Addison MS/HS In the News

Hello Families,

I debated on whether or not to share this educational trend with parents, but after much thought, it is important that I bring your attention to a new technology that is accessible to students. There is a new technology called AI ChatGPT. AI ChatGPT is an Artificial Intelligence-powered chatbot that can communicate with people using natural language. It is designed to have conversations with students, teachers, and parents, and provide instant responses to their questions. This technology can be a great tool if used appropriately.

What has been observed is that students are using this tool and using it to cheat, specifically with writing essays. For example, if a student has to write an argumentative essay on whether or not plastic should be banned, all the student needs to do is ask ChatGPT to write a five-paragraph essay on the topic and the app. will produce an original five-paragraph essay within seconds. The students then print the essay and claim it as their own work. Teachers are finding that students are completing essays that are flawless and this has brought attention to students' work and for teachers to question if this work was done by the student. The teachers are having conversations with the students about using AI ChatGPT and how it is important to uphold academic integrity and honesty in all academics.

Parents, please talk to your child about how cheating can have serious consequences and how it is important for your child to study and complete assignments honestly and responsibly. If you have any further questions about AI ChatGPT please reach out to me as we work together to educate our students.

Sincerely,

Ms. Yeider

Middle School Peer 2 Peer

Peer to Peer is a school-wide program designed to increase academic, independent, and social engagement opportunities for students with autism and other disabilities. It is a nationally recognized program created and supported by Grand Valley State. In January 2023, Mrs. Spitzley started offering this program at Addison Middle School. Six students are enrolled in the elective class, learning about autism, diversity, empathy, problem-solving, and developing leadership skills. The students are developing strong connections and friendships with students with disabilities, with the goal that these friendships will carry into different environments. In the Peer to Peer class, students model appropriate behaviors and interactions as they work side-by-side and also engage in games. Favorite class games include rock-paper-scissors tournaments, inspector fly, the wind blows, and card games. The students also created a way to be together outside of class and to raise money for game supplies. They created the Addison Coffee Company - selling coffee and hot chocolate every Friday morning during breakfast to their peers. It is student-run, gives them a venue to be together, practice social skills, and be visible to the student body. This amazing program is off to a great start at Addison Middle School!

Teacher Name: Mrs. Barbara Brown

How many years have you been an educator? "This is my 27th year of teaching. Prior to Addison, I taught at Waldron, Quincy, and Morenci."

What subjects/grade levels are you currently teaching? "I am currently teaching English 9, English 11, AP English Language and Composition, and Mythology."

Why did you decide to become a teacher? "I always liked school, but my Senior English class was the first class I looked forward to going to every day. My teacher was the only teacher I had that shared personal stories and allowed us to get to know him. He gave me an entirely new way of looking at education. He inspired me to become an English teacher. "

What hobbies do you enjoy outside of teaching? "I enjoy reading, traveling, and watching football. I also love volleyball, but unfortunately, I am too old to play anymore."

What is the highlight of being a teacher at Addison Community Schools? "The high school I graduated from had 2200 kids in it. It did not allow me to get to know kids outside of my small friend group and certainly did not allow me to get to know my teachers. I love that Addison is a small school in a small community. It allows teachers to get to know their students and their families. It also allows the teachers to work closely together and collaborate. I am proud to be an Addison Panther."

Mrs. Brown's AP English Language and Composition class is currently composing synthesis essays. Students are given several sources and then have to take a stand on an issue. They must compose the essay using and combining at least three of the sources given to them. This essay also focuses on writing a defendable thesis and then using evidence and commentary to prove it. When complete, students will peer edit the essays before turning in their final drafts.

WHAT IS MTSS?

MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) is simply a framework for ensuring that each student in our school is receiving the exact educational support that he or she needs. It's not a program or a brief initiative that will take up your time and energy, then leave you with nothing. It's a way of structuring your work with children to ensure that no one is falling between the cracks. The goal of MTSS is to screen early and to give support quickly. It can also help schools differentiate between kids who haven't had good instruction in the past and those who genuinely need special education.

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support are exactly that - This IS NOT a tool for teachers and administrators to judge each other. This is a tool to help us focus all of our efforts as a team on giving our students exactly what they need when they need it.

MTSS is about digging deeper and using assessment tools to find out where our children struggle, and why they struggle with that particular skill, make a plan to help them improve, then assess our work to make sure what we're doing is effective.

