What’s Inside

Superintendents Message

College & Counselor

What’s Going On? ~ Academic News

Most Valuable Teachers ~ Athletic News

Winter Sports Schedule

More Most Valuable Teachers

GETTING INTO THE

SPIRIT OF THE DAY!

GRAND MARSHALLS

Shaila and Dustin Powell

Alexis McQueen & Alex Faber

l-r Jacee Moore & Corey Daily ~ Freshman

Kaylee Clausen & Sam Palmer ~ Sophomore

Kayla McQueen & Cody Christensen ~ Juniors

Alesis McQueen & Alex Faber, Skylar Wood &

Jacob Korte, Keeley Nemeth & Cameron Nisonger

Seniors

A familiar face in a new position! Mrs. Eldred has been with Montabella for a little over 8 years and has transitioned into a new position. She is currently the counselor at the Jr/Sr High school. In this position Mrs. Eldred wears many hats! She is in charge of scheduling/ordering/reviewing scores of state tests. If you have any questions about SAT/PSAT/ACT work-keys, they should be directed to her. She is also in charge of scheduling for all students, so if you have a scheduling question, let her know! Scheduling also includes organizing dual enrollment and career center schedules for juniors and seniors. Mrs. Eldred meets with students on a daily basis to cover topics such as bullying, grades, self-esteem, anxiety, friendships, and much more. It is not uncommon to see her in the hall seeking students out to talk about grades or giving out random high fives. Upcoming events for the counseling department. November 23, 2016: 8th grade reality

store. This is an interactive simulation of what it's like to be an adult. Students in 8th grade choose a career based on their interests and abilities and have to go through stations that represents aspects of life with one month's "pay". At the end of the simulation, students see how much money they have left over and reflect on what it was like to have to pay bills.

December 05, 2016: Accuplacer test for all juniors and seniors interested in dual enrollment for next semester and/or any senior in-terested in attending a community college upon graduation.

November 06-December 21: Peppe presentations. A group of high school students will be presenting to 5th grade students on ways to problem solve, ways to say no to drugs, how to maintain good/healthy friendships, and the negative impacts of drugs.

Shelly Millis, Superintendent Educational Records Educational records are maintained by every school district in the nation. There is a federal law, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) that stipulates what information about the educational records including what can be released and to whom. There sometimes is some confusion about what constitutes an educational

record and what information can be shared with the public. The educational record contains information about a specific student. That information contains but is not limited to: attendance records, academic information (grades, report cards), discipline information, special education information, and guardian or custodial information. These records could be housed in multiple different files in the school and can be electronic and/or paper records. Parents have the right to request and view the educational records of their child. Schools are allowed to release directory information about the students that attend the school.

Typically, that directory information includes: name, address, phone number and honors or award information. This allows for schools to print rosters for athletic events, publish honor roll lists, class lists for military recruiters and other similar information. Schools are prohibited from releasing any other information contained in the educational record to the public. There are few organizations that are exceptions to this rule. Those organizations typically include, law enforcement officials, manners that are issues of safety and security (child protective services, for example) or other educational institutions. Parents can also give written permission for certain portions of a child’s educational record to be shared with others. This request most generally gives the school permission to discuss academic information about a student with another family member (grandparents) or significant other. We realize that this can be frustrating when the school will not release the information that you are requesting, but this is being done to protect the student rights. The federal law prohibits us from talking about discipline of other students or academic information with anyone but the parent. If you have any specific questions or concerns about educational records, feel free to contact the building principal or superintendent.

Miss Prine (MICAN Counselor) ups the ante for our Seniors!!! 2016-2017 GOALS

-100% 1-on-1’s -80% FAFSA Completion - 40% Parent Meetings -60% Seniors submit 3+ college applications

-90% Seniors submit 1+ college

-$70,000 in Scholarships earned, -$800,000 Institutional aid

College visits have already started. FIFTEEN seniors have already signed up to retake their SAT and three

of them have signed up for the ACT. These students are working hard to improve their standardized scores for college entrance and

scholarship opportunities.

