MPSConnect is a convenient communications tool for you to connect with me. Every message comes to my desktop. Either I or another MPS staff members 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
May 23, 2022 Volume 9 Edition 40
Midland PS District Vision Statement
Lead with respect, trust and courage.
Ensure an equitable, collaborative and inclusive culture.
Enable all to achieve success.
IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT THIS WEEK'S GRADUATION CEREMONIES ...
Should Graduation Ceremonies be rained out on Wednesday, May 25 ...
The rain date at Dow Diamond is Thursday, May 26, with the ceremonies at the same 4:00 & 7:15 start times.
However, should we have rain on Thursday evening as well, the ceremonies will be held indoors in the high school gymnasiums.
Dow High’s ceremony will begin at 5:00 (to give attendees more time for parking and to get into the gym)
Midland High’s ceremony will begin at 6:00.
YOU GOT THIS!
Robin Bott
NMS Teacher
Doug Bradford
DHS Counselor
Brian Brown
NMS Teacher
Tammy Brown
NMS Admin. Asst.
Johnny Chatman
MHS Teacher
Jenny Coppens
DHS Asst Principal
Jeff Deitrick
Social Worker
Tammy Dobschensky
WCE Admin. Asst.
Vicki Finney
Transportation Mgr.
Chev Gardner
MHS Registrar
Lisa Hohman
WCE Teacher
Martha Huber
CHE Para
Mark Juengel
JMS Teacher
Sandra Justus
NMS Teacher
Eric Krause
MHS Teacher
Georgina Leach
MHS Teacher
Lori Lee
JMS Teacher
Jim Metiva
JMS Teacher
Joel Mikusko
MHS Teacher
Lori Monville
NMS Para
Kim Noey
PME Teacher
Kayla Pockrandt
NMS Office Prof.
Lori Pritchard
JCC Spvr. Educ. Prog.
Denise Richard
Bus Driver
Jim Rupert
Facilities Mgr.
Barb St. Louis
JMS Teacher
Jeannine Steinbrunner
ADE Para
Nancy Stieve
Post-Secondary Para
Barb Stephenson
CHE Teacher
Christine Swan
JMS Teacher
Paul Tolly
IT Lead Supp. Spec.
Lynn Verdusco
WCE Teacher
Tammy Williams
Bus Driver
Cindy Young
Communications Mgr.
Please join us in celebrating the MPS careers of these dedicated educators and support staff members.
We sincerely thank them for their many years of service and support for Midland Public Schools' students, staff, families, and community.
20 Certificated staff members have a combined total of 492 years with MPS
14 Support staff members have a combined total of 344 years with MPS
34 Total staff members retiring during the 2021-22 school year have 836 total years with MPS.
Rita Pierson once said, "Every child deserves a champion--an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be."
Retirees ... Midland Public Schools sends our sincerest thanks to YOU for dedicating your career as a champion for MPS students. Whether as an administrator, teacher, or support staff person, your legacy continues through the lives YOU have touched during your 836 years of combined service.
To these 34 MPS team members, Thank YOU! We will miss you! Your MPS Family wishes you a spectacularly Happy Retirement!
Chief Science Officers (CSO) Present at the May Regular Board of Education Meeting
Thank you to the student Chief Science Officers from Midland Public Schools' middle and high schools who presented information about the CSO program at the May 16 Board meeting. This poised, articulate group of students spoke about the importance of STEM in their lives and the action plans that they as CSO's have created to increase interest and awareness for their student peers in STEM careers. This CSO program is an initiative led by SVSU for secondary students in the Great Lakes Bay Region.
Congratulations to our May Shining Stars, Christine, Jen, Tom & Mike!
These MPS team members were named MPS Shining Stars for May at the May 16 Board of Education Meeting. All four of these dedicated staff members were nominated for their Shining Stars by Chief Science Officer--MPS students who presented information about the work that CSO's do at Midland Public Schools to the Board on May 16.
Thank you to Christine Brillhart, Jen Lenon, Tom McNamara, and Mike Servinski, our May Shining Stars, for making MPS a better place for students!
Thank you to everyone who nominated Shining Stars this school year. More than 100 nominations were received during the 2021-22 school year. Please know Administration read every single nomination as they deliberated and chose each month's Shining Stars. They loved reading all of the heartfelt comments of the work being done by MPS team members.
