Allegan" Our Schools News" - March 2011

March 12, 2010 Allegan Public Schools - “Striving for Excellence”

www.alleganpublicschools.org

March 24-25-26 7:00 p.m. (all performances) ALLEGAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Kindergarten Registration

April 12 (9:30 a.m.) at each Elementary

or

April 14 (5-7 p.m.)

Allegan High School Media Center Need to bring: - child‛s birth certificate - immunization records - vision screening results - social security card - proof of residency Student must be 5 years old by Dec. 1, 2011 to enroll in kindergarten. Call your local elementary school for more information.

Allegan High School will present “James and the Giant Peach,” March 24-25-26 in the Allegan Performing Arts Center. This play was adapted from the popular children’s novel by Roald Dahl, and is sure to delight all ages! Tickets will be $5 general admission, $4 for senior citizens and children through 12th grade, and a $15 family pack of four is also available. Pictured in the front row are (left to

right): Ashley Pegg as the Silkworm, Rachel Bartz as the Glowworm, and Zoe Norr as the Earthworm. 2nd row: Logan Noble as the Narrator, Amber Emmons as the Spider, Parker Johnson as James, and Kaitlyn Noorman as the Ladybug. Back row: Adam Vaughn as the Centipede and Mason English as the Grasshopper.

School Calendar 2010-11 February 22, 23- Parent/Teacher Conf. (MS/Elementary) February 23 - STAFF ONLY (Professional Development) March 11 - STAFF ONLY (Professional Development) April 4-8 - NO SCHOOL (Spring Break) April 22 - NO SCHOOL (Good Friday) April 26, 27 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (HS) April 27 - STAFF ONLY (Professional Development) May 30 - NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day) June 7 - Last Day for Students June 8 - STAFF ONLY (Meetings/Records)

IMPORTANT – KEEP NEAR YOUR PHONE

Allegan Public Schools Telephone Numbers

Administration Office.................................... 673-5431 Kevin Harness (superintendent) Bill Hammer (director of operations) Nancy McKown (curriculum and technology) Allegan High School .................................... 673-7002 Jim Mallard, James Antoine (principals) L.E. White Middle School............................. 673-2241 George Mohr, Tony Danzig (principals) Dawson Elementary....................................... 673-6925 Joe James (principal) North Ward Elementary................................. 673-6003 Ron Orr (principal) Pine Trails Elementary................................... 673-5379 Dave Kanine (principal) West Ward Elementary................................... 673-7000 Harry Dalm (principal) Allegan Alternative High & Adult Ed............ 673-5433 Brenda Nyhof (principal) Special Education........................................... 673-5431 Jodi Zenk (director) Athletic Office................................................ 673-7002 Gary Ellis (director) Recreation Department.................................. 673-7002 Trevor Horwath (rec.), Andrea Murphy (pool) Maintenance Department............................... 673-2085 Wally Brennan, George Zeock (supervisors) Transportation Department........................... 673-2203 Darrell Stoughton (supervisor)

Annual School Election - May 3, 2011

This year’s ballot will once again contain a renewal of the 18 mills of non-homestead property tax. There are also two four-year terms on the Board of Education to be filled. (Trustees Phil Siegler and Steve Tibbitts have chosen not to run.) Voting will take place at your local city or township precinct. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots are available from your city or township clerk if you cannot make it to the polls on Election Day. Running for School Board are:

Michael Fairbanks

(Pharmaceutical Mgmt) Married with two grown children and two in school (at MS and HS).

His goal is “to provide strategic direction, guidance, and support...to help make APS a leader in education and a partner in the community.”

Billi Williams

(Engineering Specifier) Married with two children in APS, ages 5 and 7. She stated,“My experience so far with APS has been great.

The chance to assist in the work being done is an awesome opportunity.”

Troy Carns

(Heavy Equipment Operator) Troy’s girlfriend has two daughters in APS (MS and HS). He states, “I would like to be more informed and involved with the future challenges facing Allegan schools.”

School Web page: www.alleganpublicschools.org

Allegan Public Schools 2010-11 Board of Education Regular Meeting Schedule

March 14, 2011 (7:00 p.m.)

April 11, 2011 (7:00 p.m.)

May 9, 2011 (7:00 p.m.)

June 13, 2011 (5:30 p.m.)

July 11, 2011 (5:30 p.m.) Organizational Meeting Meetings during school year are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.

Meetings during the summer (June, July, August) begin at 5:30 p.m. All meetings to be held at the Allegan Public Schools’ Administration Building, 550 Fifth Street, Allegan MI 49010.

Interested citizens are invited to attend meetings. There is an opportunity for public comments of a general nature at the beginning of every board meeting. Persons with disabilities who need special accommodations should contact the Superintendent at 673-5431, or at 550 Fifth Street, Allegan, MI 49010, ten days prior to the meeting.

