From my mouth to your ears...

Lake Orion High School Freshman Academy

2012-03-04T06:47:00.000-05:00

A positive school climate, where students and adults know each other well and where adults express care and concern for students' well-being, intellectual growth, and educational success, is a key motivational element in the learning process for students.

We recognize that the large size of our high school may have the tendency to leave students feeling somewhat lost and anonymous and prevent the development of an atmosphere conducive to learning. This problem tends to be intensified for ninth-graders leaving behind the more family-like environment of middle school.

Many students find the journey from the middle grades to high school difficult. In many ways, high school is a big departure from what these students have experienced in elementary and middle school. They are faced with changes in scheduling, academic expectations and social pressure.

For most students, transition into high school from middle school is stressful in terms of experiencing a larger more impersonal, competitive, grade-oriented environment. This transition is difficult for all students of varied backgrounds and academic ability. The academic, social and emotional factors for ninth grade students can positively or adversely affect their overall success during high school if they are not met with initial support throughout their first year of high school.

As a result, beginning with the entering freshman class in September 2012, the Lake Orion High School Freshman Academy will be initiated to focus specifically on the areas most likely to affect students’ success during their initial steps into the high school setting. It is designed to help all students succeed academically by eliminating some of the pressures they often face as they enter high school.

Small learning communities and teams will be established within the larger high school to create a more intimate transition from middle to high school. The goals of the Freshman Academy include an increased class identity and cohesiveness, early identification of at-risk academic behaviors, a smaller setting for individualized instruction in our large high school, assistance with the social transition to the high school environment and, most important, preparation for ongoing academic success.

(More information will be available as plans are finalized for the LOHS Freshman Academy.)

LOCS Bond Refunding saves District taxpayers $6.1 million over the next six years.

2012-01-25T10:26:00.000-05:00

The Board of Education of Lake Orion Community Schools is proud to announce the successful sale of its 2012 Refunding Bonds in the amount of $23,880,000. The Bonds will be used for the purpose of refunding a portion of the School District’s outstanding 2002 School Building and Site and Refunding Bonds and to pay the costs of issuing the Bonds.

The 2012 Refunding Bonds reduce the School District direct interest expense approximately $2.7 million for the taxpayers and will occur through lower debt payments over the next 6 years. The Bond refunding also results in an additional estimated $3.3 million savings because of the District’s reduced School Loan Revolving Fund liability, bringing the total estimated savings to the District’s taxpayers to $6.1 million.

In preparing to sell the 2012 Refunding Bonds, John Fitzgerald, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance, working with our financial advisor, Stauder Barch & Associates, Inc., requested that Standard & Poor’s Rating Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ("S&P") evaluate the School District's credit quality. S&P affirmed the School District’s outstanding underlying rating of "AA-". The rating agency cited the School District's strong income levels, very strong reserves and overall low debt burden in their rationale for maintaining the rating of the School District at these levels.

The School District's financing was conducted by the Michigan investment banking office of the brokerage firm, Stifel Nicolaus, the financial advising firm, Stauder Barch & Associates, Inc. and the law firm serving as bond counsel, Clark Hill PLC. The School District's 2012 Refunding Bonds were sold at a true interest rate of 1.54% with a final maturity of 2018 (a repayment term of approximately 6 years).

Brenda Voutyras, Managing Director with Stifel Nicolaus states, "Lake Orion Community Schools Bonds were well received by the bond market. We saw a high level of demand and were able to take advantage of low rates that produced a very nice level of savings for the District and its tax payers."

PART 2 - Safety/Security Services in Lake Orion Schools

2011-12-23T06:37:00.000-05:00

The Orion Township Board of Trustees approval of funding to maintain the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Police Liaison Officer in the Lake Orion Community Schools through December 31, 2012 ensures that the School District will continue to have an Officer in the District who can provide, among other services, full arresting authority, if needed.

And, because this in now in place, the District no longer needs to pursue the request to the Orion Township Board for a Mutual Aid Agreement to give such arresting authority to the Lake Orion Village Police Department.

On the other hand, the absence of a Mutual Aid Agreement does not eliminate the ability of the Village Police to work with the Sheriff's Department and the District to provide other kinds of safety/security programs and services to our schools regardless where the school is located, although with some restrictions.

In a very productive meeting with representatives from both law enforcement agencies, the discussion focused on working together to identify the services each law enforcement agency can provide in our schools to expand the current programs in place and to ensure the safety of all of our students.

Safety/Security Services in Lake Orion Schools

2011-12-20T19:30:00.000-05:00

A huge thank you to the Orion Township Board of Trustees for authorizing the funding to maintain the Police Liaison from the Oakland County Sheriff's Department in our School District through December 31, 2012!

Because of the loss of State Aid Funding for the 2011-12 school year and the increase in the required expenditure for the Michigan Public Schools Employees Retirement System, the District was forced to reduce close to $4.5 million to present a balanced 2011-12 budget. One of these reductions was the Liaison position from January through June 2012.

Now that the Township Board has provided a short-term solution by funding our current Officer from the Sheriff's Department, we have some "breathing room" to explore all possible options for long-term, affordable safety/security services for our schools.

