Freeland Community School District

We are excited to highlight our Freeland Learning Center Student Support Specialist this week, Breanne Short. Thank you Miss. Short for all that you do for our Learning Center students. Go Falcons!

Freeland students and staff had a powerful day of learning during their Leadership Conference today! We are excited to see how they will use what they have learned to impact our schools this year.

Miss Swafford's 2nd graders LOVE when Blue, one of our therapy dogs comes to visit!

FES would like to take this opportunity to spotlight our 5th grade Language Arts teacher, Miss Cereske!

This week, Freeland Learning Center is highlighting one of our amazing office professionals, Mrs. Pam Dammer. Mrs. Dammer is in her tenth and sadly last year of serving our school community in her role as the office professional. Although she was with us for only about ten years, she has over 34 years total experience working in a school setting. Prior to coming to the FCSD she worked at Holy Trinity School in Bay City. Mrs. Dammer’s dedication and unwavering commitment to our Freeland Learning Center students, staff and families have made such a positive impact on all of those she served. Throughout the years, she has been the cornerstone of our school community, bringing warmth, efficiency, and professionalism to every task she undertook. Her ability to manage the countless responsibilities of the office with grace and ease has been nothing short of remarkable. Beyond her exceptional professional skills, it is her kindness, empathy, and genuine care for others that have made her such a beloved member of our school family. Her welcoming smile and willingness to go above and beyond to help anyone in need have touched the lives of countless individuals, leaving a lasting impression on us all. When asked what she finds most rewarding about her position, Mrs. Dammer said, “I am fortunate to see our ‘littlest Falcons’ blossom throughout the school year! It is truly amazing to see how much they have grown.” When asked what was one of Mrs. Dammer’s favorite memories, while working in Freeland Community School District, she said, “The first day that I walked into the Learning center office, I felt like I was at home. The staff at the Learning center are a family! We support each other on a daily basis.” When Mrs. Dammer is not working, she loves spending time with her family, reading and crocheting. She also shared that she is very blessed to have had the opportunity to finish her career at the Freeland Learning Center. Thank you Mrs. Dammer for your dedication to the students and families of the Freeland Learning Center and for all you do for the Freeland Community School District. You will be dearly missed and we wish you many new experiences with your family in your retirement! Freeland Learning Center Staff and Students

Thank you to our amazing businesses that supported the kindergarten Falcon Pride initiative this year! This started over 15 years ago as a way for our littlest Falcons to show their pride! The initiative grew from every kindergarten student receiving a shirt - to now include every sixth grade student and senior receiving a shirt. Our kindergartners (Class of 2036) received their shirts today. Thank you to the following businesses for sponsoring the shirts: Kloha Contracting, Mid Michigan Gymnastics, Freeland Sports Zone, Freeland Family Dentistry, Pat’s Food Center & Do It Best Hardware, Baynes Apply Valley Farm - the Coughlin Family, Riverside / The Otherside, 2nd Street Pub, McIntosh & Associates FOCUS Retirement Made Clear, Barton Woods, and ATS! *Sixth grade and Senior Alumni shirt recognition forthcoming. #FalconPride

Freeland Elementary School- PALSS “Hats off to Autism” is Wednesday, April 24th! Beginning in the 1970s, Autism Awareness Week was a way to raise awareness about autism at a time when the known prevalence of autism was 1 in 2,500 and it was considered an uncommon childhood disorder. Eventually, Autism Awareness month and World Autism Day were established to continue the effort to increase awareness. Fast forward to 2024, and so much has changed about our understanding of autism … If you read autism websites or social media, you will see a shift in thinking from awareness to a next level that encompasses acceptance, understanding, and advocacy. (Excerpt taken from the April START Connecting Newsletter.)

This week we celebrate Paraprofessionals Day on Wednesday and are excited to also celebrate Mrs. Staley for our weekly staff highlight. Mrs. Staley is currently an Intervention Paraprofessional at Freeland Elementary School. Thank you to all of our paraprofessionals for the work you do to serve our students each and every day.

The Freeland Mental/Behavioral Health Team hosted their second annual Wellness Fair last Thursday and had over 30 vendors participate and a great showing by our Freeland families and community who attended the event. Thank you to all who came to participate in this event, and a huge thank you to our community sponsors!

We want to thank everyone that contributed to make our first Spring Festival a success at the elementary school, including the volunteers and the area businesses for their raffle donations. A special thank you to the LC/FES PTO for organizing and thinking creatively so we could bring this event back for our students. It was definitely a great way to kick off the month of March!

FES wants to highlight Mrs. Lambert this week!

Freeland Elementary and Learning Center kicked off March is Reading Month with a special visitor! We are "Swinging into Reading," and the students are excited for various activities planned throughout the month. A special thank you to the Great Lakes Loons for letting us borrow Lou E. Loon for a little bit this morning to surprise our students!

Due to a lack of interest, the Childhood 2.0 viewing event that was scheduled for February 22nd at 6pm is canceled. You can access the film, for free, anytime by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He3IJJhFy-I

Freeland Schools will be closed Thursday, February 15, 2024.

Freeland Parents/Caregivers - this is your last chance to register for our Childhood 2.0 event. Details for the event are below. Register through the QR code or with this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPuCbvPcsAIh_On5m7DsG2VIsUM8kPlD7gGpuJkNEC-tP6qA/viewform

Freeland School District is thrilled to announce that we will be partnering with Bark Technologies to engage families in a live viewing documentary event. Parents and Caregivers are invited to attend the viewing event for Parenting in a Tech World: Childhood 2.0 on February 22nd at 6:00pm. Following the documentary, we will have a question and answer sesssion with a Bark Technology Expert. If you are interested in attending, please sign up using the QR code attached.

Congratulations to Mrs. Wirsing, our 6th grade EDGE Teacher! EDGE is a new 6th grade class at the elementary school and stands for Exploration, Discovery, and Growth Experience. The class ties in all 6th grade subject areas with emphasis on hands on learning, technology and STEM!

The staff highlight this week is Mrs. Kloha, our Freeland Learning Center Intervention Paraprofessional. Thank you Mrs. Kloha for all of the work you do for our youngest Falcons!

Freeland Community School District is closed Wednesday, January 10, 2024. Please be safe out there!

This month's Freeland Board of Education meeting will be held this evening, November 15, 2023, in the FHS Performing Arts Center, beginning at 6:00 p.m. This meeting can also be streamed at: https://www.youtube.com/@freelandschools.