Students thank Board of Ed

In honor of School Board Recognition Month, students from several of our schools shared notes of thanks with board members at the February meeting. Pictured are West Ward students Holly Curtiss, Cooper Lake, Alison Radke, Kaitlyn Fulton (2nd graders from Laura Sullivan’s class). Other students who spoke before the board were: Alex Babbitt (NW Elem), Baine VanTilburg and Thomas Loftus (Dawson), Alex Wittkop and Mackenzie Sturman (MS), and Josi VanHorn (HS).

The “Our Schools News” is a publication of Allegan Public Schools. It is published at least four times annually and mailed to all residents of the Allegan area. If you know of someone who is not receiving this publication that would benefit from receiving it, please contact Joni Knight, editor, at 673-5431 or email: jknight@alleganps.org Page 2

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. . . the POWER of Education (A message from the superintendent of schools)

Kevin Harness Superintendent

What’s Going On? It is difficult for me to have a conversation with anyone I come in contact with lately without discussing school finance in Michigan and Governor Snyder’s recently released budget proposal. I have attempted to avoid political discussion in these articles with the exception of the “Teachers Are Not the Enemy” article that I wrote several months ago, which by the way, drew the most response of any article I have written.

Therefore, as I considered a topic for this issue I hesitated to broach the “budget” topic. But as I contemplated further it became evident that no other subject will have more impact on our children’s educational future than the state budget decisions that will be made over the next several months. With that in mind, I felt obligated to inform our community of the magnitude of the impact of the Governor’s proposed budget on our district. So, if I inadvertently push someone’s political “hot button,” I apologize. That is not my intention.

What IS going on with the state education budget? For starters, the $470 per pupil reduction being proposed by Governor Snyder translates into a $1.3 million cut for Allegan Public Schools. $1.3 million is not “trim” or “tighten your belt” money for a district our size. After a decade of cost cutting measures and staff reductions, the ability to cut costs with minimal impact on students has all but disappeared for most districts. I am proud to say that during the past five years, when the necessary cuts to balance the budget have been the deepest, Allegan Public Schools has been successful in maintaining class sizes. Anyone who states that the number of students in a classroom doesn’t matter hasn’t spent any time in a first grade classroom lately, or a middle school math classroom with several students struggling to understand the algebra concept being presented, or with a high school English teacher grading and providing the necessary feedback on the 125 essays of his or her ninth through twelfth grade students. Regrettably, we have had politicians making the claim recently that the number of students in a classroom has no impact on student learning.

You may be assuming that the severe cuts to school funding being proposed are a result of the tough economy and a resulting reduction in tax dollars available in the School Aid Fund. Some may argue that increased class sizes and other detrimental cuts for our students and staff aren’t good, but they are a necessity of the times. Actually, the truth is that is not the case. A recent State Budget Update released by the non-partisan Senate Fiscal Agency projected that K-12 school districts across the state could be funded at the exact same level for the 2011-12 fiscal year as we are for the 2010-11 school year and still end 2012 with a $410 million dollar fund balance. Yes – read it again. That is correct!

Knowing this you may ask, “Then why do we need to cut so much money from our schools?” The simple answer is that tax dollars intended to fund K-12 education are now being used to fund other programs. The same Senate Fiscal Agency report reveals that $124 million of other costs are being paid out of the School Aid Fund in the current 2010-11 fiscal year; and that a total of $754 million dollars in other costs have been paid out since the passage of Proposal A in 1992. Obviously this shift in funding is legal, but not what I believe the majority of the voters intended when we passed Proposal A. According to the report, Governor Snyder’s proposed plan, if implemented, would result in “nearly $900 million in spending from the School State Aid Fund (SAF) to support community colleges and universities, and also sees a net tax revenue loss of $200 million, for a total loss of revenue available for K-12 purposes of nearly $1.1 billion each year.” I am certainly a supporter of the mission of our state’s junior colleges and universities. I am personally a product of both. But to take money from our elementary students in order to fund our colleges and universities is not the prudent action to address our state’s budget problems.

Our students, our families, our staff, and our community simply cannot afford a cut of this magnitude to our schools. The fact is there is no need for any cut whatsoever. School districts are experiencing increased costs of doing business just as other organizations and businesses are. We all personally experience the increased cost of “doing business” when we pull up to the gas pump. Allegan Public Schools has 30 buses on the road everyday, but I don’t believe it is an intelligent option for our district to eliminate busing in order to cut costs. Access to technology and technology tools for our students and staff are a necessity, not a “nice to have” option only if you can afford it, and yet the present funding level is not sufficient to fulfill that need.

The money is there, and certainly the needs are there, so I urge you to contact our Governor, our State Representative, and our State Senator to inform them that you do not support the proposed budget, and that you will only support a budget that truly reflects the high priority K-12 education must be in Michigan.

