East China School District News
Every Child.Every Day
February 15, 2021
Message from Superintendent Cybulla
This weekend is ECSD's annual winter wellness weekend, please be sure to take time to rest and relax and good luck and thank you to all who are running in the virtual Chili Heart Run. This is the fundraiser for the East China Education Foundation that provides grants to our classroom teachers.
Suzanne Cybulla
Bond 2020 Update
Innovation Center Project
Post bid meetings were held last Thursday with the two lowest bidders from the Innovation Center site work and asphalt bids. The lowest bidder in each category has everything included in their bid and also has the proper qualifications to complete the work. Auch Construction and TMP Architecture are putting together their formal recommendations this week.
Below are the most recent renderings of the front of the Innovation Center.
SCHS Campus - Gym Addition Project
The consultants (mechanical, electrical and civil engineers) met with Kirk Grzelka and visited the St. Clair Campus site to review the new gym addition project scope and existing site conditions.
Below are the most recent exterior and interior renderings of the SC Gym addition project.
Marine City Middle School News
Marine City Middle School would like to highlight our awesome MJHS and Student Council groups. These two groups are both led by teacher Annemarie McLeod. During the school year they are constantly finding ways to improve our school, donate to the community and spread school spirit around the building. MJHS is sponsoring a ‘Souper’ Bowl of caring to collect can goods for Downriver Helping Hands. In addition to the food drive members of MJHS are making Valentine cards for local nursing homes and essential workers.
Student Council members also have been busy planning a Super Bowl spirit day and a Super Bowl questionnaire for a chance to win some prizes. On top of all that, they have organized a snowman building event, which can be done at home or during mask breaks at school. Student Council is also planning a Valentine’s Day spirit day with treats for those that participate.
Some other activities that MJHS and Student Council participate in throughout the school year are:
Thank a Veteran program
Planning school wide assemblies
Adopt-a-Family for Christmas
Pennies for Patients
Candy Cane sales to benefit Old News Boys
Jeans for Troops
March is Reading Month activities
Run the concession stands during sporting events
Food Baskets for local fire and police departments
Donations to local animal shelters
Marine City Middle School Staff Spotlight
Annemarie McLeod is a Pre-Algebra and STEM teacher at Marine City Middle School. She has been in education for 27 years, spending her first 2 years at Port Huron Central Middle School before moving to East China, where she spent 12 years at Washington Elementary and most recently 13 years at MCMS. Mrs. McLeod is also the advisor for MJHS and Student Council. When asked what she enjoys most about teaching she loves that it is always changing. Every year brings new challenges and a new group of students and parents to get to know. Each of their stories is unique when you take the time to listen. There are so many opportunities to build relationships, from class discussions to leading student clubs and organizations.
The best thing about working for East China is the support she gets from her colleagues. It is so nice to be in a school where you feel accepted and part of a team. She couldn’t imagine any other job for herself. As a child she was told that “she talked too much in class” and that was her area she needed to improve upon. Now she gets paid to talk in class all day long. Students need to know that there is a place for every one of them, and what might be looked at as a weakness in some situations, just might be a strength in another.
Annemarie is married to her husband, Joe, for 22 years. They have four children: Liam is currently in his third year at MTU, Camille is in her second year at OU, Duncan is a senior at SCHS and Cullen is a junior at SCHS,. After work, she enjoys running to hockey and lacrosse games to watch her boys, heading to rugby games at OU to watch her daughter play and walking her dog, Marvel. Her favorite time of year is summer because that is when things slow down and she can spend time camping with her family.
St. Clair High School Staff Spotlight
Stefanie Gill joined the SCHS family of teachers in the fall of 2019. She brings over 20 years of experience and has quickly established herself key member of the Social Studies Department. In addition to her contagious enthusiasm and sincere concern for her students, Stefanie brings unique perspectives having grown up as a military child, living in several countries. She met her husband, Jason, in the United Kingdom and is the proud Mother of daughter, Georgina. In 2000, Stefanie and her family moved to Michigan where she became a teacher. In addition to her passion for her work, Stefanie enjoys cooking, gardening, and taking care of her animals, in particular her horse, Piper.
Peek in on Young 5's at Pine River Elementary
Mrs. Jodie Guzowski’s Young Fives class at Pine River Elementary School has been learning so much this school year, while also using their imagination and building their fine motor skills. The goal of the Young Fives program is to get our young learners ready for Kindergarten. The students have been learning about shapes, numbers, the alphabet, and their names. In addition, they are learning to control their bodies while sitting on the carpet, learning to share, and learning academic concepts during fun center times.
Some literacy centers at which students have practiced key skills this month include snowball letter hunt, writing letters in salt, making snowflake name clouds, and making a snowman by unscrambling their names. The class participates in fun math centers as well. Some of the centers this month have included unlocking number locks, building a shape snowman, bingo dabbing the numbers 1-10, and playing with dominos to find matching numbers. Students have been using their imagination during play time with knight and castle toys, as well as enjoying the doll house and many other great toys. A typical day also includes lots of fun fine motor journaling in the morning as well as fun cutting pages that build their fine motor skills.
The students in Mrs. Guzowski’s Young Fives class have a very fun club, the Zipper Club, that all of the students have been able to join. Students became members when they learned to zip their own coat. They each received a certificate and a fun toy for working hard.
These Young 5 learners have come a long way in the short time we have been in school. Each student is on track to make great progress by June!
Mark Your Calendars for Kindergarten Registration!
Little Explorers Having Fun
Swabbing the Deck!
Community Wellness Activity
Looking for something to do outdoors? The Bridge to Bay Trail extends from St. Clair County’s northern border; under the Blue Water Bridge; through Port Huron, Marysville, St. Clair, Marine City, and Algonac; past state and municipal parks, museums, gazebos, and lighthouses. Sometimes the trail is within reach of the water’s edge and sometimes a few miles inland. It connects community with community for walkers, joggers, strollers, and bicyclists of all ages. It can potentially link to the Wadhams to Avoca Trail within St. Clair County, the Millennium Legacy Trail, the Discover Michigan Trail, the Macomb County Trail Network, and – via ferry – the St. Clair Parkway Trail in Lambton, Ontario, Canada.
Mark Your Calendars!
Chili-Heart 5K Sponsors - Thank you!
Give Your Child A Great Start!
The Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) is a state funded preschool program for eligible children who will be four years old on or before September 1st. This program covers the key areas a child needs to be ready for Kindergarten. Applications for the 2020-2021 school year are now being accepted! The application and more information can be found by clicking on the links below:
Click the link below for additional information
http://sccresa.org/cms/one.aspx…
Click the link below for an online application
https://docs.google.com/…/1GYmnqXQlzntv1d3kadfXeE…/viewform…
For additional questions, comments, or concerns, please contact:
Chris Klecha, GSRP Enrollment Specialist
cklecha@ecsd.us
(810) 676-1010
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
Important Dates to Remember
February 12-15 No School - Mid Winter Break & Wellness Weekend
February 17 PLC Day - Early Dismissal for Elementary Students
February 22 Board of Education meeting 6 p.m.
March 29-April 5 Spring Break