our schools district newsletter-march 2015

Allegan Public Schools - “Striving for Excellence” www.alleganpublicschools.org

March 28, 2015

Early College - Allegan CountyStudents in Allegan County high schools who take advan-tage of the new Early College program can earn free college credits that lead to a two-year degree! A new partnership between AAESA and Lake Michigan College will provide an opportunity to earn an Associate’s Degree during the student’s last few years in high school. Students who are selected for this program will be required to commit to one extra year of high school. By the end of their 13th year, they will not only have earned their high school diploma, but also a 2-year college degree. Tuition is free for students in the Early College program. 10th graders interested in applying for this program should contact their high school counseling offi ce prior to April 1, as a limited number of students will be selected from each school district.

Allegan County School Boards Association

“OUTSTANDING PEOPLE FOR EDUCATION”

AwardNominations due April 1

(See page 14 for nomination form or visit any Allegan County school website)

SPRING BREAK: APRIL 3-10

Kindergarten Round-UpThursday, April 162 sessions: 12-1:30 pm

& 5:30-7:00 pm

High School Conference Center

Children who are 5 years old by September 1 should register! Contact any of our Elementary Schools to fi nd

out what to bring with you to registration.

Bounce House• Crafts• Find out Info about • your schoolSnacks• Bus Ride• Register for Kinder-• garten!!!!!

IMPORTANT – KEEP NEAR YOUR PHONE Allegan Public Schools

Telephone Numbers Administration Office ................................... 673-5431 Kevin Harness (superintendent) Bill Hammer (director of operations) Cheryl-Marie Manson (director of instruction) George Mohr (state and federal programs) Allegan High School ................................... 673-7002 Jim Mallard, Ron Orr (principals) L.E. White Middle School ............................ 673-2241 James Antoine, Jaym Abraham (principals) Dawson Elementary ...................................... 673-6925 Joe James (principal) North Ward Elementary ................................ 673-6003 Becky Corbett (principal) Pine Trails Elementary .................................. 673-5379 Dave Kanine (principal) West Ward Elementary .................................. 673-7000 Harry Dalm (principal) Allegan Alternative High & Adult Ed ........... 673-5433 Laura Feffer (principal) Special Education .......................................... 673-5431 Cheryl-Marie Manson (director) Tasha Frigmanski (supervisor) Athletic Office ............................................... 673-7002 Matthew Stofer (director) Pool/Aquatics ................................................ 673-7002 Mark Mattox (ext. 5507) Maintenance Department .............................. 673-2085 George Zeock (supervisor) Transportation Department .......................... 673-2203 Darrell Stoughton (supervisor) Food Service .............................................. 673-7002 Barb Elenbaas (supervisor) ext. 5517 School Web page: www.alleganpublicschools.org

The “Our Schools News” is a publication of Allegan Public Schools. It is published at least four times annually and mailed to all residents of the Allegan area. If you know of someone who is not receiving this publication that would benefit from receiving it, please contact Joni VanNieuwenhuyzen, editor, at 673-5431 or email: [email protected]

Dr. Wittkop Retires from Board of EducationDale Wittkop presided over his last school board meeting as president in December, retiring after serving eight years on the board of education. Dur-ing his tenure, Dale served in the of-fices of president, vice president, and treasurer and also served on numerous board committees. He was an integral part of the Finance Committee during the most recent bond issue, and has been highly supportive of technol-

ogy advancements in the district. Superintendent Harness presented Dr. Wittkop with a plaque for his service, as well as a lifetime pass for athletic events, and stated, “Dale’s greatest contribution has been his desire to always put kids first in all decision-making!”

Allegan Public Schools 2014-15Board of EducationRegular Meeting Schedule

April 13, 2015 (7:00 p.m.)May 11, 2015 (7:00 p.m.)June 22, 2015 (6:00 p.m.)

July 13, 2015 (6:00 p.m.) Organizational Meeting

- Most regular meetings scheduled for the 2nd Monday of each month, except for June 22, 2015 meeting, which is the 4th Monday.- Regular meetings during school year are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.- Regular meetings during the summer (June, July, Aug.) begin at 6 p.m.- All meetings to be held at the Allegan Public Schools’ Administration Building, 550 Fifth Street, Allegan MI 49010.

Interested citizens are invited to attend meetings. There is an opportu-nity for public comments of a general nature at the beginning of every board meeting. Persons with disabilities who need special accommodations should contact the Superintendent at 673-5431, or at 550 Fifth Street, Al-legan, MI 49010, ten days prior to the meeting.

