Celebrating YOU and Our Public Schools
(Wednesday that week -- November 16 -- is Education Support Professionals Day, so be sure to thank an ESP!)
Michigan City Area Schools would like to acknowledge ALL of our teachers, administrators, and support staff who rise to the challenge every day to ensure our students receive high-quality learning opportunities and that their social-emotional needs are supported.
THANK YOU!
Chamber Educator Award: Deadline for Nominations is November 4th!
There's still time to nominate a colleague or program for the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce's 2022 Educator Award! This award, presented by Comcast Business, honors educators or educational programs that have made a significant impact in our community over the last year. Hurry! Nominations are due this Friday!
Help MCAS Thank Veterans
MCAS will be participating in the city's Veterans Day Parade, which is back this year after a two-year break. The parade will be on Saturday, November 5 at 11:00 am, marching on Franklin Street from 9th Street to 4th Street. We will have a school bus in the parade, and we invite our schools, staff, and students to march along with us. If you have a banner from your school to carry, that would be excellent! Look for the MCAS school bus in the lineup at 10:30am.
The Michigan City High School MCJROTC will honor veterans with a ceremony on November 11th at 1:30 pm in the high school gym. The public is invited (enter through Door J by Athletics); veterans will be honored during the ceremony. Senator Mike Bohacek is scheduled to be the guest speaker.
Donate to United Way -- and Go to VEGAS!
Just a few things to keep in mind as the campaign rolls out:
- United Way funding supports several MCAS initiatives including Kindergarten Countdown, the Open Door Adolescent Health Center, Safe Harbor, and the MCHS Friday Night Live!
- All donations stay in La Porte County.
- You can choose to designate which fund you would like to support - specifying any MCAS program OR a program of your choice in La Porte County.
- We have three raffle prizes for those who donate: a United Way swag basket, a dinner with Dr. Eason-Watkins, or this year's grand prize... a 7-night trip to Las Vegas! (The Vegas trip is exclusive to MCAS employees; any staff member who donates $100 or more is entered to win!)
- More information about the United Way of La Porte County is available at www.unitedwaylpc.org
Please turn your donations/pledge forms in to your building principal by the end of November. If you have any questions, contact Jessica O'Brien at jobrien@mcas.k12.in.us
CLICK HERE for a pledge form
CLICK HERE to make an online donation
Second Quarter B.A.G. Report
LETRS - New Opportunity for Teachers K-12!
Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS, is a professional learning experience providing educators with the deep knowledge to be literacy and language experts. LETRS is an investment in teachers’ literacy knowledge and professional practice. Participating in LETRS will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of the essential skills to master the fundamentals of literacy instruction required to apply and transform student learning.
This professional development is aligned with Skills Block, Science of Reading, SPIRE, and Sounds Sensible. LETRS is not a classroom curriculum, but rather, is a focused opportunity to grow your knowledge to support and transform literacy learning in your classroom through a hybrid experience that includes reading, classroom practice, collaboration with your cohort peers, and face-to-face professional development.
This intense opportunity is open to all teachers, K-12, that work with foundational literacy skill instruction and will begin in January 2023. As mentioned, this is an intense professional development series that will take place over multiple training dates with the majority taking place asynchronously. Participants will form a cohort to learn together and will receive stipends for participation. It is anticipated that it will take approximately 118 hours to complete the training over two years.
If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity without making a commitment right now, please complete this interest form by November 17, 2022.
Teacher Survey: IT Topics
Take the survey here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqZfs_LaZLaIHa9J4ppjvxRtGT0a6TxDL7l4MneQUurXKAqg/viewform
Way to Go, Mr. Jones!
Congratulations to Krueger 8th-grade science teacher Kevin Jones, who was selected for the STEM Teachers Scholarship by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Education Foundation. This award is presented to a graduate-level candidate with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, who is majoring in education for the purpose of teaching STEM subjects. Kevin was the highest-scoring applicant!
CPR Training Resources for Teachers/Certified Staff
Need CPR Certification? Here are two options to consider!
OPTION 1: Val Skwiat, Trainer/Safety Manager, MCAS Transportation Department has provided the following information:
- Go to elearning.heart.org and complete your $15 course.
- Send Val an email or call/text to schedule the "hands-on" portion.
- You will meet Val at your school or If you live nearby, she can come to your house.
- She will need a copy of your course completion certificate.
- She will send your CPR AED card; the cost is $15.
- vskwiat@mcas.k12.in.us - Cell: (219) 874-1716
OPTION 2: David Sanders, EMT Instructor at AK Smith, has provided this info about his company, Crash Course CPR:
- Go to IneedaCPRcard.com for information
- A simple CPR Card refresher class is $30. This is an all-inclusive class including an online quiz and skills test out.
- Takes approximately 1 hour to complete (also available through Zoom)
- Appointments available - Monday through Friday 10:00 am - Noon, plus after school and evening hours.
- Bring your friends: We have enough CPR equipment to provide individual or up to 40 students at a time.
- Payment can be made at the time of service or online at www.IneedaCPRcard.com
- Questions? Contact David Sanders (812) 821-0433
Food Drive: Save the Date
Food collected during this drive supports The Salvation Army of Michigan City food pantry, which is running very low on food right now, so we are hoping for a HUGE show of support from MCAS!
You can also help support The Salvation Army by signing up to ring a bell during the holidays at www.RegisterToRing.com.
MC Festival of Lights - December 3
The Festival of Lights Parade (formally known as the Snowflake Parade) will be held on Saturday, December 3 at 4:00 pm. The parade will run north on Franklin St. from 9th St. to 4th St., and will be followed by the lighting of the Official Christmas Tree in front of the Michigan City Public Library. More details will be shared in the next few weeks by the city, but some exciting new activities will be happening. MCAS will have a unit in the parade and welcomes all marchers! (If you have a group interested in having a separate unit, here is the link to register.)
November EAP Webinar: Forgiveness ... and Diets
Wednesday, November 16th, 2022 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM CST
Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1703731077355242511
Choosing to Let Go: How to Begin the Journey of Forgiveness
In this webinar, we take a brief look at what forgiveness really means and how we can begin the process of releasing anger to find peace in our lives. For many people forgiveness is a journey, not a destination.
Traditional Diets for Inspiration and Better Health
Come learn how you can take your first steps. Learn about different traditional diets from around the world. We will look at how these traditional diets are connected. And how traditional diets can bring interest and healthy eating to our current diet.
November Specials for MCAS Employees - Tickets At Work
It's November and that means Tickets At Work has savings for Black Friday, Cyber Week, and throughout the holiday season on electronics, entertainment, apparel, flights, hotels, and more.
Check out the November Highlights Flyer for more details!
Tickets At Work is a perk provided to MCAS employees. Simply visit www.TicketsAtWork.com and sign up using your MCAS email account and the company code MCAS. You will see several discount opportunities including shows, events, travel, movies, and more.
Save the Date - MCHS Musical "The Addams Family - School Edition"
Michigan City High School will be staging the musical, "The Addams Family - School Edition" in December! Save the date and plan to come out and support our students!
Friday, December 2nd at 7 pm
Saturday, December 3rd at 7 pm
Sunday, December 4th at 2 pm
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Staff get in free with MCAS ID. More details coming soon!