The Highlighter - February 2024
Superintendent’s Message
Fact Sheet
On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, our community will vote on a school bond proposal for St. Johns Public Schools. If approved by voters, this bond would provide $92,000,000 for improvements across the district at no tax rate increase expected over the current rate to address four key areas: Read more....
St. Johns Public Schools would like to congratulate Oakview South and Gateway Elementaries on being nominated as Capturing Kids' Hearts National Showcase Schools! "The Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase Schools award is both a high aspiration and an exemplary recognition of excellence." As a District, we are all very proud of their nominations.
Capturing Kids Heart Staff Highlight
Kari Harrant - 5th Grade Teacher, Oakview South Elementary
Kari Harrant plays a crucial role in the teaching staff at Oakview South, contributing significantly to their success with Capturing Kids' Hearts and their nomination as a Showcase School. She has been with SJPS for 12 years, 10 of which have been spent teaching 5th grade at Oakview South Elementary. Kari says a typical day involves teaching ELA to four sections of 5th grade. "Despite the busy schedule, the day goes by quickly."
Her favorite part of the job is "making connections with all the 5th graders at Oakview. I'm fortunate to work with an incredible team of teachers in 5th grade, all of whom are very passionate about the subject we teach. Witnessing both the academic and social growth within our students is immensely rewarding. Additionally, I absolutely love it when past students come back to visit; it serves as a reminder of the impact we've had on them."
When asked about the importance of Capturing Kids' Hearts: "(CKH) has been essential in fostering positive interactions among students. It emphasizes affirmations throughout the day, teaching students to be SOLAR listeners and encouraging genuine conversation by actively listening and asking follow-up questions. CKH allows our classroom to establish norms collectively through a social contract, making students feel valued and involved in creating a positive learning environment."
The following was an email shared with my class from Mrs. Schmitt, our speech therapist (we have this email printed and hanging on our wall as a reminder):
I was in your classroom today and I wanted to take a moment to give you some praise! Your willingness to include others and extend a hand to those who need it does not go unnoticed. It creates an atmosphere in your classroom that is truly special.
Your actions demonstrate the power of empathy and the positive impact it can have on everyone around you. It's amazing to witness your genuine care for one another, creating an environment where everyone feels valued and accepted.
Hold onto these values. They will serve you well in all aspects of life and contribute to making the world a better place.
Thank you for being such outstanding individuals and for creating a classroom filled with warmth, kindness, and inclusivity. You make a difference, and your actions inspire those around you!
Mrs. Schmitt
Mental Health Resources
Clinton County Schools District (2nd Annual) Community Conversation - About Mental Health and School Safety.
Location: CCRESA 1013 US 27, St. Johns
Date & Time: March 7th, 6:00 - 7:00pm
Topics: Mental Health and School Safety
Participants: All Clinton County Families
Monthly district-specific webinars: Series Topics and Dates
Parent Coaching
- Sign in to ParentGuidance.org
- Click on “parent coaching” to sign up for a trained parenting coach then select “Register for Coaching”
- Coaching is just what it sounds like; one-on-one help with a trained coach, helping you face issues with yourself or your family. Coaching is free and confidential.
- Coaching for Parents
- Learn more about Coaching
Upcoming Events
- IQ Hub Art Explosion Artist Awards Night - February 29th (Information)
- MSBOA District 5 Band & Orchestra Festival - March 2nd
- MS/HS MSVMA Choir Festival - March 11-12
- Mental Health Series - Effects of Screen Time - March 13 (6:30pm) Online
- Bond Informational Community Session - April 17th - High School Media Center
St. Johns Orchestras Present Their Pre-Festival Concert
Monday, February 26th Performance
Social Media Highlights
Click photos to follow links
St. Johns Competition Theatre Captures Awards at MIFA Theatre State Finals
St. Johns Competition Theatre competed in the MIFA Theatre State Finals at Wayne State University on Friday, February 16 and Saturday, February 17.
• The mainstage show, Wild Strawberries, placed 2nd. They also earned the People's Choice Award for favorite mainstage show and the Fitz Class Act award for sportsmanship.
Excellence awards were earned by: Lexsey Pulver - Acting for the role of Nikolette DiNikoli, Gabe D'Valentine - Acting for the role of Nikolas DiNikoli, Company - Ensemble Acting, Morgan Klaver- Stage Manager, Julia Andretz, Shelby Case, Maya Schaub, Maggie Panuspatthana - Costume Execution, Devin DeMarais and Calvin Hyzer - Lobby Display
Superior awards were earned by: Ella Koenigsknecht- Acting for the role of Truffledina, Sam Nichols - Acting for the role of Best Vegetable Guy, Julia Andretz, Shelby Case, Maya Schaub, Maggie Panuspatthana -Costume Execution.
• The studio show, Queens, placed 1st, earning St. Johns their 13th state title in Competition Theatre. They also won the Black Gaffe award for best technical production.
Excellence awards were earned by: Bianca Garcia - Vocal Performance as the Fool, Pierce Hansen - Acting for the role of Henry in Dream, Isabelle Kosto - Acting for the role of Jane Popincourt, Matthew Leden - Lighting Design.
