Waldron Area School District

*KRISPY KREME DONUTS* All sophmore parents, Krispy Kreme donuts will be ready for pick-up after school today in the cafeteria. Yummy...yummy!

What DO we teach? If we don’t focus on being “High-Achieving” (see Feb. 1st post), then what DO we focus on? What DO we teach and make sure every student gets by the time they graduate from high school? One comment from last week stated, “Schools should strive for academic excellence.” What exactly is that? Learning everything about the Civil War? Memorizing all of the equations from Algebra II? Working to become physically fit in PE courses? Learning how to write a persuasive article? Or read Shakespeare? How much or how little of any of these do we teach and expect our kids to learn? Schools across Michigan and all across the country are entrusted to equip our young people, your children, with the skills and information to be successful. Maybe a better, more pertinent question would be, “Are we getting kids ready to experience SUCCESS IN SCHOOL, i.e. grades, tests, college entrance, etc. or, are we getting kids ready to be SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE, i.e. jobs, careers, and relationships?” Comments, questions, and feedback is always appreciated! Jack Ledford, Superintendent Waldron Area Schools 517-286-6251

*Dress Up Days* Our Spartans were ready in style with their zoom attire and pajamas. Join us tomorrow for BBQ dads vs soccer moms. Go Spartans!

*PASTRIES WITH PARENTS* Just a reminder to come eat breakfast with your child tomorrow morning at 7:30-8:00AM in the media center. Please don't park in the circle drive.

*Dress Up Days* We enjoyed seeing all our Spartans dressed in their sports gear today! Tomorrow's dress up day for our middle and high school is zoom attire, elementary students get to wear their pajamas! Go Spartans!

*Dress Up Days* Our Spartans kicked off Spirit Week by showing their true colors! Tomorrow's dress up day will be Sports Jerseys. Go Spartans!

*Homecoming Dance* There will be a homecoming dance after the Varsity game on the 10th for all 9-12 grade students. Any non-Waldron student needs to fill out a guest dance application by Wednesday Feb 8th. Completed applications can be turned into the main office. Students that are not approved prior will not be allowed into the dance. Doors will open after the completion of the game and last until 11:30pm. There will be food and dancing! Admission will be $5. See you then!

*Homecoming Week* It's homecoming week! Monday is class colors. See the livefeed and facebook for all the dress up days. Seniors/Teachers: Blue Juniors/5th: Green Sophomores/4th: Yellow Freshmen/3rd: Purple 8th2nd: Red 7th/1st: Orange 6th/K: Pink

*KRISPY KREME* Our sophomore class is selling Krispy Kreme donuts. Orders and money are due this coming Monday, February 6. Support the Class of 2025 and enjoy a yummy treat!

*AWARENESS* In honor of "March is Disability Awareness" month, Mrs. Zimmerman is promoting a t-shirt logo design contest! The design must incorporate Spartan pride and disability awareness/inclusion. Get your creativity on and design a Spartan t-shirt logo! Open to all Spartans, K-12! Logo designs must be submitted to Mrs. Zimmerman by: February 16, 2023. Winner will receive a free shirt with their winning design!

*Dress Up Days* Homecoming is next week! To show our school spirit the student council has selected dress up days for the week of February 6th-10th. Stay tuned for more homecoming details. Go Spartans! Monday: Class Colors Tuesday: Sports Jerseys Wednesday: Zoom Attire (Elementary students: PJ's) Thursday: BBQ Dads vs Soccer Moms Friday: Spartan Day!

Our Waldron FFA Spartans have left Hillsdale and should be back to the district within half an hour. Our Spartans did amazing! We can't wait for Mrs. Fether to post the results! #RegionalsHereWeCome

Do we really want Waldron to be a High-Achieving school? On the surface, most would say, “Yes, they want their school to be a High-Achieving school.” However, consider what a High-Achieving school really is. A High-Achieving school: *Achieves very high test scores on the state and national standardized tests. *Constantly prepares students for the next high stakes test in order to achieve these high test scores. *Constantly prepares for these tests by getting students the proper practice in test-taking skills that are so vital for achieving the high results. *Teaches students to become very proficient in memorizing material relevant to the testing and in the test-taking skills. Answer these questions: Is test-taking a life skill? Will learning how to be a great test-taker get students a great job and career? Will learning how to take tests well help students to work as a team in job situations? Or work creatively or collaboratively to solve problems? How about learning how to manage emotions in relationships both personally and professionally? Do you really want your school to be a High-Achieving school? Jack Ledford, Superintendent Waldron Area Schools cell 231-342-0877 If you have questions or comments, please contact me. I would love to hear your opinion!

*PASTERIES WITH PARENTS* Welcome all Parents! Please join us for Pastries, Coffee and Juice. Thurs. Feb 9, 2023 7:30am-8:00am Media Center Stop in and meet the Administration and share breakfast with your child.

*ROBOTICS SIGN-UP* Any 8th-12th graders interested in the Robotics Team, please come to the main office TODAY to sign-up. We need to know who is interested in joining the team by the end of the day today. Parents, please call the school if you want your student to sign-up. We appreciate the support!

*CLOSED THURSDAY* Spartans, we will be closed tomorrow, January 26. Continue to stay safe!

*GAMES CANCELLED* Due to the weather, the JV/V boys basketball games for tonight have been cancelled. The games are rescheduled for February 20. Be careful, Spartan Families!

*CLOSED* School is closed, Wednesday, January 25th, due to incoming inclement weather. Stay safe, Spartans.

*KISS THE PIKE* Please show your support for the Hillsdale Conservation Club by donating funds to have our very own Jenn Fether kiss a pike during the Tip Off Activities. Donations can be brought to the main office of the school by Friday, Jan. 27 or dropped off at the Hillsdale Conservation Club by Sunday, Jan. 29. Of six individuals, whoever raises the most funds has to kiss the fish. Let's raise money to watch Mrs. Jenn Fether pucker up and kiss the pike.

*ATHLETIC BOOSTERS MEETING* There is an Athletic Boosters meeting tonight, Jan. 23, at 6:30pm in the media center. Anyone is invited who would like to help with the boosters.