MPSConnect is a convenient communications tool for you to connect with me. Every message comes to my desktop. Either I or another MPS staff member will do all we can to reply to your message within the next work day.
Michael E. Sharrow, Superintendent
MPSConnect Link: https://www.midlandps.org/content2/706
April 04, 2022 Volume 9 - Edition 33
Superintendent Communiqué
Midland PS District Vision Statement
Lead with respect, trust and courage.
Ensure an equitable, collaborative and inclusive culture.
Enable all to achieve success.
Welcome Back From Spring Break
We hope you found time to do your favorite things
Beauty and the Beast will be Performed THIS WEEKEND (April 8-10) by Midland High Drama
Step into the enchanted world of Broadway's classic, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, an international sensation that has been produced in 37 countries worldwide. The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.
Showtimes: 7 pm on Friday, April 8th & Saturday, April 9th and 2 pm on Sunday, April 10th at Central Auditorium.
Tickets are $8 for students, $12 for adults.
Click here to purchase tickets: https://centralauditorium.ludus.com/ ("Paper" tickets will not be sold.)
MPS HAS TALENT ...
We had a suggestion from an MPS staff member and MPS Connections podcast listener to add an MPS HAS TALENT segment to the twice monthly podcasts. The intent of MPS Has Talent is to include MPS students showcasing their talent in a 45-60 second audio clip to be included with each MPS Connections episode.
We are excited to announce that our first-ever MPS HAS TALENT segment was included in our most recent MPS Connections released on Thursday, March 24 (entitled: MPS Equity Audit Findings). As a matter of fact, three MPS Has Talent segments were included--at the beginning, middle and end. If you haven't had a chance to tune in to the podcast yet, you won't want to miss the very talented character voices of Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast that is being performed by Midland High Drama this coming weekend--April 8-10. Here is the link to the March 24 MPS Connections if you'd like to check out the podcast and hear the stylings of these very talented students!
Thank you to (L-R) Lilly Kyro (Mrs. Potts), Caedmon Applegate (Cogsworth), and Lawrence Millward (Lumiere) for recording their voices (in character) for the MPS Has Talent clips that were aired within the Equity Audit Podcast and to Teacher/Director Megan Cummins for assisting with the logistics of the recording!
MPS Has Talent!
State Rep. Annette Glenn Reads at Woodcrest Elementary
The 2nd grade students in Ms. Waltz’s class enjoyed their visit for March is Reading Month from State Representative Annette Glenn. They enjoyed listening to the story “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.” After they listened to the story, they asked many questions about government. State Rep. Glenn gave the students items from Delta Dental and also a wonderful, signed State of Michigan Certificate for Reading Month.
Safer Drive Program Grant Received by Charger Student Leadership
Earlier this year, Dow High Student Leadership received a $1,000 grant from the Strive for a Safer Drive program. This program is presented by Ford Driving Skills for Life and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety and Planning with the goal of reducing traffic accidents, injuries, and fatalities in our youngest drivers.
Students selected Distracted Driving as their focus for events throughout the week. As a part of the grant, students conducted pre- and post-surveys on distracted driving and seatbelt use. Additionally, they created a week's worth of daily lunch events. These events included signing a pledge, an obstacle course, trivia, and driving simulators. The driving simulators were provided by Covenant Healthcare and included the knowledge of local injury prevention specialists from both Saginaw and Midland. Students also had the chance to meet the safe driving mascots Vince and Larry, the crash test dummies. Due to the generous grant, students who participated in all events were entered to win one of four grand prizes which were Airpod Pros or a gift card. Student Leadership collaborated with Bolt Media to create a special video drawing to announce the winners at the end of the week. Student Leadership will be submitting an overview of their campaign to compete with other participating schools in the state. The winners will be announced in April.
This project was organized by these members of Student Leadership 2: Wil Kuper (11), Tate Clerc (12), Ashlyn Elford (11), Reagan King (11), Henry McCarty (11), Natalie Nusseur (11), Jenna Schaefer (11), and Rachel Sisco (12).
Congratulations, Welding Students!
Thirty-one (31) welding students competed on March 18 in the Delta College Student Technical Solutions Welding Competition. Twenty-two (22) students competed in Arc Welding I. Former student David Brewer, who currently attends the Saginaw Career Complex, earned 3rd place. Nine (9) students competed in Arc Welding II. First place went to Garrett Coyer and second place went to Ian Meinema. These two gentlemen received amazing prizes of welding tools and equipment for their outstanding efforts, as well as a voucher worth $170.00 to cover all books for the first year in the welding program should either choose to attend Delta College.
