contact-fall 2014 - Woodhaven

WOODHAVEN-BROWNSTOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT
ONTACT
C
Learning and Leading for Tomorrow
Homecoming week at Woodhaven High
School was filled with fun and festivities, all
leading up to the homecoming game on Friday
and the dance on Saturday, October 3 and 4.
Each day had its own theme — Pajama Day,
Mix & Match, Disney Day, Class Colors, and
Purple & White Day.
Congratulations to the following students
for being elected to this year’s Homecoming
Court: Freshman representative - Skylar Seely;
Sophomore representatives - Biyanna France,
Isabella Harris, and Devin Krstovski; Junior
representatives - Lisa Luong and Emily Dearth;
Senior Court - Haley Scott, Nicole Losek,
Miranda Ratusznik, Kiah Childers, Hannah
Jasinski, Grant Zvoch, Phillip Warda, Steffon
Agius, Jake Przybylo, and LaFranz Hemphill.
Congratulations to both Jake Przybylo, who
was crowned Homecoming King during the
pep assembly on Friday, and Nicole Losek,
NHS Induction Ceremony
who was crowned Homecoming Queen during halftime of the
football game against Trenton High School.
Evening festivities kicked off with the homecoming parade
starting at the UAW Hall on Van Horn and traveling through the
Flowers Creek subdivision before heading back to Woodhaven High
School. The junior class won the float competition for their float,
“Class of 2016 Enchanted Kingdom.”
Cont. on page 3
Members of the 2014 Homecoming Senior Court - Phillip Warda, Nicole Losek (Queen),
Steffon Agius, Haley Scott, Jake Przybylo (King), Miranda Ratusznik, Grant Zvoch, Kiah
Childers, LaFrance Hemphill, and Hannah Jasinski.
On Wednesday, October 8, 2014, 92
Woodhaven High School students were
inducted into the National Honor
Society. What’s exciting is 54 of those
students are 10th graders! This is the
first time 10th graders were inducted in
the fall. Years ago, 10th graders were
inducted in the spring as prospective
11th graders.
The ceremony was attended by over 200 proud parents
at Arnaldo’s Banquet Center in Riverview.
Superintendent, Mr. Mark Greathead, administered the
NHS Pledge to the new members.
Also present at the induction ceremony were Mr. Matt
Czajkowski, WHS Principal, Mr. Jay Vesperman and
Mr. Philip Short, WHS Assistant Principals, and Mr.
Steve Ellis, NHS Sponsor.
The induction standard of a 3.75 GPA was set to
recognize the additional .5 GPA given for taking
Advanced Placement courses as well as the inclusion of
all elective class grades.
Fall 2014
The active membership for the chapter is now 129
students, representing 11% of the population at
Woodhaven High School.
The NHS is involved in many activities during the
school year, such as helping with student registration in
August; after-school tutoring every Wednesday; helping
with blood drives and clothing drives; visiting and
engaging in games and activities with senior citizens at the
Applewood Senior Citizens Center; Toys for Tots
campaign; helping with DECA A dopt a Family initiative,
and with the annual book sale at Southland Mall for
Women in Education. They are also looking into getting
even more involved and are discussing several ideas for
active member participation, such as helping out at local
soup kitchens during the holidays. NHS also sponsors
small scholarship awards for members of the Executive
Board.
The NHS executive officers are Anja Plaumann,
President; Steffon Agius, Vice President; Lauren Cislo,
Treasurer, Nikko Romero, Secretary; Hannah Jasinski,
Historian; and Riste Rabadziovski, Parliamentarian.
W-B School District
WBEF Awards Teacher Grants
After meeting to review over 40 grant applications,
members of the Woodhaven Brownstown Education
Foundation Committee were able to surprise winning staff
members with checks ranging from $1500 for school-wide
grants, $1000 for collaborative grants, and $500 for
individual grants. A total of $22,150 in grant awards were
distributed to teachers on Monday, September 22.
Listed are the grant recipients and their projects:
Lori Amerman - Yake Elementary
First Lego League
Michelle Anderson - BMS
Strategies for Spec. Ed. Students
Penni Blohm - Erving Elementary
Focus Forward
Linda Burnett - Yake Elementary
iPads in the Classroom
Jeremy Giles - BMS
iPads for Science
Susan Korzetz - Gudith Elementary
Michigan Playground Map
Angela Kosztowny - Wegienka Elementary Developing Number Sense
Michele Lewis - Yake Elementary
Classic Literature
Robyn Loewe - Wegienka Elementary
School/Parent Connections
Susan Macinkowicz - WHS
The Life Cycle
Stacie Okonski - MGAHS
Support for Teen Parents
Rodney Scharboneau - WHS
WHS Girls’ Basketball Charity
Jenna Setsuda - PHMS
iPads: A Tool for Workshops,
Projects, and Assessments
Tina Sreniawski - PHMS
Musings
Erica Surma - Gudith Elementary
ECP Music Class—AM Session
Randy Strawsine - WHS
Robotics—Electronics/Build
Shannon McNamara - BMS
Assessment with Whiteboards
Christy Schultz, Sherri Burke,
Traders in Time
Mary Nicholls - Wegienka Elementary
Todd Hunter, Heather Adams,
Technology Support for DifferNicole Ozimek - Gudith Elementary
entiated Math and Language
Tara Miller, Kathy Pianelli,
Storyworks Magazine
Melissa Yack - Erving Elementary
Beth Byrd, Paula Goscinski, Vic Bliss
Author to Author 3rd Grade
Kathy Gray - Bates Elementary
Writing Project
Colleen McEachran, Kim Williamson Sensory and Kinesthetic Support
Bates Elementary
2
WBSD
Wegienka third grade teachers, Mary Nicholls, Sherri Burke, and
Christy Schultz, received a $1000 WBEF grant for their project,
“Traders in Time.” For more WBEF grant recipient photos, visit our
website at wbsd.co
Summer Sizzler 2014
Paws was very popular among the students
and adults and was in on all the action and
activities.
