Supt's Corner
October, 2018
ALICE
This school year is off to an excellent start! We are excited to again provide outstanding instruction for all students in our district for the 2018/2019 school year. We value the relationships and partnerships that we have between our students, staff and parents. These positive relationships are paramount to the academic and social success of each and every student.
Along with relationships, safety and security are extremely important in establishing an environment where optimal learning can take place. To enhance our security procedures, all Linden District Employees participated in ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate) Training. The Training provided techniques to more proactively handle the threat of an aggressive intruder or emergency event, and was facilitated by our local First Responders, which included: Grand Blanc Township Police, Argentine Police Department, and Linden Police Department.
ALICE Training option based tactics have become the accepted response, versus the traditional “lockdown only” approach. The ALICE acronym stands for:
- Alert is the first notification of danger.
- Lockdown is to secure in place and prepare to evacuate or counter if needed.
- Inform is to communicate in real time where danger or an intruder is present.
- Counter is to create noise, movement, distance and distraction; Counter is NOT FIGHTING.
- Evacuate is to remove yourself from the danger zone when it is safe to do so.
On November 5, we will be hosting a community ALICE informational night at our High School Auditorium. This informational night will start at 6pm and last no more than 2 hours. Following the community information night, we will be communicating and teaching this enhanced lockdown procedure to our students facilitated by Grand Blanc Township Police Department, our School Resource Officers, Principals, and Teachers. Please rest assured that this training will be conducted at an age appropriate level of communication. We are sensitive to the nature of the training, but yet confident in our partnership with our School Resource Officers and staff to properly educate and inform all students with a goal of maintaining a guarded and secure learning environment in which our student feel safe, valued, and supported.
A.L.I.C.E. Awareness Overview
Monday, Nov 5, 2018, 06:00 PM
Linden High School, Linden, MI, USA
District and Building Information
Beyond the Classroom
Linden’s Link program does more than bring together freshmen and upperclassmen. It also strengthens the bonds among leaders and between leaders and the Link coordinators: Sonia Quinlan, Tonya Armour, Robyn Durant, and Amy Messer. After an interview process, leaders are chosen in the spring, leaving ample time to train them. Mrs. Quinlan works diligently to create a body of light-hearted and friendly leaders that are representative of the student body. Most of all, she stresses that the key concept of the Link program is for everyone, leaders and freshmen, to feel like we are part of a community of learners. Leaders participate in a “May Play Day,” which introduces the Link concepts and warms leaders up to the style of activities that will be conducted at orientation. In addition, both leaders and coordinators meet twice in the month of August. These meetings train the leaders on how to execute Link orientation activities, as well as provoke questions about promoting a positive school climate and creating effective student leaders. Mrs. Armour encourages leaders to step out of their comfort zones; while Mrs. Durant leads various activities, all of which unite the leaders and create a more comfortable atmosphere.
The day of freshman orientation, leaders and coordinators come together and welcome the incoming class. Ms. Messer excites the leaders and has them all jumping for joy by the time the freshmen arrive. The combined efforts of all coordinators create a group of leaders eager to welcome yet another amazing class of freshmen to Linden High School. On the first day of school, leaders and coordinators wear their Link shirts and offer their assistance to anyone in need. Leader Rachel Dodds says, “I enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends. But really, I’m just here because I want to help the freshmen feel better about their transition into high school.” As its name clearly implies, Link strives to create meaningful bonds between inspired leaders, eager freshmen, and appreciated coordinators.
Thanks to Sonia Quinlan, Tonya Armour, Robyn Durant, Amy Messer, and all of the Link leaders who volunteer so much of their time to helping promote inclusion, positive relationships, kindness, and school spirit. We appreciate all that you do!
Beyond the Classroom was written by Dr. Bethanie George, LHS English Teacher
Federal Student Aid
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application window for 2019-2020 opened on October 1! Students should apply as early as possible to ensure they meet college, State, and Federal deadlines.
Additional questions should be directed to your student's counselor...810-591-0410
Service Drive is Closed
After school, buses pick up students from Linden High School and use the service drive to pick up students from Linden Middle School. From there, buses return down the service drive to begin their student drop-offs. Once buses are finished, the gates will be closed and traffic will not be allowed to use the service drive to shuttle between the schools.
