ROCKET

COMMUNITY
SCHOOLS
REPORT
Community Newsletter
MONTH

12 10
VOL. 1
YEAR

NO. 1

New Haven
Elementary School
holds community
building event
New Haven High School welcomes
new principal
Welcome, Principal Dr. Carl Wagner!
With the departure of Principal Jim
Lothschutz to Indonesia this summer,
New Haven High School searched for a new
leader. Dr. Wagner, formerly a principal of
Madison High School, emerged as the right
one for New Haven. With over 40 years
of experience in K-12 schools and post-
secondary education, Dr. Wagner hopes to lead New Haven
High School to achieving the state-mandated Adequate
Yearly Progress (AYP).
On Nov. 1, 2010, all K-5 students, staff and parent
volunteers came together to enjoy a day of activities designed New board member
to build relationships between students. Students from New Eric C. Weaver, a teacher in Utica
Haven Elementary School and Endeavour’s K-5 Launch Pad Community Schools, was appointed to
participated in a costume parade, a multigrade fun run, the New Haven Board of Education in
and grade level community building centers, as well as a August to fulfill the one year unexpired
traditional lunch and recess for each grade level. term left vacant when Karen Goodhue
The purpose of the event was to bring students, who was appointed as Treasurer for Macomb
had been classmates together for years, together for a day Township. “I would like New Haven
of socialization and relationship building. These students Community Schools to be a place where
will be back together as classmates in the sixth-grade. “The students receive a world-class education while learning
school and community feel it is important to give these small-town values needed to become positive contributors
students a set of shared experiences to draw upon as they in our community and beyond!” said Weaver.
will be sitting together in classes in the near future,” said
Principal Aaron Sutherland.
Parent Susan Schember coordinated the events and Endeavour Middle School opens
activities of the day. Teaching staff developed grade level If you have not seen the new Endeavour Middle School,
activities to enhance student communication. Physical you should. It is not only
education teacher Ian Caldwell set the Fun Run to music beautiful, it is organized
while numerous parents volunteered to run individual stations very well to offer the best,
throughout the day. The weather even cooperated with the most functional, and most
planned activities. This was a true collaboration between technologically advanced
school staff and parents for the enjoyment of students. education for our students.
Schember secured well over 350 prizes for the Fun Run The building also serves
raffle from local businesses. Students received a raffle ticket students in a K-5 wing
for every $10 raised in donations. Money from the fun run called the Endeavour
will pay for school-wide assemblies, technology for student Launch Pad. Ribbon cutting-ceremony
use, balls, jump ropes, and playground equipment.
This publication was printed on recycled paper. newhaven.misd.net
New Haven news Seventh-grade annual cave trip
By Dr. Keith Wunderlich, The seventh-graders at Endeavour Middle School took their annual trip down
Superintendent to Bluesprings Cavern in Bedford, Ind., on Nov. 13. In its sixth year, the science
department and 50 students joined April Gatzemeyer and Connie Trembley
As we move into 2011, for a night of fun and adventure. Once in the caves, the students enjoyed the
let’s take a moment to underground Myst’ry River Voyage, which takes the
look at all the wonderful group a mile back in the cavern where they were
things that happened in able to view the endangered blind cave fish and
New Haven Community blind cave crayfish. In the Wild Cave tour, students
Schools during 2010. donned hard hats
• New Haven Elementary third- and flashlights while
and fourth-grade students earned crawling (sometimes on
the highest MEAP mathematics their bellies), through
scores in the county! They are the No. 1 a difficult portion of
elementary school! the cave. This tour
• Of the seven school districts in left many students
Macomb County that increased quite muddy and
