Mather Elementary picture day is tomorrow!!! Keep an eye out for an email from Lakeshore Photography for more information on ordering.
New Staff Spotlight #2 - Welcome Ms. Baij!
New Staff Spotlight #1 - Welcome Ms. Mattson!
Munising Public Schools Transportation Notice
Until further notice, Bus 5 (Frog bus) will be replaced by back up Bus 9B. The "Frog" sign will be moved to Bus 9B so that students and staff are not confused.
Welcome Back Students & Welcome to Rachel Harmon!
Students and Staff at Mather Elementary and the Munising Middle-High School are full of energy and excitement this morning on the first day of the 2022-2023 school year. There are lots of smiling faces :-) This morning, as I began my 27th year as an educator, I discovered that I feel as optimistic and grateful as I have ever felt. Munising is an excellent community full of kind, caring, and supportive people and the Mustang Nation is as strong as it has ever been.
Speaking of kind, caring, and supportive people, we are very pleased to have Mrs. Rachel Harmon join the team. A committee of staff members unanimously selected Rachel Harmon to serve as a full-time school social worker (SSW) in our district. The decision was easy, because of her extensive and applicable experience, passion for child therapy, connections in the community, and an overall belief that she was the best fit for the district. Rachel is very excited and was busy greeting children at Mather Elementary this morning. Rachel holds a Bachelor's Degree from NMU in Psychology and Sociology and a Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work from MSU. Rachel possesses well over two decades of experience as a head start teacher, head start coordinator, and as a social worker for the State of Michigan, as well as several other social service agencies in the Upper Peninsula. This position is greatly needed and aligns with our district improvement goal to provide for more social-emotional support to our students and staff. Rachel will serve 4 days per week at Mather Elementary and 1 day per week at the Middle-High School. Rachel is a long time Munising resident along with her husband Kirt and their son Sean who is a 6th grader at the Middle-High School.
Munising Public Schools COVID-19 Update - Optimistic Outlook - Planning for a normal start to the school year!
On August 11th, the CDC published some updated operational guidance for schools and childcare centers which is available at the following link:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-childcare-guidance.html#anchor_1648820793946.
On August 16th, the Luce, Mackinac, Alger Schoolcraft (LMAS) Health Department sent all school officials in this region the same information with a brief summary of the changes which are as follows:
Summary of Recent Changes as of August 11, 2022
Removed the recommendation to cohort
Changed recommendation to conduct screening testing to focus on high-risk activities during high COVID-19 Community Level or in response to an outbreak
Removed the recommendation to quarantine, except in high-risk congregate settings
Removed information about Test to Stay
Added detailed information on when to wear a mask, managing cases and exposures, and responding to outbreaks
Unless there are significant changes in procedures and protocols mandated by CDC/LMAS regarding COVID19, Munising Public Schools will be strongly recommending that COVID19 positive students and staff isolate at home for 5 days and upon returning to school/work it is strongly recommended that these individuals mask for an additional 5 days.
District custodial staff will continue to disinfect and wipe down touch points (door handles, press-bars, drinking fountains, etc.) at midday and after school. The custodians will also stock disinfectant spray, paper towels, and hand sanitizer in all classrooms and teachers will be strongly encouraged to continue disinfecting and wiping down desks and surfaces daily. These practices should cut down on all seasonal illnesses, including colds and flus. In terms of PPE, we currently are well stocked with over 2500 student and staff masks within the district. Additionally, we have 1640 COVID19 rapid tests in stock. We will test students and staff and/or provide masks if requested. Currently, per the CDC COVID Data Tracker, Alger County is listed as Medium and has a case rate under 165/100,000. We will diligently monitor related data and rely upon LMAS/CDC to inform our decisions should potential health and safety protocols need to change. Again, we do not have a high level of concern at this time and look forward to a normal start for our students and staff. Our Safe Return to Learning Plan can be accessed on the district website at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hjHujpwc8YCgz4PVuocI3el1d6xd6w9G/view
Feel free to contact me regarding questions or ideas at mike.travis@mps-up.com.
