The next early release day for Monroe Public Schools students will be Wednesday, April 20, but Monroe High School students will go a full day that day.
Excused early that day are all district elementary schools, Monroe Middle School and Orchard Center High School.
Monroe High School students will attend class all day – 7:23 a.m. to 2:12 p.m. -- on April 20 because they need to receive the required number of instructional hours which was reduced due to state-mandated testing.
The next early release is scheduled for May 18 and once again that day, Monroe High School students will attend all day, but all of the other district schools will only have a half-day of class.
By building, here is the early-release schedule for April 20 and May 18.
Orchard Center High School – 10:14 a.m.
Monroe Middle School – 11:09 a.m.
Arborwood North – 11:43 a.m.
Arborwood South – 11:48 a.m.
Custer 1 – 12:14 p.m.
Custer 2 – 12:11 p.m.
Manor – 12:01 p.m.
Raisinville – 12:01 p.m.
Waterloo – 11:46 a.m.
Monroe High School was one of three area high schools that participated in the first-ever virtual book discussion as part of the annual One Book One Community (OBOC) program. Students from Monroe, Bedford and Airport high schools read selected books including All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow in their English Language Arts clases. Aided by the Monroe County Intermediate School District video staff, students from the three schools were able to see and hear each other in different locations and watch a short video.
The students’ discussion centered on themes that included responding to bullying, making the right decisions and recognizing stereotypes.
The OBOC program is in its 10th year. Each March, Monroe County Community College, Monroe County Library, Monroe County Historical Museum and Monroe Public Schools – along with other local organizations – sponsor reading groups, films, author talks and activities for all ags to promote reading. The Anthony Doerr selection has been one of the most popular selections.
When the 2015-2016 school year concludes this June, 10 educators with a combined 264 years teaching at Monroe Public Schools will walk out the door one last time when the bell rings and retire.
The retirements of the 10 teachers and coaches were approved Tuesday night (April 12) by the Monroe Public Schools Board of Education. The board wished all of the teachers well in their retirements and thanked them for the impacts they have had on Monroe Public Schools students over the years.
Retiring at the end of the current school year are: JoAnn Burke, Janet Heck, Edwin (Chuck) Kern, Amy Pace, Debra Pitcher, Nancy Schlosser, Matt Servis, Robert Servis, Steven Simon and Elizabeth Swindeman.
While their schoolmates at Monroe High School are taking various state-required tests next week, seniors at Monroe High School will have various opportunities to make sure they are “career and college ready.” They could earn a $500 scholarship in the process.
“On April 12, the first day of assessments for 9th and 10th graders and state testing for the 11th graders, we are encouraging our seniors to participate in a valuable off-campus opportunity and/or task of their choice to help prepare them for a smooth post-secondary transition,” said Monroe High School Principal Mrs. Sandy Kreps.
Mrs. Kreps and post-secondary planners, Savanah Garcia, Manual Hoskins and Jaclyn Sawasky, developed 20 valuable activities for seniors to consider doing on the day they don’t come to school. They range from job shadowing to a college visit to an appointment with a military recruiter or a job interview.
There are numerous other choices, too. Students also are encouraged to become introspective and identify what they want to do in life after high school and then develop a plan and a timeline to accomplish it. Seniors also are encouraged to submit three job applications and maybe be hired for a summer job before the summer rush, or make a checklist of things to be completed before graduation and then complete three of them.
All of the suggested activities are geared toward making the day away from school a valuable one for the seniors who are now one month away from Career and College Decision Day and two months away from graduation, Mrs. Kreps said.
If a senior fulfills the requirements for a career- and college-ready assignment, they can turn in a completed form to a post-secondary planner by April 15 to be entered to win a $500 scholarship which will be announced on Career and College Decision Day, May 3.
The team of Zac Jenkins, Brendan Hale and team leader Reed Corrin won the Monroe High School 2015-2016 Bridge Competition, which is held under the auspices of MHS Drafting/CAD program which is part of Monroe High’s Career and Technical Education Program. Six Monroe High teams competed for the bridge competition crown.
“Each three-person team developed a presentation showcasing how they designed and built their bridges to include research, testing, data collection, graph calculations, problem solving and working together as a team,” said Mrs. Victoria Sweet, the MHS Drafting/CAD program teacher. “They also tested their bridges to determine which one of the six bridges prepared would be the strongest.”
Judges for the contest came from the Michigan Department of Transportation which has hired a number of Monroe High School graduates over the years to participate in the MDOT paid summer intern program. Monroe High School is Monroe County’s only school that has produced graduates who have interned in the state program.
Mrs. Sweet said the competition was important because participating students learned lifelong skills such as working in a team, communications, problem solving, conflict resolution, diversity and inclusion, and time-management skills, all of which will be important when the students complete their education and begin their careers.
Registration for the Monroe Public Schools (MPS) incoming class of kindergarten and Young 5s students will be held at the Riverside Early Learning Center, 77 N. Roessler St., on April 25, 26 and 27.