enrollment, New Haven Community with a strong sense
Schools enjoyed the highest percent of accomplishment.
of increased enrollment! Exhausted, the nine-hour journey
• We opened the incredible Endeavour home brought smiles on their
Middle School. faces and memories of a once-in-a-
• We also opened our renovated former lifetime experience.
high school, built in 1922, as the new
Administration Building, also housing
Early Childhood and alternative
education.
Making contained lightning
On Nov. 5, Connie Trembley, the
• We hired a new high school principal, seventh- and eighth-grade science teacher
Dr. Carl Wagner, a new Supervisor of at Endeavour Middle School visited the
Special Education, Cynthia Coughlin, Neo Beam particle accelerator at Kent
a new Supervisor of Transportation, State University (Ohio) with a group of
Patti Brohl, and appointed a new 12 other scientists to make Lichtenberg
Board of Education member, sculptures. A Lichtenberg sculpture is a
Eric Weaver. (I heard we have a new fossil of a lightning strike preserved in a
superintendent, too!) piece of acrylic. The acrylic is sent through
• We doubled our latch-key locations a high beam particle accelerator where it
and tripled our enrollment in them. is packed with electrons. Once through the
• We increased opportunities for high machine the pieces are “triggered,” which
school students with classes entails punching a small hole in the acrylic
like Mandarin Chinese, Digital to release the electrons. This causes a loud
Photography, ACT Preparation, bang and flash of lightning that then travels
Wayne State University dual through the acrylic leaving the pattern of the
enrollment courses, Early College at lightning behind. “Discharging the electrons takes a lot of caution as the smaller
Macomb Community College, and pieces released five million volts and the larger ones released 20 million volts,
many new clubs. which can cause quite a bit of damage to the person doing the triggering if they
• A unique shared services agreement are not carefully grounded,” said Trembley. Many of the scientists presented
between L’Anse Creuse Public Trembley with Lichtenberg pieces for her classroom. Light bases are now being
Schools and New Haven Community made for them so they can be put on permanent display. “It was a wonderful
Schools was created to increase opportunity and the lessons learned in particle physics will be invaluable in the
opportunities for students while classroom as well as giving the students the opportunity to explore lightning and
lowering costs for both districts. its patterns through the fossil imprints left behind,” added Trembley.
While we celebrate everything that’s
been accomplished, we also are working
on four challenging goals. Our goals are
to: 1) eliminate the deficit, 2) increase
Veterans Day service
On Nov. 11, Veterans Day, 12 students volunteered their time serving food at
enrollment, 3) increase academic the All Nations Veterans League at Historic Fort Wayne in Detroit. The students
achievement at the high school, and also asked questions about the Native American burial mound that is at the
4) increase opportunities for students. site. Emme Beisel said, “I learned that the burial mounds are protected under
We’ve made great progress on all four a law.” Students asked many questions of Art Brandt who was the host for the
goals, but we’re not done yet. Our evening. They also learned many interesting facts about Native Americans, in
ultimate goal is to make New Haven general. The students did a wonderful job serving food to the crowd and also got
the premier school district in Macomb to observe some traditional songs and dances. Selena Orlando who attended the
County. We won’t rest until that has been trip said,” It was an amazing ceremony, and a great experience.”
accomplished. Thank you for your support “The student’s also helped with Christmas at the Fort on Dec. 4 and did some
as we continue to grow and improve. caroling,” said Carrie Sauer, teacher.
High school announced. The students will design
and build a robot that can play a sport.
The “Be the Change” Club will recruit
students willing to commit to making

