The SWWC Weekly

WHAT TO KNOW FOR THIS WEEK

Monday, November 3, 2025

Chelsea- No School

• All classes at Chelsea’s CTE Center are closed for the day, and all non-Chelsea students who attend classes there should remain at their home high school for the day.
• Chelsea students will be excused from their SWWC classes.

Manchester - No School

• Manchester students will not attend their SWWC class; all Manchester students will be excused for the day.

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

• Voting Day! As a reminder, there is a Career and Technical (CTE) Millage on the ballot in Washtenaw County.

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Dexter - Half Day

• Students should attend their morning SWWC class; transportation will be provided in the morning only.

Friday, November 7, 2025

Dexter - Half Day

• Students should attend their morning SWWC class; transportation will be provided in the morning only.

SWWC Student Advisory Meeting

• All SWWC Student Advisory Reps should meet in the SHS Media Center during 2nd hour.

LOOKING AHEAD

Hurray…no schedule changes!

As a reminder, there is a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Millage on the ballot in Washtenaw County. If this millage is approved by voters, students in preschool, elementary, middle and high school would benefit from new programs and expansion of existing CTE programs. If you still need to learn more about the CTE proposal, visit www.washtenawisd.org/ctemillage.

Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. If you still have your absentee ballot, you can drop it off before 8:00 p.m. on November 4th! If you need to find your polling place or check where to drop off your absentee ballot, click here: https://mvic.sos.state.mi.us/

Below are highlights to share regarding the recent trip that twenty-two FFA members took to the National Conference.

Conference highlights:

• Participating in the Career/College Expo, interacting with nation-wide companies like Cargill, John Deere, and more.
• Touring Stoops Freightliner Training Academy, where diesel technicians are trained and nationally certified while being paid for their work. Some students were even able to get hands on experience with their state-of-the-art equipment!

Students also received the following awards:

• Madison Carroll & Adyson Dubnicki placed 9th in the nation with their Agriscience Fair Project in Division 4 of the Power, Structure, & Technical Systems Category. They received their placing on stage at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday evening!
• Three of our Saline FFA alumni, Allison Finkbeiner, Adyson Naebeck, & Lilianne Trinkle, received their American FFA Degrees this morning. This is the highest degree achievable in the National FFA Organization and less than 1% of all members ever receive it. Congratulations!

The SWWC Health Science class celebrated Halloween with their annual "Aging Lab", a hands-on learning activity designed to help students better understand the physical and emotional challenges faced by elderly patients. Leading up to the event, students spent several days researching how the body’s systems change with age, the implications of those changes, and key considerations for providing compassionate care. The Halloween celebration began with a trick-or-treat station featuring candies, including “Good and Plenty,” used as a playful way to demonstrate changes in taste and medication side effects. From there, students dressed in PPE and patient gowns to role-play scenarios simulating hearing loss, chronic pain, and communication barriers, allowing them to reflect on the frustration and vulnerability that patients often experience.

Throughout the lab, students rotated through a variety of interactive stations that brought real-world medical concepts to life. They learned to stage and dress pressure ulcers, identify types of drainage from wounds, and explore colostomies and tracheostomies. Sensory challenges like neuropathy, visual loss, and arthritis were simulated using gloves, Vaseline-covered glasses, and restrictive hand braces, helping students experience the frustration of everyday tasks such as picking up coins or painting. Additional stations focused on mobility loss and the emotional impact of aging, including exercises to simulate post-stroke limitations and reflective readings on grief and independence. By the end of the experience, students not only had fun but also deepened their empathy and understanding, key qualities for their future roles as compassionate healthcare providers.

SWWC Culinary Arts students recently participated in a one-day interactive boot camp to prepare for the upcoming ProStart Competition in March. This immersive experience was designed to enhance students’ culinary skills through hands-on training led by industry experts. Throughout the day, students practiced advanced cooking techniques, refined their teamwork and time management skills, and received valuable feedback to help them perform at their best during competition.

The event provided an exciting opportunity for students to learn from professionals, build confidence in their abilities, and take their culinary expertise to the next level.

Thank you to the many industry partners, along with the SWWC students and staff, who attended the SWWC Fall Advisory Board Meeting this past week. These biannual meetings are an important opportunity for Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers to collaborate directly with professionals from their respective industries. Together, they discuss best practices, curriculum updates, equipment needs, and ways to align classroom learning with current industry standards. The meetings also serve as a time to celebrate student successes and strengthen partnerships that help prepare students for real-world careers.

WHAT IS THE SWWC?

The South & West Washtenaw Consortium (SWWC) provides Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities to 11th and 12th grade students enrolled in the Chelsea, Dexter, Lincoln, Manchester, Milan, and Saline school districts. Approximately 950 students participate in our state-approved CTE programs as they continue to plan and prepare for college and career.

On behalf of the thirty-eight SWWC staff members, thank you for enrolling in one of our twenty-four Career and Technical Education classes offered at Chelsea, Dexter, and Saline High School, as well as our off-site locations specifically for Cosmetology and Building Trades. We are excited to have you in the consortium!

If you have any questions, please contact Kara Stemmer, the Director of the SWWC at 734.401.4371 or via email at stemmkar@salineschools.org.

ATTENDANCE

Notification of Absences: The following procedure must be followed when a student is absent.

• The parent or guardian must email SWWCAttendance@salineschools.org and/or call the SWWC office at 734.401.4283 to report an absence. Parents/Guardians should also contact the student’s home school to report the absence.

• Absences include: Illness and/or hospitalization, Illness of other family members or death in the family, Court appointments, Medical or dental appointments, Absences due to school-related activities, where school or classes are missed. (This includes athletic events, band competitions, academic competitions, field trips, or other special school-approved events.)

• Chelsea and Saline students should not miss more than 7 days per trimester; Dexter, Lincoln, Manchester, and Milan students should not miss more than 10 days per semester.

TRANSPORTATION

Some students will remain at their home school for their SWWC class while other students may have to attend another location. For those students who need to go to another building/site, most likely, your district is providing transportation to the SWWC class. It is expected that ALL students ride the district-provided bus to/from their home school. Here is the Transportation Document. It is not fully complete but will be ASAP. Please confirm you're looking at the correct program location/time, i.e. morning or afternoon and that it's for the correct school. Students should report to their bus loop a few minutes ahead of the listed time.

There are some classes that require a student to “self-transport”. You should have received an email but just in case you haven't, please read below.

• ALL SWWC students who are approved to park at Saline High School, Chelsea's CTE Center, and Building Trades, MUST receive a SWWC parking permit.

• There is no cost for this and it will be provided to your student upon completion of the SWWC Long-Term Driving Form. This is only intended for students enrolled in programs that do not offer district transportation. Once approved, students will receive a SWWC hang tag from their teacher to put on their rearview mirror while attending their SWWC class.

• Saline SWWC students will only receive a SWWC hang tag if they are driving to another location. All Saline SWWC students still need to purchase a SHS Parking Sticker in order to park at SHS for the day.

POWERSCHOOL

Students will need to check their SWWC grade using Saline’s PowerSchool. This means students need to log into Saline’s PowerSchool using their Saline-provided username and password. This confidential information is provided to students by their SWWC teacher during the first week of school.

• Parents/Guardians will need to establish an account to have access to the SWWC grade. Here are the directions to do that.

SWWC CALENDAR

Here is the SWWC Master Calendar. This can be used as a guide to confirm the SWWC schedule. Please note, that this calendar is subject to change. Here is an At-A-Glance version of the calendar.

SWWC HANDBOOK

• All students and families are encouraged to review together the SWWC Handbook. It can also be found on our website at www.TheSWWC.org.

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