ECA News: The Inside Scoop

The first full week of the school year was extra busy this week - with Curriculum Night being a highlight on Thursday. We had a wonderful turnout, and (despite some very irritating technical difficulties) a LOT of information was shared throughout the night. HERE is the slideshow from the first part of the evening, which includes the slides from Officer Elliott. See below for some pics of the event and other goings-on this week.

I have some difficult news this week. It is with deep sadness that I share that our Graduate Assistant, Brandy Surrall, suddenly passed away just prior to the start of school. She had been in the final term of her Master’s Degree in Africology and African-American Studies, and had planned to facilitate two sections of Applied Studies. Through her friends and professors in the Africology department, we learned that her family has a GoFundMe to raise funds for a burial near her family in Florida. We have also heard from friends and loved ones that she really valued her work at the ECA–and I know that she was a caring mentor for several of the students she got to know in Winter term last year. Though she was only with us for a few months, we are so shocked and sad at the news of her passing, and we miss her.

I am mindful that this news may hit hard for some students. If you are (or your student is) struggling, please reach out to our counseling team: Ms. Fountain (fountain@earlycollegealliance.info) or Ms. Squirewell (squirewell@earlycollegealliance.info).

I also must share that our School Social Worker, Mr. Clark, tendered his resignation in order to pursue a bit of a different pathway - with younger children - in the education space. We will certainly miss his empathetic listening ear and disarming (and often silly) personality.

Next week, we have the first ECA Pi meeting of our year on Thursday at 6pm in the King Lounge. I look forward to seeing lots of families there–followed by the Homecoming tailgate on Saturday.

I wish you a peaceful weekend,

~Dr. Fischer

• Monday, Sept. 15th -- Signup deadline for PSAT/NMSQT
• Thursday, Sept. 18th -- Pizza Thursday!
• Thursday, Sept. 18th, 6-7:30pm -- Monthly ECA Pi (Parent/Guardian Involvement) Meeting
• Saturday, Sept. 20th -- ECA PI’s Tailgate party at EMU's Homecoming Football Game!
• Thursday, Sept. 25th -- Pizza Thursday!
• Thursday, Sept. 25th, 3:45-5pm -- Unity in the Community & Club Rush Event for ALL students to celebrate our diverse student body and learn about ways to be involved!
• Monday, Oct. 6th -- Teacher Work Day (no ECA High School Classes) & Half Day CLICK Seminar (and school pictures taken) for Ms. Fountain's students (9s, 10s, and NEW 11s)
• Tuesday, Oct. 7th -- Soft Skills Review Day (no ECA High School Classes or CLICK activities)
• Wednesday, Oct. 8th - Friday, Oct. 10th -- Student-Led Conferences for 9s, 10s, NEW 11s, & any student with ECA classes or in their first full-time EMU semester (no ECA High School Classes or CLICK activities, conferences by appointment with CORE Advisors)
• Saturday, Oct. 11th -- PSAT/NMSQT
• Monday, Oct. 13th - Friday, Oct. 17th -- EMU Fall Break (NO EMU Classes; ECA is in Session)
• Thursday, Oct. 16th -- Pizza Thursday!
• Thursday, Oct. 16th, 6-7:30pm -- Monthly ECA Pi (Parent/Guardian Involvement) Meeting

Curriculum Night Pics (#1)

Click HERE to see the menu for next week.

ECA Breakfast and Lunch Information:

• Students will not need to order meals ahead of time. They can just come to King 122 and pick them up.

• If a student forgets their lunch or needs a meal for whatever reason but doesn’t usually pick up, they can still come to King 122 and pick up a meal. I will have extras.

• Meals are free for all ECA students this year.

• Breakfasts can be picked up in King 122. Breakfast will be served between 8am and 9am unless the student makes other arrangements with Mrs. Dace.

• Lunch can be picked up in King 122. Academy Lunch (9th grade) is at 12:30. Everyone else’s lunch is at 11:50.

• All meals are pork-free. All meals are free of peanut products.

• Gluten-free and other special diet needs require a physician-signed form. (Contact Mrs. Dace to get the form.)

• Soy milk does not require a physician's signature, but a parent/guardian needs to request soy milk (contact Mrs. Dace to get the form).

Please email Mrs. Dace (dace@earlycollegealliance.info) for any breakfast or lunch questions!

We had lots of absences due to colds and the like, so we want to remind everyone of the absence procedures. As soon as you know your child will be absent, please email our Attendance Office at attendance@earlycollegealliance.info or call 734-487-7882. If you leave a message, please state the reason your child will be absent. We need to be notified by parents, not just students. The attendance calls are automatic. If you have emailed or called to report your child’s absence, you can disregard the call. If you have not reported the absence, the call can be a reminder to do so.

