The school year is off to a strong start! We have so many new and exciting things taking place this year. Some of those initiatives will be noted below, and some you will hear more about as the year goes on.

In this start of the year update, I share the many happenings we have going on, including staff changes, academic offerings and opportunities, athletics, important dates, safety considerations, key policy updates, and more. It is and always has been true that we are a partnership. Your involvement is key, and the more collective we are in our efforts, the better the results.

Let's work together and have a great school year!

Go Wolves!

Mr. Magro - Genesee Jr/Sr High School Principal & Athletic Director

September 3rd-6th: NWEA ELA - Jr/Sr High School

September 9th-13th: NWEA Math - Jr/Sr High School

September 25th: School Board Meeting - 6:00 PM

Jack Gallery has started his new role as Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Bendle High School—a deserving promotion for an outstanding individual. We wish Jack the best in his new endeavor.

Cindy Brendel has accepted the Principal position at Holy Family Catholic School in Grand Blanc. Cindy has tirelessly served our district in several administrative capacities for the past ten years. We wish Cindy the best!

Elisabeth Boaz has taken a position at Flushing Community Schools as a Choir instructor. We wish Ms. Boaz the best in her new role.

Natasha Kubiak has accepted a social worker position at Livingston ESA, which is considerably closer to her home. We wish Natasha and her family the best.

6th Grade Teachers:

Kelly Davis and Erik Trigger will continue to teach 6th grade classes as we transition 6th grade into the junior/senior high building. Ms. Davis and Mr. Trigger provide already-established knowledge and insight into our new students coming up from Haas Elementary. We are thrilled to welcome such a great team of educators to our faculty team at Genesee Jr/Sr High.

New Band/Choir Teacher:

Russ McMartin will be our new band/choir teacher at Genesee Jr/Sr High School. He comes to our district with over 25 years of teaching experience, primarily teaching band to Brandon Middle and High School students. We are thrilled to add a teacher of his caliber to our district.

New Substitute Teacher:

Brayden Cummings is starting a new role as a building substitute for the district. Brayden was an excellent student at Genesee and currently works in the district as a junior high basketball coach. We look forward to him making connections in his new position.

Mental Health Specialist:

Avery Hawley has started working as a Mental Health Specialist for the district. She has begun meeting students and will split her time at the elementary and Jr/Sr high school buildings. We are excited for Avery to establish relationships with students and help them navigate social/emotional difficulties.

Media Center Para:

Sandy Lincoln has started in her new position as the media center paraprofessional. She has quickly started beautifying the Media Center and will provide extra support to students using it and checking out texts. Welcome, Sandy!

Special Services Braillist:

Diana Weber is new to our district this year and will primarily serve the district by supporting visually impaired students in their classrooms and brailling necessary materials ahead of time. We are excited to welcome Diana to our team.

Mr. McMartin comes to Genesee with many years of experience. He began his music training in the Novi Public Schools graduating in 1993. He then earned a Bachelors in Music Education from Western Michigan University in 1998 and a Masters Degree in Education from Marygrove College in 2003.

His first and only teaching position was in the Brandon School District which he held for 26 years. Through his tenure at Brandon he had several assignments. High School Marching Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Music Theory, Music Technology and the Musical Pit Band. At the Middle School he taught Beginning Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Music Appreciation and Jazz Band.

Mr. McMartin had many successful accomplishments at Brandon. In 2022 he was the recipient of the secondary teacher of the year award. His bands consistently received division 1 ratings at district and state festivals. The marching band was very successful in the Michigan Scholastic organization as well as founding and hosting the Brandon Marching Band Invitational. He traveled with the bands to Orlando, Nashville, Chicago, New Orleans, Niagara Falls, Toronto and Mackinaw Island creating lifelong memories for his students.

He is also a very active professional musician. He plays lead trumpet in the Flint based Soggy Bottom Big Band, the Tom Allport Band, Groupe Aye (Grand Rapids Salsa Band), the Motor City Big Band and many others. Currently the majority of his time out of school is spent with the Five Lakes Silvers Band where he holds the position of Repiano Cornet. Five lakes is a competitive british style brass band who is regarded as one of the best bands in the United States. In 2023 the Five Lakes Silver Band won the North American Brass Band Championships held in Huntsville, Alabama.

Mr. McMartin resides in Mundy Township with his fiance, 3 dogs and a cat. He has 3 children. Kaitlyn is 22 years old and a Senior at Hope College. Anna is 20 years old and a Junior at Grand Valley State University and Michael is 17 years old and a senior at Jenison High School.

Last year we started to initially phase in AP and honors level courses. In addition to AP Government we are now offering an AP Literature course to high achieving students who qualify. We will continue to seek opportunities that ready our students for post secondary education or job certification. Posted below is a copy of our Course Progression that we follow in counseling our high school students in scheduling of courses.

