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HURRY! Applications are due TOMORROW for small teacher grants from the Michigan City Education Foundation, Barbara A. Carmen Memorial Endowment Fund, and Teacher Innovation Fund. These funds provide $$$ for classroom projects, activities, and materials -- there are programs for K-8 teachers and for 9-12 (both MCHS and AK Smith). Don't delay! Click here to apply online!

Through September 3, teachers who haven’t had a project funded on DonorsChoose will receive a $50 donation when they submit a request. Bonus: they’ll match donations during the project’s first week on the site. Already a DonorsChoose pro? You’ll get $25 for making the referral and the teacher you recruit gets a $50 kickoff donation! Get all the details of this offer in the DonorsChoose help center: https://help.donorschoose.org/hc/en-us/articles/8116895836311

The Indiana Retired Teachers Association has Active Teacher Grants available, courtesy of the Indiana Retired Teacher Foundation, Inc. Grants of up to $500 are available to K-12 teachers to be used in the areas of resources, leadership, research, or materials. APPLICATIONS ARE DUE SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 Click the link below for applications and more information.

Active Teacher Grants | Indiana Retired Teachers Association

TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Do you have a federal student loan? If so, you may be able to benefit from temporary changes made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. These changes, called the “Limited PSLF Waiver,” are helping borrowers across the nation more easily get their loans forgiven – but if you haven’t already applied for PSLF, you must submit a PSLF form and/or consolidate your non-Direct federal student loans by October 31 to get the benefit. You can learn more here.

MCAS is partnering with HealthLinc and the Indiana Immunization Coalition to host “Super Saturday” -- a School Vaccine catch-up event -- on Saturday, September 17 from 9:00am to 1:00pm at Barker Middle School. This is an opportunity for families to bring students (K-12) for required school vaccinations and COVID vaccines. The event will also feature free Kona ice treats and snacks, activities, a bike helmet giveaway for K-2 students, sports physicals, and more. Plus.. an appearance by Fire Pup and a K9 demonstration! Watch for a flyer with more information about this, coming soon!

A new Behavior, Attendance, and Grades (BAG) report will be coming soon to parents/guardians of all students in Grades 5-12. This report will provide families with up-to-date information about how students are doing in these crucial areas. The BAG reports will be emailed home four times a year, halfway through each grading period. The first one will be sent out on Monday, September 12, and future reports will be emailed on November 21, February 6, and April 24. They will also be available in the PowerSchool parent portal. Parents/guardians will be receiving an email and phone call next week with more information.

Three members of Team M.C.A.S. (Edgewood Instructional Coach Patrice Huley, Edgewood teacher Leanna Smith. and Joy Instructional Coach Olivia Davis) are supporting district-wide launches of the EL Education curriculum at school districts in Kentucky, Georgia, and North Carolina. (This pic was taken at a school in the Tarheel state!)

MCAS Director of Transportation Sue Harrison was featured on the cover of the Beacher weekly newspaper recently. The story also focused on our Transportation department's partnership with law enforcement for stop arm safety. Check out the issue here! (And in case you missed it... over the summer, MCHS Principal's Secretary Joyce Westphal was the featured cover girl. Check out that edition here!)

Last week, Marsh Elementary School was the recipient of a donation from the Enchanted Backpack organization. Among the items donated by the Illinois-based non-profit were books, shirts, shoes, coats, hygiene products, classroom supplies, and other educational tools valued at $40,000. Volunteers from the Michigan City Police Department, including eight new officers, were on hand to help unload the large donation. Congratulations to the Marsh team, and many thanks to Marsh Success Coach Megan Smith, who secured the donation.

Franciscan Health is offering a FREE suicide prevention training program.

QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) is a beginner-level two-hour course for those wanting to learn more about suicide prevention, or how to start having difficult conversations. This community-based entry-level class meets the minimum state requirement for educators in Indiana to have a two-hour suicide prevention class. This class has multiple tailored versions for various demographics and includes role-playing.

Classes will take place at Franciscan Health, 3500 Franciscan Way, Michigan City, in the Mother Maria Theresia Room (1st Floor). Two dates are available: October 12 from 11am to 1pm; or October 13 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.

The deadline to sign up is September 26. To register, contact Nila Williams at nila.williams@franciscanalliance.org.

Attention City people, tennis fans, supporters of Wolves sports, and fans of great food! Don't miss the Hollys GiveBack in support of Wolves Tennis on Tuesday 9/6. Stop in or get takeout, showing your waitperson this coupon!

Big news! MCHS is proud to have been selected as a host site for both the Regional and Semi-State rounds of the IHSAA Boys Basketball tournament.

Michigan City High School will host games that will qualify teams through the rounds of 16, 8, 4, and 2 in the state tournament. The Regional portion of the tournament will be held on March 11, 2023, and the Semi-State portion of the tournament will be held on March 18, 2023. The Semi-State champion will go on to represent the northern half of the state in the IHSAA State Final for Boys Basketball on March 25, 2023.

