KAMSC Newsletter

As the leaves turn and November brings the welcoming warmth of Thanksgiving, our community naturally pauses to reflect on what we hold most dear. This season, our gratitude at the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center runs especially deep as we celebrate a remarkable milestone: 40 years of service, learning, and discovery.

Looking back across four decades, we are profoundly thankful for the foundation built by our community in 1986 and sustained every single day by our students, families, educators, and alumni. KAMSC has always been more than an academic center—it is a community defined by shared curiosity, support, and mutual encouragement.

The Power of Giving Thanks

Gratitude is at the heart of our culture. We see it every day in the small moments:

• In Our Students: Who bring relentless curiosity, support one another through challenging coursework, and celebrate each other’s breakthroughs.

• In Our Educators & Staff: Who give endlessly of their time, expertise, and mentorship to guide young minds toward bright futures.

• In Our Families & Alumni: Whose steadfast belief in our mission ensures that KAMSC remains a place where passion for STEM can flourish.

The students on our Challenge Success Team have started to deliver morning announcements at KAMSC on Monday mornings. This is a way for them to help support our culture and give more voice to students. In this week's announcement, our counselor corner aspect of the announcement shared this with students:

• Counselor Corner: Did you know that Gratitude, or the practice of feeling and expressing thankfulness physically rewires the brain and improves overall mental and physical health? The science of gratitude shows that expressing gratitude reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, builds emotional resilience, and decreases negative rumination. Practice gratitude today by expressing appreciation to 3 people you interact with today.

We would like to express our gratitude to all of our families and hope that you will join us for the 40th anniversary celebration as we express gratitude to our whole community for all of the special years KAMSC has served the community,

Heather Kortlandt

Director, KAMSC

Many of you may have already heard the exciting news—KAMSC is celebrating 40 years!

To mark this incredible milestone, we’re hosting a special anniversary event on Tuesday, November 24th, at Chenery Auditorium, and you’re warmly invited.

Here’s what we have planned:

• 5:00 PM – KAMSC Tours: Alumni and community members are invited upstairs for student-led tours of the center.

• 6:00 PM – Reception & Festivities (Room 130): Enjoy hors d'oeuvres, browse silent auction items, snap a few photos at the photo booth, and catch up with old friends.

• 7:00 PM – Main Program (Chenery Auditorium): Head inside the auditorium for an inspiring evening featuring KAMSC alumni, a look back at our history, and a glimpse into our future.

Join us for an unforgettable night of Investing in Innovation!

Click the image below to purchase your tickets:

We have several student volunteer spots open for the 40th anniversary event on November 24th. If you sign up to volunteer you will get free entry to the event (and snacks). Click the button below to sign up.

• Picture retakes will be at El Sol Elementary on November 10th - Mrs. Kortlandt will send each student that needs to participate in that an email with information, all students must get a new picture every year, even if you aren’t purchasing them. Pictures will only occur from 10-11:30 that day at El Sol

Our fall KAMSC Dance is November 14th from 8-11 pm here at CEC in the gym. We are still in need of 5 parent volunteers. Please click the button below and sign up.

Seniors only are allowed to invite a non KAMSC guest to the fall dance. However, if you do not have the guest pass signed by all parties indicated (including your friend's school's principal) then your friend will not be allowed into the event that night. Click the button below to obtain the guest pass.

Mental Health Matters: "You Good?": Fostering Connection and Hope for Suicide Awareness and Prevention

Fall is here and winter is coming. During this time of year students can often feel overwhelmed and in need of a break. The stress of everyday school is settling in and for teens the highest rates of suicide occur in the late fall months. For young people navigating the pressures of school, friendships, and life, it is a crucial reminder that mental health matters and that support is always available.

In this Mental Health Matters resource, learn about the risk factors specific to high achieving students, warning signs, learning how to help yourself or someone else and resources for support and immediate intervention.

Registration Closes November 2nd!

What is Innovation Expo? K-12 and WMU students compete for awards by presenting their products, models and prototypes to a panel of judges and the community.

Who should participate? Any K-12 student teams and WMU student teams with an innovative product or service may participate. Educators, students, families, community members and entrepreneurs are invited to attend and encourage the teams.

How are winners selected? A panel of community judges select the top three teams from each age group. A Popular Vote award is given to the team that receives the most Innovation Dollars. Guests and participants receive a package of these innovation dollars to vote for their favorite projects.

If you would like to register through KAMSC please see Ms. Joyce for support.

Tutoring is available now. If you are in need, click the button below and sign up!

Handbook and sign the acceptance form through PowerSchool. Here is a direct link to it again. I would invite you to be sure that you have read through the MTSS support procedures. I will pull grades to see what students have a C or lower in any class which indicates a need for support to us or if a teacher recommends additional support regardless of grades. If your child is showing that need, Mrs. Allbee or I will email you and the child to set up support provided by KAMSC. This is required for a three week interval and then we pull grades again to review. Our hope is always that that three week interval is enough support but students will sometimes move in and out of support throughout a semester. Please know, that this is meant to be a supportive measure. We take our responsibility of helping your child achieve the high standards of KAMSC seriously.

We have completed our first attendance pull to monitor cronic Absenteeism. Our next review of that data will be November 20th. Please remember that it is vital for your student to attend daily as our curriculum relies on active participation, rich discussions, and lab work that can't be replicated outside the classroom

We wanted to institute a private way that you could report any type of bullying at KAMSC. Mrs. Allbee has created a report form to do so. Either she or Mrs. Kortlandt will follow up if enough information is provided. We have not had an issue with bullying at KAMSC but we want to make sure there are channels open for reporting in case there were to ever be an incident. This will live in our newsletter, every, single week.

If you are dropping off or picking up your student at KAMSC, please do so at the Vine Street entrance. Please find a safe place to pull over and then have you student proceed to the Vine street entrance. If students are driving themselves:

1. They need to acquire a parking pass from the KAMSC office - please fill this out

2. They need to park by the El Sol playground off of Dutton Street (but then walk to Vine street entrance)

3. They should be reminded to not keep anything valuable in their car and to keep their cars locked at all times.

4. The building will have a campus security officer at the Vine Street entrance during times of arrivals and dismissals.

Wed. Nov 11 - MSO Potluck 5:30-6:00pm

Wed. Nov 11 - Open lab6-7:30pm

Sat. Nov. 14 Class Clash (Time TBD) and Dance (8-11 pm)

Wed. Nov 18 - Open lab and sophomore mixer 6-7:30pm

Wed. Nov 18 - Parent Org meeting 6:15-7:15pm

Tues. Nov 24 - KAMSC 40th Anniversary Celebration and Fundraiser - Chenery Aud - 6pm hors d'oeuvres and silent auction; 7-8 event in Chenery

Wed - Fri - No school for students Thanksgiving break