Volume 2 November/December 2011

J. Mark Parsons, Superintendent What an exciting time of the year! Deer season, Thanks-giving and Christmas are almost here. All of the Manton Family knows that you will create lifelong memories. A good thing at this time of the school year is the 3rd

through 9th grades have taken the MEAP so they are good to go until next year. The H.S. juniors will be tested in March on the ACT and MME. Our teachers and staff work very hard to help our students grow academically and socially so they have all the skills necessary to be pre-pared for “the tests” and life after high school. Very soon you will be seeing and hearing a lot about the new way scores are figured for the MEAP and MME. Under the new scor-ing system, students will have to correctly answer a much higher per-centage of questions. While we anticipate an initial decline in the num-ber of students reported as “proficient,” we are confident this change will be temporary due to ongoing school improvement efforts and stu-dent support. The bottom line is this will lower scores. Over the past 3 years the teachers and administration have and will continue to work for 80% of our students to be at or above 80% on the MEAP and MME. We will not be satisfied until we reach that goal. When we meet that goal we will work for even better scores. We always appreciate and need the students’ families to support and encourage every child to do their best. Together we will meet the challenges set by the Michigan Department of Education and State Board of Education. Winter will be here soon so please make sure to look at this is-sue about the processes and notifications of school closings and delays. We try very hard to make the “call” between 5:30 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. If you have any questions or suggestions please contact your principals’ office or Central Office at 824-6411, option #5.

ADMINISTRATION BOARD MEMBERS J. Mark Parsons, Superintendent - 824-6411 Harold L. Kibbe, President Leonard G. Morrow Jr., High School Principal - 824-6411 Candy Musselman, Vice President Susan Ingram, Middle School Principal - 824-6401 Rich Harmon, Secretary Catherine Smart, Elementary Principal/Curriculum- 824-6413 Teresa Skiver, Treasurer LeAnn Skiff, Business Manager - 824-6495 Paul Sawin, Trustee Beth Wallin, Counselor- 824-6411 James Morris, Trustee Linda Stahl, Transportation-824-3630 Jerry Sinkel, Trustee

The middle school teachers chose two students from their classroom to bowl and bond with. Everyone had a fun time. Thank you to Mr. Westveer for opening the bowling alley for this enrich-ing experience.

Christ’s Community Table A free weekly meal—located at The United Methodist Church of Manton (corner of Michigan and Main) Wednesdays 5:30—6:30 Everyone is welcome For questions call Pastor Beth Reum at 231-824-3593 or Mary Stark at 231-824-3294

Do you own a horse or have experience working with horses? Do you have an interest in taking what you already know and love and de-veloping it further while joining other classmates in competing with other area schools? We are seeking 9-12th graders interested in competing on an Equestrian Team for Manton High School. Please call Jennifer Wahr at 231-824-9295 for more information.

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It was a beautiful day on August 13for the 19th annual Outdoor Education Golf Tournament. Seventy six teams participated and most everyone finished before dark. We would like to thank the sponsors who generously donated to the tournament.

In addition to the sponsors listed above, we are grateful to the following businesses and individuals for prizes to the participating golf-ers during the tournament:

The following people graciously donated their time the day of the tournament: Ellen Bongard Patti Colvin Barb Waite Mandy Butcher Lisa Swanson Diane Swidwa Susan Ingram Dave Swanson Mark Robertson Jim Spjut Diane Siddall Cathy Smart Shelley Ritchie Karen Borton Jack Letts Mark Parsons Kevin Kent Bucky Colton Doug Petroski Deb McGrew Kristen Kent Gene Bongard Julie Harmon Wayne Berg Andy Kibbe Jeannie Christianson Julie Bostick Jessica Collins Sandy Sucharski Jim Smart Randi Martz Corey Martz Michelle Coffell Melicia LaFreniere A special thanks is extended to the staff at Emerald Vale Golf Course for organizing and implementing a magnificent golf tournament. Jim Baggett, Ed Westveer, Nicole Johnson, Dar Swanson and their crew of workers are a pleasure to work with. Also, a special thanks to those wonderful people of Spring Lake, Michigan. They alone brought 60 golfers to play at our tournament as well as being prize donators and hole sponsors. They are great people and we appreciate their continued support of the Manton Outdoor Education Pro-gram. Respectfully submitted, Bob Colvin * I regret that because of the names I must include in this report, I may have inadvertently left out someone’s name. Please accept my apology if you were one of these people. You are greatly appreciated.

