This week Mr. Arbuckle was full of surprise and delights!! He brought his tractor to work and gave hayrides to all students K-8, BUT it wasn't just a hayride. It was a hayride to the playground pumpkin patch donated by Blossom Farms. All of the kids loved it!! What a perfect surprise on a beautiful fall day. However, the surprises did not end there. Mr. Arbuckle and his team brought donuts and milk to all of our K-8 students today. Mr. Arbuckle is incredible and we are so fortunate to have his purple and gold heart on staff!! Not to mention, his amazing team that goes above and beyond to support him and all of the fun - Thank you, Mr. Arbuckle, Ms. Jessica, Mrs. B, Mrs. Stevens, and Damien!!!

Today was Concord Elementary School's 4th Annual Vocabulary Day. Vocabulary Day is the opportunity for our K-5 students to rock their wicked word knowledge. The students selected a word, and then they dress to demonstrate the word. There were so many amazing outfits today!! I think one of the MOST creative was beverage! Way to go Aurora!!!

The high school leadership students planned costumes for a cause this week. Check out the Concord Chronicle article for more information.

On May 12, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education released information for school districts regarding the Federal Communication Commission's Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB). The EBB is a temporary federal program to help eligible families pay for internet service during the pandemic. Households with a child who was approved to receive free or reduced price meals under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or the School Breakfast Program (SBP) during the 2019-2020, 2020-2021, or 2021-2022 school year, including children who attend schools participating in the Community Eligibility Provision, are eligible for the EBB Program. To date, more than 6 million eligible households have enrolled, and approximately $2.5 billion of the $3.1 billion appropriated for the program remain available.

We encourage you to use the resources below to share this opportunity with schools and districts in your networks, whose communities may qualify for the EBB, so they can access these additional resources.

The Department of Education's EBB website has further information about the program. On the website, you will find an introductory letter and “Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQ) document to assist schools in learning about the program and includes strategies for reaching out to their school community about the EBB. The letter and FAQ can also be found at the following website. In addition, an “Outreach Toolkit" with sample templates can be found online.

For the list of qualifying criteria for the EBB program, please see FAQ B-3 on the Department of Education's EBB website. We encourage you to share this opportunity with your colleagues who serve stakeholders who may meet such qualifying criteria.

If interested in your 7th or 8th grader attending the Washington D.C. trip n May, please click the link below. Sunday is the LAST day to sign up for the trip.

www.explorica.com/Smith-2022#.YK-7oT4yqys.link

Pumpkin carving in Biology? Mrs. Fiero’s students were surprised by the Halloween activity.

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Concord Community Schools has worked for the last two years to write their own K-12 Social Emotional Learning (SEL) standards. The work was started after our school board made the commitment to focus on the positive well-being of our students. Written through research to meet the needs of our students and reflect the values of our community the standards include five competency areas: self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, responsible decision making, and social awareness. Each area represents a skill set that is critical to the success of our students here at school and out in the community.

The SEL standards are currently under review by our school board. Review means that the entire board has the opportunity to read the standards, provide feedback, and offer suggestions on the work before adoption. A smaller committee spent several hours discussing and reviewing the standards last week. The standards are now posted on our website. Parents have the opportunity to read them and then have any questions answered at a parent meeting on November 8th at 6 pm in the high school media center. If you have questions, please join us. If you are unable to make the meeting, feel free to call the administrative building and make an appointment for further discussion.

Check out our YellowJackets who excel at exercising their self-control skills!

Self-control means having the ability to stop and think before acting, speaking, or engaging. There are three types of self-control:

1. Impulse Control. An example of impulse control is: sitting and waiting patiently with your hand raised to answer a question in class (instead of blurting out an answer).

2. Emotional Control. An example of emotional control is: taking a deep breath and walking away when someone makes you angry (instead of yelling at them).

3. Movement Control. An example of movement control is: walking in a line in the hallway with your hands by your sides (instead of running or touching everything in the hallway).

First-quarter is over. How have three of our freshmen transitioned to high school successfully? Read Madisyn Barrett’s new article to find out!

Have you liked the Elementary/Middle School Facebook Page? What about the Concord Community Schools Facebook Page??

If you have not yet, this week is a great time to start. The Elementary and Middle schools use the Facebook page to post many updates, announcements, and student photos; the Concord Community Schools page is a great way to see how a YellowJacket week unfolds! Don't miss the news - like and follow the pages today.

Concord Elementary/Middle School Facebook Page

Concord Community Schools Facebook Page

Our district is facing a staffing shortage. We are in need of bus drivers, food service staff members, coaches, and individuals willing to work through EduStaff as Guest Teachers or subs for all of our positions. These staffing shortages are wreaking havoc across the state. If you are interested and able, we would love to have you on our team. Below you will find information about signing up to work as a Guest Teacher through Edustaff along with our fall Guest Teacher Incentive. Further, you can view unfilled positions on our website. If you have any questions, please call one of our offices.

At Jacket Java, on Tuesday Mr. Arbuckle talked about social media and 10 unsafe apps that parents need to be aware of. You can view the recording by following this link. Additionally, you can find more parent resources through this link.

The Food For Thought Backpack Program for Concord will be starting up soon. This program offers FREE wholesome food to students for the weekend. To become a part of the program parents must sign and return the registration form. If you are interested in receiving this free program, stop in the office for the registration form.

Email: rebecca.hutchinson@concordschools.net
Website: www.concordschools.net
Location: 405 South Main Street, Concord, MI, USA
Phone: (517)524-8850