contact-fall 2014 - Woodhaven

WOODHAVEN-BROWNSTOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT

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Learning and Leading for Tomorrow

Homecoming week at Woodhaven High School was filled with fun and festivities, all leading up to the homecoming game on Friday and the dance on Saturday, October 3 and 4. Each day had its own theme — Pajama Day, Mix & Match, Disney Day, Class Colors, and Purple & White Day. Congratulations to the following students for being elected to this year’s Homecoming Court: Freshman representative - Skylar Seely; Sophomore representatives - Biyanna France, Isabella Harris, and Devin Krstovski; Junior representatives - Lisa Luong and Emily Dearth; Senior Court - Haley Scott, Nicole Losek, Miranda Ratusznik, Kiah Childers, Hannah Jasinski, Grant Zvoch, Phillip Warda, Steffon Agius, Jake Przybylo, and LaFranz Hemphill. Congratulations to both Jake Przybylo, who was crowned Homecoming King during the pep assembly on Friday, and Nicole Losek,

NHS Induction Ceremony

who was crowned Homecoming Queen during halftime of the football game against Trenton High School. Evening festivities kicked off with the homecoming parade starting at the UAW Hall on Van Horn and traveling through the Flowers Creek subdivision before heading back to Woodhaven High School. The junior class won the float competition for their float, “Class of 2016 Enchanted Kingdom.” Cont. on page 3

Members of the 2014 Homecoming Senior Court - Phillip Warda, Nicole Losek (Queen), Steffon Agius, Haley Scott, Jake Przybylo (King), Miranda Ratusznik, Grant Zvoch, Kiah Childers, LaFrance Hemphill, and Hannah Jasinski.

On Wednesday, October 8, 2014, 92 Woodhaven High School students were inducted into the National Honor Society. What’s exciting is 54 of those students are 10th graders! This is the first time 10th graders were inducted in the fall. Years ago, 10th graders were inducted in the spring as prospective 11th graders. The ceremony was attended by over 200 proud parents at Arnaldo’s Banquet Center in Riverview. Superintendent, Mr. Mark Greathead, administered the NHS Pledge to the new members. Also present at the induction ceremony were Mr. Matt Czajkowski, WHS Principal, Mr. Jay Vesperman and Mr. Philip Short, WHS Assistant Principals, and Mr. Steve Ellis, NHS Sponsor. The induction standard of a 3.75 GPA was set to recognize the additional .5 GPA given for taking Advanced Placement courses as well as the inclusion of all elective class grades.

Fall 2014

The active membership for the chapter is now 129 students, representing 11% of the population at Woodhaven High School. The NHS is involved in many activities during the school year, such as helping with student registration in August; after-school tutoring every Wednesday; helping with blood drives and clothing drives; visiting and engaging in games and activities with senior citizens at the Applewood Senior Citizens Center; Toys for Tots campaign; helping with DECA A dopt a Family initiative, and with the annual book sale at Southland Mall for Women in Education. They are also looking into getting even more involved and are discussing several ideas for active member participation, such as helping out at local soup kitchens during the holidays. NHS also sponsors small scholarship awards for members of the Executive Board. The NHS executive officers are Anja Plaumann, President; Steffon Agius, Vice President; Lauren Cislo, Treasurer, Nikko Romero, Secretary; Hannah Jasinski, Historian; and Riste Rabadziovski, Parliamentarian.

W-B School District

WBEF Awards Teacher Grants After meeting to review over 40 grant applications, members of the Woodhaven Brownstown Education Foundation Committee were able to surprise winning staff members with checks ranging from $1500 for school-wide grants, $1000 for collaborative grants, and $500 for individual grants. A total of $22,150 in grant awards were distributed to teachers on Monday, September 22. Listed are the grant recipients and their projects: Lori Amerman - Yake Elementary First Lego League Michelle Anderson - BMS Strategies for Spec. Ed. Students Penni Blohm - Erving Elementary Focus Forward Linda Burnett - Yake Elementary iPads in the Classroom Jeremy Giles - BMS iPads for Science Susan Korzetz - Gudith Elementary Michigan Playground Map Angela Kosztowny - Wegienka Elementary Developing Number Sense Michele Lewis - Yake Elementary Classic Literature Robyn Loewe - Wegienka Elementary School/Parent Connections Susan Macinkowicz - WHS The Life Cycle Stacie Okonski - MGAHS Support for Teen Parents Rodney Scharboneau - WHS WHS Girls’ Basketball Charity Jenna Setsuda - PHMS iPads: A Tool for Workshops, Projects, and Assessments Tina Sreniawski - PHMS Musings Erica Surma - Gudith Elementary ECP Music Class—AM Session Randy Strawsine - WHS Robotics—Electronics/Build Shannon McNamara - BMS Assessment with Whiteboards Christy Schultz, Sherri Burke, Traders in Time Mary Nicholls - Wegienka Elementary Todd Hunter, Heather Adams, Technology Support for DifferNicole Ozimek - Gudith Elementary entiated Math and Language Tara Miller, Kathy Pianelli, Storyworks Magazine Melissa Yack - Erving Elementary Beth Byrd, Paula Goscinski, Vic Bliss Author to Author 3rd Grade Kathy Gray - Bates Elementary Writing Project Colleen McEachran, Kim Williamson Sensory and Kinesthetic Support Bates Elementary

