May 2025

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK MAY 5-9

The School/University Partnership Office would like to honor all teachers by expressing our extreme gratitude and appreciation for all the service you provide to students and families across the state of Michigan. You make a difference, and your efforts are not unseen.

Ideas to honor teachers:

• Coffee or Compliment Chat: Invite staff to a morning circle or team huddle to share positive affirmations for each other.
• “Do Not Disturb” Break Passes: Give teachers time for quiet planning or lunch by handling transitions or hallway monitoring for them.
• Pass the Positivity: Start a “chain letter” of kindness—each teacher writes something uplifting to another teacher and passes it on.
• Help with Prep: Admins or parent volunteers can offer time to cut, copy, laminate, or organize materials.
• Shoutouts During Announcements: Give daily verbal shoutouts during the morning announcements highlighting different teachers and their unique contributions.
• Social Media Spotlight: Feature teachers on the school’s Facebook, Instagram, or website with photos and a few kind words.

SCHOOL LEADER UPDATES

End of the year survey – Link

Please submit the survey by May 16, 2025.

PSA OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE AWARD RECIPIENTS

2025 Outstanding Employee Award Recipients Presentation (5,746KB)

NEWS YOU CAN USE!

Legal News in Student Services ESY: More Than a Checkbox

ESY is specialized instruction and related services provided beyond the normal school year, such as during summer vacation or other school breaks. ESY’s purpose is to maintain skills – not to work on obtaining new skills. A student qualifies for ESY if the student’s IEP Team determines, based on data collected throughout the year, that ESY is necessary to provide the student with a free appropriate public education (FAPE).

In May 2024, MDE published guidance with a worksheet to help IEP Teams determine whether a student is entitled to ESY. The guidance states: “The critical question for the IEP Team is not whether the student can benefit from ESY, but rather whether ESY is essential for providing FAPE.” The guidance provides a sample timeline for planning for ESY services that IEP Teams may find useful.

Full article: IDEA Extended School Year Determination: More Than a Box To Check - Thrun Law 4/14/25

Best Practice Corner

I encourage everyone to join MAPSA Special Education Hub meetings where we discuss all things “special education” for the PSAs across Michigan. It’s a great opportunity to stay up to date with legal, compliance, and best practices.  Click the link below to join the MAPSA Mighty Network and look for Special Education Hub. Our next meeting is June18 at 10 AM.
https://micharter.mn.co/share/KK-_ygThuR9jcciz?utm_source=manual

GSRP and Child Find

As you may be aware, there has been ongoing discussion across Southeast Michigan regarding the responsibilities for Child Find within GSRP (Great Start Readiness Program) classrooms. Below are key takeaways from the most recent conversation hosted by The Special Education Hub, highlighting the potential implications for our district.

Clarifying Special Education Responsibilities in GSRP Settings

Ongoing questions persist regarding the assignment of responsibility for special education services within Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) classrooms. Interpretations vary across the state: some stakeholders maintain that the resident public school district should provide these services, while others believe the obligation lies with the charter school hosting the GSRP program.

Contributing to this confusion are ambiguities in the GSRP Handbook and the complexity of funding mechanisms, which have created tension in multiple Intermediate School Districts (ISDs). This is particularly evident in geographically unique areas such as Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where district boundaries further complicate the issue.

MAPSA continues to monitor this concern closely and is collaborating with state and local stakeholders to work toward equitable, student-centered solutions that ensure all children in GSRP settings receive the support they need.

Special Education Coffee Hour

Join us for our next Special Education Coffee Hour on May 22 from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM.  We will be sharing a review of the most influential special education legal cases of the 2024-2025 school year as well as some future predictions for the upcoming school year required changes.

We look forward to your participation and valuable insights!

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

TEACHER RESOURCES

Essential Instructional Practices for Early Mathematics

The leadership team driving the development of the Essential Instructional Practices for Early Mathematics pre-K to Grade 5 has been working hard to provide training and support around their implementation. For questions about resources and upcoming events, connect with everything Math Essentials here.

Dig into many of these practices by accessing their fourteen (14) on-demand professional learning courses in EduPaths. Use these to launch and support your PLC discussions!

PARAPROFESSIONAL AND SUPPORT STAFF ENRICHMENT

The Michigan State Police Office of School Safety (MSP/OSS) is hosting Michigan K-12 Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (Mi-BTAM) training across the state for school-based threat assessment teams in K-12 public, charter, and private schools.  

Mi-BTAM training is a fact-based, systematic process designed to identify, assess, and work collaboratively with families and students to mitigate life situational factors contributing to thoughts of violence and aggression. 

The Basic Training is a one-day workshop that covers topics such as understanding school violence and implications for prevention, steps for developing and operating an effective school threat assessment program and developing and implementing case management plans. 

Tuesday | May 13, 2025 – Marquette Area | Register Here
Thursday | May 15, 2025 – Bay City/Saginaw Area |Register Here

REMC ASSOCIATION OF MICHIGAN

June 2025 Events (Registration ends May 29)

• AI Prompting Essentials for Teaching
• Registration ends May 29
• Assessment Tools for the Classroom
• Blended Classroom Look Fors
• Creating Digital Breakouts for the Classroom
• Design Thinking Made Practical
• Developing Student Media Literacy
• Empower Learners with Accessibility Tools
• Gamification for Student Engagement & Learning
• Increasing Efficiency and Productivity
• Infusing STEM into Education
• OER: The What, Why, and How of Open Educational Resources
• Power Up: Meaningful Data

CHARTER DAY AT THE CAPITOL

Charter Day at the Capitol - May 6, 2025!

MAPSA's annual rally on the Capitol lawn connects charter school advocates with the decision-makers in Lansing, showcasing the vibrancy, passion, and diversity of our movement - and we can't wait to see you this year! Registration is open to all educators, parents, advocates, and students who want to join. 

*If you are registering a group of 10 or more, please complete a large group registration form and email Sarah Paciorek at spaciorek@charterschools.org.

REGISTRATION CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT, FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2025 - REGISTER TODAY

Charter Schools Week is May 12-16, 2025!

https://www.charterschools.org/charter-schools-week - Learn about all the events and register to participate!

Get Involved: Send a Letter to Your Legislators

Hand-written letters are a great way to connect with your local legislators, and our plan is to gather as many letters from charter students, parents and educators as we can - then deliver them to the offices (or to the inboxes) of as many lawmakers as possible. These letters should be personal, and should help your lawmaker get a sense of why your school is so important to your community. Download the template below to participate! 

CSW24: #ChartersLead Letters Template for Charter School Staff

CSW24: #ChartersLead Letters Template for Parents and Students