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SARANAC COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
“small school BIG results!”
www.saranac.k12.mi.us
Maury Geiger, Ext. 1413
Superintendent
Beth Simpson, Ext 1103
Co-Jr/Sr High School Principal
Special Education Director
Teri Bergy, Ext.1401
Administrative Assistant
Josh Leader, Ext 1104
Co-Jr/Sr High School Principal
Athletic Director
Jammie Sprank, Ext. 1402
Finance Director
Connie Hamilton, Ext. 1203
Co-Elementary Principal,
Curriculum Director
Chris Updyke, Ext. 1404
Accounts Payable Assistant
Laurie McDiarmit, Ext. 1406
Insurance Benefits Assistant
Jason Smith, Ext. 1204
Co-Elementary Principal
Transportation Director
Shelley Devers, 527-4900 Ext. 1216
Payroll Clerk
John Milewski, (616) 522-1401
Technology Director
Gary Golombisky, ext. 1442
Building & Grounds Director
Dave Erbes, Ext. 1450
Technical Support Specialist
Greg Smith, Ext. 1441
Custodial Director
Mike Beach, Ext. 1452
Auditorium & Technical Support Specialist
Carmen Smith, Ext 1110
Food Service Director
88 Pleasant Street
Saranac, MI 48881
Telephone (616) 642-1400
Fax (616) 642-1405
Curriculum, Instruction, Promoting & Serving our School & Community…
“Did You Know?”
December 23, 2014
Junior Senior High School
 Tracy Dahms and Susann Young are pleased to announce that they both earned a $5000
DuPont Pioneer CASE Grant. The grant will be used to attend the Introduction to
Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources - CASE Institute on July 5 to 15, 2015 and to
purchase the scientific equipment needed to complete the curriculum.
 As we make our way through winter and winter sports seasons, we are bound to run into
scheduling changes due to inclement weather. In the event of a school cancellation, all
junior high and elementary sports practices and games are automatically cancelled.
Decisions will be made regarding high school sports practices and games by 1:00 PM. As
soon as decisions are made, this information will be released to coaches, officials and
staff. It will be passed along to parents as soon as possible thereafter. Your patience and
flexibility are appreciated. Thank you for your support!
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 The robotics team continues to meet weekly on Wednesdays at Harker Middle School to
prepare for the 2015 competition. Students who may be interested in joining should see
Mr. McGee. This really is an impressive undertaking!
 Mock Rock was held Friday. Thank you very much to Mike Beach and Diana Smith for
their roles in producing the event. Thank you to Mr. Leader, Mrs. Young and Mrs.
Helminski for judging the contestants. Kudos to all of the performers. We have a lot of
talented musicians in our building, and it is great to provide a chance for them to
showcase their talents.
 Mr. Terpstra arranged on Wednesday for recent graduates, Gabe Fountain, Briley Harder,
Conner Gregg, and TJ Mitchell, to participate in a panel discussion for the senior class on
transitioning from high school to college life. The college students represented a number
of schools, public and private, community college and universities. Some addressed
campus life, and others presented perspective on commuting. Their comments were well
received by the current senior class.
 Mr. Houston's Drama class will be performing their second play of the semester on
Friday, January 9th. Specific details regarding times will be forthcoming. At this point,
there will be a morning performance for the junior high students and an afternoon
performance for high school students.
 If you are interested in contributing to this year's "Purple Games" to promote cancer
awareness and research, please contact Mandy Mutschler in the Jr/Sr high office at 6421100. This year both varsity boys and girls basketball teams will host games on February
13th vs. St. Pat's.
 For Saranac Jr/Sr High and Saranac Athletics news, follow @saranacleADer on Twitter!
 Christmas break started Friday for Saranac students and staff. School will resume on
Monday, January 5th. The Jr/Sr high office will be closed during this break. Have a
wonderful holiday!
Elementary School Update:
 The fourth graders had a fabulous performance last Monday, December 8. Mrs. Peterson
organized a successful show where students not only entertained their audience with their
song, but also shared poems they had written themselves. Thanks to Mrs. Houston, Mrs.
Brunette, Ms. Gallagher and Mrs. Mutschler for their assistance in making the day go
smoothly and helping students practice their performance.
 We appreciate the generosity of both Pinckney Hill Meats & Michigan One for their cash
donations toward our holiday happenings this year. Their contributions will be distributed
to many Saranac families this season.
 We had five students participate with the “Shop with a Hero” event. Special thanks to our
local law enforcement agencies and Meijer for coordinating the event.
 Kindergarten, Kindergarten learning is shaping up. Students are learning to describe
two-dimensional shapes by talking about their sides, corners/vertices, and other important
features. They have been looking for shapes in their environment and describing their
location using positional words such as above, beside, next to, and below. Excitement is
building over their Polar Express party next Friday. Students are very excited to wear
their pajamas to school!
