Pictured above: "Readers Have Big Jobs to Do!" Students from Ms. Jones's first-grade class at Chestnut Hill celebrated the completion of Unit 4 in the PYP Units of Study by visiting Ms. Tippman's Kindergarten class to share how they became "Reading Stars". Way to go, Chipmunks!
Midland Public Schools District Vision Statement: Lead with respect, trust and courage. Ensure an equitable, collaborative and inclusive culture. Enable all to achieve success.
April 15, 2024
Volume 11 Edition 33
MPS Multicultural Calendar - April
Dates of Interest for April:
National Arab American Heritage Month: This month celebrates the culture, contributions, and achievements of Arab Americans. For more information, visit the link here.
Autism Acceptance Month: which includes World Autism Acceptance Day on April 2 - this month individuals and organizations worldwide celebrate with events to raise awareness about autism. For more information, visit the link here.
- Passover: April 22-30 Celebrates the Jewish Exodus from Egypt and the end of Jewish slavery. For more information, visit the link here.
- Earth Day: April 22 Celebrates the protection of the planet from things like pollution and deforestation. For more information, visit the link here.
- Gathering of the Nations: April 25-27 Native Indigenous Nations of North America hold the largest Powwow of over 500 nations. For more information, visit the link here.
2024 Earth Action Expo
EVERYONE IS WELCOME AT THE 2024 EARTH ACTION EXPO!
Over 70 exhibitors and EVs will be on hand at the 2024 EARTH ACTION EXPO taking place (rain or shine) at Dow High School on Saturday, April 27th, from 11am – 3pm! The Expo is FREE to the public and offers a wide variety of environmentally friendly, hands-on activities for students, parents, and community members of all ages. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about renewable energy, local water sheds, glass recycling, composting, the importance of pollinators, and so much more.
This year’s Expo will also feature cooking demonstrations designed to reduce food waste, a hands-on textile room where participants can learn creative ways to address textile waste, and a display of illustrated poems by local students. Attendees can also test ride an e-bike, purchase native plants, grab lunch at one of the food trucks, check out various models of EVs and talk with each vehicle’s owner. In addition, Diane Russell from the U.S. EPA and Mike Buza from the Sierra Club will be holding presentations throughout the day about Superfund clean-up sites and renewable energy.
Collections of gently used adult-sized T-shirts as well as old bikes (in any condition), will also be taking place at the Expo, so bring these items along! All donations will be reused, recycled, or repurposed. Resourceful Recycling will also be on hand collecting most any electronics that have a cord or a battery. A small fee will be charged for TVs and CRT monitors, but all other electronics will be recycled for free.
The 2024 Earth Action Expo is sponsored by the Dow High GO GREEN Sustainability Club, Midland Center for the Arts, Midland Recyclers, Midland Section of the American Chemical Society, Chippewa Nature Center, MSU St. Andrews, and NOBChE. For more information, or to volunteer at the Expo, please contact Cyndie Roberts at robertsca@midlandps.org or call 989-992-5300.
Jefferson Huskies Place 2nd in MATHCOUNTS State Competition!
After placing 1st as a team at the Great Lakes Bay Chapter Competition in February, the Jefferson MATHCOUNTS team competed at the MATHCOUNTS State Competition held at Michigan State University on March 23 and took 2nd place as a team! The team members included Katie Cai, Vettel Xu, Isaac Xue, and Daniel Wu. This is the highest finish ever for Jefferson.
Individually at the State competition Katie Cai placed 5th, Isaac Xue placed 9th, Daniel Wu placed 25th, Sydney Ma placed 28th, Vettel Xu placed 32nd, and Isaac Camacho Celis placed 56th. The Jefferson MATHCOUNTS team is coached by Andrew Zimmer.
Congratulations to these Husky Mathletes on a great season!
A. H. Nickless Innovation Award Project Update
Following months of planning, research and development, the 20 teams participating in the 2023-24 A.H. Nickless Innovation Award competition soon will take the stage at Saginaw Valley State University to present their projects. At stake is a share of up to $77,500 in college scholarships for students and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education grants for schools. Students representing eight schools from seven districts in Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties are competing for the scholarships and school STEM education grants.
The competition will take place from 8:30 a.m. to approximately 4 p.m. April 20 in Alan W. Ott Auditorium in SVSU’s Gilbertson Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.
H.H. Dow High School has four teams presenting, and Midland High School has one team presenting. Good luck to all of our MPS Teams! To read the full article, please click on the button below.