Current Board of Education:

Front Row: Mike Fairbanks (president), Vicki Knuckles (vice president), Jeff McLaughlin (secretary), Mary Kasprzyk (treasurer)Back Row: Troy Carns (trustee), Lane Sturman (trustee), Mark Davidhizar (trustee)

“Harness”

. . . the POWER of Education Kevin HarnessSuperintendent

(A message from the superintendent of schools)

“Read to me . . .”These words are music to a parent’s ears... because parents and teachers know that a love of reading can open the door to a world of imagination and information for students of all ages!

One of the main indicators of students’ success in school is their ability to read and understand what they have read. This is not new news. We have known for decades that a student’s reading abilities and reading comprehension skills provide nearly a direct correlation to a student’s success in the classroom. Given this, we are continuing to take steps across all grade levels at Allegan Public Schools to improve students’ literacy:

March is Reading Month• - APS is providing numerous activities and opportunities for students to increase their read-ing abilities, as well as their enjoyment of reading. As is mentioned elsewhere in this edition of the Our Schools News, our spring play put on by the high school drama department is Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat. Activities leading up to the performance, as well as the performance itself, provide excellent opportunities for us to highlight the importance of reading.

Imagination Library• – Dolly Parton started this program that provides a new book every month for children ages 0 to 5 at no cost to the families. The books provided are high quality and age appropriate. If you are interested in signing up a young child for this program visit the website at https://imaginationlibrary.com.“Reading Now” Network• – APS is part of this network formed by the MASA Region 3 Superintendents’ Association that covers a large area of west Michigan. The goal is to improve early reading proficiency through sharing ideas and effective practices across districts.Allegan Rotary Club Dictionary Project• – For the past several years the Allegan Rotary Club has been providing a dictionary to all third graders in the Allegan Public Schools. The dictionaries provide an excellent resource for our students for many years.Library Summer Reading• – The Allegan District Library promotes summer programs that include various hands-on weekly activities revolving around a theme for all ages. There is a competition between our four elementary schools to determine which building has the most students sign up for the program. Library staff visit every school in May to get students excited and involved.Book Fairs• – This is an opportunity provided at several of our elementary schools for students to stock up on summer reading materials at discounted prices.Take/Trade/ Donate a Book• – The goal is to get more books into students’ hands. This program often runs during Parent-Teacher conferences and has been a huge hit in the past.E-books and summer check out • – Students at the high school level have access to e-books over the summer, or they can check out books from the library before the last day of school. Recommended reading lists are also provided.

These programs, as well as many others, have been initiated to not only encourage students to read, but also to provide every opportunity for them to do so. If you want to contribute to your child’s education, and ultimately impact the tools they pos-sess to be successful in life, there is no simpler or more effective way than to read with your child. Better yet, have them read to you -- it’s not only educational, it’s fun!

Brainstormers – Stu-dents love to write stories! And when the traveling group, the Brainstormers come to visit an elementary school, it is even more exciting because this troupe actually reads and acts out some of the stories that students have written, making them come to life! Pine Trails 3rd grader Kay-dence Livingston was one of the students whose story was selected to be acted out by the Brainstormer actors!

“Reading is Magic” This magical theme at Dawson

Elementary included a magician named “Baffling Bill” who provided

students with a special assembly to kick off Reading Month. In the photo,

3rd grader Nora Spreitzer (from Mr. Beauregard’s class) and kindergartner

Dakota Williams (from Ms. Mead’s Y5’s class) assist magician “Baffling

Bill” with his magic trick!

Poets and PhotographersStudents in Mr. Spicer’s 1st grade class at North Ward Elementary received a special treat for March Reading Month. They were visited by award winning author, Helen Frost and acclaimed photographer and illustrator Rick Lieder. These two collaborated on the books “Step Gently Out” and the newly re-leased “Sweep Up the Sun”. In addition to poetry, Helen has taught writing at all levels and she even sat in on a poetry lesson in Mr. Spicer’s class and helped the students to write a group poem!

Michigan Chillers Author March Reading Month began with a scare at West Ward Elementary, as students en-joyed a visit from Johnathan Rand, author of the book series: Michigan Chillers, American Chillers, Freddie Fernorter Fearless First Grader, and The Adventure Club. The students learned that read-ing is not something you do, it is a place you go. Mr. Rand also told them that to become a good author, you must rewrite a story several times. Both students and staff enjoyed thoroughly enjoyed his visit!

MARCH READING MONTH ACTIVITIES were in full swing at all Allegan schools. From special assemblies, to guest readers and authors, to classroom activities that include D.E.A.R. time (Drop Everything And Read), students were immersed in the joy of reading! The month culmi-nated with Allegan High School’s rendition of “The Cat in the Hat” in the Performing Arts Center on March 26-27-28.