With close to 8000 students in our schools, one Officer is not enough. As a result, in addition to the possibility of added services from the Oakland County Sheriff's Department, we have been exploring options available from the Lake Orion Village Police. However, expanding security measures to include the Village Police Department requires that the Township Board grant them limited policing authority in the nine of our eleven schools that are not in the Village jurisdiction.

Unexpectedly, this has become somewhat of a "sticky wicket" (sticky wicket - a metaphor used to describe a difficult circumstance) as some may have noticed if tuning in to recent Township Board meetings or reading articles in the Lake Orion Review or posts on various Facebook pages.

The School District's goal has always been to utilize all potential safety/security resources available to ensure the safety of our students. This can only happen if we work together with the same intent and I remain optimistic that with continued discussions we will reach this goal.

Project 21 Update

2011-11-30T12:21:00.001-05:00

The Project 21 committee has been hard at work identifying opportunities for students that would enhance the development of their skills of creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking/problem solving.

At earlier meetings, committee members created twenty-three potential opportunities that could be offered to students during times they are not in school; school breaks, summer vacation, after school, etc. Subsequently, the identified projects were presented to the Lake Orion High School Leadership Class students for their review and input to determine whether the projects would be of interest to students.

It’s very clear why these students are in a Leadership Class! They embraced the charge of reviewing the projects with great enthusiasm and, in teams, developed multi-media presentations for each project to illustrate how the project could be implemented. More importantly, each of their presentations included a thorough analysis of how the project would develop the 21^st century skills listed above.

At the most recent Project 21 meeting, a few of the students shared their presentations and were received by the committee with keen interest and appreciation. Following this, the committee members were tasked with narrowing down to three projects to focus on for further development with the expectation to offer these first three projects by the summer of 2012. A very brief description of each is indicated below.

FIRST®LEGO®League : FIRST®LEGO®League (FLL) teams will be created at the elementary/middle school levels. FIRST®LEGO®League is a worldwide program for children designed to get them excited about science and technology.

Dragon Geek Squad: Students will partner with senior citizens to teach them how to use a variety of technologies.

Dragons Entering New Territory (DENT): Age-Appropriate Life Skills training will provide an academic study of Life Skills to include a breadth and depth of topics. Students’ homes will be used to provide opportunities to practice and gain experience with each topic.

Next Steps: Committee members have split into groups to now “flesh-out” each of the projects to determine the how/when/and where. In addition to the parents, community members, and staff members, students will be included to provide their good thinking and insight.

A Project 21 interim report will be presented to the Board of Education at the December 14 meeting.

Board of Education Updates District Strategic Plan

2011-11-21T06:21:00.002-05:00

At the November 14 Workshop, Board members reviewed the current District Strategic Plan. Because some of the previously identified initiatives have been completed, the Board is updating and making revisions and additions to the future direction of the district. The vision and mission statement have been clarified as follows:

Lake Orion Community Schools Vision

Educating our students for the challenges of tomorrow

Lake Orion Community Schools Mission Statement

Providing an exemplary education for all learners

Strategic areas and Goals have been revised and the Board will continue to review and finalize these at the December 14 Board meeting. Once the Board approves the Goals, specific objectives and action plans will be developed to chart the course of the District. The areas identified by the Board are indicated below:

Strategic Area: Student Achievement

Goal: Foster academic excellence through a 21st Century learning environment that challenges and inspires all students

Strategic Area: Finance

Goal: Ensure financial resources are adequate to accomplish our Vision and Mission

Strategic Area: Operations

Goal: Create and maintain physical learning environments to meet curriculum and demographic needs

Strategic Area: Human Resources

Goal: Implement a system to ensure high quality staff and continuous development of staff capacity

Strategic Area: Communications

Goal: Foster two-way, mutually beneficial communication with District's stakeholders

Go Lady Dragons!

2011-11-16T05:17:00.001-05:00

The Lady Dragon volleyball team stormed back from two games down to beat Macomb Dakota on Tuesday, November 15, to earn their way to the Final Four!

This is the first time Lake Orion has reached the semi-finals in the State volleyball tournament.

They play Clarkston on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Battle Creek.

Cell Phones in the Classroom

2011-10-28T05:33:00.000-04:00

There seems to be a great deal of misinformation about the use of cell phones by students. Board policy has allowed students to bring cell phones to school but they may not be used and must remain off. This has restricted those teachers who wish to use mobile technologies as a tool in their instruction from being able to do so.

The revised Policy will allow for the use of mobile technologies based on administrative guidelines that will be developed delineating the specifics and outlining the restrictions.

A committee comprised of teachers and other stakeholders will develop and recommend the guidelines to me. Once approved, a pilot for the use of mobile technologies will be conducted. This will include an evaluation component to determine whether there is a need for revision before any implementation in the district. For those teachers who wish to use mobile technologies as part of their repertoire of teaching strategies, professional development will be available on the effective use for instructional purposes.