FOR CONTACT INFORMATION OF STATE LEGISLATORS, SEE PAGE 6.

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“Feast Day”

Breakfast Club

Inspired by a story in the 3rd grade reading program, students at North Ward put on their own “Feast Day” celebration, complete with dressing, dancing, and eating their way through a lively lesson!

Students at Pine Trails Elementary participate in “breakfast club” twice a week, when Ms. Wildeboer wheels a cart of books to the cafeteria and students get to read while they eat breakfast! The cart and books are courtesy of a Anna Shepherd, Romy DeLucas, grant from David Smith, and Hailey McFarDollar General. land look through the book cart.

Right: Mrs. WinderbankLucas helps students follow directions for baking cornbread.

3rd graders from Mrs. McDaniel’s and Mrs. Lucas’ classes follow dance instruction coreographed by Alyssa Cherry and Lillian West.

Deputy Dog! In the photo: Matthew Duron, Deputy Holmes, Eliana Curry and Garo!

2nd graders at West Ward Elementary recently read the story “Officer Buckle and Gloria” about a straight-laced police officer who was dedicated to teaching school children important safety tips. Problem is, Officer Buckle’s school assemblies were “dull, dull, dull” and made the children just “sleep, sleep, sleep”!!! That is, until Gloria the police dog is invited along. Stealthily pantomiming each safety tip behind Officer Buckle’s back, Gloria wins the children’s hearts. To bring this story to life, teacjer Mrs. Sullivan invited Allegan County Sheriff’s Deputy David Holmes and his dog Garo to visit the classroom, to show their teamwork and to teach important safety information!

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“Bieber Fever”

Elementary students just love Justin Bieber! On February 15th, he performed for Dawson Elementary 3rd grade students via webcast on the Smartboard. The students enjoyed his reading of the story “Cat in the Hat” as part of their BookIt reading activities sponsored by Pizza Hut. Through the use of technology, the students were able to experience a read-aloud activity with their favority celebrity in a new and exciting way!

Elementary Physical Education . . . . . . in the pool

3rd and 4th grade students from all four elementary schools enjoy two weeks of swimming lessons at the Allegan Aquatic Center, where they learn basic swim strokes and breathing methods.

. . . and on the slopes!

All the children take pleasure in jumping in and making a splash! Pictured above are Kelsey Keyzer and Mary McGown, 4th graders from Pine Trails Elementary.

3rd grader Jacqualine Conroy practices her kick technique!

West Ward Science Fair

Students participated in and made exhibits for the annual West Ward Science Fair and Science Family Fun Night.

Above, 4th grader Jeffrey Maskell demonstrates the effects of water erosion, while Alesandra and Annalecia Garcia look on. Top right: Conrad Eichbauer, a 1st grader in Mrs. Brower’s class, displays his project on the subject of surface tension of water. At right: Brothers Ryan and Wyatt Green demonstrate a volcanic eruption!

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4th and 5th graders from Allegan Elementary schools enjoy a day of skiing at Timber Ridge Ski Resort as part of their elementary P.E. curriculum. Lessons in the morning; then by afternoon many students have advanced to the 4th grader Lauren chairlift hills! Story demonstrates her downhill skills without poles!

Geography Bee Winner

Spelling Bee Champs

Joe McClelland is the repeating school champion of the National Geographic Geography Bee contest. He qualified again this year to advance to the State competition April 1 at WMU. Good luck Joe!

Thomas Delor was crowned champion (2nd consecutive year) and Max Clark was runner-up at the L.E.White Middle School Spelling Bee. Both students advanced to the Regional competition in Wayland.

Geography Bee Winners -- Two contestants from each grade level were in the final round! Left to right: Will Armintrout (7th), Matt Fifield (8th), Matt Harris (8th), Joe McClelland (7th), Ben Andrews (6th), and Abby Knuckles.(6th).

Top Spellers from each class were: (back row) Joe McClelland, Zeke Butcher, Abby Knuckles. (Front row) Thom Delor, Max Clark, Christian MacCartny.

Middle School Demonstrations

Students in Ms. Hellman’s Language Arts class performed demonstrations to practice their communication skills.

Right: Wren Ashley and Abby Knuckles demonstrate how to play the flute.

Elks Hoop Shoot

Allegan students fared extremely well in the Elks National “Hoop Shoot” district competition in St. Joseph in January. Pictured above (left to right): Karlie Wells (1st place, 12-13 girls division), Bethany Schafer (1st place, 10-11 girls), Jaxsen Callaway (2nd place, 8-9 boys), Matt Cogar (2nd place, 10-11 boys), and Anika Hansen (8-9 girls).

Not pictured: Dimitri Berry (3rd place, 12-13 boys).

