Attention 8th-grade parents... 8th-grade graduation is June 7th at 10 AM in the middle school gym. Please join us in celebrating your student finishing middle school. Please send any pictures for the slideshow to kayla.taylor@concord.net. All pictures are due May 1st. The goal is to collect at least one individual (recent) picture, either a second individual picture or a picture with family/siblings/a pet, and then any group pictures from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.

Wednesday night Concord took the second step in the planning process of its potential Child and Adolescent Health Care Center. The committee will meet several times over the next 6 months in order to determine the feasibility of and plan for the establishment of a School Wellness Program within the district. The CAC meeting will be instrumental in helping to create the needs assessment, services deliverable, and operations plan as well as developing a parental consent policy, requests for record policy, confidential services policy, and an abuse disclosure policy.

The committee should be made up of 1/3 parents, so we are looking for interested parents. We are meeting at least once a month for the next six months. The meetings are one hour long, and there may be a little work at home between sessions. OUR NEXT MEETING IS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26TH FROM 6:00-7:00 PM. If you are interested, please reach out to Mr. Arbuckle. mike.arbuckle@concordschools.net

Middle school yearbooks are now for sale. Books are only $10. Email Ms. Taylor at kayla.taylor@concordschools.net with any questions.

https://store.geskusphoto.com/search/YB4915

In springtime, the weather can change from rainy one day to sunny the next! There are many ways that you and your little one can have fun with the weather in spring. Talk about how warm or cold it is or guess what the weather will be like tomorrow! #TalkingIsTeaching

Because attendance is so important, please send your child to school every day unless he or she has a contagious illness or is running a fever.

NHS is hosting a blood drive on Wednesday, May 3rd from 9 am to 2 pm. Must be 16+ to donate. If you are 16 stop by the HS office for a consent form.

Sign-up online at: https://tiny.cc/bdmay23. Donors will be able to participate in positive mental health activities throughout their donation appointment in celebration of mental health awareness month!

To seniors and their families,

As the yearbook advisor, I am writing to inform you of the requirements for the senior pictures and baby pictures in the yearbook and the senior slideshow for graduation. The yearbook staff would like one wallet size professional picture sent digitally by email or USB. We would prefer the pose to be that of a traditional head and shoulders shot without props, words or logos. Please inform the photography studio of these requirements. Many studios will provide them for FREE when you purchase your son/daughter’s senior pictures. The pictures must be sent to the school before April 15th .

I will be working with Mr. Couling, who is in charge of graduation and the senior slideshow, so you or your photographer can send the 300 dpi wallet size photo to brian.couling@concordschools.net. If you do not plan to have photos taken before then, photography students will be offering senior photos or as a last resort we can use the “school” photo as the official photo for the yearbook. We will also need a baby picture for the yearbook and senior slideshow. Digital copies can be emailed to Mr. Couling at the address above, or a physical image can be brought in to Mr. Couling to be scanned and uploaded.

If you have any questions about the yearbook, please email me at amy.kelly@concordschools.net.

Thank you,

Amy Kelly

Publications Advisor

FAFSA application - due May 1st at 11:59 pm for STATE AID PRIORITY. This is an application that the student and parent fill out. The information the student and parent get back will help identify if the student qualifies for any loans, grants, or scholarships through the government.

The FAFSA can still be completed after May 1st, for FEDERAL aid. Our College and Career Access Center Advisor is wonderful at helping make the process run smoothly. She can be emailed at ZIngram@jacksoncac.org or you can also stop in at the College and Career Access Center located in the Jackson Crossing Mall, near the Target entrance.

John George, JR. Student Loan Fund - due May 1st. This is provided by the founder of the Jackson Citizen Patriot to provide students a low interest rate loan so that attending universities, colleges, and community colleges supported by the State of Michigan are more accessible. (See attached handout)

Let's Get This Bread Brochure (Michigan Achievement Scholarship) - due May 1st. This is a copy of the two important pages of a brochure that I gave to the students a couple of months ago. The brochure shows what amounts are being provided and how to go about getting access to the money (in a nutshell, the FAFSA has to be completed). This new program has been able to provide more students with financial funding for in state schools. It has also led to families who in the past did not qualify for financial aid, to now qualify.

Please feel free to reach out to me or Zaire Ingram (College and Career Access Center Advisor) if you have any questions.

Next week, Wednesday, April 26th, there will be a Resume Workshop held in Mr. Jurasek’s room. Creating a resume is a great way to have a polished document of all your accomplishments including job experience, education completed, leadership involvement, volunteer opportunities, and skills learned. Many employers require resumes, but resumes can also be used for internships and research opportunities in college. Sign up for this workshop on the clipboard outside Mrs. Otto's office.

Anyone who completes and sends me their resume by May 1st will be entered into a prize drawing for a gift card!

