Spanish Class Marches to the Parts of the Body

This week, I was invited by Mrs. Sandra Donakowski, our Spanish teacher to come in and listen to the students sing a song (to the tune of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic) about the parts of the body in Spanish. It was really great to see the students learning in action and to have them be excited enough about it that they wanted to share it with me. In fact, they have asked if they could march the hallways and sing it to the student body! I managed to film a little of their song, so click on the picture/box below to watch.

Calendar

• Enrichments and Tutorials went very well this past week. Next week will also be an enrichment and tutorial week.
• Spirit Week starts with Powder Puff Game on Sunday, September 30th at 7:00PM
• Monday is Pajama Day, Tuesday is Favorite College Day, Wednesday is Clash Day, Thursday is Cass Color Day (Sr.-Red, Jr.-White, Soph.-Black. Frosh.-Green, Staff-Yellow) and Friday is Blue and White Day
• Wednesday, October 3rd, we are very excited to welcome Dr. Underwood from MSU. He will be talking to our 7th and 8th graders about the importance of staying in school. Dr. Underwood has been at the school in the past and his lecture is always well received. &th grade will be called to the auditorium at noon and the 8th graders at one o'clock. Teachers, please accompany your students and seat them in the center section starting in the front row. It is requested that you sit with your class.
• Thursday, October 4th, lunch will be served outside. A guest chef will be grilling hamburgers, and we will have baked beans, corn on the cob, chips, and sherbet for dessert. Thank you Mrs. Bright and the whole cafeteria staff!
• The parade is this Friday. The times are approximate, but it will be at Squires at 12:45 PM, SAMES at 12:55, and at the RBJSHS at 1:20
• Bethel College will be here on Oct 5th at 9:00 AM
• Central Michigan University will have a representative in the building at 10:30 AM on Oct 8th
• Indiana Tech will have a representative in the building at 9:00 AM on Oct 11th
• October 12th is picture day! Wear your best.

Quote of the Week

If you tell the truth, you don't need a long memory. -Jesse Ventura

Fun Fair and Transportation

As you can see, the Fun Fair was enjoyed by everyone. Mrs. Bright, our Food Service Director, says we served nearly 600 hot dogs so the turn out was almost 200 more than last year. I also heard from parents that they really appreciated the fact that teachers were there volunteering their time and effort to make it a success. Thanks to all who helped and all who attended. It was great!

Guest Blogger: Charlene Swartz, Transportation Supervisor

The Transportation Department has had a really smooth beginning to the school year. Thanks to parents assuring their child is at their designated stops prior to our arrival. That is the number one assistance that helps us maintain our route schedules.

We would like to welcome a new driver to our district. Mrs. Darla Murphy will be a sub driver for the district this year. She is presently driving Route 6 until the regular route driver returns from medical leave. Welcome, Mrs. Murphy.

The students in grade K-6 received bus safety training during the week of September 10-13. The students were also given bus safety materials to bring home to share with their parents. Please talk to your child about the basic safety instructions.

The Transportation Student Handbooks have been given to all students in the district. Please take a minute to go over the information provided in the handbook. If you have not received a copy from your child, please feel free to contact our office so we can provide you a copy.

Parents are reminded that students must be dropped off ONLY at their established designated stop everyday. The Transportation Department’s policy is to maintain the safety of each child to ensure the students are dropped off at their designated stops. Our department does not honor day-to-day changes. Thank you for your understanding of our policy to ensure student safety.

Parents, you are welcome to contact our office throughout the school year if you have any suggestions, questions or concerns. You may contact us at 445-0507.

Calendar

• Tutorials and enrichments got pushed back a week, but will begin this Wednesday, Sept. 26th and Thursday the 27th. The test for placement will be this Friday, the 21st.
• The first process check for the PDCA model is September 21st. Brooke Hari, Kelly Hargrove and I will bring back what we have learned to the staff.
• The Vigilant and a photographer will be in the building on Monday, the 24th, to write an article and take pictures of the students in our ISD rooms. It should be taking place during lunch.
• September 26th is count day. It is very important that all our students be in school on that day as all our funding for the year is based on how many students are here in the school. Thank you for making every effort to be in the building.
• The University of Michigan representative will be here to talk to interested Junior and Seniors on the 26th and Adrian College will be here on the 27th.
• Bethel College will be here on Oct 5th at 9:00 AM
• Spirit Week starts with Powder Puff Game on Sunday, September 30th at 7:00PM
• Monday is Pajama Day, Tuesday is Favorite College Day, Wednesday is Clash Day, Thursday is Cass Color Day (Sr.-Red, Jr.-White, Soph.-Black. Frosh.-Green, Staff-Yellow) and Friday is Blue and White Day
• The parade times are approximate, but it will be at Squires at 12:45 PM, SAMES at 12:55, and at the RBJSHS at 1:20

That's all for this week!

