The Elementary and middle school will be showing their holiday spirit before Christmas break. Check out the spirit days below! The high school has some festive events planned as well.

We are having a holiday spirit week and cookie decorating for $1 per cookie on Wednesday, Dec 21st at 1:30pm.

The spirit days are as follows:

Dress-up days:

Ugly Sweater day (Monday)

Christmas PJ's (Tuesday)

Christmas head to toe (Wednesday)

Winter Wonderland (Wear White) (Thursday)

Christmas Character (Friday)

Lunchtime Games:

Wrapping People Competition

Untangling lights

Candy cane tags

Ring Wreath toss

Holiday Door Decorating Competition between 1st hour classes that would like to participate. Judging will take place on Friday.

Concord has been full of festive events through the month of December. Light Up Concord brightened the night and opened the door to a ton of Christmas magic. The Cookie Walk, Tree Lighting, Light Tours, Santa Visits (I hear he will be at Holton Hardware tonight from 5-7), and several traditional celebrations have put a spotlight on some of the amazing things Concord has to offer.

The events at the Mann House added to the Village charm, and our NHS students played an important role. Laurie Perkins the director of the historical museum sent a word of gratitude this week to honor the NHS students.

"I just wanted to send a quick note to thank you and all your National Honor Society students for helping to host the Mann House holiday events for these last two weekends!! I could not have done it without them!!!"

"I always enjoy talking to your students! They are so inspiring and their dreams make me wonder what I have done for the last 40 years!"

Thank you so much and I look forward to their help again next year! If any of them are in need of a summer job, I would be happy to take their applications!"

We are so proud of these incredible students that helped with the events. The fun is NOT done yet! This Saturday 12/17 at 6p we will have the first annual Light Up Concord Fun Run/Walk beginning at the METHODIST Church. You need to “Light Yourself Up” with fun Christmas lights, hats, socks, sweaters, and whatever you can find to make yourself shine in the night!! You can sign up in the Township office, Trail Head Coffee Shop or get a entry emailed to you and turn it into one of those places or bring it to the race.

Cost $25 includes a Light Up Concord T-shirt.

The Concord K-8 robotics teams will wrap up their seasons this weekend when the FLL (K-3) teams head to Mason. The four teams will take their SuperCharged models to the high school and show off their problem-solving skills in a half-day competition. The students will present their work and participate in several different STEM activities.

The FTC 7th and 8th-grade teams finished their season in Mason on December 3rd. These students finished the season with several accomplishments. 6811 won 2nd place for the Motivate Award and 8656 won 3rd place for the Motivate Award. All the teams did an amazing job and fought hard in the competition. Every team had some of the autonomous and they could all meet the challenge.

The FLLC teams also finished their season on December 3rd at Battle Creek Lakeview. The four teams showed grit and determination as they fought hard all day to tweak their robots and improve their presentations. The kids never gave up, got too frustrated, or lost their sense of teamwork. This is the second season I have been able to coach these robotics teams filled with of 4th-6th graders, and it was an absolute delight to watch them grow through the challenges they faced this season. I saw some mindblowing stuff as these kids competed their hearts out. The students were strong performers in the Innovate Project and the Lego Legends has a high score of more than 150 points. It is incredible to me to watch these kids develop skils I am not sure they get anywhere else. It is truly impressive.

This season was one of growth for all of our teams. We have more than 70 kids on our K-8 teams and we continued our Jr Jacket in-class FIRST Lego program this year. The high school season launches on January 7th.

This week the Middle School Drama Club performed their first production: Middle School Brain by Debra A. Cole. The play featured a mix of 6th through 8th grade students. Students had been working hard at lunch and after school for several weeks. This play followed a middle school girl named Megan and all of the different emotions of a typical teenage brain. The goal was to bring awareness to the complicated emotions that play into even the simplest of situations, in order to remind students that everyone is going through something. Not only did the drama students display bravery and perseverance when performing, but they also taught their peers about the importance of empathy and understanding. They modeled what it truly means to be a Yellowjacket!

The Concord Middle and High School Bands packed the HS cafeteria on Thursday night for their Winter Concert, and I was blown away by these young musicians. The night opened with the CMS beginning band performing some simple songs like Hot Cross Buns and Jingle Bells, and quickly they moved to more complex music with stellar performances of Up on the House Top and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Our K-12 Music Director, Kevin Specht, could not speak highly enough of the CMS band. He was glowing and gushing over their skill, hard work, and dedication!! In fact, two students Karson Frazer and James Jordon, asked if they could perform a duet of Deck the Halls, and the entire CMS band threw in a last-minute performance of a sing-along Baby Shark.

As the middle school band wrapped up, the high school students took the stage. They came on with a strong performance of Charlie Brown Christmas led by the guest director Mrs. Christina Prater '97 CHS graduate. Then the high school welcomed several middle school students back to the stage for a classic performance of Holly and Ivy. Lastly, the high school closed the evening with the HS tradition of performing Sleigh Ride. Mr. Specht shared that in the previous two years the band had to perform a simpler version of the music because they were young and small. However, the senior band members requested that they play the more challenging version of the piece this year. Mr. Specht was impressed with their drive, and they gave it a go! They did not disappoint!!

It really was a beautiful night with great music! I was an incredibly proud parent and superintendent. These students took risks, pushed themselves to play challenging music, and never stopped learning and growing. Even further, Mr. Specht has found a very impressive way to individualize instruction and improve student performance. I was able to see a student submit a video playing test, and then see how Mr. Specht listened to the video, looked at the music, and responded to the performance so the student could use the feedback to make adjustments. I was blown away!

Thank you CCS Bands! You were AMAZING!!! We are so proud of you, and CANNOT wait for the next performance!!

Why the Hive is written by Mr. Arbuckle and it features one student a week. The student being featured exemplifies our Yellow Jacket Character Traits and demonstrates a passion for our #ONEHIVE community. This week we are featuring several students to make sure we do not miss anyone. Our Why The Hive features Zack Stevens.

Student passes are for sale at the ticket table for $30. This pass is good for the entire school year...WHAT A DEAL!! Athletes DO NOT get in free for events other than their sport. Kids that want to help in the concession stand can earn a student pass. See Mrs. Gill or Mr. Lehman for details!

ARE OPEN!!!

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE GSRP 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.

Attention Seniors. In your graduating Google classroom, there are scholarships posted. Please check out the scholarships with upcoming deadlines. These are posted under the topics October Scholarship deadlines and November scholarship deadlines.

All of the scholarships currently listed are valued in thousands of dollars. One is even up to $200,000 and most scholarships are offering more than an award.

Do not wait until the night before the deadline as you may need recommendation letters and it is only appropriate to give someone a 2-week window to write you a recommendation letter.

Start your adventure today! Fun with friends. New adventures. Making a difference. Did you know that in Girl Scouts girls develop a strong sense of self, seek challenges, and be community problem solvers all while having fun with their friends?

You're ready to go and Girl Scouts is ready for you. All girls in K-12th grade are welcome to join. Join us today at girlscouts.org. Stop in the office to pick up a flyer.

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.