ACS District Newsletter
December 21, 2023
Superintedent's Message
Good afternoon, ACS Raider Families!
As we approach the end of another eventful year, I wanted to take a moment to extend warm wishes to each and everyone of you. The holiday season is a time for reflection, gratitude, and togetherness. I hope you and your family find much happiness and joy as you surround yourselves with your loved ones.
This first half of the year has been filled with remarkable achievements and milestones for our students, teachers, and staff. Whether it be academics and/or extracurricular programming, our school community has so much to be proud of! As we turn our attention towards the new year, 2024, I am filled with optimism and excitement for what lies ahead for Almont Community Schools. Our commitmment to provide a meaningful learning experience for ALL students remains unwavering. The ACS staff is eager to continue fostering a culture of learning and community engagement that allows our students to reach new heights.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions and/or concerns about your child. My email is kvonhiltmayer@almontschools.org or you may contact me at 810-798-8561. Thank you for your continued support!
-K. VonHiltmayer
ACS Interim Superintendent
Holiday Hours at Central Office
The Central Office will be open on the following dates from 8:00-2:00 PM:
- Tuesday, December 26th
- Wednesday, December 27th
- Thursday, December 28th
- Tuesday, January 2nd
Holiday Events 2023
There were numerous holiday events that took place within the past couple of weeks in our school community. Please check out these very festive photos below.
Holly Day Light Parade
AHS Holiday Band Concert
AHS Band Plays for the Almont Board of Education
AMS Choir Students Sing Carols for OP Staff & Students
AMS "Deck the Halls" Event
AMS & AHS Rachel's Challenge Clubs Participate in Annual Cookie Bake
OP 3rd Grade Holiday Concert
OP Students Loving on Zoey!
OP Students Caroling at the Bells!
Quick but IMPORTANT News at Each Building!
AHS:
There has been some staffing updates at Almont High School and I wanted to share those with you:
- Congratulations and Best Wishes to Ms. Krisitin Rohrbeck as she has decided to retire in January 2024! We cannot thank Ms. Rohrbeck enough for her tireless service to our district. With that being said, the ACS Staff would like to welcome Mrs. Michelle Begin to AHS as she has secured the Biology teaching position. She will start on Monday, January 8th!
- Best Wishes to Mrs. Dawn Wedemeyer as she has decided to resign from ACS. Mrs. Wedemeyer has done so much to assist our special needs students over the years and we are forever grateful for her dedication to supporting ALL students. With that being said, the ACS Staff would like to welcome Ms. Kendall Sommer to AHS as she has secured the Special Education (Resource) teaching position. Ms. Sommer just completed her student teaching with us so we are very excited to bring her aboard officially. She will start on Monday, January 3rd!
- Best Wishes to Mrs. Adrienne Spitzer (HS Counselor) as she has decided to resign from AHS to take care of her young family at this time. With that being said, Mr. Shifflett has conducted interviews already and has since made a recommendation to the Board of Education to fill this vacancy. A formal announcement will be made in January 2024!
- Congratulations to Mrs. Allison Boshaw, our newly hired Mental Health Specialist (through grant funding) at AHS! Mrs. Boshaw has been making herself very visible and getting to know students in grades 8-12. One of her favorite activites has been coloring with the high school students during lunch! Love it!
- Breaking News! Mr. Shifflett has also conducted interviews for the (grant funded) Dean of Students position. Yes.....we will have TWO Dean of Students at AHS- Mr. Ross Gauthier and our new Dean of Students (TBA very soon!).
AMS:
- Congratulations to Mrs. Michelle Luciano who has been recently hired at Almont Middle School as a Special Education (Resource) Teacher. Mrs. Luciano expressed that she is very excited to serve our students and Almont school community.
- Kudos to Principal Barb Lewis and the AMS Math Teachers for working hard to identify students who are demonstrating above-grade-level proficiency in mathematics. The teachers will be providing opportunities for those students to gain exposure and practice in advanced concepts and skills to prepare them for an advanced pathway in mathematics.
- A shout out to Mrs. Sullivan's students (AKA future engineers) in her PLTW Energy & Environment class for their determination to create the winning windmill blade. Their blade was able to lift a load of 28 washers! Impressive work! See photo below.
OP:
- Great news! Orchard Primary students will benefit from another state grant (35a) this year. OP has been awarded $24,000 to provide the necessary support/interventions to ensure all students are reading by third grade.
- Speaking of the importance of reading, Principal Kasie Allen applied for a $5000 Classroom Library Enhancement Grant through Lapeer ISD. Kudos to Mrs. Niki Cobb, Mrs. Liz Kempf, and Mrs. Leah Chapman for participating in this endeavor! The intention of this grant is to create classroom libraries that promote diversity and supports best literacy practices. A special thank you to Ms. Jeanne Schulte, our literacy coach from the ISD, as well.
- A very special thank you to the Yarbrough Family for their generous donation of a playground coreboard. This coreboard will allow students with disabilities to communicate with their peers and adults; this will afford all students with the opportunity to engage and capitalize on their social and emotional growth. See a sample picture of a coreboard below.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
- 1-3-24 Return to School
- 1-8-24 Organizational Meeting for Almont Board of Education @ 6:30 PM
- 1-15-24 No School for Students (PD Day for ACS Staff)
- 1-24-24 ACS Safety Committee Meeting @ 6:30 PM in AHS Media Center
- 2-15 thru 2-20-24 Winter Break for Students & Staff