Not getting much of a response when you ask your child how did school go

today? Here are some questions you could ask that may help you! More will

be added in the next 2 issues. Stay tuned.

1. What's the funniest thing that happened today?

2. Can you tell me 3 different people you talked to today?

3. If I was your teacher tomorrow, what would you want me to teach?

4. What's the biggest difference between this year and last year?

5. What's something special that happened today that you wish happened

every day?

Montabella Elementary is now a Kinsa school! Through a competitive grant, which

had over 2200 Applicants nationwide,

Montabella Elementary was selected as

one of 200 schools (only 6 in

Michigan) to participate in the 2016

Kinsa Fluency Program. Through the

Kinsa grant, Montabella families can download the free Kinsa

Health App and qualify for a free Kinsa Smart Thermometer

through December 1, 2016. The Kinsa Smart Thermometers

plug into compatible smart phones and give an

accurate reading of a student’s temperature

directly to the phone. Montabella also has their

very own Kinsa page that allows parents to

enter any symptoms a child may have and

check on the schools health status for the day!

The app also gives parents basic health

reminders and care tips for their child’s

symptoms. While not all phones are compatible with the Kinsa

thermometers, EVERY family has access to the Kinsa app and

can enter symptoms for their child and keep a log of

medications. Grant applicant and Kinsa Coordinator Karen

Garvey said, ”I am very excited that Montabella families can be

part of this program; it’s a great opportunity for our community.

I am hoping this will provide families with away to keep ahead

of illnesses and keep our students healthy and in school! We

currently have 111 phones registered and 242 profiles created! If

you have a child enrolled at Montabella Elementary and have

not taken advantage of this free great health opportunity, please

take a minute to sign up for The Kinsa program!" Montabella

Elementary is looking forward to a healthier school year!

PTO NEWS

Box tops are used for purchasing Chromebooks for the

school, the goal is to have enough Chromebooks for

everyone in the Elementary.

We are no longer collecting Campbell’s Labels for

Education or Spartan Labels only Box Tops.

Mother Son Bowling Night is November 19, 5 pm at

Blanchard Lanes $10/couple

December 5th – 9th the Elementary Students will have the

opportunity to shop for Christmas Gift at the Santa

Shop. PTO will send schedules of shop hours in next

couple weeks. Watch for this announcement.

Kindergarten Enjoys

Anderson’s & Girls

Orchard!

The kindergarten classes along with the K/1st split class went on a field trip

to Anderson & Girls Apple Orchard. The students

went on a wagon ride through the orchard and they

all got to pick their own apple. The students also got a

tour inside where they were shown how apple cider is made. The children and

volunteers also enjoyed a tasty snack of apple cider

and cider doughnuts.

Ms. Moyers class

took a trip to the Art

Prize in Grand Rap-

ids. Here are some

of the students pos-

ing with some art

work.

The Montabella Elementary Community raised $196 for

St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Last year, Montabella Elementary had the

opportunity to work with the Boy Scouts. It was

awesome to see the program return to the Edmore

area. We are excited to work with both the Boy and Girl

Scouts this year.

Anna Himebaugh (8th grade) was nominated by

Mrs. Burggren. She stated, “Anna’s work ethic,

attention to detail, and participation in class is

much improved since last year. She comes to

class willing to learn with a bright smile on her

face. Her speech for Student Council shows just

how committed she is to her classes and making

this year different than last year. I am very proud

of the changes I have seen in Anna. I think she

will have a successful year.”

Jordan Rose (9th grade), nominated by Ms.

Selleck: “Jordan is extremely considerate and

hardworking everyday in class. She also goes out

of her way to do different things without even

being asked. Yesterday, I saw her pick up

someone else's trash in the hallway. Today she

helped out by putting other students' chairs up.

Overall, she is a very kind person and sets a good

example!”

MaLinda Johnston (7th grade), nominated by

Mrs. Burggren: “MaLinda can always be relied

on to be doing what is asked during class time.