LOCS launches district-wide Bullying-Prevention Program

2011-10-14T06:06:00.005-04:00

With the support of our community, Lake Orion Community Schools has launched the implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program district wide. The program is now in its second year at Oakview Middle School and has expanded to Lake Orion High School and Pine Tree Elementary this year.

“Olweus [pronounced Ol-VEY-us] Bullying Prevention Program is a comprehensive program designed for use in schools. Its goals are to reduce and prevent bullying problems among school children and to improve peer relations at school. The program has been found to reduce bullying among children, improve the social climate of classrooms, and reduce related antisocial behaviors, such as vandalism and truancy. The Olweus Program has been implemented in more than one dozen countries around the world.”

Reducing and preventing bullying extends beyond the four walls of the schools. As such, we have garnered the full support of the LO Police Department, LO Township, Village and Library officials.

With financial support from the Lake Orion Education Foundation and local businesses and organizations, we will be able to expand the program to all schools in the district. Staff members will be trained in the Olweus model to create an environment in which bullying is never tolerated and all students feel safe and valued - where children are free to learn academically and to thrive emotionally.

Lamp of Learning Academic Awards Program

2011-09-24T06:49:00.002-04:00

The Lamp of Learning Academic Awards Program was implemented by the Board of Education in the Fall of 1985 to honor and reward students in grades 6-12 who have demonstrated exemplary achievement in the classroom.

Awards are earned based on the work of the entire school year. Seniors receive their award in the Spring prior to graduation; students at other grade levels receive their awards in the Fall of the following academic year (i.e., an award earned in the 8th grade is given out in the Fall of the 9th grade, etc.)

Last Spring, 275 awards were given to students in the senior class of 2011. This Fall, 1731 students will be receiving their achievement awards on the dates indicated below:

September 27 - Oakview M.S. 223 students
October 5 - High School 9th 317 students
October 5 - High School 10th: 237 students
October 6 - Waldon M.S. 241students
October 19 - High School 11th 221 students
October 19 - High School 12th 258 students
November 10 - Scripps M.S. 234 students

Click here to view the guidelines for Lamp of Learning awards.

Lake Orion Representatives Oppose Open Enrollment

2011-09-20T20:13:00.001-04:00

Ms. Ginopolis,

Senator Marleau always appreciates hearing from constituents and the issue of mandated out of district enrollment in Senate Bill 624 is no exception. I believe it to be pertinent that you understand the Senator’s position to this bill is to strongly oppose it. Lake Orion Schools continue to set the bar for educational achievement and community involvement as demonstrated by the responses generated from this proposed bill. Mandating out of district enrollment does not solve the issue of substandard schools in other communities and would have a significant negative impact on districts such as Lake Orion.

Please continue to direct parents and educators in your district to contact our office if they have any specific questions regarding the ongoing effort of education reform in Michigan. Information is the best resource we have.

I will try to have the Senator follow up personally when his schedule allows.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Ryan Burtka
Legislative Director
Senator Jim Marleau
Serving North Oakland
__________________________________________________________________________
Good morning Marion,

Hope all is well. I just wanted to reach out to you in regards to SB 624, the School of Choice legislation.

Please be assured that I am against SB 624 and have been advocating our concerns to my colleagues in the House. School of Choice is a decision that should be left for school districts to decide on their own accord. I agree with all five points that you identified in your e-mail from last week to district residents.

Personally, I do not see this legislation passing out of the Senate, let alone the House. From what I am hearing from colleagues is much of the same concerns that you and I both have. Also, currently, SB 618-624 are all tie-barred together, meaning if one bill fails, all of the others fail as well. Although they can "un-tie" the package of bills, with the current set up I believe as a whole this package will fail.

Once again, please be assured that I will continue to advocate for Lake Orion schools, as well as the rest of my district, and push that SB 624 is stopped.

Regards,
Brad

Bradford C. Jacobsen
State Representative, 46th District

office: 517-373-1798
fax: 517-373-8574
email: BradJacobsen@house.mi.gov

Lake Orion Board passes resolution opposing mandated open enrollment

2011-09-15T06:30:00.008-04:00

At the September 14 meeting, the LO Board passed a resolution opposing mandated open enrollment. Senate Bill 624 is a very fast-moving legislation that will MANDATE that all school districts in the state must accept nonresident students if the district determines it has capacity. If this legislation is passed, Section 105 of Senate Bill 624 will have a great impact on our schools.

Specifically, the impact on our schools is as follows:

If a nonresident student comes to our schools from a district that has a lesser foundation allowance, Lake Orion can only collect the lower amount from the state to educate that student. This means that the dollars we spend on our own students will be diminished so that we can educate nonresident students.

Lake Orion students who apply to a school that has space, but is not in their attendance area, will not have first priority to attend.

Lake Orion students who apply to the district's Focus Schools will not have first priority to attend.

Nonresidents will not be responsible for contributing to the repayment of any school debt but will realize, for free, the advantages for which you are paying.

And, most important, local control and decisions that affect our own children will be taken out of our hands by this mandated legislation.

