News and Notes: Volume 2, Number 22

While no school on Fridays means no News and Notes, there is too much happening at WLPS to let the a snow day keep us from spreading the reasons why it continues to be a great day to be a Trojan.

Speaking of snow days, if you need to get your kids out of the house after these two snow days, come out to the high school tomorrow for a family-friendly affordable event.  Whitmore Lake Community Recreation is hosting their second annual Cabin Fever Extravaganza. They have partnered with a variety of business and organizations to fill space in our high school with fun activities, games, crafts and more. Bounce! Gymnastics is creating "Bounce! Land" in the gym with inflatables and tumbling equipment. For sport enthusiasts the basketball courts and batting cages will be open for baseball, softball and lacrosse hitting and pick up games. Fine Arts Academy will be teaching classes from self-defense to preschool creative movement. And to top it all off, in the WL Community Pool they will have an underwater photobooth, wacky water relays and will be showing The Minions on their big inflatable movie screen. This list isn't all-inclusive, just a highlight. It is just $10 for the entire family if you buy your ticket today. Starting at midnight, it goes up to $20 per family, which is still a great deal. You can get your tickets HERE.

 




































LATEC
February is Career and Technical Education month and a chance for me to highlight some non-traditional education opportunities we provide our students. Through our partnership with Livingston Applied Technology Education Consortium (LATEC), students in grades 11 and 12 have access to programs at Brighton, Howell and Pinckney school districts that help ready them for college coursework and future careers.

Last week our students interested in the EMT, construction, firefighter, aviation, computer aided drafting and design and culinary arts programs visited Howell High School where those programs are available. This week students interested in auto, early childhood, graphics and health occupations visited Brighton High School. Plans to visit Pinckney High School to check out the robotics, computer network engineering and manufacturing programs were postponed thanks to the snow storm.

Students who enroll in these program typically spend either their first two or last two class hours on site at the program of their choice, while attending Whitmore Lake High School for their remaining four hours. A portion of our state aid for each student, on average $1,800-$2,500 depending on the program, goes directly to the hosting school to cover their costs. Additionally, students must provide their own transportation to and from the program. Some programs, like the firefighter or EMT programs, also require a larger time commitment including Saturdays, though they come with larger benefits.

Lois Bailey, a senior at WLHS, is enrolled in the EMT program at Howell. Wanting to get more experience in the health care field to solidify her plans of being a physician assistant, Bailey was intrigued by the hands-on experience the EMT program would provide. In addition to classroom learning, she gets to participate in clinicals, which include 12-hour ride-along shifts in an ambulance. So far helping deliver a baby has been a highlight of her experiences.

Though Bailey recognizes that the program is extremely demanding, requiring more time than a traditional classroom course would, and often resulting in her missing out on some of the normal "senior year fun", for her the benefits outweigh the costs. She will finish the program with 10 credits completed toward an Associates degree at Schoolcraft College and over $200 worth of certifications such as first aid and CPR. Beyond that, her experience in this program has solidified her post-secondary plans. Instead of a physician assistant, she plans on attending Schoolcraft College and enrolling in their paramedic program. She plans on finishing early thanks to the credits she will have already earned. As she eloquently put it, "Yes, I miss out on the fun stuff of senior year like spirit days and different activities because I'm focused on being successful in this program, but when you compare that to being prepared for college, it is totally worth it."

Students who will be in eleventh through twelfth grade next year and are interested in enrolling in one of these programs should see School Counselor, Kathy DeKeyser, as soon as possible to make sure the program works with what credits s/he needs to graduate. Spots are limited, so the sooner, the better.

For more information on each of the programs, visit the LATEC website here: http://www.latec.us/

PS Food Mart: New Community Partner
While our community is small, it time and time again demonstrates how generous it is. I think back to the Chromebook crowd-fundraiser where we raised enough for 90 new computers in two weeks. In addition to the individuals that support us, many of our local businesses are an integral part of what we are able to provide for our students.
 
