rillema (Cooke) - Creation of Transportation Safety Vest Sizing Kit
- Sue Plummer (Cooke) - Insight
- Julie Rohrhoff & Kristin Willey (Cooke) - Take Learning to a New Dimension
- Kaitlyn Schneider (Cooke) - HelpKidzLearn - Games & Activities
- Malinda Demray, Janelle Corace, Kellie Michels, Carrie Parks & Candace Nesbitt (Cooke) - Student Run Mobile Lending Library of Switch Adapted Educational Toys
NEF surprised the staff members with their innovative grants at school. Watch their reactions in the video below.
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Student Kudos
Spelling Bee Champ!
Thirty-two students competed in Hillside Middle School's 2021 spelling bee. After 22 rounds of intense spelling and over 200 words spelled, congratulations are owed to Andrea Diaz, 8th grader, for winning this year's bee. Her winning word was "district," which was a word that did not appear on the School Spelling Bee Study List. Andrea will participate in the regional competition sponsored by WXYZ Channel 7 on March 24th, 2022. Andrea is excited to compete in the regionals for a chance to attend the Scripps National Spelling Bee championship in Washington D.C.
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Creative Writing Winner
Vraj Shah, an Amerman Elementary student, participated in a creative writing and a speech competition to benefit a regional charity called Angels of Hope - A Family Cancer Foundation. His short story was recognized amongst 200+ virtual attendees and won the 1st prize!
Short story prompt: Write a creative short story from the perspective of a patient who recently beat cancer and elaborates on what challenges they have overcome and how. Take a look at Vraj's winning creative writing piece called An Angel Who Brought Hope.
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Pool Record Broken, Previously Set by Olympian
Laurel Wasiniak set a new pool record in the 100 free with a time of 51.66! Breaking the 14-year-old pool record set by Olympic gold medalist, Allison Schmitt. Laurel recently received a message from Allison about breaking her pool record.
"Laurel - congrats on setting the new record! Keep striving to be the best in everything you do." - Allison Schmitt, Olympic Gold Medalist
ABCD Award: Above and Beyond the Call of Duty
Nominate NPS Staff for contributions "Above and Beyond the Call of Duty."
The ABCD, Above and Beyond the Call of Duty, Award is open to nominations from students, parents, and staff for significant contributions by NPS employees that go beyond the norm. At least annually or by semester, all staff are eligible, there is no set number of awards.
Students, staff or parents may complete and submit this form detailing something truly Above and Beyond the Call of Duty by an NPS staff member. Submissions are received by the Office of Human Resources and will be reviewed by the Board’s Human Resources Policy/Personnel Sub-Committee for consideration. Individuals receiving this ABCD Award may be recognized at the public Board of Education meetings and/or in District communications.
The most recent recipients include:
- Kelly Prusakiewicz, Thornton Creek
- Christopher Cronin, NHS
- John Kostrzewa, NHS
- Gretchen Varela, NHS
- Krystal Muhammad, NHS
- Brandy Righter, NHS
- Stephen Berryman, NHS
NHS Hall of Fame Accepting Nominations for Fall 2022
The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to honor Northville High School’s top student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and teams who have made a positive impact on the local community, have earned success on and off the field and who provide role models for today’s student-athletes. Nominations for the teams, coaches and athletes are provided by community members or alumni. A celebration of the first NHS Hall of Fame class took place on October 1-2, 2021.
Nominations are now being accepted for the Northville High School Hall of Fame for 2022. If you are interested in nominating a player, coach, or administration for the NHS Hall of Fame, click on the first green button below. If you are interested in nominating a team, please select the second green button below to fill out the nomination form. Nominations must be submitted by March 30, 2022.
UPDATE: Parent Camp will be Virtual
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NHS Inclusion Week
Northville High School's first inclusion week will be held February 14-18th. The school will have spirit days and will be fundraising for their first Polar Plunge. The week will conclude with the Novi vs. Northville Unified basketball game and a joint banner ceremony awarding NHS and Novi High School their Unified National Banners. Look for more information on all things inclusion for the week of February 14th-18th.
Check out this video about NHS' Unified Program and basketball team.
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STEAM Fair
We are excited to announce that the 𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫 will be held on 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐! This year, the theme is 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 and will be aligned with the Middle Years Programme (MYP) Personal Project Night at Northville High School for sophomore students. More details to come!
*𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 1/31/22.
Northville Public Schools is hiring the following positions:
- Food Service Staff: 18 openings, location varies, part-time and full-time available
- Athletics: NHS JV Boys Lacrosse Coach, NHS Track & Field Assistant Coach - Pole Vault, NHS Track & Field Assistant Coach - High Jump, Hillside Middle School Head Swim Coach, Hillside Middle School Assistant Swim Coach
- Support Staff: Para Educator - Center Program at Cooke School, Kids' Club Lead Assistant at Winchester Elementary, School Day Preschool Lead Assistant at Early Childhood, K12 Paraprofessional at varying locations, Media Center Paraprofessional (Part-Time) at Moraine Elementary
- Special Education Teacher - Center Program SCI/SXI at Cooke School
- Elementary School Teaching: Resource Room Teacher at Moraine Elementary, Kids' Club Head Teacher at Amerman Elementary
- School Social Worker at Moraine Elementary
Seeking Bus Drivers
For more information about events, visit Events Calendar and your school's website.
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The Northville Connections Digital Newsletter is created by Northville Public Schools' District Communications Specialist, Katie Rork. Have a story to share? Send an email to rorkka@northvilleschools.org or call 248-344-3507.
Credits:
Created with images by Wokandapix - "search internet online" • Unknown - "Free photo: Test, Testing, Bubble Form - Free Image on ..." • Darkmoon_Art - "calendar a book date" • PublicDomainPictures - "artistic bright color"