She is respectful, kind and welcoming towards

everyone. She is a model student and has been a

welcome addition to our middle school. I have

really enjoyed having MaLinda in class.”

2015-2016 6th Six Weeks R.E.A.L. Mustang Pride Honor Roll Respect--Explore--Achieve--Lead These students have a "C" or better grade in all classes and have not had any discipline referrals for the 6th six weeks.

7th Grade: Madison Anderson, Ryan Cook, Sara Courser, Meri Cowles, Riley Daily, Seth Davidson, MaLinda Johnston, Zachary Peters, Ethan

Smyth, Julie Spohn, Alyssa Walwark, Gracie Weigold. 8th Grade: Zoey Barnes, Kendall Bolton, Madison Burggren, Parker Burggren, Conner

Byrne, Maycee Chaney, Megan Collins, Ashley Davis, Paje Deal, Jonathan Gormley, Abigail Hadley, Taylor Harkness, Anna Himebaugh, Brenna

Hunt, Gavin Hurt, Kathleen Jensen, Cheyenne Keim, Gavin Kent, Elizabeth Lam, Eder Lopez-Morales, Natalie Lutz, Roman Nickerson, Sinora

O'Hara, Mya Scott, Helena Snyder, Nolan Wilkinson, Hannah Willis. 9th Grade: Olivia Adgate, Morgan Christensen, Alyson Compagnari, Paige

Courser, Cory Daily, Mason Dalrymple, Carroll Fisher, Rose Goltz, Lauren Jordan, Joie Kade, Alan Keller, Brooklynn Knopf, Summer Ladd, Destiny

Lake, Maggie Ludwig, Nicholas Lunsted, John Mazurkiewicz, Jacee Moore, RJ Neumann, Paige Pant, Nathanial Peters, Tyler Powell, Donovan

Qualls, Jordan Rose, Julian Tallent. 10th Grade: Misha Colburn, Laura Keilholtz, Teresa Klumpp, Samuel Palmer, Grace Powell, Zachary Qualls,

Jasmine Racine, Connor Riley, Jasen Smith, Magdalena Sollecito, Alexis Weiss. 11th Grade: Allysa Babcock, Jordan Balhorn, Zachary Carpenter,

Adam Chaffee, Ariah Chaney, Cody Christensen, Kourtney Cole, Haley Collins, Carson Dalrymple, David Gormley, Tristin Hallock, Gage Harkness,

Zoe Helmer, Liberty Henry, Lindsey Hoover, Joseph Houghton, Caitlyn Keim, Allen Kohn, Taylor Peabody, Kalvin Quackenbush, Eryn Raglin,

Alexander Reed, Mason Renne, Mackenna Rios, Hunter Smith, Lauryn Wisner, Brooke Wright. 12th Grade: Ashley Ashbaugh, Joshua Browne,

Madison Cutler, Nicholas Davidson, Gabrielle Dobbrastine, Anna Ferman, Cheyenne Fuller, Jenna Harrison, Danielle Hunt, Kanon Jerome, Sabrina

Knapp, Jacob Korte, Autumn Lau, Sidney Lint, Brynn Lobert, Lucas Maddox, Alexis McQueen, Keeley Nemeth, Cameron Nisonger, Sidney Page,

Gage Price, Angela Qualls, Elissa Shaner, Kailee Shipley, Brianna Skiver, Kendra Stockwell. Madison Taylor, Noah Wood, Skylar Wood.

Gavin Gatehouse (9th Grade) was nominated by

Mr. Spaans. He said, “This is my third year in a

row having Gavin in class, and his transformation

has been incredible. Very few of my students have

had a better opening month than Gavin this year.

He is an insightful reader, a keen listener, and a

gifted contributor to class discussions. He's setting

himself up to be very successful in high school.”

Brandon Inskeep “My MVT is Mr. Shaw because he made class

interesting, he has a variety of life experiences: such as well-travelled,

politically minded, he’s bilingual, and he is a member of the Free Ma-

sons. He covered the material thoroughly and he also has a very laid

back and easy going personality.”