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WBSD

Wegienka third grade teachers, Mary Nicholls, Sherri Burke, and Christy Schultz, received a $1000 WBEF grant for their project, “Traders in Time.” For more WBEF grant recipient photos, visit our website at wbsd.co

Summer Sizzler 2014

Paws was very popular among the students and adults and was in on all the action and activities.

The district held its second Summer Sizzler on Tuesday, August 5. Thanks to the planning and direction of Curriculum Director, Mrs. Andrea Stevenson, and her executive assistant, Ms. Jeanie Richards, and the overthe-top efforts of our outstanding administrative and teaching staff, the Summer Sizzler was another huge success! Over 1,000 WoodhavenBrownstown students and parents attended this popular event. Activities included Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum exhibits, nature exhibits from Crosswinds Marsh and Metroparks Mobile Learning Center, Book BINGO, district give-aways, popcorn, slushies, karaoke, and lots of FUN!!! Students also enjoyed interacting with PAWS who provided extra fun and many photo opportunities. Information booths were set up by Advia Credit Union, Sodexo, Champions, TOTE, and Kiwanis Club of Woodhaven. All of the elementary PTOs had information tables and Mrs. Mazei and Mr. Salah from Patrick Henry Middle School had a table for students to make and design bead bracelets. First Student had a bus on site and Woodhaven Police and Fire Departments came with a police car and fire truck. Students enjoyed playing in the bouncy houses, slide, and rock wall. A big thank you to everyone who helped make this fun event happen, especially GCA staff who handled set up and clean up.

Summer Learning Camps Stacy Peterson, Curriculum Director

Mrs. Tara Miller is pictured with 4th graders in Camp Write Away.

Under the direction of program co-creators, Mrs. Andrea Stevenson and Mr. Roger Gurganus, and with the help of several WBSD staff members, Summer Learning Camps were held in the district July 21-August 7. These camps were for students entering 1st grade through 5th grade. This three week program was established to help students gain a better understanding in the areas of math, reading, writing, and science. With hands-on activities, students were able to fill gaps and find greater joy in their learning. Below are descriptions of each of the camps that were offered: Summer Steps (1st Grade) - This class was designed to help children make a successful transition from kindergarten to first grade. Teachers focused on hands-on individual and small group activities to enhance students’ skill levels in literacy and numeracy, as well as following classroom procedures. Camp Read and Write S’mores (2nd and 3rd Grade) Students engaged in reading, writing, speaking, and listening around mentor texts so they could write like an author on a topic. They had the opportunity to choose a topic around the subject Summer/Camping and to write and publish a story in the genre of their choice. Activities and projects revolved around the themes of reading and writing at summer camp. Camp Exploration (2nd and 3rd Grade) - Students engaged in real-life problem solving strategies through participation in an interactive math and science learning environment. Activities and games were used to strengthen problem solving, numeracy, and computation skills. Camp Write Away (4th and 5th Grade) - Students spent time exploring fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, and partner stories. They created a writer’s journal, learned about authors’ styles, and researched nonfiction topics. Students created comics, made a class story, and had a poetry celebration. This camp encouraged cooperation, creative thinking, and lots of fun! Brain S.T.E.M. Camp (4th and 5th Grade) - Students engaged in real-life problem solving strategies through participation in an interactive Science, Technology, Engineer ing, and Math lear ning envir onment. Activities and games were used to strengthen problem solving, numeracy, and computational skills.

The Woodhaven-Brownstown School District is pleased to announce the adoption of two new math series for the 2014-2015 school year, Math Expressions and Big Ideas (Houghton Mifflin publisher). Math Expressions is a K-5 series that is a companion to the middle school resource, Big Ideas, that was adopted by our 6-8 grades. Both of these new series are aligned to the Common Core and will help in the vertical alignment of our math curriculum across grade levels. Your child should be bringing home a workbook that contains practice problems to reinforce the concepts and activities that they learned throughout the day and unit. If you need additional support at home or would like more information about the series, you can access the parent resource page online. The parent resource page will explain the unit your child is working on and also has an online math glossary for your reference. In addition, problems and games for practice at home are also included. Please feel free to contact your child’s school for additional information. The websites are: Math Expressions http://www.eduplace.com/parents/mthexp/ Big Ideas https://www.bigideasmath.com/parents/ We look forward to this new series as we continue to strengthen the math program in our district. Cont. from page 1

The Warriors played before a packed house and won the game against the Trojans, maintaining their perfect record and clinching a berth in postseason play. The final score was 28-13.