Hats Off to Literacy!

West Ward students in back row (left to right): Mark McCracken, Layla Webb, Elliott Pickin. Front row: DeShawnia May, Johnathan Rand, Chris Smith

Pictured with author Helen Frost are (clockwise, from front center): Mya Corbett, Matheson Vernia, Sullivan Garvin, and Kohen Gillies.

Kohen Gillies is getting an autograph from photographer, Rick Lieder.

The “Cat in the Hat” comes to visit the Early Childhood (ECSE) classroom at Dawson Elementary. Students pictured are from Ms. Sternberg’s class (Clockwise from bottom left): Bella Mohrland, Collin Moyer, Brenton Daly, Sydney Allen, Isaiah Smith, Dalton Gibbs, Randy Leighton, Ayden Edwards, Alivia Bowerman.

High School cast members from “The Cat in the Hat” read to Dawson students during “Read-In” Day.

Children’s Literature - Students from Ms. Conrad’s Chil-dren’s Literature Class visited Mrs. Nugent’s Y5’s class at Daw-son Elementary to read picture books with them last fall and will be repeating this exercise this month.

PJ & Read Day - Students from Allegan Alternative High School dressed in pajamas for a special All-School Read Day, complete with milk and cookies!

Emily Groendyk and Angel Baux cozy in their pj’s.

SKYPE - Students in Mrs. Sullivan’s 2nd grade class at West Ward Elementary skyped with author Bill Doyle, who wrote several book series and writes for magazines such as Sports Illustrated for Kids.

What do YOU see?Middle Schools students tried out Rorschach Ink Blot tests to experience what the characters in the story Flow-ers for Algernon did. 8th grader Hailey Raymond from Ms. Hellman’s class explains what she sees in the abstract drawings.

High School senior Skylar

Sanders, ac-companied

by senior Alayna

VanHorn, read to Harper

LeClear and Ash Hardy.

Mid-Year APS Retirees:

Bert Brower, bus driver, retired in January after 15 years with APS.

Josephine (Sue) Farrer retired, after serving18 years at North Ward as an Instructional Assistant.

After serving 20 years as an Instructional Assistant with the district, Marsha Reich retired this winter.

Carol Houser retired after serving 27 years at APS as an Instruc-tional Assistant and Kitchen Attendant.

We wish them all a very happy retirement!

Shopko DonationOur local Shopko store

generously donated $1,500 to Allegan Schools, through their “Give Back” campaign. Over

the past holiday season, Shopko Hometown Allegan collected

signatures from customers and donated $1 for each one! Shopko

is headquartered in Green Bay, WI. Their Foundation supports

community health and education programs . The $1,500 donation

will be used to further enhance our technology programs at APS.

Technology Corner:

Shopko Manager John Harmeyer presents check to

Superintendent Kevin Harness.

Mother-SonFather-Daughter

DANCES(sponsored by the Allegan Post

Prom/Grad BashCommittee and the AHS Class Officers)

Mother/SonMarch 27 (7-9 pm)

Father/DaughterMarch 28 ( 7-9 pm)

Refreshments, Music, Dancing•Open to all APS students•

Cost is $5 per person•Photographer available•

#chataps#chataps is a teacher led weekly public chat discuss-ing hot education topics affecting students and K-12 staff. We value input from APS stakeholders; please join us on Monday nights at 8:30 p.m. by following #chataps.

MACUL ConferenceTwenty-two APS staff attended the MACUL technol-ogy conference in Detroit this month. The conference is the largest of it’s kind, hosting over 5000 participants around one topic: utilizing technology in the classroom to improve student achievement. The theme for this year was collaboration, which goes right along with our Professional Learning Communities. Staff learned not only how to collaborate better with each other using technology but also with students to staff and students to students.

Middle School Achievers Several middle school students were recognized at a re-cent board meeting for their academic accomplishments!

8th grader Lily Ehn was rec-ognized as the winner of the middle school Spelling Bee and also took 2nd place at

the Allegan County Spelling Bee in Wayland.

8th grader Kody Har-rington was the winner of the

L.E.White Geography Bee. He will now take a qualifying exam to see if he makes the

top 100 and a spot at the State Geography Bee in April.

8th grade winners of the “America & Me” essay contest, sponsored by State Farm Insurance, were: 1st place--Chloe Schans (pictured 2nd from left), 2nd place--Megan Collins (not pictured), and 3rd place--Annika Hansen (at left in photo). Teachers Darlene Corey, Ryan Sieg, and Catherine Hellman presented the award. The essays this year were all written about the theme, “My Personal Michigan Hero.” Chloe’s winning essay now advances to the statewide com-petition.

