March 2025 Newsletter

Last month, President Trump issued several executive orders that were related to education in the United States. It is important to understand that an executive order does not change existing laws or create new laws. They do provide direction to federal agencies on how the President intends to work with existing laws. The executive orders have caused a great deal of confusion and consternation among educators. We are working to gain an understanding of how these directives might impact our region.  

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights subsequently issued a “Dear Colleague” letter (https://www.ed.gov/media/document/dear-colleague-letter-sffa-v-harvard-109506.pdf) that provided insight into how the department will interpret federal laws, specifically those pertaining to discrimination on the basis of race. The letter broadly concluded that “treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent.” It also stated that “all students are entitled to a school environment free from discrimination.”  The letter states that federal funding will be withheld from schools that do not comply. However, Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) prohibits discrimination against students based on religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, familial status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

I staunchly agree that our schools should be devoid of discrimination and that ALL students should feel welcomed and included in their school. I believe there is a place for diversity, equity and inclusion in our public schools. Diversity is reflected in recruiting and hiring qualified teaching staff that are representative of the student body, both in gender and in race. Equity is the very premise of our special education programs. We provide our students with the support they need to develop to their full potential. Inclusion means providing equal access to programs or opportunities, such as programs that support students whose primary language is not English. These tenants of diversity, equity and inclusion are not new buzzwords or programs. They are instead the basis of how we educate students in public schools. Our job is to meet our students where they are and provide the support they need.  

We will continue to work with our state and federal partners to review policies and procedures as they relate to any changes in law. In the meantime, thank you for your work on behalf of our students and community. 

EUPISD Upcoming Events  

Apply today for the 2025-26 Early Learning Program year!

An Early Learning Opportunities Guide for the tri-county area is available in PDF form.

Joint recruitment and enrollment efforts are used to service families who reside in Chippewa, Luce, and Mackinac counties and help connect them to the perfect preschool program for their family's needs.

• Great Start Readiness Program
• Head Start
• Strong Beginnings
• Tuition Based Preschool Programming

Apply today at Michigan Early Childhood. 

March is reading month – teach students map reading skills with the Michigan Geographic Alliance’s giant Michigan map! This map is available for schools to borrow from March 3-March 21 and comes with lessons that focus on 3rd-4th grade geography standards. Several dates are already reserved – contact Helen Craig, social studies consultant, for availability – hcraig-isd@eupschools.org. 

March 14 is History Day – we are looking forward to seeing students at LSSU for a celebration of their hard work. Kim Dutcher and Helen Craig will share more information on the event with individual districts that are participating. 

March is Women’s History Month! Check out curated resources from Oakland Schools Social Studies consultants to celebrate the achievements of women in Michigan.

The Michigan Council for Social Studies conference in Grand Rapids, MI will be held on April 25-26, 2025. This conference is a fantastic opportunity to learn from fellow educators and professionals. A first time attendee scholarship is now open. This year’s featured speakers include Susan Ford Bales and Jordan Klepper.

Summer 2025 Learning Opportunities:

• TOLI Conference - "Holocaust Education: From Classroom Inquiry to Informed Action"
• From June 17-19, 2025, the three MiSTEM Regions in the Upper Peninsula will be hosting a Project-Based Learning Design Cohort for 60 teachers! This is the continuation of a pilot started downstate in 2023, and in the EUP in the summer of 2024. This opportunity is open to K-12 teachers in all subject areas. The workshop will be held on Northern Michigan University's campus in Marquette, and is open to all grade level teachers and all subjects. Register in Wisdomwhere for this Project-Based Learning event!

The Native American Institute in collaboration with the Office of University Outreach and Engagement and the MSU Science Festival invites 20 Native students (9th-12th Grade) to the campus of Michigan State University to participate in STEAM related programing Friday, April 4th through Sunday, April 6th, 2025.

This event is designed to expose Native youth in the 9th-12th grades to hands on sessions focused on science and technology. The event includes the opportunity to attend MSU Science Festival.

NSTEAM is FREE!

Lodging and meals are provided. You must provide transportation to campus. 

For mor information or questions, contact Dr. Kevin Leonard at leonard1@msu.edu

There are a number of events happening in March including Pi Day at LSSU, Fine Arts Day, Drone Soccer demonstration events, EUP History Day and FIRST Robotics at LSSU.  We are fortunate to have these opportunities in our communities.  Thank you to all who support them! 

Student Opportunities

• Virtual Summer Program - Girls Who Code
  • Flyer
  • Need more info? ; or email at summer@girlswhocode.com
     
• Construction Career Day for Juniors and Seniors at the Little Bear in St. Ignace - May 7, 2025
  • Flyer
  • Note: Schools will need to register groups of students. This will be communicated through EUP Principal meetings
     
• EUP Trig Star - April 30, 2025 at the EUPISD
  • EUP Trig Star Flyer and Registration

The ultimate varsity sport where teams of high school students and their industry mentors design and build large scale robots to battle in fierce 3 vs. 3 competitions.

Learn more about the FIRST Robotics' High School program.

Mathematics Competition - Register your teams of five!

Lake Superior State University Invites middle school and high school teams to join us at the Cisler Center for a celebration of Pi Day for 2025!
Teachers can register teams of five students

Event Information

• Team check-in and registration at Lake Superior State University Cisler Center from 9:15-9:30 am and will close at 1:30 pm
• High School event will be held in the Anchor Room
• Middle School event will be held in the Superior Room

Activities Include

• Team lightning round challenges
• Team challenge problems
• Individual "Digits of Pi" competitions
• Lunch at the Quarterdeck
• Prizes!