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 1st Grade, First graders have learned about attributes of 2D and 3D shapes. We have
also explored fractions: one half and one fourth. Creating shape Santas and reindeer has
been especially fun this season. It has been interesting to investigate old photos to learn
about our past in social studies.
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 2 Grade, Did you know that the 2nd graders will have their Christmas party on
Thursday, Dec. 18th from 8 - 9:30 a.m.? No need to get up and get dressed because we
will have a p.j. day! That's right; your 2nd grader can wear his/her favorite jammies to
school! This month may be short but we are still busy learning. In writing, we are
learning about EXPOSITORY WRITING and in Math we are learning about Geometric
Shapes, Fractions and Time. Oh, what a wonderful way to spend our month! We hope
that everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
 3rd Grade, The 3rd graders will be traveling to Lansing on Monday and Tuesday to visit
our state capitol and the Michigan History Museum. Mrs. Reed and Mrs. Rastrell's
classes will be going on Monday. Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Cooper's classes will be going
on Tuesday. Chaperones please arrive at school no later than 8:00 so that the busses can
leave on time. If you are meeting us there, make sure to find out if your child's class is
visiting the museum or the capitol first so you will be in the correct place. Don't forget to
bring a sack lunch as we will be eating at the museum.
 4th Grade, Directed by Mrs. Peterson, the 4th graders performed their “Winter is Here”
musical for the elementary students in the afternoon on Monday and then gave another
marvelous show for their families and friends that night. Several 4th graders wrote winter
themed poems that were performed between songs. All of the songs sounded wonderful,
but the students’ favorite was “Snow Day”. Thank you to Mrs. Peterson and 4th graders
for all your hard work!
 5th Grade, Divide-Divide-Divide. Fifth graders are working very hard on the division
process. In writing, fifth graders are writing persuasive essays on a variety of topics.
Jamestown and the early colonial settlements is our social studies topic. Yankee Candles
should be delivered early next week. Have a happy holiday.
 6th Grade, After looking at many pieces of art that Mr. McGee collected on Pinterest for
them, 6th graders chose a piece that inspired them. Now they are putting their newly
acquired note taking skills to work as they research the artist they chose. With their
information, they will compose essays, highlighting the life and career of the artist. They
will also describe the artwork and give their own personal thoughts about it. Once the
essays are completed, 6th graders will recreate the piece of art or create a piece of their
own inspired by the artist.
 Technology, Did you know that all technology students are learning to code? All classes
and students participated in the Hour of Code. Every student should have the opportunity
to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By
starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path.
 Would you like to get notifications directly to your phone about SNOW DAYS and other
important Elementary School information? If so, sign up to receive instant text messages:
Send text message: @saranacel
To phone number: (772) 228-6034
Your phone number will remain private. Nobody from the school will see or have access
to your phone number.
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Technology Update
 We are looking forward to 2015 as we will be implementing some new technology .A
second batch of Dell Chromebooks has been ordered for the Jr/Sr High (36 additional)
and Elementary (30 additional) Schools. Carts are on order, and the deployment of the
additional Chromebooks should be following shortly after the arrival of the carts.
 Our technology department continues to investigate and evaluate our intermittent network
problems and recently came across an article a network engineer wrote about
troubleshooting network issues. In this article, he cited an example of a network engineer
who was trying to track down a recurring problem where, at a certain time every night,
the complete network would go down and nobody could explain why. He employed
several widely accepted methods of tracking down the issue using technology at hand.
Finally, he decided to visually check all of the cables and wires to see if there was any
revelation of the cause of the problem.
http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/news/2240184346/Troubleshooting-networkproblems-with-good-governance-and-design
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work to resolve this
problem.
District Update:
 Many thanks to our Saranac Promise Committee that continues to meet to bring this
opportunity to all students in our district. The committee has expanded this year and is
working on developing timelines and work groups in specialty areas. The members of the
committee are David Price, Sharon Darby, Nora Ruders, Bruce Chadwick, Cathy Cooper,
Cindy Koerner and Maury Geiger. Please be sure to contact our office at 642-1400 if you
have an interest in assisting in this process and/or have any questions, comments or
suggestions. Thank you!
 Thank you to our Simons and Compagner Grant Committees for granting over
$10,000.00 in funds for several projects, programs and activities throughout our district.
The members of the Simons Committee are Larry Tiejema, Doris Austin, Connie Biggs,
Jean Burton, and Ojar Smits.
The members of the Compagner Committee are Randy Masterson, Margaret Chadwick,
Lynda Neumann, Marilyn Hotchkiss, and Shirley Jackson.
We are very fortunate to have these additional resources available to supplement our
programs and activities.
 Congratulations to the following staff for grants that were approved by the Simons and
Compagner Grant Committees: (The Jenkins committee will be meeting in January.)
