Byron Middle & High School News
January 2023
The Mission of Byron Area Schools is to educate all students to become productive members of society.
Happy 100th day of school
We have welcomed several new staff members since the beginning of the year. Please feel free to click on the MS/HS staff link above. This provides contact information for each staff member as well as which courses they teach or what role they serve at the school. You will also find the Google Classroom codes for our second semester classes. Communication is key to our students success. Please reach out if you have concerns or if we can help in any way.
We are in our 5th year of the Positivity Project (P2). There are 24 character traits that we study with the students every Monday. You can take the survey below to find out what your top character traits are. You'll also see listed below additional family information regarding the upcoming weeks.
Through a wonderful grant opportunity, we have been able to hire a school nurse. Andrea Howard joins our team and is becoming a familiar face in all three of our buildings. Mrs. Howard will be working with our secondary students, not only to tend to their medical needs, but also help us with some health education. Last week, she worked with the elementary school educating them on how germs spread and the importance of sleep. Keep your eyes open for some new and informational bulletin boards in the middle and high school. We look forward to working with her...welcome Mrs. Howard!
Below you will see a link labeled the Affordable Connectivity Program. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a U.S. government program run by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to help low-income households pay for internet service and connected devices like a laptop or tablet. You are likely eligible if your household’s income is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line, or if you or someone you live with currently receives a government benefit like SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, WIC, Pell Grant, or Free and Reduced-Price Lunch. Click in the box below to see if you qualify.
Thanks as always for sharing your students with us,
Mrs. Lake & Mr. McLennan
Attendance Matters
As always, if you have concerns or questions, please don't hesitate to reach us at the following numbers:
(810) 266-4422 Middle School Office
(810) 266-4620 High School Office
Important Upcoming Dates
February 1st: UM Flint & Shiawassee Early College Info night (sophomore parents/students only - 6:00 pm HS Cafeteria)
February 9th: Freshman Orientation (6:00 pm Cafeteria)
February 15th: 1/2 day virtual in the AM
February 18th: Snowball dance (7-10 pm)
February 20th: No school - Presidents Day
March 8th: 1/2 day virtual in the AM
March 24th: End of 3rd Marking Period, Spring break begins at the end of the school day
Beat the Winter Blah's Spirit Week (Feb 13th - 17th)
Employment Opportunities
Upcoming Library Events
Library Happenings and dates...don't miss out! Upcoming Teen Events. All events are right after school.
- Feb 2 after school - Taste the World (teen program)
- Feb 2 at 4:30 - Nature Story Time (grades preschool-5)
- Feb 9 at 4:30 - Conversation Heart Catapult STEM Challenge (grades K-8)
- Feb 16 after school - Friendship Bracelets (teen program)
- Feb 23 at 4:30 - Coding with Beaded Bracelets (grades K-8)
- Mar 2 after school - Taste the World (teen program)
- Mar 2 at 4:30 - Nature Story Time (grades preschool-5)
As always, anyone interested in attending can visit www.mycdl.org for more details/ registration.
REMINDER -- Hotspots are available at a first come first serve basis. However, a parent/guardian must check them. We will not check them out to students.
Byron Ski & Snowboard Club
Just a reminder, Byron Ski & Snowboard Club is now accepting students and families! If you are interested in signing up, information is available in both the elementary and the high school offices. You may also email Ms. Laurin at laurin@byron.k12.mi.us and she will send you the documents. We hope you can join us!
Thank you to all who donated at the Winter Blood Drive - we collected 31 pints!
Positivity Project
Braxton Forgie
Adilyn Selon
Sierra Flannery
Donovan Adams
Aubrey Greene
Vanessa James
Brayden Vincent
Izak Echlin
Kariana Garris
Layton Ciszewski
Landon Stanley
Carter Cramar
Family Connection to Positivity Project
Week of January 23rd: Social Intelligence
Week of January 30th: Forgiveness
Week of February 6th: Cheering on Each Other's Success (#otherpeoplematter)
Week of February 13th: Love
Week of February 20th: Humility
Family password: P2
Middle School News and Happenings
Student of the Month: Ben Sherwood
Ben is an 8th grader at Byron Middle School. He received several positive write-ups during the month of December. One teacher stated “Over the last two days I have observed Ben going out of his way to talk to a student in my class that was sitting by himself. Not only did he high five the student, he actually sat down on the floor and asked him questions about the book he was reading.” Another teacher said “Ben was seen helping another student in class with his things as the bell rang so that he wouldn't be late to class. He is kind and friendly!” In another instance, a student's binder contents spilled on the floor and Ben came over to help pick it up for the other student on his own. Thanks for setting a great example for other students to follow. A little bit of kindness goes a long way to making someone’s day better here. Keep up the great work Ben!
