This Friday marks the end of our third quarter (Q3). Please make sure that you are having conversations with your students, especially those students in middle school and high school, about getting any late or missing work submitted. After Friday, late work for Q3 will no longer be accepted. Progress reports will be mailed home next week once final grades are posted.

Also, please note that if you were not able to attend conferences this week, then your students' Star benchmark assessment information will be mailed home along with their progress reports next week.

Be sure to continue reading with all students in grades PreK - 6th grade! Remember that students in grades PreK - 2nd grade need to read 15 minutes every night, and students in grades 3rd - 6th need to read 25 minutes each night! All reading slips can be turned in to your child's classroom teacher.

Have you ever caught a leprechaun? Students at Tekonsha Elementary are encouraged to try to do just that with the annual build a leprechaun trap challenge! Maybe this is the year that we will finally catch that St. Patrick's Day prankster! This is an at-home project that is completely voluntary for those that choose to participate. If your student chooses to make a trap, be sure to bring it into school by Friday, March 14th!

Coldwater Moose Lodge #677 made a generous donation of $1000 to the Tekonsha Athletic Department on Sunday, March 9th. This donation will go toward the purchase of a new pitching machine! They shared on their Facebook page, "Supporting the development of young athlete's is something we're passionate about, and we're excited to see how this new addition will enhance their training and skill-building." Thank you so much for supporting our Tekonsha student athletes!

One of our special March is Reading Month activities is Flashlight Friday! Nothing makes reading seem even more adventurous than finding your own corner of the room and reading by the light of a flashlight!

Thank you to Matt Gaynier of the Spartan Insurance Agency for his continued support of our robotics program! The Spartan Insurance Agency is one of our diamond-level sponsors, and Matt stopped by today to drop off support for our T-Town Tech robotics team and got a special demonstration of the robot in action!! Matt even got a chance to get a photo with some of our team members! Our next robotics competition is March 22-23!

Students in Mrs. Westra's SEL time for first grade had a chance to read a special book and put some kindness into practice! They read the book Shubert Sees the Best by Dr. Becky A. Bailey. This book is part of the Conscious Discipline curriculum that is used to teach social-emotional skills to our kindergarten and 1st graders. Students learned to shift their thinking to be "helpful not hurtful" to others around them. Each student received their own pair of heart-shaped glasses to remind them to look for the good in others!

Tekonsha High School was one of 75 schools in Michigan to receive a Universal FAFSA Challenge Award. FAFSA stands for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and is a requirement for students hoping to get financial aid support in college or any post secondary institution. The grant we received is intended to help bring awareness to the FAFSA and provide incentives and support to complete the FAFSA. For the 2025 Senior FAFSA Night on Thursday, March 6th, students enjoyed pizza and a large selection of give aways including a dorm fridge, TV, microwave, computer, iPad, and more! Special thank you to our HS counselor Mrs. Tew for organizing this and to the Kellogg Community College Financial Aid officer for coming to help!

Tekonsha High School students got to show off their career and technical skills at the Calhoun Area Career Center (CACC) Student Showcase held on Thursday, March 6 at the CACC. Some students hosted informational booths in their multipurpose room, while others were available to give tours of their classrooms and learning labs! We didn’t catch all the students as some were out on internships, but it was fun to see many of them in action! For more pictures, check out our district Facebook page!

Students were excited to break out some of our new grant-funded instruments in their elementary music classes last week! All of the students in the elementary had fun trying out cardio drumming for the first time...and they loved it! What a fun way to burn off some energy while strengthening their sense of steady beat.

Students also demonstrated their understanding of form (the structure of music) by using three different tools - a woodblock and mallet, ribbon wand, and jingle bells - assigned to different sections of the music. When they hear the music change, they put down one tool and pick up the correct tool for that particular section. The song they used for this activity is one of Tekonsha music teacher Mrs. Hall's favorite instrumental pieces, "Syncopated Clock" by American composer Leroy Anderson.

We are excited to begin our planning for the 2025-26 school year with kindergarten registration for the Class of 2038! This year, we will again hold registration in a large group program format, with an informational presentation on what to expect in kindergarten, time to complete all of the required enrollment forms, an opportunity for us to make copies of the important student and parent papers, a tour of the building, and time for the student to spend time in the classroom with the teacher. If you cannot attend on the scheduled date and time, please still complete the form to show interest in enrolling and someone will contact you with enrollment information!

Last year, THS student Connor Bethel, approached Mrs. O'Keefe and asked if it was possible to start an after school Dungeons and Dragons club at school. It's important for students to get involved and find their "thing" and we love it when students take initiative to make something new happen! Connor recruited Tekonsha High School paraprofessional Mrs. Paula Towey, or Miss Paula, as the students know her. The group started with just four students and Miss Paula, meeting weekly in the library afterschool.

Dungeons and Dragons is a role-playing game in which players create their own character and go on adventures led by the Dungeon Master, that serves as the referee and storyplayer for the game. While it seems like D&D is simply a fantasy game, it really is an opportunity for problem-solving, creativity, and the application of verbal and mathematic skills, all while having fun together.

When two of the four original members graduated last year, the club was uncertain if it would have enough interest to continue, but it has continued to grow and expand! This week, the group was even highlighted in an article for the Homer Index! Be sure to check out their article this week!

The Tekonsha Athletic Boosters are beginning their annual spring flower sale. This year, the following are available for purchase:

• Succulent Combo (6 pack) - $14.00
• Wave Petunias (6 pack) - $12.50
• Vegetables & Herbs (6 pack) - $11.00
• Landscape Flats (36 pack) - $16.50
• 12" Hanging Basket - $18.50
• 11" Color Bowls - $18.50
• Petunia Firefly - Glow in the Dark (3 pack) - $40.00

All of the flowers must be ordered and paid for by Wednesday, March 26. The expected delivery date is around Mother's Day. Click on the link below to get the full order flyer with color photos of the options, and then clink on the order form link to download an order form PDF. Orders can also be made by calling the HS office at 517-767-4121 or by printing the order form and dropping it off at the HS office. Please make all checks payable to the Tekonsha Athletic Boosters.

Congratulations to our Tekonsha Elementary GRIT Indians of the Week for the week of March 3-7.

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

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