Contact your Michigan legislators: • •

Governor Rick Snyder (517) 373-3400 Rick.Snyder@michigan.gov Representative Bob Genetski (517) 373-0836 BobGenetski@house.mi.gov • Senator Rick Jones (517) 373-3447 SenRjones@senate.michigan.gov

Above: Lily Goldberger shows the class how to make quesadillas.

Right: Zekek Butcher illustrates how to play Pokemkon.

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Laker Writers Camp Summer 2011

GVSU is sponsoring summer camps for all students who are interested in writing, as part of the National Writing Project. The teachers will inspire creative thinking as young writers explore various writing styles and methods of self-expression. Dawson Elementary’s own 5th grade teacher Bethany Burnett will be teaching the Allegan class in July, along with Mary Shannon, 5th grade teacher from Zeeland.

Contact any elementary or middle school office for a registration form, or dowload online at www.lmwritingproject.org

North Ward Mileage Club

Students at North Ward Elementary participated in a “mileage club” and so far this year have walked or run over 1000 miles!

Annabel Bishop and Noe Badillo have both walked/run over 40 miles each! And all the students pictured have accumulated at least 20 miles apiece. Front row (left to right): Hannah Oetman,

Elementary/Middle School Camps ***Allegan (July 11-14 ) for grades 4-6 in the Fall Held at Allegan Administration Building (5th St.) Belding (June 20-23) for grades 3-6 in the Fall Grand Rapids (July 11-14) for grades 3-8 in the Fall Holland (July 25-28) for grades 4-6 in the Fall Muskegon (July 11-14) for grades 4-6 in the Fall

Brooke Boodt, Annabel Bishop, Noe Badillo, Sasha Mills, Jade Knarian; and back row: Christopher Lafey, Seth Badillo, Zach TerAvest, Tyler Holly, Alexis Harper, Dylan Watkins, and Corey Stanbro.

Middle School/High School Camps Allendale (July 25-28) for grades 8-12 in the Fall Grand Rapids (July 11-14) for grades 9-12 in the Fall

“Muffins for Moms” March 8 (7:00 - 8:00 a.m.)

West Ward Elementary

Cost is $100 per child ($90 for additional siblings)

March 16 (7:00-8:00 a.m.)

Pine Trails Elementary

Scholarships are available! There are a limited number of $75 scholarships available from GVSU. Allegan students can also apply for an AEA scholarship (just ask your teacher for an application).

Pine Trails Spelling Bee

Pamida Donation

The Allegan Pamida store recently donated $500 to be divided up among the four elementary schools! Pictured are Pine Trails Student Council members (left to right): Arianna Davis, Nicole Galloway, Delanie Nahikian, Ashley Haluch, along with (back row) Principal Dave Kanine, and Pamida staff--Linda Ferris, Kristen Revor, and Jennifer Kourakis.

Karmind Nordblom (left), 5th grade teacher Mrs. Herlein, and Gabbriella McKee (right).

Pine Trails Elementary 5th grade students, Gabbriella McKee and Karmind Nordblom, were this year’s winners of the 2011 Scripts Spelling Been held in January. They represented Pine Trails Elementary at the Regional Bee held in Wayland. At the Regional Bee, Karmind took 3rd place and Gabby took 10th place!

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Clarinet Ensemble from the High School symphonic band. Left to right: Rose Bazan, Michelle VandenBoss, William Falkner.

More work by middle school art students featuring chalk pastels.

Youthful Evening of the Arts Sponsored by the Allegan Area Arts Council, this event featured local artistic talent in visual and performing arts.

Students performed in solos and ensembles on the stage at the Allegan High School Performing Arts Center, while art projects created by high school and middle school students were displayed throughout the lobby.

Middle School students in Abby Chatelain’s 8th grade art classes were asked to create visual puns. The “Snow Angel” (above, left) was created by Ashley Hattey, and the “Burger King” (right) was created by Jenna Davis.

“Proud to be an American”

Congratulations to these three winners of the Elks Lodge “Proud to be an American” essay contest. Besides being winners locally at L.E.White Middle School, all three essays also won at the District contest and will go on to compete at the State and National levels.

“In America, it doesn’t matter where you came from, your background, or what you look like, you matter. You will be protected and have rights and get to have an opinion. That is why I am proud to be part of this wonderful country.”

~ Erin Isola “I know as an American you have to pay taxes, but they help pay for the things that protect us and the things we need.” ~ Foster Karmon

Foster Karmon (2nd place), Erin Isola (1st place), Mia McLaughlin (3rd place)

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“Even though we have to follow many laws, we have many rights. We have the right to vote for who we want in the government, wear whatever we want and to have an education.”

~ Mia McLaughlin

Allegan Band “Notes” Band Festival - The High School Band received a “I” (excellent)

rating at festival and qualified to perform at State! Special kudos for earning a #1 rating in sight reading!

