MCAS Communicator

We are a diverse community of families, students, and staff who take pride in our schools, contribute positively to society, and prepare students for lifelong success.

It's time to submit nominations for the 2025 Teacher of the Year and Employee of the Year program! Again this school year, we will recognize employees in the following areas:

• Elementary Teacher of the Year
• Secondary Teacher of the Year
• Support Staff Employee of the Year
• Transportation Employee of the Year
• Food Service Employee of the Year

Students, former students, parents, staff, and community members may nominate a teacher or staff member. There is no limit to the number of employees a person may nominate. Please complete a separate form for each nomination.

Nominations are due by Friday, November 22, 2024.

Please visit this web page to learn more and to nominate a staff member.

This is the second year for the program, which is a new initiative that resulted from our district's Strategic Plan. A HUGE thank you to our program sponsors, the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce and Comcast.

Be sure to watch the video above for BIG NEWS about this year's Employee Giving Campaign for the United Way of LaPorte County. Any MCAS employee who donates $100 or more will be eligible to win this amazing trip! (There will be a few consolation prizes also, including gift cards to local businesses and restaurants.)

Donations can be made via payroll deduction or as a one-time amount. You can give by turning in this form to your building secretary (or at MCHS, to Debbie Briggs). Or, you can donate online here. (Be sure to use your MCAS email address when donating online so that you are included in the drawing for our incentive prizes.) Our campaign will run through Friday, November 22.

Important links:

• Brochure about the United Way
• Pledge Form (return this to your building secretary or at MCHS to Debbie Briggs)
• Online Giving Link
• Flyer about the Hawaii Vacation incentive prize

Based on input from staff, students, parents, and the community, all MCAS elementary schools have done a bit of rebranding! These fresh designs maintain the school colors and mascots, but have a more uniform look, highlighting that our schools are truly part of #OneCityOnePack.

The annual Car Wash for the United Way of LaPorte County took place on September 19th. Along with the Michigan City Police Department and Michigan City Fire Department we collectively raised $3,300... and more than half of this was during the MCAS shift. Thank you to all who volunteered and donated!

The Little Wolves Early Learning Center plans to expand its services beginning in January. This would serve children who are 3 by January 1, 2025, in addition to current 4 and 5 year olds. Families interested in the new program for 3-year-olds should fill out this interest form, or call Little Wolves at (219) 873-2035.

In light of recent school safety concerns, some schools across the nation are installing weapons detection systems. (Click here for an example of this type of system.) Before making any decisions about installing a system like this, we would like to hear from parents, staff, and students. Please take a moment to complete this survey:

SAFETY SURVEY - WEAPONS DETECTION SYSTEMS

Please complete this survey by Friday, October 11, 2024. Thank you!

Did you know? MCAS parents can now report absences for their children electronically, using the PowerSchool parent portal!

Parents can submit absences up to two weeks in advance, through the day of the absence. (Absences that occurred in the past must be called in to the office, and supporting information such as doctor's excuses must be turned in to the office.) Absences submitted through the system are confirmed electronically with the parent, to verify that they are valid.

Information about how to do this will be emailed to parents this week. The instructions are also available below.

Students in the A. K. Smith Culinary Arts program took home first place among 11 restaurants that participated in the Michigan City Mac and Cheese Fest, which was held on Sunday, September 29 at Zorn Brewery. (They tied for first with Patrick's Grille.) They won $700, which will be used to support their trip to the Cook Around the World competition at Epcot this April.

Chef Angie Nipple says that the students came up with the winning recipe, which included baked broccoli, cheddar, and bacon. Around 30 students helped to prep the mac and cheese. "We competed against some of the top restaurants in the area, including Leeds, Fiddlehead, Zorn, and Patrick's Grille to name a few," she says.

Donations are needed for the April Cook Around the World competition. "Any contribution, no matter the size, will be greatly appreciated and help reduce the financial burden for all students," says Chef Angie. Please make checks payable to A. K. Smith Career Center and send them to the Culinary Department, 817 Lafayette Street, Michigan City, IN 46360.

Michigan City Area Schools has been selected as one of 36 recipients of the 2024-25 RoboKind – Robots4 Autism grant from the Indiana Department of Education. The $42,000 grant will fund curricular materials and training for robots used by our Special Education department staff in their work with students. Special thanks to Special Ed Director Val Beglin and Special Ed Supervisor Molly Trout for their work on this grant!

Marsh Instructional Coach Megan Edinger was a featured blogger for EL Education last month! Follow this link to read her blog about building community with a math mindset. Way to go, Megan!

