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May 2013 PDF Print Email

Dear Parents and Guardians,

 

As we wind down the school year, we have much to be proud of; I hope you enjoy the many highlights of our students, schools, and staff’s wonderful achievements:

Ø  Central High School has been awarded the Great Expectations’ Progressive School Status!  This has been a four year process and the next step is to become a Fully Certified GE High School which could make it the first such high school in the nation! Congratulations to Central’s administration and staff.

Ø  The following students have received recognition for their artwork in the Michigan Art Education Assoc. (MAEA) 2013 state adjudication: 

o   Top Show in the Middle School Division: Josilyn Welch, Western Middle School, Teacher-Marilyn Muler and Skyler Steward, Western Middle School, Teacher-Marilyn Muler

o   Top 15, Elementary Division: Gabrella Ricupati, Washington Elementary, Teacher-Diane Brown

o   Top 75, Elementary Division: Anna Sommerfield, Auburn Elementary, Teacher-Diane Brown and Kennedy Sage, Mackensen Elementary, Teacher-Janelle Lind

Ø  Of 5,504 student athletes who participated in MHSAA HS Bowling this season, only 15 Boys and 15 Girls are selected in each of the four divisions for All State Honors. In MHSAA Division 2 Boys, Bay City Western Senior Tim Kuch was selected to 2nd Team All State; Bay City Western Junior, Haley Delestowicz, was selected to 3rd Team All State for girls. Senior Abigail Kuehne was selected to Division 2 Senior All Academic Team. 

Ø  Central senior Claire Forrest earned an overall medal (equivalent to second place or higher) at DECA and will travel to Anaheim, California, to compete in the DECA International Career Development Conference.  She competed in Fashion Merchandising Promotion.

Ø  In the 6th season of the Head to Head competition, (where 6th, 7th & 8th grade student compete in written tests in eight subject areas), the following students placed:

o   Language Arts: Cailynn Aumock, Western MS (Bronze)

o   Music: Nikki Hughes, Handy MS and Tyler Vincent, Handy MS (tied for Bronze)

o   Real World: Jacob Walraven, Western MS (Silver)

o   Science: Sydney Hutchinson, Handy MS (Gold)

o   Social Studies: Jacob Walraven, Western MS (Gold)

o   Art: Eileen Kelly, Western MS (Silver)

o   Vocal Ensemble: Lauren Pfund, Adriana Geno, Lexee Olson, Savannah Hegyi, Austin Knarr, Kaitlyn Viaene, Julie DeBats and Paige Talaga, Western MS students (Gold)

o   Interpretive Speaking Solo: Cailynn Aumock, Western MS (Silver)

Ø  Central sent 88 students to SVSU’s Math Olympics; 3 students received Honorable Mention.

Ø  Eden Wisniewski, Western HS, was awarded Best Jazz Vocalist at the College Jazz Festival.

Ø  Charles Proctor, senior at Bay City Western HS, was selected as the ESPN 100.9 FM Student-Athlete of the Month for April.  Charles is a three-sport standout for BCW and will attend Michigan Tech in the fall.

Ø  Central's Forensic team qualified for the State competition.

Ø  The Bay City Western Wrestling team has been recognized by the Michigan Wrestling Association for a Team Academic All-State Honor.  Coach Steve Goss and Assistant Coach Isaiah Thomas instituted a team study-hall two years ago and this honor is a direct result of their efforts.

Ø  Bay Music Foundation scholarship winners performed at the State Theatre last Sunday. First place winners received a $500 scholarship and second place winners a $400 scholarship.

 

First place winners: Elizabeth Bruessow, Handy MS, Intermediate Piano; Jacob Leppek, Western HS, Senior Piano; Morgan Steele, Handy MS, Intermediate Vocal; Betsy Miller, Handy MS, Intermediate Musical Theater; and Andrew Schindler, Western HS, Senior Musical Theater

 

Second place winners: Tyler Kilvington, Handy MS, Intermediate Instrumental, Trumpet; and Carly Dauer, Western HS, Senior Vocal

Honorable Mention: Becca Self, Western HS, Senior Instrumental

Ø  Craig Windt, Central HS, was accepted as one of 25 teachers from across the nation for a National Endowment for the Humanities program on African culture and history this summer (4 weeks at MSU).

Ø  Megan Tourda-Nelsen, Central High English teacher, has been asked to coach the All-Star Cheer team at the Annual East-West All-Star Football game at GVSU in June.