HS Solo & Ensemble - The following high school band students received a “I” rating and are eligible to go to the State Solo and Ensemble Festival in March: Rashelle Zblewski (flute solo), Rashelle Zblewski, Jennie Lubbers (flute duet), William Falkner (clarinet solo), William Falkner, Michelle VandenBoss, Rose Bazan (clarinet trio), Katie Anderson, Alyssa Dehn, Leslie Hornback (woodwind trio), Jennie Lubbers, Rashelle Zblewski, Rose Bazan, William Falkner, and Blake Moe III (woodwind quintet), Megan Locatis (trumpet solo), Blake Moe III (French horn solo), Paul McQuaid (marching tenor solo), Tim Kooy (marimba solo).

Kayleigh Gratz was recently accepted into the State FFA Honors Band and William Falkner earned a spot in the GVSU Honors Band!

The following high school band students received a “II” rating: Jennie Lubbers (flute solo), Emily Wartella (flute solo), Michelle VandenBoss (clarinet solo), Michaela Burton and Kali Gregg (clarinet duet), John Frigo and Calsey Whitt (clarinet duet), Michaela Burton, John Frigo, Kali Gregg, and Calsey Whitt (clarinet quartet), Derek Storey (saxophone solo), Devan Ackerman (baritone saxophone solo), Heather Weaver, Derek Storey, Evan Haffner, Kylie DeKryger, Leslie Hornback, Aiden Scheidel, Katie Anderson, Devan Ackerman (saxophone octet--the entire HS sax section!!), Carl Klotz (trumpet solo), Krista Kenniston, Carl Klotz (trumpet duet), Kayleigh Gratz (trombone solo), Nicole Cappelo, Krista Kenniston (brass duet), Megan Locatis, Alex George, Nathan Giles, Kayleigh Gratz, Andre Pagan, David McKeever (brass sextet), Stephanie Vierkant (piano solo), Katie Anderson, Nicole Cappelo (piano duet).

Upcoming Band Dates: Mar 14 - Color Guard

begins!

Mar 15 - Battery Percussion

begins!

Mar 26 - MSBOA State Solo

& Ensemble Festival

(HS band) April 16 - MSBOA District 10

Solo & Ensemble Festival

(MS band) April 26 - Band Concert (joint

performance with Corner

stone University) May 2 - Honor Band May 16 - Spring Concert (6th

and 7th grade bands) May 17 - Spring Concert (8th

grade and HS bands) May 30 - Memorial Day

Parade MS Band Festival - The 8th grade and 7th grade bands performed well at festival this year.

The 8th grade earned a Division II (good) rating, and points were at the very top of the division II. The 7th grade band earned a Division I (excellent) rating!

Congrats!!!

Choir News

Choir Festival

Congrats to the Chamber Choir students for receiving a Division I (excellent) rating at Choral Festival in both Performance and Sight Reading!

MSVMA District Solo & Ensemble

Division I (excellent) ratings were awarded to: Hannah Bazan & Chloe Lucas-Schroeder (duet), Hannah Kasprzyk & Zoe Norr (duet), and to (soloists) Jenny Flores, Beth Fifield, Angelica Zenquis, Zoe Norr, Olivia Campbell.

Also a Division II rating to soloist Cody Willey.

Singing Telegrams

National Anthem

The Allegan Chamber Choir performed the National Anthem on January 21 at a Grand Rapids Griffins Game at VanAndel Arena!

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Over 100 singing telegrams were delivered for Valentine’s Day by the Allegan Choir Department at both high school and middle school. Recipients were embarrassingly serenaded by “It’s Raining Men,” “Stupid Cupid,” and “Baby.”

Pictured above is one group of serenaders (left to right): Mike Wallace, Adam Vaughn, Clayton Brann, Ben Wallace, and Eric Fan.

Mar 18 - State Solo & Ensemble May 10 - Spring Concert (MS) 7 pm May 12 - Spring Concert (HS ) 7 pm

SPRING DATES THAT RATE

Allegan Tiger Athletics With the coming of March, we are optimistically looking forward to the warm and sunny spring days ahead as we begin baseball, golf, girls soccer, softball, girls tennis and boys and girls track at the high school level and co-ed tennis and track for the middle schoolers. Hopefully you will take in some of the action at their venues. There’s nothing like high school and middle school athletes coming together as a team and putting forth their best efforts athletically and with good sportsmanship and being supported by their families, friends and the community.

The most up-to-date spring sports schedules can be found on the school district’s website (www.alleganpublicschools.org) by clicking on “Athletics” and going to the Athletic Department homepage. There you can click on “Sports Schedules and Results”.where you will find the day’s schedule and the week’s schedule. OR you can click on the sport and see that sports schedule at all levels.

Also, there is a section where you can sign up to receive an e-mail message whenever we change a date or time for a scheduled event or add to the schedule. The one thing we can count on in the spring is changes in schedules. E-mail notification let’s you know right away when these changes occur. If you have any questions on the Athletic Dept. website or still can’t figure out how it all works, please contact me at the Athletic Office (673-7002, ext. 5519).