Connie Hamilton – Begindergarten
Becky Hoople – Winter field trips for our early childhood special education program
Kelli Thomas – Third grade water safety
Amy McGee – Wireless keyboard & mouse for classroom
Amy Miles – Tie Dye Chemistry for 7th grade Science classes
Hope Helminski – Art class on Teen Screen Printing
Patti Patton – Junior Senior High School woods projects
Spencer Terpstra – College visits
Matt Stauffer – Band uniforms
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Keith Houston – Elmo classroom projector
Sarah Milbratz – Elmo classroom projector
Mandy Mutschler – Purple Game for Cancer research
 With the resignation of an employee in our payroll department approximately a month
ago, we have expanded our partnership with Ionia County ISD to include Payroll. Shelley
Devers was recently hired part-time by the ICISD and is now processing our payroll. Any
payroll questions should be directed to Shelley at 527-4900 ext. 1216 or at
[email protected]. We also have the help and assistance of Kristy Thomas,
Payroll/Benefits Coordinator at ICISD who can be contacted at 527-4900 ext. 1215 or at
[email protected]. Kristy will be able to answer any questions not resolved with
Shelley, and is another resource for us to utilize to make sure we provide exceptional
service in this area. Any insurance benefits questions should be directed to Laurie
McDiarmid. As you may recall, Laurie has been assisting us in the business office since
February of 2014. Laurie and Jammie Sprank are now sharing their time between Saranac
Community Schools and ICISD. As part of this arrangement, Laurie McDiarmid will now
be handling the Insurance Benefits Administration for Saranac Community Schools. Any
questions or changes in your insurance should be directed to Laurie McDiarmid at
Central Office (616) 642-1400, ICISD at 527-4900 ext. 1226 or [email protected]. Jammie will continue to serve our school district as the Finance Director, and
can be reached in our central office at (616) 642-1400, Ext. 1402, at ICISD at 527-4900
Ext. 1275, or at [email protected]. We welcome the new additions to our Saranac
family, and thank them for making a smooth transition in our payroll and benefits
departments. Please contact us if you have any questions. Thank you!
 The PFCU Student-Run School Branch is up and running! Students at all the schools in
Saranac who are members of PFCU can now do their banking transactions at school
every Thursday. Why do we do this? To encourage good savings habits and teach them
about their own money management. These are learned skills and PFCU is happy to have
such a great partnership with the schools that allows our Youth Education Coordinator,
Michelle Phillips, to come to the schools once a week and help kids make deposits.
Students can earn prizes just for saving and can enter fun contests too. Check out the
School Branch program atwww.pfcu4me.com or contact Michelle at 527-6600 Ext. 1131
or [email protected].
 The YMCA has an opening for the site supervisor after school childcare program held at
Saranac elementary school. The position is for afternoons from 2:30-6:00 PM. Free Y
membership comes with the position. Please contact Kendra North-Proctor @
616.897.5285 for more information. Thank you!
Board Update:
 A special thank you to Judy Tutak-Hill and Dan Lauer who retired from the Saranac
Board of Education. We appreciate your dedication and hard work to provide us with
your great knowledge and wisdom for the students and staff of Saranac Community
Schools.
 The Board approved bills paid from General Fund in the amount of 552,683.20 for
November & December.
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 The Board set January 8, 2015 at 7 p.m. as the Organizational Meeting Date for
Board of Education.
 The Saranac Board of Education approved Superintendent, Maury Geiger’s
evaluation as “Effective” for the 2014-2015 school year.
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Dec 22 – Jan 2 – Holiday Break
Jan 5 – School Resumes
Jan 6 – Pizza Hut Fundraiser – Ionia
Jan 6 – JV/V Boys Basketball @ Dansville – 5:30 pm
Jan 7 – JV/V Girls Basketball – Home – Dansville – 6 pm
Jan 8 – School Board Meeting – 7 pm
Jan 8 – JV Boys & Girls Basketball @ St. Pats – 5:30 pm
Jan 9 – Varsity Boys & Girls Basketball @ St. Pat’s – 5:30 pm
Jan 12 – BaSE Parent Meeting – 6-7 pm @ Elementary School
Jan 19 – No School – Staff Workday
December Staff Birthdays
Connie Hamilton
12/7
Amy McGee
12/7
Maureen Jorgensen
12/14
Rob Koerner
12/15
Kate Hardy
12/23
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January Staff Birthdays
Abbigail Hale
1/6
Spencer Terpstra
1/8
Teri Brunette
1/12
Diana Smith
1/12
John Mileski
1/13
Nancy Mutschler
1/14
Lori Visser
1/15
Joel Manion
1/18
Ann Newell
1/20
E. Beth Kelly
1/24
Craig Rolfe
1/24
Cathy Cooper
1/25
Terrie Abel
1/28
Barb VanPolen
1/28
John Stewart
1/29
Kelli Thomas
1/29
Liz Callihan
1/31
Mike McGee
1/31
Be sure to go to the website for more important dates and athletic schedules.
Please e-mail Teri by Thursday of each week if you would like to share a “Did You Know.”
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