St. Charles Community Schools

Today, Mrs. Pumford's 5th-grade class became "CSI Detectives" or, should we say, Critter Scene Investigators Detectives! They were able to dissect the bones and fur found in barn owl pellets and piece together the story in the "food web" of what happened during the Owls' feeding habits. Some were a little bit unsure about the clues found in the owl diet and how it got there!

5th graders walked from school to the St. Charles museum to learn about the community's rich history and gain a deeper understanding of St. Charles' earlier days. As the school year nears its end, Mr. Rousseau wanted students to learn about history in the real world and understand that it is unfolding all around us each and every day. Students learned about the tools loggers used hundreds of years ago to transport logs downriver and saw helmets used by coal miners. Students also explored the World War I and World War II exhibits and learned about Amelia Earheart.

You might have seen the projects the woodshop students made in a previous post from last week. Our students traveled to the MITES State Competition on Friday, May 10th. MITES is a non-profit organization in Michigan that supports industrial arts and technology, career and technical education, graphic arts, and STEM classrooms. At the MITES State Competition, our students excelled with 11 impressive projects, over half of them placed in the top ten of their respective categories. Congrats to all of our students who placed in this competition. #BulldogProud

Congratulations to our Elementary Students of the Month for April. All students were nominated for using the character trait of courage. Y5/Kindergarten - Elijah Szyperski 1st Grade - Hayden Patsey 2nd Grade - Zoey Moore 3rd Grade - Layce O'Dell 4th Grade - Owen Rogers 5th Grade - Payton Larner 6th Grade - Braylah DeShone

Students in grades 9-12 had the opportunity to attend a Great Lakes Loons game on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, for Student Day. It was a great day as the Loons pulled out a 2-0 win over the Lansing Lugnuts.

We took our "small" things to see the wild "things" at the Saginaw Children's Zoo. The first graders had a blast walking around with their parents and friends while seeing various animals, like penguins, monkeys, and kangaroos.

Are you interested in joining the Middle/High School Parent Group? Visit the meeting Thursday, May 9th at 6pm.

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend the Drama Club's performance of Alice in Wonderland on May 18th and 19th!

It was a beautiful day to blow bubbles! It's the small things that bring so much joy to our children. Enjoy the pictures and this video: https://youtube.com/shorts/JuSx-mAL-bM?feature=share

On Friday, May 3, our high school seniors had the chance to celebrate and declare their plans in front of their teachers and peers. The Decision Day event allowed the Class of 2024 to visit various tables where they could write letters to themselves, which will be mailed to them in the future. They also had the opportunity to win raffle prizes for their dorms or rooms while they attend college or head off into the workforce, watch a video made to honor each senior, pick up their cap and gown for graduation, and enjoy a catered lunch. St. Charles Middle/High School appreciates the donations from local businesses and the St. Charles Community Foundation. We could not have pulled this event off without their support. Good luck, Class of 2024! #STCProud Click on this link to view the fun: https://youtu.be/78q7O71QWNo

MITES is a non-profit organization in Michigan that supports industrial arts and technology, career and technical education, graphic arts, and STEM classrooms. Its mission is to empower students, teachers, and stakeholders to advocate for industrial and technological education and workforce initiatives. MITES also organizes an annual competition for CAD, construction trades, welding, project presentations, and student project interviews. Click on the link below to view so many great projects our talented students have produced. https://youtu.be/wpI8djJBfz0

Last week, the weather was sunny, and the kindergarten students enjoyed the sunshine during lunch and recess time.

Our high school Peer-to-Peer Group attended the county-wide End-of-Year Peer-to-Peer Celebration. They had a great time and made friends with other Chesaning, Birch Run, and Tuscola County students.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year, we teamed up with Momma J's Embroidery and Apparel to create STC mental health shirts. The shirts are $20, and a small amount of the proceeds will go towards planning mental health awareness events next year. If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt, you can do so online. You can opt to have your shirt shipped directly to you or pick it up in Saginaw. If you order by Friday, May 10th, you can receive your shirt by Friday, May 17th. If you have questions, you can reach out to Amanda Lorencz at lorencza@stccs.org Thank you for your support! https://shopmommajs.com/collections/st-charles-mental-health-tees-2024 -- Amanda Lorencz, LMSW Social Worker St. Charles Community Schools lorencza@stccs.org

On Wednesday, May 1st, our high school students spent the morning at the Operation Engineering 324 site meeting with representatives from unions and apprentice programs. They also had the opportunity to use backhoes, rollers, cranes, and other heavy equipment. Please check out this short video of the students' experience. https://youtu.be/MPopzHosmg0

On Tuesday, April 30th, the senior class of 2024 visited Kalahari Waterpark in Ohio for the day. Memories were made, and it was a great trip. Some of the seniors even mastered surfing! The senior trip was just one of the events that they could check off the list of things to do before they graduate on June 2nd.

Join our team! We have multiple open positions. Click the link below to view them. Two new positions were posted today: Preschool teacher and GSRP Lead Teacher. LINK TO ALL POSTINGS: https://www.stccs.org/page/employment-opportunities

Would you like to make a difference in someone's life? A blood drive is scheduled on Wednesday, May 1st in the high school performance gym from 8:00 am to 6:30 pm. The blood drive is open to community members who are 16 years or older, and they can visit at any time. Please remember to bring your identification. You can contact Trina Kohagen for more information at kohagenc@stccs.org

If you have attended the St. Charles school district in the past two decades, you might remember the science lesson that involved roller coaster design. It may surprise you that the roller coaster design unit is still an almost yearly event in lesson plans, and the students (and parents) love it. In this lesson, students are tasked with creating their own roller coasters. However, before being given the design rights, the students are taught about the science behind roller coasters, including various forms of energy. Please look at some creative designs and decide which roller coaster you want to try as a rider.

Would you like to make a difference in someone's life? A blood drive is scheduled on Wednesday, May 1st, in the high school performance gym from 8:00 am to 6:30 pm. The blood drive is open to community members who are 16 years or older, and they can visit at any time. Please remember to bring your identification. You can contact Trina Kohagen for more information at kohagenc@stccs.org