Athletic Updates:
The HS Baseball and HS Softball game for tonight has been rescheduled for Wednesday. The Middle School track meet has been canceled. A possible reschedule date to come.
HS Softball will practice in the MS Gym from 3-4:45pm. HS Baseball will practice in the MS Gym from 5-7pm.
No practices for MS or HS Track.
Congratulations to BOTH of our eSports teams and coach Spaulding for making it to the state playoffs for the Michigan High School Esports League (MHSEL)! We'll be competing next week on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Wish our teams good luck! Go Jayhawks!
Special Education Millage Renewal on May Ballot
Local school districts are mandated by law to provide special education programs and services. However, the federal and state governments have not adequately funded special education in the past, placing the burden on local and intermediate school districts. Without additional millage funds, local school districts are forced to use general education funds to pay for special education programs and services.
On the May 2 ballot, voters will be asked to renew the Jackson County Intermediate School District Special Education Millage. A taxpayer who owns a home with a market value of $100,000 (taxable value of $50,000) would pay $77.04 per year or $6.42 per month in renewed millage.
For more information or to review the Q&A, visit www.jcisd.org
FREE youth baseball clinic on Sunday, April 16th, 2023, in Ypsilanti, Michigan (near Canton Sports Center in Canton, Michigan).
Hey there baseball fans! Are you ready for an exciting opportunity to improve your child's skills FOR FREE? Then don't miss out on the Motor City Hit Dogs Baseball Academy powered by Play at the Cage! This exclusive clinic is taking place on Sunday, April 16th, 2023, at 1950 Holmes Road, Ypsilanti, MI 48198. These two FREE clinics are open to players who are NOT currently a part of the Motor City Hit Dogs baseball program. We had over 60 players participate in our last free clinic!
Check out this video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0vPCnseFtY&ab_channel=TomDishman to learn more about Play at the Cage, where the clinics are being held! In the video, current Detroit Tiger Eric Haase takes you on a tour of Play at the Cage. Eric trains here at Play at the Cage regularly in the offseason!
The clinic is open to 8U, 9U, and 10U players from 9:00 to 10:30 A.M., and to 11U, 12U, 13U, and 14U players from 11:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. The younger group needs to bring tennis shoes since metal cleats are not allowed on the turf, while the older group will be using our Hit Trax machines. We request that all players show up in full uniform if possible and bring all their baseball equipment.
Don't let your child miss out on this exclusive opportunity to improve their baseball skills FOR FREE! Remember, Coach Tom Dishman is available to answer any questions you may have. You can reach him at 734-646-3820 or through email at MotorCityHitDogsWestside@gmail.com.
Hurry and register your child now through this link: https://www.leaguelineup.com/formpreview.asp?url=mchdevents&formID=184864&fb=1. But act fast because spots are filling up quickly and this unbeatable offer won't last forever! Once again, it is FREE! There is no cost! You can also see pictures and videos from our last two free clinics by looking us up on Facebook (Play at the Cage), Twitter (@playatthecage), or Instagram (@playthecage). There are already over 55 players registered for the April 16th clinics! Do not miss out!
Feel free to spread the word to others about these free clinics!
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.
Due to weather and field conditions all games and practices for Vandercook Lake Middle and High School are canceled. Stay safe Jayhawks!
Check out the course at Vandercook High!
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.
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
No School March 24-April 2. We'll see everyone back on April 3rd. Enjoy your Spring Break!
Varsity cheer members read to Townsend 2nd graders today for March Reading Month!
8th-11th graders are choosing their courses for next year. So many to choose from!
Parents/Guardians- Don't miss out on your chance to hear Max Stossel talk about the effects social media has on your student! If you have a 6th-12th grader, this session is for you! Two opportunities, 3/13 at Parkside or 3/14 at Vandy HS. See flier below for details.
Due to the present road conditions and the forecast to continue to snow through 2 pm today VLPS will be closed today, 3/10/23. No school on Monday, 3/13/23. We'll see everyone back on the 14th!
Dear Vandercook Lake Staff and Families,
On May 2, 2023, Jackson County Intermediate School District will have a question on the ballot regarding the Special Education Millage Renewal. In the Jackson County ISD service area, which includes our school district, voters will decide whether to renew the 1.5408-mill property tax millage that voters last approved in 2017. No new taxes are being proposed. This proposal sustains the current millage and funding through 2028.
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. If approved, this renewal would generate approximately $8,800,000 for the 2023-24 school year, allowing the Jackson County ISD to reimburse public school districts and local public school academies for their unreimbursed, but mandated special education costs.
During the 2022-23 school year, this millage brought $376,207 to Vandercook Lake Public Schools. Without this reimbursement, our district would be tasked with generating that funding individually, which would have an impact on current programs and resources that are available through our general fund, impacting ALL students.
Every registered voter who lives in our school district, whether a property owner, or not, is eligible to vote.
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.
Blood Drive coming Monday, March 6th to Vandercook Lake! Schedule your appointment today! https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=VandercookLakeHS
Parents are invited to attend one of these sessions by Max Stossel regarding social media and your student. If you have a 6th-12th grader, you won't want to miss this workshop!
Hope to see you all at MS/HS Parent Teacher Conferences on March 9th, 3:30-6:00PM.
Our next evening Food Pantry and Jayhawk Exchange event for Vandercook Lake Student families is coming up. Please RSVP by 3/20 if you would like to take advantage of this evening opportunity.
As always the Food Pantry and Exchange can be visited on Wednesday's after school by appointment.
Blood Drive coming Monday, March 6th to Vandercook Lake! Schedule your appointment today!
https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=VandercookLakeHS