New Courses This Year:

High School: Physical Fitness, Art, World Cultures/Geography, Marketing, AP Literature

Junior High (not including 6th grade core classes): Physical Education 8, Physical Education 6, Art, Beginners Band, Coding, Algebra 1 (8/9), Creative Writing 6, Math Extension 6

The fall athletics season is off to a great start. The varsity football team kicked off it's season on Thursday night and won by a score of 28-6 over the Melvindale Gators. Their next opponent is Flint Elite who lost this past week to Erie Mason by a score of 28-6.

The JV and varsity volleyball teams will play their first contests of the season on Thursday, September 5th, against Flint Elite, starting at 5:00 PM.

Junior high and varsity cross country will start its season at the Holly/Duane Raffin Invitational on Saturday, September 14th.

Varsity soccer has started its season and collected a win over Montrose on August 19th by a score of 10-4. They are 1-3 on the season and will aim to get back on the right track when they face International Academy of Flint on Monday, September 3rd at 5:00 PM.

The junior high girls' basketball team has started practice and will play their first contest of the season at home against Bendle on Monday, September 9th, at 5:00 PM. This game will be the first on the newly finished junior high gym floor, which looks outstanding.

Our Flag Football girls, who typically play in the spring, were offered the opportunity to play at Wayne State University for the Xenith Prep Showcase on August 30th. Going up against a significantly larger school in Birmingham Groves, our girls struggled and lost big; however, they played hard and had fun with the experience. Genesee is on the state's frontlines of promoting girls' flag football.

Below are links to social media sites, the athletic website, and a "Sport's Parents Do's and Dont's" Guide.

Varsity Football: Saturday, September 7th at Flint Elite, 12:00 PM

JV/Varsity Volleyball: Thursday, September 5th at Flint Elite, 5:00 PM

Varsity Soccer: Tuesday, September 3rd vs. IAF, 5:00 PM

JH/Varsity Cross Country: Saturday, September 14th at Holly/Duane Raffin Invitational, 9:00 AM

JH Girls Basketball: Monday, September 9th vs. Bendle, 5:00 PM

JH Football: Wednesday, September 11th at Hamady, 5:00 PM

There are some new expectations for students and spectators at athletic contests this year.

*Student ID's/Profiles will be required for all students (These can be picked up in the main office)

*Students in junior high and below are to be accompanied by an adult at all times. Students should not be dropped off and left unattended.

*There are new GAC protocols happening at all schools this year to ensure safety. You will begin to see appropriate signage that demonstrates these expectations.

All students at the Jr/Sr High School use the E-Hall Pass anytime they leave the classroom. This has been an important tool at the junior/senior high school as we continue to try to maximize instructional time by keeping students in their classes. The e-hall pass allows administrators and instructional staff to see trends and analysis for student behavior related to time spent out of class. It also provides a safety element as we aim to know where all students are at all times. If your son or daughter is struggling in their classes, and it might be related to time spent out of class, it would be a good discussion point to see what their e-hall pass data indicates.

The Jr/Sr High School has made a strong effort to increase time for social and emotional learning on a daily basis by creating dedicated time to it this year. We will be implementing a few SEL initiatives that are aimed at supporting our students through challenging moments and providing character education that ultimately helps them be more successful adults when they transition into post-secondary goals.

P2 or the Positivity Project: Students will receive character education lessons from their teachers each day during their advisory period which is the first 30 minutes of school or 7:40-8:10 AM. The character traits change each week and provide important lessons such as bravery, gratitude, kindness, etc. These traits are important skills for kids to understand and know as they mature into young adulthood.

IWellness Surveys: Every Wednesday students perform an IWellness Survey that provides data into how students are feeling when they come to school. The survey asks the following questions:

Do you feel happy?

Do you feel safe at school?

Do you feel like you can handle challenges?

Do you feel connected to others?

Do you think your friendships are healthy?

Do you feel calm throughout the day?

Do you have strong self-esteem?

Insight into these questions allows us to gain a better understanding as to whether a student needs further support which could include meetings with the social worker or mental health specialist. It provides information that allows us to understand where a student is at emotionally and if we can help provide support as a school district. If a student is flagged, we will communicate that information to parents/guardians and seek their input before we move forward. If parents or families are uncomfortable with their son or daughter taking this survey, they can opt out.

The other significant SEL initiative we have in place is the Calm Room, which is accessible to all students in the building. The calm room provides calming activities, a quiet space, and an avenue for students to access if they need to recalibrate at any point during the school day. An adult monitors the calm room, listens to concerns, and provides a safe space for students who need it.