Pictured above: members of the cast of "Alice by Heart", H.H. Dow High's Spring Musical, during rehearsals. The performance took place this past weekend at Central Auditorium.
Midland Public Schools District Vision Statement: Lead with respect, trust and courage. Ensure an equitable, collaborative and inclusive culture. Enable all to achieve success.
March 18, 2024
Volume 11 Edition 30
MPS Multicultural Calendar - March
Dates of Interest for March:
Women's History Month: which includes International Women's Day on March 8 – This month celebrates the social, political, cultural, and academic achievements of women throughout history. For more information, visit the link here.
- Ramadan:March 10 - April 8 - Islamic month-long observation of fasting and charitable acts which begins at sunset on the first day and ends with Eid al-Fitr. For more information, visit the link here.
- Vernal Equinox: March 19 - Marks the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and fall in the Southern Hemisphere. The sun shines nearly equally on both hemispheres this day. For more information, visit the link here.
- Holi: March 24-25 - Festival of Spring and Color that originated as a Hindu festival that has expanded across India and beyond. For more information, visit the link here.
- Purim: March 24 - Jewish “Feast of Lots” commemorating the rescue of the Jews by Queen Esther. For more information, visit the link here.
- Easter: March 31 - Christian holiday that also has secular celebrations. The days of Palm Sunday and Good Friday are including in the Holy Week leading up to Easter. For more information, visit the link here.
Jefferson Middle Schools Hosts "Voices of Our Community"
On March 14th, 8th graders at Jefferson Middle School took part in "Voices of Our Community" during their History and English classes.
A diverse group of professionals from the Midland community came together to share their stories with our eighth graders.
Some of the sessions our students were able to attend were: "Life of a Chinese American Student", "Whose Stories Do We Tell", "Coping With Anxiety", "Poetry and Rhythm and Motivational Stories", "Story of a Muslim American", and many more.
The goal of this event was to elevate unique voices and raise awareness about a wide variety of life experiences, following our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Everyone took something away from this wonderful event, and we are so thankful for our community members who came in to share their voices!
District MSVMA Choral Festival
Congratulations to the Midland Public Schools Choir Program for their impressive showing at District MSVMA Choral Festival on March 11 and 12! Students from Dow High, Midland High, Jefferson, and Northeast traveled to Saginaw Valley State University to perform prepared selections in front of a panel of adjudicators. They also had to sight-read music they had never seen before for a rating. Choirs were scored out of 120, and several Midland Public School choirs received some of the highest scores in the state!
- Jefferson Chorus earned 114/120
- Jefferson Concert Choir earned 111/120
- Northeast Chorus earned 110/120
- Dow High Chorus earned 111/120
- Dow High Chamber Singers earned 119/120
- Midland High Chorus earned 105/120
- Midland High Meistersingers earned 105/120
Great job to all of these students!
Central Park Moonwalkers Blast Off to Conquer Cancer!
Central Park's Relay For Life team, the Moonwalkers, have been working on an opportunity for our whole community to show support for those who have fought cancer, who are currently fighting, and those who will fight in the future.
We worked with Red Threads and our student artists to design this year's t-shirt. Last year, we sold about 200 shirts featuring our first design. This year we are hoping to reach more members of our community and raise even more for the American Cancer Society!
The shirts can be ordered now through March 22 using this link or the QR code on the flyer. We are encouraging people to wear their shirts on Mondays in May to show their support. Thank you!
Midland District FIRST Robotics Competition!
Don't miss the 2024 District FIRST Robotics Competition this week at H.H. Dow High School!
- Dates are March 21-23 at H.H. Dow High School.
- H.H. Dow High’s Team 2619 The Charge and Midland High’s Team 5509 Like a Boss will be competing.
- Everyone is welcome to come, watch, and cheer for their favorite teams & robots!
- The 2024 competition is called CRESCENDO℠ and it is in alignment with the FIRST® IN SHOW℠ theme for all FIRST programs, where the role STEM plays in the arts is spotlighted and young people are empowered to design and build a world of endless possibilities. The challenge requires two alliances of three robots each to collect and process game pieces to earn points during the 2.5 minute matches. Teams will retrieve their game pieces (notes) and score them in three different places on the field (amp, speaker, trap). In the final moments of each match, alliance robots race to the stage and climb onto a chain with other robots to earn more points.
