Testing Reminder! Please be on time to school. Doors open and breakfast served at 7:25am. School begins at 7:40am.
Townsend weekly announcements:
Monday- PTO meeting at 6 pm
School board meeting at HS at 6pm
Tuesday- PTO at 3:45.
Popcorn Friday! $.50/ bag
Congratulations to the April students of the month for middle school and high school! These students were nominated by their teachers as they portray positive behavior in the classroom, have a C or higher in every class, and have no focus room visits. Not Pictured: Thomas
Dear Vandercook Lake Staff and Families,
On May 2, 2023, a question regarding a Special Education Millage Renewal will be on the ballot. If approved, this would generate approximately $8,800,000 for students with special education needs in the Jackson County ISD service area, which includes our school district. No new taxes are being proposed. This renewal would cost homeowners with a market value of $100,000 or a taxable value of $50,000, $77.04 per year or $6.42 per month.
Under federal law, public schools must meet the needs of students with disabilities. In Michigan, special education is not fully funded, resulting in school districts having to draw money from their general fund budgets to pay for special education services. This millage is designed to help local districts like ours by generating tax revenue for the purpose of reimbursement. During the 2022-23 school year, this millage brought $376,207 to Vandercook Lake Public Schools.
Of the approximately $8.8 million the 1.5408-mills will generate, 100% will be reimbursed to local districts by the Jackson County ISD, which acts as a “pass-through” for those dollars. If the millage fails, districts would still have to cover those mandated special education costs, resulting in fewer dollars to support programs for ALL students.
For more information, to review frequently asked questions or view the ballot language, please visit the Jackson County ISD website at www.jcisd.org.
Thank you.
Don't miss out on our next School Board meeting on April 10th! We invite our Jayhawk community to join us!
THANK YOU PTO for the HALF of the proceeds from the Mrs Johnson's popcorn sale! We got some AMAZING new toys!!
After Mrs. Johnson's popcorn sale and the classroom vote, we were able to get SO MANY new games! Not pictured are puzzles, Guess Who game, Trouble game, and Uno! Thank you PTO for this amazing gift! We LOVE our new toys!!
Due to weather and field conditions all games and practices for Vandercook Lake Middle and High School are canceled. Stay safe Jayhawks!
Prom is almost here!
MS/HS Testing Schedule
A great event for families to get connected with resources and services!
Kindergarten Round Up is this Thursday, April 6 from 5:30-6:30!! Tell your friends! We want to have a record K class this year!
Walking taco day!
Check out the course at Vandercook High!
Don't forget tonight's Early College Information Meeting in the HS Library at 6PM!
Hope to see everyone at our first 'Listen and Learn' with Superintendent Lowder at 6pm in the high school cafeteria on Tuesday, April 4th. Light refreshments will be provided.
Unfortunately, due to the predicted inclement weather on Wednesday, April 5, we are canceling the Easter Egg Hunt at Townsend. We are very sorry for any inconvenience.
Correction: Tuesday's event with the Superintendent will have small treats- no spaghetti.
Townsend Weekly Announcements:
https://youtu.be/X8-eWqYYEr8
Hello Vandercook Lake!
We are embarking on a Listen and Learn 2023 community engagement process.
The premise of the Listen and Learn: WE ARE VANDY! process is straightforward: No one knows better the strengths and celebrations, the challenges and areas for improvement, dreams, and hopes for the future, than those individuals who live, work, and bring their children to attend the Vandercook Lake Public Schools every day. The desired outcome of Listen & Learn 2023 is to better understand our Vandercook Lake community, and to align our school district improvement work with the direction, the needs, and the aspirations of our students, parents, staff, and community.
Between now and the end of this 22-23 school year, I, along with the Board of Education (BOE), will be visiting and engaging with students, parents, staff and community members in both of our school buildings as well as speaking with our virtual program families in various other meetings with district and community groups across the Vandercook Lake Community. In addition, all stakeholders will have an opportunity to engage via social media and with the Thought Exchange online conversational tool.
In these meetings, we will facilitate a conversation around four critical questions:
What do we celebrate in our schools and across the Vandercook Lake Public Schools?
Where do you see our opportunities for improvement?
As we consider our future, what do we want and dream for our students and our schools in the Vandercook Lake community?
What else do we need to know and understand?
I hope that you will join us in sharing your thoughts about our Vandercook Lake Public Schools in our first face-to-face meeting in the Vandercook Lake Andrews Campus Cafeteria on TUESDAY, APRIL 4th at 6:00PM.. We will have community group meetings, online via the Thought Exchange online conversation tool, and through various social media events via Twitter and Facebook Live. Your voice is important, and we need to hear from you.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this VLPS community dialogue. We need to better understand, as a community, the specific steps we can take to extend and enhance the quality for which Vandercook Lake was, and in some instances, still is, well known.
We can do better and this conversation will illuminate the ways we can grow together. We have important work to accomplish together – our children are counting on us.
Sincerely,
Tre Lowder
Superintendent, Vandercook Lake Public Schools