East China School District News
Every Child.Every Day
January 11, 2021
Message from Superintendent Cybulla
Next week we will be welcoming back our PreK-5th grade students who have chosen to return to face to face instruction. The 6th -12th grade students will return on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. The students who have chosen to remain in a remote learning environment will continue distancing learning with their East China teacher.
It will be wonderful to see students in the buildings once again. We will continue with the same cleaning and health protocols prior to our move to all remote instruction. The wearing of masks and physical distancing is still in place. It is important that we remain vigilant with the safety protocols that each of our schools has put in place. Thank you for your patience, support, and flexibility as we continue to navigate this COVID journey together.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Cybulla
Bond 2020 Update
Innovation Center
Marine City 6-12 Building
Design for the renovation work will be ramping up over the next several months. To help understand current trends and possible design opportunities, the ECSD team took tours at Fort Gratiot Middle School and Port Huron Northern High School.
St. Clair 6-12 Building
Design for the renovation work will be ramping up over the next several months. To help understand current trends and possible design opportunities, the ECSD team took tours of Fort Gratiot Middle School and Port Huron Northern High School.
Slam Poetry
For the past four to five years, members of Marine City High School's ELA 12 class have participated in an annual slam poetry festival. Slam poetry is, simply put, performance poetry or spoken-word poetry that can cover any topic. Every student composes an original work and, typically, performs in front of his or her class. From there, students would vote for class finalists that would perform and compete in our media center to an audience of 125 plus students.
This year presented some obvious challenges to just about every aspect of the traditional poetry slam, so the whole process was moved online in Google Classroom. Our theme this year was TOGETHER NOT SEPERATE. Students still composed, edited, rehearsed, presented, and recorded a video of their original works. Topics ranged from ADHD, to respect for our flag and veterans, and to motivating students to see their self-worth. The poems this year were again moving and very impressive. Poems were uploaded to Youtube. Each class voted for their top poets in their assigned hour. Then students considered the top sixteen poems. Over 125 students, faculty, and family members viewed and voted on who were the top poets. Morgan Burns, Lauren Sobier, Kennedy Street, and Nino Familant all took top honors, but the top poets, tied, were Connor Dye and Antony Souss. Every ELA 12 student did just an oustanding job with their slam poems this year.
Mariner Drama
Mariner Drama is typically prepping to travel around the state to compete and perform in several One Act Competitions and Festivals. This year all One Act Festivals have moved online. Pending local and state guidance, Mariner Drama will either perform our two One Acts online, via a Zoom or Google Meet that is recorded. The more hopeful option is build a simple set and perform these shows onstage at East China PAC.
Either way, Mariner Drama hopes to progress from districts to regionals and return to state theater festival. Our two shows are the comedy Leaving Iowa and the true dramatic tragedy The 146 Point Flame. Leaving Iowa recounts the hilarity of a family road trip, and The 146 Point Flame focuses on the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City which claimed 146 lives. Our district video of each show will be sent by January 21st.
Students in these shows and in our still, postponed Fall show, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, have attended many, many hours of online rehearsal. Despite the challenges of theater this school year, our students continue to grow as artists, and we are very excited to eventually and safely return to our beloved PAC stage. Mr. McCulloch is so impressed the OUTSTANDING students in both shows. He is very grateful to have student directors Scout McCulloch, Jessica Lowe, and Chris Winne.
Marine City High School Staff Spotlight
Jill Zimmer, Counseling Office Secretary
How long have you worked in education?
I began my career in education nine years ago, at Eddy Elementary School, as a Title One Paraprofessional. After four rewarding years, I moved across the district to Marine City Middle School where I worked as a Paraprofessional and Secretary. In August of 2020, I began a new adventure at Marine City High School as the Counseling Secretary. I have truly enjoyed each position within the East China School District.
What do you enjoy most about working at school?
There are many things that I have enjoyed over the years working at the various schools. I have been given the opportunity to work with students at all grade levels. To witness the personal and academic growth among the students has been an amazing experience. During my time at the elementary school, I was able to give students who were having difficulties a little extra one on one academically, and sometimes, I was just there to listen.
The middle school experience was especially fun - maybe not always for the students themselves, as middle school often brings a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences, but nonetheless, there were some wonderful moments of child-like innocence, personal growth and maturity, that I was privileged to witness.
As I begin my first year at the high school level, I am not only excited to see the middle school students, once again, but I also have the opportunity to see them begin the journey to the rest of their lives. I hope to play a positive role, not only in their daily lives, but also in their future plans.
Two things that have been a constant throughout my experience with each level of education is the amazing care and the endless efforts given to the students by the administrators, teachers, counselors, social workers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, custodians and all other support staff. These individuals have also taught me a tremendous amount over the years, and in many cases, we have become life-long friends.
Any personal information you would like to share about yourself? (family, hobbies, etc)
I live in St. Clair with my husband and our three children. Our older son, Ryan, is a freshman at the University of Michigan. Our younger son, Colin, is a senior at St. Clair High School and plans to attend Michigan State University in the fall. Our youngest, Ashlyn, is a sophomore at St. Clair High School. My most fulfilling moments are witnessing the memorable experiences and interactions they have with their friends and our family as they achieve their personal goals through school and sports. I have many things that I hope to refer to as “hobbies” one day, but for now, my focus remains on my three thriving teenagers!
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