Congrats to the Michigan City High School JROTC Raider Team, which earned first- and second-place trophies at the Indianapolis Ben Davis High School Raider Meet last month. The team won the Fitness Challenge event and was runner-up in the Gauntlet event. This is only the second year for our high school’s Raider team, which takes part in competitions involving physical tasks that could be required in a combat situation. Special thanks to JROTC instructors Master Sergeant Jeff Benak and Major Tom McGrath.

Lakeshore Public Media honored our former superintendent, Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkins, at a “Building Block Breakfast: Fueling the Future” event on September 25. Dr. Eason-Watkins was recognized for her dedication to early childhood education through the creation of our Little Wolves Early Learning Center and her lifelong commitment to fostering educational opportunities for young children. The event marked the official launch of Lakeshore’s multimedia project dedicated to exploring the science behind early childhood development and addressing the challenges families face in Northwest Indiana. The first episode is set to premiere on October 2 at 6:30pm on Lakeshore PBS.

Reprographic Arts is having a sale on Team MCAS/Wolves gear that was available at the first-day presentation for teachers and instructional staff. They have lots of sizes and options in stock. To place an order, visit their online merch store at https://reprographic-arts.printavo.com/merch/mchs/. (Hurry! These items will be available through October 20th.)

Michigan City High School Homecoming is Friday, October 11. Festivities will include a 6:00 parade that will proceed from the Elston parking lot down Franklin Street to Ames Field. The Wolves will take on LaPorte for the football game, which kicks off at 7:00pm. The Wolfpack Pride Marching Band will perform and the homecoming royalty (a queen... and new this year, a king!) will be crowned at halftime. A dance will be held at the high school cafeteria on Saturday, October 12 from 7-10pm. Tickets for the game are available in advance at eventlink.com – or they can be purchased at the gate. All home games this season are also available to view on our MCAS YouTube Channel. And remember, MCAS staff are always admitted FREE to home athletic events; just show your staff ID.

Peachjar's "Extra Credit Award" program is back! Nominate a school in our district that does an exceptional job working with the community and they could win $1,000. The winning school will be selected at random from votes received. How it works:

• You must be 18 or older to enter.
• To enter you MUST nominate a school through the nomination form below between Thursday, September 26, 2024 and Wednesday, October 30, 2024.
• 1 lucky school will be chosen to receive a $1,000 donation.

Nominate a School

BADHD & The Blues and

Get Outdoors this Fall: A Guide to Hiking

• Getting Into Hiking? Here's what you need to know before getting started... safety, proper equipment, & more!
• ADHD: Focus, attention, neurodiversity… just a few challenges those with ADHD manage on a regular basis. And we do manage them, even if we notice a few chickens or squirrels along the way. But ADHD can come with a mixed bag of emotions that are hard to manage. While Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria is not an official diagnosis, RSD symptoms tend to go together with those diagnosed with ADHD. RSD is a mixture of heightened feelings-positive or negative, difficult to control emotional pain, and intense fear of rejection or “not being normal.” This webinar may help you understand those odd behaviors and emotions that you or your loved one deals with along with their ADHD.

Check out www.TicketsAtWork.com for exclusive discounts and special offers that are available to Michigan City Area Schools employees.

This month, Tickets at Work is offering savings on football tickets, tricks and treats for Halloween, and ways to enhance your wellness journey with healthy savings in celebration of World Mental Health Day on October 10th.

If you haven't signed up yet, click "become a member" and enter our company code: MCAS

The Salvation Army is lining up volunteers to ring bells this holiday season! Ringing begins November 9, and individuals and groups are needed to help. Sign up at http://registertoring.org. There are MANY other volunteer opportunities with the Salvation Army, such as serving or delivering food for the annual Thanksgiving Dinner, setting up the Toy Shop for families, unloading food bags at Stuff a Sleigh, and more. Contact Development Director Jessica O'Brien at jessica.obrien@usc.salvationarmy.org to learn how your group can get involved! And "Save the Date" for the annual MCAS districtwide food drive... it will kick off following Thanksgiving Break and culminate with a drive-through drop off at the Salvation Army on Saturday, December 21.

You are reading the “MCAS Communicator,” the monthly e-newsletter for all staff. If you have news or other info you would like to include, please email Betsy Kohn at bkohn@mcas.k12.in.us before the last school day of the month. The Communicator is sent out on the first school day of each month during the school year. The next edition will hit your inbox on November 1st.