Please contact our legislators to voice your opinion about this:

Senate Education Committee:
Phil Pavlov senppavlov@senate.michigan.gov

Patrick Colbeck SenPColbeck@senate.michigan.gov

Judy Emmons Senjemmons@senate.michigan.gov

Hoon-Yung Hopgood senhhopgood@senate.michigan.gov

Coleman Young II sencyoung@senate.michigan.gov

Lake Orion Legislators

Jim Marleau jimmarleau@senate.michigan.gov
Brad Jacobsen BradJacobsen@house.mi.gov
Eileen Kowall EileenKowall@house.mi.gov
Tom McMillin TomMcMillin@house.mi.gov

Governor Rick Snyder rick.snyder@michigan.gov

Lake Orion Community Schools program top in the state

2011-09-14T05:40:00.000-04:00

LANSING, MI – Nine school districts across Michigan are starting the school year off with a celebration of success. The Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) announced the recipients of the 2011 Michigan’s Best Award. While schools face many challenges, the Michigan’s Best Award is an example of the quality education taking place in Michigan schools each day.

Stadium Drive Elementary School of the Arts, Lake Orion Community Schools, has been selected as a recipient of the 2011 Michigan’s Best Award for its Ancient Greek Theatre One-Act Festival program. Lake Orion will presented with its award Oct. 29 at an awards ceremony.

Lake Orion’s winning program earned the honor in the Creative and Media Arts category for its innovativeness and impact on student achievement.

“We’re being challenged at the state and local level to develop innovative approaches to education,” said Kathy Hayes, MASB executive director. “These districts have a proven record of success and should be thought of as models for other districts across the state.”

The Ancient Greek Theatre program at Lake Orion Community Schools is a student-written, produced and directed one-act festival. Each fourth grade class produces six one-act plays consisting of both comedies and tragedies. These one-acts are created based on knowledge gained from classroom study of ancient Greek theatre and myths. These lessons occur in both theatre class and language arts studies. The students apply this knowledge to create their own spin on ancient festivals, which requires collaboration and creativity. The program is presented to the school and the community, giving students the opportunity to practice the valuable life lesson of presenting in front of groups. As a result of these performances, Stadium Drive Elementary School of the Arts has developed students who are confident, creative problem solvers that score high on national and state tests.

Programs are judged by an independent panel of experts in each area, based on uniqueness, the critical need served and evidence of impact on student achievement. More than 150 entries were received from districts across the upper and lower peninsulas. Each winner receives a trophy for display at the school and $1,500 to sustain their efforts. These programs won round-two judging and represent the top honor in each of nine categories of MASB’s Education Excellence program.

SB 624 Introduced today - Mandatory Schools of Choice

2011-09-07T20:15:00.000-04:00

As predicted, today Senator Pavlov (R) introduced SB 624. Section 105 of the bill revises the language about schools of choice (open enrollment) and will have an impact on Lake Orion Schools in the following manner:

Language changes from "district shall determine whether or not it WILL accept.... to "district shall determine whether or not it HAS CAPACITY TO accept. In other words, if there's room, we have to determine how many spots are available and accept out-of-resident students.
Prior language restricted open enrollment to within an ISD. That language has been crossed out so that non-resident students must be accepted from ANY ISD, meaning beyond Oakland County.
The word SHALL replaces the word MAY throughout the entire section 105.
The per-pupil allocation is the lower of original or chosen district. In other words, if the non-resident student comes from a district that has a lower per-pupil allocation, we would receive that amount rather than the per-pupil allocation we receive for Lake Orion students.

As I indicated in a previous Blog posting (see below) mandatory open enrollment flies in the face of local control/local decision making.

Please take the time to voice your opinion to our legislators.

Phil Pavlov senppavlov@senate.michigan.gov
Jim Marleau jimmarleau@senate.michigan.gov
Brad Jacobsen BradJacobsen@house.mi.gov
Rick Snyder rick.snyder@michigan.gov

First day of school...

2011-09-06T19:59:00.000-04:00

The first day back to school is always very exciting. As I traveled around the district, I took a few pictures to share...

New security entrance and attendance area at LO High School

Freshmen students arrive at their lockers to see a greeting from upperclassmen

Stadium Drive Elementary Staff greet students on playground

How are we doing?

2011-08-31T19:54:00.008-04:00

In these days of accountability, numbers such as test scores, daily attendance, school rankings, grade level reading proficiencies and drop out rates measure student performance and offer a picture of a school. Yet, it is obvious that those numbers only tell part of the story; a school district is much more than a number. To me, the real test of how our school district is doing goes well beyond the numbers and quantitative data that we normally collect. I found a much better way to assess our district...take a look!

Capital Improvement Projects 2011

2011-08-25T06:31:00.002-04:00

Last spring, the Board authorized the expenditure of $700,000 for a number of priority 1 capital improvement projects. The following projects have been completed this summer and the total cost of the projects was $688.817.