Midland High Students Strive to end Period Poverty
The National Honor Society (NHS) at Midland High School is working to eliminate period poverty, which is a lack of access to menstrual supplies, in our community. It is a global issue and one facing many students in the Midland Public Schools (MPS) district. Period poverty is directly linked to absenteeism and missed class time, according to a study conducted by the University of Michigan.
NHS members Paloma Jolly, Grace Riddle, and Kennedy Thurlow formed the Period Hygiene subcommittee of the Midland High NHS after attending the Women’s Summit hosted by the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals in Grand Rapids this past fall where the students learned more about period poverty and its effect on education. The group is creating a comprehensive menstrual health initiative with the goal of reducing absenteeism, tardiness and overall menstrual-related disruptions to education. Currently, the students are working to provide free, high-quality period products in all restrooms of the four MPS secondary buildings, including H.H. Dow High, Midland High, Jefferson and Northeast.
Thank you to these students and the generous donors for their work to eliminate period poverty at MPS! The first shipment of period products was received last week, and deliveries to the buildings will occur soon. To read the full press release for this project, click on the button below.
Readers Have Big Jobs to Do!
Ms. Jones and Ms. Welter co-taught Unit 4 for Reading titled: "Readers Have Big Jobs to Do!" in the PYP Units of Study at Chestnut Hill. The first graders in Ms. Jones's class learned about becoming a "Reading Star." They have been working on monitoring their reading, fixing reading clunks as they read, and using multiple strategies to make their reading fluent and smooth. It was big kid work, and they all took it very seriously and rose to the job!
Ms. Jones's class celebrated the unit in Ms. Tippman's kindergarten class. The first graders read their favorite book from the reading workshop and showed their kindergarten partner what a "Reading Star" looks and sounds like! The kindergartners are excited about this work in first grade, and the first graders are ready to conquer big-kid reading in second grade!
Jefferson STEM Club Hosts Greater Michigan Contruction Academy
The Jefferson STEM club recently hosted the Greater Michigan Construction Academy (GMCA) to educate the group about the skilled trades. During the session, students engaged in hands-on learning by constructing flower boxes. Generously sponsored by GMCA's donors, all necessary supplies were provided, enabling students to gain practical experience in carpentry and familiarize themselves with essential tools of the trade. GMCA is a non-profit organization in the Great Lakes Bay Region whose mission is to develop a highly skilled and safe workforce and to promote construction trades as a career choice. Thank you, GMCA!
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.
Nominate Exemplary MPS Staff for Gerstacker, Distinguished Service, and NEW Administrators Inspiring Excellence Awards!
It is the time of year again when we look to recognize our amazing MPS staff with selection for the annual Gerstacker and Distinguished Service Awards. In addition to these two long-standing awards, MPS, with the support of the Carl and Esther Gerstacker Donor-Advised Fund at the Midland Area Community Foundation, will recognize an Adminstrator who inspires excellence in the MPS Community with the first annual Administrators Inspiring Excellence Award!
Please see the nomination announcements for these three awards as well as links to the nomination forms below. Thank you for your help in recommending our MPS staff who go above and beyond each day to support our staff, students, and community! The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, May 24th, 2024. Awards will be presented to the winners at our opening staff meeting in August.
Welcome to Kyle Woodruff, New Assistant Principal at Northeast
As Keith Seybert transitions to Principal at Northeast Middle School at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, Kyle Woodruff has been selected to fill the position of Assistant Principal at Northeast, effective July 1, 2024.
Kyle comes to Midland Public Schools with eight years of administrative experience at the middle and high school levels, as well as previous experience as a classroom teacher. Kyle also completed some of his student teaching at Northeast and Midland High.
Kyle would like to share this message with Northeast and the MPS community:
"It is an honor and a privilege to join the team at Northeast Middle School. I am excited as we continue to embark on a journey of growth, collaboration, and student success to shape a brighter tomorrow."
Future Freshman Night - Midland High
Parents/Guardians – Do you have a student that will be a freshman at Midland High in the fall?
If so, we invite you to attend our Future Freshman Night on April 24th at 6pm. The event will begin in the Main Gym (east of the football field). There, you will have the opportunity to meet the MHS administration and learn a little about our Chemic Pride traditions. Following that, you/your student can participate in small breakout sessions about our Counseling department, our International Baccalaureate Program, Athletics, and our Special Education department. Important information from clubs, sports and other programs will also be provided. Student-led tours will be available throughout the event.
We look forward to meeting you/your future Chemic!
Attention: Incoming Jefferson Students!
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.