The Fancher Flyer

We’re wrapping up October with so much to celebrate! Our students continue to bring great enthusiasm, kindness, and curiosity into the building each day. It’s been wonderful to see them growing as independent learners—taking initiative, staying focused, and showing responsibility both in and out of the classroom. This focus on self-direction is helping them build habits that will serve them well throughout the year.

With some holidays just around the corner, we’re excited for the fun and spirit that this time of year brings! Please help your child be ready for the week ahead by dressing for the changing fall temperatures—layers are always a good choice as mornings start to feel a bit cooler.

As always, if your family needs support in any way, don’t hesitate to reach out!

-Mr. Aquilina

Please use the following link to review the breakfast and lunch menus provided by Southwest Food Services: Breakfast & Lunch

Oct. 31st - Fall Fun Day (See below)

Nov. 3rd - No School - Teacher Professional Development

Nov. 4th - No School - Teacher Professional Development

Mt. Pleasant Public Schools Calendar

Starting October 30th, Fancher Elementary will formally review student attendance data to ensure students are attending school consistently. Following this review, truancy notification letters will be sent to families the week after.

Level I – First Time Reaching the 10% Absence Threshold:
A Level I Truancy Letter will also be sent via email to inform parents/guardians of the concern.
Level II – Second Time Reaching the 10% Absence Threshold:
A Level II Truancy Letter will be sent via email. Additionally, the GIRESD Truancy Officer will contact parents/guardians to schedule a meeting to discuss strategies and set guidelines to improve attendance for the remainder of the school year.
Level III – Third Time Reaching the 10% Absence Threshold:
The GIRESD Truancy Officer will notify the Prosecutor’s Office and provide the necessary information for review.

Please note: If no improvement is made in a student’s attendance, the levels will progress, with additional interventions and notifications occurring at each stage.

Fancher Elementary appreciates your support in helping ensure students attend school regularly and succeed academically.

Introduction

Officer Leonard has served with the Mt. Pleasant Police Department (MPPD) for 3.5 years and brings 17 years of law enforcement experience. He began his career in 2008 with the Isabella County Sheriff’s Office in the corrections division, where he held roles as sergeant, field training supervisor/coordinator, and defensive tactics instructor before transferring to road patrol, serving as a sheriff’s deputy and pre-employment background investigator.

In April 2022, Officer Leonard joined MPPD and became part of the Youth Services Unit (YSU) later that November. During his first three years with YSU, he worked closely with Mt. Pleasant High School (MPHS), WAY-Oasis, McGuire, and Pullen. He now serves primarily at Mt. Pleasant Middle School, while also supporting Fancher Elementary, Vowles Elementary, Ganiard Elementary, Kinney, and Sacred Heart Academy.

Officer Leonard is a certified ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) instructor, as well as certified in Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) and crime prevention.

First responders are welcome to join us next week, so noted below! Thank you for your service!

Monthly Theme - Self Direct

This month's theme for CKH is Self Direct! We are working to take intentional steps to be independent and make positive choices related to our emotion, attitudes, and actions.

Please remember that after-school supervision ends at 4:00 p.m. each day. For your child’s safety, we ask that all students be picked up promptly by that time. Thank you for helping us ensure a smooth and safe dismissal for everyone!

See the information below for our Fall Fun on October 31st. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Please ensure that you login to your Final Forms account and complete the yearly documents and update your information. Green boxes mean everything is All Set and you are good to go!

https://mtpleasant-mi.finalforms.com/

Our first “Grounds for Growth” session went great this morning! I truly appreciated those who were able to attend—it was a wonderful conversation and a great chance to connect as a school community.

Beginning this October, we invite you to join Mr. Aquilina and attend “Grounds for Growth”—a casual time designed for parents and caregivers to connect, learn, and grow together as a school community. Each session will last about 30 minutes, may occasionally feature guest speakers, and will be structured as a focused conversation rather than an open forum with Q & A.

Sessions will be held at 8:45 a.m. in the Fancher Elementary Cafeteria on the following dates. You are welcome to drop your child(ren) off at 8:40 and then join us right afterward. Coffee and baked goods will be provided as we come together to learn more about Fancher, partner together, and strengthen our community for our kids.