If your student needs to leave campus early for any reason, we need 2 things:

• Contact with a parent/guardian
• The student needs to come by the Main Office in King 221 to sign out. Students need to sign out each time they leave campus early, even if they leave early on multiple days.

We have masks and Covid tests available if you need them.

Curriculum Night Pics (#2)

Over the weekend - Roland Toole & Parents in Urinetown (the Musical); Fidel Castro & Stefy Cardonas-Palacios on the canon at EMU's football game; PE students enjoying the gorgeous fall weather; Mr. Meadows' office hours under the Oak Tree; & classroom/campus pics this week!

Make your way to Pizza Thursday on Thursdays during both ECA lunch periods from 11:50-1:00 in King Hall's MC Lounge (across from the main office, room 221).

Our first Pizza Thursday of the school year is September 18th! 😋

Enjoy HOT Little Caesars Pizza with other ECA students! To participate in Pizza Thursday, you must first buy a Punch Card:

• Punch Cards are $5 (cash only, please!) and are always available in Mrs. Jackson’s office (221 King).
• Each Punch Card is good for any 5 items (a slice of pizza, canned pop, water, or candy). We will have cheese and cheese/pepperoni pizza from Little Caesars.
• Punch Cards with remaining punches can be saved for use at a later date.
• Payment for Punch Cards must be made in full at the time of purchase.
• You must have a Punch Card to participate in Pizza Thursday.

Please note that pizza is on a first-come, first-served basis. If a student does not get pizza, they can see Mrs. Dace in King 122 for options from the food pantry.

Turn in your fully punched pizza cards for a chance to win a FREE pizza punch card, drawn monthly!

PARENTS/GUARDIANS! We need help picking up pizza (less than 5 minutes from campus) and serving pizza. If you have just over an hour to spare (or 30 minutes for pickup), please consider signing up to help with Pizza Thursday - CLICK HERE! Thanks in advance for your support!!

Email Mrs. Jackson (jackson@earlycollegealliance.info) with any questions.

Students and Parent/Guardians: The following items are CLICK assignments; please be sure you/your student has turned them in!

• Handbook Signature Page (very last page)
• Educational Benefits Form

Both forms can be turned in to your Counselor, Core Advisor, or the Main Office. Paper copies are available outside of the Main Office (King 221).

Academy, Returning Academy, and First-Year Students

Greetings students, I hope that you have had a great start to the new school year thus far!

Just a few reminders:

• The CLICK canvas class is now available, and you should have received your invite to accept the class. If you have not, please let me know asap.

• The first assignment on Canvas, Academic and Personal goals, is due on Friday, Sep 26, 2025

• Please make sure you are reading the weekly Monday morning announcement that I send through Canvas. It details important and relevant information for all my students.

• Mandatory semester meetings with me will start the week of September 15th. See my office hour availability in the weekly Monday morning announcement.

Local Mental Health Resources

September is National Suicide Prevention Month

#Changingthenarrativeonsuicide

#YouareneverAlone

Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to stop by my office, 327 King, or email me at fountain@earlycollegealliance.info.

Juniors, Seniors, and Scholars

I hope your fall semester is off to a good start….stay focused!!

• Your first C.L.I.C.K assignments (Back to School Kickoff Activity, the signed Acknowledgement Page from the Student/Parent Handbook, and the completed Education Benefits form) are due by September 12th, 2025. The completed forms can be dropped off in the main office 221 King. If you did not attend the Back-to-School Kickoff, you will receive zeros for the first 3 CLICK assignments.

• All CANVAS C.L.I.C.K classes are now available!!! Students should check their Canvas for the class invitation and accept it.

• Semester Meetings will begin September 15th, 2025. Please schedule your meeting sooner rather than later!

• The Senior Packages order form will be available soon….stay tuned!

Local Mental Health Resources

September is National Suicide Prevention Month

YOU Matter!!!

#Changingthenarrativeonsuicide

#YouareneverAlone

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me at squirewell@earlycollegealliance.info

All books are ordered online via yearbookforever.com. Please email Mr. Priest (priest@earlycollegealliance.info with questions.

ECA Pi is an organization run by parents, family & guardians of ECA students to support and promote the ECA Program and its students. The ECA Parent Involvement group meets monthly, and all parents/guardians are welcome to join.

Mark your calendars for the first ECA Pi meeting of the school year on Thursday, September 18th, from 6-7:30 pm in King Hall’s MC Lounge, across from the main office (room 221). For more information about ECA PI, please email eca.pi.emu@gmail.com.

Join the ECA Parents & Guardians Facebook Group for this school year! CLICK HERE to join - you must answer both questions, and the password this year is "Tenacity".

Tailgating with ECA & ECA PI! 🏈🏈

If you have any tailgate questions, please email Sherry at sherryv@med.umich.edu. Please email ECA PI (eca.pi.emu@gmail.com) for all other questions.