The goal of MTSS is to provide ADDITIONAL support to children who need it. Every single child needs to be receiving instruction in Tier 1 - the classroom. This is research-based, core instruction. Tier 1 is for all students. It is preventative and proactive. From there, the team may decide to implement additional support. This current school year our focus has been on tier 1, helping every student and implementing district-wide PBIS. Next year we will be pulling data and addressing tier 2 students or about 10-15% of the student body and providing extra support as well as diving deeper into literacy.

Whose on our teams?

District Implementation Team:

Dr. Dan Patterson

Julie Yeider

Angie Huston

Jessica McNett

Maureen Freshcorn

Dylan Klee

Elementary Leadership Team

Angie Huston

LuAnn Hurd

Katie Valasek

Brandi Parkhurst

Jennifer Skinner

Karen Spink

Sherri Day

Secondary Leadership Team

Julie Yeider

Lindsay Husband

Rachael Schroeder

Andy Kubish

Michael Schwartz

Mariah Kelly

Lights, camera, action! Mrs. Husband along with six other high school students was selected to participate in a rural school promotional commercial with T-Mobile. It was very exciting for the district to be able to work along with the T-Mobile production crew. The premises of the filming was to showcase how rural schools are supported by T-Mobile with the use of hotspots to help provide equitable education in areas where the internet can be limited in and out of the classroom. Currently, T-Mobile productions are working through the edits and will be sharing the video soon with the district. The district was honored to be able to participate in this opportunity.

The eighth-grade class recently toured Central Michigan University's campus for about an hour and a half. Several of the buildings they were able to walk through included the library, education, and human services as well as a science building. While in the science building, they were able to see the living wall as well as the aquariums. The tour guides included fun facts about each building as well as the types of classes held in each building. Hopefully, some of these students will be future Chippewas!

Students at Addison High School and students that attend other school districts in Lenawee County have the opportunity to participate in the Firefighter Program housed in our district. Students in the program are exposed to real-life situations for hands-on experiences in the field of firefighting. On-the-job training is available in partnership with Addison Fire Department. Successful students will have the opportunity to earn State Firefighter 1-2 certifications. If a student is interested in joining the class please contact Mrs. Davis at ashley.davis@addisonschools.us.

Seniors, please complete your local scholarships and turn them in. Check the Deadlines, there are several different deadline dates - March 30, April 3, April 7, April 14, April 20, and May 3 just to name a few.

Wed., April 12 – 11th grade SAT 8:00-1:00 Aux. Gym

Wed., April 12 – 8th grade PSAT 8:00-10:45 Perf. Gym

Thurs., April 13 – 11th grade ACT WorkKeys 8:00-10:45 Aux. Gym

Thurs., April 13 – 9th grade PSAT 8:00-10:45 Perf. Gym

Tues., April 18 – 10th grade PSAT 8:00-10:45 Aux. Gym

Tues., April 18 – 11th grade M-STEP 12:30-2:15 Perf. Gym

Wed., April 19 – 11th grade M-STEP 12:30-1:45 Perf. Gym

Tues., April 25 – 8th grade M-STEP 8:00-10:00 Performance Gym (Stay in gym until 10:15)

Wed., April 26 – 8th grade M-STEP 8:00-9:30 Perf. Gym

Tues., May 2 – 7th grade M-STEP 8:00-10:30 Aux. Gym

Tues., May 2 – 6th grade M-STEP 11:32-3:00 Aux., Gym

Wed., May 3 – 7th grade M-STEP 8:00-10:30 Aux. Gym

Wed., May 3 – 6th grade M-STEP 11:32-3:00 Aux. Gym

Friday, April 21 Progress Report Period Ends

Tuesday, April 25 – MS Equations Meet 8:30-1:30 (End time approximate, last meet awards, etc.)

Friday, April 28 – Half Day/Teacher MTSS in PM

Wed., May 3 – HS Honors Night 6:00pm

Sunday, May 14 – Band Concert

Wed., May 16 – Seniors Last Day

Thursday & Friday, May 18 & 19 – 8th Grade Mackinaw Trip

Friday, May 19 – Graduation Rehearsal 9:00

Sunday, May 21 Graduation 2:00

Monday, May 29 No School/Memorial Day

Tuesday, Wed., Thurs., May 30, 31 & June 1 – Exams

Thursday, June 1 – Last Day of School/Half Day