Here’s our tentative schedule of topics for the year (subject to change, with any updates shared in The Fancher Flyer):

October 10 – Sparking Success: Understanding MTSS at Fancher
Learn about the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) we use to support both academic growth and behavioral success.
November 14 – Brewing Belonging: Building Our Fancher Community
Explore how Capturing Kids’ Hearts and other practices help us create a culture of belonging and strong relationships at school.
December 12 – Holiday Blend: Celebrating Learning Together
A lighter session before break, highlighting how we celebrate learning and community at Fancher.
January 9 – Special Education Spotlight
Overview of the Special Education services offered at Fancher and how we support diverse learners and their families.
February 13 – Growing Hearts: Social-Emotional Learning at Fancher
Learn more about how we teach and support social-emotional skills, including strategies from Capturing Kids’ Hearts.
March 13 – Pouring into Progress: Academic Curriculum at a Glance
A closer look at what students are learning in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies across grade levels.
April 10 – Brewing Bright Futures: Preparing for Transitions
Tips and strategies to help students successfully transition to the next grade level and keep learning strong through the summer.
May 15 – A Toast to Community: Parent Voice & Partnerships
Reflect on the year together, share feedback, and discuss ways to strengthen our parent-school partnership for the future.

Fancher Families: As foggy mornings arrive, please note our new 3-hour delay schedule. Check the attached photos for start times, drop-off info, and class adjustments. Thank you for helping keep our students safe!

Over the next few weeks, our school will be practicing important safety drills with students. These include fire drills, tornado drills, and “green vest” drills (ALICE safety protocols). ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate, and it provides age-appropriate strategies for keeping students safe in the unlikely event of a dangerous situation at school.

We want to give families a clear understanding of what this looks like for students:

Barricading – Students and staff may practice placing items (such as desks or chairs) in front of a door to help keep the classroom secure. In addition to barricades, our district also utilizes night locks on classroom doors to provide an extra layer of security.
Countering – This does not mean fighting. For our students, countering practice may look like making noise, moving around the room, or learning how to distract an intruder as a last resort.
Evacuating – When it is safest to leave the building, classes will practice exiting quickly and quietly. By September 30th, each class will practice leaving the school and walking together to our off-site rally point.

Students were also informed that during these drills, Mr. Aquilina may wear a green vest to simulate someone on campus and that a police officer may be present to ensure proper protocols are followed.

Our goal in practicing these drills is the same as with fire and tornado drills: to build confidence, preparedness, and safety awareness in a calm and age-appropriate way.

If you have any questions about these safety protocols or the steps we take to keep students safe, please feel free to contact Mr. Aquilina directly.

We are excited to bring back Popcorn Days for the 2025–2026 school year! Popcorn will be offered every other Friday. Each bag of popcorn will be 50 cents.

To make this tradition possible, we rely on the help of parent volunteers. Each popcorn day, we’ll need 2–3 volunteers to pop and distribute popcorn. Volunteers should plan to arrive at the school around 7:45 a.m. so everything is ready before our 3rd grade lunch.

Please use the form linked below if you are interested in volunteering.

Volunteer Form

Here is the schedule for this year’s popcorn days:

3rd Grade

Sept. 12 – Michelle French
Sept. 26 – Shawn Gaughan
Oct. 10 – Amanda Hutchins
Oct. 24 – Samantha McDonald
Nov. 7 – Maddie Pischea
Nov. 21 – Audrey Stout

4th Grade

Dec. 5 – Kendra Asher
Dec. 19 – Dani Formsma
Jan. 16 – Missy Groves
Jan. 30 – Michelle Rupe
Feb. 13 – Andrea Stevens
Feb. 27 – Angie White

5th Grade

Mar. 13 – Alecia Dorcey
Mar. 26 – Kelly Faber
Apr. 10 – Shaeler Mallory
Apr. 24 – Aubrey Patchin
May 8 – Hannah Price
May 22 – Wing-Brenner

We’re looking forward to another fun year of popcorn and smiles! Thank you in advance to all of our amazing volunteers who make this tradition possible.

