EMS Newsletter

April 7..........................School Resumes after Spring Break

April 8..........................PTO Meeting 6:30 @ Little Joe's

April 10........................PSAT for 8th graders

April 11........................Reports cards are live for viewing on Jupiter

April 17........................Half Day + Staff PD - dismissal 11:29 a.m.

April 17........................8th Grade Dance, 6-8 p.m.

April 18 - 21.................No School

April 21........................Board of Ed Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Perry Center

Dear Parents,

Spring is in the air at East Middle School, and with it comes the familiar wave of "Spring Fever." How can we help students stay focused during this energetic time of year? The best remedy remains the same: consistent routines, clear structure, and plenty of patience.

Middle school is a time of rapid brain development, particularly in areas responsible for self-control, decision-making, emotions, and organization. This explains some of the puzzling behaviors we see—impulsiveness, emotional ups and downs, and occasional lapses in judgment. By understanding these developmental changes, we can better support our students as they navigate this exciting and sometimes challenging stage.

In addition to spring excitement, this season also brings state testing. Our teachers have been preparing students for these assessments and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. We encourage you to partner with us by ensuring that your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast each morning before testing. Remember, all students have access to free breakfast at school—we will be reminding them of this as well. It is pertinent that your child charges their Chromebook the night before and brings their charger just in case they may need it. All state testing is now done on the Chromebooks. It’s also important to encourage your child to put forth their best effort on these assessments. The results help us determine class placements, enroll students in intervention programs, and evaluate our curriculum and instructional practices. Please check out the testing section in this newsletter for testing schedules and practice opportunities.

At school, teachers have well-established routines and expectations, and by now, students should be familiar with homework policies and classroom procedures. To help stay on track, we encourage families to use Jupiter as a tool to monitor assignments and academic progress. Additionally, our school counselors are always available to support students with both academic and social challenges.

We appreciate your partnership in keeping students engaged and on course. By working together, we can help them finish the year strong!

Sincerely,
Melissa Titsworth
Principal

• April 10: 8th grade ONLY PSAT (Math & ELA) Testing begins 8:44 am; standard testing ends 11:08 am, extended testing ends 12:05 pm, students report to lunch at 12:42 pm and then attend 5th & 6th hours at their regular times.

• April 30 & May 1: M-Step (6th & 7th grade ELA, 8th grade Science) - 8:53 am to 10:10 am
• May 7 & 8: M-Step (6th & 7th grade Math, 8th grade Social Studies) - 8:53 am to 10:10 am

On M-Step testing days, the class schedules will be adjusted to the following:

1st hour: 8:05 - 8:49

TESTING: 8:53 - 10:10

2nd hour: 10:14 - 10:58

3rd hour: 11:02 - 11:46

4th hour: 11:50 - 1:26 ***this includes 30 minute lunches**

5th hour: 1:30 - 2:14

6th hour: 2:18 - 3:02

There will be several days for make-up testing if needed. Please contact your student's counselor if you have questions or concerns.

We wanted to share a helpful resource with you to assist your student in preparing for the upcoming PSAT. The link attached provides access to practice materials that can help your student familiarize themselves with the test format and improve their skills.

Please encourage your student to make use of this resource as part of their preparation. We believe it will be a valuable tool in helping them feel confident and ready for the exam.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1oUSseIddeayqBk1OrkhqKLkzmadFN4ftKU1Pubk5qO8/edit?usp=sharing

Our Spring Season is off to a good start! As we finally start to get some nice weather, come out and enjoy our Spring Sports contests at East Middle School! Our Spring sports schedules can be found here: https://ems.gbcs.org/for-students/ems-athletics-fall-spring-25

Athletic eligibility will be run on April 16th, April 30, and May 14th for spring athletics. Please speak to your student-athletes about their grades to make sure they are maintaining eligibility!

Football Summer Camp is scheduled to begin on June 10th for CURRENT 6th & 7th graders. Here is the complete schedule.

Our technology department has asked us to reach out about Chromebooks, specifically to address how poorly some of them are being treated by students. As you may know, these devices are an essential part of our classroom experience, and we rely on them to help students engage with their learning. Unfortunately, we’ve seen cases of Chromebooks being damaged due to rough handling, dropping, or improper storage. We are hearing a lot of "I don't know how it happened", or "It was fine when I left it at my desk but when I got back the screen was cracked", or "It wasn't my fault, someone else did it".

While we understand that accidents can happen, we kindly ask for your support in reminding your child to treat their Chromebook with care. Simple steps like keeping the device on a flat surface, and being mindful of where they place it can go a long way in preventing damage.

We’d also like to assure you that sometimes the repair costs are not as high as you might think. Many minor issues can be fixed affordably, and we work hard to ensure repairs are handled efficiently. However, repeated or severe damage can result in higher costs and disruption to your child’s learning.

Your partnership in reinforcing these messages at home is greatly appreciated. Together, we can help our students use their devices responsibly, ensuring they continue to have access to the technology they need to succeed.

Thank you for your understanding and support!