Registration

Registrations are due by Friday, February 28, 2025. Space is limited, and registrations will be taken on a first come, first served basis. Email inquiries can be sent to eupstem@eupschools.org.

The STEM Teaching Tools are resources that have been developed through a project called ACESSE through the Council of State Science Supervisors. EUP teacher Billie Ennes was part of the team from Michigan, along with MiSTEM Executive Director Megan Schrauben who contributed to the development of the newest STEM Teaching Tool aimed at helping STEM education leaders move with community towards culturally affirming and sustaining practices! Thank you to Billie for representing Michigan and the EUP!

Les Cheneaux welcomes you to celebrate the legacy of Aldo Leopold — one of America’s most influential naturalists — during our festival, May 28th – June 1st, 2025. Activities include paddling excursions, orchid and wildflower tours, birding trips, presentations, and many other nature-based activities. Experience the woods and water that formed Leopold’s early impressions of the natural world as we honor the mark he made on conservation and the environment.

Aldo Leopold Festival Webpage

Did you know that Michigan is the nation’s second largest producer of apples? There are more than 17.6 million apple trees covering 38,000 acres on 850 family run farms in Michigan. Growers pride themselves on a rich heritage of producing an array of Michigan apple varieties.

Here are some Lessons and resources!

The Michigan Green Schools Program supports and celebrates the achievements of PreK-12 schools in protecting the state's air, land, water, and ecosystems through their commitments to environmental education and stewardship actions. Applications are open until 3/9/2025.

• Michigan Green Schools Webpage
• Michigan Green Schools September Newsletter

This collaborative opportunity is for secondary educators and instructional leaders in ALL AREAS to learn about and apply the Essential Instructional Practices for Disciplinary Literacy in the Secondary Classroom: Grades 6-12.

Participants/districts can mix and match from the following formats:

• Quarterly face-to-face sessions at the ISD (9/30, 11/13, 2/11, 4/8)
• Monthly virtual check-ins (4th Tuesday, 3:45-4:45 starting in October)
• In-district/routine support (PLC, DPPD, coaching, etc.).

All participants are encouraged to attend the September 30 kick-off in person, if possible. Two supported learning sessions will also be offered at our regional Fall Conference.

Check out this flyer, contact Lindsay Brindley for details, and register in Wisdomwhere today!

GiC and AMPED workshops will be hosted at Rockford Public Schools this summer, June 9-12. See Flyers below!

• Geometry in Construction Flyer

Would you like to participate in the Inland Seas Great Lakes Watershed Field Course this summer in Suttons Bay? The UP MiSTEM Regions are partnering with Inland Seas, and our goal is to have 10 of our teachers for this cohort come from the Upper Peninsula. There is a spot in the application for you to indicate if you received the application through one of the UP MiSTEM Regions.

More information can be found on the GLWFC webpage and apply online to participated. To all teachers who are accepted, this opportunity is fully paid for including lodging, food and SCECHs. I would recommend applying as soon as possible as there is limited space.

On June 17, 18, & 19, 2025, the three MiSTEM Regions in the Upper Peninsula will be hosting a Project-Based Learning Design Cohort for 60 teachers! This is the continuation of a pilot started downstate in 2023, and in the EUP in the summer of 2024. T

he workshop will be held on Northern Michigan University's campus in Marquette and is open to all grade level teachers and all subjects. We encourage teams of educators to sign up together for continued peer support and interaction. We've intentionally designed a 9:00am to 2:30pm (Eastern time) agenda each day to provide networking and evening activities to enhance the cohort and have funding to support lodging in a Marquette hotel for those who will travel from the EUP. 

Seats are limited per region (Eastern, Central, & Western MiSTEM regions), and I encourage you to register through WisdomWhere if you are interested. We'll maintain a waitlist in the event demand is high. Additional details can be found on the attached flier, and I am happy to answer any questions.

This new resource, MiSTEM: Collaboratives, promotes and expands access to STEM opportunities throughout Michigan by

• Expanding access to, and highlighting the importance of, high-quality Computer Science experiences
• Elevating Math as the language of STEM, and as a tool for STEM exploration
• Ensuring that students have Science and Engineering Literacy as a 21st century skill.

MiSTEM convenes a statewide network of leaders in education, business, and local communities to empower the next generation of innovators.

The Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District (CLMCD) is excited to announce the 2025 Conservation Grants Program is now accepting applications for its 2025 cycle. Grants are available to the public for conservation related projects to be implemented in Chippewa, Luce, or Mackinac County. CLMCD is anticipating awarding up to $15,000 to 6 - 10 projects across Chippewa Luce and Mackinac Counties. Grants will range between $1,000 - $2,000 each. CLMCD seeks proposals for a variety of projects that have a direct impact to the improvement of our natural resources through hands on educational programs or projects that directly impact the environment.

Data Managers from all regional schools are asked to participate in these meetings to create and communicate regional processes related to student enrollment, NWEA, technology, and reporting.     

Register in Wisdomwhere for these meetings: 3/13/2025, 5/1/2025.     

See the Data Management Team in Teams (O365) for updates and meeting links.  

Testing plans will help ensure all students demonstrate their learning and growth. A plan to complete testing one week before the end of the testing window can help account for student absences. Testing must be completed within the testing window dates to show in growth reports.

Winter: January 1 – February 7, 2025
Spring: April 29 – May 23, 2025