Ø  Mark Piotrowski, Handy MS art instructor, has a solo exhibition at the Midland Center for the Arts from  April 20 through June 27, 2013.  A public reception will be held May 11, 7:00-9:00 p.m. (no charge).

 

I welcome your questions and comments (671-8165 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

 

Sincerely, Douglas L. Newcombe, Superintendent
 
April 2013 PDF Print Email

Dear Parents and Guardians,

 

Spring has sprung with Spring Break now a pleasant memory; we are excited to get back to the books and learning! There’s much yet to accomplish in our school year and an abundance of activities occurring throughout the District.  I hope you have the opportunity to visit our websites to stay informed and I invite you to view our graduates’ testimonial video on our main web page.

 

I enjoy sharing highlights of the many wonderful achievements of our students, schools, and staff:

Ø  Of the 56 Handy 7th graders in Honors ELA/Honors SS (Lari Mackenzie’s/Kyrsten Floyd’s classes) who competed at District 5 level of the Michigan History Day competition, 13 will move on to state competition at SVSU on April 27.  This is the 3rd year Handy competed and the 3rd year making it to the state level.  Students, projects, categories:

Emily Engelhart -- The Underground Railroad, Individual Websites
Collin VanDorn -- Pearl Harbor, America 's Turning Point, Individual Website
Grant Layle and Parker Haller -- Spies of the Civil War, Group Documentary
Ellie Majewski and Alexis Harjo -- The Tragedies of the Holocaust, Group Documentary
Jared Kaufman -- A Quest for Free Will: The Voyage of the Mayflower, Individual Performance
Lydia Grudzinski -- Women's Fight for Equal Rights, Individual Exhibit
Elly Villeneuve and Briar Kukla -- The Path to Freedom, Group Exhibit
Eric Lehman, Nicholas Ciesla and Jacob Murawski -- 9/11 Never Flying Free Again, Group Exhibit

Ø  Of 56 Central High AP US History students who competed at the regional Michigan History Day competition at the planetarium (Turning Points in History), four students advanced to State competition at SVSU at the end of April: 

Caleb Reed for his website, Introduction of Slaves to the United States,

Jerome Gifford, Mason Nelson & Cole Pero for the exhibit, The Battle of Stalingrad

Ø  Sherri Adcock, Hampton School, was chosen as Hampton’s Most Spirited teacher for Saginaw Spirit Hockey Team.

From Western High:

Ø  The girls bowling team finished 3rd in the State; two made it to the match play Singles State Finals.  Amber Boelter (14th) & Claudia Gielda (13th) competed in the Individual State Finals.

Ø  The boys bowling team finished 5th in the State.  Both the boys and the girls’ teams lost to the eventual State Champion.  Congratulations to both teams and coaches Rick Dodick, Dennis Miller, and Jeff Hahn. (A special thank you to Monitor Lanes for all the assistance they provide throughout the year.)

Ø  The Central/Western Hockey team won a first-ever Regional title with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Swartz Creek. 

Ø  The wrestling team placed three individuals at The Palace during the State competition. Christian Schoenherr finished 2nd at 130 pounds, Jacob Alarie (215 pounds), and Tom Schoenherr (125 pounds) both finished 8th in the state.

Ø  Best of luck to Bay City Western's Quiz Bowl Team - competing at MSU on April 6.

Ø  Megan Rohde, Joan Malecki and Christine Robinson were selected to attend 10 days of Professional Development (all expenses paid) for reading and the common core (research-based practices /routines to support and improve students’ reading, thinking and learning).  The training begins this summer and extends through next school year.


Heartwarming Story from McAlear-Sawden

Every year, Maier and Associates gives away bikes to students who display great citizenship. McAlear-Sawden’s Jill Vasquez wondered what would happen if one of their wheelchair-bound students won. When asked, one student admitted he could not ride a “normal” bike, which got her thinking about the possibility of purchasing a special bike to assist wheelchair bound students with balance or other students with physical issues. Principal Mike Connors suggested she contact Maier and Associates with her idea and see if they could assist.  Maier and Associates did more than assist.  They purchased two specialized bikes for two wheelchair bound students, picked the two families up in a limousine and took them to a Spirit Hockey game.  In addition, the manager at a local Meijer who is also on the board at Maier and Associates "Just for Kids" organization, arranged for a gift card so that Jill could purchase one of these special bikes for the school to help other students who have never had the opportunity to ride a bike. 

 

Technology Update

We are reviewing District technology.  Our review includes the policies, practices, and steps needed in order to have technology more available to teachers and students directly in the classroom for learning by using mobile devices and with appropriate support.  This is our next step with technology.