ABS Consulting AFW Builders Ellen Bongard, Arbonne Karen Borton Bostick’s Drugs Cadillac Chiropractic Center Camp Hayo-Went-Ha Chartwells Citizens Bank Dimitri’s Classic Motors & Coll. Forest Area Credit Union Godfrey Motor Mall Fox Motors GVSU Educational Leadership/ Randy Remenap & Larry Spencer Green Mill Motel

Gary & Monica Gremel/The Out-back Hall Holdship Funeral Home Houghton Automotive In Detail, Dan Burt Krazy Kat Signs Lutke & Son’s Trucking Mack, Vincent DDS Manton Hardware Manton Mini Mart Manton Rotary Club Manton School Board Manton Tire/Larry Rogers Melstrom, Richard Dr. Mike’s Hairport Northern Valley Lanes

Powell Painters Quadrant N. W. Appraisal Raymer’s Dozer Service Red Hare Tack & Togs Equestrian Life-style & Apparel Boutique/Jessica Collins Chris Ritter, DDS Jeff Skendrovic The Shamrock Bar Jim & Cathy Smart Total Comfort Heating Cooling/Doug Bredahl UPS Store Manton Middle School Student Council Manton High School Student Council Manton PTO

Rob & Tracy Ruell Bloxom Roofing Tidey Built Construction Ross McDonald 3 oh 8/Jeremy Rose Best Price Tree Service/Pat Otto Highpoint Auto and Truck Siddall’s Truck Repair Olmstead Products Co./Craig LaFave

** Names in bold =Platinum Sponsors

Deer Run Golf Course The Crown Golf Course Champion Hills

Lakeside Charlies Timberwolf Golf Course Outdoor Education

Missaukee Golf Course A-GA-Ming Resort Whitecaps

Monroe Achers Bed & Breakfast The Rose Golf Course Stoney Links Golf Course

Little River Casino-Mike Waite Detroit Lions Crystal Mountain

Emerald Vale Golf Course Grandview Golf Course

Cadillac Country Club Elderado Golf Course

Cadillac Insurance The Crown

Citizens Bank Steve Poole

Bill Colvin/CSN Sports Detroit Red Wings

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A.M. Women’s Winners: Dee Carlson, Shelley Ritchie, Jessica Collins, Sandy Sucharski

P.M. Women’s Winners: Laura Hejnal, Tara Hejnal, Tammy Hurlburt, Kelly Perry

P.M. Mixed Winners: Steve Vipond, Pam Vipond, Josh Herder, Stepanie Herder

P.M. Men’s Winners: Greg Winkelman, Trevor Totten, Adam Maury, Kyle Maury

A.M. Men’s Winners: Rob Cudmore, Joey Kloostra, Steve Donald, Cole Abbott

Golfers Len Morrow, LeAnn Skiff, Dave Skiff, and John Morrow

Golfers Tom Waddell, Wayne Berg, Kip Damgard, Tommy Waddell

Thank you to Michelle Coffell, Andy Kibbe and Diane Swidwa for helping at the golf outing

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For Spirit Week, the middle school staff dressed up for Super Hero Week

Mrs. Hejnal’s 7th grade class dresses up for Spirit Week

The sophmore class students on their float Thank you to Mrs. Butcher and Mrs. Hissong for help-ing with the middle school float

The senior class students on their float The junior class students on their float

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The Manton 5th grade students attended an Outdoor Education Field Trip to Falmouth Dam. They were put into groups and visited each of the many learning "Stations" that were set up for them and other schools. Did you know that fish are considered to be "Piscivores," because they eat their own kind?

