District News

Curious Kids Opens New Sites

Curious Kids child care will open four new sites this fall. In addition to the Moorsbridge and Woodland sites, Amberly, Angling Road, Lake Center, and 12th Street will offer before and after school care. Transportation to the Milham site will continue to be provided for Haverhill and Central Elementary students. All of the sites will be open on Sept. 7. For more information, visit the Curious Kids website.

New Assistant Principal Appointed at Central Middle School
Chuck Haskin, a Portage Schools faculty member for the past 18 years, has been appointed assistant principal at Central Middle School, replacing the retiring Bonnie Neal. Haskin has been the Technology Integration Specialist for the District, helping teachers add value to their instruction through technology. He has also served as a teacher at all levels in the District since 1992 and as a boys and girls basketball coach.

He began is career with the District as a long-term substitute teacher at North Middle School in 1992, followed by a stint as a special education aide at Northern High School. Haskin then served on the faculty at North Middle School for 11 years, teaching science and language arts. Next, he taught at the Enrichment Center, the District’s gifted and talented program for elementary students, before assuming his most recent job as a technology integration specialist in 2008.

He holds a BA in Elementary Education from University of Michigan and an MA in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University. Posted July 14, 2010

Athletic Director Named at Central High School
Jim Murray, a faculty member of Portage Schools for 20 years and Portage Central Hockey Coach for 15 years, has been appointed to replace retiring P-C Athletic Director Dr. Larry Edlund.

Murray
has been teaching accounting and was department head of Business Education at Central High, in addition to serving as head coach of Central’s hockey team. He has also taught physical education at Central and previously taught marketing at Northern High School. Murray earned his bachelor degree from Michigan Technological University and holds two graduate degrees: a Master of Arts from Western Michigan University and a Master of Education from Nazareth College.

“We will miss Larry,” said Central’s principal Eric Alburtus. “He has been an incredible leader, a thoughtful and hard-working athletic director, and an even better friend. Having said that, Jim has been successful at everything he has ever done for the Portage Public Schools, and with his commitment to supporting kids, he will be very successful. We are thrilled to have him serving our community in this new role.”

According to Murray, “I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to lead Portage Central athletics. We have a very proud tradition here and it is an honor to be selected for this position. Larry Edlund has been an excellent role model for all of the Mustang coaches, and I will be stepping into an office that has been in outstanding hands for these past 13 years. Of course, he has had excellent help from AD Office Secretary Gina Beatty. Both Larry and Gina will certainly be missed.”

Murray established the DECA Chapter at Northern and served as its advisor for 11 years, leading the team to national conference every year since 1994. He also was an assistant hockey coach at Western Michigan University from 1979-1985. Posted July 26, 2010

School Funding Audio slide show
http://www.wash.k12.mi.us/movies/misfc3/
Watch this 15-minute presentation on how schools are funded in Michigan.

North Middle Science Teacher Earns National Board Certification
North Middle School science teacher Mary Roobol has just earned her National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. She earned her certificate in Early Adolescence Science. Roobol will be recognized for this extraordinary achievement at the May 24 Board of Education meeting.

Roobol, who serves as Science Department chair and Environmental Club co-sponsor at North Middle, is now one of only four faculty members in the District with NBCT certification. She earned her BA and MA from Western Michigan University, and has been on the NMS faculty since 1993 teaching math, language arts, and science.

Other PPS faculty holding this distinction include John Dunlop (Physical Education), Donna Emerson (Art), and Janet LaVasseur (Language Arts). Learn more about the NBCT at www.nbpts.org. Posted May 21, 2010.

Survey Results Reinforce Importance of Competing in Global Economy
A total of 96.7% of Portage School residents say it is important for the District to be competitive in a global economy and society. Read entire survey results here.

A total of 2,000 randomly selected residents were surveyed by mail during February and March with a 38% response rate. The results were released tonight at the Board of Education. The 44-question survey was conducted by the Kercher Center for Social Research at Western Michigan University.

The survey will assist the Board of Education and the administration in strategic planning and improving services. Survey questions were divided by the following categories: academics, community engagement, current issues, District services, demographics, and general opinion. The first 11 pages consist of an introduction analyzing the results, Appendix A is a listing of the questions with responses by percent, and Appendix B with responses to open-ended questions. Survey highlights include:

▪ 96.3% say it is important to provide classes and programs to prepare students for employment following high school.
▪ 90% are satisfied with the level of customer service throughout the District.
▪ 86.7 are satisfied with the reputation of the District.
▪ 78.6% say that student achievement in the District should be as good as the top school districts in either the state or the nation.

Respondent comments included praise for teachers, staff, and academic programs, while they shared concerns about state funding of education with 58.1% dissatisfied with the way Michigan funds K-12 education. A  total of 58.3% of survey respondents have had children attend Portage Schools, while 32.6% currently have students in the District, and 21.7% plan to enroll their children in the future. Almost one-fifth of respondents (17.7%) are Portage School alumni. Posted May 24, 2010.

PEF Launches "PEF Now" Appeal to Assist Portage Schools
The PEF launched an appeal this week in response to community feedback on how to help reduce the impact on Portage Schools from the continuing state school-funding crisis. A special PEF: Now (Protecting Education’s Future Now) has been established by the PEF to raise $1.3 million that will be given to the District to help cover essential school needs.

The effort was among three such appeals nationwide featured in the May 10 USA Today, and was praised in the Kalamazoo Gazette's editorial of May 12.

According to Sarah Bricknell, “PEF: Now” chair, and Dorilee Schieble, PEF president, the District is being squeezed. “While the District’s revenue sources are diminishing, state-mandated expenses will increase almost $1 million next year. Without substantial changes to the funding structure, instructional services will suffer and, ultimately, our students will pay the price. We cannot wait any longer for the legislature to restructure school funding; we need to take action now.”

“PEF: Now” provides an avenue for all stakeholders of the District – parents, alumni, business owners, and homeowners – to help preserve the quality and reputation of our school district and community. A new website has been created to help with the appeal that features online giving. Read more at www.portageeducationfoundation.org (see the “PEF Now” link). The site includes a Q&A about this appeal and a printable form for donations to be mailed.  Posted April 23, 2010.

 

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District Continues Efforts Against Substance Abuse
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