Superior awards were earned by: Matthew Leden - Student Director, Miranda Bourne - Acting for the role of Kathryn Howard, Company - Ensemble Acting, Company - Artistic Vision, Additionally, assistant director Nathan Charneski won the Bob Koger award for director of the year.
Congratulations to all on an incredibly successful season!
Impromptu Dance Breaks out at MS Assembly!
SJHS Business Professionals of America (BPA) Compete at CMU
Congratulations to the SJHS Business Professionals of America (BPA) Club on their State Qualifiers and Honorable Mention students! Redwing students recently competed at Central Michigan University against 11 other schools. In total, over 400 students competed.
Full SJHS Results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nuPrAsFQdPrPO39QSetA0Sd7Stzn3xqqY_AA2z7d2ck/edit#gid=0
Learn more about the BPA and other clubs at SJHS: https://www.sjredwings.org/our-schools/highschool/clubsandactivities/
Sports Highlights
Click photos to follow links
Redwings Attend MHSAA Women in Sports Leadership Conference
Last week St. Johns High School Athletic Director, Megan Merchant and new Varsity Softball Coach, LaTosha Cantu had the opportunity to take 8 female students to the MHSAA Women In Sports Leadership Conference in Lansing. Students that attended were Abigail Tisdale, Madison Hendy, Laila Wright, Ramiah Caroland, Miriam Kloha, Annaliza McCann, Brenda McCann, Morgan Jubeck.
Some Redwings shared quotes from the rewarding experience:
"I learned that to perform well as a team you have a good team culture. And to have good team culture means to have those tough conversations with your teammates, even when you don’t want to have them. Those conversations with your team can bring your team closer and better your team culture, leading to good performance." -Abby Tisdale
"Overall, I learned and grew to be a better leader for my team from many smart, experienced leaders who have been where I am. I learned about how important it is to support your teammates, lead yourself before others, be positive, have hard conversations, and anything else that is important for a good team culture." -Maddy Hendy
Varsity Wrestlers Heading to States!
Redwings Sean Pettigrew and Ryan Dimmick are headed to the State Finals after advancing through Regionals at Mason on 2/17. Ryan claimed the Regional title while getting his 150th career win for St. Johns!
Varsity Cheer Advances to Regionals!
The Redwings advanced through District qualifying and competed at Regionals for the 2nd year in a row!
Varsity Basketball Teams Prepare for Districts
The Varsity Boys team finished their regular season with an 11-11 record after defeating Fowlerville on Friday 85-51. The team travels to Grand Ledge to take on Dewitt in Rd1 of the District Tournament tonight (2/28).
The Varsity girls team will finish their season at Mt. Pleasant on Thursday (2/29) before hosting the District Tournament. St. Johns will take on Waverly in the first round (3/4).
MHSAA Scholar Athletes Announced
Redwing Lily Sackrider has been selected as one of the MHSAA 2024 Scholar Athlete Recipients! Congratulations Lily! Photo via MHSAA.
Building Updates
The Middle School Minute - Education Excellence Award from the SET SEG Foundation!
The middle school LINKS program has been selected to receive an Education Excellence Award from the SET SEG Foundation in partnership with the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB). This is an incredible achievement as only 10 programs were selected from the many outstanding applications we received from public schools across Michigan! As a 2024 Education Excellence Award winner, our district will receive a $2,500 check and a commemorative trophy. Congratulations to our outstanding teachers, Katy White and Mallory Harden, who have been instrumental in bringing the LINKS program to our students.
LINKS is a peer-to-peer support program. This program provides many opportunities for general education students to mentor students with disabilities including cognitive impairments and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). General education peer mentors, called LINKS, learn skills to relate to and support classmates with different needs and abilities, and develop increased understanding and celebration of individual differences.
Peers gain independence with the support of classmates who become good friends. They also learn the “hidden curriculum” of middle school (which behaviors are appropriate and socially acceptable) from a classmate rather than an adult. The LINKS also make good friends, learn responsibility to others, demonstrate compassion, gain perspective and understanding, and learn acceptance of peers with differences.
Redwings News (HS) SJHS Students Participate in 17th Annual MSUFCU Student Art Exhibit
SJHS Art students are again participating in the 17th Annual MSUFCU Student Art Exhibit. Ten talented young artists are displaying artworks including 3D ceramic sculptures and 2D works including paintings, drawings, and mixed media pieces. The exhibit and voting opens on January 28 and runs through February 23. Voting can be done online at msufcuart.com or MSUFCU Headquarters. Nineteen schools are participating, so please log on or stop in and support SJHS by voting for our students' and their work.
Students participating are Emily Crites, Jill Dexter, Mia Gentile, Anna Hearn, Stacy Hernandez, Roxanna Patricio-Saldana, Shylie Pratt, Shaeley Proseus, Marshall Skorna, and Alex VanNote.
Oakview South Newsletter - 5th grade Science
We are finishing our unit on Nurse Logs and then we will spend a few weeks on Geometry to help with making sure some math content is covered before we begin M-Step testing in the spring. The next science unit will explore Matter Properties. We will begin our unit by looking at how we can make water healthy for all living things. Read the newsletter