MUSTANG EXPRESS AUGUST 2 0 2 1
SAVE THE DATE
August 17 - Elementary Schools - Virtual Open House
August 18 - WELCOME BACK EVERYONE! WW & MHS - Virtual Open House August 24 - It is hard to believe that summer is over! For the 5 - 7 pm - Eads Back-to-School BBQ first time in nearly 18 months, our hallways and classrooms are filled with students. It is great to be August 24 - 6 pm - Elliott PTO Meeting back together again. The administrators, teachers and staff of the School Town of Munster could not August 25 - 7 pm - FHH PTO Meeting be more excited to have our students back in the buildings. As always, thank you for choosing STM August 26 - for your child’s education! We greatly value and 5 - 7 pm - Elliott Back to School Party appreciate your trust placed in us! August 26 - 6 pm - WWMS PTO Meeting THE SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE
It is time to ring in the school year! Another exciting school year is upon us, and I want to welcome students, parents, teachers, staff members and administrators back to school. Considering everything that we all went through last school year with Covid-19, I know that whatever this next year brings, we will handle it well together. Since last year, we have experienced several changes in our corporation. We continue to work on updating all of our facilities. This summer has brought about new paved parking lots, buildings being painted, new classrooms such as our Makerspace (Fab) Room and Incubator Room at MHS. We added new flooring in classrooms and hallways as well. These projects will continue into the next few years as we are able to do lots of much needed renovations. I hope that all of our STM students have taken time this summer to read books, visit libraries and museums, or have taken a vacation to a memorable place. Summer can be a great time for students to enjoy new experiences with family and friends. It is also a time for them to work summer jobs. Over the summer, many parents may not see the changes in their children, but our teachers do when they return to school. It is wonderful to see those changes in our students especially when they grow so much physically that we don’t always recognize them right away. We also notice how much our students have grown intellectually. It is surprising to find out what they have learned. Teachers know that their students have had numerous educational experiences over the summer, and that they will want to share those experiences with them and their classmates.
I know that many of our parents and our students are looking forward to this school year. Returning to school for many students who were at-home learners may be challenging but our counselors, teachers and administrators have prepared opportunities for students to acclimate back into the school setting. This will add to our parents and our students’ anticipation of new opportunities for academic growth and learning. There will be many new adventures in learning that students can explore just by physically being back in class and participating in person. We encourage all students to participate. Best regards to all of our students, parents, teachers, staff and administrators this year, and have a successful 2021-2022 school year.
Dr. Jeff Hendrix CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION
Greetings! Welcome to the 2021 – 2022 school year which will be marked by continued academic success. My name is Colleen Bergren and I began serving the School Town of Munster as the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction on July 26th. I am thankful to work in a school district which values excellent instruction and sets high expectations for student learning. My previous professional experience includes Director of Student Services, Principal, Assistant Principal and Teacher with my most recent endeavor as a Senior Specialist with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching. The School Town of Munster’s mission and vision align to my own core values in education which place student excellence in learning at the forefront. I look forward to serving our school community and continued growth and success in teaching and learning!
The 2020 – 2021 school year brought change to the student’s learning environment and teachers transformed their lessons to meet the needs of both in-person and virtual learning. The innate ability of our school community to adapt led to some of the strongest ILEARN and ISTEP+ scores in the state of Indiana. I have highlighted the outstanding performance of our 3rd graders on ILEARN Math as well as our 10th graders on ISTEP+ ELA.
Parents, thank you for your continued support of your child’s education and the School Town of Munster. Together, we are A District of National Distinction – Supporting Every Child Every Day! MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Welcome to Munster High School!