Student Attendance is important to us. If your child is sick, please call the school Office at 775-2230 before 9:30 each morning to let us know.

For safety reasons, families will soon begin receiving a phone call by 9:30 am for any student that is marked as Absent each morning in PowerSchool. You can deter getting that call from our system by calling us in the morning to let us know of your child's absence and their reason for the absence.

Our codes we use for absences are:

UA-Unexcused Absence

Any absence that has not been reported by a parent or guardian and/or any absence that is not listed as an Excused Absence in Board Policy.

AV-Verified Absence

An absence that the parent verifies or explains. Example: (1) The student doesn’t feel well, and is staying home, but is not visiting the doctor. (2) The family is taking an extra long weekend, vacation, etc.

EA-Excused Absence

Absences that meet the definition of an Excused Absence based on MPPS Board Policy.

*Illness or professional appointments with a doctors note *Death of a relative

*Observance of Religious Holidays

Below are images related to our attendance policy.

The Mt. Pleasant Sex Advisory Board is has an opening for a Mt. Pleasant parent.

Please complete this application if you are interested.

SEAB MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

During the first week of school, students reviewed expectations for various areas of the building with their teachers. On the first day, all students participated in assemblies led by Mrs. Morgan and Mr. Aquilina to review our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) framework and the incentives available for positive behavior. Students were encouraged to ask questions during and after the presentations to ensure clarity and understanding.

At Fancher, we hold high expectations for all students and truly believe every child can meet and exceed them. Our PBIS system is designed to reinforce positive behavior and includes several recognition opportunities, such as:

Class Dojo Points: As in previous years, students earn points for demonstrating expected behaviors. These points can be used at the school store twice per month or saved for larger rewards—like the chance to dunk Mr. Aquilina in a dunk tank on the last day of school!
Falcon of the Month: Each teacher nominates one student per month who consistently models our school-wide expectations, similar to a traditional “Student of the Month.”
Positive Office Referrals: Staff may refer students to the office for exemplary behavior, where they will be recognized by an administrator.
Falcon Feathers: These are used to acknowledge positive behavior during unstructured times (e.g., recess, lunch, hallway transitions) and serve as an alternative to Dojo points in those settings.

Along with reinforcing positive behaviors, we also strive to address behavioral concerns in a consistent, supportive manner. Students were informed of our school-wide process for addressing behavior that does not meet expectations.

Initial Support: Teachers play a critical role in guiding students through redirection, reflection, and relationship-building using our Capturing Kids’ Hearts philosophy.
Behavior Interventionists: For lower-level or first-time behavior concerns, our Behavior Interventionists are typically the first point of contact. Their role is to help students reflect and re-engage in appropriate behavior.
Student Support Specialist: For recurring or moderately concerning behaviors, Mrs. Morgan, our Student Support Specialist, may work directly with students to provide additional support and intervention.
Administrator Involvement: Mr. Aquilina typically addresses higher-level behavior concerns or repeated issues that have not been resolved through previous steps.

Teachers may submit a formal referral, known as a “Blue Slip,” if a student has been unresponsive to classroom interventions, is significantly disrupting the learning environment, or requires immediate escalation. Blue Slips always result in communication with a parent or guardian.

Our PBIS expectations and supports serve as Tier 1 interventions, which are effective for the majority of students (typically about 80% of our population). However, some students may require additional individualized support through behavior plans, 504s, IEPs, or other formalized interventions to meet their needs and ensure success at school.

This handbook includes information about our programs, policies, and procedures. Our hope in sharing this information is to build a strong partnership with all our families. Please review this information with your child. If you have questions about any of this information, please contact your child’s teacher or the school office at (989) 775-2230.

Fancher Student Handbook

The Fancher Facebook page is intended for one-way communication to highlight all of the great things happening at the school, as well as providing school and/or district updates. Should you need assistance, please contact your child's teacher directly via email or call our front office at 989-775-2230. Thank you!