Fleece HatsStudents in Mrs. Dykstra’s 8th grade sewing class made fl eece hats again this year and gave them to the Young 5’s students in Mrs. Mead’s and Mrs. Nugent’s class-rooms. The students had fun learning a new skill and performing a community service project, but mostly they enjoyed the smiles on the kids’ faces as they met with them to read stories and deliver the hats!

Summer 2015 Laker Writing

CampsThese camps, sponsored by Grand Valley State University,

are for students who are interested in learning to become better writers! The teachers will inspire creative thinking and writ-ing as the young writers explore various writing styles and methods of self-expression. Students will meet and write with new friends.

The Allegan session (July 27-30) is being taught by our own Bethany Burnett (5th grade teacher at Daw-son Elementary), and is for students who will be in grades 4-7 in the fall of 2015. Each session is $125 per child. Scholarships are available, so please ask!

Check out the district web-page under Parent Links for the registration form.

SummerBuddies

Summer Buddies is a day-camp experience for elementary students. It is an 8-week program that meets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thurs-days from 8 am til noon.

Summer Buddies was designed to provide children with academic enrichment activities throughout the summer. Using fun “themes” the students may not even notice that they are ac-tually practicing phonics, spelling, math, and fi ne motor skills!

The cost is $40 per week, plus a $20 registration fee. Discounts apply for multiple children from the same family and schol-arships are available!

To apply, check out the APS website under Par-ent Links for the Sum-mer Buddies registration form. For questions, con-tact:

Susan Busfi eld (269) 673-8406or Sara Phillips (269) 522-6621

Tigers Winter Sports News, Spring On Deck

--Congratulations to Coach Rose and the Wrestling pro-gram on another trip to the Division III State Finals after win-ning Conference & Regional titles. Seven wrestlers quali-fiedfortheIndividualStateFinalsledbyChaseBeardwhoreachedtheDivisionIIIStateFinalsat189andfinishedrun-ner-up.JoiningBeardatthefinalswere:DavynnSchneider,Richard Jefferson, Justin Wiseman, Joey Orr, Levi Sabin and Austin Farrell. Both Sabin (7th) & Farrell (8th) joined Beard as All-State Wrestlers. Coach Rose was also named Wolverine Conference Coach-of-the-Year.

--Coach Mattox and the Boys Swimming & Diving team had six swimmers qualify for theDivision III State Finals:Brody Carns, Sy Ter Avest, Charlie Riess, Lucas Bunn, Joel Raymond and Michael Curtis. Two school records were set thisseason:LucasBunninthe50FreestyleandSyTerAv-est in the 100 Breaststroke.

--Congratulations to Varsity Boys Bowling Coach Don Lamb on being named Wolverine Conference Coach-of-the-Year.

--Congratulations to the Varsity Girls Tennis coaching staff and student-athletes on another great "Rally for the Cure" event held with Comstock Park HS held on March 20. They raised over $5,500 for the American Cancer Society!

--Reminder with scheduling changes and spring weather, the best place for updated Spring Sports Schedules is at www.alleganathletics.com where schedules are updated un-der the schedules link at "daily schedules."

--Help support Allegan Athletics as the All-Sports Booster Club is proud to present TRI Allegan 2015! The fourth an-nualsprinttriathlonwillbeheldonTuesday,July21stat5:45pm at Littlejohn Park. For more information on this event, please visit the TRI Allegan web site at www.triallegan.com

Allegan TigerAthletics

By: Matt Stofer, Athletic Director

Tuesday, May 19 (5:30-6:30 pm visual arts & 7:00 talent show)

Enjoy an evening of CREATIVE ARTS as local K-12 artists and talented students entertain you! Visual Arts Open House will be held in the lobby of the AHS Performing Arts Center from 5:30-6:30 p.m. featuirng creations from elementary, middle and high school stu-dents. Followed by high school talent show beginning at 7 p.m.

APS Spring Art Show and

HS Talent Show

Art exhibits such as these masks, created by Dawson 5th grade students in Mrs. Hilsbos’ class will be on display.

This group of Irish dancers from the Ardan Academy in Grand Rapids took 2nd place at the “G.R. Has Talent” contest, and were selected to audition in Chicago for “America’s Got Talent” televi-sion show! Allegan’s own Sabrina Mills (4th from left) and Sasha Mills (4th from right) are members of this talented group!