Fight Like a Girl They might be young, but they can make a differ-ence. The 7th and 8th grade volleyball team decided to dedi-cate one of their home games for Breast Cancer Awareness. The 8th grade team contacted Love Inc of Cadillac and they donated t-shirts for both teams. The Monday night game was a huge success. Both teams dressed in pink along with many family members, making the game a total pink out. A bake sale was organized and $175.00 was raised and given to Love Inc to be used for women in the Cadillac area battling breast cancer. The 7th and 8th grade teams would like to thank their coaches, parents and the school for supporting them and be-ing involved in this worthy cause.

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MANTON CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT

The following reports are intended to report the financial status in compliance with Michigan Administrative Code. They are also intended to provide general information to the taxpayers of our school district. The complete audit is available at the superintendent's office at 105 Fifth Street, Manton, Michigan during the hours 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you have any questions regarding the material that is presented in the report, please feel free to contact the superintendent's office at 824-6411. We will make every effort to explain or answer your questions. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

GENERAL INFORMATION Estimated 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012

Value of Sites $ 869,024 $ 869,024 $ 869,024 Value of Buildings $12,198,597 $12,471,809 $12,721,809 Value of Equipment $ 3,135,593 $ 3,142,943 $ 3,202,943 Number of Classrooms 70 70 70 Number of K-12 Students 1,023 988 960 Number of Adult Education Memberships - - - Total Number of Students 1,023 988 960 Number of K-12 Teachers 60 60 60 Ratio of Students To Certified Personnel - K-12 17 16 16 Teachers' Salary Minimum $ 34,214 $ 34,556 $ 34,902 Teachers' Salary Maximum $ 57,498 $ 58,047 $ 58,601 Total Expenditures for Salaries of Classroom Teachers $ 2,826,619 $ 2,707,209 $ 2,798,727

NARRATIVE TO FINANCIAL REPORT 1. An examination of this financial report will show:

- Revenues decreased by $177,017 - Expenditures decreased by $79,161 - Fund Balance increased by $270,368 for a fund balance of $1,121,641 or 13.5% of the total budget for 2010-2011 2. What is a Fund Balance? Fund balance represents the amount of expendable funds that the district has available in excess of current obligations. It is important to carry a fund balance in case of emergencies, such as a cut in funds or an unexpected expenditure.

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2011-2012 Schedule

November 15 No School

November 23

1/2 Day of School Students Dismissed at noon

November 24 & 25

No School Thanksgiving Break

December 22-January 2

No School Christmas Break

January 3

Classes Resume

January 16 No School

Martin Luther King Day

January 20 1/2 Day of School

Students Dismissed at noon End of 1st Semester

February 17

No School for Students Staff PD

February 20

No School Presidents Day

February 21

No School Parent Teacher Conferences

April 2-6

No School/Spring Break

May 4 No School for Students

Staff PD

Holiday Help Northern Michigan, as we all know, has long, cold winters. This can mean lots of shivering for those kids whose families struggle to have enough money coming in to pay for outdoor winter clothes. As well as winter clothes, children love receiving pre-sents for Christmas. With the economy the way it is, it can be a challenge sometimes for parents to get Christmas presents. Every year there are many classroom fundraisers and community groups who want to give to our local children in need. If your family is in need and won’t receive holiday assistance from other organizations, please complete a “Christmas Wish List” located in the elementary or middle school office, or call David Quilliam at 824-6413 by November 23, 2011. Donations are always wel-come and needed. If you are interested in donating, please con-tact David Quilliam or Dawn Shively at the number above by November 23, 2011.

The Missaukee County Road Commission requests your cooperation through the winter months while snowplowing is taking place. They ask that you be aware of the fact that the plows are on the roads many mornings at the same time that the buses are picking up students. We urge you to make sure that your children wait a safe distance from the plowed portion of the roadway until the bus actu-ally arrives at the stop. It is important to work together to keep the students safe. If you have any questions regarding the above state-ment or have any other snow removal problems please call Kelly Bekken at 231-839-4361.