Alex Faber “My MVT is Mrs. Eldred

because she has always been there for

me. She helps me with all my

problems no matter what. I have never

been so close with a teacher in my life,

I don’t consider her a teacher, she’s

more like a friend to me.

Anthony Steele “My MVT is Mr. Hofstra because he made learning fun and enjoyable. He also was one of the best teachers I’ve had and understands some students learn differently.” (Mr. Hofstra couldn’t attend as he was Anthony’s teacher when he attended Traverse City West High School)

Wyatt VanWagner “Mrs. Fenton is my MVT because she encouraged me to do better than my best. She pushed me to try new things. Also, she made school fun for me. She was more than a teacher to me, she was a friend and one of my best role models.”

Jared Jolly “My MVT is Mr. Shaw because he’s taught me many things in life, more than just school. He always made his class fun and interesting.”

Skylar Wood “My MVT is Mr.Gormley because he has always believed in me and he always pushes me to do my best in everything. I can’t thank him enough for everything he has done for me and for helping me get through high school.”

Sabrina Knapp “My MVT is Mr.

Champion because no matter who you

are, he treats everyone the same.

Without knowing it, he has made my

day better. He also is always there for

everyone and he is very patient.

Finally, he gives everyone the benefit

of the doubt and gives everyone the

chance to show their potential.

Anna Ferman “My MVT is

Mr. Kauffman because in and outside of the classroom, he always pushes me to do

my best.”

Brittney Knapp “My MVT is Mrs. Eldred because

without her I would not know where I’d be. She has never given up on me and was always there no matter how busy she gets. She always has time for her students because her work

Is important to her.”

Brynn Lobert “ My MVT is Mr. Lobert

(aka Uncle David) because he not only had

a positive impact on my life, but many

others. I had my Uncle David as a 3rd and

4th grade teacher at St. Michael’s Catholic

School in Remus. I want to thank him for

always believing in me and pushing me to

do my very best in everything I do.”

The September Mustangs of the Month are Madison Cutler (left) and

Anna Ferman (right) Coach Simon stated, “Madison is a mature player

that adjusts her talents to help the team out first and then herself second.

At the Belding tournament Madi lead the team with 10 kills and one

block, and shared the setting duties. At the Farwell dual meet Madi

showed her defensive skills and leadership with 9 digs, and two aces.

Madi is a dream player that goes about doing her jobs without the need

for extra praise or recognition. For this quiet determination and spirit

Madi has become an integral part of the team.” Anna was nominated by

her cross country coach. Coach Kauffman said, “Anna has been the

foundation for both the boys’ and girls’ cross country team. As my

captain, she has encouraged and challenged runners to achieve their

best. She worked over the summer and her hard work paid off by

running almost a lifetime PR at Benzie.”

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The October Mustangs of the Month are Grace Powell (left) and Taylor Peabody

(right). Grace is a member of the Varsity Cheer team. Her coach, Coach Chaney,

said, “Grace always has a positive attitude. She tries to cheer up the rest of the squad

when they are feeling down. She always strives to achieve a higher level of gymnastic

ability. She is a very valuable member of the Varsity Cheerleader squad.” Taylor is a

member of the Varsity Volleyball team. Her coach, Mr. Simon, said, “Taylor works

hard on and off the court. She steps up as a leader whenever possible and always

strives to do her best and is hard on herself when she makes mistakes. She is easily

coachable and wants to improve daily. She has a smile that is super contagious and

expects everyone, including herself, to give 100%. She is a good role model for the JV

team who are looking up to someone for help. CHEER VBALL

Friday, October 14 was one of the busiest of nights at Montabella. The Mustang Cross Country Invitational started at

4:00. There were 28 different schools, with 47 boys and girls high school teams and 31 boys and girls middle school

teams. Over 900 runners were registered to participate. A number of community members and district employees

helped staff the event. The Okkemas’ provided chocolate milk at the finish line. Jordan Mawhirter finished with his

third consecutive personal record (17:36), which was good enough for 25th place overall.