Through a random act of kindness, first place winner Garrett Coyer, who already owned an auto-darkening welding helmet, asked the welding instructor to do a random drawing for all participating students who may not have this piece of welding equipment. MPS Welding Teacher, Christopher Wall, was standing next to the student that won that helmet. That young man (and his instructor) were extremely excited and appreciative of Garrett's kindness.
The bottom photo includes the MPS welding students as well as the MPS automotive students who competed in the Delta College Student Technical Solutions Automotive Competition that we shared with you in the March 21 Communique.
Kudos to all of the Welding & Automotive students (and their teachers Mr. Wall and Mr. Ransom) who competed in this year's Delta competition!
Garrett Coyer
Ian Meinema
Jefferson Huskies Book Madness 2022
This year, Jefferson Middle School held the second annual "Book Madness" event that combined their love of NCAA March Madness with March being National Reading Month. The Huskies took the 16 most checked-out books/series from their library and turned them into an NCAA style bracket. Staff and students participated by filling out brackets and voting week after week for their favorite books. On March 25, the event culminated in Refugee beating out Harry Potter for the championship. In addition, the three students with the best scoring brackets won a book of their choice, and the staff member with the best scoring bracket won the coveted Book Madness trophy to be displayed in their classroom until next year's competition. The student winners this year were Sanvi Patel (with a perfect bracket!), Sera DiMuro, and Nathaniel Hackett, and our staff winner was Mary Zeitler who defended her title from last year.
Jefferson Huskies Compete in MathCounts State Competition!
After placing 1st as a team at the Great Lakes Bay Chapter Competition in February, the Jefferson MathCounts team competed as individuals at the MathCounts State Competition held at SVSU on March 12.
At the State competition, Kanushi Desai placed 11th, Katie Cai placed 22nd, Vettel Xu placed 35th, and Ashwin Vemury placed 45th. This Jefferson MathCounts team is coached by Andrew Zimmer.
Congratulations to these Husky Mathletes on a great season!
Woodcrest Student Artists
Recently, Woodcrest 2nd graders participated in the Make Midland Beautiful Poster Contest. This year the Woodcrest 2nd graders drew Midland Public Schools. Here are a few examples from 2nd Graders in Mrs. Harshman-Rogers' class. Art Teacher Buffy Hall and her students talked about the many things in our community that make it great and school is one of the things they love about Midland.
Melina Sanchez DeMarco
Leah Maser
Erin Choi
Woodcrest Student Competes in Art Contest
Recently, Artwork created by Phoebe Lai from Woodcrest Elementary, Mrs. French's class, received the Honor Mention Award of the Chinese Zodiac Art Contest.
This is a very competitive contest sponsored by the Great Lakes Chinese Consortium in Michigan.
Congratulations, Phoebe Lai!
Dow High and Midland High Robotics Teams Compete at the Midland District FIRST Robotics Competition
The H.H. Dow High School Robotics Team 2619 ‘The Charge’ and the Midland High School Robotics Team 5509, ‘Like a Boss’ competed at the Midland FIRST Robotics District Competition at HH Dow High on March 25 & 26 with 40 other teams from across the State of Michigan. The 2022 competition is called FIRST RAPID REACTSM and the challenge requires two alliances of three robots each to collect and score cargo balls in the hub and in the final moments of each match, robots race to their hanger to climb and score additional points.
During the competition, Team 2619, The Charge finished qualification matches in 6th place and was the captain of the Number 4 Alliance. Their alliance partners were Team 5424, Rogue Robotics (Midland Home School) and Team 5509, Like a Boss (Midland High). This was an all-Carpenter Robotics Center Alliance! The Carpenter Robotics Center is the Midland Public Schools' location where these three teams meet to build their robots and host a full practice field. Their alliance advanced to the quarterfinals of the event playoffs.
Team 2619, The Charge, won Industrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors. This award celebrates form and function in an efficiently designed machine that effectively addresses the game challenge. Dow High’s team coaches include DHS Math Teacher Sean Murray and DHS alumni Richard Stevens, Brandon Finney, Kiley Mowey, Emily Dean, as well as Annette Murray. This is the Charge’s 15th year.
Team 5509 ‘Like a Boss’ won the Entrepreneurship Award, which celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit and recognizes a team which has developed a comprehensive business plan in order to define, manage, and achieve the team’s ongoing objectives. Midland High’s team is in its 8th year and their coaches include MHS alumni Miranda Irwin, Ashton Doyle, Brenden McDonald, and DHS alumni Alex Irwin, Richard Wardin, as well as Travis Miller.
