Welcome Back M.A.!
We are excited to return after a busy holiday season.
Happy New Year Griffon Friends, and Families
I would like to start by wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2023!
2022 Sure has been a whirlwind. We have had a much needed, and well deserved break, and we are ready to get back to work.
Despite all the ups and downs we encountered in 2022, we have learned a lot as a staff and we are looking forward in putting what we have learned into practice. We are still the same small community focused on the fundamentals of education and character building.
However, we have used our break to tweak some of our personnel, practices, and processes to better help students. We are finally fully staffed. We have added a very important music specials, replaced one of our beloved teachers, added an paraprofessional and created a position in ISS to help restore students to the classrooms. We have reset and refined some of our schedules and our processes to help students throughout the day.
Yes, we also did take some time off, but we are ready and can't wait to have students back in the building. Enjoy your weekend and we will see you when the 7:45 bell rings on Monday.
-Mr. Wilson
New MUSIC Teacher Spotlight
Mr. Eli Nelson is a native Michigander, born and raised in the small city of McBain. He attended Central Michigan University to earn my Bachelors of Music Education with piano as my primary instrument and trombone as my secondary instrument.
Mr. Nelson will be teaching MA’s band classes in the upper levels, and music exploration with the elementary. He is looking forward to preparing for a spring concert in the park. He says he loves nearly every part of music including listening, playing, composing, analyzing, and studying its history.
In addition to his fascination with, and love of music, Mr. Nelson stays active with running and working out, playing video games, and spending time with others. Having been raised in a small community of strong faith, you can be sure he is someone who will always try to do his best, especially when it is for others’ sakes!
New 3rd Grade Teacher Spotlight
So for us at MA, the choice was clear from the very start. Mrs. Meghan Francis has been chosen to jump in and is going to be our new 3rd grade teacher.
Mrs. Francis was our obvious choice as far back as November. Mrs. Francis knows MA and especially this class second to only Ms. Ferro herself. Mrs. Francis has been a part of the MA community for longer than I can count. She graduated as a Griffon many years ago. Then Mrs. Francis became a paraprofessional in our school and also doubling as a substitute teacher all while going back to college to get her teaching degree in early education. In 2021 Mrs. Francis did her student teaching s first semester in the 3rd grade with Ms. Ferro herself. Then, in the winter, when Ms. Ferro was out on maternity leave, it was Mrs. Francis who took the long term sub position in that classroom.
This year we could not allow Mrs. Francis to leave our school. So, we put her skills to work as a reading interventionist with the K-5th grades. In this role Mrs. Francis would pull students out for individualized instruction to strengthen their reading skills. However, when we heard Mrs. Ferro was moving on, we knew our choice was clear.
Please help me in welcoming Mrs. Meghan Francis as our new 3rd grade teacher. She is already moved in and has coordinated lessons with Mrs. Ferro for weeks. The transition should be as smooth as possible, however, it is never easy for students to change. So please allow some grace in the up coming months as we foster this students-teacher relationship. I know Mrs. Francis's skill set and I am confident she will do great things with this class.
Welcoming a New Paraprofessional To Our Team
M.A. is fortunate enough to have a number of paraprofessionals at different levels assisting our students all over the school. There is no doubt that your student does not know one of these helpers and has a great relationship with them. They are truly an invaluable piece in the educational process.
So, please help me to welcome a new paraprofessional to the building. Mrs. Amy Roller is starting her educational career here at MA. Mrs. Roller was previously a physical therapist and has been looking to start a career in education. Mrs. Roller will be working with the kindergarten through second grade classes.
If you meet Mrs. Roller please make her feel welcomed, and if you are able to bump into any or our paraprofessionals please thank them for the very important work they do for our kids.
We have been awarded the Safety and Security Grant!
Even though we are in a safe spot outside of town in our own little corn field, one can never be too secure with our kids. What you will see with this grant is three new entrance doors and four new cameras.
We are doing a full replacement on our gym door and south portico entrance. These doors were getting a bit tired and worn from the ice and salt damage over the last 22 years. The main entrance is getting tweaked and replacing the hinges to make sure it latches and locks securely ever time. We are adding two cameras outside to the front of the gym and to the back of the gym outside as well. With these four cameras we will now be covered fully inside and outside of our property. No blind spots outside means we will finally be able to see and record everything happening on our entire 19 acre property.
Of course, as we work to improve our facilities we do ask for some grace in this period of transition. We will have some maintenance workers in the building at times and some projects will take time to complete.
I thank you in advanced for your patience with these projects. As you know, there is nothing more important to us than the safety and security of your children.
🌨️ Weather-Related Updates 🌨️
How to find out if we have a weather-related delay/closing:
- Download our app! We will send out an SMS notification to everyone that has the app.
- Make sure your phone number is correct in our system. We will send out a "robo call" to all primary caregivers.
- Check your email. We will send out an email to all parents.
- Watch the local news. We will register our days off with the local news stations.
Basketball is underway!
If you have not take the opportunity to watch a game yet please come out and support our teams. Sports are not just a physical activity for students to stay in shape. Sports are an invaluable part of student's growing and learning process. Winning is great, and competing is fun, but many life lessons are learned out on the court.
For updates on the game outcomes and to know when, or where, each game is, download our app and check the "Athletics" tab.
Calendar Information
Jan 16th is Martin Luther King Jr. day.
With no school for students this would be a great opportunity to learn more about one of our modern day heroes.
This great man has impacted our lives and society in countless ways. Let's honor all his accomplishments and further his message today.
NWEA Testing is right around the corner.
Our Kindergarten through 8th graders will be taking the mid year check up by the end of January. These tests will be taken with their home room teacher and they should only take an hour, or so, each.
Please tell your student to do their best as these test do offer great information for our school. This test tells the teacher where the class is as a whole, as well as each individual student. It allows them to know if they are comprehending the lessons they have already covered and which topics they need to go back and re-teach.
Marshall Academy
Email: wilsonn@marshallacademy.org
Website: marshallacademy.org
Location: 18203 Homer Road, Marshall, MI, USA
Phone: 2697816330
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marshallacademygriffons
Twitter: @magriffons