Carpenter	Roof repairs
CERC	Added wheel chair lift
CERC	Covered steel poles in main entrance
HS	Entrance upgraded to improve security
HS	Roof repairs and vertical caulking
HS	Gym curtain replaced
HS	Window coverings replaced
HS	Refinished Gym floor- complete sanding and painting of lines
HS	Repaired stairway to baseball fields near CERC
HS	Repaired sidewalks heaving and crumbling
HS	Tennis Court re-surfaced
Old Trans	Renovated building to be used for District storage
Paint Creek	Roof repaired
Pine Tree	New lunch tables
Pine Tree	Roof leaks repaired
Scripps	Several roof leaks in the main gym repaired
Stadium	Roof repaired
Waldon	New exhaust for the kiln
Webber	Roof repairs and gutter guards
Webber	Addition of stairs from lower lot to upper lot
Orion Oaks	Flat roof repairs
Orion Oaks	Replaced AC- Chiller
District	Concrete work at various areas around the district
Paint Creek	Repaired drop off into lower field at concrete steps
Paint Creek	Added crosswalk and appropriate signage for pedestrians

Mandatory Schools of Choice Legislation is on a fast track. Contact your legislators!

2011-08-22T22:04:00.000-04:00

Below is a letter I sent to our legislative representatives, Jim Marleau and Brad Jacobsen.

Dear Jim and Brad,

I strongly urge you, as our representatives in the legislative arena, to advocate for the Lake Orion Community by opposing the mandatory Schools of Choice legislation that appears to be on a very fast track. (http://www.freep.com/article/20110822/NEWS06/108220347/Schools-Choice-bill-coming-foes-gear-up-fight?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s)

In my recent Blog post (http://lakeorionschools.blogspot.com/) results from a community poll strongly indicate that our community opposes the loss of local control over these kinds of important decisions that impact our schools. Lake Orion has been a district that believes in "Lake Orion Schools for Lake Orion Students." Our district currently enjoys intra-district choice with options for our students where parents can select to have their children attend Focus schools that are not necessarily in their own neighborhood. However, this is a decision made by OUR community; not one mandated by the legislature.

Additionally, I want to share with you my own personal perspective regarding open enrollment/schools of choice. As I interpret the Governor's Education Reform Message, it appears the impetus for this is that we have a number of schools/districts that are not providing quality educational programs for their children. Opening up school boundaries is not a solution for failing schools/districts. It may provide SOME select children the opportunity to get out of their failing district but it does not, and will not, offer this same opportunity to so many children whose families cannot provide them with transportation to another district and/or are not invested enough in their children's education to even take the time to enroll their children in another district.

With all due respect, the legislature's approach in this regard is flawed. You are coming up with the wrong solution to a problem. I ask you to work with the educational community to focus on what the real problem is (failing schools) and come up with the right solution which is not open enrollment/schools of choice.

Respectfully,

Marion Ginopolis
Superintendent, Lake Orion Community Schools

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Rick Snyder rick.snyder@michigan.gov
Jim Marleau jimmarleau@senate.michigan.gov
Brad Jacobsen BradJacobsen@house.mi.gov

No divided loyalties for me!

2011-08-20T08:33:00.002-04:00

As we approach the first football game of the season on Friday, August 26 against Oxford, I want to set the record straight. Just because I once was a Wildcat doesn’t mean my Lake Orion loyalty, spirit and enthusiasm are in any way divided.

I am a Dragon through and through!

New Site for Michigan Education Data

2011-08-13T10:59:00.003-04:00

The Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI), in partnership with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), and intermediate school districts, recently completed the first development phase of a new education information website called MI School Data.

The launch of this site on August 15 is poised to become the home to all state-level education data covering preschool through postsecondary education. Some of the information in this first release includes state assessment results, the Annual Education Report which contains Adequate Yearly Progress, student counts, School Report Cards, and various measurements at school and district levels stemming from the Michigan Education Dashboard.

The Michigan Education Dashboard metrics provided in MI School Data include several of the data elements necessary to meet the education dashboard best practices that schools must make publicly available to qualify for incentive funding under the State School Aid Act.

“We are pleased to provide citizens and school officials with this new site,” said Thomas Howell, Director of CEPI, an office within the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. “This provides an effective and easy way to obtain important education information.”

“This offers users the opportunity to review data crucial to the improvement of our schools and critical to improving the education of the children of Michigan,” said Joseph Martineau, Executive Director of MDE’s Bureau of Assessment and Accountability. “This gives a new location for comprehensive information on local schools and where they are in meeting the instructional needs of their students.”

CEPI is already preparing for the next MI School Data release planned for late September. The second release will include high school graduation rates, non-resident enrollment data, college readiness indicators, ACT results, principal effectiveness measures and postsecondary enrollment and persistence rates for public high schools.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THIS VALUABLE RESOURCE

Communication

2011-08-10T18:10:00.002-04:00

It has been brought to my attention by a fellow blogger that we are not doing a very good job of communicating information about the dates of important district meetings and events. Knowing that this opinion may be shared by others, we will make a concerted effort to do a better job of informing the community of upcoming events and Board meetings.

While Board meeting dates, agendas and minutes are posted on the District Website, we will begin to also use the School Messenger service to alert subscribers of these important meetings so they have the opportunity to participate/attend.

For those who may not already subscribe to School Messenger, click this link to sign up.