THANK YOU to the Dow High staff and students for their support and flexibility, which helped make this event possible. Thanks also to our partner host teams – 3770 from Bullock Creek, 5166 from Freeland, 5712 from Hemlock and 4819 alumni from Mt Pleasant!
During the Midland District Competition, Dow High students Emily Ammerman and Robert Roe were recognized as Dean’s List nominees. The Dean’s list award recognizes students for their direct contributions and impact on others – exemplifying leadership and commitment on the team and in their community. Dow High student Robert Roe was selected as the Dean’s List Midland District semi-finalist. Robert will be considered for a FIRST Dean’s List Finalist award at the Michigan State Championship.
Charger Team 2619 'The Charge'
Chemic Team 5509 'Like a Boss'
Speaking of Robotics, MPS Connections, our District's newest communications conduit team, took their podcast mic on the road and recorded the April episode from the FIRST Robotics competition site at Dow High. When the next MPS Connections is released later this month, in the background you will hear lots of sounds "from the competition field" and gain robotics insights from the coaches and students from our The Charge and Like a Boss high school robotics team. Thank you to Dow High Junior Emily Ammerman; Midland High Sophomore Maribel Grasman; and Coaches Sean Murray, Anita Murray and Travis Miller for being our podcast guests. Stay tuned for this very special episode!
Chestnut Hill Staff
Chestnut Hill Chipmunk staff members for "Dress like a book character day" in honor of March is Reading Month channeled the
Thing One and Thing Two series of books by Dr. Seuss. Such a fun memory for teachers and students!
State Street Building
During Spring Break last week, the State Street Building was razed. When driving by the Administration Center on Carpenter Street, you will eventually see beautiful green space instead of a vacant, aging building. Thank you to the bond funds for helping to make this Carpenter Street neighborhood beautiful.
Upcoming MPS Art Shows -- Don't miss the work of our talented student artists!
MPS Elementary Art Show at the Midland Mall - April 11-April 18: Reception is Monday, April 11 from 4:00-5:00
MPS Middle School Art Show at the Midland Mall - April 20-April 26: Reception is Wednesday, April 20 from 4:00-5:30
MPS High School Art Show at the Midland Mall - April 28-May 9: Reception is Thursday, April 28 from 4:00-5:30
DHS IB/AP Art Show in the DHS Media Center - April 11-15: Reception is April 11 from 4:00-5:30
MHS AP Art Show in the MHS Girls' Loft - May 5: Reception will be during 1st & 2nd lunch and after school from 4:00-5:30
Congressional Art Show at the MCFTA: May 6 through June 5
Findings of October 2021 Survey of Midland County Youth
Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behavior Survey of Midland County students in grades 6-12 was conducted in October 2021 by The Legacy Center for Community Success and Midland Kids First. Approximately 4,400 students were surveyed, measuring 40 developmental assets (positive attributes that students need in order to do well), 24 risk-taking behaviors and the factors that influence them. Families may find the results interesting and helpful as they relate to their tweens & teens. If you are interested in looking at the survey results, here is the link:
www.tlc4cs.org/youth-development-2/attitudes-behavior-study/
Looking for FUN SUMMER CAMPS for your elementary, tween or teenage child(ren)???
Midland Public Schools has been receiving amazing summer school/program flyers from our community partners, as well as some from the Great Lakes Bay Region this winter. Here are just a few examples:
Elementary & Middle School age students:
Chippewa Nature Center
Dow Gardens
Greater Midland Community Center
Midland Center for the Arts
YMCA Camp Timbers
The ROCK Center for Youth Development
High School age students (From ConneCTEd https://forms.gle/ztKWcEKA3JotAhsE9 ):
Full tank - Automotive Camp: June 20 - June 22
A Farm to Table Experience, Ag/Culinary Camp: June 28-30
Square 1 Skilled Trades Camp: July 11-14 & July 18-21
Operation Innovation -Michigan Means Business: July 26-28
Scrub Life - Healthcare Camp: August 1-3
Bytes- Information Technology Camp: August 8-9
Find Your Future: August 8-9
The ROCK Center for Youth Development
We just posted a flyer today about a fun opportunity for moms and daughters about exploring career opportunities entitled:
Power Up: It's a mother-daughter thing! Check it out!
Check these and more great spring and summer opportunities out on our MPS Student Flyer Board! https://sites.google.com/midlandps.org/studentflyers/
The Gerstacker Nomination Window is NOW OPEN!
