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March 15, 2024
GLPS Families,
Early in the school year, I sent out a survey to find out what topics are important to you. Throughout the year I have tried to cater my weekly messages to areas identified on the survey. One of those areas, community connections, was identified by 48.2% of respondents as something important, and it is not something I have written about much this year. However, throughout this past week, I was reminded multiple times about how much our community impacts our district, and how true the saying is that a strong community creates a strong school district, and that a strong school district creates a strong community.
At the board of education meeting on Monday night, we had two different presentations of donations of money to district programs by community groups. The first was a donation from the Knights of Columbus to our special education department. The Knights collected money in their Tootsie Roll drive, and then donated over $2,700 to special education programs. They will use the funds to help support our LINKS at the high school, which is a peer to peer program that connects students with peers on the autism spectrum. The money will help support their sensory friendly prom that is held for students whose special needs make attending the junior/senior prom difficult. The second was a recognition of Erin Fredericks and the incredible work that she does putting together a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Technology) showcase at Beagle Middle School. SET SEG, our insurance partner, awarded Beagle Middle School with an Education Excellence Award, and donated $2,500 to help with the project. Hundreds of student art pieces and technology projects are displayed at the event in April, showcasing the vast talents of our Beagle Students.
Additionally this week, we continued with the planning for our Grand Ledge Public Schools Health Center, our grant funded partnership with Sparrow Eaton and Eaton RESA. Michigan State University’s Office of K-12 outreach continues to support our work, and we will be communicating next week about parental consent forms that we will be sending home, which allow families to choose which services can be provided, or not provided, for their child at the center. This opportunity would not be possible without our community advisory committee (made up of GLPS parents and family members) our youth advisory committee (comprised of our GLHS students), and the support of these outstanding community partners.
Finally, a very visible representation of community support is our ongoing bond work, which is very prominent out at Wacousta Elementary School. I would encourage you to click here to take a look at the progress that is being made. We are still on track to open next fall, and it is clearly going to be a beautiful learning space for our staff and students.
There are countless more examples of the community partnerships that make GLPS an outstanding place to learn and grow, but they are too numerous to list in one communication. This support allows us to achieve the goals in our strategic plan, and build GLPS into the premiere district in our area. As I wrap up today, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your support. The Grand Ledge Public Schools community is strong because of our families, our kids, and our staff, and we appreciate the opportunity to work with your kids every day. I am proud to be the superintendent here, proud to be a part of this community, and most of all, #proudtobeacomet!
Have a wonderful weekend.
Dr. Bill Barnes
Superintendent of Schools
