FEBRUARY 2015 MS/HS NEWSLETTER
February 2015
4
Apparel Order Due
7
AYSO Registration
10:00am – 2:00pm
11
Count Day
12
½ day – Conferences
Invitation Only
Book Fair February 2nd- 6th
MID-WINTER BREAK
February 13 –
February 16
25 MSHS Spring Picture
Day
26
Pre Festival Concert
6:00pm
Looking Ahead to March…
19 Middle School
Transition Night 5th
grade 3:15-5:30
Open Enrollment
March 23 – April 2
Easter Break
April 3 – April 12
April 13- Professional
Development DayNo Students
Conferences (Request or Invitation Only)
Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled for February 12, 2015
from 1:00 - 6:00. This round of Parent-Teacher conferences are by
request or invitation ONLY. Conferences need to be scheduled with
teachers prior to February 12. The teachers will be in contact with
the parents to schedule a time to meet.
Please Welcome….
Mr. Sanchez to Landmark Academy!
Mr. Sanchez accepted the Spanish teacher position. He was born
and raised in Caracas, Venezuela and came to the U.S.A. as an
exchange student after graduating from High School in
Venezuela. As an exchange student, he attended Kalamazoo
Central High School and received his diploma. He became a
United States citizen in 2004. Besides growing up in Venezuela,
he has traveled to Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, and Spain, gaining
more understanding of other Spanish speaking cultures. He has
been teaching for many years. His experience and love of the
culture will be an asset to the students and staff at Landmark
Academy. Welcome Mr. Sanchez!
Basketball Schedule
Vision and Hearing Screening
2 VG @ CPS 6pm
MS Girls @ HOME vs. New Life 4:30pm
MS Boys @ HOME vs. Waterbrook Christian 5:30pm
VB @ HOME vs. Waterbrook Christian 6:30pm
3 MS Boys @ Waterbrook Christian 4:30pm
VB @ Waterbrook Christian 5:30pm
6 JV @ HOME vs. ST. Thomas More 4:30pm
VG @ HOME vs. ST. Thomas More 5:30pm
VB @ HOME vs. ST. Thomas More 7:00pm
9
MS Boys @ Chatfield 6:30pm
VG @ HOME vs. MSD 5:30pm
VB @ HOME vs. MSD 7:00pm
10 VB @ Faith 5:30pm
17 VG @ HOME vs. Valley 4:00pm
VB @ HOME vs. Valley 6:00pm
19 VG @ HOME vs. Merritt 5:00pm
VB @ HOME vs. Merritt 7:00pm
24 JV @ HOME vs. Akron Fairgrove 5:00pm
VB @ HOME vs. Akron Fairgrove 6:30pm
VG @ Macomb Christian 6:30pm
27 JV @ HOME vs. CPS 5:30pm
VB @ HOME vs. CPS 7:00pm
Our St Clair County Health Department’s vision screening for elementary students in grades 1, 3, 5, special Ed and
requests from elementary parents and teachers (notify
Mrs. Harnish before screening day) will take place Feb 10
with rescreen February 24. MS/HS vision screen for
grades 7 and 9, special ed, Driver’s Ed students and requests from MS/HS parents and teachers (notify Mrs.
Harnish before screening day) will take place February
26. Children are screened for visual acuity, muscle
control and far sightedness. Any child who cannot pass
this first screening is put on a rescreen list. If your
student wears glasses or has been seen by an eye care
professional for any eye problem in the last year, please
fill out the “under care” form that you will soon receive.
Our hearing screening for elementary students in grades
K, 2, 4, special Ed and requests from elementary parents
and teachers (notify Mrs. Harnish before screening day)
will take place Feb 11 with rescreen February 25.
Children are screened by hearing technicians. The
children are presented with a series of sounds in both
ears. If the child is unable to respond to one or more of
these sounds, he/she is put on a rescreen list. If your
student in under care for hearing please fill out the
“under care” form you will receive soon. Skyward Email Notifications
You can receive email notifications from Skyward for your student’s attendance, progress report and if they obtain scores below a low average that you select by going to your “my account” at the top of your Skyward page. Go to “Email Notifications” and select the setting you desire. You can select to receive these notifications daily, weekly (every Saturday) or monthly (1st of each month).
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Mrs. Harnish at extension 311.
Bowling Schedule
Pm
Day
Date
vs
Mon
Wed.
