June 2: McKinley Graduation, 7 p.m. McKinley Academy  (1010 Huron Street)
June 3: LHS Spotlight Choir, 7 p.m., LHS Auditorium
June 9: Last Day of School - no students/ staff in afternoon
June 10: Lincoln High Graduation, 1-3 p.m. Lincoln HS Bowl
June 20-July 1: Summer Session 1
July 11-22: Summer Session 2

Summer Professional Development

MPSD teaching and support staff, as well as administrators, have summer professional learning opportunities. See this chart of summer PD.

See District Calendar of Events and 2016-17 School Year Calendar

Front row: Angela Janda, Marianne Haag, Bonnie Tennie, Kathy Lemberger. Row 2: Paul (Biff) Hansen, Lindy Backus, Charles Kurth, Patricia Garceau, Jill Cavanaugh, Trudy LeClair, Mary Wilhelm. Row 3: Clayton Nei, Susan DeRoche, Gene Schnelle, Marlene Mangin, Steve Kleinfeldt, Susan Krey, Anne Swanson. Not present: Barb Bundy-Jost, Sandra Maedke, Steven Metzger, Cheryl Breitenfeldt, Cheryl Gorsuch, Carol Haas, Bonnie Noworatzky, Jeff Schulz and Amalie Wardman.

Congratulations to our retirees who were honored at a May 11 Quarter Century Club/Retiree Dinner. Thank you for your service! Read more about them here and in a  Herald Times Reporter story.

• Lindy Backus - 16 years, Kindergarten teacher at Riverview
• Cheryl Breitenfeldt - 30 years, library media managerat Riverview
• Barb Bundy-Jost -28 years, art teacher at Jefferson, Washington and Lincoln
• Susan DeRoche - 30 years, math teacher at Lincoln
• Cheryl Gorsuch - 17 years, English teacher at Lincoln
• Marianne Haag - 24 years, CDS aide at Jackson
• Carol Haas - 12 years, special education aide at Lincoln
• Paul (Biff) Hansen - 38 years, assistant principal at Lincoln
• Angela Janda -15 years, second grade teacher at Jackson
• Susan Krey - 18 years, teacher at Monroe
• Steven Kleinfeldt - 26 years, principal at Jackson
• Charles Kurth - 35 years, head custodian at Lincoln
• Trudy LeClair -21 years, teacher at Monroe
• Marlene Mangin - 22 years, custodian at Riverview
• Steven Metzger - 25 years, custodian at Lincoln
• Clayton Nei - 15 years, tech ed teacher at Washington, Wilson and Lincoln
• Bonnie Noworatzky - 24 years, secretary at Jefferson
• Gene Schnelle - 17 years, math and science teacher at Washington, Wilson and Lincoln
• Jeff Schulz - 20 years, district Buildings and Grounds Director
• Anne Swanson - 19 years, early childhood and 4K teacher at Riverview
• Amalie Wardman - 13 years, ESL assistant at Jefferson
• Mary Wilhelm - 26 years, Chapter 1 home visitor at Riverview

Please extend a warm welcome to Duane Simmons, the newly hired Principal of Jackson Elementary School and Jason Bull, district Director of Teaching, Learning and Assessment. Both have demonstrated quality leadership and skills and are very talented individuals. They will be assets to our school district and the community.

Bull will focus on all aspects of improving student learning and coordinate the district's standardized testing program, including analysis, interpretation and reporting requirements. He most recently served as Principal of Sheboygan North High School and holds District Administrator and Professional Coaching for Leaders certifications, as well as a master's degree in educational leadership.

Simmons returns to MPSD to lead Jackson Elementary after two years as Principal of Sheboygan Central High School. He previously served as a guidance counselor at MPSD for Lincoln High School and Monroe and Stangel Elementary Schools. Simmons holds Principal Licensure certification and a master's degree in K-12 school counseling.

Read more in the Herald Times Reporter

Congratulations to Luke Smith, seventh grade student at Wilson Jr. High, Coreen Trainor, Special Education Paraprofessional at Jefferson Elementary School, Jenny Hinz, MPSD School Nurse, and Lee Thennes, Wilson Jr. High School Principal for winning awards from The Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services, WCASS. Joining them in the photo are Wendy Smith, Wilson Parent, on the far left and Stacie Cihlar, Jefferson Principal, on the far right. They each nominated two of the winners. Thank you for all you do for MPSD Students. You deserve this recognition.

Contract reminder: Please return your contract by June 15, 2016. If we do not receive your contract by then, your position will be posted on June 16th.  Thank you!

WRS Retirement Seminars: The Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) is conducting "Group Appointment" retirement seminars at the Manitowoc County Job Center on Wednesday, August 10 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. and on Thursday, August 11 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Topics covered include the WRS retirement pension, health insurance, life insurance, return-to-work rules and more. WRS members can ask questions of knowledgeable, experienced ETF staff.

Registration is required, and attendees must bring their retirement packet to the session. Call 1-877-533-5020 to register and to receive a packet.

Wellness: Summer time is here! We are all so excited to catch up on our Vitamin D, sometimes we have a tendency to overdo it and get into things that cause us to need special care. If that should occur, here are some home remedies to try.

Ninety-one seniors from the LHS Class of 2016 were recognized at the annual Scholarship and Awards Night May 18, receiving combined scholarships worth a total value of more than $652,600. Seniors received scholarships from the Manitowoc Board of Education, Manitowoc area businesses, four year and technical colleges, and other local community organizations. Seniors also were recognized for their outstanding athletic accomplishments and leadership throughout their participation in various sports.

We celebrate this senior Class of 2016 for their hard work and academic excellence and wish them continued success as they enter their post-secondary education!

See the full list of scholarships and awards

The Board of Education recently awarded plaques to the participants of the Youth Apprenticehip program in appreciation of students' hard work. There were 91 students in the 2015-16 program.

Youth Apprenticeship is a rigorous one- or two-year program that combines academic and technical classroom instruction with mentored paid on-the-job training for juniors and seniors. Students are selected for the program based on their interview, application, attendance and academic records. This program gives students a chance to "try out" a potential career interest before graduation, which often times leads to a promising career.

Read more about Youth Apprenticeships and Career to Work Opportunities

Congratulations to the artists: Cali Blue (Stangel, 3rd Grade), Roxanne Boldt (Franklin, 4th), Khris Conard (Wilson, 8th), Gabby Damian (Lincoln, 11th), Payton Gomez (Jackson, 2nd), Bria Hagenow (Riverview, Kindergarten), Abbey Hamachek (Wilson, 7th), Cecilia Her (Washington, 9th), Ava Levihn (Monroe, 4th), Tristan Mills (Lincoln, 12th), Kali Schmitt (Madison, 4th), Ger Xiong (Washington, 9th) and Rose Yang (Jefferson, 6th).

 

Wilson Student Develops Game App
Wilson Jr. High School ninth grader John Peroutka created a game app for Apple devices called SwingDingz available for download. Read more in Herald Times Reporter

Lincoln Wins Build Competition
A Lincoln High School team's custom-built motorcycle won the 2016 Project Mini-Chopper contest. Three LHS students also each were awarded $500 scholarships. Read more in Herald Times Reporter