The district held its second Summer
Sizzler on Tuesday, August 5. Thanks
to the planning and direction of
Curriculum Director, Mrs. Andrea
Stevenson, and her executive assistant,
Ms. Jeanie Richards, and the overthe-top efforts of our outstanding
administrative and teaching staff, the
Summer Sizzler was another huge
success! Over 1,000 WoodhavenBrownstown students and parents
attended this popular event.
Activities included Ann Arbor
Hands-on Museum exhibits, nature
exhibits from Crosswinds Marsh and
Metroparks Mobile Learning Center,
Book BINGO, district give-aways,
popcorn, slushies, karaoke, and lots of
FUN!!! Students also enjoyed
interacting with PAWS who provided
extra
fun
and
many
photo
opportunities.
Information booths were set up by
Advia
Credit
Union,
Sodexo,
Champions, TOTE, and Kiwanis Club
of Woodhaven. All of the elementary
PTOs had information tables and Mrs.
Mazei and Mr. Salah from Patrick
Henry Middle School had a table for
students to make and design bead
bracelets. First Student had a bus on
site and Woodhaven Police and Fire
Departments came with a police car
and fire truck. Students enjoyed
playing in the bouncy houses, slide,
and rock wall.
A big thank you to everyone who
helped make this fun event happen,
especially GCA staff who handled set
up and clean up.
Summer Learning Camps
Stacy Peterson, Curriculum Director
Mrs. Tara Miller is pictured with 4th graders in Camp Write Away.
Under the direction of program co-creators, Mrs. Andrea
Stevenson and Mr. Roger Gurganus, and with the help of
several WBSD staff members, Summer Learning Camps
were held in the district July 21-August 7.
These camps were for students entering 1st grade through
5th grade. This three week program was established to help
students gain a better understanding in the areas of math,
reading, writing, and science. With hands-on activities,
students were able to fill gaps and find greater joy in their
learning. Below are descriptions of each of the camps that
were offered:
Summer Steps (1st Grade) - This class was designed to help
children make a successful transition from kindergarten to
first grade. Teachers focused on hands-on individual and
small group activities to enhance students’ skill levels in
literacy and numeracy, as well as following classroom
procedures.
Camp Read and Write S’mores (2nd and 3rd Grade) Students engaged in reading, writing, speaking, and
listening around mentor texts so they could write like an
author on a topic. They had the opportunity to choose a
topic around the subject Summer/Camping and to write and
publish a story in the genre of their choice. Activities and
projects revolved around the themes of reading and writing
at summer camp.
Camp Exploration (2nd and 3rd Grade) - Students
engaged in real-life problem solving strategies through
participation in an interactive math and science learning
environment. Activities and games were used to strengthen
problem solving, numeracy, and computation skills.
Camp Write Away (4th and 5th Grade) - Students spent
time exploring fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, and
partner stories. They created a writer’s journal, learned
about authors’ styles, and researched nonfiction topics.
Students created comics, made a class story, and had a
poetry celebration. This camp encouraged cooperation,
creative thinking, and lots of fun!
Brain S.T.E.M. Camp (4th and 5th Grade) - Students
engaged in real-life problem solving strategies through
participation in an interactive Science, Technology,
Engineer ing, and Math lear ning envir onment.
Activities and games were used to strengthen problem
solving, numeracy, and computational skills.
The Woodhaven-Brownstown School
District is pleased to announce the
adoption of two new math series for the
2014-2015
school
year,
Math
Expressions and Big Ideas (Houghton
Mifflin publisher).
Math Expressions is a K-5 series that
is a companion to the middle school
resource, Big Ideas, that was adopted by our 6-8
grades. Both of these new series are aligned to the
Common Core and will help in the vertical alignment of
our math curriculum across grade levels.
Your child should be bringing home a workbook that
contains practice problems to reinforce the concepts and
activities that they learned throughout the day and unit.
If you need additional support at home or would like
more information about the series, you can access the
parent resource page online. The parent resource page
will explain the unit your child is working on and also
has an online math glossary for your reference. In
addition, problems and games for practice at home are
also included. Please feel free to contact your child’s
school for additional information.
