News Blog - Marion Community Schools

Highlights

News for Marion Community Schools

YOU'RE INVITED: Bunny Breakfast - Band Booster fundraiser (4/8)

Posted: Apr 06, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

The Marion Band Boosters will host the Bunny Breakfast from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m., in conjunction with the Million Egg Hunt set that morning at MHS's Dick Lootens Stadium.

The Bunny Breakfast will be inside MHS's Bill Green Arena. (Enter at Door 14, near the stadium.) There will be special appearances by the Easter Bunny!

Breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, milk and juice.

Tickets:

$5 adult (3 pancakes, 3 sausages, 1 milk, 1 juice)
$3 children ages 3 to 10 (2 pancakes, 2 sausages, 1 milk, 1 juice)
free for children 2 and younger. (1 pancake, 1 sausage, 1 milk, 1 juice)

Tickets sold at the door. Proceeds benefit the growing, award-winning MHS band program!

Thank you to our sponsor, IHOP!

The Million Egg Hunt starts at 9 a.m. (doors open at 8:30). Click here for more information.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Kindergarten Roundup set for 4/13

Posted: Apr 06, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Originally posted March 13, 2017

WHAT: MCS Kindergarten Roundup

WHEN: 1:30 p.m. or 6 p.m. Thursday, April 13

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

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

QUESTIONS? Call 765-662-2546

PASS IT ALONG: Going? Respond on our Facebook event pages for the 1:30 p.m. event or the 6 p.m. event and share with your friends! And keep scrolling for a link to download our flier to share!

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 13.

Families can attend one of two sessions set that day, at 1:30 p.m. or 6 p.m.

Children who will be 5 years old on or before Aug. 1, 2017, can attend kindergarten in the 2017-18 school year.

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

Allen Elementary School, 1115 E. Bradford St.
Frances Slocum Elementary School, 2909 S. Torrence St.
Kendall Elementary School, 2009 W. Kem Road
Riverview Elementary School, 513 W. Buckingham Drive

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. 132.

>> Click here to view/download a full-size version of this flier!

Attention community partners:

Want to help spread the word about MCS Kindergarten Roundup at your business or organization? Download and print our flier and post it where the public can see them! THANK YOU for your support! Download link:

FLIER

MHS JROTC program earns highest rating from Army

Posted: Mar 16, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

The Marion High School JROTC program this week received the highest rating possible from the U.S. Army — Honor Unit with Distinction — following its formal inspection of the program. Only 10 percent of JROTC units in the country receive this rating!

The formal inspection included briefings led by cadets, portfolio reviews, evaluations of the color guard and drill team, an in-ranks inspection, and a conversation with Marion High School’s principal and Marion Community Schools’ superintendent.

“This is one of the most outstanding JROTC units I have ever inspected in 20 years,” said Lee Redmon, from the U.S. Army 7th Brigade Headquarters, after the inspection on Wednesday, March 15.

The 7th Brigade region includes Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Marion High School and Marion Community Schools are proud of this program and the opportunities it offers to local students. JROTC is a leadership program designed to motivate young people to become better citizens. Studies show that JROTC helps students get better grades, be more active in school, and perform better on tests, and it decreases disciplinary problems.

Though JROTC is a military-regulated program, participation does not require future plans for military service. Cadets who do choose a military career can get important benefits from their JROTC participation, but the JROTC program offers important lessons that can benefit cadets in all areas of life, including self-discipline, teamwork, leadership skills, and more.

The MHS JROTC program also has established great community connections and partnerships, working together with various local and regional partners on events such as the annual Field Day at Matter Park, along with service projects at the Marion VA Health Center, Marion parks, and more.

The MHS JROTC program is open to anyone of high school age in Grant County. Anyone interested in becoming a cadet in the JROTC program will need to work with the guidance department here at MHS and at their home high school to arrange their schedule appropriately. For more information, contact MHS at 664-9051.

Celebrate spring at the MHS planetarium

Posted: Mar 15, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

As we head into spring, Marion High School’s state-of-the-art planetarium will put on special shows that explore weather and climate, along with the local night sky in spring and summer.

The public is invited to MHS to the shows, which will feature “The Zula Patrol: Under the Weather”; “The Dynamic Earth: Exploring Earth’s Climate Engine”; and a review of events coming up in the local night sky this spring and summer. Showings are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday, April 1, and Sunday, April 2.

Admission is free, but seating is limited and on a first-come, first-seated basis on the day of the show. Doors will open about 30 minutes before each showing. Enter MHS through Door 22 at the front of the building. MHS is located at 750 W. 26th St.

In addition, the MHS Green Society will be selling concessions at these shows. Proceeds help fund recycling efforts at MHS.

This is a great opportunity for a special experience with the family, right here in Marion!

The planetarium at MHS was renovated in fall 2012. It boasts state-of-the-art LED cove lighting; 5.1 surround sound system with JBL cinema series speakers that push 2400 watts of power; a Digitarium Kappa projector that broadcasts full dome shows; and seating for 58.

Marion Community Schools is pleased to be able to present this special show to the public and share our exceptional facilities with the community in this way.

