Pictured above: H. H. Dow High Robotics Team 2619 'The Charge' volunteered for Midland Blooms this summer.
Midland Public Schools District Vision Statement: Lead with respect, trust and courage. Ensure an equitable, collaborative and inclusive culture. Enable all to achieve success.
August 28, 2023
Volume 11 Edition 3
Across the MPS district, the 2023-24 school year is off to a great start! Thank you to our staff, students, and community for making the first week of school full of excitement and possibilities. A special thank you goes out to the Northwood University Football players who welcomed students at Chestnut Hill Elementary!
MPS Shining Stars
In October MPS will resume our recognition of "Shining Stars." Each month at our Board of Education Meeting, two MPS staff members are selected as "Shining Stars". These staff consistently go above and beyond to make MPS a great place for our staff and students. We need your nominations to hear about staff who are Inspiring Excellence at MPS! Use the button below to nominate an MPS staff member for a "Shining Star" today!
Inspire the Future: FIRST Educators Recognition Program Honoree
Congratulations to H.H. Dow High teacher and robotics mentor, Sean Murray, who was one of 15 global honorees for the 2023 Inspire the Future: FIRST Educators Recognition Program! The honorees are outstanding PreK-12 FIRST educators who engage students in STEM through classroom or afterschool activities and demonstrate an outstanding commitment to expanding access to FIRST programs. Sean Murray has been mentoring the H. H. Dow High robotics team since 2008 and he believes that providing all students with access to quality STEM education is one of the best ways to develop confident and skilled individuals. He has dedicated himself to making his classroom and team as diverse, accepting, and inclusive as possible to ensure that no student is being left behind in STEM learning opportunities. Congratulations Sean!
H. H. Dow High’s FIRST Robotics Team ‘The Charge’ - Summer 2023 Outreach
The H. H. Dow High Robotics Team 2619, The Charge, was part of a variety of fun STEM and community outreach activities over the summer including: partnering with the Foster Love organization to raise funds, purchase items, assemble Lego kits, and decorate special “Sweet Cases” to give children in foster care items that will provide comfort; participating in Saginaw’s ‘One Week One Street’ project and working with other organizations to help repair and clean homes in a Saginaw neighborhood; presenting robot demonstrations at Grace A. Dow Memorial library; attending a Great Lakes Loons game; volunteering at the Great Lakes Bay Invitational STEM Center; hosting STEM activities for kids at Midland's RiverDays and at Midland Center for the Arts STEM Discovery Day; and volunteering at several community events including Midland Blooms, Dow Run-Walk, and Adopt-A-Street clean-up. Thank you to all who participated in these wonderful community events!
Jefferson Middle School Mandarin 2A students practiced making ZongZi, a traditional Chinese rice dumpling. They also learned about the history and celebration traditions of the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. Students celebrated two traditional Chinese festivals during the second semester of last school year.
On May 31, 2023 Master Chung demonstrated Chinese martial arts class to Jefferson Middle School Mandarin 2A students. He introduced the similarities and differences between the two words "Kung Fu" and "Martial Arts" through the construction of Chinese characters.
Master Chung also introduced various protective precautions to be taken when practicing martial arts, such as wearing loose clothes with tightened cuffs. Finally, he led the students through the basic movements of Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu.