Newsletter


LOOKING TO THE FUTURE...COMMON PLANNING
Grass Lake Community Schools and its faculty is in business to do things better and better for the children of this community. We believe that Grass Lake's students deserve a program of study which is fully coordinated from kindergarten through graduation, and which is current enough to meet their needs as they enter a rapidly changing world. Never before has it been more important that every child master every skill, and that we be certain exactly when a particular skill will be studied for mastery. Never before has it been more important that our schools -- which have remained relatively unchanged for decades -- make necessary changes to meet the demands of life in a technological age. It is estimated, for example, that today's children will make six career changes in their adult lives because of rapid changes in the workplace. Our graduates must be confident, lifelong learners -- able to do more than memorize bits of information; they must be thinkers, problem-solvers, citizens who can apply the knowledge they have to new situations as the need arises. Modernizing teaching methods and fully coordinating our educational program requires that the full faculty be brought together on a regular and consistent basis for study and planning. In the past, teachers have tried to coordinate our program of study and make instructional changes during after-school meetings, and over the summer, without the participation of the full faculty. This "shotgun" approach to school improvement, while it does result in some	real benefits for kids, can never be completely effective. Real results require a commitment of time and participation by the whole faculty. Like many businesses today, we see a need to dedicate a portion of each week to planning and improvement -- the "quality team" approach to making this business of education even more effective for our children. After study by the faculty and administration, and input at several meetings from parents and community members, the Board of Education has adopted a plan for coordinating the educational program and modernizing teaching methods at Grass Lake Community Schools. This "pilot" program, which will be tested for one year, will enable the full faculty to meet each Wednesday morning of the next school year to work on curriculum coordination and more modern and effective teaching methods. The teachers will arrive for work at 7:40 a.m., on Wednesdays, and meet for two hours, sometimes as a full
	MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Grass Lake Community Schools is to: provide a quality learning environment which will empower all students to meet their individual needs, discover their potential, and gain essential skills that will enable them to become responsible, contributing citizens of the world.