Nicole is pictured with her father, Mr. David Losek, after being crowned WHS 2014 Homecoming Queen.

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WoodhavenBrownstown School District 24821 Hall Road Woodhaven, MI 48183 734.783.3300 woodhaven.k12.mi.us BOARD OF EDUCATION CARA PIMER, PRESIDENT MIKKI BERTIN, VICE PRESIDENT BRUCE BURKE, SECRETARY ROB HARRIS, TREASURER CATHY FERRARO, TRUSTEE JENNIFER PADGETT, TRUSTEE JAMES ROBBINS, TRUSTEE ADMINISTRATION MARK GREATHEAD, SUPERINTENDENT THOMAS WALL, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT STACY PETERSON, CURRICULUM DIRECTOR JEFFREY ADAMS, HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR SHERRY WEISER, TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR SCHOOLS BATES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 22811 GUDITH ROAD WOODHAVEN, MI 48183 CHERIE GODFREY, PRINCIPAL 734-692-2217 ERVING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 24175 HALL ROAD WOODHAVEN, MI 48183 CATERINA BERRY, PRINCIPAL 734-692-2212 GUDITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 22700 SIBLEY ROAD BROWNSTOWN, MI 48193 THOMAS MARTIN, PRINCIPAL 734-783-5386 WEGIENKA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 23925 ARSENAL ROAD BROWNSTOWN, MI 48134 MICHELLE BRIEGEL, PRINCIPAL 734-783-3367 YAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 16400 CARTER ROAD WOODHAVEN, MI 48183 TIMOTHY PODLEWSKI, PRINCIPAL 734-692-2230 BROWNSTOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL 20135 INKSTER ROAD BROWNSTOWN, MI 48174 ANDREW CLARK, PRINCIPAL 734-783-3400 PATRICK HENRY MIDDLE SCHOOL 24825 HALL ROAD WOODHAVEN, MI 48183 MOLLY MAZEI, PRINCIPAL 734-362-6100 WOODHAVEN HIGH SCHOOL 24787 VAN HORN ROAD BROWNSTOWN, MI 48134 MATTHEW CZAJKOWSKI, PRINCIPAL 734-783-3333

Mrs. Peterson Promoted to Curriculum Director

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entral office administration welcomed Mrs. Stacy Peterson into the curriculum office in August. Mr. Greathead announced the promotion of Mrs. Peterson from her position as assistant principal at Brownstown Middle School to the district’s new curriculum director. Mrs. Peterson hit the ground running upon the retirement of her predecessor, Mrs. Andrea Stevenson, who retired at the end of August. Mrs. Stevenson said she “felt fortunate to be able to pass the baton to such a quality leader.” Mrs. Peterson began her career in the district at Woodhaven High School in 2007 where she spent four Mrs. Stacy Peterson years as assistant principal. She moved to Brownstown Curriculum Director Middle School as assistant principal and spent the next three years there before moving to Central Office Administration. Concerning her new position, Mrs. Peterson said, “I am very excited about this new endeavor in the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District. I feel very fortunate to work in a community that supports education with a staff dedicated to educating our students.” Mrs. Peterson graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in microbiology and attended Wayne State University to obtain a Masters of Education in Educational Leadership. Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Peterson in her new position.

Mr. Gurganus Appointed BMS Assistant Principal Once Mrs. Peterson left Brownstown Middle School to become the district’s new curriculum director, BMS was in need of a new assistant principal. It didn’t take long for Mr. Greathead to appoint Mr. Roger Gurganus to that position. Mr. Gurganus has been in the field of education for 10 years, teaching at both the elementary and middle school levels. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Wayne State University and graduated from Michigan State University with a Master of Arts in Education with emphasis on School Leadership and Reading Development. In the fall of 2013, Mr. Gurganus was selected by the Mr. Roger Gurganus district for RESA’s Aspiring Administrator Academy. He Assistant Principal graduated from the program as one of the top new and upcoming leaders of southeastern Michigan. Mr. Gurganus put his leadership skills to work by co-creating the Summer Learning Camps held in the district (see related story on page 3). Mr. Gurganus served as principal of both campuses in the summer of 2014. We welcome Mr. Gurganus to the WBSD administrative staff and wish him well in his new role as assistant principal at Brownstown Middle School.

In compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, and the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1977, it is the policy of the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District that no person shall on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, gender, age, disability, height, weight, or marital status be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination during any program, activity, service or in employment. For information contact the Office of the Superintendent, 24821 Hall Road, Woodhaven, MI 48183, 734-789-2357.