SUPERINTENDENT COMMUNIQUÉ MIDLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Pictured above: Woodcrest Elementary hosts its first "Jingle Mingle" community event.

Midland Public Schools District Vision Statement: Lead with respect, trust and courage. Ensure an equitable, collaborative and inclusive culture. Enable all to achieve success.

December 11, 2023

Volume 11 Edition 18

Superintendent Search

As you may be aware, Midland Public Schools has initiated its search for a new superintendent. To guide us through this important process, we have retained the services of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA), a consulting firm that specializes in assisting School Boards with the consideration of candidates for superintendent. A key part of this process is to gather information about the characteristics we will be seeking in our new superintendent. We would greatly appreciate your input and ask that you complete the survey linked below. This survey is open until December 20th, and is posted on our website as well.

Thank you for your participation!

MPS Multicultural Calendar - December

Dates of Interest for December:

  • December 7-15 - Hanukkah - Jewish festival of lights lasting 8 nights. For more information, click here.
  • December 21 - Yule/Winter Solstice Day - Longest night of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. For more information, click here.
  • December 25 - Christmas - Celebration with many diverse traditions including both Christian and secular. For more information, click here.
  • December 26-January 1 - Kwanzaa - African-American celebration lasting 7 days focusing on history and unity. For more information, click here.

MPS Multicultural Holiday Celebrations!

December is a month for the celebration of a variety of winter holidays! Across the district, MPS schools are sharing in multicultural holiday celebrations. All of our school libraries have set up multicultural winter holiday book displays, including quick fact sheets on Kwanzaa and Hanukkah, among other winter holidays, for students and teachers as they browse through these collections. Additionally, other forms of holiday diversity are underway in classrooms and hallways.

At Siebert Elementary, students in Ms. Hitchcock's 2nd-grade class enjoyed playing the Hanukkah game Dreidel in connection with their math activity and in Music as well.

At the Pre-Primary Center, a family of the Chippewa Tribe came for a festive classroom visit, offering a most authentic "storytelling" experience in their traditional jingle dress (fall/winter festival dress with bells sewn on it). Grandma Bonnie sang for the students in the Ojibwe language, and the kids helped make a rhythm with a variety of Native American instruments. It was an excitingly authentic way to wrap up the Native American Heritage Month as we now transition to celebrating winter holidays from all cultures. A family from India also joined the multicultural celebrations, with songs, dances, special traditional games to play, and special treats from India. Thank you to our guests for sharing their holiday traditions with MPS!

Music News

MSBOA Middle School Solo and Ensemble

Congratulations to all participants in MSBOA Middle School Solo and Ensemble! On December 2, Midland Public Schools was host to the Solo and Ensemble Festival at Jefferson Middle School. Over 80 band and orchestra students from Northeast and Jefferson performed in a total of 76 solos and chamber ensembles. Students prepared the music on their own and then performed for a judge who gave them feedback and rated them on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being the best). A total of 63 events earned first division ratings and 13 earned second division ratings. Congratulations to all who participated!

Above, left: Joshua Yoo; above, right: Paige French and Sera DiMuro; bottom, left to right: Elaina Javier, Evie Samocki, Drew Tarrant.

Music Care Program

On December 7th, middle and high school musicians in Midland County showcased their musical talents as part of the Music Care Program at the MyMichigan Medical Center lobby, held from 4 to 6 p.m. This student-founded program provides a platform for youth musicians to give back to the community. The program started in 2018, but it was put on hiatus by COVID-19 However, students Sarah Li and Zaky El-Nachef stepped up last year to revive the program, and all visitors to MidMichigan Medical Center are the beneficiaries.

Sarah Li, a senior at Dow High, currently directs and coordinates the Music Care Program. She says, "Music Care offers a unique opportunity for musicians to spread joy by sharing their talents with others." This program aims to contribute to the well-being of visitors, patients, and staff by using the calming effects of music. This includes enhancing positive emotions, reducing stress and anxiety, and even lowering blood pressure.

Music Care performances occur monthly, where musicians (solo or with a group) can sign up to participate. Lisa Ziettlow, a front desk receptionist, expresses appreciation for the well-trained students, describing their contributions as a "gift to our staff and visitors moving through the lobby area." She adds, "It's a joy to have them here and to enjoy their talent!"

Top left: Caden Cummings, Orion Froese, Luke McMahan, John Davis, Maddie Stanford, and Owen DeLong; bottom left: Maddie Stanford, Mia Bayardo, George Gu, Lucy Tang, and Sarah Li; right: Dow High Honors Orchestra.

Woodcrest Author's Day Celebration!

The Second Graders at Woodcrest Elementary School in Ms. Waltz's class completed Unit 2- Nonfiction with an Author's Day Celebration! The Authors began this writing process by choosing a topic that they had prior knowledge of to create a Chapter Book. They gathered their information and put that information into chapters to teach about their topic to an audience. They had a great time learning what it is like to be an author, gather information, and teach their peers. As the Authors were reading, their peers were listening and writing about what they learned from their classmates' books. A great day to celebrate! Way to go Wolverines!

Project Lead the Way Fun!

