Good afternoon, Blackhawks, and Happy Easter! Today kicks off a long weekend leading into Spring testing week. Please be sure to read below for testing details for your student(s) next week. Remember, these important state tests are mandatory for all students attending public school to take. The state of Michigan is no longer allowing exemptions due to COVID.

Applications for Summit Virtual Academy were due March 24. All submitted applications were reviewed this week, and letters/notification regarding the status of your student's acceptance will go out next week.

I hope you all enjoy this long weekend and what looks like nice weather for the upcoming week. I don't know about you, but I am sure ready for some spring weather!

Have a great weekend, and Go Blackhawks!

State mandated spring testing begins this week. This coming week is the busiest, especially for secondary students, so be sure to read closely and reach out with any questions or concerns.

• April 12 - PSAT 9 and SAT11 testing, all 9th and 11th grade come to high school by 7:20 for testing, 9th grade should be done around 11:30, 11th grade should be done around 12:45. They will have the option to have lunch. Students can leave when testing is done
• April 13 - PSAT10 and Work Keys 11, 10th and 11th grade come to high school by 7:20 for testing, all groups should be done by 11:30. They will have the option to have lunch. Students can leave when testing is done
• April 18 - MSTEP 11 for all 11th grade students. Student with last name A-L will test in the morning (7:20 - 10:00). Students with last name M-Z will test in the afternoon (10:35 - 12:30). This test is NOT timed, so end times of students may vary from what is listed. Students can leave when done testing. They will need a chromebook and charger for this test.
• Elementary MSTEP testing will be completed in May. Students will come in person to Harvey Swanson Elementary School for testing and will need chromebooks and chargers. More details to come.

I know that Mr. Stevens has been sending out the link to the senior bulletin for students, but I wanted to include it here as well since we are getting to the end of the year, and this is a busy time. If you have not yet checked out the bulletin, please do so now by clicking here.

These were due on March 24 for current Brandon School District students and have been reviewed. Letters/notification will go out next week regarding the status of those students who applied. Please know that we will continue to monitor student progress as we finish out second semester. Should a student fail two or more courses, he/she may be moved back to in person instruction for the 2023/2024 school year. At this point, students should be almost 50% done in all of their classes, as April 14 is the last day of first making period, marking the halfway point in the semester. Seniors finish early, on May 17, so they should be more than 50% done in all of their classes.

As part of the state of Michigan and district's initiative to address the social and emotional needs of our students, as described in detail in the letter issued by the school district. If you choose to have your student(s) participate in this same program or with this specific lesson through the weekly, 20-30 minute long interactive lessons, or if you have questions, please contact the office at 248-627-1820.

Tenth grade students have the chance to visit OSTC to tour their facility and programming. If you missed this pre-arranged visit and are interested in seeing what OSTC has to offer to your student, reach out to Mr. Belluomo at rbelluomo@brandon.k12.mi.us in order to schedule a visit and get additional information. OSTC is available for our Summit Virtual students.

• March 24 - Summit Virtual Academy for the 2023/2024 school year are due
• March 24 - April 02: Spring Break, No School
• April 12 at 7:10am: SAT and PSAT 9 testing for 9th and 11th graders at BHS
• April 13 at 7:10am: ACT/WorkKeys testing and PSAT 10 testing for 10th and 11th graders at BHS
• April 18 at 7:10am: MSTEP testing for 11th graders at BHS

As we continue to progress through the year, here is what you can continue to expect:

• Expect your student to work for roughly 45-60 minutes per day, per course
• By now, you should have been reached out to by a counselor regarding your course progress. These will happen once a week. It is extremely important that you respond to communication. Please note that the student needs to respond and be in communication, not just the parent(s).
• Your main point of contact for content specific questions is your course instructor. If you need help doing so, don't hesitate to reach out to us at 248-627-1820.

Here you will find links to resources to help parents and students. Those of you who worked with Edmentum last year may have noticed some subtle changes to the system, as courses are now listed as being Apex courses. An overview of these changes and how to use the system as a parent can be found using the link to parent orientation presentations that is listed below.

Link for elementary overview: https://e.edmentum.com/eoa-getting-started-students-parents-caregivers/

Instructional Model overview for online learning (last page has links embedded to parent orientation presentations):

https://www.edmentum.com/resources/brochures/edoptions-academy-instructional-engagement-model-glance

Here you will find links to counselor contact information, information for students, etc. as the year progresses.

• Mr. Belluomo - rbelluomo@brandon.k12.mi.us