offers new clubs William Timmerman and Ben Davey

will be the mentor teachers providing
guidance from mechanics, welders,
New Haven High School the kind of
school they want to belong to. This club
will sponsor some fund-raisers such as
The New Haven Community School
engineers, computer programmers, the Texas Hold’em Dec. 17-20 and the
Board approved a proposal to require all
and graphic designers. Some of these HavStock Festival in the spring. More
students to complete one extracurricular
mentors will come from Compuware information will be on our Web site
commitment each year of high school
Corporation and others from General at http://newhaven.misd.net/, click on
as a graduation requirement. Many
Motors Corporation. More mentors are Schools then New Haven High School.
studies* show that students who engage
welcome to join. The students’ robot Proceeds will fund a trip to Physics Day
in activities at school beside attending
competes in a ball game with robots at Cedar Point for the students who make
classes have a higher rate of graduation
from other schools. it into the Success Crew based on their
success and earn better grades. New
The Drama Club will begin a new ACT/MME, Explore, or Decommissioned
clubs will be provided to entice this kind
Entertainment Science Technology ACT results, or based on having perfect
of commitment from students.
Program. New Haven welcomes attendance, or based on having no
The New Haven High School Auto
“artists-in-residence” who might have discipline referrals. Club members are
Club is eagerly working to prepare a
talents in vocal or instrumental music, accepting the commitment to make New
car for the auto show for stock cars held
drama, dance, videography, stagecraft, Haven High School a School of Learning
at Cobo Hall. They are working under
and marketing to help support the where students strive for success.
the direction of teacher C.J. Milton
art teacher, Reene Shannon, and her Other established clubs will continue
and paraprofessional Joel Schmitt and
colleague, Jim McKiernan, in support of such as SADD (Students Against
volunteer mentors from General Motors
student interest in the arts. New Haven Destructive Decisions), the Green Club,
Corporation and other adults in the
High School will partner with The Aud the Yearbook, the National Honor
community.
Regional Youth Complex located on Society, and the Student Council.
The new Robotic Rockets will
M-19 in downtown Richmond under the
compete in the FIRST Robotics *Osterman, Karen (2000) Students Needs for
direction of Kelly Osterman. Belonging in the School Community Review of
competition once the dates are Educational Research

Failure is not an option at New Haven High School

In an effort to support every student that they are mastering their and Blackboard to track the
in becoming committed to successful learning goals. On Nov. 18, at Parent student’s progress. If parents are
learning at New Haven High School, Teacher Conferences, the Teacher aware of their child’s grades,
teachers have formed Professional Mentor met with the parents of the attendance, behavior, and required
Learning Communities and will be at cohort they mentor. The parents of all lessons daily, as a community we
meetings after school to collaborate on a five students in the cohort are expected can join to make New Haven
review of assessment data and plan for to meet each other, exchange contact students successful.
instructional interventions for students. information, and agree to support each • All students in the Student Learning
Failure is not an option at New Haven other in supporting the Small Communities will be working all
High School. This means students Learning Community. year on their Electronic Portfolio
simply cannot earn Ds or Fs and expect • The Parent Mentors for each of collecting evidence that they are
to move on. Students must learn. In our cohorts will be taught how to mastering their lessons. Our goal
support of this change, a mentoring access the data of their own child’s will be to extend the school day,
program is in place at New Haven grades, attendance, and behavior on the school week, and the school year
High School: PowerSchool. They will be shown for our students in order to support
• Every New Haven High School how to access the teachers’ weekly our policy that Failure Is Not an
student has been assigned to a lesson plans on Blackboard. If one Option. We would like to reach the
cohort of five in a Student Learning parent has trouble doing this, the point where we can have a bus-run
Community (SLC). These five other Parent Mentors of the cohort to accommodate this by allowing
classmates are expected to support group could help. students who have not mastered
each other in becoming successful • A local Adult Community Mentor the day’s lessons to remain at school
in school. Each SLC has a Teacher will be recruited for each of the to receive more intensive support
Mentor who meets with them cohorts of the Student Learning or to come on Saturdays or during
every other week to monitor their Communities. This mentor will offer the summer. We cannot continue to
progress, guide them in producing the parents any assistance possible let students just move on if they are
an electronic portfolio of evidence to help build effective communication not learning their lessons to a level
using data and artifacts to prove with the school by using PowerSchool of proficiency.