LOOKING AHEAD - With the coming of spring sports we also start looking ahead to the 2011-12 school year and the preparation for that. There are a couple items that are very important for you to know: SPORTS PHYSICALS - A current physical (done after April 15) is required by the MHSAA to participate in school athletics.

Any physical exam done before April 15 will NOT be valid for the 2011-12 school year. Watch for further details about physical exams offered here at the high school on the athletic website, in the Principal’s Newsletter and in the mail. Plans are to schedule them for late May, before the end of school, and early August, before the start of fall sports.

March 14 –High School Spring Sports Begin March 23 – Opening Day for Baseball and Softball vs. B-dale March 24 – 1st Contest for Girls Soccer vs. Thornapple Kellogg (H) March 26 – Early Bird Invitationals – Track and Girls Tennis March 28 – Middle Schools Spring Sports Begin April 13 – 1st Boys Golf Conference Jamboree @ Vicksburg April 23 – Allegan Tennis Invitational featuring several state ranked teams May 13 – Allegan Track Invitational with 16 teams competing May 25 – Wolverine Conference Track Championships (H) May ??? – 2011-12 Sports Physicals (watch for details) And so much more – Check the Athletic Department website for all the events.

BOOSTER CLUB NEWS It has been another successful year for the Booster Club as it continues to help provide needed items and services for our athletes and athletic program. To those of you who have been involved in the various activities, THANK YOU. To those of you who have also joined the Booster Club, another THANK YOU. It is only through the support of parents, coaches and members of the community that the Booster Club can continue to do all that it does to make the athletic experience better for our athletes.

APS Educational Foundation Cash Party The Booster Club is one of the co-sponsors of this year’s Cash Party, the major fundraiser to help with the needs of the school district. This fun event will be held on March 12 at The Silo.

There will be dinner and dancing and several people will walk away with some excellent prizes – goods, services and CASH. Tickets are available from any Booster Club officer and from coaches of the baseball, girls golf, boys tennis, girls tennis and the swim team. This is definitely a “don’t miss” event.

Booster Club Scholarship Fund How often does $10 of your money become $20? Or $50 become $100? Thanks to the generosity of an graduate of Allegan High School, that can happen. An Allegan alumnae has offered to match, dollar for dollar, every donation made to the Booster Club Scholarship Fund up to $6000. So that $20 donation “magically” becomes $40 and will go to Allegan athletes in the form of college scholarships. What a great thing. For more information contact the athletic office. Any contribution is greatly (times 2) appreciated.

DEAD WEEK – Summer takes so long to get here and is over way too fast. It also becomes very busy and hectic as we try to fill in those days with as much as possible – family trips, projects, and for many athletes, skill development. Each summer the schools around the state set aside one week, called the “Dead Week” where there can be no athletic activity at school facilities or organized school activities off campus (baseball and softball are exempt from this MHSAA rule). For Allegan, that week will July 3-9. Hopefully by knowing this in advance, it will help you and your child be able to better schedule activities during those wonderful days It’s a G-R-R-R-R-R-E-A-T time to be an Allegan Tiger! of summer.

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Foreign Exchange Students

Hosting a foreign exchange student can enrich your family’s life! Please contact Colleen Fortney (269) 650-5333 if you would like more information about the possibility of hosting a student next year.

Current exchange students recently were recognized at a board of education meeting.

(Left to right): Minh Nguyen (Vietnam), Luise Lauber (Germany), Ann Katherin Hinke (Germany), Kamilla Moeller (Norway), Thais Santana (Brazil), Colleen Fortney, Frederik Munchow (Denmark), Berit Lenz (Germany), Luis Guzman (Columbia), Lisa Vilvang (Norway), Tuan (Eric) Fan (Taiwan). Not pictured: Ziyang Zhou (China), Daria KonanyKhina (Russia), Alzbeta Hrusovska (Slovakia), Gabrial Dias (Brazil).

Michigan Level 2 Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) Changes: On December 14th, 2010, PA 268 was signed into law, and will take effect on March 30th, 2011. The law will amend the Michigan Vehicle Code in the following ways: 1. Prohibit a driver with a Level 2 graduated driver’s license (GDL) from operating a motor vehicle carrying more than one passenger who is under 21 years of age, unless: a. passengers are members of the driver’s immediate family, or b. travel is to or from school or a school-sanctioned event.

2. In addition, the nighttime restriction has been extended to 10:00 p.m. from the original midnight starting time. The new nighttime restriction is from 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m.

Both of these restrictions remain for the duration of the Level 2 graduated driver’s license.

The sanctions for violating these new provisions are: •A civil infraction is entered and 2 points are added to the driving record.

•Notice of the civil infraction shall be sent to a designated parent or guardian.