AHS senior and #1 Singles tennis player Livia Christ-

man recently signed a letter of intent to attend G.V.S.U.

Liv, who is a 3-year All-State player, will play tennis and

plans to study business and accounting.

Tennis Recruit2015

Snowcoming Royalty

King: Alex Wittkop

Queen: McKennah Heckman

Allegan Band “Notes”

Singing TelegramsLovefilledtheairthisValentine’sDay as members of the 8th grade

choir & high school choirs delivered over 100 singing telegrams to fellow

students! High School serenade teamincluded(lefttoright):Tyler

Wykuis, Charlie Ferraro, Nate Wal-lace, Alex Wittkop, Aiden Knoll.

District Solo & EnsembleCongratulations to the following choir students for their participation in solo & ensemble at GVSU. “Good” ratings were awarded to Zeke Butcher & McKennah Heckman. “Excellent” ratings were awarded to the McKennah Heckman & Brianna Price duet, and to soloists Bailey Weaver, Dontae Havinga-Hamilton, Emma Kasprzyk, Brianna Price, Brittany Groenwald & Sadie Clark. Special congrats to McKennah, Brianna, Bailey, Dontae, Sadie, Brittany, and Emma for qualify-ing for State!! Great job all!

Honors ChoirCongrats to McKennah Heckman,

Brianna Price and Jessica Willey who participated in State Honors Choir in January in conjunction with the Michi-gan Music Conference. Special acco-lades go out to Brianna Price on being

selected to participate in Michigan Youth ArtsFestival’s(MYAF)All-StateHonors

Choir, quite a prestigious honor!

Upcoming Events:

Mar 28 - Mattress SaleApr. 18 - MS Solo & EnsembleApr. 21 - 5th grade rental nightApr 27 - Band Boosters Meeting (7 p.m.)May 4 - Allegan Honor BandMay 5 - 6th & 7th grade concertMay 20 - Spring concert (HS & 8th grade bands)May 25 - Memorial Day ParadeMay 28 - Graduation (HS band)July 20-31 - Band Camp

Pizza Hut Fundraiser:

Composer MacCartnyAHS band student Christian MacCartny (center of photo) was selected to perform his original composition at the Honor’s Composition Concert in January at the Am-way Grand Plaza Hotel. He chose the above ensemble of musicians to perform the piece, which was entitled Grass and Goodwinds.

MSBOA Band and Orchestra Festival: Allegan High School Sym-phonic Band earned straight 1’s at this year’s festival at West Ottawa. The 7th and 8th grade bands each earned Division II ratings. District Solo & Ensemble Performers: Congratulations to the fol-lowing Allegan band members who performed at MSBOA District Solo & Ensemble in January. Earning Superior (I) ratings were: Rayanne Wil-liams-Snare Drum Solo, Olivia Duron and Rayanne Williams-Percussion

Duet, Maya Geiselhart-Piano Solo, Colton Fairbanks-Snare Drum Solo, Christian MacCartny-Horn Solo, Ethan Hill-Alto Saxophone Solo, Abby Knuckles-Flute Solo, Wren Ashley-Flute Solo, Wren Ashley & Abby Knuckles-Flute Duet, Madeline Miller, Alicia Olmstead, and Maya Geiselhart-Clarinet Trio, Alex Looman and Joseph LaJoice-Clarinet Duet. Earning Excellent (II) ratings were: Emerald

Dewey - Piano Solo, Megan VerHoeven - Flute Solo, Christian MacCartny - Piano Solo, Cameron Zeter - Baritone Solo, Jasille Rivas & Lydia Huff - Clarinet Duet, Cameron Zeter & Dylan Johnson - Baritone/Tuba Duet, Olivia Duron-Marimba Solo, Christian MacCartny & Benjamin Andrews- Horn Duet, Jared Krug, Cameron Zeter, and Dy-lan Johnson-Brass Trio.

April 15 (5-8 p.m.)

State Solo & Ensemble: Colton Fairbanks (Proficiency III-Snare Solo-Division I), Christian MacCartny (Proficiency II-Horn Solo-Division I), Rayanne Williams (Proficiency II - Snare Drum Solo - Division II), Abby Knuckles (Proficiency I - Flute Solo - Division I), Maya Geiselhart (Proficiency I - Piano Solo-Division I), Wren Ashley (Proficiency I- Flute Solo-Division II), Joseph LaJoice & Alex Looman (Clarinet Duet-Division II), Madeline Miller, Alicia Olmstead & Maya Geiselhart (Clarinet trio-Division I), Rayanne Williams & Olivia Duron (Percus-sion Duet - Division I), Wren Ashley and Abby Knuckles (Flute Duet - Division I)