MAWHIRTER & FERMAN GO TO STATE

At Brooklyn MIS, Jordan Mawhirter and Anna Ferman ran at the Cross Country Division 4 State Finals Meet. Jordan, a Sophomore, ran with a time of 17:25, just 7 seconds off his personal record and finished in 42nd place. Anna, a Senior, ran her final high school race with a time of 22:26, culminating a fantastic career. Congratulations to both runners on a terrific season!

Jordan Mawhirter League MVP for the MSAC Boys Cross Country

Football All-Conference

1st Team Luke Burns

2nd Team Wyatt Sackett

Honorable Mention

Lucas Olger Jordan Balhorn

Wyatt VanWagner Cody Christensen

Volleyball All-Conference

2nd Team Madi Cutler

Honorable Mention

Taylor Peabody Gabby Dobbrastine

Kendra Stockwell

JV/VAR BOYS BASKETBALL

Tue 12/06 Belding H 6:00 Fri 12/09 Vestaburg H 6:00 Tue 12/13 Central Montcalm H 5:30 Thu 12/15 Ashley A 6:00 Tue 12/20 Farwell H 6:00 Thu 01/05 Breckenridge H 6:00 Tue 01/10 Coleman A 6:00 Thu 01/12 Sacred Heart Academy H 6:00 Tue 01/17 Lakeview A 5:30 Fri 01/20 Carson City-Crystal A 6:00 Fri 01/27 Merrill H 6.00 Wed 02/01 Vestaburg A 6:00 Fri 02/03 Ashley H 6:00 Tue 02/07 Chippewa Hills A 5:30 Fri 02/10 Breckenridge A 6:00 Wed 02/15 Coleman H 6:00 Fri 02/17 Sacred Heart Academy A 6:00 Tue 02/21 St. Louis H 6:00 Fri 02/24 Carson City-Crystal H 6:00 Thu 03/02 Merrill A 6:00 Mon 03/06 Districts at Harrison A 6:00 Wed 03/08 Districts at Harrison A 6:00 Fri 03/10 Districts at Harrison A 6:00

JV/VAR GIRLS BASKETBALL

Fri 12/02 Merrill H 6:00 Thu 12/08 Vestaburg A 6:00 Wed 12/14 Central Montcalm A 5:30 Fri 12/16 Ashley H 6:00 Wed 12/21 Farwell A 6:00 Tue 01/03 Beal City H 6:00 Fri 01/06 Breckenridge A 6:00 Wed 01/11 Coleman H 6:00 Fri 01/13 Sacred Heart Academy A 6:00 Mon 01/16 Lakeview A 5:30 Thu 01/19 Carson City-Crystal H 6:00 Thu 01/26 Merrill A 6:00 Tue 01/31 Vestaburg H 6:00 Thu 02/02 Ashley A 6:00 Mon 02/06 Chippewa Hills H 6:00 Thu 02/09 Breckenridge H 6:00 Tue 02/14 Coleman A 6:00 Thu 02/16 Sacred Heart Academy H 6:00 Mon 02/20 St. Louis A 6:00 Thu 02/23 Carson City-Crystal A 6:00 Mon 02/27 Districts at Beaverton A 6:00 Wed 03/01 Districts at Beaverton A 6:00 Fri 03/03 Districts at Beaverton A 6:00

WRESTLING Wed 12/07 Beaverton A 6:00 PM Sat 12/10 Mustang Round Robin H 9:00 AM Wed 12/14 St. Louis A 5:30 PM Sat 12/17 Frankenmuth A 8:00 AM Fri 12/30 St. Louis A 9:00 AM Wed 01/04 Carson City-Crystal A 6:00 PM Sat 01/07 Alma A 9:00 AM Wed 01/11 Fowler A 6:00 PM Sat 01/14 Ovid-Elsie A 9:00 AM Wed 01/18 Laingsburg A 6:00 PM Sat 01/21 Ithaca A 10:00 AM Sat 01/28 Mustang Duals H 9:00 AM Wed 02/01 MI Lutheran Seminary A 6:00 PM Sat 02/04 CMAC Tournament A 9:00 AM