•GDL Level 2 period is extended for 12 months.

•A driver reexamination will be scheduled with a possible license suspension and additional restrictions imposed.

For additional information, please visit the Michigan Department of State Websire at www.Michigan.gov/sos or we have a link to the Safer Driving for Teens website on our high school website as well.

Post Prom/Grad Bash

Winning Poets!

Congratulations to the following poets from Allegan High School--Casey Dunn, Kylie DeKryger, Ryan Drozd, Franklin Locatis, Rachel Voglewede, and Calsey Whitt. Their free verse poems were recently selected for publication by Creative Communications!

This committee needs your help! If you can help with fundraisers or would like to help plan this year’s events, please join us! There are several fundraisers going on now (see below). If you can’t help, then please consider making a donation so we can continue offering these two events for our students free of charge!

TABLE TENNIS TOURNAMENT Saturday, March 19 (9 a.m.)

L.E.White Middle School All ages - Contact (269) 692-6019

ANNUAL FLOWER SALE High School parking lot May 6-7

“Rock the Runway” for Clean Water & Post Prom

Nathan Andrew Salon is hosting the event “Rock the Runway” Saturday, March 26. Proceeds will benefit the Great Lakes Water Alliance and the Post Prom Committee. This event includes a fashion show and used prom dress sale. They are looking for people to donate old prom dresses. For each donation you will receive a bvoucher for a dress for 50% off. The sale starts at 4 p.m., with the fashion show at 6 p.m. Questions? Contact Nathan Andrew Salon 685-0555.

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Left to right: Bo Martin, Alex George, Jaron Martin, and Ryan Kollar.

An “ocean” of words . . .

Senior English students Elizabeth Bush and Logan Noble stand before an ocean canvas upon which students affixed responses to English warm-up exercises, including verb precision practice, adjective strings, and New Year’s resolutions. Students enjoyed writing their responses on sharks, fish, and starfish -- and especially enjoyed the colorful mural which resulted!

Dream Jars

AHS students in Mrs. Hascall’s Expressive Writing class captured their dreams in jars . . . or at least visual representations of their them! In addition, they recorded their dreams (“children of an idle brain,” as Shakespeare put it) in writing. This assignment was inspired by an Art Prize submission.

Signatures in Space ..... FINALLY!

After several delays, NASA finally launched the space shuttle Discovery for its mission STA-133 to the International Space Station. This vessel also contains signatures of high school students all across the nation which are now orbiting the Earth, in celebration of Space Day last spring!

North Ward students really “stack up”

Winnning team: Kayleigh Gratz, Megan Locatis, Elise Conley and Sarah McDaniel,

Quiz Bowl Students practiced following detailed instructions at a recent “cup stacking” assembly by “Mr. Jim” Merrills.

Left: 2nd grader Baylee Schafer uses his power of concentration to stack all his cups. Top: Olivia Ott creates her own pyramid!

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The AHS Quiz Bowl teams wrapped up a successful season on February 7th at the 2nd Allegan County League Roundtable Tournament. The JV team of Joey Pabis, Katerra Statler, Paul McQuaid and Austin Green tied for 3rd place among JV teams. Special congrats to the Varsity team of Kayleigh Gratz, Megan Locatis, Elise Conley and Sarah McDaniel, who were almost undefeated all season in matchplay, losing only once in more than 20 matches.

This team has qualified for state and will be traveling to Lansing with Coach Amanda Boes. The ladies will compete in April at MSU against other high school quiz bowl teams for a state ranking. Congrats to everyone on a great season!

March is “Reading Month” Throughout the district, students are celebrating March Reading Month. Kicking off the month of activities, Dawson Young Five students from Mrs. Guimond’s PM class (right) honor Dr. Seuss’ birthday, along with their teacher and their principal Joe James, by wearing Cat in the Hat costumes!

“Get Your Read On”

High School junior Lauren Crane spontaneously quipped the “Get Your Read On” quote in Expressive Writing class and it became the inspiration for the t-shirt design that is sweeping Allegan High School. The shirts, generously paid for by the Student Leaders and the Orange Krate, are worn by all the teachers on Fridays and have created “literary solidarity” at AHS!

Puppet Show

3rd graders from Mrs. Lucas’ class at North Ward presented a puppet show for the kindergartners. The students retold the “Trickster Tale” version of the fable The Tortoise and the Hare. They even made their own puppets! Much thanks to Mrs. Harlan for making their puppet theater!

Behind the puppet theater are Sage Stull and Tara LeMaire.

Dawson “Outstanding Students”

3rd graders Hannah Joynes, Jade Paddock, and Brayden DeGarmo display some of the gifts they donated!

The Spirit of Giving

5th grade teachers selected Ashley Nichols and Sammy Rocha as this year’s “Outstanding Students of the Year” at Dawson Elementary. To receive this award, a student must distinguish themself by having high academic standards, eager involvement in school activities, and show daily examples of outstanding citizenship.