Learning Center - Helping Students Succeed!The Learning Center is the place where Adult Education and Allegan Online students meet. It is located in the lower level of the Administration Building. Currently there are over 60 Adult Ed. students and over 30 Online students enrolled. This year 15 students have earned their GED Certificates and 77 Official GED tests have been passed. Two students have earned their High School Diploma. Many more students are expected to complete their High School education by the end of the school year. We also have students from Allegan and Hopkins who are behind in credits working in our center on credit recovery. This in-cludes seniors who are hoping to graduate this year. It is a great place for students who need to complete their high school diploma after their class has graduated or who are not successful in the traditional school setting. If you know someone that needs to complete their education, call for more information.

Allegan Adult Education - Age 17 through Adult for High School Diploma or GEDAllegan Online – 6th through 12th grades, Virtual Online SchoolContact us at 269-673-5431, ext. 3054 or [email protected]

FFA AwardAlternative High School student Alyssa Hicks at-tended the 87th Michigan Future Farmers of America (FFA) convention at MSU March 11-13. Alyssa will be receiving an Academic Excellence Award for hav-ing a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher.

Tech AwardsAAHS senior Max Sobeck won two medals at the Business & Technology Challenge, hosted by Baker College on December 16. He is one of several Tech Center students who dominated the competition and brought home the overall win for the Allegan Tech Center (ACATEC). Max tied for 2nd in Internet Search and his team placed 3rd in PC Troubleshooting .

Other AAHS NEWS:Holiday Dinner - Thank you to Immanuel Lu-theran Church who graciously hosted our school again this year for a holiday feast before Winter Break. This annual event is the perfect reminder that there are many organizations and community members that care deeply for our students.

Social Media - Are we FACEBOOK friends? If you are looking for more ways to connect with our school, “like” our Facebook page (search for AAHS Eagles) and follow us on Twitter #aahsea-gles and #AAHSexplore for updates, announce-ments, and celebrations of all the positive things happening in our building!

Allegan High School - 212 ° Students from Allegan High School who were recognized by their teachers for going “above and beyond” displaying good citizenship are pictured above. (Front row left to right): William Hedges, Weston Rife, Thomas Loftus, Christi Carlson, Anna Southwick, Lydia Huff;(Middle row): Alexandria Archer, Miryssa Hill, Madison Poston, Rayanne WIlliams, Colton Fairbanks, Christian MacCartny, Joe Lajoice, Alex Looman; (Back row): Jennifer Wheeler, Trinity DeRidder, Brittany Croyle, Kierra McBride, Chase Borgeson, James Munger, Rielly Meade, Con-nor Mendell.

Dawson Outstanding Students5th graders Harleigh Wesche and Jason Schierbeek were chosen as this year’s

Outstanding Students of the Year at Dawson. Their teachers Mrs. Burnett and Mr. Ouelette

presented the award at the February board meeting.

Mardi Gras Masks

The AHS French Club made masks as a fun Mardi Gras

activity. Bailey Weaver shows off her creation!

Tiger Cart Cafe

Two days a week, the students in Mrs. Lugten’s

life Skills Class sell coffee, tea, and homemade goodies to staff. Students work on employabil-

ity skills, money handling, and

communication skills.

Mackenzie Sturman (personal narrative) and Rose Artman (poetry) were Silver Key winners in this year’s highly prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition. Their work was selected out of 1840 submissions.

AHS Writers Excel!

Congrats to AP Lit students (left to right): Madeline Miller, Nate Wallace, Jacob Hansen, Connor Mendell, Mackenzie Sturman, and their English teacher, Nancy Hascall! Their poems placed in Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s Artifactory Poetry Contest, and were read

at a special event held in February at the museum.

These authors were among the 1,000 finalists in the Michigan Youth Arts Festival Writing Com-petition. Over 250,000 students across Michigan participated in this competition which included music, dance, theatre, creative writing, visual art

and media arts. (Left to right): Rose Artman, Alexandria Archer, and Madeline Miller.

Congratulations to playwright Alex Wittkop! His clever one-act play, “W.H.O.’s Taking Care of Ebola,” will be performed by the Al-legan Community Players on May 15 and 16 at the Griswold!!

Quiz Bowl!The Allegan High School Quiz bowl team of Connor Mendell, Matt Harris, Joe McClelland, and Max Clark tied for first place in the League and qualified for the State competition in Lansing in April! They won two round-table tournaments of more than 34 teams from 8 schools! Wish them luck at MSU as they test their knowledge of a variety of subjects against students from around the state!