Jumping Jacks for Math

The best part of my job is when I get to be in the classroom. On Tuesday I got to go into lots of classrooms and observe a ton of really cool lessons. One of those lessons was being done by Mrs. Hargrove's 7th grade math class.

For this lesson she took the students to the cafeteria. She had them working in teams. While one student did jumping jacks for 2 minutes, another student recorded how many were done every ten seconds. The students then took the information and graphed it, showing how the number of jumping jacks done every ten seconds got less and less as time passed.

One group of students had made the mistake of stopping after a minute and a half, and then restarted for the last 30 seconds after a break. I mentioned what happened to Mrs. Hargrove, and, master teacher that she is, she replied that it would be fine since the graph would spike at that time instead of steadily sloping down. She finished with, "the data always tells the story."

Her flexibility and skill is very typical of the outstanding staff we have here at Cassopolis High School. We have more students here this year than last, by unofficial count over 50 more. Some of that happened because a small class left and and large one entered, but students are also being drawn here by our new Agricultural Science program and 6 other opportunities, a very high number for a school our size, to get college credit without ever leaving the building. The outstanding reputation our teachers and our district continues to build. As it does, we will only see the number of students grow and I am truly humbeled to play my part in it. Before we get to the announcements, here are a few more pictures.

Calendar of Events

• We are holding the second annual Ranger Roll-Out Fun Fair on Sept. 14th, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM before the first Varsity Football game. There will be games, prizes, hot dogs, chips, and veggies, and it's all free! All the parents should be have received a flyer in the mail about it, but we could still use some volunteers to run the booths and games. If anyone is interested in doing so, please contact Michelle Anderson at 445-0541.


• The first Principal Advisory Committee, which will be on September 17th at 5:30 PM in the high school conference room. We still have some spaces, so if you are interested in being a part of it, please contact Mrs. Anderson at 445-0541 or email her at manders1@remc11.k12.mi.us.


• Monday the 17th of September is also Constitution Day. We will be celebrating our Constitution throughout the building!


• The week of the 17th is our first week for tutorials and enrichment, on Wednesday the 19 and Thursday the 20th.


• The first process check for the PDCA model is September 21st. Brooke Hari, Kelly Hargrove and I will bring back what we have learned to the staff.


• September 26th is count day. It is very important that all our students be in school on that day as all our funding for the year is based on how many students are here in the school. Thank you for making every effort to be in the building.


• The University of Michigan representative will be here to talk to interested Junior and Seniors on the 26th and Adrian College will be here on the 27th.

Quote of the Week: "Individual commitment to a group effort-that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, and a civilization work." -Vince Lombardi

The First Day of School

Rather than talk about our great day, let me show you.

First, some pictures of before classes started.
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Here is lunch and the gym time after the students ate.

The last picture is of some students as they attended an opening day assembly. They were welcomed back and heard about some changes. It was a busy day, but a lot of fun.

Calender

• Band Boosters are meeting on September 10th at the high school. If you would like more information, you can email Karah Hiscott, the band director, at knjhiscott@yahoo.com
• There is an Instructional Council meeting at 3:45PM in Red Brick on Sept. 10th
• We are holding the second annual Ranger Roll-Out Fun Fair on Sept. 14th, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM before the first Varsity Football game. There will be games, prizes, hot dogs, chips, and veggies, and it's all free! All the parents should be receiving a flyer in the mail about it, but we could use some volunteers to run the booths and games. If anyone is interested in doing so, please contact Michelle Anderson at 445-0541.
• The first Principal Advisory Committee, which will be on September 17th at 5:30 PM in the high school conference room. We still have some spaces, so if you are interested in being a part of it, please contact Mrs. Anderson at 445-0541 or email her at manders1@remc11.k12.mi.us.
• The new students coming from the ISD will be picked up and dropped off every day in the back of the high school near the Agricultural Garage and using the double doors to enter and leave. Thank you for keeping those doors clear so our students can get in and out easily.
• On Thursday, September 13 at the teacher staff meeting Tracy Johnson from Woodlands is coming to speak about current drug trends in youth.
• Monday the 17th of September is also Constitution Day. We will be celebrating our Constitution throughout the building!
• The first process check for the PDCA model is September 21st. Brooke, Kelly and I will bring back what we have learned to the staff.

Quote of the Week

A torn jacket is soon mended, but hard words bruise the heart of a child. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow