TCS News to Know

As you settle into the school year, remember that communication with the school and your child's teacher is very important! Here are three great ways to contact your child's teacher:

1. E-MAIL - The most efficient way is to send an email. This allows teachers to respond when they are available. All teachers have an email address that is available online at https://www.tekonshaschools.org/district/district_personnel (or go to homepage, and under District, select District Personnel).
2. PHONE CALL - All teachers also have an extension that can be accessed on this same page. Parents can call and leave a voicemail for a teacher to respond to when they are available.
3. SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT - Call your child's main building office and request a parent meeting. This allows the teacher to set a time that is convenient for both parties. Please remember that drop in visits to see teachers are not allowed.

All elementary teachers also have a Class Dojo account to relay specific information. High school and middle school teachers also have Google Classrooms for their classes, and parents can be added to be able to view assignments.

In order to protect the safety of all students, we want to remind parents that no individuals other than students and school employees should be in the school hallways, before, during, or after school. Any visitor to the school MUST check in to the office, and must be escorted to their destination. Thank you for your help with this!

The week of September 14-18 will be Homecoming Week at Tekonsha Community Schools! Thank you to our Student Council for selecting the theme for the floats and our cheerleaders for the dress up days!

All students in grades K-12 are encouraged to participate in dress up days to show their school spirit. On Friday, September 18, all of our fall athletes, along with the band, will do a walk-through at the elementary to kick off Homecoming Day! Middle school and high school students will have the morning to work on class banners and floats, followed by a spirit assembly led by the student council, and ending with a parade through town starting at 2:15 pm. The game will begin at 7 pm, followed by the Homecoming Dance for high school students, sponsored by the sophomore class. It's going to be a fun week! If you have questions about your student's class float or banner construction meetings, please reach out to their class advisor!

• 6th Grade - Mrs. Chloe Butler
• 7th & 8th Grade - Mr. Mitchell Duda
• 9th Grade - Mr. Chris Wozniak
• 10th Grade - Ms. Barb Calhoun
• 11th Grade - Miss Katie Butler
• 12th Grade - Mr. Ben Kinnison

Tekonsha Community Schools is a Title I district. This means that our school receives federal funding through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to provide programming that is designed to:

• help students achieve academic success in reading and math;

• provide support for children learning English as a second language;

• increase student achievement in schools with a high economically disadvantaged population;

• increase teacher efficacy through research-based professional learning opportunities;

• support parents’ ability to help their children succeed through quality parental involvement and learning.

To promote student success, we offer the following Title I supported programs:

• free breakfast and lunch for all students

• small group and individual instruction
  

• intervention support in reading (K-5)

• intervention support in math (K-5)

• academic support in ELA & Math (6-12)

• computer-based learning opportunities for remediation and advancement

Parent partnership is another important element of student success. Each year, Title I schools hold a parent meeting to develop ideas for family engagement and provide information about Title I. Our meeting usually takes place on the evening of the Back-to-School Open House. All parents are invited to attend the meeting and provide input.

We didn't have a large attendance at our annual meeting, so we wanted to try to get more input via a survey from families to help plan our family engagement activities. The input provided last year from this survey did help drive the program planning for 2025-2026. We again need your input for this school year! The family engagement activities are for families to engage in fun academic and enrichment activities outside the regular school day. This survey is available at the link below!

Additional information about Title I services, parental rights, and family engagement can be found on our website, www.tekonshaschools.org under Departments and Curriculum & Instruction. If you have any questions about our Title I programming, please contact Mrs. JoEllen O’Keefe or Mrs. Aryn Henry.

Tekonsha Community Schools is excited to announce that we are partnering with the Tekonsha South Michigan Food Bank Affiliate to bring the Backpack Program to our students!

According to smfoodbank.org, "Children who receive free or reduced cost school lunches often go home unsure if there will be enough to eat for dinner or over the weekend. No child should have to worry about whether they’ll have enough to eat. The Backpack Program sends nonperishable meal packages home with students in low-income households so they have access to food over the weekends and school breaks. Each package contains enough food for four meals."

Sample items that are included in the backpack include:

• macaroni and cheese
• instant oatmeal
• shelf-stable milk
• juice
• packaged fruit
• packaged vegetables
• canned meals

We have secured funding to begin the program with food sent home once a month. We are hoping to increase funding to allow for weekly distribution. At this time, we are asking families that are interested in participating in this program to sign the interest form below. This will allow us to more accurately plan! Our goal is to have this started within a couple of weeks! Anyone is eligible!

In remembrance and memorial to those that lost their lives on 9/11, both Tekonsha Elementary and Tekonsha Jr/Sr. High will hold a moment of silence on Friday, September 11. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks that resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 men, women, and children and impacted countless other families and loved ones.

The 2026-27 Student Handbook and Athletic Handbook can be downloaded by clicking the links below. You can also find them on the district website at www.tekonshaschools.org.

Due to the nature of our bus runs, our pick-up and drop-off times may vary a little. The bus driver will be responsible for bringing to attention any significant route time variations.

• Please have your child waiting at the bus stop 5 minutes before bus arrival. Dress them warm if needed.

• Also, if the driver cannot see a student waiting at the designated stop, they may choose to simply slow down and pass the stop or, stop briefly and continue on so that the schedule will not be thrown off.

Many of our student stops are in rural settings. This means that your child’s bus stop may or may not be close to other stops. Our drivers will utilize the best route based on the students who will ride each run.

• Please contact the bus transportation department NO LATER THAN 5:30 am if you know your student(s) will not be picked up in the morning. You may leave a message anytime at our #: (517) 767-4121 (ext. 350).

• You may also call at any time to give the bus driver(s) a schedule of your student’s ride days in advance. Many of the parents do, and it is appreciated.

One of the surest ways of making sure your child arrives safely at their destination, is knowing where your child is at all times. Unless it is an emergency, please make sure your route bus driver knows who will be picking your child up from the drop-off. This should be documented on a student transportation information form.

• If they are 11 years or over and have permission to walk home by themselves, or be left at a location where there is no responsible adult present, make sure the driver is aware.

• Our drivers will NOT drop off a kindergartner or preschooler without a responsible person being visibly present.

Much of our pick-up and drop-off times are during the hours when it’s dark outside. Many of our stops along the routes are not well lit. It can be difficult to see a person standing or walking close to the side or rear of the bus.

• Please have your student/s stand back 10-15 feet from where the bus will stop. Once the bus comes to a stop the student may approach the bus.

• Additionally, some drivers choose to drive with the interior lights on. If you see the bus lights on, it does not mean that there is a problem.

Please keep your bus driver informed of any changes to your regular schedule or contact information.

• If your student is going to be absent from being picked up at their normal time and place, for more than 3 consecutive days, please notify the bus office or driver. If no communication is made, the bus will no longer include this stop on their regular route unless otherwise notified.

• If you have address or phone number changes, please call the bus office and leave a message regarding the change if needed. Bus Phone Line: 517-767-4121, ext. 350

Thank you for your help in keeping our riders safe!

If you ordered a 2025-26 yearbook, they are available to pickup in the HS office! If you did not order one but would still like to, it's not too late! Orders placed now will be mailed directly to you! See all of the information below! We do have a very limited number of books at the school that can be purchased and picked up immediately! Call the HS office at 517-767-4121 ext. 100 for more info.

Be sure to check out the 2026-27 Calendar to know all of the important dates for this school year. Please click on the picture below to download a copy!

Breakfast and lunch menus for both the elementary and the MS/HS are now available on the website! Click on the links below to access these. Breakfast is available for FREE for all students and is served in the elementary from 7:50 - 8:25 am (times vary by grade) and in the MS/HS from 7:50 - 8:00 am. Lunch is also available for FREE for all students, served from 11:00 am - 12:10 pm in the elementary (times vary by grade). In the HS, lunch is served from 10:45 - 11:11 am and from 11:41 - 12:06 pm for the MS.

• Breakfast Menu
• Lunch Menu

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We want to hear from you! At the end of each weekly newsletter, we will have a link to a comment box. This is a way for you to share comments or concerns directly with administration. We also love to hear positive feedback! You can share anonymously or include your name and phone number for a follow up!

Website: www.tekonshaschools.org
Location: 245 South Elm Street, Tekonsha, MI, USA
Phone: 517-767-4121
Facebook: facebook.com/TekonshaCommunitySchools