Carpenter - Back to School!

2011-08-07T06:36:00.001-04:00

Students at Carpenter Year Round Elementary School enthusiastically started back to school on Tuesday, August 2.

Parents take pictures of their children to capture the first day of school!

First bus ride of the year.

Principal Kerri Anderson greets parents and students

Lake Orion Schools for Lake Orion Students

2011-07-25T07:29:00.001-04:00

Recent remarks from Governor Snyder in his education reform message to the Legislature indicate he wants to mandate that every public district become a school of choice. “The goal is to provide options for students in failing schools,” he said. "Resident students in every district should have first choice to enroll, but no longer should school districts be allowed to opt out from accepting out-of-district students."

Currently, 452 of the 551 districts in the state participate in schools of choice. Most districts select open enrollment because they receive the state funding that would go to the student’s home district or they choose to do so because of declining enrollment in their district. There is some latitude in accepting students based on “if there’s room” or specifying certain grade levels.

To date, our community has maintained its strong belief that Lake Orion Schools are for Lake Orion Students and I support that. Fessing up…truth be told, it was while I was Oxford Superintendent that the Board decided to participate in schools of choice/open enrollment in that district based on availability. Note the operative words here... “the Board decided to...”

What I am strongly opposed to is the loss of LOCAL decision making in this regard. This is a decision that should be made by each local community – not a legislated mandate!

Express your opinion by…

commenting to this Blog post below
taking the poll on the left
contacting the Governor and our legislators

Rick Snyder rick.snyder@michigan.gov
Jim Marleau jimmarleau@senate.michigan.gov
Brad Jacobsen BradJacobsen@house.mi.gov

New administrators join Lake Orion Schools!!

2011-07-13T22:09:00.004-04:00

At the July 13 meeting, the Board of Education approved the appointment of three administrators to join the Lake Orion School District.

John Fitzgerald has been appointed Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance replacing Jillynn Keppler. For the past ten years John has served as Director of Financial Services for the Oakland Schools Intermediate School District. In the ten years prior to that position, John held business/finance positions with the Rochester Community Schools and in corporate accounting with various banks in Michigan.

John Blackstock will be the principal of Stadium Drive Elementary School of the Arts replacing Jesse Baker who has retired. John has been a Lake Orion educator for thirteen years and has been involved in numerous leadership roles at the district level serving as a "Response to Intervention" Coach and School Improvement Leadership Co-Chair. He participated in the Oakland County Leadership Academy for Aspiring Principals completing an internship in the program.

Kenneth Nuss will be the principal of Orion Oaks Multi-Age Elementary School replacing Brian Kaplan who has left the district to be middle school principal in Walled Lake. Beginning in 1994, Ken taught in the Davison School District, was an Assistant Principal and, for the past four years, has been principal of Davison Middle School. In addition, he was the Camping Director/Lead Teacher for Clarkston SCAMP program for 20 years.

At previous Board meetings, two administrators were appointed:

John Bernia has been appointed principal of Oakview Middle School, replacing Alice Seppanen who has retired. John taught at Scripps Middle School for 5 years before becoming the Assistant Principal at Oakview in 2008-09 and then at Waldon Middle School beginning in 2009.

Cliff DuPuy, Director of Technology and Media Services, has an extensive background in instructional technology and business and has worked in public education as Director of Information Technology at St. Clair RESA and Associate Director of Media and Technology at Bay-Arenac ISD.

With great enthusiasm, we welcome our new administrators!!

Education Reform Workgroup

2011-07-13T06:51:00.000-04:00

Now that school funding issues have been settled, the Michigan legislature is turning its attention to identifying education reforms and finding "more efficient and responsible ways for Michigan schools to effectively use tax dollars."

Last week marked the first meeting of a bipartisan education reform workgroup which plans to meet weekly through the summer to consider substantial changes for public education. The workgroup will focus on 1) improving education results, 2) potential reforms to help schools effectively use funding, 3) ways school districts can work together and, 4) review how other states fund their school systems. The committee also will examine the issue of unfunded mandate burdens on school districts and how school performance is tied to funding.

"We need to find a more efficient and responsible way to ensure that the education practices currently in place are the best ones to educate our children," said Representative Bill Rogers, R-Brighton. "Making sure our educational system is working is the number one priority and I hope we can identify potential improvements in this workgroup."

While this is a legislative initiative, invitations have been extended to educators and residents to provide ideas and suggestions. The workgroup is very interested in learning more about Lake Orion's Project 21 and a presentation is planned for late July.

I anticipate that the outcomes of the workgroup will create multiple opportunities for us to reflect on our current practices and align them with what's best for students in an efficient and streamlined manner.

Residents interested in providing ideas and suggestions for the workgroup can contact Representative Rogers' office at (517) 373-1784.

Project 21 - year-long learning

2011-07-04T08:30:00.005-04:00

VISION STATEMENT

Provide 21^st century skills learning opportunities for students

that are not restricted by time and location

Over sixty-five enthusiastic parents, community members, staff, and a few students attended the first meeting of what is now dubbed Project 21 – year-long learning. The purpose of the meeting was to solicit participation in developing a plan to provide learning opportunities for our students to meet the challenges of the 21^st century that are not restricted by time and location.