We will bring back the Shining Star program again in 2022-23. Watch future Communiques for the link to nominate an MPS employee you believe goes above & beyond to make MPS a better place for students!
Christine Brillhart, Science Teacher & CSO Advisor, Jefferson MS
Jen Lenon, Middle School Learning Coach & Northeast CSO Advisor
Tom McNamara, Science Teacher & CSO Advisor, HH Dow HS
Mike Servinski, Science Teacher & CSO Advisor, Midland HS
HH Dow High Freshman Participates in the Regeneron
International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
Olivia Wagner recently traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to attend and participate in the 2022 ISEF and had the chance to meet and interact among the 1500 high school science finalists from around the globe.
Olivia earned a Second Place award in her category of Behavioral and Social Sciences.
Congratulations, Olivia!
Regeneron ISEF provides a global stage for the best and brightest young scientists and engineers around the world. (from https://www.prnewswire.com/)
Olivia on stage at ISEF
Former Adams Atoms who are members of the 2022 HH Dow High or Midland High graduating classes gathered at Adams Elementary last week to take a tour of their elementary alma mater and have their photos taken. Congratulations, 2022 Graduates ... 'Oh the places you'll go!'
Siebert 5th Grade Exhibition News
Siebert Fifth Graders presented their PYP Exhibition projects to the Midland Community on May 17. Students engaged in a collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry process that involved identifying, investigating and offering solutions to real-life problems in our world. Exhibition is a celebration of the students' PYP experience as they prepare to transition from elementary to middle school. We know we have future world changers at Siebert, and we are so proud of the entire fifth-grade team!
It's always a great day to be a bulldog!
Woodcrest 5th Graders Experience Martial Arts
Last Thursday (5/19), Woodcrest 5th Graders had a guest speaker-- Master Henry Chung, a local Chinese Martial Arts teacher. Students learned about the benefits of Chinese Martial Arts including relaxation and maintaining health. They also had a chance to do some basic Chinese Martial Arts with Master Chung. The students had a wonderful time experiencing Chinese culture. Mr. Jingcheng Wang is the Woodcrest Chinese teacher.
Central Park Explorers & Relay for Life
Central Park had its 2nd annual coin drive to raise money for Relay For Life of Midland County (American Cancer Society). The Explorers raised an incredible $2,150 in one week! The top two classrooms celebrated on Friday by throwing pies at Mr. Seamster. [Upper El- Ms. Ladach and Lower El- Ms. Plouffe’s classes raised a combined total of over $800. WOW!]
Come support Central Park's Relay For Life team--The Moon Walkers--Saturday, July 23 at the Midland Fairgrounds. The CPE team table will be staffed from 10:00 am-8:00 pm
Chestnut Hill Student
Takes Action
Chestnut Hill 5th grader Kyra Bensal collected cans and bottles to put a little library up at CHE for her
Girl Scout project. She had fun working on the project with her grandfather.
Thank you to Kyra and her Grandpa for making reading more accessible for children in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood!
MHS Student Council & Midland Blooms!
The Midland High School Student Council participated in the annual Midland Blooms program that was held this past weekend on Eastman Avenue. There were plenty of dirty hands and many laughs as this was the final student council event of the year. Thank you to the seniors, Class of 2022, who led the council through many challenging times the past four years. Your commitment to Midland High School and the community has been greatly appreciated. Thank you for serving as excellent role models to all future Chemics!
Thank you, 2022 Seniors!
MHS Leadership Classes & Staff Appreciation Week
The MHS Leadership classes decorated a mug for every staff member in the building in honor of Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week. The mugs had personal messages or graphics that were specific to each staff member. The MHS Student Council hosted an all-staff breakfast on May 5, an annual event that went on hiatus during the Covid years. The students love providing this meal to the staff and the staff appreciates the love and kindness extended to them by the students.
MPS has Amazing Community Partners --
Case in Point: The Rotary Club of Midland Morning
Local Second Graders, Teachers Honored for Reading Achievement
Midland — The Rotary Club of Midland Morning hosted its fourth annual Claire’s Day celebration on May 10 at the Midland Community Center. The Club honored 2nd grade students who demonstrated significant improvement in their reading skills over the course of the school year with a Claire’s Award for Reading Excellence (C.A.R.E.) Second-grade teachers in all public and private schools in Midland County were invited to nominate students from their classrooms to receive the award.