 

Safety

Safety is a main priority at BCPS.  We review safety plans and practices continuously and adjust what is needed through our practice drills and through consultations with our law enforcement partners. Currently, we are testing buzzers/camera systems in some buildings and may expand this to other buildings if deemed effective.

 

As always, I welcome your questions and comments (671-8165 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

 

Sincerely, Douglas L. Newcombe, Superintendent
 
March 2013 PDF Print Email

Dear Parents and Guardians,

 

Hopefully the prospect of warmer weather in upcoming months is good news.   With the March newsletter, I would like to share some good news items from our District.   MEAP scores were released and I’m happy to report that overall we are moving in a positive direction with student achievement.  I am very proud of your children/ our students with what they are accomplishing in school both academically and in extracurricular activities.  I am also very proud of our teachers and staff.   We are also aware that we have plenty of room for improvement and that is our goal.   Thank you, as always, for supporting our teachers and staff as it takes support from home and school for our young people to be successful and contribute positively in our society.

 

I want to share a few of the many achievements of our students and staff:

Ø  Three Central High students are finalists for the National Merit Scholarship: Cody Helmling, Kelsey Keipert, and Duane London.

Ø  Washington Elementary student council members delivered “Mugs of Love” for the third year in a row (a Valentines Week activity) to citizens at Pine Towers, the Carriage House and our own Maintenance Department staff.

Ø  From Western High School:

o    Senior Charles Proctor has been named a finalist for the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete competition.  Charles is in his fourth year of wrestling, played four years of football, two years of baseball, and two years of track.

o    The Pom's team finished 11th in the State.

o    Wrestlers Charles Proctor, Jacob Alarie, Christian Schoenherr, and Tom Schoenherr qualified for individual state finals.  Thanks go out to many people for an extremely successful Individual Wrestling Regional Tournament on February 23.

o    The Boys Bowling team tied for first place for the Saginaw Valley League title.

Ø  From Linsday Elementary:

o    Over a third of the school enjoyed Grandparents Breakfast in February; children enjoyed reading to their grandparents, doing a craft, and giving a school tour.

o    Teachers Josie Ramirez and Melinda Howard received a Target grant to Grossology.

o    Sarah Sinclair received a $200 Meemic Insurance book grant to purchase informational texts and a $250 grant from Meijer for a class service project (making/donating toiletry kits for our local women's shelter).

o    Principal Deb VanSumeren received a $400 grant award from Michigan Youth Arts and Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs, for an art-based field trip to the Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum at SVSU.

o    Teachers Michelle Scott and Sarah Sinclair received a grant from Bay Sail to visit the Appledore this spring.

Ø  From Western Middle School:

o    Allison VanDriessche received a $700 Target Field Trip grant to send students to the Chippewa Nature Center in May for Soil Testing and Wetlands programs; an Asus Transformer Pad (like an etablet) and Inspire Wireless speakers for classroom technology through DonorsChoose.org; and $500 from the American Chemical Society (ACS) and plans to enhance classroom technology.

o    Greg Martin, 6th grade ELA, launched a research project by having students bring in their own devices (BYOD).  Students brought Nooks, iPads, iPods, and Kindles to research an assigned topic and used  devices to gain an understanding of the proper components of a research paper.

o    Mrs. Miller's 7th grade SAM math class is working with Mrs. Chase's 4th graders at Washington Elementary and created a reference book as a tool to help 4th graders with math concepts.  Students included step-by-step directions and procedures, examples, and illustrations for each topic. 

Ø  Rebecca Field, 5th grade GT at Kolb, has been named the Spirit Hockey Team's Teacher of the Year.

 

An important reminder is that Kindergarten Registration is now taking place. If you have a child who will be 5 years old on or before Nov. 1, or if you know of someone who would like to register their child, registrations are accepted at the “home” school.  If you’re unsure of which school, you may call our Students Services Office at 989.671-8121 for more information.

 

Beth Ann Fall, our French Exchange coordinator, shared that we are matched this year – our 5th year - with a group from Lyon, France.  Madam Fall will travel there with 7 students from Hampton, McAlear and Handy from March 16-March 29.  From April 19-May 5, we will host 25 5th grade visitors from Lyon France.  This is such a great cultural opportunity for our students, staff and families – both hosting and visiting. 

 

In closing, I’d like to wish you all great spring-like weather wherever you choose to spend the upcoming spring break (March 29-Aprl 5). I welcome your questions and comments; you can contact me at 671-8165 or email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .)

 

Sincerely,
Douglas L. Newcombe, Superintendent
 
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