New to the scene is the PS Food Mart/CITGO store that opened up this past November on North Territorial taking over the former Shell convenience store. Family run for more than 90 years, they are entering their seventh year running an annual "Fight Hunger Give Hope" fundraising campaign. From March 1 through March 14, they will be collecting donations from customers and other local businesses to be donated to the Feeding His Sheep program at Whitmore Lake Elementary School.
 
Brought to WLES by the Whitmore Lake Kiwanis, Feeding His Sheep is a weekend backpack food program that provides balanced nutritional meals to elementary-aged children run by the Salvation Army of Washtenaw County. Many children in our schools benefit from our free or reduced lunch program throughout the week; however, some families have challenges providing meals over the weekend. This program addresses that by providing a backpack filled with breakfast, lunch and dinner components for Saturday and Sunday.
 
With nutrition and healthy eating habits so closely tied to academics, we are grateful programs like this exist and that we have community partners like Kiwanis and now the PS Food Mart who generously support them.
 
During the campaign, customers at PS Food Mart can "tear a square" and make a $1 or $5 donation to the Fight Hunger, Give Hope" campaign.
 
We thank their Vice-President, Jim Linton, and the PS Food Mart family for their support and welcome them into the Whitmore Lake community.

8th Grade Girls Basketball
While our 8th grade girls basketball team's record is 4-5, that is no indication of the exciting, strong season they have had so far. With two conference victories over teams they lost to last year (Britton-Deerfield and Madison) and a 2nd-place finish at the Morenci Tournament this past weekend, which is the second year in a row, they have much to be proud of.

Head Coach, Chris Romine, and Assistant Coach, Kellen Duhe, credit their improvements to the work they do in the off-season. This includes playing in three different tournaments, helping them get in tip-top shape come the regular season. Having lost a key player on the third day of practice to a season ending knee injury in addition to minor injuries endured by players throughout the season, they have faced challenges. However, the team looks forward to finishing out the season strong with a home game today at 4:15 p.m. against Brighton and next Thursday at St. Francis at 4:30 p.m.

News and Notes: Volume 2, Number 21

This past Wednesday, I had the pleasure of turning over my principal reigns to WLHS student Trey Cucuro who won The Trojournal "Principal for a Day" contest. I want to thank Mr. Cucuro for helping me out with my principal duties, specifically for endorsing a community event that funds scholarships for WLHS graduating seniors. Check out the video below for details on Mr. Cucuro's challenge to fellow students. Details on the Chilly Dip can be found HERE. I look forward to seeing many of you there. 



Summer Literacy Program Coming this Summer to WLES
Our staff are constantly looking for alternative and creative ways to provide more for our students. Often our biggest hurdle to doing more is having the resources. Recently we received a Targeted Literacy and Instruction and Interventions grant for $12,705 from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) thanks to the hard work of Student Services Director, Melissa Heuker, and WLES teacher, Heidi Roy-Borland.

This grant is to help provide additional learning opportunities for students in grades K-3 who have been identified as needing additional support to reach the appropriate reading level and will help the district meet our goal of having every child reading at a proficient level by the time s/he enters 4th grade. Knowing that research proves that students, especially those at-risk, tend to lose multiple months of learning over the summer, WLES opted to apply for the grant to fund a four-week reading instruction summer program.  WLES students will be invited to participate based on need and availability. The grant will cover the cost of an intervention coordinator to run the program, three teachers and two paraprofessionals to provide instruction to the students during the summer, as well as books for participating students to take home and practice. Additionally, the grant will be used to provide professional development this spring for all WLES K-3 teachers. Led by a literacy specialist at the WISD, the training will focus on using data to improve early literacy skills.

To receive the grant, Mrs. Heuker and Mrs. Roy-Borland had to demonstrate to the MDE that our teachers at the elementary school currently use a Multi-Tiered System of Supports to identify when a child isn't making adequate progress. Our teachers use research-based instruction and interventions to help each child based on her/his needs including SRA reading curriculum, Riggs intervention strategies, Fountas & Pinnel curriculum, leveled literacy strategies, sight word interventions and targeted phonemic strategies with Zoo Phonics. Unless you are immersed in education, all that jargon probably does not mean much to you. But for us, and the MDE, it demonstrates that we are using a variety of tools proven to work to make sure every student gets the support s/he needs to enter 4th-grade at a proficient reading level.