2022 MPS C.A.R.E recipients were:
Hunter Butters Adams Elementary
Karson Camp Central Park Elementary
Kellen Frazee Chestnut Hill Elementary
Carter Hammond Chestnut Hill Elementary
Christopher Hopkins Chestnut Hill Elementary
Phoenix Horonzy Adams Elementary
Ellie Martindale Woodcrest Elementary
Logan Rau Adams Elementary
Milena Sanchez de Marco Woodcrest Elementary
Gavin Schoener Siebert Elementary
Marie Stoll Adams Elementary
Mia Toth Central Park Elementary
The Club also honored elementary school teachers with the Inspirational Teacher Award. The recipients were nominated by their principals for inspiring students to improve their reading skills and imparting a passion for reading.
The MPS Inspirational Teachers for 2022 were:
Robin Harshman-Rogers Woodcrest Elementary
Emily Holzheuer Adams Elementary
Rebecca Tippman Chestnut Hill Elementary
“These awards, which encourage blossoming young readers and their educators, relate to two of Rotary’s key areas of focus: supporting education and growing local economies,” said Lance Lewis, President of the Rotary Club of Midland Morning. “We all know that reading success is fundamental to school success and later to job success and advancement within our economy, so we are happy to support literacy efforts in our local communities.”
Thank you, Midland Rotary, for honoring and recognizing 2nd Grade students for their reading achievement and inspirational educators. Thank you, also, to Rotary members for being a strong proponent and community partner for Midland Public Schools and Midland County children for many, many, many years!
Are Free Summer Meals Coming Back in 2022?
From what we understand, free summer meals will again be offered this summer.
HOWEVER, there will be significant changes to this summer's meal program.
We are awaiting final information about the 2022 Summer Meals from the Michigan Department of Education.
Please stay tuned to upcoming Communiques with information.
TIME IS ALMOST UP!
Nominate a deserving MPS support staff member TODAY!
(Teachers & Administrators are not eligible for this award. Sorry!)
Midland PS Distinguished Service Awards Nomination Window is Now Open!
This award recognizes the significant contributions made by MPS SUPPORT STAFF members.
The MPS Distinguished Service Awards (DSA) were established to honor and recognize the effort put forth by outstanding MPS support personnel (Administrative Assistants/Office Professionals, Managers, Maintenance/Grounds, Paraprofessionals, Technicians, Transportation, etc.). Please nominate a support staff person who you believe does an outstanding job each and every day for MPS students, staff, families and community. (Please do not nominate an administrator or teacher. They are not eligible for this award.) The DSA Nomination window closes Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
2022 DSA Info & Past Winners: https://www.midlandps.org/News/2022-dsa
Online DSA Nomination Form: https://forms.gle/YVCH8xrX9C4EKVjg9
These awards are made possible because of the generosity and financial support of the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation.
The DSA Nomination Window CLOSES TOMORROW! YIKES!!!
Midland Public Schools’ Summer Office Schedules
Elementary offices close for the summer June 9.
Middle & High School offices remain open during the summer months.
June 6 through August 12: MPS employees who work all or part of the summer will work four 10-hour days (Monday-Thursday). All District buildings are closed on Fridays during this time.
Elementary offices will officially re-open August 2 for the 2022-23 school year.
You are welcome to email and leave phone messages during the summer. Principals will be checking in during this time.
Read all summer … Read all summer … Read all summer!!!!!
A message from the Midland Public Schools' Media Center Program ...
MPS students have access to ebooks ALL SUMMER LONG!
Look for the "symbol" and you can read this book anytime, anywhere!
Students can log into Follett Destiny as they do from their MPS classroom!
For more info:
https://readingpartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/SummerAtHomeOnePagerFinal.pdf
"symbol"
you are looking for
This week, MDHHS is offering two live webinars to support teen mental health
Both presentations revolve around supporting teens mental health.
5/24 @ 6pm: Supporting Teens Mental Health (for parents, guardians, caregivers)
5/25 @ 6pm: Friends helping Friends (for teens)
Both flyers have been posted to the MPS Student & Community Flyer Boards.
Looking for FUN SUMMER CAMPS & other activities for your elementary, tween or teenage child(ren)???
MPS Student Flyer Board: https://sites.google.com/midlandps.org/studentflyers/
MPS Community Flyer Board: https://sites.google.com/midlandps.org/communityflyers
Registration is now open for Summer eLearning!
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 is now open!
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.
This Week's Quote:
The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all directions.
-- Chanakya