Recently, Munster High School learned that our students were second in the state in English Language Arts ISTEP scores among all public schools. MHS also finished as the fourth highest ranked school in Mathematics among all public schools and third overall for students who New MHS staff members passed both E.L.A. and Math. Well done teachers and students. Your hard work and dedication really paid off! There was quite a bit of construction at Munster High School also saw the Munster High School this summer. Sixteen addition of new staff members. Brad classrooms in the North part of the building Docter and Beth Raspopovich moved were renovated this summer. In addition, from the classroom to new administrative the following projects took place at Munster roles. Mr. Docter is now the Dean of High School: Students and Ms. Raspopovich is the Assistant Athletic Director. Student New Business Incubator classroom created Services will also see Mrs. Helen Fuller New Fabrication Lab (makerspace) was created Podcasting room created as a new Dean of Students. Film studio room created Parking lots were repaved Abby Brousseau - Family & Consumer Science Band tower was purchased and will be able to Amanda Czyszczon – Science transition from the South parking lot to the Koula Amanatidis – Computer Science Practice football field between the end of band Maria Bellahcen – Spanish and ELL camp and the start of marching season Dana Bell – Mathematics New storage sheds are currently being erected Catherine Gonzalez – Business Ceramics room was renovated Katelyn Propper – Family & Consumer Science Karen Schwartz – Credit Recovery Mr. Mike Wells Scott Stalbaum – Social Studies Kristen LaFlech – Business Alexander Radosavljevic – Mathematics Ian Marcusiu – Band Director Tanya Mead – Mathematics Cynthia Kielbasa – Counselor (maternity leave) Mark Dye – Social Studies Mike Bakker – Science MUNSTER HIGH SCHOOL LINK C R E W Link Crew is a high school transition program that welcomes freshmen and makes them feel comfortable throughout the first year of their high school experience. Built on the belief that students can help students succeed, this is a proven high school transition program that trains mentors from our junior and senior classes to be Link Crew Leaders. As positive role models, Link Crew Leaders are mentors and student leaders who guide the freshmen to discover what it takes to be successful during the transition to high school and help facilitate freshman success. Link Crew will be lead by Bri Sabaitis and Kristen Szafasz.
WEB
WEB, an acronym for Where Everybody Belongs, is a transition program designed to help 6th Graders adjust to life as a middle schooler. Selected 8th graders participated in WEB Leadership training over the summer to become WEB Leaders.
Throughout the school year, WEB Leaders will serve as mentors to 6th grade students in a number of ways. The 8th graders will lead the 6th graders during morning check-ins as well as events after school designed specifically for WEB leaders and their mentorship of 6th Graders. The advisor of WEB this year is Bojan Jovanovic. MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year!
I am truly excited to get this school year started. It is going to be a great year.
Wilbur Wright will continue to stay our course, providing an education that strives for personal excellence. We will do this in an intellectually challenging environment that supports a student's emotional WWMS New Hires wellbeing. We envision ourselves as a key part of the corporation's success in being a "District of National Distinction."
We encourage our families to become partners in your child's education and engage with the Wilbur Wright Community. Please use our website, and its ongoing development as a resource and tool to MESSAGE FROM stay engaged and up-to-date on the Wilbur Wright Community. 21-22 is going THE PRINCIPAL to be a great year!
Go Mustangs!!!
Mr. Morgan Nolan
WILBUR WRIGHT MIDDLE SCHOOL EADS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Eads New Hires MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL It is amazing how fast the summer weeks fly by. This summer’s construction project was removing carpet from the main hallway and replacing it with tile. The hallway is shiny and ready for 512 pairs of little feet to walk on.
Brian Ayersman will be a new third grade teacher at Eads. Brian is a retired Munster Police Officer and former D.A.R.E. officer. We are happy to add him to our staff. LaToya Edwards will be the full-time assistant principal at Eads.
While our students were enjoying the sun during summer vacation, our custodians worked hard cleaning the rooms, offices, hallways and windows to make the building sparkle before the students return. We would like to give a big shout out to all of the custodians in our district.
The PTO is hosting our annual back-to-school BBQ on August 24th. We will be celebrating the beginning of school with a family picnic in the green space behind our school. We look forward to welcoming new Eads families and hearing about everyone’s summer.
Best wishes for a successful school year for all! Mrs. Bevil MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Welcome back to a new school year! Elliott teachers have been busy preparing their classrooms and planning for the start of the year. The custodians have been working hard to prepare the school and grounds over the summer. Our newly tiled hallways add a crisp and clean look to our school.
We are excited to welcome back our teachers and staff, and welcome some new staff, too! We are lucky to have a full-time assistant principal this year. Amanda Jez joined the Elliott team this August. She was an assistant principal at Wilbur Wright previously, and before that she taught at Eads Elementary.