Cooking ClassStudents in 3rd-5th grade from all four elementaries have been learn-ing how to cook with Chef Stephanie. In this after-school program, they are learning the basics of kitchen skills, such as chopping food, kitchen safety, and healthy ingredients. And their favorite part is tast-ing the yummy snacks they have created!

In the SwimWhile the February snow was falling out-side, Allegan students were practicing their swimming techniques during 3rd grade swim lessons at the Aquatic Center. Pictured are North Ward students: Brycen Heckman, Pey-ton Keilman, and Riley Brown.

5th grade campStudents from the four elementary schools get to experi-ence an outdoor camping experience at the Battle Creek Outdoor Education Center. Canoeing, campfires, and outdoor science games were all part of the fun! A big THANK YOU to the Educational Foundation of Allegan Public Schools for helping to fund this annual event for our students.

Ecology & TechnologyMs. Eichbauer’s Ecology Class is getting “techy”! Students used their netbooks to research and plan a Great Lakes Fishing Trip for a family of four. They had to include all the costs and develop a presentation on their findings. Stu-dents learned that our economy is just another reason to protect our wonderful environment! COLLECTING PLASTIC: Ecology students at the high school are also collecting plastic bottles, jugs, and contain-ers to create an Earth Day sculpture!

Earth DayApril 22

Students at North Ward Elementary enjoyed a visit from four Chinese students currently attending WMU. They gave the students insights into the traditions of Chinese culture by writing and speaking Chinese and helping students to make traditional decorations.

Chinese New Year

North Ward 3rd graders making paper lanterns: Kya Holdeman, Samantha Mills, and Amara Peters.

Project L.E.A.N.(Linking Education, Activity

and Nutrition)

Mindy Sturman, Project LEAN educator from the VanBuren ISD, is on a mission to “bring healthy back”!!! She has been visit-ing various classrooms throughout the dis-trict to help students learn about healthy food choices and and staying active!

Students from Amy Rogers’ kindergarten class at West Ward are: (clockwise, starting at “Grains” at 3:00, in pink) Jessica Babcock, Linkoln Dillon, El-lise Wedge, David Reyes, Sawyer Wedge, Gracey Wil-kes, Patrick Ramaker, Leah Howey, Landen Geddes, Jayden Reed, and Oliver Burnett.

Pine Trails 3rd grader Jakob Whaley enjoying a “spa moment” before eat-

ing the cucumbers with cream cheese on a whole wheat bagel!

North Ward Elementary 4th grade classes were invited to the Ka-lamazoo Institute of Arts to participate in “Picturing America” where they had an opportunity to explore America’s past through works of art. They even got to create their own clipper ship piece based on their observations. The tour guides commented on the Ms. Licavoli’s student’s attentiveness and good manners! A big thank you to Pfizer, Santreece Foundation and Zoetis for sponsor-ing this event!

K.I.A. Art

Experience

4th grader Alexander Ruis shows his painting.

Primary ColorsStudents in Ms. Sternberg’s Early Childhood class at Dawson Elementary mixed primary colors to make

more colors!

Mark Mattox - Aquatic Director (ext 5507)CathyMorgan,Rec.OfficeAsst.(ext5504)

Pool Information: 673-7002 (ext. 5541)email: [email protected]

2015 Spring Programs

Open Swim: Everyone is welcome! Both pools are open, and swim-mers may use the slide, lazy river, basketball hoop, and diving boards. Bring the whole family! Open Swim is offered on Friday night (7:00-8:30 pm) and Saturday afternoon (12:00-2:00 pm). Cost: $1 pre-K and younger / $2 K-12 and Senior Citizen / $3 Adults / $10 Whole Family.

Lap Swim: Lap swim is available in the main competition pool at 3 different times: Morning (6:30 to 7:30 am, M-Th); Noon (12:00-1:00 pm, M-F); and Evening (7:30-8:30 pm, M-Th). Lap swimmers are welcome to borrow fi ns, kickboards or pull buoys. Cost: $2; punch cards for 10, 20 and 30 visits are available.

Aqua Fitness: This class is for those interested in a low-impact, high-intensity and total-body workout. Our expert instructor provides clear in-structions for specifi c movements that target all your major muscle groups. M, W and Th: 4:00-5:00 pm; S: 10:30-11:00 am. Cost: $4; $35 for a 10 visit punch card; $215 for 6 month pass; and $380 for a full year.

