East China School District News
Together We Can!
Contact Information
Email: info@ecsd.us
Website: www.ecsd.us
Location: 1585 Meisner Road, East China, MI, USA
Phone: 810-676-1000
Facebook: facebook.com/EastChinaSchools
For the week of Monday, March 11, 2019
From the Desk of Superintendent Suzanne Cybulla
Upcoming Events at East China Schools
- Mar. 13 PLC Early Release Day
- Mar. 13 & 14 Kindergarten & Preschool Registration
- Mar. 18 Board of Ed meeting
- Mar. 20 First day of Spring
- Mar. 25-29 Spring Break
- Apr. 9 End of 3rd marking period
- Apr. 10 PLC Early Release Day
- Apr. 12 Half day for elementary students only
- Apr. 19-22 Easter break
Creating A Sustainable Future For The East China School District: Bond 2019
The East China School District Bond Steering Committee, a group of volunteers that consisted of Parents, Community Members, Board Members, and District Staff took on the charge of creating a vision for facilities that would maximize operational efficiency with the declining enrollment also support a culture of academic excellence, opportunities and success for all students.
Work was done with bi-weekly meetings to develop a cohesive vision for the district that reflects not only on our need to “right size,” but also on the learning spaces students need to prepare them properly for the next steps in their education and lives. The committee studied our drastic declining enrollment history, the state of our current facilities and programs, the way that learning environments can enhance student performance, the financial picture regarding bond initiatives, and details about our District’s Strategic Vision and Goals.
To refine the Committee’s direction and ultimate recommendation for board review, they invited community members, staff, parents, and students to provide their input during two community engagement sessions. They also evaluated a professional survey of the ECSD community that was conducted by EPIC-MRA to assure they were on track with the potential upgrades, improvements, and the restructuring they were considering.
On November 12, 2018, the Bond Steering Committee presented a report to the East China School Board of Education. At their November 26, 2018 meeting, the Board of Education approved moving forward with the committee’s recommendation for a bond proposal election on May 7th, 2019.
Please take a moment to review the information posted on the East China District webpage (the link is below) concerning the upcoming bond election and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
https://eastchinaschools.org/about-us/bond-information/
Superintendent Suzanne Cybulla
Kindergarten & Preschool Registration is this week!
East China’s state-funded Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) is a Michigan accredited four-year-old preschool. During the school year, this licensed program offers full day sessions, Monday through Thursday. Experienced instructors strengthen each child’s kindergarten readiness skills by providing activities in a developmentally appropriate and literacy rich environment.
The Little Explorers Preschool is a licensed, tuition-based program for three and four-year-olds. The three-year-old program is two half days a week and the four-year-old program is three half days a week. In a caring atmosphere, experienced instructors offer a variety of learning activities to help each child develop school readiness skills.
Positivity Project at Marine City Middle School
The Positivity Project has taken hold at Marine City Middle School this year. Along with other schools in the district we have taken the steps and put into practice the lessons of the positivity project and learning about the 24 character strengths.
In addition to our daily doses of P2, through our lessons in seminar, we have also celebrated our students and what we are learning in a couple of fun ways.
One of those ways is through “Caught with Character” cards. These simple cards contain a list of the 24 character strengths as well as the Other People Matter mindset. When a staff member sees a student showing one of these strengths, through their actions, they are provided a card. Students fill out the full details of why they received the card and submit it for a drawing.
Every Monday morning (or the first day of the week) three student cards are randomly pulled from the Caught with Character box and their actions read aloud to the student body. Students come down and claim a prize in the main office and the top winner for the week is featured in a short video interview on the announcements and in our school newsletters.
Below are a couple of our Caught with Character videos where students discuss what they were caught doing and how it applies to what we are learning with the Positivity Project.
Collin Tromblay-Caught with Character
Jenna Richards-Caught with Character
Each month MCMS also celebrates our character develop with a P2 assembly. During the assembly even more students are recognized for their actions around the building and are awarded P2 t-shirts and a story is usually shared or trivia questions asked of the student body. The real fun at the assemblies starts with the character games that are organized by our amazing Student Council and their wonderful sponsors Mrs. McLeod and Mrs. Thomas. All of our games emphasize the lessons and character strengths that we have learned about during P2 in the last month.
Below is a story that was shared.
Potatoes, Eggs, and Coffee Beans
Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.
Which character strength is she struggling with? (Gratitude)
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.
Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.
He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.
After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”
“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she hastily replied.
What character strength is dad utilizing to help his daughter? (Creativity)
“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.
He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.
“Which are you,” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? “
Moral:In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us. Which one are you?
What has dad provided to his daughter with his boiling of the potato, egg, and coffee? (Perspective)
Students play a hybrid Wheel of Fortune/Reverse Hangman game with P2 words. For every incorrect letter selected, Mr. Ming had to add an article of winter clothing. The students won with only one boot left, earning a school-wide hat day the following week.
In December we had a series of Holiday-themed activities that students had to complete one-step at a time with their grade-level teams.