MCAS Communicator

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On Tuesday, the MCAS Board of Trustees approved some revisions to our Reopening 2020 plan, as we prepare for many of our students to return for in-person instruction beginning October 19th. The biggest change is a new decisionmaking matrix that is aligned to the State of Indiana's new color-coding system for COVID-community spread. Other changes include updates on specifics re: mask-wearing, school exclusion/return due to COVID, and the dress code replacing Dress for Success this year. We'll also be creating a COVID data dashboard on our website, to share the number of active cases in our district.

Please take a moment to review the updated plan and other documents, which have now been posted on the district COVID web page. Thank you to all who have been working on our Reopening planning and providing feedback!

http://educateMC.net/COVID

This is a very important year to make sure you have a flu shot!

Walgreens will be at MCHS in the teacher's lounge on Thursday, Oct. 29th from 2:00pm until 4:30pm to give flu shots to any interested MCAS staff/family members. Walgreens will bill your insurance, Medicare or Medicaid (please bring insurance info). They ask that you sign up in advance - schools will have sign up sheets. Questions? Contact Linda Bechinski at lbechinski@mcas.k12.in.us.

Food Service continues to distribute a week’s worth of breakfast and lunch meals every Monday for our online learners. Thanks to a change in USDA funding, they were recently able to expand to serve all children age 18 and under (not just our students). This allows us to serve Head Start and other PreK students in the community. Distribution info and a form to order meals are HERE. Please note that meals must be pre-ordered by NOON on WEDNESDAY for the following Monday pickup.

The Wolves have been allotted 250 tickets for this Friday's football game at Portage. Tickets are on sale now in the Athletic Office! All tickets are $6, and the Athletic Office is open from 8-3:30 daily. Ticket sales will be cut off at noon on Friday, with any remaining tickets available at the gate at Portage HS on Friday night. All tickets are first-come, first serve. Go Wolves!

Safe Harbor is seeking employees for before and after school programs. Interested? Apply online at https://employment.mcas.k12.in.us/ . Questions? Contact Program Director Abby May at amay@mcas.k12.in.us. Please spread the word!

The Michigan City Commission for Women is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. Many women and men, known as Suffragists, fought for decades to win this right.

An important Suffragist was from Michigan City! Naomi Bowman Talbert Anderson was known throughout the United States for her life of activism, fighting the dual oppression of being both African American and female.

To honor Anderson, the Commission is holding a POETRY CONTEST for students in grades K-12, "How Naomi Anderson Inspires Me."

Entry information is here.

Hurry! The deadline is Friday, October 9th (Note: This deadline may be extended.) For more information, contact Sarah Jones, sarahjoy20012004@gmail.com.

• Congratulations to Krueger Middle School, which held a ribbon-cutting for its brand new ($100,000!) fitness room last month! Thanks to the video grant submission by Josh Malone, John Boyd, Ryan Labis, Jenny Jones, and Kevin Jones, KMS was one of only 3 schools in Indiana chosen to receive this amazing room by the nonprofit National Foundation for Governors Fitness Councils. The group video chatted with “Body by Jake” Jake Steinfeld, who chairs this group. Note: We are embargoed on releasing the good news publicly about this until after October 5.
• Congratulations to Barker Middle School teacher Gayle Davis, who has been selected as a Teach Plus Indiana Fellow for 2020-21. Teach Plus is a national nonprofit that empowers teachers to advocate for and lead improvements in education policy and instructional practice. Dr. Davis teaches PLTW courses at Barker, and she works with Barker students in the Robotics, Theatre, Barker News Network, and Safe Harbor's Club Discovery.
• Congratulations to Pine Elementary art teacher Holly Beadles and her students! Artwork created by kindergarten students last spring is now featured on banners in the Uptown Arts District. The banners were created to celebrate the Michiana Humane Society's 100th anniversary.

MCAS Associate Superintendent Dr. Wendel McCollum will be featured on Dunebrook’s "Tuesday at Ten" Facebook series at 10:00am on Oct. 13th. He will share tips for parents on helping their children succeed at school this year - both in person and online. This program is a recorded livestream and can be watched at a later date on Dunebrook’s FB page or YouTube.

The MCHS Athletic Booster Club is holding a give-back at Carlson's Drive In on Monday, October 12. The required coupon is HERE!

Do you know a college-bound high school student (and their parents)? Be sure to tell them about the “Create Your Future” seminar series on Facebook Live, hosted by Aaron Garrett, MCAS College and Career Coordinator. These seminars air on the Michigan City High School Facebook on Thursdays at 5:30pm, and recordings of past presentations are also posted there. Topics to date have included an overview of the college application process, one on “Writing Essays for College Admissions and Scholarships” (featuring English Teacher Tyler Evans), and searching for scholarships. TONIGHT at 5:30 the seminar will provide tips on completing the FAFSA. Our high school is also partnering with Ivy Tech to present Facebook Live sessions on the Next Level Jobs program on October 8 at 5:30, and on their “Transfer as a Junior” program on November 4 at 5:30. Thank you to all who are presenting and watching this valuable series!

• The Indiana eLearning Lab is a free, dynamic virtual hub that includes free eLearning resources, Communities of Practice for teachers, parents, and administrators, as well as free professional development (that logs a record to submit directly to LVIS for PGP points!). This resource is being made free to ALL Indiana teachers, parents and educators through the Indianapolis eLearning Fund and the Indy College Football Playoff 2022 Host Committee. The eLearning Fund was created by a partnership between the Richard M Fairbanks Foundation, the Eli Lilly Foundation, The Mind Trust and the Indianapolis Mayor's Office, along with generous support from many other donors.
  

  • Sign up for free at inelearninglab.com
  • Take a virtual tour of the eLearning Lab!
  • Here is a quick form where you can give feedback on the lab.

  
  

• Have a question, or want to find out more information to boost your virtual teaching? Rachel Swanson office hours are available for brief drop-in appointments. Book two spots if you need more than 15 minutes. Spots can be for individuals or a grade level partner or co-teacher. Follow the link to secure your spot. https://calendly.com/rachelswanson/michigan-city-tech-support-office-hours
  

  
  

• Thursday, October 8: Creating Activities in Seesaw: Join Rachel Swanson for training on creating activities in Seesaw on Thursday, October 8 from 12:00-3:00. This session will go through how to use the Seesaw tools to create activities such as spotlight search and find activities, scratch-off activities, and listen and write activities. We'll also have time for Q&A and troubleshooting. Leave with more ideas for engaging your students with Seesaw. If interested in participating, sign up HERE!
  
  

• The Feed the Children Teacher Store in Elkhart is opening for the 2020-21 school year! Details were shared with all teachers in an email earlier this week. Just a reminder that they are on EASTERN time - and also that they limit this opportunity to classroom teachers only (no administrators, support staff, or other certified staff.) For more info on what this is: https://www.feedthechildren.org/resources/teacher-store/

Horace Mann recently announced that it is giving all public school educators and school districts nationwide access to its Student Loan Solutions suite of student loan management resources, which includes guidance on how to successfully qualify for federal student loan forgiveness available to educators. Teachers, administrators, school staff, and recent college graduates pursuing a career in teaching can sign up directly for the Student Loan Solutions program at horacemann.com/student-loan-debt-help.

Indiana Wesleyan University's School of Education is offering educators a 15% discount on tuition for all education degree programs, through October 31. (The discount would be applied during the entire degree program, but the program must be started prior to October 31 in order to qualify for this opportunity.) Details are here.