SCHOOL NEWS
The EUPISD Board of Education has approved asking voters to support a millage renewal and increase on the August 2, 2022, ballot. Voters are being asked to approve a renewal of .2273 mill and an increase of .7500 mill. The funds will be utilized to provide State and Federally mandated special education services to children with disabilities. Funds will support equipment, facility upgrades and transportation for special education students ages 0-26 in local districts (Chippewa, Luce, and Mackinac Counties).
The Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District (EUPISD) provides services to local districts at no cost for 14 categories of eligibility including: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cognitive Impairment, Deaf-Blindness, Early Childhood Developmental Delay, Emotionally Impaired, Speech & Language Impairment. For example, the EUPISD provides braille and sign language instruction to local districts for students with hearing and visual impairments. The EUPISD also provides occupational, physical and speech therapies, as well as school psychology and social work services.
Special education students - newborns, young children, school-age youngsters, and young adults - are all local school district residents. Some youths are served in their local school districts; others are served at the EUPISD Special Education Learning Center. For more information, please contact Angie McArthur, EUPISD Superintendent or Rachel Fuerer, Director of Special Education at 906-632-3373.
Congratulations to all our 2022 graduates in the region! We are so proud of the accomplishments you have made and look forward to seeing what comes next for you! Thank you to the staff and families who have contributed to your success!
We also want to congratulate three of our employees who retire this month. Jaci Mortinsen has worked for the EUPISD since 1989 as a school social worker. Kathy Christiansen has worked as an Instructional Aide/Bus Aide since 2000. Marty Petrich has worked as a bus driver since 2013. Each of these individuals have dedicated their time at the EUPISD to serve the students, staff and community. We wish Jaci, Kathy and Marty all the best. Enjoy your retirement! You will be missed!
GENERAL EDUCATION
Social Studies
- On August 8-10, K-12 teachers in the EUP ISD are invited to attend sessions dedicated to aligning existing common assessments for social studies with the updated Michigan K-12 social studies standards. This event will feature a review of the standards, question writing for assessment, open education resources, and more! Stipends are available for participating teachers. Please review the newsletter for more information.
- Congratulations to Mr. Russel Norris of DeTour Area Schools for his nomination for the Patricia Behring History Day Teacher of the Year award (senior division). 9&10 News featured Mr. Norris and junior division nominee Brent McCall (of Traverse City Public Schools) in a recent news spot. The article and video can be viewed here.
CTE
The CTE Natural Resources class was on site at the capitol building in Lansing, Michigan to represent innovative CTE programs from across the state. The students spent the day speaking with legislators about their experiences with the CTE class, and the important role it plays in education. The class is a hands-on project-based class offered by Brimley High School and taught on the campus of LSSU through a partnership with the Center for Freshwater Research and Education (CFRE). Local EUPISD high school juniors and seniors can earn up to 7 LSSU credits by successfully completing the class. The class focuses on the care and conservation of our local watersheds and wildlife habitat. Any student interested in signing up for the class can speak to their high school counselor during the scheduling time for the next school year.
Congratulations to Sault Area Career Center teacher Katie Watchorn. She was chosen to be a Certified Ambassador for Certiport. Certiport received hundreds of applicants and selected ten individuals to become an ambassador. Katie is a digital business teacher, who discovered her passion for teaching while living in Italy, where she taught General/Business English. She began teaching for Sault Area Career Center in 2019.\
Health
Summer 2022 – Newsletter Highlights
- The 2022-23 Comprehensive School Workshops schedule is now available! Training flyers and registration links can be viewed in the newsletter.
- Silent Crisis training is coming to the EUP on Wednesday, August 24. This workshop is designed to help school personnel and administrators understand, assess, and improve school climate and safety for all youth, especially those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning. We are encouraging a 3-5 person school team to attend. Team members can include administrators, counselors, social workers, teachers, and other school staff. Event details and registration are available here.
- Guiding Good Choices, a free drug/alcohol prevention workshop series for parents developed by the Upper Peninsula Communities that Care coalition, begins its next series on June 7, 2022. For more information and course dates, go to http://www.upctc.com/classes.
- June is Pride Month – join members of MiSault Pride and LSSU’s SAGE at Bayliss Public Library on Tuesday, June 14 for a panel discussion focused on supporting LGBTQ+ youth at home, at school, and in the community. This event is hosted by the EUP ISD’s LGBTQ Student Support Network.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Continuous Improvement in Special Education
Each year local districts complete a comprehensive review of their special education system using the Indicators of Program Effectiveness Rubric (IPER). The IPER is aligned with the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education State Performance Plan. However, the IPER indicators go beyond the traditional compliance and results indicators within the State Performance Plan. Local districts are tasked with taking a deep look at the specific practices, procedures, and capacities that research indicates result in improved student outcomes. Districts submit a binder of evidence to support their rubric scores as well as a list of priorities with clear action steps for the coming year. The EUPISD special education leadership team reviews district IPER submissions and provides feedback on their identified priorities and action steps. This process of data review and action planning demonstrates a commitment to the continuous improvement of special education systems across the EUP. For more information on the IPER, contact Tammy Hazley - thazley@eupschools.org
June 2022 Special Education Newsletter
EARLY CHILDHOOD
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Please write or call with your comments, suggestions, and/or concerns.
Angie McArthur, Superintendent – angiem@eupschools.org
