TCS News to Know

There are only three weeks left before the end of the semester and there are so many activities happening in the month of December! Please be sure to fully review the newsletter and also watch for reminders on Facebook and our district website. This week, we have a full schedule of music events, basketball game, and community happenings!

As we approach the end of the semester, all grades will be finalized when students leave for Christmas break. If students have late or missing work, now is the time to communicate with teachers on what can still be turned in. For high school students, the end of the semester also means semester exams. If a student misses a scheduled exam block, they will only be allowed to make up the exam if it is a MEDICALLY excused absence or if there is a prior approval from administration. All other missed exams will result in a zero for the exam grade. Please make sure that you are having conversations with your students on how they can finish strong!

Also, please remember that now that we have snow and cold weather, please make sure that students come to school dressed appropriately! If you are in need of winter clothing for your student, please let the office know - we can help!!!

Due to the weather today and student absences, we have made the decision to not march in the Marshall parade this evening. We love to see our students marching and playing out in the community, but we are concerned about the weather tonight. The temperature at parade start is projected to be 24 degrees. Wind chill will make it feel like 14-17. Brass instruments stop functioning at 32 degrees. Our students are also in the last parade block and will be made to stand for 60-90 minutes before marching. It's not an ideal situation. Our band will focus on preparing for the Tekonsha Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 7th, at 6 PM and our winter concert next week on Tuesday, December 10th, at 6 PM. We appreciate your understanding!

Students at Tekonsha Elementary collected money and canned items on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to donate to the Tekonsha Food Pantry for the ability to have a pajama day at school! Caring and comfy…what a great combination!

Three new members were inducted into the Tekonsha Chapter of the National Honor Society during a special ceremony on Monday, November 25. Sophomore Aundrea Gay, Junior Barric Groholske, and Senior Elise Willison were all selected for membership. Current NHS member Preston Pombier led the program, explaining to be considered for membership, students needed to meet the minimum academic criteria of a cumulative 3.5 grade point average (GPA) as a sophomore, 3.3 GPA as a junior, or 3.0 GPA as a senior. Other current members include Vayda Nyland, Emma Rigel, Lena Halbert, and Reagan Henry. These members then each spoke to explain in more detail the four pillars of NHS - scholarship, service, character, and leadership. The new members took the NHS pledge and then lit the ceremonial candles. The program ended with Superintendent Mrs. O'Keefe giving some closing remarks.

Students in the National Honor Society must complete a minimum of 25 community service hours throughout the year. Examples of community service have included volunteering at the fall festival, helping with the community Christmas baskets, helping with elementary field day, and more!

Notice is hereby given to the electors of Tekonsha Community Schools, a public school district, that a vacancy on the board of education of this district exists due to two unfilled positions following the November 5, 2024 elections:

• Seat 1 - A partial term seat that is open beginning January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.

• Seat 2 - A full term seat that is open beginning January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2030.

Notice is further given that any elector of the Tekonsha Community Schools may apply to the board of education for consideration to fill either vacancy, beginning in January of 2025. The next regular election of the board will be in November of 2026, at which time the partial term seat (Seat 1) will be complete and a new board member will be elected to fill the next full term under regular election procedures. Also during the November of 2026 regular election, the remainder of the full term position (Seat 2) will be posted for the remaining four years of the term under regular election procedures.

Interested electors are requested to send a letter of application, stating the position of interest, reasons for their interest, qualifications for board service which they believe they hold, relevant public service, and a history of elected office, public appointments, or service on other elected or appointed boards, public or private, to:

Tekonsha Community Schools Board of Education

℅ Superintendent JoEllen O’Keefe

245 S. Elm Street

Tekonsha, MI 49092

The board will accept letters of application until 3:00 pm on Monday, January 6, 2025 via USPS delivery or personal delivery. Letters of application can also be submitted via email to okeefej@tekonsha.k12.mi.us. Interested electors submitting a letter of application via email must ensure their letter of application is received prior to the deadline and bear the full risk of failed or untimely transmission of their letter of application. The board will contact all eligible applicants to schedule interviews with the board during its regular meeting on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at the address listed:

Tekonsha High School Library

245 S. Elm Street

Tekonsha, MI 49092

The Board will choose a candidate for each seat by majority vote, for the term as described above.

Anyone with questions may contact the superintendent at the address above, by telephone at 517-767-4121 ext. 101, or by email at okeefej@tekonsha.k12.mi.us.