MEETING SUMMARY

Like most districts in Michigan, Lake Orion students attend school between 176-181 days a year; 176 days in grades K-5, 180 days in grades 6-10 & 12 and 181 days in grade 11, averaging 179 days each year. Subtracting this average along with 104 weekend days from the 365-day calendar year leaves 82 days (56 of which are in the summer) when students are not in school - almost half of the time they are in school!

Project 21 is NOT about creating a year-round school schedule of the same number of days students are in school spaced throughout the year. Traditional year-round schedules like that of Lake Orion’s Carpenter Elementary School merely reorganize and balance the school year across twelve months to provide more continuous learning by breaking up the long summer vacation into shorter, more frequent vacations throughout the year.

Rather, Project 21 is about creating year-long learning opportunities focusing on 21^st century skill development anytime/anywhere; learning that is unrestricted by a September-June calendar within the four walls of a school building.

There are two significant reasons for expanding learning opportunities for students to be successful in this rapidly changing world:

“3 R’s” - Increased academic requirements as a result of the implementation of the common core curriculum (knowledge/skills students should have so that they will graduate high school fully prepared for college/careers.)
“7 C’s “- Need to develop broader competencies of essential 21^st century skills

Critical thinking & problem solving
Creativity
Communication
Collaboration & leadership
Cross cultural understanding
Career learning and self reliance
Computing and ICT literacy

3 R’s x 7 C’s = Project 21 – year-long learning

PROJECT 21 – CHARGE TO TASK FORCE

Develop a plan to create year-long learning opportunities for students focusing on 21^st century skill development.

Who - Elementary, Middle and High School Students
What are some possible opportunities for students?
When would these best be done?

Summer, holiday breaks, weekends, before/after school, extended school days/year

Where could these occur?

Online, at home, in school

How could these be supported?

Community Resource Partnerships (Optimist Club, Rotary, Lions Club, Businesses, Village, Township, Library, Fire department, Police department, Officials, Individuals, Senior citizens
Creative financing (Sponsorships, Contributions, LO Education Foundation, Fees)
Revenue enhancement (Extending participation in Project 21 learning opportunities to other district students on a fee-based schedule.)

NEXT STEPS

Anyone interested in serving on one of the four subcommittees (elementary school, middle school, high school, and resources/revenue enhancement) is asked to complete an online survey indicating his/her preference of subcommittees. (See below for link to survey.)

TIMELINE

An ambitious but not “set-in-stone” timeline will have subcommittees working over the next several months with a recommendation to the LO Board of Education by the end of December 2011. Depending on work completion, implementation of Project 21 could occur as early as the fall of 2012.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING ON ONE OF THE SUBCOMMITTEES, CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE ONLINE SURVEY.

Balancing the Budget

2011-06-15T06:55:00.002-04:00

Based on current figures, reduced funding and increased expenses will result in a net loss of $4.6 million for the 2011-12 school year. To balance our budget we have identified $3.1 million of cuts to our current programs and will be digging into our fund balance for the remaining $1.5 million. The anticipated fund balance at the end of the 2011-12 school year will be close to $9 million that translates to an expected fund balance as a percent of expenses of 11.4% at the close of the next fiscal period.

It’s pretty clear that in subsequent years funding will continue to be reduced while expenses continue to rise. In making the cuts proposed for next year we have made every effort to “keep the dollars in the classroom.” This will no longer be the case in future years.(Click here to view the proposed reductions for the 2011-12 school year)

I applaud our neighbors to the north for developing a sound financial plan to creatively increase revenue. But, I estimate this took them about four years to develop and implement; we don’t have four years and if we don’t do something quickly, those parents who are complaining that we will have thirty students in a class next year will wish we did have only thirty students in a classroom!

So, the question becomes, “How can we continue to provide a quality educational program for our students and, at the same time, remain fiscally solvent?”

My answer to this question requires a significant paradigm shift so that our strategic and financial planning are not predicated on continuing to educate our students and providing a multitude of services in the same manner that we are currently doing so. Our current system has become financially impossible to support and, quite frankly, it is an antiquated system.

I’m not necessarily suggesting that we change “what” we want students to know and be able to do although we do need to expand content to integrate 21st century skills (that’s a topic for another Blog). I am, however, suggesting that we redefine the “how, when and where” we provide educational opportunities for our students taking advantage of the advances of technology to do so.

As we look back at the highlights of the 2010-11 school year, we have much to be proud of with student achievement, awards and recognitions. However, while it’s always instructive to look back at the end of the year to see where we’ve been, it is more important to look forward to determine where we’re going.

In a few short weeks, four newly elected School Board Members will officially take office joining three current Board members. I will be proposing to the “new” Board that our first order of business is to revisit the district vision and mission statement and revise the district strategic plan accordingly while simultaneously developing both a short term and long term financial plan to support the strategic plan.

