Manchester Community Schools
Educational Excellence in a Caring Community
January 2010 E- Newsletter
Welcome! This is the first edition of our new community e-newsletter. With the many changes we have seen in the print media in our community, our school district is striving to develop new strategies for sharing news and information with the community. This newsletter is one such strategy. Please forward this e-newsletter to other members of the community, and encourage others to subscribe to it by using the link that is on our district webpage: www.mcs.k12.mi.us Our goal is to publish this newsletter monthly. We promise not to clog your inbox with unnecessary e-mail, but will strive to provide timely information about school and community events.
School Activity Schedules: What is happening in our schools? How can I find out what extra-curricular and community events are scheduled in each building? A district-wide school activity schedule is available online from the school district website, www.mcs.k12.mi.us, click on the “School Activities Calendar” on the left side of the screen. This calendar includes extra-curricular and community activities that occur outside the school day, but does not include events scheduled during normal school hours. For these events, please check the web pages and calendars for individual buildings and classrooms.
Mark your calendars for these special events:- January 14: 5th and 6th grade concert in the High School Auditorium. Come and enjoy an evening of music and support our youngest instrumental musicians! The concert begins at 7:00 p.m.
- January 22: The Klager School PTO is sponsoring a Family Fun Night & Basket Auction at Klager School for elementary school families. Activities begin at 6:00 p.m.
- January 23: Community Ice Skating Party at Chi-Bro Park (January 30 is the alternate date if needed).
- January 25: School Board Meeting in the Board Room of the Ackerson Building beginning at 7:00 p.m.
- January 28: TEAM Graduation for fourth grade students will take place at 7 p.m. in the High School auditorium. The Teaching, Educating, And Mentoring (T.E.A.M.) program is a cooperative effort between the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s department and our schools. The program strives to make schools and communities safer by promoting responsible citizenship and positive character traits among students.
- February 4: 2010-2011 Kindergarten meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Klager School (see details below).
Community Events Calendar: The Manchester community offers many family-friendly activities for all ages to enjoy. To stay current with community events in the Manchester area, go to the Chamber of Commerce Website: www.48158.com
Kindergarten Information Night: Families of children who will be five years old on or before December 1, 2010, are encouraged to attend a special information night on Thursday, February 4, 2010 from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Information regarding how to prepare your child for success in kindergarten will be shared along with information about the registration process for kindergarten. Resources on school readiness will be provided at this meeting. Families who are not able to attend this information night may pick up information at Klager School after February 4. Registration for Kindergarten students will begin in March with a "Registration Celebration" planned for Saturday, April 24, 2010. For additional information, contact Klager School at 734-428-8321.
School Board Thank You! The month of January marks the annual observance of School Board Recognition Month. School board members develop policies and make very difficult decisions on complex educational and social issues impacting the entire community. They bear responsibility for an annual budget of over eleven million dollars, over 1,200 students and nearly 200 persons who work for or in our district. Most critically, school board members make decisions which affect our children—what they learn, who will teach them and what kinds of facilities house their classrooms. Please take a moment this month to recognize and celebrate the work of your local school board members. Tell a school board member, “thanks for caring about our children!” The women and men serving the Manchester Community School District as Board members are: Marlene Wagner, Ron Ellison, Vicki Miller, Lyndon Uphaus, Chris Fegan, Sheryl Purol, and Dara Psarouthakis. Contact information for all Board members is available at www.mcs.k12.mi.us.
School Board Election: The election of two school board members for the Manchester Community School District will be on the ballot for the May 4, 2010 regular school election. The deadline for filing as a candidate for this position is Tuesday, February 9, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. To file as a candidate, interested individuals need to complete a nominating petition or pay a $100 filing fee. Additional information about how to file as a school board candidate, as well as the necessary forms that may be completed, are available at both the Washtenaw County Clerk’s office in Ann Arbor and the Manchester Community School District Central Office, which is located in the Ackerson building.
State Financial Situation: In December, Governor Granholm announced a “delay” in the $127 per pupil proration to schools until after she sees the results of the January Joint Revenue Estimating Conference. While this is welcome news, it is by no means an indication that schools are out of the woods. The $165 per student reduction in funding that was contained in the School Aid Budget that was approved in October is still in effect. With the $165 per student reduction, our current general fund deficit is projected to be approximately $540,000. The next Joint Revenue Estimating Conference will be held on January 11, at which point the Governor will make her final decision regarding the need for additional reductions in per pupil funding. Advocacy at the state level by staff members and parents is still critical. Please contact your elected representatives and insist that they make school funding a priority.
Second Semester Enrollment: Manchester Schools participates in Schools of Choice and accepts Washtenaw County students and students from counties that physically border Washtenaw County. Applications can be picked up at the central administration office (410 City Road) or any of the school building offices. They may also be downloaded from the district web page: www.mcs.k12.mi.us Please encourage friends and family who may not be district residents to make the Manchester Schools their schools of choice.
Thank you! Because of the support shown by our community in approving a bond proposal in February 2009, we are entering 2010 a safer more efficient school district. Work completed over the summer relocated the office at Klager Elementary School to the front of the building, enhancing safety for our youngest students. Work completed in December, including work completed over winter break, replaced inefficient metal halide lighting at the Ackerson building and High School with high bay fluorescent lighting, increasing our energy efficiency and lowering ongoing utility costs. We are most grateful to the Manchester community for your support of our schools.
|
Connecting to Facebook