Mon.
Wed.
Feb. 2
Feb. 4
Feb. 9
Feb. 11
Feb. 27-28
Mar. 6-7 States
Merritt
Almont
Cros-Lex
Capac
Regionals
Location
Port Huron Lanes
Port Huron Lanes
Kautz Lanes
Port Huron Lanes
TBA
TBA
Time
3:50
3:50
3:50
3:50
TBA
TBA
Landmark Academy Student Awarded Gold
Key!
Congratulations to Sarah Litke!!
Sarah has been awarded a Gold Key in the Juried Scholastic
Art and Writing competition for her individual submission in
the subject of Photography in the Michigan Thumb
Region. This is a great accomplishment as Gold Key's are
the highest honor one can achieve in the individual
submission category; not to mention that it looks great on a
college application! Landmark Academy was competing
with local schools and huge schools to the west and south of
the thumb region. This accomplishment is a first for the
Landmark Academy Art department.
Sarah will receive her gold key and certificate on February
nd
2 at a special awards ceremony for the Scholastic Art
awards and her work will be on display at the Macomb
Community College Performing Arts Center from February
nd
th
2 through February 17 in the Regional Show. On March
th
11 , all Gold Key winners’ work will then be juried at the national level and if she receives a Gold Key at the National
level, she will have the opportunity to be honored in New
York City at Carnegie Hall for the National Scholastic Art
Awards.
Family Access/Skylert
Parents/guardians can control their Skylert
notifications by logging in to Skyward Family Access,
selecting the Skylert tab and choosing the options
they want for Skylert contact. Skylert enables you
to receive notifications concerning your child(ren).
With this option you have control over which
notification to receive and how you would like to
receive them. It is recommended that you choose
the primary number and email address you want
these notifications to go to and you choose all
options of Emergency alerts, General alerts and
survey alerts. Attendance notifications cannot be
disabled. You can add additional contacts for
Skylerts. Each guardian has their own Skyward
Login and password therefore each guardian would
need to edit their own information. If you need
your Skyward login and password, feel free to
contact either building’s hospitality desks.
Kudos to Sarah on her wonderful accomplishment!!
We are proud to call her a Landmark Academy Laker!!
Attendance Letters
Attendance letters will re-set to zero starting semester
two. You will receive an attendance letter for your
student at five, ten and fifteen days of absences for
absences that have not been excused by a medical
professional. Please submit any doctor’s notes you may have for your student’s absence to the attendance
office. The five day absence letter is an informational
letter to let you know that you will receive a letter at ten
days of absences. The letter at ten days of absences will
indicate that our district’s truancy officer may contact you to discuss the absences if they feel that is necessary.
You will receive a letter at 15 days of absences and your
student will be go on truancy watch and all absences will
be monitored by the truancy officers. The elementary
truancy officer is Mrs. Shannon and the MS/HS truancy
officer is Mr. Hoskins. If you have any questions, feel
free to contact Mrs. Harnish at extension 311.
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Key Points Regarding Claiming a Nonmedical Waiver for Michigan Schools and
Licensed Childcares
Michigan recently modified the administrative rules that change how nonmedical waivers for
immunizations will be processed for school/childcare programs. The new rule went into effect on
January 1, 2015.
With Michigan having one of the highest waiver rates in the country, a proactive approach has been
established to help inform everyone regarding the benefits of vaccinations and the risks of disease.
Some counties in Michigan have waiver rates as high as 20.7%. This means that more than 20% of
the students in those counties haven’t gotten all their vaccines. Some school buildings have even
higher waiver rates. The hope is that the new rule will help answer any questions/concerns one may
have regarding immunizations.
Key Points
The new rule applies to all children who are enrolled in a public or private:
o Licensed childcare, preschool, and Head Start programs
o Kindergarten, 7th grade, and any newly enrolled student into the school district
The new rule does not take away your right to obtain a nonmedical waiver.
Nonmedical waivers (religious or philosophical (other) objections) will need to be obtained
from a county health department; the schools/childcare centers will not have them.
Parents/Guardians must follow these steps when requesting a nonmedical waiver:
o Contact your county health department for an appointment to speak with a health
educator.
o During the visit, there will be an opportunity to have a discussion about
immunizations with the county health department staff.
o If at the end of the visit, you request a nonmedical waiver for your child, you will
receive a copy of the current, certified (stamped and signed) State of Michigan
Nonmedical Waiver Form.