Chromebook concerns
Looking for board games...chess in particular...
Middle School students will not be going outside at lunch until the weather turns nice again (March/April). However, we will go back to a gym-rotation system so that the students can get their energy out during lunchtime. Students who remain in the cafeteria are encouraged to bring board games and/or cards to play with during lunch. If you are looking to clean out your closets, please feel free to donate these items as well! I'm sure the students would appreciate having them.
Craft, Cooking and Contemplation Club
Where: High School Room 20
Our plan is to follow the below timeline as much as possible. There may be cancellations as things change throughout the school year. Those will be announced to students with as much notice as possible.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Smith or Mrs. Passig at the high school at (810) 266-4620 or via email. Our Crafts, Contemplation (and Cooking) Club keeps growing! Below are our upcoming dates:
Tues. January 17 (due to no school Jan 16)
Mon. January 23
NO MEETING JANUARY 30
Mon. February 6
Tues. February 14 (due to staff meeting)
Tues. February 21 (due to no school Feb 20)
Mon. February 27
Mon. March 6
Mon. March 13
NO MEETING MARCH 20
NO SCHOOL MARCH 27 – 31
Mon. April 3
NO MEETING APRIL 10 (testing week)
Mon. April 17
Mon. April 24
Mon. May 1
Mon. May 8
Tues. May 16 (due to staff meeting)
Mon. May 22 – LAST MEETING!
Byron High School Happenings
Student of the Month: Kylee Boone
Kylee is currently a senior at Byron. She has made great contributions to Byron so far in her senior year. She has been very successful in her classes this year. She continues to be a positive influence in the classroom. In speaking with a few of her teachers, she adds a great attitude and excellent work ethic to her classes.
Kylee's volleyball coach was glad to have her back in the sport! She stated "Kylee had not played since 9th grade, but stepped right in and helped the team on the court as well as off the court. The team had a number of younger players and Kylee worked hard to make sure they felt welcomed. Kylee is a great example of working through things and always trying to stay positive." Keep it up, we are proud of your effort and determination.
HS Student Council
The BHS Student council was busy throughout this holiday season. The December 16th blood drive brought in 31 donors and collected 28 pints! The next drive will be February 24th. Student council hosted a holiday door decorating contest. No winner was declared due to a tie vote, but the hallways looked festive! Members planned and hosted reindeer games during SPARC to kick off the holiday break. We also started a new tradition- officers and other volunteers made a holiday breakfast for all to enjoy! We are currently working on plans for our Beat the winter blahs week in February. Follow bhsstuco on Instagram for updates.
Robotics
The Byron Robotics Team 5641 has been hard at work to make teaching at Byron Area Schools a little easier with gifts of school supplies, snacks and some coffee/tea to keep them going to the holiday break, and a personalized "Thank You" from team members. Check out some of our pictures of these "elves" at work. They even had some time for a few games. Great Job team, and thank you to the Byron Area School Staff for your continued dedication to the growth and education of our students.
Also, we attended the competition reveal at Kettering University. Below is a link to the game animation that will provide a brief description of the objectives we must complete on the robot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zpflsYc4PA
https://www.firstinspires.org/resource-library/frc/competition-manual-qa-system
We have from now until March 2, 2023 to build, code, drive/test and perfect a robot for our Kettering competition. We will post more information on our team website, pictures of the build process, and links to watch our competitions.
If you are interested in learning more about the program, have skills that may be able to help the program, or know of sponsors that can assist with funding in material and expense purchases please reach out to us at 5641team@gmail.com