#WeAreFenton
October 2017
Safety Comes First
Recent "stranger danger" incidents that have occurred in our county, and tragic events that have taken place across our country, have families and educators on high alert. We take safety very seriously here in FAPS and continue to work with the Fenton Police Department to ensure we are doing our part in keeping our students safe, both in school and out of school. While we have control over how we react to situations during school hours, or at school events, we can help educate our students on safety precautions and steps to stay safe after school and on the weekends. I met with both the Police Chief and Fire Chief this week to discuss various dangerous situations our students, and our school community, could face in the future. While we hope and pray we are never faced with a dangerous situation, we know that proper education and training will place us in a better position to react in the appropriate way. We are fortunate to have local first responders that are here to help and guide us in doing what is best for our children.
We will continue to place safety first and will inform our community of any potential situations that may place our students in danger. Our team of educators and support staff care about our families and know that learning takes place only when our learners feel safe.
If you are looking for ways to talk with our child about staying safe within the community, here is a good article from Parents Magazine.
Thank you for your partnership and support when it comes to keeping our students (and staff) safe at school and outside of school.
Sincerely,
Dr. Adam Hartley
Superintendent
Board Packet for October 2, 2017
Administrative Report
-FHS Video Production Class Recognition - Dr. Adam Hartley
- See below
- The GISD reported a positive trend in our finances and noted that we may be off the state fiscal distress list sooner than originally planned. This is due in part to everyone within FAPS understanding the situation we are in and making sure we are fiscally responsible. While this is good news, we have a long way to go.
- Mr. Mark Suchowski introduced Vera Hazlett, the recommended candidate for teh English position at Fenton High School.
Action Items
-Motion to approve employment for 2017-18 new teaching staff - Dr. Doug Busch
- The Board approved Vera Hazlett to teach English at Fenton High School
-Motion to approve a shared services agreement with the Genesee School
District for Special Education Director Services - Dr. Doug Busch
- The Board approved the shared services contract between FAPS and Genesee Schools. Dr. Courtney Szucs will oversee the special education department at Genesee Schools on a limited basis while keeping her full time position with FAPS. Dr. Szucs will be in Genesee Schools on Thursdays. This ill be reevaluated in January. Genesee schools will be paying FAPS for .2 of Dr. Szucs' contract costs.
Board Reports, Requests, and Announcements
-Three-District Board of Education Meeting, Weds., October 25, 2017, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.,
hosted by Lake Fenton Schools
-Regular Board Meeting, Monday, November 6, 2017 moved to Monday, November 13, 2017 6:00 p.m., Administration Building
-Genesee County Association of School Board Members’ Fall Reception at the MASB
Leadership Conference, Friday, November 10, 2017, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., Lansing MI
Superintendent’s Report
-Recognition of our custodial staff (Oct 2, 2017 is National Custodial Workers Recognition Day)
Please make sure you thank your custodians for the work they do each and every day!
-Update on hiring process for the Executive Director for Teaching and Learning
Second round will take place the week of October 16th and will include Department Heads
-Update on new website
Up and running, still updating and editing.
FHS Advanced Video Production Class Wins PSA Award
FAPS is Ready to Google!
Interested to see how Google is used in education? We would love to see parents and community members attend.
Lace Up for Learning 2017
Saturday November 4th at 8:30 am in Linden will be the Lace up for Learning 5K presented by Dr. Wax Orthodontics in Linden.
You can run, walk or both!
The school with the most participants will win the school spirit award of $500.00
You can sign up on Facebook or click the link below.
Join your child's school and lace Up for learning!
2018-19 Transition Webpage
Website
The website is up and running. You will notice we are still working on a few details. The App is being developed and we will let you know when that is ready for download!
Thank you or your patience.
3rd Grade Reading Law
On October 6, 2016, Michigan became the 37th state to adopt third grade reading legislation when Governor Rick Snyder signed Public Act 306 into law. Public Act 306 of 2016 (now referred to as MCL 380.1280f) requires all 3rd Grade students not scoring proficient on the 3rd Grade state summative assessment be retained. This legislation took effect immediately and this year's 1st grade students will be the first cohort of students impacted by the retention aspects of the law in 2019-20.
Each child will have a reading plan. Your child’s teacher and school will work with your child to find where he or she needs support and create a plan to support your child.
The plan will include:
- Extra instruction or support in areas of need
- Ongoing progress checks
- At home reading plan (20 minutes of reading outside of the school day)
- Your child may be encouraged to participate in summer reading programs
Extra support in your child’s individualized reading plan will occur in small group or one-on one instruction during the school day. Your child will not miss regular reading instruction. Based on this law, beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, 3rd graders must score less than one year behind on state reading assessments in order to be promoted to 4th grade. 3rd graders can also be promoted to 4th grade if they prove to be at grade level through an alternate assessment or a portfolio of work.
If you are notified that your child may be retained, you have the right to meet with school officials and request an exemption. The district superintendent will make the final decision.