Brembo Foudry Job Fair

Brembo is hosting Homer Foundry Job Fair on Thursday, May 4th from 12:00-2:00 pm for any seniors graduating and interested in the workforce after graduation. Brembo is looking for team members who possess a strong work ethic and thrive in a fast-paced environment. There are several open positions and benefits included.

The Job Fair is located at 6259 30 Mile Rd, Homer MI 49245.

Job openings at B’s Pizza in Spring Arbor!

Mr. Branden Elser is looking for a few part-time cook/delivery drivers, paid the same day they work and can make their own schedules. If interested, you can either stop in to talk to Mr. Elser or call him at (517)750-7474.

Just a reminder that the FREE after-school dinner program is still available every day after school for students staying after for spring sports and academic support.

Prom tickets will be on sale from Monday the 17th until Friday the 22nd of April at lunchtime. Career center students will be able to purchase tickets on Wednesday morning in Ms. Kelly’s room. Tickets are $20.00

Special Education Millage Renewal on May Ballot

During the 2022-23 school year, this millage brought $242,563 to Concord Community Schools. Without this millage, those expenses will still exist and the money to pay for them will have to come from our general fund, impacting programs for all students.

A taxpayer who owns a home with a market value of $100,000 (taxable value of $50,000) would pay $77.04 per year or $6.42 per month in renewed millage. Ballot language can seem confusing so we want to share it with you. Here is the ballot language you will see:

JACKSON COUNTY INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT SPECIAL EDUCATION MILLAGE RENEWAL PROPOSAL

This proposal will allow the intermediate school district to levy special education millage previously approved by the electors.

Shall the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be assessed against all property in Jackson County Intermediate School District, Michigan, be renewed by 1.5408 mills ($1.5408 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a period of 5 years, 2024 to 2028, inclusive, to provide funds for the education of students with a disability; the estimate of the revenue the intermediate school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2024 is approximately $8,880,000 from local property taxes authorized herein (this is a renewal of millage that will expire with the 2023 tax levy)?

For more information or to review the Q&A, visit www.jcisd.org/millage.

Did you miss the parent meeting? NO PROBLEM!! Kindergarten Roundup will take place on April 25th and 26th. Slots are limited, so SIGN UP NOW!!

As a part of our district improvement efforts, we are sharing our 2022-2023 Concord Community Schools Family School Climate Survey. The survey will help the district assess the current climate and culture within the buildings. The information is critical to our ability to improve the learning experience. Parents of any students in preschool through high school are asked to complete the survey. Directions for completing the survey are included within the survey. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET COMPLETED THE SURVEY, please take a few minutes to complete the survey that is linked below.

Most Americans already received their stimulus payments and the 2021 Child Tax Credit, but for eligible people who don’t normally file tax returns, it’s not too late to claim these benefits from the #IRS. http://ow.ly/V37Z50NfCQv, http://ow.ly/apPL50NfCNR

Millions of families in the U.S. received the 2021 Child Tax Credit and stimulus payments from the #IRS. If your family doesn’t normally file a tax return, it’s not too late to claim these benefits. http://ow.ly/V37Z50NfCQv, http://ow.ly/apPL50NfCNR

It’s not too late: An #IRS reminder that families who typically don’t file taxes may still qualify for the 2021 Child Tax Credit and the Recovery Rebate Credit. http://ow.ly/V37Z50NfCQv, http://ow.ly/apPL50NfCNR

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE LATCH KEY PROGRAM, SEE THE FLYER BELOW AND BEGIN THE ENROLLMENT PROCESS!!!

You may have noticed that PowerSchool was down again this week. In an effort to improve cybersecurity, changes have been made to our operating systems including PowerSchool. It is my understanding the PowerSchool app is still not working. I will keep families posted on any news I hear regarding that, BUT I know there is now a new link for students and their families to access grades and view student progress in classes. This link is active and working and can be found below. If you have forgotten your login information and/or password, please email your building administrative assistant and they can get you your PowerSchool information.

If you would like to watch middle school action unfold follow Concord Middle School on Instagram. Their account is @concordyearbook. The yearbook club is going to be updating it more frequently than the Facebook page with pictures.

Have you liked the Elementary/Middle School Facebook Page? What about the Concord Community Schools Facebook Page??

If you have not yet, this week is a great time to start. The Elementary and Middle schools use the Facebook page to post many updates, announcements, and student photos; the Concord Community Schools page is a great way to see how a YellowJacket week unfolds! Don't miss the news - like and follow the pages today.

Concord Elementary/Middle School Facebook Page

Concord Community Schools Facebook Page

We are in need of bus drivers, food service staff members, coaches, and individuals willing to work through EduStaff as Guest Teachers or subs for all of our positions. If you are interested and able, we would love to have you on our team. Below you will find information about signing up to work as a Guest Teacher through Edustaff. Further, you can view unfilled positions on our website. If you have any questions, please call one of our offices.