FAPS #WeAreFenton Community Update

Dear WeAreFenton Families,

As the holiday season approaches, I am filled with gratitude for the incredible community that we have here at Fenton Area Public Schools. This time of year is a special opportunity to reflect on the past year and celebrate the joy and warmth that this season brings.

This fall has been full of learning, growth, and connection. Our students have been working hard in the classroom and participating in various extracurricular activities. Our teachers and staff have been dedicated to providing our students with the best possible education. Our families also have been actively involved in supporting our schools.

I am so proud of all that we have accomplished together this year. We have much to be thankful for, and I am excited to see what the next calendar year holds for our school district.

I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season. If you celebrate Christmas as me and my family do, Merry Christmas! If you celebrate one of the other many holidays in December - Happiest of Holidays! May your days be filled with peace, love, and joy. I look forward to seeing our students back in school in the new year.

Warm regards,

Heidie Ciesielski

Superintendent

We are Fenton!! Imagine the possibilities….

The FAFSA window is open. It will be extremely important to fill out the application as soon as possible. Additionally, we are being told that colleges and universities will not receive their student data from FAFSA until the end of January, further complicating when families will receive their financial aid package.

In an attempt to help everyone prepare now for when the FAFSA window opens, FHS staff has prepared a one-page FAFSA Checklist document with links to support you. Please reach out to your counselor or FHS Administration if you need help or have questions!

They say it takes a village to raise a child. We are your village!

Fenton Area Public Schools serve a strong, supportive community that works together and relies on one another for support. We hope that you see your child's school as a resource, especially in times of need. In an effort to alleviate some of the stress that sometimes comes with trying to stay connected and make ends meet, FAPS has a team of School Home Coordinator’s that can assist students and families through the challenging times. Services offered include coordinating with local agencies for support in mental health, housing, transportation, clothing and basic needs. School Home Coordinators serve as the connection between school and home ensuring both academic and social-emotional success. If your family and/or student may benefit from these resources, please contact your building's School Home Coordinator.

North Road and State Road Elementary- Melissa Mong

Tomek Eastern and AGS- Lauren Underwood

Fenton High School & Grades 9-12 Alternative Education- Nicole Kilpatrick

Kelly Jobe is the School Home Coordinator at Tomek and FHA. She can help with resources in either location and will be happy to connect families to any resource they are in need of. She can help with food assistance, clothes, hygiene, essentials and winter wear. Reach out if you need anything - I love our district!

kjobe@fentonschools.org

Tomek (810) 591-6853 and FHA (810) 591-8653

As we will not be around our students for the next few weeks during break, we wanted to remind all of our staff and families about our SEL and Mental Health Continuum that we offer here at Fenton Area Public Schools. The two graphics below have hyperlinks to resources within our district and with partners we have in the surrounding areas. If you or your family is in need please reach out we are only a phone call away and can put you in contact with those that can help! Here is to a happy, healthy holiday season!

With the holiday season upon us, it's that time of year when we start preparing for possible inclement weather and the possibility of school cancellation. Please take time to plan for what you and your family will do in the event we have to cancel school. The district will always attempt to make decisions in time for you to use your plans optimally; however, sometimes with mother nature and the weather patterns in Michigan it doesn't always go as we'd all appreciate.

Please take a look below at the process for a weather cancellation and understand that we try our best to ensure student safety above all else.

A. We monitor the weather, and if severe weather is predicted, as superintendent, I along with the help of our transportation/operations department, local road commission and law enforcement evaluate potential issues.

B. As superintendent, I collaborate with Genesee County Superintendents to make decisions based on the road conditions for our area currently and/or in the near future.

C. We as a district will notify designated individuals in the event of a school closure to then disseminate information as quickly as possible.

D. Families can check: the district website, messaging through our FAPS app to phones in the form of voice, text message, email message, district Facebook, and news stations (ABC 12, WNEM 5, NBC 25, Detroit Fox2).

When the weather breaks and road conditions are in question, remember to leave early and drive slowly. Also, ensure your contact information is updated with your school so the district can provide the most efficient communication.

❄️🎅🔔

Our school board held the regular monthly meeting on December 2, 2024. Our board accomplished a tremendous amount of board business this month with policy, budget amendments, and we honored some great programming and students. The board of education has voted to change the format of the way they hold their meetings and conduct business. After the holidays they will be moving from a sub-committee structure to a committee of the whole and then an action meeting. Our first board meeting of the year will be on Jan 6 , a Monday; however, after that the board has voted to move our board meetings to Tuesdays. Therefore starting Jan 21st we will start the Tuesday rotation of the 1st Tuesday and the 3rd Tuesday of the month for the meetings.

You can find the link to the board's work located on our new easy to navigate BOE website page here:

https://www.fentonschools.org/page/board-of-education