East China School District News
Every Child, Every Day!
Realtor Breakfast Bond Information Session
- Feb 12 Early Release (2 Hours)
- Feb 14-17 Mid Winter Break - Wellness Weekend - No School
- Feb 24 Board of Education meeting 6:00 p.m.
- Feb 26 Bond 2020 Presentation 6 pm
- Mar 10 Bond 2020 Election
- Mar 11 Early Release (2 Hours)
- Mar 23 Board of Education meeting 6:00 p.m.
- March 25 & 26 Kindergarten & Preschool Registration Noon-5:30 p.m.
Marine City Middle School News
Marine City Middle’s Newest Intervention, the After-School Helproom
After school time at Marine City Middle School has changed. Starting in early November, with the beginning of the second quarter, there has been a noticeable difference in the focus level of students at 2:30 in the afternoon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The reason for this difference has been the addition of the After School Helproom at MCMS.
Upon reflection from our first quarter student results, the staff of Marine City Middle School started having conversations about the needs of our students. What we discovered is that middle school students are busy! When our students go home they have piano and guitar lessons, chores, sibling responsibilities, sports practices and games, not to mention the work that they brought home with them from school. With this knowledge, the staff set out to find a way to better support our students and their busy lives and what has been developed is the After-School Helproom. This free tutoring service is available for all of our students from 2:30 to 3:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and provides students with opportunities to better complete their work and have their questions answered. Need to work on a difficult science project with your lab partners but having a hard time getting together? Meet in the helproom. Have a big math test coming up and need to get a few questions answered, but afraid to speak up in class? Head over to the help room and get the support you need.
One of the greatest aspects of the help room has been the ability of students to get the support they need in a timely manner. As a staff, we are committed to making sure that we have two teachers to assist students with their studies and organization, one of which is always an English/Language Arts or Math teacher. The support doesn’t end there though. Here on the Marine City campus we have access to many great kids who recognize the importance of giving back. Each Tuesday and Thursday, members of the middle school Michigan Junior Honor Society and the high school National Honor Society earn service hours tutoring and supporting their peers. This peer-to-peer service has been tremendously helpful in improving the confidence and aptitude of our students.
It is still early days for the After-School Helproom, but early indications around the building are pointing to it already being successful. At the end of first quarter students that failed two or more classes met with administration and our counselor to discuss their progress and set goals. Many of the conversations centered on submitting more work on time and using the newly minted After-School Helproom. We are happy to report that we have made a 15% improvement on that list of students with two or more failing classes. This is even more significant when you factor in that semester exams were a part of the scores for quarter 2!
Furthermore, our Harpoon Club students, those that receive our organizational strategies intervention have shown remarkable improvement as well with the introduction of the After-School Helproom. From quarter one to quarter two we measured the number of missing assignments from our Harpoon Club students. In the 8th grade we have four members and they combined for 35 less missing assignments. In the 7th grade we have seven members and they combined for 21 less missing assignments. Massive progress was made in the 6th grade where we have 19 Harpoon Club students. These 19 6th graders combined to have 177 less missing assignments! Marine City Middle School is very proud of the efforts of our staff and students toward making improvement!
Marine City Middle Staff Spotlight
This week the featured staff member for the East China School District is Marine City Middle School 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Shirley Frederick. Mrs. Frederick is in her 25th year of teaching for ECSD, having spent the first 21 years teaching 4th and 5th grades at Pine River Elementary before making the switch to middle school geography in 2016. Mrs. Frederick grew up in the San Francisco, California area and has been a lifelong 49ers fan (she was obviously a bit disappointed in the results of the Superbowl this year). Shirley has college degrees from Oakland University as well as Saginaw Valley State University in geography and education respectively.
At Marine City Middle School Mrs. Frederick is the social studies component of the amazing 6th grade teacher team. She brings geography to life everyday through fun activities and discussions. In fact, Mrs. Frederick has been instrumental to the district in the design of aspects of the social studies curriculum currently in place for East China. In addition to her amazing classroom work, Mrs. Frederick is the creator and coach of the Marine City Middle School Social Studies Olympiad team. In only its third year of existence, the Social Studies Olympiad team of MCMS can already boast multiple state champion students due to the dedication and attention-to-detail that Mrs. Frederick brings to the team. Mrs. Frederick is also the brains behind and leader of the newest student intervention at Marine City Middle School, the After-School Helproom. She has established the structure for success of this program, utilizing feedback to tweak it as necessary, and diligently works to ensure that it runs efficiently and smoothly week to week.
Mrs. Frederick is a very busy teacher! In her limited free time she enjoys spending time with her husband Jeff and their blended family of five children. Shirley is also the loving grandmother of three incredible kids, Henry, Teddy, and Charlotte. Mrs. Frederick is also very active in her community of Armada, where she has worked with the Armada Police Athletic League Youth Camp for 25 years, serving as the assistant camp director and camp DJ to over 300 middle school students and 60 counselors. Each summer this group enjoys a week-long high adventure experience in Northern Michigan.
Mrs. Frederick is an incredibly dedicated educator whose impact extends well beyond the walls of her classroom. Marine City Middle School is proud to call Shirley one of our own and is a better place because of the energy and joy that she brings to work every day.
Mariner Drams Presents.....
On Wednesday, February 12th, Mariner Drama will present its two One Acts that have been presented at regional theatre festivals and competitions. Over the River and Through the Woods and The Diary of Anne Frank will EACH be presented in a 45 minute format. A suggested donation of $5 will be used to help with festival costs for our program, but any donation will be welcomed to help our students.
The first of the two one acts will be presented at 7 p.m.
Thank you to our Chili-Heart 5K Sponsors!
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