Now that Spring Break is behind us, it is a great time to nominate an MPS educator for the 67th Annual Midland Public Schools' Gerstacker Awards for Excellence in Teaching. Two elementary educators and two secondary educators will receive this prestigious award at the opening meeting of the 2022-23 school year in August.
Nominate a deserving MPS teacher today for a 2022 Gerstacker Excellence in Teaching Award before April 22 when the nomination window closes (in just 18 days).
For Gerstacker Award nomination information go to www.midlandps.org.
Here is the link for the 2022 nomination form: https://forms.gle/GHzCuoTFpKbY9AC67
Registration Opens 4/24/2022
Summer eLearning Opportunity
Once school has ended for the year, Midland Public Schools will again be offering the Summer eLearning Program. Through this program, online courses are available to high school students who wish to earn initial credit in select courses. If you are interested in Credit Recovery courses this year, please contact your building administration. While being onsite is not a requirement for daily work or quizzes, tests and exams must be monitored. This can be by appointment onsite or by appointment virtually. Appointments will be scheduled with the teacher on duty between the hours of 9:00 and 12:00 on Mondays - Thursdays, unless other arrangements are made. Students should expect to invest 45-60 hours to complete each course and may work on their course any place where they have an internet connection. Courses will begin on June 6, 2022, and must be completed by August 5, 2022. Students may only register for one course at a time. The cost for each course is $150 for Standard Edgenuity courses (EDG - Edgenuity on course list) and $235 for Edgenuity Instructional Services courses (EDGIS - Edgenuity Instructional Services on course list) for Midland Public Schools' students, and $175 or $250 for students outside of the MPS district. If you would like additional information or to register for a course, please visit www.midlandps.org/content/Summer%20Program.
Registration opens April 24, 2022.
The Midland Area Wellbeing Coalition's April Wellbeing Offering's flyer has been posted to the MPS Community Flyer Board. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ItUzCkuDuaxL1pC24DSRyoziWQ1HaaQm
The Midland Area Wellbeing Coalition has shared their April Wellbeing Offerings: https://www.midlandareawellbeing.org/
Wellbeing Life Hacks (receive a weekly email with Life Hack materials for you to use)
Wellbeing Life Hacks are simple evidence-based ways to build wellbeing and are accessible to everyone! Built around a wellbeing model of PERMAH, each Wellbeing Life Hack will build a different component of wellbeing. Designed with a variety of learning styles in mind, they are designed to introduce a skill in 2 minutes. They can be learned anywhere - at home, with family, on a commute, in common workspaces, in a meeting, through everyday conversation, just about anywhere! If you aren’t interested in getting materials and just want to learn the hack, visit the Wellbeing Life Hack tab on our website!
Journey Toward Wellbeing Workshop (offered during the first week of each month)
Join this free, fun, interactive, and informative workshop to strengthen your personal Journey Toward Wellbeing. Invite your friends, families, and co-workers! In this introductory workshop you will learn why wellbeing matters and 6 simple tools you can use to improve your wellbeing. WORKSHOP DATE (on Zoom) Tuesday, April 5 at 9:00-10:00 am, 12:00-1:00 pm, 4:15-5:15 pm, and 7:00-8:00 pm
Power Half Hour Workshop on The Importance of Flow (offered monthly on different topics)
Join this free, fun and engaging half-hour workshop to discover the importance of flow in our lives. In this workshop you will learn the science behind flow and practical tools to enhance wellbeing in your own life! This workshop is interactive and practical- each participant will leave prepared to use this tool personally and will be encouraged to share it with others. Or maybe you have already learned about the importance of flow and just want time to refresh your learning. Come one, come all! Let's play!
WORKSHOP DATE (on Zoom) Wednesday, April 20 from 12:30-1:00 pm or 4:15-4:45 pm
We name MPS Shining Stars every month during the school year. If you know of an MPS team member who goes above and beyond to make MPS a better place for students, please consider nominating them for a Shining Star. Here is the link to the nomination form:
https://www.midlandps.org/Content2/shining-star-nomination-form
Information regarding the Early Middle College has been posted on the MPS website. Click here to check it out!