Manton Middle School September Students of the

Month 7th Grade: Adriannah Letts 5th Grade: Abbie Kongeal 6th Grade: Silag Segar 8th Grade (not pictured): Kaley Thibaut

Manton Middle School Ralphie Award

Kymberli Konvicka

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INCLEMENT WEATHER-School Cancellation

While every effort is made to inform parents/guardians of a sudden unscheduled need to close schools, there is no way to assure that every parent will receive information in a timely manner to respond in their student’s best inter-est. A heavier than predicted snowfall in winter or severe rainstorm in spring or fall may result in an early dismissal from school. School personnel make every effort to avoid sending students home outside the normal schedule. School Closings Information will be broadcast on the following stations: FOX TV TV 29 TV 7 & 4 TV 9 & 10 WCCW WKLT WTCM WHKQ Northern Christian Radio N. Star Broadcasting Cadillac News Text Alert System-register at www.cadillacnews.com/alerts/ and follow the directions to register Family Emergency Plans Students and parents/guardians should develop family emergency plans for early dismissal or other unscheduled events. Head Start, Pre-School, K, K1 students may be riding on regular bus routes to regular bus stops and will ar-rive at different times than normal.

1. Does your child have a house key or know where to find one? 2. Does your child have a neighbor to go to in case no one is at home? 3. Does your child have emergency phone numbers available by the phone? 4. Have you discussed several possibilities so your child knows what to do? 5. Do a drill or at least a periodic verbal check to be sure your student know what steps to take. Keep the plan updated as personal circumstances change.

The kindergarten classes went to Geer's Pumpkin Patch in McBain in October. They enjoyed apple cider and homemade donuts. Each student got to go into the pumpkin patch and choose a pumpkin. There was also a variety of activities for the kids. Everyone had a great time.

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On October 18th the Manton Middle school participated in the National implementation of Mix It Up day. Mix It Up day is designed to get students to sit with new people during their lunch. Why? Because surveys have identified the cafeteria as the place where divisions between kids are the most clear. So, on the 18th we asked our students to move out of their “comfort zones” and to connect with someone new over lunch. It’s a simple act with profound implications. When students interact with those who are dif-ferent from them, biases and misperceptions fall away. How did we do this? By asking all of the Middle School students and staff to Mix It Up at lunch. In order to accomplish this we put music in the cafeterias, handed each student and adult a number with a small piece of candy and sent them to the lunch room to find a spot at a table with the corresponding number on it. Next we all sat down at our number and played “Two Truths and a Lie”, in order to get to know each other. Did it work? � Students and adults were running around looking for their numbers � Students and adults interacted with each other � Students were definitely “moved out of their comfort zones” � Students (and adults) sat at new tables � Students relaxed as they got to know their new tablemates � We saw some confusion. � Some people bumped into each other (we call that mixing it up) � There was music. There was laughter � People talked to each other that didn’t even know each other the day before � It was fun. Students and adults got to know each other better = Mission Accomplished

Band Concert Dec 8

7:00 p.m. 5th Street Gym

Elementary Students walking in the Halloween Parade

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1/16 MON MCBAIN 6:00 1/19 THUR @EVART 5:00 1/23 MON BUCKLEY 6:00 1/26 THUR @NMC 6:00 1/30 MON PINE RIVER 6:00 2/02 THUR MARION 6:00 2/06 MON @LAKE CITY 5:00 2/09 THUR @MCBAIN 6:00 2/14 TUES EVART 6:00 2/20 MON NMC 6:00 2/23 THUR @PINE RIVER 6:00 2/27 MON @MESICK 4:30

12/07 WED @PINE RIVER/FARWELL 6:00 12/10 SAT MANTON INVITE 9:30 12/14 WED MANISTEE/MANCELONA 6:00 12/17 SAT @HART—BOSSE INVITE 9:00 12/30 FRI @TC WEST INVITE 9:00 1/07 SAT @ ST. LOUIS INVITE 9:00 1/11 WED @PINE RIVER/FOREST AREA 6:00 1/14 SAT @CHARLEVOIX TD INVITE 10:00 1/18 WED MASON CO E/FRANKFORT 6:00 1/21 SAT @MANCELONA INVITE 10:00 1/25 WED @BENZIE CENTRAL/KINGSLEY 6:00 1/28 SAT @REED CITY INVITE 9:30 2/01 WED KALKASKA 6:00 2/04 SAT @MANISTEE Conf meet 10:00