This will serve a variety of purposes to help us establish realistic goals and objectives consistent with our mission within a defined time frame to ensure the most effective use of our human and financial resources. Most importantly, it will set the course of action for providing our students the best opportunities for a world-class education.

"Best FINANCIAL Practices"

2011-05-21T06:23:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I attended a meeting with superintendents and legislators from NW Oakland County. First, kudos to our Representative, Brad Jacobsen, who attends every meeting so he becomes knowledgeable and familiar with issues and concerns of local schools.

During the meeting, questions were asked for clarification to the definition and timeline for implementation of "best practices." (See "Strings attached..." posting below) It was suggested to our legislators that the term be renamed to "best financial practices" to eliminate confusion with what is typically interpreted to mean educational practices.

According to the legislators in attendance, while the wording is not yet final, indications are that districts moving in this direction will qualify for the additional reduction of $100. That could be good news for Lake Orion as we move forward in meeting these targets.

One of the best practices listed which I indicated I was unsure of the meaning was a Dashboard. So, I did my research and discovered that this refers to the Governor's Dashboard Website on which information is provided to tell how the state performs in areas that affect Michigan families as well as shows comparisons with other states.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS! And, whether or not it puts us closer to qualifying for additional revenue, I intend to create a similar Lake Orion Schools Dashboard for our families to have transparent information about the district in the areas of finance, student achievement, and other topics of value.

Our current website already has some of this information but one has to hunt and seek to get it and it's no wonder why some community residents think we're not being transparent. Once we figure out how to get this up and running, I'll post the information on this Blog.

For input on what might be included on this Dashboard, cast your vote in the poll at the right.

Strings attached....

2011-05-20T06:46:00.000-04:00

It sure sounded good when the most recent proposed per pupil reduction to K-12 was announced to go from the original amount of $470 to $270...that is, until we read the fine print.

Here's how the latest version shakes out: The Governor's proposed reduction was $170 + $300 = $470 per pupil. Districts could have that reduced by $100 to assist with the increased retirement costs mandated by the state bringing that to $370 per pupil

To get to the $270 (an additional $100) a district has to do 4 out of the 5 following "best practices" for which we do not currently qualify:

Be the Policyholder
10% employee paid insurance now
Bid out non-instrucitonal services
Dashboard on Website (not sure what this means)
Current collaboration

So, if this is the final version, what would that mean for Lake Orion Community Schools? Our funding from the School Aid Fund would be reduced by $370 per pupil for the 2011-12 school year. Translated into a dollar amount, that would be a reduction of approximately $2.9 million from what was originally proposed to be a reduction of $3.6 million.

With an anticipated increase of retirement costs of $1.8 million, the total amount of the hit to our budget will be about $4.7 million. While this is still huge, it is better by about $780,000 than originally projected.

Similar to the old saying, "If you don't like the weather in Michigan, just stick around for five minutes, it will change," we're not counting on anything until the Governor signs on the dotted line.

Year Round for Lake Orion Schools?

2011-05-17T19:21:00.001-04:00

Wow! I certainly didn't expect all the buzz that we're experiencing as a result of exploring a new educational structure for teaching and learning. That's OK - it's time we start thinking differently about how we provide education to meet the needs of our 21st Century students. And, as a teacher commented to me, "It's refreshing to have our community discussing an education issue on Facebook rather than the politics that have been so consuming this year. "

First, year-round means that the school calendar is revised and extends throughout the calendar year; it does not mean that students meet every day with no breaks!

Some cynics are saying that there's some ulterior stealth motive behind this. To set the record straight, my motivation for throwing out this idea is driven by two nagging questions that have been haunting me for some time now; first, does learning have to be driven by a calendar that begins every September and ends in June? Secondly, does learning have to take place inside of four walls or can we take advantage of the advances in technology and create a new definition of K-12 "school?"

A few initial issues the task force will be asked to consider about a year-round schedule are ...

Do students have to be in a school building to be learning; can they be extending their education all year via online courses when they are not "in school" and/or that do not currently fit into their daily schedule?
Can we provide more uninterrupted time for students to meet the requirements of grade level expectations and the common core curriculum we will soon be implementing?
Can we more closely align direct instruction with state-wide assessment periods so that the forgetting curve and need to relearn aren't as prevalent as they are with long summers vacations?

The bottom line is whether reorganizing school to be "year round" with educational opportunities outside of a "school building" is best for Lake Orion students.

Will any of this cost more/less? Until we decide what "this" is, that should not be the driving force. Of course, I'm aware of our financial situation! However, the cost of any innovation should not be the first consideration. Rather, the approach for all budgeting should always first be what is the best educational program for students. Once that is determined, next steps should include...

How much will it cost?
How much do we have?
Can we afford everything?

if yes, great!
if not,

can we phase-in over time?
are there other funding sources we can tap into?
are there areas that can be reduced/eliminated to be replaced with new programs?

So, to those who want to volunteer to participate on the task force that will begin to investigate the possibility of a year round district with many virtual opportunities for students, I have only two expectations; be open-minded and agree to support the consensus decision of the group.

Anyone interested in participating on the task force is asked to send an email to jolko@lakeorion.k12.mi.us