Students in Mrs. Norland’s 3rd grade class at Dawson Elementary voted to donate gifts to the kids at Bronson Hospital instead of doing a classroom gift exchange last Christmas. They found it to be a very rewarding experience, while learning the importance of giving instead of receiving. Students from Ms. Tibbitts’ and Mrs. Burnett’s classes donated gifts, as well.

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Romeo & Juliet Remix

The Drama Class from Allegan Alternative High School, under the direction of Mrs. Laura Feffer, presented their annual play on March 10. This is the 5th year the students have performed an ensemble play, written and performed by the students themselves.

Based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the play imagines a society where all literature containing questionable content has been banned! The students are searching for banned copies of Romeo and Juliet and run into trouble! This year’s cast included: Greg Barnett, Dylan Farmer, Becky Fletcher, Aeryk Granger, Josh King, Allaura Kridler, Jacob Morse, Shawn Stankey, Princess Thompson, Garret Tyrrell, and Jessica VanNess.

Tennis “Quickstart” While there was still snow on the ground outside, 52 Allegan elementary students participated in the first annual “Quickstart” tennis program, a 5-week instructional session ending on February 10. Players practiced on Tuesdays, then played matches against other elementary teams on Thursdays. Each participant received a certificate and a trophy!

A.T.A.C. Achievers The Allegan Tigershark Aquatic Club (ATAC) finished the 2010-2011 winter season with a bang on Feb 12. ATAC won the Runner-Up Overall Team Award with their best ever overall showing since the program began. This is the highest the Tigersharks have finished in the standings – 2nd out of 7 teams. Coach Rick Solis credits his team’s strong showing with their hard work during the season.

“Our team and coaches rose to a new level this season. Every child and parent should be proud of their effort. The hard work they put in resulted in a great year.” We had many personal best times and some new pool records set as well. ATAC is the Allegan age-group swim club that involves swimmers from ages 6-18 in competitive meets throughout the year. The summer These ATAC swimmers joined an elite group of swimmers who session will begin May 23rd and continue through the end of July. This is a qualified to swim at MISCA (a State-level middle school swim great way to introduce and develop swimmers for high school and beyond. meet) Left to right: Lucas Bunn, Madelyn Smith, McKennah For more information regarding our upcoming programs, please refer to our Heckman, Olivia Lake, and Gabbie Dame. web site www.allegantigersharks.org.

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Allegan Recreation & Aquatic Center 2011 Spring Programs

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Trevor Horwath - Recreation Dir. (ext 5506) Andrea Murphy - Aquatic Director (ext 5507) Janet Jenosky- Rec./Pool Assistant (ext. 5504) Pool Information: 673-7002 ext. 5541 email: ard@alleganps.org

The Educational Foundation of APS and the AHS All-Sports Boosters present:

Quality Preschools in Allegan: ♦ AAESA School Readiness (for 4-year-olds) (formerly MSRP, Michigan School Readiness)

Call (269) 673-2161 or (269) 686-5299 or register online at www.alleganaesa.org

The 8th Annual

♦ Head Start (Free for eligible 3-4 year olds)

Cash Party

-Centers in Allegan, Fennville, Plainwell, Hopkins, & Wayland

Call to see if you qualify: (269) 673-5472 or (269) 673-2161

at “the Silo” (behind the Grill House)

Tickets are $100 and $50

March 12, 2011

For information, contact the Allegan Public School Administration Office at (269) 673-5431

(doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

* Includes Dinner * Music & dancing * Prizes !!! (cash prizes & door prizes) $$$$

♦ Allegan Parent Co-Op Preschool

- Located inside Blessed Sacrament Church (no affiliation)

Questions? Call (269) 673-7449

Summer Buddies “10” Summer is right around the corner. If you are looking for a program for your child that is affordable and fun, but will help keep his/her academic skills sharp for the fall, then Summer Buddies is for you! For 8 weeks (June 21 - August 11) students will meet every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8 a.m. til noon at the South Ward Administration building. Teachers Susan Busfield and Sara Phillips are looking forward to new weekly thematic units to learn about this summer, and of course some of the old favorites, too... This program is for all ages (grades K-5). Tuition and fees are $40 per week (or $70 per week for two children from same family). Scholarships are available from the AEA. Call for more information: Sara Phillips (269) 521-6621 Susan Busfield (269) 673-8406

FROM: Allegan Public Schools 550 Fifth Street Allegan, MI 49010

ECRWS TO: Current Resident

Allegan, MI 49010

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID PERMIT #192

The Allegan Public School District complies with all federal laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, marital status, political belief, or physical or mental handicap or disability--in all of its programs and in employment. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Superintendent of Schools, 550 Fifth Street, Allegan, MI (phone 269-673-5431).