Tremendous thanks to Shannon, Margy, Althea & several of our new Trusted Parent Advisors who reached out to parents in the Sycamore Green community after a recent homicide to see what their needs were for our children and families. Parents reported needing guidance and materials for supporting their young children who had witnessed much of the event. Our three team members moved into action to distribute materials on signs and symptoms of trauma and how to build resilience in partnership with WCSO Interrupters and WC Community Mental Health. Kathy Wyatt from the WCSO wrote, " I have received phone messages, calls, and comments from people in the area who received the packets, heard about them from neighbors and from community members who heard about the event. They were universally positive and appreciative. Comments included “awesome” to “incredible way to reach out to the community”, “such a beautiful thing”, “great effort” and “thank you.” Thank you for swiftly moving into action!

David worked very quickly to build a PSSE report that was requested by the VI team so that we could better understand our caseload needs going into next year. David understood what we needed and came up with an excellent solution that will help us provide more efficient and appropriate service to our students, families, and community. Thanks David!

John Rose was humbled and surprised when he was presented on March 16 with the C. David Anderson Award from the Michigan Transition Services Association. The plaque reads: “Presented each year in recognition of an individual who exemplifies support and promotion of transition through leadership, advocacy, or innovative programming.” The award was first presented in March 21, 2000, and is awarded annually at the MTSA state convention. The plaque he received will be hung in the administrative wing of the Teaching and Learning Center. Congratulations John, well deserved!

Thank you to JT Sangsland who skillfully facilitated the school improvement and visioning work in February at Lincoln High School. One of the objectives of the session was to surface needs at the high school to help staff improve the culture and climate at the school to improve student achievement outcomes. JT did an amazing job!

Kudos to Andrea Hayes! Andrea has taken on an especially challenging assignment, these past few months, as one of our classrooms undergoes changes in staffing and challenges with students. Andrea has worked diligently and professionally with all the support staff, classroom staff, and families to build stability and structure in the classroom. Andrea was reassigned from her regular duties as a TC to assist this classroom team. Her TC colleagues also deserve credit for helping to support her TC caseload while Andrea is on reassignment. Her leadership and collaborative efforts have improved the stability of the classroom, helped establish instructional structure, and maintained positive collegiality among the whole team. Andrea is a professional the WISD is proud to be associated with; her enduring respect for all and student focused skills are a positive reflection on the agency.