EMU Mental Health Task Force and Washtenaw County Mental Health Department Collab

The EMU Mental Health Task Force has been working with the Washtenaw County Mental Health Department to build partnerships with their support services and service providers within the county. This fall, they will also begin "Wish You Knew-EMU, a marketing campaign to accompany our "We Care" campaign, which include monetary research opportunities for participants.

Private Music Lessons from ECA Alumna

ECA graduate Natalie Copeland is offering private music lessons at her studio. If you or your student is interested, see below!

Copeland Studios is proud to offer music lessons and workshops for all ages and proficiencies through Washtenaw and Wayne counties!

Currently, we have our fall open house ongoing until September 10. Stop in or check out the listed flier to register for a free trial lesson. We specialize in:

• Piano
• Voice
• Strings
• Guitar
• Woodwind
• Composition
• And more!

Let's share a universal language together!

UACDC Suit-Up Event – Save Up to 45% on Professional Attire

Job Seekers: Get ready to build your professional wardrobe at our semesterly Suit-Up event hosted by the University Advising & Career Development Center in partnership with JCPenney!

Event Details
Location: JCPenney – Briarwood Mall | 100 Briarwood Circle | Ann Arbor, MI
Date: Sunday, September 14th
Time: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

EMU Table: Pick up your coupon and event instructions in the Men's Department, located at the South Entrance behind the U of M tent.

Students (and staff) will receive up to 45% off professional clothing, shoes, and accessories—perfect for career fairs, interviews, internships, and more! Career staff will be on-site to offer tips and answer your questions about professional dress. CLICK HERE to see the flyer.

Back to School Vaccine and Lead Testing Clinics

Get your kids caught up on their vaccines during these special clinic hours! Childhood vaccines and lead testing will be available. Parents/guardians may also get vaccinated. Call 734-544-6700 to schedule an appointment! *Note: We currently don't have COVID-19 vaccines available, and we likely won't have them in time for the 9/20 clinic. TBD for the 10/25 clinic.

• Saturday, September 20: Appointments available from 9am - 2pm. Walk-ins from 9am to 1pm will be accommodated as much as possible, but appointments have priority.
• Saturday, October 25: Appointments available from 9am - 2pm. Walk-ins from 9am to 1pm will be accommodated as much as possible, but appointments have priority.

We can vaccinate those with Medicaid, Medicare, Washtenaw Health Plan, BCBS, and those with no insurance. Please bring your insurance card if you have one. Waiver appointments will not be available during these clinics. See event flyers in English and Spanish (PDF).

Youth Tech Fest — Black Tech Saturdays

Please visit https://www.blacktechsaturdays.com/des25-youth for more information.

U of M's Girls Who Code Club

We are looking for applicants for our 2025-2026 UM DCMB Girls Who Code Club! Our free club provides a supportive environment for 9th-12th graders to learn how to code. Our curriculum is focused on data analysis with Python, where participants will learn core coding concepts and apply their new skills to a data science project of their choosing. We do not expect applicants to have any prior coding knowledge.

We will meet weekly on Tuesdays, September 16th, 2025 - April 28th, 2026 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in-person at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor Central Campus. Here is the application link with more information! Priority will be given to those who apply by September 9th. However, we will accept applications up until the second day of club (September 23rd, 2025).

A2Y Chamber YpsiTasty Grub Crawl/Shop Local Event

It’s that time of year! We hope you will join us again this year for YpsiTasty! Every year it just gets better and better and that’s because of you, our participating restaurants, and retail establishments who look forward to welcoming you into their place of business.

Please CLICK HERE for a list of participating restaurants/shops and more information.

Ann Arbor - Skyline: HERE is a link to Skyline's weekly newsletter, where you will find a lot of info about building-level things that ECA students don't need to worry about--but also information about:

• Athletics
• Homecoming
• Theater Auditions

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Dexter: HERE is a link for updates for ECA-Dexter students.

Lincoln: Our Homecoming Dance will be on Saturday, September 27th, from 7-10 p.m. in the East Gym.

Tickets - Tickets will be available for online purchase until 12 p.m. on September 26th, 2025. Tickets will be unavailable for purchase after the purchase window closes - no exceptions. No admittance will be allowed at the dance if you have not pre-purchased a ticket.

Homecoming Dance Guest Pass - You can pick up a guest pass in the Main Office, and a digital version of it is included here as well. If you opt to bring a guest who does not attend LHS, be sure that you read the form carefully and that it is turned in fully completed by 3 p.m. on September 24th. No late submissions will be accepted. Also, outside guests must have a digital ticket purchased to gain entry to the event.

If you have questions, please email Ms. Melcher (melcher@lincolnk12.org).

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Milan: Milan Dance Guest Pass