Superintendent’s Corner

By Mr. Michael Carmean
Superintendent, Sandusky Community Schools

Good things are happening at our schools. As the 2015-2016 school year is well under way, I’m very pleased to announce that Sandusky Community Schools has added 32 new students to the Redskin family since last October. This is the first year in a few years that our student enrollment has increased.
This fall, our schools partnered with other schools and community organizations to participate in the #stopthebull campaign. The campaign is a movement with a purpose to educate and change the course of cyber bullying in our community. The message is “Cyber Bullying, it’s real, think before you send”. On September 30th, Sandusky students and staff have participated by wearing yellow shirts to create awareness. Thanks to Sanilac County Community Mental Health and other community organizations for helping our students realize the effects of bullying and supporting them in making correct decisions.
With the support of many community organizations, we will be hosting two assemblies (one at each building) on November 9th. The illusionist/comedian is Tom Coverly. The title of his show is “Destroy Illusions – Mind Blowing Illusions. Live-Changing Message”. A free parent/student presentation is also planned for that evening at Countryside Free Methodist Church. More details to follow.
Over ninety high school students are members of the “Here to Make Change” student group. This group is dedicated to support positive things, including a pledge to “do the right thing”. The focus of the group is anti-bullying and volunteerism. Speaking of volunteerism, I am amazed at our students for all the fund raisers they have during the school year for various community projects and those who are in need. Our students are dedicated to making our community a better place to live and learn.
Marching Band and fall sports seasons are in full swing. It’s been a wonderful fall (except for a few rainy days). Our tennis team continues to do well against much larger schools. The cross country team continues the tradition of excellent teams that we’ve come to expect. Volleyball continues to improve and is having a good season. The cheerleaders display their school spirit and urge the crowd to join them. The football team has already clinched a playoff spot and are undefeated on the season. I’ve run out of fantastic words to describe the performances of our band. More importantly than all the wins is the positive sportsmanship our athletes/performers continue to display. Congratulations to all the fall student-athletes and band members. Thanks to the coaches/leaders and all the parents who work tirelessly to support our students.
This week, our elementary students went to the Sandusky Fire Hall to learn about Fire Safety. Thanks to Mr. Todd Hillman and the Sandusky Fire Department for the presentation and tour.

This fall, our school district is in the process of changing to a new student management system. The Skyward program replaced Zangle. Parents of all elementary and jr/sr high school students are reminded to call my office to sign up for a new login. There is no cost. Parents will have access to student schedules, cafeteria accounts and grades (we are in the process of turning this option on as I write this).

Parents and students are reminded to sign up for Sandusky Community Schools Emergency Notification text by signing up as follows: Text to 81010. In the message text: Sandusk (no ‘y’). You should receive a text from me when there is an emergency (school cancellations).

Many people have asked about the progress on the bond projects. This past summer, we updated the WIFI in both buildings, purchased 11 new Chromebook labs with charging carts for junior/senior high school students (352 computers), two computer labs for the elementary students (64 new computers), various other elementary technology, and a new internet telephone system. Using bond funds, we also purchased two new propane buses. We now have a total of six propane buses in our fleet. Our fuel costs are lower and the buses are much more environmentally friendly. Updated security cameras should be installed over the winter break.

The architect and construction manager for the bond projects are in the process of working on the plans for many other bond projects, including the high school parking lot area and the roofs on both buildings. These should be approved at the November Board of Education meeting with a beginning construction date in the spring after school is out. Thanks to our community for supporting our bond.

My door is always open. If you have a comment, concern, or praise, please don’t be afraid to contact me. I take pride in educating our students in a safe environment using updated technology, and treating everyone like family. Good Things are happening at Sandusky Community Schools!