Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bay City Public Schools,

Thanks to all of you who are actively involved in your child’s education as we all know how important this is to their success in school and in life.  Generally this is the time of year that you have an opportunity to participate in parent-teacher conferences and I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to see and hear how your child is doing at school.

In last month’s newsletter, I highlighted Ms. Colleen DeSanto who was named the Michigan Art Education Association’s elementary “Art Educator of the Year.”

This month, another of our dedicated teachers, Matt Reid, who teaches at Wenona, received the Milken National Educator Award along with a $25,000 cash award.  Dubbed the “Oscars of Teaching” by Teacher Magazine, Matt is one of more than 50 teachers nationwide this year to receive this very prestigious award.  If you would like to view more information related to Matt’s award, visit the Milken Family Foundation at www.mff.org  and link to “Recipients.” The district congratulates Matt for his accomplishments and dedication to the students of the Bay City Public Schools.

Trimesters are underway at our high schools.  This is the first year we have used trimesters and with any change of this size, there are adjustments that have to be made.  The main concern we have at this time is the coordination of starting and ending class times between our high schools and the skill center.  This has impacted time students have to eat lunch and drive between their school and the skill center. We’re working toward a viable solution for the second trimester which begins at the end of November.

Many of the curriculum changes that are being directed from the State have to do with high school.  A new change at high school will pertain to students in the class of 2012.  This change will not permit students to opt out of physical education if they are involved in certain alternative class selections such as marching band.  The main reason for this change is the national and state concern regarding children’s obesity and physical health.

At our October board meeting, our auditors presented the 2008-09 audit report.  The good news is that the audit report was clean and without any findings or issues.  The bad news is that our financial picture, like most other school districts, is getting worse and we will be discussing this year how to stabilize our finances in the face of funding cuts this year and even larger cuts next year.

I hope that you and your loved ones have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. 

If you have comments or questions, I can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 671-8165. As always, thank you for your interest and support of the Bay City Public Schools.

Sincerely,
Douglas L. Newcombe
Interim Superintendent

Matt Reid, teacher at Wenona Center, received a cash award of $25,000 and recognition of the National Milken Educator Award on Tuesday, October 6th.  Matt is one of more than 50 teachers nationwide to receive the recognition.  Mike Flanagan and members of the State Board of Education presented Matt with the award.

The district congratulates Matt for his accomplishments and his dedication to the students of the Bay City Public Schools. 

Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bay City Public Schools,

We are very excited as the 2009-10 school year got off to a terrific start!

We had the final five school buildings under construction this past summer: Washington Elementary, Kolb Elementary, MacGregor Elementary, Mackensen Elementary, and Handy Middle School.