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Giant Summer Academy registration (K-8) now open

Posted: Apr 18, 2018 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Do YOU have a plan for your students for the summer?

Did you know that students currently in grades kindergarten through eight can sign up NOW to attend the Giant Summer Academy?

The schedule:

The Giant Summer Academy is a free four-week program that includes breakfast and lunch, academic lessons, enrichment sessions, outdoor activities, and field trips. This year's theme is "Traveling the World".

Classes will run Monday through Thursday, June 4 through June 28. Breakfast is served at 7:30 a.m.; classes will run from 8 a.m. to 1:30, with lunch served midday.

Week 1 (June 4-7): Technology
Week 2 (June 11-14): Exploring science (field trip week)
Week 3 (June 18-21): Exploring the arts
Week 4 (June 25-28): My Passport project completion (field trip week)

Academic sessions will be tailored to each student's academic needs. (These will not necessarily be grade-level groups. Rather, each student will be guided and challenged to grow from whatever their starting point is, and will have the chance to interact with others who are at a similar level.) Enrichment sessions will be part of every day, but this year they will be staggered throughout the day, like specials (music, art, etc.) are during the regular school year.

Location

Incoming 1st through 4th grade students will be at Frances Slocum Elementary
Incoming 5th- and 6th-graders will be at Justice Intermediate School
Incoming 7th- and 8th-graders will be at McCulloch Junior High School.

Transportation

Bus pickup and dropoff will be provided to all Giant Summer Academy students.

How to sign up

1. Fill out a registration form and permission slip:

>> Click here to download the registration form and field trip permission slip

>> Para el formulario de inscripción en español, haga clic aquí

2. Return your completed registration and permission slip to your student's school by May 4!

>> NOTE: For information on summer classes for grades 9 through 12, click here.

4-PEAT! McCulloch music department earns ISSMA’s highest honor again

Posted: Apr 18, 2018 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

For the fourth year in a row, the McCulloch Junior High School music department has earned the Indiana State School Music Association’s highest honor, the J/M/E Total Department All Music Award — the only school in the state to do so.

Every year, ISSMA hosts several competitions for music students in the state. The All Music Awards are the culmination of those contests, and the music departments who earn them are among the best in the state.

“We truly have the best students, and we are so proud of them!” said McCulloch choir teacher Christina Huff. “We are so grateful for school, district, and community support of our choir and band programs. Our students would not have the opportunities for this much success without it!”

To qualify for the All Music Award, the school’s music students must have received gold ratings in all of the following events:

Solo and Ensemble Contest (at least one solo and one ensemble entering in Group I, II, or III)
Jazz Organizational Contest
J/M/E Organizational Contest

Because McCulloch qualified for the award in both choir and band, they were given the Total Department award, one of only two schools in the state to earn this award. In 2017, McCulloch was one of only two schools in the state to earn this honor, and one of only three in 2016. In 2015 — the first year this award was given at the junior high level — McCulloch was the only school in the state to earn this honor. It remains the only school in the state to have won this award four years straight. This is an outstanding accomplishment, four years running, and our fantastic music students and teachers deserve much praise. We take this opportunity to say congratulations to them all!

There are many chances to hear these award-winning groups at various year-end shows:

7th grade spring choir concert: 6 p.m. May 14 in the McCulloch auditorium
8th grade spring choir concert: 6 p.m. May 15 in the McCulloch auditorium
7th/8th grade spring band concert, 6 p.m. May 16 in the McCulloch gymnasium
Various performances on May 19 during the MCS All-City Art Show; watch for more specific schedule as the event nears

Kindergarten Roundup set for April 19

Posted: Apr 11, 2018 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

WHAT: MCS kindergarten roundup

WHEN: 1 p.m. or 6 p.m. Thursday, April 19, 2018

WHERE: Allen, Frances Slocum, Kendall and Riverview elementary schools

>> Click here to access the online registration portal

WHY: Visit your school, get information, get a head start on kindergarten registration

QUESTIONS? Call 765-662-2546 ext. 122

Marion Community Schools invites families of children who will be starting kindergarten next school year to come visit their elementary schools and get a head start on the registration process at Kindergarten Roundup, set for Thursday, April 19.