Best wishes to each team this 2021-2022 school year. Kindergarten - Ehrenberg, Garcia, Pollock 1st grade - Lusk, Rybicki & Sudicky 2nd grade - Banach (Gunderson), Goins & Shanks 3rd grade - Engstrom, Howard, Kemling & Stacy 4th grade - Burzynski, Stewart (Jurich) & Valdez 5th grade - Bell, Gehrig, Mehok (Temporary will be Helmke) & Shelton (Temporary will be Tsakopoulos) Art - Johnson, PE - Helmer & Music Teacher - Beaupre Kindergarteners and new families were invited to a walk-through on Friday, August 6th. It was great to see so many smiling and eager faces! Kindergarten parents were invited for a Kindergarten Orientation on Monday, August 9th. Kindergarten parents were able to meet with their child’s kindergarten teachers and learn about the expectations for the year.
Elliott will be hosting a Back to School Party on Thursday, August 26th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. All Elliott families are invited to an evening of fun. The Elliott Staff is looking forward to a great school year.
Ms. Nicole Guernsey
Elliott New Hires ELLIOTT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FRANK HAMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL & ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
As the principal and assistant principal here at FHH, we are excited to lead our already excellent school and staff to greater achievements. Student success is our #1 priority while fostering the growth of your whole child - socially, emotionally and academically. Our mission is to develop strong relationships with families and community, so that all of our students will be motivated and empowered to achieve their personal best. We educate every single student, every day.
We work everyday to improve instruction through analysis of data and effective strategies using research based strategies such as Guided Reading, Daily Five, 6 + 1 Writing Traits and Inquiry Math. We work through differentiated instruction that addresses the individual needs of our students. Our students work using higher level thinking skills and applied conceptual learning each day. While our curriculum includes Wonders Reading by McGraw Hill and Everyday Math by the University of Chicago School Math Program and McGraw Hill, we strive to meet individual needs of students. Every child. Every day. Here your child will learn letters, sounds, words and reading strategies. They will learn numbers, counting and mathematical concepts. But most of all, we will help your child to become an independent thinker and problem solver. We value the process as well as the product. We work hard to create opportunities for your child to thrive academically and socially-emotionally. This foundation continues throughout your K-5 experience. Please take an active role in your child’s education. You are always welcome here at Frank H. Hammond through volunteering and through our very supportive PTO. Keep connected at FHH through our website, email and social media!
Ms. Boersma & Mr. Torres FHH New Hires SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING
The School Town of Munster vision of supporting every child every day has always been the forefront of our initiatives. The district’s strategic plan includes a goal for the Personal Growth, Engagement and Wellbeing of Staff and Students. The purpose of the goal is to provide opportunities to acquire and effectively apply personal and social attitudes, behaviors and skills necessary to promote wellness for ourselves and others so we can positively contribute to any community.
Targets, strategies and action steps toward that goal include developing self-awareness and self-management skills essential to success in school and in life, building a culture of social responsibility founded on kindness for others and respect for diversity, training all staff and students on social-emotional learning practices that support the care, safety and welfare of all students, and making decisions for social- emotional practices rooted in evidence-based research and stakeholder feedback.
The School Town of Munster is aware of the possible effects placed on families, students and staff from the unusual and challenging past school year and a half. A back-to-school survey was sent out to families and teachers to gauge levels of readiness as we begin this new school year to be better prepared in supporting their social-emotional needs. The schools have prepared activities to help transition students back into the building especially those that have been at home learners for one and a half years. The hope is for your students to participate in these activities to re-connect to the buildings, teachers, staff and peers in the hope of feeling welcome and safe from day one which is needed for a successful learning environment.
The district shifted roles and responsibilities this year allowing an administrator, Assistant Principal - Val Zemaitis, to coordinate collaboration in the district to build our capacity of multi- tiered social-emotional supports for staff and students.