- For more information go to: http://www.first-glbr.org/
- ADMISSION AND PARKING ARE FREE!!!!!!
Chemic Parent Partners Spread Sunshine!
The Midland High staff and Chemic Parent Partners would like to say thank you to everyone who donated items and/or their time to bring an extra dose of sunshine to Chemic teachers and staff last week! MHS staff definitely love the smiling faces and the treats! It was a wonderful way to start out the day.
A special thank you to Emma Palmiter for her thoughtfulness and detail-oriented planning! We'd also like to thank the new Mug Shots Coffee Shop, Ignite Donuts, and our Chemic Community Partners - Todd Gambrell (Gambrell Law), Shawn Pnacek (Great Lakes Bay Construction), Jake Howard (Arbury Insurance) & Matt Rapanos (Ayre Rhinehart) - for providing coffee and donuts. We appreciate your generosity!
MHS Celebrates Juneteenth
On February 20th, Midland High School students learned about and celebrated Juneteenth, the federal holiday that was finally recognized and became official on June 19, 2021. What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It is also called Emancipation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day. The name “Juneteenth” references the date of the holiday, combining the words “June” and “nineteenth.” The Varsity Leadership Class wanted to educate the students and staff about this very important holiday. We learned about the holiday by watching the Ted-Ed video "What is Juneteenth, and why is it important?" by Karlos K. Hill and Soraya Field Fiorio in all 3rd-hour classes. We celebrated by enjoying popsicles while watching the video.
Supply and Demand at a Local Level
Midland High Econonomics Classes welcomed Mr. Scott McNellis of Lalonde’s Market to come and speak about supply and demand in a small business. What a fabulous way to connect economic concepts to real-life businesses that deal with supply and demand and pricing each and every day! Every student learned something different during his visit- here are their insights! Here is what students had to say:
- "I learned that it's the quality of the goods over the quantity that you prioritize.”
- "I learned that being a people person and being able to connect with people is just as important, if not more, than being good at something."
- "I learned how important it is to focus on Customer Experience more than cheap prices."
- "I learned that it’s important how you carry yourself... even in your first high school job."
- "I liked when you talked about the importance of giving back and networking in our own Community- you showed me the importance of small businesses and the impact that they have on our schools and local community."
Thank you, Mr. McNellis!
MHS Club Med Donates First Aid Kits
This year MHS welcomed a new club for students that have an interest in the medical program or are looking to learn about it. The Club Med officers (Maria Tession, Kennedy Thurlow, Alahna Beckett, and Theresa Wilk) and the staff advisor (Ms. McDonald) have worked hard to bring guest speakers to the members, engage the group in fun learning and team building activities, as well as complete service projects.
Club Med members and interested volunteers were able to assemble 150 first aid kits to be donated to the HELP (Hunger Eased by Loving Persons) Pantry of Midland. Located at Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1310 Ashman St. Midland, The HELP pantry became a founding pantry of the Midland County Food Assistance Network in 1983.
Many thanks go out to the Club Med members who agreed to have part of their dues go towards purchasing the first aid kit supplies as well as the additional volunteers we had who gave their time to lend a hand. The students were enthusiastic and had a great time working together to share their love of medicine and to help out their community.
Congratulations to Our March MPS Shining Stars!
MPS Operating Millage Renewal
The MPS Board of Education recently voted to place a millage renewal proposal on the May 7, 2024, ballot. This renewal provides a significant source of revenue to the school district’s operating budget, including salaries, utilities, and educational programming for students. You can find more detailed information by visiting our Operating Millage webpage, linked here, as well as in the Frequently Asked Questions document linked in the button below.
2024-2025 Enrollment
Online Enrollment
Online enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year is now available by clicking the link below.
If you do not already have a ParentVue account, you will be prompted to create one, and then you will be able to complete the 2024-2025 New Student form for grades DK-12.
If you have any questions or issues with the enrollment process, please contact the enrollment office at 989-923-5024 or enroll@midlandps.org.
School of Choice
School of Choice applications for the 2024-2025 school year will be available beginning February 1, 2024, through March 31, 2024 by visiting the link below.
Availability will be based on current enrollment information for each building and grade. Families will be notified via email of their application status by the end of the day on April 24, 2024. Please contact Becci Longstreth at enroll@midlandps.org or 989-923-5024 with any questions.