The IHSAA Boys Basketball State Championship is one of the oldest state championships in the country. The 2023 tournament will be the 113th version of the event.

Michigan City High School's Homecoming will be on Friday, October 7 at Ames Field. The Wolves football team will take on the La Porte Slicers. Come out to enjoy the rivalry, and witness the 2022 Homecoming Queen crowned during halftime.

Remember, MCAS staff can attend for free!

The MCHS Athletic Booster Club is now selling tickets for its 3rd Annual MC Raffle. This is the biggest fundraiser of the year for our Athletic Department and is one of the best ways to continue to meet the needs of our student athletes and athletic programs. This event raised more than $20,000 last year!

Tickets for the raffle are $20 each, and the grand prize is $1,000! Only 1,000 tickets will be sold, and the prizes for 2nd to 10th place range from $100 to $500.

The drawing will be held on October 14 on Facebook Live. Tickets are available now in the MCHS Athletic Office. This is the #1 way to support Athletics at MCHS, and also possibly win some easy money!

This fall, Unity Foundation of La Porte County will be celebrating its 30th anniversary with a fundraising effort - La Porte County Gives! During this event (for 30 hours!) Unity will be raising additional funds for charitable organizations.

Be on the lookout in September for ways we can help our MCHS Athletic Booster Club and Teacher Innovation Fund during this campaign.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 • 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM CDT
To Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/51667576339878923

How often have we thought, ‘I need to start saving for a car’ or ‘I really need to eat healthier,’ but we feel overwhelmed by the size of the goal? In September’s Webinar, learn how taking small steps can lead to big accomplishments. And learn a few tips to help get you motivated!

Franciscan publishes a monthly "Working Well" newsletter, and there are some great topics in the August 2022 edition.

• Vitamin D
  
• End of Summer
• Carb Substitutes
• Beat the Heat and Repeat

CLICK HERE to check it out!

Boys & Girls Clubs of La Porte County is hiring three additional program leaders for the 2022/2023 school year. Rates start at $15/$16 per hour. These staff members work directly with youth, facilitating programs and activities. Positions are available at the Springfield, Westcott, and Kingsford Heights Clubs. Club hours run from approximately 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM daily.

Visit https://www.bgclpc.org/join-our-team/ for details and to print an application. Questions? Please contact Michelle Shirk, Chief Executive Officer at mshirk@bgclubmc.org or (219) 873-2298. Thank you for all you do to help us build Great Futures!

This month, TicketsatWork has everything you need to celebrate the beginning of the fall season. Find offers on holiday travel, back-to-school products, and fitness and wellness programs to help keep in shape going into the busy fall season.

If you haven’t signed up yet, click become a member and enter our company code: MCAS
See the flyer below for more details.

Good luck to recent MCHS grad Savannah Holley (daughter of Krueger teacher Dorothea Holley) who will compete in the Hoosier Star finals on September 17 at the La Porte Civic Auditorium. CLICK HERE for information on tickets.

The Michigan City Police Department is accepting applications its Citizen's Police Academy. Participants meet on Thursday evenings for three hours over a course of seven weeks for an inside look at the inner workings of a police department. Topics will include roles and responsibilities of police officers, basics of criminal law, search and seizure, firearm safety, Tasers, and more.

Class size is limited, and applications must be received by September 9. The first session will take place on October 6 from 6pm to 9pm at the Michigan City Police Department, 1201 E. Michigan Blvd.

CLICK HERE for applications and more information. Contact Sgt. Steve Forker at sforker@emichigancity.com with any questions.

Minority Health Partners of La Porte County will hold its 11th annual "Real Men Wear Pink Breast Cancer Walk." on Saturday, October 1 at 10:00 am at HealthLinc, 710 Franklin Street.

Registration is $15 for adults; students can take part in this for FREE. Minority Health Partners plans to continue the tradition of recognizing the school with the most participants, so we hope to see Michigan City Area Schools students, teachers, and staff represented!

Register by September 26 by sending a check or money order to MHPLC, 2601 E. Michigan Blvd., Michigan City, IN 46360. Be sure to include the student's name, adult's name, and school name. Contact the Minority Health Partners of La Porte County with any questions at (219) 879-1712.

As of July 16, 2022, the federally mandated 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline became available to everyone across the United States. Calls to 988 will be routed to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24/7/365.

This new easy to remember 3-digit number will allow quick access to mental health care professionals by calling or texting 988, or by chatting at 988Lifeline.org. Trained 988 counselors will support and connect those who reach out to local resources at times of crisis whether callers are experiencing suicidal thoughts, mental health challenges, or substance use issues. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800 number has been used for 17 years and will continue to be available in addition to 988. See this fact sheet or create a safety plan now.