2/14 TUES @TC EAST JR HIGH 4:00 2/16 THUR MANISTEE 6:00 2/22 WED KINGSLEY/BENZIE CNTRL 6:00 2/25 SAT @MANCELONA INVITE 9:00 2/28 TUES @BENZIE CENTRAL 5:00 3/01 THUR @TC WEST MS 4:00 3/03 SAT @CHARLEVOIX INVITE 9:00 3/06 TUES @PINE RIVER 6:00 3/08 THUR MANCELONA 6:00 3/10 SAT @KALKASKA 9:00 3/17 SAT MANTON INVITE 9:30

11/29 TUES BRETHREN 6:00 12/06 TUES MESICK 6:00 12/09 FRI @KALKASKA 6:00 12/13 TUES LAKE CITY 6:00 12/16 FRI @MCBAIN 6:00 12/20 TUES @FOREST AREA 6:00 12/22 THUR BUCKLEY 6:00 1/05 THUR @EVART 6:00 1/10 TUES BEAL CITY 6:00 1/13 FRI @MARION 6:00 1/17 TUES @GLEN LAKE 6:00 1/19 THUR NMC 6:00 1/24 TUES @PINE RIVER 6:00 1/27 FRI @LAKE CITY 6:00 2/02 THUR EVART 6:00 2/07 TUES MCBAIN 6:00 2/10 FRI @BEAL CITY 6:00 2/16 THUR @NMC 6:00 2/21 TUES MARION 6:00 2/24 FRI PINE RIVER 6:00 2/27,29 3/2 DISTRICTS TBA 3/6,8 REGIONALS TBA

12/06 TUES @BRETHREN 6:00 12/13 TUES @BUCKLEY 6:00 12/16 FRI L.L. ST. MARY 6:00 12/20 TUES MESICK 6:00 1/03 TUES @LAKE CITY 6:00 1/06 FRI MCBAIN 6:00 1/12 THUR EVART 6:00 1/17 TUES @BEAL CITY 6:00 1/20 FRI MARION 6:00 1/24 TUES BUCKLEY 6:00 1/26 THUR @NMC 6:00 1/31 TUES PINE RIVER 6:00 2/03 FRI LAKE CITY 6:00 2/07 TUES @TC CHRISTIAN 6:00 2/09 THUR @EVART 6:00 2/14 TUES @MCBAIN 6:00 2/17 FRI BEAL CITY 6:00 2/23 THUR NMC 6:00 2/28 TUES @MARION 6:00 3/01 THUR @PINE RIVER 6:00 3/5,7,9 DISTRICTS TBA 3/12,14 REGIONALS TBA

11/07 MON @NMC 6:00 11/14 MON @EVART 5:00 11/17 THUR MCBAIN 6:00 11/21 MON @LAKE CITY 5:00 11/28 MON MARION 6:00 12/01 THUR PINE RIVER 6:00 12/02 FRI MESICK 6:00 12/05 MON NMC 6:00 12/12 MON EVART 6:00 12/15 THUR @MCBAIN 6:00 12/19 MON LAKE CITY 6:00 12/21 WED @BUCKLEY 4:30

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Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. #11 ECRWSS Manton Consolidated Schools Manton, MI 49663

POSTAL PATRON

MANTON SCHOOL NEWS MANTON CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS 105 FIFTH STREET MANTON, MICHIGAN 49663

Manton School is proud to an-nounce the winners of new bikes, helmets, and locks during our Walk and Roll to School Day.

7th grade Anthony Cergnul, 8th grade Lizzy Riggs, 3rd grade Piper Door, 1st grade Skyler Yowell and Grace Wahr. Congratulations!