One of those levels of support is the partnership formed with the Bowen Center to provide mental health services and support. We are excited to work with the Bowen Center, the largest mental health agency in the state of Indiana, to provide mental health services and support to our students and staff. The School Town of Munster has made the investment in students to provide 3 prepaid outpatient counseling sessions for grades 6-12. These sessions are confidential, private and offer the convenience of phone or virtual platforms. Parents and guardians of students can access this benefit directly by calling Bowen Center at 800-342-5653, visiting the website www.bowencenter.org and clicking on schedule an appointment or working with your child's school for a referral. The Bowen Center makes every effort to coordinate the care of the student between parents/guardians and the school. We recognize the effectiveness and success in a comprehensive process of care between the school, family and provider. In addition to the counseling, the School Town of Munster has also partnered with the Bowen Center to offer skills coaching services to those students that could benefit. These one-on-one supportive services go where the need is whether it is school, home or in the community. The staff at Munster recognizes the impact that one-on-one supportive services can have on students in need and their families. To learn more about this option please contact your school counselors or social workers. Along with the direct student services, Bowen Center will be providing Critical Incident Stress Management teams for the school, students and staff to help lend support after any traumatic event. Bowen provides workshops for professional development, certifications, self-care and mental health awareness. A representative from the Bowen Center will “roll out” all programs with promotional activities, literature, videos, orientation for staff, informational materials for parents/guardians as well as make community connections.
EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVERS
It has been a busy summer for the Exceptional Achievers' Department!
New hires for the 2021-22 school year include: Tameka Malone: Speech and Language Pathologist (WWMS) Emily Kock: Speech and Language Pathologist (Parochial Schools) Bernadette Wood: Speech and Language Pathologist (Early Childhood Coordination) Eva Macheca: Mild Interventions (FHH) and Deaf or Hard of Hearing (District) Susan Corty: Mild Interventions (FHH) Emily Scholtz: Mild Interventions (WWMS) Monica Townsend: School Psychologist (Secondary and Eads) Katherine Marek: School Psychology Intern (District)
Instructional Assistants: - Allison Kubacki - Melanie Pieper - Katy Waldrop - Gabriella Angellotti - Georgia Chamberlin - Carla Mago - Naomi Kiernicki YEARS OF SERVICE Job Openings
The following individuals were recognized for their years of service to the School Town of Munster during the Opening Day ceremony on Tuesday, August 10th.
10 Years 15 Years 20 Years
Kathie Bednarowski Trevor Howard Kimberly Burzynski Sanja Dobrijevic Brook Lemon Sheri Engstrom Rebecca Hauter Andrea Lieser Deborah Gauthier Apply online at: Bojan Jovanovic William Smitka Larry Hautzinger www.compassgroupcareers.com and Nicolette Olson Kristen Szafasz search Munster, IN. Erin Ulan Lisa Uylaki For more information, Lisa Whipple Debra Wojciechowski call 219-836-3200 X 229 or text "CAFE" to 219-836-9111.
25 Years 30 Years 35 Years
Barb Dwars Keith Koszut Carolyn Blocher NOW HIRING:
Daniel Gelarden Patty Pfister Wendy McCarthy Denise Shelton Val Zemaitis Patti Stofko School
Bus Drivers 40 Years
James Watt
For more information. call 219-836-3234 Thank you or text "BUS" to 219-836-9111. The School Town of Munster
is looking for: FOR YOUR SERVICE! - Instructional Assistants
Apply online at: https://www.munster.us/Departments/Human -Resources/Employment-Opportunities
For more information, call 219-836-7256 or text "JOB" to 219-836-9111.
Breakfast and District Contact Information lunch are covered! Administration Office 8616 Columbia Avenue - 219.836.9111
Munster High School 8808 Columbia Avenue - 219.836.3200
Wilbur Wright Middle School 8650 Columbia Avenue - 219.836.6260
TAKE THE STRESS OUT OF YOUR MORNINGS! Eads Elementary School 8000 Jackson Street - 219.836.8635
Elliott Elementary School Breakfast and lunch 8718 White Oak Avenue - 219.838.5250 will be free for ALL students during the 2021-2022 school year. Frank Hammond Elementary School 1301 Fran Lin Parkway - 219.838-2060
Please fill out the free and reduced lunch forms available Exceptional Achievers on our website. Additional 8630 Columbia Avenue - 219.836.7256 benefits, such as textbook assistance, are determined via this form.
Administration Team 2021-2022