Middle School Boys Basketball

Mon 11/07 Vestaburg H 4:30 Wed. 11/09 Sacred Heart Academy A 4:30 Mon 11/14 Merrill H 4:30 Wed 11/16 Carson City-Crystal A 5:30 Mon 11/21 Coleman H 4:30 Mon 11/28 Breckenridge A 4:30 Wed 11/30 Ashley H 4:30 Mon 12/05 Vestaburg A 4:30 Wed 12/07 Sacred Heart H 4:30 Mon 12/12 Merrill A 4:30 Wed 12/14 Carson City-Crystal H 4:30 Mon 12/19 Coleman A 4:30

Middle Schools Girls Basketball

Mon 01/16 Vestaburg A 4:30 Wed 01/18 Sacred Heart H 4:30 Mon 01/23 Merrill A 4:30 Wed 01/25 Carson City-Crystal H 4:30 Mon 02/30 Coleman A 4:30 Wed 02/01 Breckenridge H 4:30 Mon 02/06 Ashley A 4:30 Wed 02/08 Vestaburg H 4:30 Mon 02/13 Sacred Heart A 4:30 Wed 02/15 Merrill H 4:30 Mon 02/20 Carson City-Crystal A 5:30 Wed 02/22 Coleman H 4:30

Meetings ~ Third Monday of the Month

Montabella Central Office Board Room

302 West Main St. PO Box 349, Edmore MI 48829

989-427-5148 (p) 989-427-3828 (f)

BOARD OF EDUCATION

Jann LaPointe, President ~Tim Eldred, Vice President

Sherri Miel, Treasurer

Ivan Renne, Trustee ~Eylie Foster , Trustee

Scott Parks, Trustee ~ Mike Rasmussen, Trustee

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage PAID

Edmore, MI 48829

Permit No. 1

We are hiring bus drivers! If you are in-

terested please contact Larry at the bus

garage. 989-427-5024 EOE

As always, we thank the Sons of the American Legion Post 240 from Blanchard for making sure we have flags to fly at the Central Office, Jr/Sr High and our Elementary. Montabella Community Schools would also like to Thank our Edmore AMVETS Post 588 and VFW Post 2292 for always being at our home football games to raise our Flag! We appreciate you!!!

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION! Don’t forget to clip your BOX TOPS and send them to the

elementary school . PTO does awesome job in sorting and using the cash redemption to purchase

Chromebooks for the elementary school.

Madi Cutler “My

MVT is Mr. Spaans

because he has not

only taught me to

challenge myself

academically, but he

has also helped me

prepare for life outside

of high school. Thank

you for pushing me to

make myself a better

person.”

Gabrielle Dobbrastine “My MVT is Mr. Gibson because he has made math

fun, which is hard to believe, and he has always believed in me. His support through sports and school has been

tremendous throughout these past four years, and I couldn’t be more thankful.”

Maliena Sheehan “My MVT is Mr.

Gibson because

even though I

don’t attend

classes at

Montabella he

always helps me

when I come to

him with my math homework. He also

supports me during track and has made it

possible for me to get to where I am now in

my track career.”

Hanna Stockwell

“My MVT is Mr.

Urbanawiz because

he created a more

complex atmosphere in his classroom to

make it more a ‘college ready’. With my

plans to attend college, his classroom helps

me prepare for my next big step in life.

Kendra Stockwell “My MVT is Senora Verhey because she only dedicated her time to the Spanish Club,

she taught me good and moral charac-ter that I’ll use for the rest of my life.

She taught me Spanish,and I joined Spanish

Club. She made it fun, just like San Antonio. Those

memories will last a lifetime. Thank

you for being such a great role model!