The Gladiator Gazette 1.8.25
January 8, 2025
On Tuesday, January 21, our current H.T. Smith Elementary students will have their first day at the new Fowlerville Elementary School! We are very excited for our students and staff to experience this beautiful new school. As a reminder, with this change, we also have a change to drop-off and pick-up procedures for both families of the new building as well as Natalie Kreeger Elementary School. Please review these changes so we have a smooth transition for everyone involved.
We appreciate your cooperation in following these new procedures so we can keep all of our students and staff safe as they enter and exit their buildings daily.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to Ms. Lindsey Redinger, who recently joined our Board of Education. Elected in November of 2024, Ms. Redinger participated in her first Board of Education meeting last night and will continue her term through December 31, 2028.
As a 31-year resident of the Fowlerville community, Redinger hopes to bring a fresh perspective to the board, especially in the area of special education. She is the mother of three current students in the district and looks forward to focusing on student retention and improving support for students, educators and staff. Welcome, Lindsey!
At the November 19, 2024, Board of Education meeting, the board unanimously rated Superintendent Matt Stuard as "Effective" during his annual evaluation. The "Effective" rating represents the highest overall level on the scale. The evaluation itself covers five key areas including: Student Growth and Academic Achievement; Instructional Programs; Safe, Effective and Efficient Programs and Services; Community Building and Evidence-Based Improvement. Each of the areas included ten sub areas, assessed using performance descriptors of Needs Support, Developing and Effective.
Throughout the past year, Mr. Stuard has provided the Board of Education with updates and supplied evidence to support his progress and decisions.
January is School Board Recognition Month in the state of Michigan and we want to take a moment to thank our board for their commitment to our students' education. Sponsored by the Michigan Association of School Boards, and launched in 1989, the goal of recognizing school boards is to build a public understanding and support for the concept of local control of public schools.
Our Board of Education members include; Amy Sova, President; Robert Hinton, Vice-President; Susan Charron, Secretary; John Belcher, Treasurer; Danielle DeVries, Trustee; Diana Dombrowski, Trustee and Lindsey Redinger, Trustee.
All of us at Fowlerville Community Schools appreciate the countless hours our Board of Education members devote to understanding complex educational issues, collaborating with stakeholders and making tough decisions when necessary. Your guidance and decision making are crucial to shaping the future of our students and providing them with the best opportunities to learn and grow.
Michigan law allows school districts to cancel up to six school days per year due to extenuating circumstances beyond their control. These are also known as "forgiveness days." Additionally, the State Superintendent of Instruction may approve up to three extra forgiveness days beyond the initial six; however, districts much first attempt to reschedule missed days to meet the state's requirements before applying for the additional days of forgiveness. Approval of these extra days in not guaranteed.
A day of instruction is defined as follows: "A day is not defined by length, but by whether instruction was scheduled and occurred." In addition to providing at least 180 days of instruction, districts much also meet other requirements including:
- Seventy-five Percent Rule: At least 75% of enrolled students must be present on instructional days. Failing to meet this threshold results in a proration of the district's state aid.
- One Thousand Ninety-Eight Instructional Hours: District must ensure that students receive at least 1,098 hours of instruction annually.
Below is a list of lost instruction dates this year due to extenuating circumstances:
- 8/27/24: Excessive Heat (K-12, afternoon early release)
- 8/28/24: Power Outage (K-5, no school)
- 8/29/24: Power Outage (K-12, no school)
- 11/5/24: Broken Water Pipe (3-5, early release)
- 12/5/24: Snow Day (K-12, no school)
- 12/12/24: Snow Day (K-12, no school)
As the 2024-25 school year continues, we will keep everyone updated on the district's use of forgiveness days and compliance with state requirements.
The lunchtime Peer 2 Peer meetings at H.T. Smith Elementary were a great success. Wonderful connections between the students are already being made. The next step was to get the Unified Champions (AKA Special Olympics) Peer 2 Peer program up and running.
Prior to Winter Break, the Unified Champions held their first meeting and enjoyed some extra bounce house time with their peers. Since sports are more fun with more kids, the Unified Champions will meet once a month on Wednesday's with a focus on physical activity. We love to see these Peer 2 Peer connections being made!
We want to thank the families and students from both H.T. Smith Elementary and Natalie Kreeger Elementary for their generous donations to our food drive prior to the Winter Break. We were able to donated over 2,000 pounds of food to the Family Impact Center to assist families in our own community. Thank you for your generosity!