https://www.midlandps.org/Content/mps-early-middle-college
MPS students with career goals that include college can now earn
60 college credits before they graduate
Midland Public Schools is excited to offer a new option for our high school students. MPS is launching an Early Middle College (MPS-EMC) program in the fall of 2022 for current 10th grade students. Starting with their 11th grade year, MPS Early College students will take some classes at Delta College or Davenport University to fulfill the general elective credits that are required for most Associate's/Bachelor's degrees. Students enrolled in the Early Middle College program will extend their high school years by one additional year, meaning they will have five years in high school. While this means an additional year of being an MPS student, students will spend 100% of their 5th year on the Delta or Davenport campus. In summary, this program will allow students to have half of their college expenses paid before transferring to a university for a Bachelor's degree. MPS Early Middle College students will be able to walk at commencement with their senior year class, however, they will not receive their diploma until after their fifth year is completed. Successful Early College students will graduate from high school with an Associate's degree or at least 60 transferable credits to the university of their choice. Applications for this exciting new Midland Public Schools' Early Middle College program are available from the student’s high school counseling department.
For those interested, here is some additional info about the Early Middle College program from the Michigan Dept. of Education:
An early middle college (EMC) is a Michigan Department of Education approved five-year program of study. EMCs work closely with postsecondary partners to provide students with an opportunity to earn a high school diploma and one or more of the following: 60 transferable college credits, an associate degree, a professional certification, the Michigan Early Middle College Association (MEMCA) technical certificate, participation in a registered apprenticeship.
A professional certification is any certificate or industry-recognized credential in which the pupil prepared for by taking course work provided by a Michigan public or private college or university.
https://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-81351_51178---,00.html
Schools of Choice applications for the 2022-2023 school year are now available on the MPS website. This includes applications for non-resident students and in-district transfer students.
Please contact Becci Longstreth at longstrethra@midlandps.org or 989-923-5024 with questions.
Midland Public Schools Transportation Parent Portal
If your child(ren) ride an MPS school bus and you haven't yet had a chance to check out our school district's smart phone app, now is a great time to explore this great transportation tool.
The app, called EDULOG PARENT PORTAL LITE, allows parents/guardians to see real-time information about the location of your child’s school bus and to receive notifications when the bus is getting close.
Your child’s safety and security are most important to MPS, and we want you to have peace of mind knowing that the bus arrived at school or at the bus stop in the afternoon. We know that a family's time is precious in the morning, and you need to know when the bus is approaching. The app does this.
Our school buses are now equipped with GPS to help our transportation department locate buses as necessary for routine maintenance and to provide assistance in the event of traffic or weather-related issues. That same GPS signal reaches the app so you have information about your child’s bus.
You can set alert zones at the school and surrounding your neighborhood to receive notifications on your phone when the bus arrives in that area. The size of the notification area, the time period when you want notifications and the number of alert zones is up to you.
Here are a few links you may find helpful regarding the MPS Transportation Portal:
Edulog Parent Portal Lite – Frequently Asked Questions
Loading and Using the App - Step By Step Instructions
Portal info on the MPS website: https://www.midlandps.org/Content/transportation-parent-portal#
4-minute video about EDULOG PARENT PORTAL LITE: https://youtu.be/SdQZhiw_AE4
Need assistance with the app or anything else transportation-related? Contact the MPS Transportation Department at 989-923-5041
In this space each week, we include fun events and happenings around the District that MPS families and community members may like to attend. If you have any questions about these events, please call the school office. Phone numbers for all of the school offices are located on the District Details page of this Communique.
Here are some upcoming events in the District:
April 8-10: MHS Drama Department presents Beauty and the Beast at Central Auditorium
(Performance times: April 8 & 9 @ 7 pm; April 10 @ 2pm)
April 11-15: Dow High IB/AP Art Show in the DHS Media Center (Reception is Monday, April 11 from 4:00-5:30)
April 11-18: MPS Elementary Art Show at the Midland Mall (Reception is Monday, April 11 from 4:00-5:00)
April 15: NO SCHOOL -- District Holiday
April 20-26: MPS Middle School Art Show at the Midland Mall (Reception is Wednesday, April 20 from 4:00-5:30)
April 28-May 9: MPS High School Art Show at the Midland Mall (Reception is Thursday, April 28 from 4:00-5:30)
May 5: MHS AP Art Show in the MHS Girls' Loft (Reception during 1st & 2nd lunch and after school from 4:00-5:30)
May 6 through June 5: Congressional Art Show at the Midland Center for the Arts
May 14: Prom at Great Hall
May 25-27: High School Final Exams
May 25: High School Graduation at Dow Diamond (DHS @ 4:00; MHS at 7:00)
May 26: Rain Date for High School Graduation
"I am going to try to pay attention to the spring.
I am going to look around at all the flowers,
and look up at the hectic trees.
I am going to close my eyes and listen."
--Anne Lamott