The Mustangs kick off the 2022-2023 school year on Tuesday, September 6th!
District Staff participated in professional development activities on Wednesday and Thursday this week and expressed excitement about the return of students next week. Munising is an amazing place to live, learn, work, and play and the staff believes that the work we do is very meaningful. In working with our students to provide meaningful learning experiences and opportunities, we will ensure that our actions and efforts always align with the 3 R's. We recognize the 3 R's as Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships. We will set and maintain rigorous expectations for academic, attendance, and behavioral excellence and help students meet those expectations through tiered systems of support. We will ensure that curriculum, instructional materials, and learning activities are rigorous and relevant so as to challenge and engage learners of all ages in developmentally appropriate and meaningfully ways. Relevant learning is often hands-on, project based, and student-centered so as to stoke the fires of curiosity toward vocational pathways and promote the desire for life-long learning. Lastly, and most importantly, our district staff will be striving to continue developing strong personal relationships will ALL students. The Relationship ring is by far the most important as creating a circle of safety that is reliant on trust and mutual respect is the keystone which supports the other two rings and ensures that students and staff can reach their full potential. In order to enhance our relationships with students, we will strive to get to know them better as individuals and provide the social-emotional supports they need to be healthy, feel a sense of belonging, and develop a growth mindset. In closing, the future of our students, our community, and our country are largely dependent upon how well the Munising Public Schools, and educators in all school systems understand and tend to the critical elements within each ring as well as their interconnectedness. Please join us in promoting, supporting, and improving Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships in The Stang Nation!
- M. Travis, Superintendent
Mustang Womens’ Tennis Team continues to improve. Coach Frankie Mattson reports that individual players and the team are improving every week and most importantly are having fun. The girls had competitive showings in Gladstone yesterday and Kingsford today. Check the Munising District website for upcoming matches!
The Munising XC Team had another strong showing today against a packed field of 13 teams and 60+ runners in both the girls and boys races at Marquette High School. Senior Monique Brisson & sophomore Trevor Nolan lead the ranks for the Mustangs and are star runners in the region as they bring home hardware after every race. Nolan came in 5th place running under 18 minutes for the first time this season and Brisson had another strong race earning the 9th place medal. Go Stangs!
Please note that all Munising Public Schools’ offices will be closed on Friday, September 2nd and Monday September 5th in observance of the holiday weekend. Enjoy a long weekend of family fun!
We want to help our 6th grade students succeed in their new school. We have created a committee of Middle School students willing to help them on the first day of school! We plan to meet all 6th graders in the cafeteria at 7:50 am to help them tackle their morning routine! We can't wait to get started!
Want to join Middle or High School Robotics? Here is your chance! We are also looking for a MS advisor! Contact Nicole Lasak today if interested in helping out this great program!
Parents and Students don't forget about our Open House for all grades at Mather today, Sept. 1st, from 1pm-3pm! We can hardly wait to see you.
Bus Routes for the upcoming school year!
Students are working for our new play ground.
**Come join us Friday, August 26th from 2pm-6pm @ 311 Elm for a student led initiative to raise funds for the Mather Playground update**
Meet the Team is tomorrow!
We are starting a Middle/High School Drumline!
Updates to Mustang Stadium
New Roof on the Garage/Restroom Building
New Paint All Around
Thank you to Superior Roofing for the generous donation of a new roof on this building. I went up to Mustang Stadium about 12:30 today to catch the roofing crew in action and the job was already done....WOW! Also a big thank you to Tom Bray for all of his summer painting efforts, Ed Juranek for cleaning things, Rick Mulye for keeping everything running, and Mike Saberniak of UP Scapes for taking care of the grass and field lines. The Stadium looks great and we are eager to host our first home game at 7:00pm on Friday, September 2nd versus Newberry. We are proud of our Mustang Community :-)
Do you have middle/high school student who needs a schedule change? Mr. Mattson is available next week to help get this accomplished before school starts!
Munising Public Schools
EGLE Water Quality Safety Initiative
Notice of Efforts to Ensure Safe Drinking Water!
