Climate and Culture Newsletter

October 2 - COUNT DAY

October 11 - MHS HOMECOMING Football Game vs. Clintondale @ 7:00pm

October 12 - MHS Homecoming Dance 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Wilkinson Middle School had a unique visitor on Wednesday, September 25th. Ms. Shultz was lucky enough to get a picture of this peregrine falcon before it flew away.

The Madison METRO adult transition program will be rolling out their bagel/coffee cart. Ordering email will go out the Monday before. Contact Christina Coden if you have any questions.

Pear Deck is a Google Slides add-on designed to help teachers create engaging slide show-style content for the classroom. Since this is Google-integrated, it allows teachers to create or edit presentations right there from within their own Google account.

The idea is to combine slide presentations with interactive questions to help advance inquiry-based learning. This allows students to work independently both in the classroom as well as remotely.

Pear Deck allows teachers to see the deck live so they can see who is participating at that moment. Student responses appear on the teacher's screen in real time, even if working remotely.

For back to school 2024, Pear Deck has made available Instant Pear decks, which enables teachers to create standards-aligned classroom content in under 30 seconds. Using generative AI technology, Instant Pear Decks seamlessly generate customized lessons, mini-instructions, and activities based on selected grade level, subject, academic standard, and user prompts.

Polish American Heritage Month

The first Poles migrated to America starting in the early 1800s. This month, celebrate their contributions to culture and society. Once here, they were dedicated to preserving their heritage and culture and even started a national network of Polish-language newspapers, radio, and television stations to keep their language alive. New York State has the largest Polish-American population with Michigan, Wisconsin, and Connecticut having a substantial group too.

Italian American Heritage Month

Nearly 16 million Americans identify as Italian American according to the U.S. Census. Italian American Heritage Month occurs every October to overlap with Columbus Day, celebrated on the second Monday. It was first celebrated in 1989 with a proclamation from George H.W. Bush. Every year, a Columbus Day parade is held in New York City with an average million spectators.

Filipino American History Month

Filipino American History Month is celebrated as it was when the first Filipinos arrived in California in 1587. Many organizations in California and Hawaii, where many Filipino Americans reside, hold annual celebrations. Some call the month “Filipino American Heritage Month” while others regard it as a History month to focus on the events and lived experiences and their impact on society.

Global Diversity Awareness Month is a wonderful opportunity to seek out and promote diversity of thought and experience within our schools and communities. Here are some ways to celebrate diversity in your classroom.

• Create a calendar that highlights celebrations around the world
• Introduce books, art, music, etc. from other countries
• Show and Tell: ask students to bring in something from home that represents their culture
• Dedicate one bulletin board to highlighting a different country or region of the world each month

Did you know there is an area on the district website dedicated to staff? It's called Staff Links (found in the upper right corner of the website). You can find helpful information like Whom to Ask and the CARE WorkLife Solutions flyer under Staff Resources. You can also access important forms like FMLA and Employee Report of Injury under Human Resources.

October 19 - Skelebration Trail, Madison Heights Civic Center Park, 6:00pm - 9:00pm

The SET SEG Foundation is once again partnering with the Michigan Association of School Boards to honor Michigan public school programs with the Education Excellence Awards. Ten educational programs within Michigan public schools and/or ISDs will be awarded the grant to continue their positive influence on their students and community.

Deadline is December 9, 2024. Click HERE to apply.

MSGCU was founded by educators 70 years ago and are grateful for the important work teachers do each day. To help them achieve their goals in the classroom, MSGCU offers Classroom Cash Grants worth up to $750 to fund innovative projects that otherwise wouldn’t be covered by school budgets. Educators use the grants to enhance their curriculum in science, math, literacy, and more, bringing fun and engaging lesson plans to life for their students.

Apply now through Friday, October 4, at 5 PM. The public will vote for their favorite projects and those with the most votes will win a grant.

Click HERE to apply!

Giroux Pappas Trial Attorneys recognizes an Exceptional Educator each month and donates $1,000 to their classroom, program, or school.

"We see educators giving back everyday and want to honor their immense contribution to our community. In our schools, extra-curricular activities and churches, there are people really making a difference in our children’s lives. We would like your help in recognizing some of these Exceptional Educators."

Click HERE for additional information.

Click HERE to nominate an Exceptional Educator.

October 1 - International Coffee Day

October 4 - Taco Day

October 8 - Pierogi Day

October 9 - Curious Events day

October 12 - Astronomy Day

Sweet dreams are made of cheese! Swiss cheesemaker, Beat Wampfler, plays songs from bands like Led Zeppelin and A Tribe Called Quest during his cheese-producing process and, with the help of students from the University of the Arts in Bern, he's studying to see if and how music can change the flavor of his Emmental cheese.

Amy Conrad - October 1

Roderick Pitts - October 6

Fadwa Dawd - October 8

Pontsho Kgope - October 15

Abbey Collins - October 16

Peggy Shamoun - October 16

Scott Stinson - October 17

Don Gerard - October 18

Denise Beguhn - October 20

Kim Cardenas - October 20

Felecia Hemingway - October 22

David Shaw - October 22

Michael Caruso - October 26

Sarah Gaynor - October 29

Keisha Newman - October 29

Rasha Essa - October 30

Cathy Gifford - October 30

Aaron Ondra - October 30

PJ Elam - October 3 (30 years)

Sheila Fisher - October 3 (11 years)

Margi Nelson - October 4 (16 years)

Aaron Ondra - October 6 (10 years)

Julekha Chowdhury - October 10 (8 years)

Keisha Newman - October 10 (8 years)

Kim Cardenas - October 12 (1 year)

Ashley Kudla - October 14 (5 years)

Amanda Brown - October 15 (3 years)

Marjon Jones - October 16 (1 year)

Maya Farhat - October 17 (8 years)

Belinda Masterson - October 17 (2 years)

Ivanna Sayajon - October 23 (16 years)

Sonja Stauffer - October 24 (8 years)

Theresa Seid - October 27 (12 years)

Demario Humphries - October 30 (1 year)

Danielle Sulfridge - October 30 (27 years)

Click HERE to access the MDPS 2024-2025 Calendar.

If you would like to include a Staff Shout-Out or Staff Spotlight in the next newsletter (10/11), email the information to Pam Vermiglio at pam.vermiglio@madisondistrict.org. If possible, please include a picture.

CARE Worklife Solutions is our Employee Assistance Program provider. They are staffed with experienced counselors to help with a variety of issues including:

• Short-term counseling for you and your immediate family members
• Child care, elder care, family worries, grief and loss
• Grief and loss
• Referrals to providers, specialists and resources to meet specific work, life or caregiving needs
• Password access website resources and support

Please click HERE for more information.

Use the Google spreadsheet to add building events/activities, personal "good news" (graduations, engagements, son/daughter college commitment, etc), staff spotlights/shout-outs, etc. for the newsletter.

The spreadsheet has tabs at the bottom for each month. Staff birthdays and employment anniversary dates should not be added to the spreadsheet (I already have those dates).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1O5IpTg6k9YR4tsO3hgO30t9uV-1SU08vgQQ8FaLKbws/edit?usp=sharing

Email: pam.vermiglio@madisondistrict.org
Website: www.madisondistrict.org
Office Phone: 248-399-7800 ext. 3407