MCS bullying prevention program earns national award

Posted: Mar 14, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Marion Community Schools is thrilled to announce that our bullying prevention program has been recognized by the School Safety Advocacy Council as a national exemplary program.

Several members of the MCS bullying prevention committee traveled recently to the National Conference on Bullying and Child Victimization, where they accepted the award and gained valuable information and ideas on how to continue to improve our the progressive, proactive program we already have in place.

We are proud of our team and our bullying prevention program! Out of about 40 nominees for this award, three winners were selected, and ours was the only school-based program recognized. The other honorees had a national scope.

>> Marion Community Schools' Bullying Prevention Award is now featured on the U.S. Department of Justice's website! Click here to check it out.

The Marion Community Schools Board of School Trustees honored the MCS bullying prevention committee at their meeting on March 14, 2017, celebrating news of the national award.

Below is an overview of our program, from the award nomination.

National Conference on Bullying – National Exemplary Program Award nomination

December 2016

Marion Community Schools (Marion, Ind.)

Marion Community Schools’ bullying prevention program was started in 2012. Since that time, we feel that this intentional, multi-faceted program has made quite a difference in our schools and our community. We feel that the key has been a proactive effort to change the culture and climate in our schools. Yes, it’s a bullying prevention program, but in reality, it’s more of a kindness campaign.

Every single staffer is involved with bullying prevention at MCS, because we all have specific duties as detailed in our policies and rules. The core steering committee for this effort, though, includes nine members, representing all of our school buildings and stakeholders. This committee has included staff, parents, students, and other community members, including local law enforcement representatives.

From the 2013-14 school year to the 2014-15 school year, we saw a dramatic decrease in bullying incidents — an 83 percent decrease! In the 2015-16 school year, the number of incidents remained at that new low. We believe the education piece of the program has been the key to this decrease. All staff members receive policy training and guidance on how to identify bullying (and the specific criteria involved), as well as the legally required response to any bullying report (including a review of our reporting forms and procedures). In addition, students have had many opportunities to learn more about bullying and its effects on the targeted student as well as the student doing the bullying. These opportunities have included:

Rachel’s Challenge presentations at all grade levels, and use of the Rachel’s Challenge curriculum in our schools.
Social workers taking this kindness campaign into the classroom, using various positive reinforcements for behaviors that create and sustain an atmosphere of compassion.
Cyberbullying training facilitated by the Indiana State Police.
Student-led efforts including a Kindness Kids club at one of our elementary schools and a FOR TAXII (Friends of Rachel / Teens Against Extreme Inappropriate Interactions) club at our high school.
PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) was fully implemented across the district in the 2015-16 school year; we saw a 25 percent reduction in behavior referrals in that academic year, vs. the previous.

The data tracking is also key to sustaining positive change. We are able to see specific areas of concern, and then directly target our efforts to address them. In addition, we are able to see successes in a concrete way. This helps us decide how to utilize limited resources in the best way.

We offer several different ways for our families and community to contribute to this kindness campaign. One example is our Giant Hotline, an anonymous tipline for anyone who needs to share anything that threatens the safety of our students or schools. Though we do encourage people to reach out directly to their principal when possible, this hotline fills a need for those who want to remain anonymous. We also have provided parent presentations from the ISP (cyberbulling) and Rachel’s Challenge.

The annual MCS Kindness Rally, which is going into its fifth year in 2017, is perhaps the most visible community-wide event. The Kindness Rally is a way for us to celebrate everyday acts of kindness and the difference they can make. We invite the entire community to celebrate with us, with a carnival and Chain Reaction Ceremony. This ceremony includes a parade of students and staff carrying paper chains made up of thousands of links — each one representing an act of kindness done at one of our school buildings during the preceding school year. This is an amazing sight to behold, as you watch our students and staff proudly carry in chains that eventually stretch all the way around our high school arena — one of the biggest in the country. In addition, talented students present songs, poems, and other projects that celebrate kindness or speak out against bullying. We also have an annual T-shirt design competition for the Kindness Rally, where students submit designs and several are chosen to be printed and sold.

This event not only celebrates kindness in general but also puts specific students and staff members in the spotlight for their personal efforts at kindness, compassion, and inclusion. Nominations are submitted by students and staff, and a committee chooses one student and one staff member from each school building to present with the MCS Kindness Award, which we truly believe is one of the highest honors we can bestow, because we believe that simple acts of kindness have the power to change our classrooms, our schools, our community, and the world.

These efforts have garnered local and regional media coverage, but also caught the interest of the Indiana Department of Education. In 2013, IDOE solicited applications from schools to be a part of crafting guidelines for schools to apply a new state law aimed at bullying prevention. MCS applied and was accepted to be part of that process. Members of the MCS bullying prevention steering committee were involved at the state level, helping to write guidance lessons and sample policy. MCS bullying report forms were used as an example of a best practice.

We see the differences this program is making every day. The data show that difference in a concrete way, but more importantly you can feel a difference in the culture and atmosphere in our buildings, and in the attitudes of staff and students who make an intentional choice to focus on the positive, and on ways that our choices can change our community.

First Newer