Ninth annual middle school food drive

The annual seventh-grade sponsored food drive began the week of Halloween. Students were encouraged to bring in
nonperishable food items and essentials such as toothpaste and shampoo to help the community of New Haven. All donations
are given to the Am Vets for distribution to those in need in our community. The food and essentials drive continues through the
holiday season with the goal of easing the needs of as many of our neighbors as possible.

newhaven.misd.net
 Non-Profit Org.
Administration Office
U.S. Postage Dr. Keith Wunderlich,
PAID Superintendent
Permit No. 5
New Haven, MI Board of Education
Kenneth B. Thompson II, President
COMMUNITY
SCHOOLS Sue Simon, Vice President
ECRWSS
POSTAL PATRON Regina Patton, Secretary
New Haven Community Schools Tracy Bonkowski, Treasurer
New Haven, MI 48048-2000 Wanda Peyerk, Trustee
30375 Clark Street
P.O. Box 482000 Gina Walker, Trustee
New Haven, MI 48048-2000 Eric C. Weaver, Trustee
586-749-5123
Fax: 586-749-6307

Teen Court, School Court Rocket-to-Rocket

in session college scholarship
A great new opportunity for students is Teen Court, which will
be supported by Judge William Hackel III at 42-2 District Court announced
and collaborated with assistant Macomb prosecutor William With the average cost of college attendance
Cataldo, New Haven Chief of Police Michael Henry, Officer Renee being approximately $14,500 per year, families
Yax, teacher sponsor Richard Barr, and students who will be are looking for help. New Haven Community
trained as jurors, bailiff, prosecution representative, and defense Schools is providing some help with a new
representative. Students in the district who are referred by a police $22,000 college scholarship. Many New Haven
officer must accept responsibility for his/her actions and parents families received letters explaining the new
would need to sign an agreement to accept the decision of the jury college scholarship program.
in hearing the case. Students or other teens who violate a law, but New Haven schools, whose mascot is the
who do not have an established record with juvenile court, will have Rockets, recently entered into an agreement
an opportunity to earn an alternative consequence from going to with the University of Toledo (Ohio), who are
juvenile court, if they fulfill the probationary judgment of the Teen also the Rockets, to create the Rocket-to-Rocket
Court Jury. College Scholarship program. Students who
Similar to Teen Court, New Haven High School will also introduce were in eighth-grade this past school year, the
School Court this year. Students who violate infractions of the class of 2014, are the first group of students to
School Code with less than criminal behaviors will be able to take become eligible for the scholarship.
responsibility for their behavior and, if the parent agrees to the Students need to achieve a 3.0 or above grade
consequences from the jury of peers, a suspension or expulsion point average (GPA) beginning in eighth-grade.
could be avoided by following the recommendation from the School The University of Toledo deposits funds in a
Court jury system. Students are not required to use School Court. Scholar Savings Account based on students’
The purpose of this option is to encourage positive peer pressure to academic achievement. Students also need to
influence better decision making by all students. In turn, increased maintain a 3.0 or above GPA each year at New
student responsibility will create increased learning and increased Haven High School to stay eligible. Families
achievement at New Haven High School. who would like more information can contact
the district at 586-749-5123.

Community service at its best “The University of Toledo is an excellent

Division 1 school with a great academic
reputation,” said Dr. Keith Wunderlich,
In October, Endeavour’s National Junior Honor Society students
superintendent. “Even though the university
took a trip down to Historic Fort Wayne to donate some hours
is out-of-state, part of the scholarship grants
at the fort. Students had a variety of tasks from removing scuff
in-state tuition for students in the Rocket-to-
marks from the historic barracks building to digging in the garden.
Rocket program. The University of Toledo is
Students were split into work groups. Some students removed
very close to the state line and can be reached
weeds and vines from around the Commandant’s house while others
in less time than it takes to drive to Michigan
began outlining and digging in the historic garden. The Fort Wayne
State University.”
Coalition has teamed up with Endeavour Middle School to host the
“In these tough economic times, a $22,000
eighth-grade Civil War Reenactment in May 2011. Students take
college scholarship is a great opportunity for
part in helping to restore and maintain the fort area during the
New Haven students and their parents,” added
year to preserve history. The students will be planting a period-
Wunderlich. “It’s one of many things the district
appropriate garden with flowers and herbs at the Commandant’s
is doing to remind residents that New Haven
house. Students get to learn a little about how they lived in the
Community Schools is a great place to be.”
1800s and why the garden was important to the family.

newhaven.misd.net