The Gladiator Gazette

The new school year is officially underway, and we are excited to have our students back in the buildings! There is nothing better than seeing classrooms, hallways and playgrounds filled with students and staff as we begin another year of learning and growing together. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as our transportation team works through the first days of school. With new routes, new drivers and new routines, it can take a little time for schedules to settle in. Thank you for your flexibility as our drivers and students become familiar with their routes and we make adjustments where needed.

We are looking forward to a great school year and appreciate the continued support and partnership of our families. If you have questions or concerns throughout the year, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s building principal or school office—we are always here to help. We also want to thank all of the families who shared their back-to-school photos with us! We loved seeing the smiles, first-day outfits and excitement as students headed back to school. Thank you for helping us kick off another great year!

Fowlerville Community Schools (FCS) continues to strengthen academic opportunities for students by carefully selecting and piloting programs that support deeper learning and stronger classroom experiences. This year, students in grades K–6 are piloting Magnetic Literacy, which is included on the Michigan Department of Education’s approved literacy list. Students in grades 6–8 are piloting OpenSciEd, and our grades 9–12 math classrooms are piloting Building Thinking Classrooms. In addition, all K–8 students are now learning with i-Ready Classroom Mathematics, which was approved by the district last year.

These programs are designed to do more than provide students with new books or materials. They give students more opportunities to think deeply, solve problems, make connections, explain their ideas and learn from one another. They have also received strong reviews from independent organizations, giving us confidence that students are working with high-quality, appropriately challenging materials that support what they are expected to learn.

Across all of these efforts, our goal is the same: classrooms where students are active participants in their learning. We want students reading, writing, discussing, questioning, problem-solving and explaining their thinking—not simply completing assignments. By continuing to improve both what we teach and how students experience learning, we are working to provide every FCS student with a more engaging and rigorous education.

Fowlerville Community Schools continues to strengthen emergency preparedness across the district. On August 14, school and district administrators, along with office staff, participated in hands-on training on new trauma kits that will be placed throughout all district buildings.

Members of the Fowlerville Fire Department provided instruction on how the kits are used in an emergency, including the proper application of tourniquets and chest seals. The training gave staff an opportunity to practice with the equipment and better understand how to respond while emergency personnel are on the way.

We are grateful to the Fowlerville Fire Department for sharing their expertise and continued partnership with FCS. School safety depends on preparation, strong procedures, and community partnerships, and this training was another important step in that ongoing work.

Fowlerville Community Schools continues to complete and close out the remaining 2021 Bond projects. Most of the major construction is complete, with the remaining work focused on several final projects, punch-list items and warranty-related work across the district.

This summer, work at the former Smith Elementary School, now the Little Glad Early Childhood Center, included additional fencing, playground updates, updated signage and other smaller exterior and site improvements.

At Kreeger Elementary, contractors installed air conditioning in the music room and a classroom, completing work in areas that were not included in the original project design.

At the former Munn site, final grading and landscaping are ongoing. Seeding is planned for after Labor Day to complete restoration of the property. Because the site is still being restored, please do not park on the former Munn property during upcoming home football games. Vehicles could damage the grading and landscaping and interfere with establishment of the newly seeded areas.

Several smaller projects are also scheduled for this fall, including the installation of three windows at Central Office, water main work near the high school and former Munn site, additional exterior painting at Smith and updated wayfinding signs that reflect the changes to Smith and the demolition of Munn.

Once this work is complete, the district will work with the Asset Management Committee, Board of Education and our construction team to determine whether any surplus 2021 Bond funds remain. If funds are available, the district will prioritize additional allowable projects based on the remaining balance.

As we bring the 2021 Bond program to a close, we again want to thank the community for its support and investment in Fowlerville Community Schools. Your commitment has made these improvements possible and will benefit our students, staff and families for years to come.

Fowlerville Community Schools was proud to recognize our 2026–2027 Building Teachers of the Year and Department Support Staff Persons of the Year during our Welcome Back program on August 18.

Our Building Teachers of the Year are Tammy Woodward, Fowlerville Elementary-kindergarten; Karissa Olson, Natalie Kreeger Elementary-third grade; Amy Jarvis, Fowlerville Junior High-seventh and eighth-grade English; and Brooke Esch, Fowlerville High School-special education.