This summer learning program will complement the current effort and excellent work our classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, teacher consultants and Title I staff do to provide additional support to students in need during the regular school year. Our staff genuinely believe every child is important and go out of their way to learn new skills to bring back to their classrooms for the betterment of their students. It isn't uncommon for our staff to spend their own time and money to provide additional help to their students, even during the summer break. I commend Mrs. Hueker and Mrs. Roy-Borland for securing state funds to implement a formal program to further support our students, another shining example of how we continue, as a district, to provide exceptional, personalized education.

 Meet our Newest Board of Education Member: Laura Schwennesen

Laura Schwennesen, the newest member of the WLPS Board of Education, was sworn in earlier this month after being selected to replace Jeff Vega following his resignation last month. Please join me in welcoming Laura to the BOE and take some time to read her interview below to learn a little bit more about her, her family and motivation for serving on the WLPS BOE. 

 

Q: What is your educational background?
A: I graduated from Fenton High School in 1989, just up the road from Whitmore Lake. I then attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science in 1993. I've also taken coursework towards a Masters in Public Administration from Eastern Michigan University.  

Q: What do you do professionally?
A: I work at Altarum Institute, an Ann Arbor-based non-profit where I serve as Director of Contracts. Altarum's mission is to serve the public good by providing solutions to complex issues. Our main client is the federal government, to which we provide a variety of consulting, research and technical assistance programs. I've been with the organization for just shy of 20 years. As Director of Contracts, I'm responsible for the submission of over 200 proposals annually, including budget development and then contract/grant management. I really enjoy my work because it's never the same! I like the challenges that each day brings and the problems to be solved.

Q: Tell us about your family.  
A: My husband, Jeff, and I will celebrate 19 years of marriage later this year. Wow. We are a pretty active family and like to kayak, hike and enjoy nature as much as possible throughout the year. We have two great kids in the district: Matt, who is 14 and a freshman, and Claire, who is 13 and in 8th grade. We support all the opportunities that WLPS offers our kids--athletics, marching band, robotics, quiz bowl, drama and honor society.

Q: How long have you lived in Whitmore Lake? What brought you to the area?
A: We've lived in Whitmore Lake for 18 years. Both Jeff and I grew up in smaller towns, and we liked the close feel of the community back then, which is still true today.   

Q: What motivated you to apply to fill the vacant spot on the WLPS Board of Education (BOE)?
A: I want to give back to our community and schools by bringing my enthusiasm and work experience to the Board. The BOE has the challenging job of setting aspirational goals that guide our district going forward and then working to turn them into reality. I'm energized to continue to share all the great things about WL and get started on our on-going challenges. I'm ready to make this commitment. I appreciate the opportunity to give back.

Q: What are you looking forward to the most about serving the Whitmore Lake community? Anything you are nervous or anxious about? 
A: Whitmore Lake, as a community, deserves a fiscally-sound school district with attractive programs, abundant educational opportunity and engaging activities. If we can maintain these things, we will be on the right road.

I have a learning curve for sure with BOE procedure and rules and much more to understand in the financial area, but I'm committed to getting over these hurdles.

Congratulations to WLHS 1st Semester Honor Roll Students
Students who earned a 3.3 GPA or above earn their spot on the WLHS Honor Roll. Congratulations on a job well done to the students listed below.

 

 

 

News and Notes: Volume 2, Number 20

After a rousing march by our Trojan Band through the hallways of WLHS, I can say with the utmost confidence, "It's the school with the spirit, it's the school with the pep." It is Snowcoming Friday, and the colors red and white are out in full force in Whitmore Lake. Snowcoming activity is found in abundance at the secondary level, like the band's hall march and our afternoon pep assembly, but spirits are high at the elementary today, as well. 

 

I look forward to seeing our community come out in droves tonight to watch our varsity girls and boys basketball teams take on Clinton. The girls play at 5:30 p.m. and the boys immediately afterward. The Snowcoming court will be announced between the two games.