Ms. Tippman’s Kindergarten class at Chestnut Hill worked to build a three-dimensional model of a house for one of the three little pigs in their Project Lead the Way Unit - Structure and Function: Exploring Design. Using the Engineering Design Process, students designed and built a structure that was sturdy enough to not get blown down by the Big Bad Wolf. Great job, kindergartners!

Dow High IB Extended Essay

Dow High Senior IB students completed their Extended Essays this month. The IB Extended Essay is a 4,000-word independent research project on an individual topic of interest. The candidates celebrated the completion of their papers and final advisor interviews by attending school dressed up as their Extended Essay topics on December 8th. Throughout the day, they shared informally with students and staff while explaining their costumes. Students ended the day by "walking the red carpet" and cheering for their classmates' successful essay submissions. Great job!

Dow High Student Leadership

Winter Gear Drive

We are excited to announce that Dow High's Student Leadership is organizing a Winter Gear Drive from December 4th through the 20th. In an effort to support our community during the colder months, collection bins will be conveniently placed at Dow High School, Jefferson Middle School, Northeast Middle School, Woodcrest Elementary School, and the school Administration building. We encourage you to contribute to this initiative by donating gently used or new winter gear such as; coats, gloves, hats, snow pants, socks, snow boots, scarves, and sleds. All donations will be given to the Midland Shelter House. Your generosity will undoubtedly make a significant impact, helping those in need in our city. Thank you for your support in fostering a warm and caring community - Dow High Student Leadership

Book Drive

Dow High Student Leadership is sponsoring a book drive to benefit the Midland County Foster Closet. Donate your gently used or new books for all age levels to children in foster care. Book donations will be accepted on December 20th at Dow High at the start of both Dow High versus Midland High basketball games, at 5:30 pm and 7 pm. Anyone who donates 5 books will be entered into a drawing to win a gift card. Thank you for your support!

Midland High Staff Member Recipient of Earl Reum Award

Congratulations to Midland High Social Studies and Student Leadership teacher, Monique Albright, who was presented with The Earl Reum Award at the National Conference on Student Activities on December 2nd in San Francisco, CA. The award recognizes a student leadership advocate who:

  • encourages and inspires others in the field of student leadership.
  • enthusiastically shares their experience and expertise through presentations to adults.
  • promotes, facilitates, or creates opportunities for adults to receive information to share with their students.
  • is instrumental in student leadership training.
  • promotes student leadership within their state and/or at the national level.

Congratulations, Monique! Thank you for sharing your talents with MPS!

Make sure you are signed up to receive school closure notifications!

See the "School Messenger Tips" below or visit midlandps.org and search "School Messenger"

Central Auditorium News

As a reminder - any event held at Central Auditorium requires tickets to attend. This includes all band, choir, orchestra, and drama events. Even if there is no charge for the tickets, (such as many band/choir/orchestra performances) tickets are still required to reserve seats.

Click on the button below to visit the Central Auditorium Box Office to order your tickets for upcoming holiday season events!

2023-24 Guide to Admissions: click on the button below for the Michigan public universities' guide to admissions for the 2023-24 school year.

Students and families looking for help paying for college are encouraged to register for a Virtual Financial Aid Presentation to gather information on FAFSA applications, federal/state financial aid, and scholarships.

  • Adults ages 21 to 24 who have not yet earned a college degree can enroll in Michigan Reconnect, a tuition-free community college scholarship program. Governor Whitmer temporarily lowered the age for those eligible from 25 to 21. For more information, click here

Map your future with Pathfinder!

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity's Office of Employment and Training created the Pathfinder online career planning tool to connect Michigan residents with high-quality, in-demand careers and credentials. Visit Pathfinder by clicking on the button below!

MPS Early Middle College Program

MPS offers Early Middle College experiences with Davenport University, Delta College, and new this year - Northwood University. For more information, contact your school counselor. To complete the application, click on the button below.

Community Resources

The 2024-2025 FAFSA form will open up on December 31. There are several Financial Aid nights available for both parents and students to attend, to get assistance filling out the form and to also learn about scholarship opportunities. DHS and MHS are co-hosting a session on January 9th at the Delta Midland Center (downtown Midland), from 5:30-7:00pm.

Parents wanting to attend the MHS/DHS session on 1/9 should email either Lori Pritchard (DHS College and Career Advisor) @ PritchardLN@midlandps.org, or Nancy Barnes (MHS College and Career Advisor) @ BarnesNA@midlandps.org to reserve a spot. Pizza and drinks will be provided. Several professionals will also be on hand to assist throughout the evening, including representatives from CMU, Delta, and SVSU. Heather Crowley from the Midland Community Foundation will also be in attendance to relay relevant scholarship information. Parents can get assistance from any of the Reps, regardless of what college the student is planning to attend in the Fall.

The flyer attached includes a QR code which parents must scan prior to attending the FAFSA night. The QR code leads to a checklist of documents and information that is requisite for completing the FAFSA. Additionally, dates, times and locations for other FAFSA work sessions in our region are listed on the flyer. Parents unable to make a live session and in need of assistance are encouraged to email Lori or Nancy to set up an individual meeting.

Questions or concerns? Contact us via the MPS Connect button below.