To make it as convenient as possible, no appointments are necessary. Parents may choose from three different time periods to register the incoming students.
The registration schedule is:
Monday, April 25, noon to 7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 26, noon to 7 p.m.
Wednesday, April 27, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Any child who will be five years old on or before June 15, 2016, is eligible to enter kindergarten. Any child turning five between June 16 and December 1 is eligible to enroll in the Young 5s program.
For registration, parents must bring:
Certified copy of the child’s birth certificate
The child’s hearing and vision results from a doctor or the health department
Immunization record
Proof of residence, such as a utility bill or mortgage/rental document.
Picture ID for the parent or guardian.
All immunizations should be updated before your children enter kindergarten. Specifically, –
--DTP, four or five doses with the last dose given on or after the child’s fourth birthday;
--Polio, three or four doses with the last dose given on or after the child’s fourth birthday;
--MMR, two doses;
--Hepatitis B, three doses;
--Varicella (chicken pox,) two doses.
The Monroe County Health Department will perform hearing and vision testing from noon to 7 p.m., on Monday and Tuesday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Wednesday. In addition, immunizations will be offered on the first day of registration.
Persons with questions can call the Monroe Public Schools Administration Office at 734-265-3000. Parents coming to sign up their child should plan on about one hour, depending on the number of people registering at that time.
People with a child already attending a Young 5s class in Monroe Public Schools, do not need to attend registration.
Parents of Monroe Public Schools children -- If you have not yet done so, please take our confidential survey on-line. Monroe Pubic Schools annually polls its primary stakeholders – parents, students and staff – as part of ongoing school improvement efforts. The survey provides a great picture of the thoughts and perceptions of you – our Monroe Public Schools stakeholders. Here is the link to take the survey on-line. Survey concludes April 8 but take it today.
Twenty-two Monroe Public Schools students representing all MPS elementary schools placed in the recent Monroe County Science Fair, sponsored by the Monroe County Intermediate School District. In fact, eight of them won first place honors in their categories.
Here are the Monroe Public Schools’ students who placed, their category, ranking and school.
Kindergarten
Everett Kessel, Custer, first place, physical science; Mia St. Bernard, Raisinville, first place, models. Rose Bodenreider, Manor, second place, models. Gage Rippee, Manor, third place, physical science; Kathryn Disher, Custer, third place, scientific studies. Blake Bowman, Arborwood, honorable mention, physical science; Mallory Braden, Manor, honorable mention, models.
First and Second Grades
Aiden Hasley, Custer, first place, physical science; Azariah Aaron, Custer, first place, models. Christopher Elliott, Raisinville, second place, physical science; Jackson Trpevski, second place, earth science. McKenna Ringle, Manor, third place, physical science. Jacob Wisler, Custer, honorable mention, life science; Jordan Nelson, Custer, honorable mention, life science.
Third and Fourth Grades
Xander Brumley, Manor, first place, physical science; Phoebe Lietaert, Manor, first place, life science; Leolaga Brown, Manor, first place, models. Emma Pasko, Raisinvlle, second place, earth science. Brady T. Kay, Custer, third place, physical science; Alana Aulph, Manor, third place, life science. Christopher Stein, Arborwood, honorable mention, physical science.
Fifth and Sixth Grades
Marissa Mahoney, Manor, first place physical science.
Eleven Waterloo Elementary School students placed and Waterloo Elementary School earned a $500 award for submitting the most posters in the World Water Day Poster Contest sponsored in Monroe by the Fluid Equipment Development Company LLC (FEDCO.)
FEDCO annually sponsors the contest locally in connection with the worldwide recognition of the importance of water. The 2016 campaign focus was “Water and Jobs: Better Water, Better Jobs.”
Waterloo students submitted 257 posters which earned the school the prize. It will be presented to the school in April. The winning posters will be on permanent display in FEDCO headquarters on Ternes Drive in Monroe.
“FEDCO is proud to support our community and spread the word about water and real jobs it creates right here in Monroe,” said Eli Oklejas, FEDCO president.
Waterloo students who were recognized for their posters were:
Kindergarten – Lily Waltbilling, first; Madelyn Bashaw, second; and Braden Dean, third.
Second Grade – Conner Simmons, second; and Ronny Waletouski, third.
Third Grade – Joshua Sutton, second; and Taylor Ray, third.
Fourth Grade – Jade Bean, second; Mallory Standifer, third.
Fifth Grade – Spencer Atwood, third.
Sixth Grade – Bethany Bashaw, second.
Monroe High School senior Darian Reed recently placed as a finalist in two competitions in the Business Professionals of America State Leadership Conference. Because of his finishes in Database and Advanced Spreadsheets, he now advances to the National BPA Conference May 5-9 in Boston. This is the second consecutive year that Darian has participated in the national finals. Last year he was 10th in the nation in Access Database.