We understand that the cancellation of buses is an inconvenience to most, but please remember that the East Middle School Office

is not able to issue bus passes in any capacity. You must contact the Transportation Department to make arrangements. The website directly states "Bus passes to ride a different bus are issued by contacting the Grand Blanc Transportation Department and are allowed for emergency purposes only". Thank you for your cooperation. The phone number for the Transportation Department is 810-591-8966.

FINE POLICY:

All OVERDUE library materials and fines must be returned or replacement fees must be paid before any more materials are checked out to any Grand Blanc East Middle School students. Fines can be paid through SchoolPay or in the library with cash. If your student has a fine for both Chromebooks and the library, they must be separate since the accounts are not the same.

Overdue materials include:

• Textbooks from a previous year

• Overdue library books/fees

• Any other outstanding fines

This DOES NOT include:

• Current year English novels

• Library books not yet due

Please have students check Destiny for any fines or overdue materials. Once again, if they lost a book and can’t find it, we need to mark it lost in order for SchoolPay to create a fine in the system.

Chromebooks:

Students may bring their Chromebooks to the library for any issues/concerns. If a student has a lost or stolen Chromebook, please contact Technology at 591-1699. If you have lost a charger we have new chargers available for $20 cash, check or through SchoolPay. Please make sure to bring your Chromebook everyday to school fully charged.

With the days warming up, students tend to test the limits of what is, or what is not, acceptable dress for school. Please remind your students of the following dress codes:

• No hats or hoods allowed during the school day.
• No crop tops - stomachs should not be exposed at all.
• No shirts with spaghetti straps or visible undergarments. Straps should be 3 fingers wide.
• Clothing should not contain any inappropriate logos/graphics.
• Shorts and skirts should be no shorter than mid-palm when your hands are at your sides.
  
• No cell phones are allowed during the school day. They should be turned off and put away from the first bell to the last.

If your student has a dress code violation, they may choose an appropriate substitute from our clothes closet or call home for a change of clothes.

Did you Know . . .

There are 7 school-based Health Clinics operated by the University of Michigan Health System located right here in Genesee County.

FREE and Confidential Physical and Mental Health visits for anyone 21 and under.

Open year round!

Call for an appointment – no out of pocket costs

• Physicals including sports and well check ups
• Immunizations
• Sick Visits
• Asthma Care
• Pregnancy and STI testing
• Mental Health Therapy/Counseling
• Substance Abuse counseling
• Vision and Dental options

We work with the clinic at Kearsley high school often. The staff are amazing and welcoming.

https://umhs-rahs.org/rahs-health-centers/kearsley-high-school/

GBCS District Nurses

Mrs. O’Mara and Mrs. Fredrick

All 7th grade students will receive a free vision screening on April 28th. If you do not want your student to participate, please email the counseling office to opt out.

Students last names A-K: msokolos@gbcs.org

Students last names L-Z: tkilgore@gbcs.org

8th graders, come to the dance! Be ready to have fun with your classmates & friends on Thursday, April 17th from 6-8 pm. We hope to see you there!

PTO would welcome your donation, please click on the link below to see how you can help!

The staff of East Middle School would like to thank the PTO for lunch that was provided during the week of Parent/Teacher Conferences in March. We appreciate your donations and are grateful for your generosity!

The next PTO meeting is on April 8 at 6:30.

The Art Teachers, Mrs. Blakelock and Mrs. Gresock, are happy to announce that you are all invited to attend East Middle School’s 17th Annual Art Show, Tuesday, April 29th from 4:30-6:00 pm. in the lecture hall here at East Middle School.

The Art Show will feature some of the best work from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students this year. Our students have a wide range of talents, skills, and art experiences. All of them have grown artistically and produced some amazing work. This is their opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments with families and friends. We are so happy to offer this event for students to show off their amazing talent! We look forward to seeing you all.

Let’s show our awesome teachers and staff some love! 💙✨ Write a heartfelt thank-you letter to any teacher or staff member who has made a difference, or have your child share a few kind words to brighten their day. 📝💛We’ll print and deliver the letters during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5-9, to spread the love and make our teachers feel special. 😊📚✨ Mrs. T & Mr. Youngs

Please be aware that this schedule may be subject to change. As of now, the district will be holding summer school as follows:

5 weeks of K-8 Summer School June 23 - August 7, 2025

Monday - Thursday, 8:30-12:30 (Students)

• Week 1, June 23 - 26
• Off June 30 - July 4
• Week 2, July 7 - 10
• Week 3, July 14 - 17
• Off July 21 - 24
• Week 4, July 28 - 31
• Week 5, August 4 - 7

Online registration for the 2025-26 school year is now available. Parents are required to complete the annual online registration through your ParentVUE account prior to picking up schedules in August.

Please visit grandblancschools.org and click on “Online Registration” from the homepage. You will choose "Update Current Student Information" when registering.

The District of Choice application is now posted on our website, www.gbcs.org. District of choice is for new, non-Grand Blanc residents ONLY. If your child is currently a Grand Blanc student, please complete the online registration thru Parent Vue as usual.

For 25-26 Schools of Choice is open for grades K-6 only.

Grades 7 and up will require an Administrative Release. Please use the link below for more information.

The official calendar for next year has been released. Please see below, or visit our district website at www.gbcs.org to view.