If your middle school or high school student has an online course (Edgenuity/E2020), it is very important that they finish this class by December 20, 2024, the last day of the semester. Online classes will not be extended beyond this date, so the grade earned will be the grade on the student's report card and transcript. Students have been informed of this regularly throughout the semester. Any unfinished assignments will be calculated as a zero into a student's overall grade. Ask your student to see their current progress. When you view your child's Edgenuity progress report, there are three different grades viewable:

• Overall Grade - This is just the grade for the work that is completed.
• Actual Grade - This is the grade for the work that should be complete by the current date.
• Relative Grade - This is the grade for the entire course, taking into account all assignments for the entire course and giving any incomplete assignments a zero.

At the end of the semester, a student's Relative Grade will be the grade that is used for the final grade. Students do have the option to request retakes. Encourage your child to not just settle for completing the course, but to get the best grade possible!

If you have noticed someone wearing a cool new Tekonsha sweatshirt or sweater and realized you missed a chance to buy yours from the Boosters fall fundraiser, here is another chance! The Tekonsha Athletic Boosters will be selling spirit wear now through December 10th. All items will be delivered to a Booster member by December 18th, and they will contact you to arrange delivery. These make great Christmas presents! Scan the QR code to access the order form or go to to https://tekonshaspiritwear2425.itemorder.com/

Santa Claus for Schools is a charitable campaign that was started several years ago. Often teachers find that they are in need of “extra” things for their classroom, yet they know that there is not enough general budget money to spend on them. The teachers know that the students would benefit from these purchases, but do not order them in an attempt to save money for the school. At the same time, community members often feel they want to do something to help the schools, but they want to “see” something for their money. This campaign is an attempt to allow people in the community to see their donations go directly to work by purchasing items for classrooms.

In the past, this has been a very successful campaign. We are excited about the opportunity to continue this unique community tradition again this year. We will post the teachers’ “wish list” in the Tekonsha IDEA each week from November 29th through December 30th. The list will also be available each week in the newsletter!

If you would like to make a general monetary contribution to the program, or if you would like to donate to purchase a specific item on the list, please contact Trisha Blashfield at 517-767-4121 ext 100 or by email at tblashfield@tekonsha.k12.mi.us. Checks should be made out to:

Tekonsha Community Schools and sent to 245 S Elm Street, Tekonsha, MI 49092.

We sincerely appreciate any donation, small or large, that we receive. Our students benefit greatly from your generosity!

The annual Cash Raffle has started at Tekonsha High School! Tickets are available now through December 16, or until they are sold out! This fundraiser helps support all classes with their dances and class events. All tickets will be $10 each and the drawing will be held on December 16, 2024 at 10:30 am in the Tekonsha High School library. There are a limited number of tickets for sale, so if you are interested in purchasing some, be sure to let a student know! Tickets can also be purchased by contacting Michele Stuart.

• 1st - $400
• 2nd - $300
• 3rd - $200
• 4th - $200
• 5th-8th - $100 each
• 9th-14th - $50 each

Class of 2025 seniors and parents - the FAFSA is now open! Please take note of the steps below to get this completed. We will be hosting a FAFSA night after we return from break in January if you need extra assistance!

The Tekonsha High School Student Council has decided to sponsor a class challenge to help provide food and supplies to a local cause - Waid's Cat Rescue! This will be a competition between classes in Kindergarten through Seniors! Each class will have their own collection box, and the winning class in each building will get a pizza party/movie party with Mrs. O'Keefe! Some of the wish list items are highlighted in the flyer below! All items must be donated by December 20th.

Check out the dates below to come and support our basketball teams! Students that come dressed up in the theme will get a FREE popcorn from the concessions stand!

The Union Church here in Tekonsha is offering a variety of holiday-themed activities for students and families. If you have any questions, please reach out directly to the number on the flyer!

There are a lot of home winter sports events that are coming up over the next few months. The Tekonsha Athletic Boosters is looking for volunteers that would be willing to help volunteer to run the concessions stand! If you are interested in helping, check out the link below to sign up for an open time slot!

Breakfast and lunch menus for both the elementary and the MS/HS are now available on the website! Click on the links below to access these. Breakfast is available for FREE for all students and is served in the elementary from 7:50 - 8:25 am (times vary by grade) and in the MS/HS from 7:50 - 8:00 am. Lunch is also available for FREE for all students, served from 11:00 am - 12:10 pm in the elementary (times vary by grade). In the HS, lunch is served from 10:45 - 11:11 am and from 11:41 - 12:06 pm for the MS.

• Elementary Menus
• MS/HS Menus

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

Website: www.tekonshaschools.org
Location: 245 South Elm Street, Tekonsha, MI, USA
Phone: 517-767-4121
Facebook: facebook.com/TekonshaCommunitySchools