Family Fun: Come and enjoy our leisure pool area. Family Fun par-ticipants can use the slide, lazy river and any of the other amenities in our leisure pool area. T, W: 10:00-11:00 a.m. Cost: $1 per person

Aqua Zumba: This class is for those interested in a high-intensity, fun workout that incorporates dance-style movements. Our expert instruc-tor will guide participants through a series of movements done to the beat of good music. M, W: 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. Cost: $7 or $50 for a 10 visit punch card

Senior Swim: This program makes our leisure pool area available to those 60 and over. Participants can walk with and against the lazy river current or use our warm water lessons pool. T: 3:00-4:00 pm; F: 10:00-11:00 am. Cost: FREE

Swimming Lessons: Did you know that chil-dren who learn to swim are more likely to succeed in school? Give your child the gift of water safety and a step up educationally. We offer regular swimming lessons as well as Parent-Child classes for children up to 18 months. Cost: $30 for 9 lessons, $55 for 18 les-sons.

Pool Rentals: Contact the pool offi ce for more information regarding rates and availability.

Tri-Allegan Adult Swimming Group: This adult swim-ming class will cover freestyle technique and training with an emphasis on preparation for open water, triathlon swimming. For adults of any ability level. May 11-July 15 (Mondays and Wednesday) Cost: $50 or $4 drop- in fee.

Allegan Tigershark Aquatic Club is getting ready for Spring and Summer sessions of competitive swimming. Groups now forming for ages 6 and above. See the APS website under Recreation/

Aquatics for details and registration form.

Community Walk/Run on Track: 6:00 - 8:30 AM and 6:30 - 8:30 PM (FREE and

open to the public - Court time may also be avail-able for APS students only, during walk/run times)•Basketball and Tennis Court Rental ($15 per hour)

•Contact Athletic Offi ce at 673-7002 (ext. 5519 or 5520) or email [email protected]

for questions or to make a reservation.

Other Recreation Programs:Youth Baseball

T-ball, Rookie, Minor, Major, and Pony Leagues now forming!

Contact Matt Wendt (269) 686-6015 for information.

Girls SoftballFor girls in 3rd-8th grade

Contact Coach Lang(269) 673-5257

Summer TennisLessons begin June 15.

Tiny Tykes, Elementary ages, Middle & High School groups

Also Mixed Doubles League (Monday evenings) Contact Coach Aldrich at ext. 4809 or [email protected]

Rocket FootballEarly Sign-ups: April 14-22

visit:www.alleganrocketfootball.com

for information

FROM:Allegan Public Schools550 Fifth StreetAllegan, MI 49010

ECRWSTO: Current Resident Allegan, MI 49010

Non-Profi tOrg.

U.S. PostagePAID

PERMIT#192

The Allegan Public School District complies with all federal laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, marital status, political belief, or physical or mental handicap or disability--in all of its programs and in employment. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Superintendent of Schools, 550 Fifth Street, Allegan, MI (phone 269-673-5431).

Allegan Public Schools offers a quality preschool experience for 3 and 4 year olds. This tuition program includes half day sessions on M-W-F for 4 year olds and T-Th for 3 year olds. Preschool is now enrolling for next year! Contact teacher Judi McCall about Tiger’s Den Preschool (673-7002, ext. 3148 or email [email protected]).

Our Tiger’s Den Daycare program offers a licensed daycare for pre-school students in the Tiger’s Den half-day programs, or for all el-ementary students before and after school. Contact Sara Phillips (673-7002, ext. 3138) for information about daycare.

FREE PRESCHOOL in Allegan County

Head Start & Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP)Allegan County offers Head Start and GSRP preschool for income eligible families with children turning 3 or 4 years of age by Sep-tember 1, 2015. Children of all abilities are encouraged to apply.

Transportation may be available. Enrollment begins March 2015. For more information, call:

888.824.0032 or visit www.alleganaesa.

org/earlyed.

Tiger‛s Den Preschool and Daycare

Kids Hope USA20 year celebration with North Ward Elementary

at United Methodist Church

Sunday, April 19, 2015

(9:30 a.m.)

Guest Speaker: Virgil Gulker, Founder

of Kids Hope USA

An all-church potluck will follow the service

Questions: contact Karen Rambadt, Kids Hope USA Director at UMC (269) 673-4236

AAESA Board ElectionThe Allegan Area Educational Service Area (formerly known as the Allegan County ISD) will have two open seats on its board of educa-tion to be fi lled at an election on June 1, 2015 (local school boards in Allegan County will each cast a vote). Interested candidates must fi le by May 4. Contact AAESA at (269) 673-2161 for fi ling information.

Current preschoolers Ainsley, Myles and Addison show off the animal

headbands they made while learning about the rainforest!

our schools district newsletter-march 2015

Documents