The websites are:
Math Expressions
http://www.eduplace.com/parents/mthexp/
Big Ideas
https://www.bigideasmath.com/parents/
We look forward to this new series as we continue to
strengthen the math program in our district.
Cont. from page 1
The Warriors played before a packed house and won
the game against the Trojans, maintaining their perfect
record and clinching a berth in postseason play. The
final score was 28-13.
Nicole is pictured with her father, Mr. David Losek, after being
crowned WHS 2014 Homecoming Queen.
Page 3
3
WoodhavenBrownstown
School District
24821 Hall Road
Woodhaven, MI 48183
734.783.3300
woodhaven.k12.mi.us
BOARD OF EDUCATION
CARA PIMER, PRESIDENT
MIKKI BERTIN, VICE PRESIDENT
BRUCE BURKE, SECRETARY
ROB HARRIS, TREASURER
CATHY FERRARO, TRUSTEE
JENNIFER PADGETT, TRUSTEE
JAMES ROBBINS, TRUSTEE
ADMINISTRATION
MARK GREATHEAD, SUPERINTENDENT
THOMAS WALL, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT
STACY PETERSON, CURRICULUM DIRECTOR
JEFFREY ADAMS, HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR
SHERRY WEISER, TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR
SCHOOLS
BATES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
22811 GUDITH ROAD
WOODHAVEN, MI 48183
CHERIE GODFREY, PRINCIPAL
734-692-2217
ERVING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
24175 HALL ROAD
WOODHAVEN, MI 48183
CATERINA BERRY, PRINCIPAL
734-692-2212
GUDITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
22700 SIBLEY ROAD
BROWNSTOWN, MI 48193
THOMAS MARTIN, PRINCIPAL
734-783-5386
WEGIENKA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
23925 ARSENAL ROAD
BROWNSTOWN, MI 48134
MICHELLE BRIEGEL, PRINCIPAL
734-783-3367
YAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
16400 CARTER ROAD
WOODHAVEN, MI 48183
TIMOTHY PODLEWSKI, PRINCIPAL
734-692-2230
BROWNSTOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL
20135 INKSTER ROAD
BROWNSTOWN, MI 48174
ANDREW CLARK, PRINCIPAL
734-783-3400
PATRICK HENRY MIDDLE SCHOOL
24825 HALL ROAD
WOODHAVEN, MI 48183
MOLLY MAZEI, PRINCIPAL
734-362-6100
WOODHAVEN HIGH SCHOOL
24787 VAN HORN ROAD
BROWNSTOWN, MI 48134
MATTHEW CZAJKOWSKI, PRINCIPAL
734-783-3333
Mrs. Peterson Promoted to Curriculum Director
C
entral office administration welcomed Mrs. Stacy
Peterson into the curriculum office in August. Mr.
Greathead announced the promotion of Mrs. Peterson from
her position as assistant principal at Brownstown Middle
School to the district’s new curriculum director. Mrs.
Peterson hit the ground running upon the retirement of her
predecessor, Mrs. Andrea Stevenson, who retired at the end
of August. Mrs. Stevenson said she “felt fortunate to be able
to pass the baton to such a quality leader.”
Mrs. Peterson began her career in the district at
Woodhaven High School in 2007 where she spent four
Mrs. Stacy Peterson
years as assistant principal. She moved to Brownstown
Curriculum Director
Middle School as assistant principal and spent the next
three years there before moving to Central Office Administration.
Concerning her new position, Mrs. Peterson said, “I am very excited about this
new endeavor in the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District. I feel very fortunate
to work in a community that supports education with a staff dedicated to educating
our students.”
Mrs. Peterson graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in
microbiology and attended Wayne State University to obtain a Masters of
Education in Educational Leadership.
Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Peterson in her new position.
Mr. Gurganus Appointed BMS Assistant Principal
Once Mrs. Peterson left Brownstown Middle School to
become the district’s new curriculum director, BMS was in
need of a new assistant principal. It didn’t take long for Mr.
Greathead to appoint Mr. Roger Gurganus to that position.
Mr. Gurganus has been in the field of education for 10
years, teaching at both the elementary and middle school
levels. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education
from Wayne State University and graduated from Michigan
State University with a Master of Arts in Education with
emphasis on School Leadership and Reading Development.
In the fall of 2013, Mr. Gurganus was selected by the
Mr. Roger Gurganus
district for RESA’s Aspiring Administrator Academy. He
Assistant Principal
graduated from the program as one of the top new and
upcoming leaders of southeastern Michigan.
Mr. Gurganus put his leadership skills to work by co-creating the Summer
Learning Camps held in the district (see related story on page 3). Mr. Gurganus
served as principal of both campuses in the summer of 2014.
We welcome Mr. Gurganus to the WBSD administrative staff and wish him
well in his new role as assistant principal at Brownstown Middle School.
In compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Americans with Disability Act of 1990,
and the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1977, it is the policy of the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District that no
person shall on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, gender, age, disability, height, weight, or
marital status be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination during any
program, activity, service or in employment. For information contact the Office of the Superintendent, 24821 Hall Road,
Woodhaven, MI 48183, 734-789-2357.