Today is a great day to be a Trojan!

 

Count Day is Wednesday

Not as exciting as a Snowcoming Friday, but count day has its upside. This year's upside is stable enrollment.  At the elementary level, we started the year with approximately 420 students.  As of today, the enrollment is 425.  Our middle grades (7-8) started the year with approximately 120 students.  Like the elementary, the enrollment there has increased by 5 to 125. Our high school has stayed the same at approximately 300 students. (I use the word approximately because some of our students attend special programs and are not in the buildings.)  Bottom line, our schools grew a bit from our fall enrollment count, which is encouraging.

There are some misconceptions that exist about count days.  Most prominent is the belief that if a student misses on this day, we can still count him/her on count day. This is not the case. The absence on count day requires our office staff to engage in lengthy paperwork and track the student's attendance in our school upon his/her return for a certain period of time in order to count him or her toward our enrollment. So, if at all possible, try to have your children in attendance next week. The only caveat is if your son or daughter is legitimately ill, then please keep him/her home. Count Day is important, but your child's health and well-being should take priority.

 

An Interview with our School Counselor

February 1 through February 5 is National School Counseling Week to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within our nation's school systems. To celebrate, our students, Valerie Lee and Deonte Dewyer, presented our High School Counselor, Kathy DeKeyser, with a big thank you card signed by the student body to show their appreciation. 

To help our community gain a better understanding of who our High School Counselor is and what her role is in our schools, our Director of Community Relations and Recreation, Maria Carter-Ewald, sat down with her. I've included their interview below. Join me in thanking Mrs. DeKeyser for her role in helping our students achieve school success and plan for their future.

 

Maria Carter-Ewald: How long have you been at WLPS?

Kathy DeKeyser:  I started teaching at WLHS in the fall of 1999.  I taught French and English, everything from English 9, Writing Skills, and Creative Writing to Yearbook and Reading Workshop.

MCE: How long have you been a school counselor? 

KD: This is my 10th year as a school counselor. I started the same year that the new high school building opened.

MCE: What is your education background? 

KD: I have a B.A. with a double major in English and French from Hillsdale College, an M.A.T. from Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) and a M.Ed. in School Counseling from Grand Valley State University.  I specifically chose Grand Valley because, at the time, it was one of the few schools that offered a counseling degree specifically for the school setting, which is where I knew I wanted to be.

 

MCE: What lead you pursue a degree in school counseling?  

KD: I had an amazing school counselor when I was in high school, and the same impact he
had on me, I wanted to have on students.

MCE: What have been some of your brightest moments thus far?
KD: It was really amazing to be awarded the Reach Higher grant. It's been nice to do some focused work centered on college access for our students, and it's been really fun having money to spend on prizes, field trips, etc.

MCE: What have been some of the biggest challenges?

KD: Time is my biggest challenge. It's difficult to accomplish everything I need to and want to at all the different grade levels.

 

MCE: What are your goals/priorities for our students at WLPS?  

KD: I want all of our graduates to leave WLHS with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be successful after high school. I want them to have a strong sense of self, to know their strengths and their weaknesses, so they can ultimately find a fulfilling career.

Quiz Bowl Heads to Districts

Our Varsity Quiz Bowl will be heading to the district tournament at the WISD in Ann Arbor on Monday, February 8. Having finished the regular season second in their division and fourth in the league overall, they head to districts with a strong chance of earning a spot at States for the second year in a row. No matter the result of districts, we congratulate our Varsity team on a great season thus far, lead by their coach LuAnn Easlick. Our Junior Varsity team also had a strong season, having tied for second place in their division and taking third place in overall league wins lead by their coach Julie Fleury.

 

Join me in wishing the following students a successful run at districts:

Laura Sanderson

Gabby Angel

Lydia Rogers

Justin Florkowski

Caleb Henning

Mallory Bolda

Adam Benmoussa

Danielle Corrie

 

M-Step Results

Last week M-Step results were mailed home, and for those who want more assistance on understanding these reports, below is a great video to check out.