Our Department Support Staff Persons of the Year are Steven Quigley, Recreation Department assistant; Jamie Gendron, Fowlerville Junior High administrative assistant; Brad Brus, Fowlerville High School social worker; Rhonda Ward, Fowlerville Elementary custodian; Jennifer Smith, bus driver; and Craig Williams, Fowlerville High School building substitute.

These staff members represent the many different roles it takes to support students and families across FCS each day. We appreciate their commitment, professionalism, and the difference they make for our schools. Congratulations to each of our honorees.

The Class of 2027 started the school year by creating a new tradition at Fowlerville High School—Senior Parking Spot Painting! Seniors brought their creativity to life as they designed and painted their own parking spaces, creating a colorful and memorable addition to our school community.

More than just painting parking spaces, the event gave our seniors, families and staff an opportunity to come together, have fun and make lasting memories. A special thank you to all of the volunteers and family members who generously gave their time and energy to help make the event such a success. Your support made a difference and helped create an experience our seniors will remember.

Great memories were made, and a new tradition was born. Gladiator pride at its finest!

The 2026-2027 school year officially kicked off this week, and our Special Education team is energized and ready for an incredible year. Before students arrived, our special education teachers, paraprofessionals and related service staff gathered for a comprehensive back-to-school training session to ensure we are providing the highest level of care and instruction.

Our professional development focused on equipping our team with the most up-to-date tools to support our students, including:

• IEP Development: Crafting high-quality, individualized education programs tailored to meet each student's unique goals and learning needs.

• De-escalation Strategies: Proactive, student-centered techniques to foster calm, positive and supportive classroom environments.

• Medical Training: Essential health protocols to ensure the physical safety and daily well-being of every student in our care.

• Legal Updates: Reviewing the latest state and federal guidance to ensure full compliance and best practices in our special education programming.

• Child Find: Refreshing our district procedures to proactively identify, locate and evaluate children in our community who may need specialized educational support.

We are fully committed to creating an inclusive, safe, and empowering environment for all of our learners. Thank you for entrusting us with your students—we look forward to a fantastic year of partnering with families!!

Fall athletics are underway, with all teams except football having already played. Soccer is off to a great start, winning their first two games. Boys tennis picked up a great non-conference win over Fenton, while girls golf has already found its first jamboree winner in program history in Brynn Goulding. All three levels of girls volleyball are already in the win column. Football starts this week with the Junior Varsity (JV) squad headed to Lansing Waverly tonight and the Varsity team hosting Lansing Waverly on Thursday.

Please remember all Fowlerville High School and Fowlerville Junior High concession stands will be cashless. Purchases must be made with a credit card or Apple Pay. Cash will still be accepted for admission/entry to all home athletic events.

It's been a great start to the school year and we are excited to be back. We wanted to share a few reminders with Fowlerville Junior High families:

• Morning drop-off for students should be done in the circle drive at Door 11 or the south parking lot at Door 14. Please do not use the teacher lot on the east side of the building or the lot on the northwest side of the building at Door 1.
• All students should now have received their Chromebooks, so please talk with your student about safe and proper usage outside of school, as well as establish a routine to ensure the device is fully charged each morning when they come to school.
• Yondr pouches have been issued to each student and they are expected to be used if a Personal Communication Device (PCD), such as a cellphone, is brought to school with them. PCDs are not allowed between 7:30 AM and 2:12 PM. Once students have passed a Yondr pouch unlocking station after 2:12 PM, they will have access to them.
• All students must be picked up or be with an adult by 2:30 PM each day.

• 27 - First home Varsity Football game vs. Waverly, 7:00 PM

• 1 - School Picture Day at Fowlerville Junior High
• 2 - School Picture Day at Fowlerville High School
• 4 - No School
• 7 - No School, Labor Day
• 11 - Military Night at home Varsity Football Game, 7:00 PM
• 17-18 - School Picture Days at Little Glad Early Childhood Center
• 25 - Homecoming, Parade at 5:30 PM, Football Game at 7:00 PM vs. Lansing Eastern
• 30 (and October 1) - K-12 Parent Teacher Conferences, 5:00-7:30 PM