Families can attend one of two sessions set that day, at 1 p.m. or 6 p.m. (Both sessions will be the same.) Please bring your kindergartner-to-be with you!

Children who will be 5 years old on or before Aug. 1, 2018, can attend kindergarten in the 2018-19 school year.

The informational sessions will be offered at every MCS elementary school:

Allen Elementary School, 1115 E. Bradford St., 664-7355
Frances Slocum Elementary School, 2909 S. Torrence St., 664-0589
Kendall Elementary School, 2009 W. Kem Road, 662-7364
Riverview Elementary School, 513 W. Buckingham Drive, 662-2427

We hope to see all families of incoming kindergartners at this event that is just for them! It's a great way to help your future kindergartner get an introduction to the school building and staff. It's a low-pressure, informative session that's meant to specifically meet the needs of families with incoming kindergartners and their families.

What you need to bring: We ask that you bring proof of residence (like a utility bill with your name and address on it) if possible, so we can make sure you're at the right school. We also ask that you bring a copy of your kindergartner-to-be's birth certificate. You'll be beginning the registration process at Kindergarten Roundup, so we need that official document to certify your child is eligible for kindergarten. (If you cannot bring a copy of the birth certificate on this day, we can still begin the registration process, but we'll need you to follow up with us and provide that document before we can complete the registration process.)

For more information, call 765-662-2546, ext. 122, or call the office of your school at the numbers listed above.

>> Want reminders? RSVP on our Facebook event page!

District parent involvement meeting

Posted: Apr 03, 2018 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Marion Community Schools parents / guardians are invited to a Title I parent involvement meeting. District policies and plans will be reviewed and discussed.

For more information, please contact the MCS Curriculum Department, 662-2546 x. 122.

Los padres / tutores de Marion Community Schools están invitados a una reunión de participación de padres de Title I. Las políticas y planes del distrito serán revisados y discutidos.

Para obtener más información, comuníquese con el Departamento de Currículo de MCS, 662-2546 x. 122.

ACT names MRCC teacher Indiana's College and Career Readiness K-12 Champion

Posted: Apr 03, 2018 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Marion Regional Career Center instructor Travis Hueston, who leads MRCC’s information technology program, has been named Indiana's ACT College and Career Readiness Champion.

ACT College and Career Readiness Champions personify the mission of ACT through intentional actions that create an atmosphere and culture that promotes college and career readiness for all. The ACT College and Career Readiness K-12 Champion is an individual who has created or led a program that positively impacts their organization and community through improved readiness for college and career opportunities.

“I am pleased, honored, and humbled to accept this award and to represent MRCC and my students" Hueston said. "A very special thanks to Dr. Kris Condon for the nomination and to the ACT for selecting me, and an enormous salute to all of this year’s nominees across the country who have made incredible contributions to college and career readiness.”

Hueston has applied academic strategies to his curriculum that are key to preparing students for future courses and career readiness.

“Mr. Hueston has single-handedly crafted and deployed a program that is an exception model for other career and technical education programs to follow, in addition to students learning about hardware and software they are also learning communication skills, responsibility and goal-setting,” said Dr. Condon, a member of the programs IT advisory board.

Mike Ripperger, director of MRCC, also noted the positive impact Hueston's students are having on the school and community.

"Mr. Hueston is an outstanding teacher who cares for our students and does a great job of training our students and then providing them with real world experiences," Ripperger said. "MRCC students complete internship experiences at different buildings inside Marion Community Schools and at the Marion Public Library.”

Many of Hueston’s students are deployed as support technicians within the Marion school district. This saves the district's IT department valuable time and resources and provides the students with invaluable professional experience. In addition, the program recently began public tech assistance hours in partnership with Marion Public Library.

MRCC's IT program is part of the IBM Academic Initiative, and it is a Microsoft Imagine Academy.

Marion Community Schools congratulates Hueston on this recognition! We are grateful for community partnerships, and for our outstanding faculty members and the opportunities they work hard to provide to our students.

MRCC's excellent career prep and advanced college opportunities are one of the reasons Marion High School is a state leader in college and career readiness. MRCC programs are available to students from sending schools around the county as well. Anyone interested in taking MRCC classes should talk to their high school counselor or call MRCC for more information, 664-9091.