We have students, families, athletes, and spectators using this area to access our athletic fields from the parking lot. With increased pedestrian traffic, we do not want to take any chances of an accident. Please be safe, and use the main roads (Silver Lake Rd and Lobdell Lake Rd) to drive between Linden High School/Central Elementary and Linden Middle School.
LCS Staff Spotlight
Mrs. Bogie
Grade(s)/Subject you teach? 8th grade Language Arts at Linden Middle School.
How many years have you been in Linden? I have been with Linden Schools since 2010. I was first hired as a reading interventionist before I started teaching Language Arts.
What is your favorite part of teaching?
One of my favorite parts about teaching at Linden is the friends I have made. Another favorite part of teaching is the students. It always amazes me to see the growth in a student through their school years.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I obsess over college basketball. I watch all of U of M Men's Basketball games and love it. Go Blue! In my spare time, my favorite thing to do is golf. I wish I could say I am good at this sport but, I'm not. I do it for fun and the fresh air. We are lucky to belong to Clio Country Club so we golf whenever we can.
Do you want to tell us about your family?
I have three daughters, Ann, Abby and Ayla. Ann went to Michigan State and has a Master's Degree in Social Work. Abby is in Nursing school at Mott Community College and Ayla just received her Bachelor's Degree from Madonna University in Nursing and is job hunting. Along with my husband, we all like to golf and be outdoors. My husband Jim is retired so he has lots of time to golf.
One thing people may not know about you?
We are all crazy animal lovers. Somehow I have acquired four cats and one dog that is smaller than all the cats. We are nuts! But, I couldn't imagine my house without animals so it works for us. Go Eagles!
Mrs. Campbell
Grade(s)/Subject you teach? High School Math & Spanish
How many years have you been in Linden? This is my 15th year at Linden.
What is your favorite part of teaching? My absolute favorite part of teaching is interacting with the students. I love sparking their curiosity and helping them think through situations. I truly enjoy the subjects that I teach; I'm a total math dork and find the Spanish language and culture fascinating. I love being able to share these things with others and spark their interests of it. One of the coolest parts about teaching both math and language is that I am able to see students' strengths in different ways as they use both sides of their brains.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? In my free time I love to travel and experience life alongside my family and friends. I don't sit still very often - I like to be on the go, experiencing and exploring new places and things.
Do you want to tell us about your family/? My husband, Colin, and I have been married 8 years and have two little boys: Reid is 5 years old and Graham is 16 months. Reid is in Young-5s at Linden El this year.
One thing people may not know about you? If I wasn't a teacher I would probably be doing something in the medical profession. I originally majored in pre-med, but I reevaluated things when I realized that I was enrolled in Calc 2 purely for the fun of it.
Mrs. Stark
Grade(s)/Subject you teach? 4th and 5th Grade Special Education class at Central Elementary.
How many years have you been in Linden? This is my 5th year teaching in Linden
What is your favorite part of teaching? By far my favorite part of teaching is building relationships with my students. I love getting to know who they are as people, not just as learners. I also love being a part of a team with my co-workers and building relationships and friendships with them as well.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? We have a big and very busy family so my spare time these days usually involves a sport or activity for one my kids. When I’m not doing that, I enjoy traveling, gardening, scrapbooking, and baking.
Do you want to tell us about your family? My husband, Paul, and I live in Fenton. Together we have five children: Noah who attends U of M-Flint, Lily, Myranda, and R.J. all attend Fenton High School, and the youngest, Sadie is a 4th grader. We also have two dogs, Marley and Maizey. I am following in my mother-in-law’s footsteps teaching here in Linden. She was the first Mrs. Stark to teach at Central, retiring in 2000.
One thing people may not know about you? This past August was my first time overseas. I spent 11 days in Tanzania, Africa where I visited many places included a Maasai village as well as a school for the Maasai. By far the biggest adventure I had there was hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Linden Band takes 3rd
Linden Eagle Pride
Linden Community Schools
Email: rciesiel@lindenschools.org
Website: www.lindenschools.org
Location: 7205 Silver Lake Rd
Phone: 810-591-0983
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Linden-Community-Schools-140046436728183/
Twitter: @lindenschools