Schools/childcare centers will only accept the current, official State of
Michigan form (Current date: January 1, 2015).
Forms cannot be altered in any way (such as crossing information out).
o Take completed, certified waiver form to your child’s school or childcare center.
If your child has a medical reason (a true contraindication or precaution) for not receiving a
vaccine, a physician must sign the State of Michigan Medical Contraindication form; this
form is available at your doctor’s office (not the county health department).
Based on the public health code, a child without either an up-to-date immunization record, a
certified nonmedical waiver form or a physician signed medical waiver form can be
excluded from school/childcare.
For more information, please visit www.michigan.gov/immunize > then click on Local Health
Departments > then click on Immunization Waiver Information. There is a list of all the county
health departments on this website, along with their addresses and phone numbers.
January 13, 2015
Information for Parents/Guardians
New Michigan School and Licensed Childcare Immunization Rule for
Claiming a Nonmedical Waiver for Immunizations
In 2014, Michigan modified the administrative rules that changed how nonmedical waivers for
immunizations will be processed for school and childcare programs. The new rule went into effect
on January 1, 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why is this rule change important?
Michigan has one of the highest waiver rates in the country. Some counties in Michigan have
waiver rates as high as 20.7%. This means that more than 20% of the students in those counties
haven’t gotten all their vaccines. Some school buildings have even higher waiver rates. This leaves
communities vulnerable to diseases such as measles, chickenpox, and pertussis (whooping cough).
Immunizations are one of the most effective ways to protect children from harmful diseases and
even death.
What has the new rule changed for parents/guardians?
Parents/guardians who want to claim a nonmedical waiver will have an opportunity to have a
discussion about immunizations with county health department staff and receive information on the
benefits of vaccination and the risks of vaccine-preventable diseases. The new rule does not take
away a parent’s/guardian’s right to obtain a nonmedical waiver.
What is a nonmedical waiver?
A nonmedical waiver is a parent’s/guardian’s written statement indicating their religious or
philosophical (other) objections to a particular vaccination(s).
Who does this new rule apply to?
The new rule applies to all children who are enrolled in a public or private:
Licensed childcare, preschool, and Head Start programs
Kindergarten, 7th grade, and any newly enrolled student into the school district
What does certified, nonmedical waiver mean?
Certified, nonmedical waiver means that the official State of Michigan Immunization Waiver Form
(current date: January 1, 2015) is used and the county health department stamp and signature of the
authorizing agent (county health department staff) completing the immunization education with the
parent/guardian is on the form.
January 13, 2015
Page 1
Can a parent /guardian obtain a certified, nonmedical waiver form from the
school, childcare center, or healthcare provider?
No, the certified nonmedical waiver can only be obtained at a county health department.
How does a parent/guardian obtain a certified, nonmedical waiver?
Parents/guardians will need to contact their county health department to receive immunization
waiver education and to obtain a certified, current State of Michigan Immunization Waiver Form.
What if my child has a medical contraindication to a vaccine?
This new rule does not change the existing process for medical contraindications for vaccination.
If your child has a medical reason (a true contraindication or precaution) for not receiving a vaccine,
a physician must sign the State of Michigan Medical Contraindication form, which is available at
your doctor’s office (not the county health department). This form must be completed and signed by
a physician before it can be submitted to the school or childcare center.
What documentation will parents/guardians need to submit to their school or
childcare center?
1. Parents/guardians will need to submit documentation of one of these items to the school or
childcare center:
A completed, certified State of Michigan Nonmedical Immunization Waiver form, or
A physician signed State of Michigan Medical Contraindication form, or
A complete immunization record
If a completed immunization record or a certified waiver form are not turned in, then the
student can be excluded from school or childcare based on the public health code, unless the
student is in a dose waiting (provisional) period. Dose waiting period means that the student
still needs an immunization for school/childcare, but is not recommended to receive that
dose at that time.
2. Waiver forms that are altered in any way (such as information on the form is crossed out)
cannot be accepted by the schools/childcares.
Where can I find more information?
For more information, please visit www.michigan.gov/immunize > then click on Local Health
Departments > then click on Immunization Waiver Information.
There is a list of all the county health departments on this website, along with their phone numbers
and addresses.
January 13, 2015
Page 2