Clare Public Schools are closed on Tuesday, February 28th. Thank you.
Good afternoon Pioneers...School will dismiss today, Monday, February 27th at 2:50 p.m., 20 minutes early. This will allow a little extra time to get home on time, or close to on time. Crossing guards will be in place, the city of Clare will be helping around campus, and our bus drivers are getting ready to assist early. Thank you everyone.
Congratulations to February Most Valuable Pioneers (MVPs): Tim Gariglio, Kyle McKown, and Andrew Cooke.
Mr. Gariglio teaches Chemistry, Advanced Chemistry, and Physics at CHS. He is always willing to help students even with the most challenging material. He can be found most often interacting with students and he always finds a way to find the good in each young person. In addition, Tim is our downhill ski coach and volunteers within our community as a youth sports coach and 4H volunteer. Tim is a great role model for young people and staff alike, and we are fortunate to have him!
Mr. McKown has a tremendous impact on the students at Clare. He teaches 6th grade Social Studies and periodically helps develop student teachers. He spends an enormous amount of time with student-athletes after school including cross country and track coaching. During the winter, he provides opportunities for kids to stay in shape and improve their running abilities. He also helps organize the Irish Festival's 5k/10k road races.
Mr. Cooke teaches third grade at the primary school. He works tirelessly to form positive relationships with his students and create a classroom environment where everyone can succeed. He can often be found working with small groups of students throughout the day including during recess and his own lunch time. Andrew also makes sure students have other positive relationships as he leads the WATCH DOGS (Dads of Great Students) program.
Congratulations and thanks Tim, Kyle, and Andrew for making Clare a great place to live and learn!
Clare Public Schools will be closed on Thursday, February 23rd.
Good morning Pioneers - on the Bond page of our website we now have a link to an online tax calculator...using the taxable value of your property you can calculate what your tax would be with a successful bond vote in May. It is a significant need and project, no doubt. If you have questions, call Superintendent Jim Walter at 989-386-9945, or plan to attend one of the community forums being held at Clare Middle School, 7 p.m., on March 15th and April 12th. Thanks for all you do to make Clare a great place to live and learn!
Clare Public Schools will be closed Wednesday, February 22nd.
Good afternoon Pioneers...the impending storm could be a doozy or a dud, such is winter in Michigan this year. Monitoring weather predictions and actual conditions, we'll do our best regarding school closures. Please coordinate family plans in the unlikely event of a midday closure/early dismissal. Advance planning often alleviates anxiety if the weather catches us in a tough spot and necessitates an early dismissal. In such an event, I would be sending a message to you regarding the situation. There are NO schedule changes at this time! But make sure to pick up some bacon on your way home tonight. Thanks for all you do.
The Best Band in the Land will be performing this Sunday, February 19th, beginning at 2 p.m. in the High School. Don't miss out as our CPS Bands perform for all, performances rotating every 30 minutes.
Opportunity knocks...
School will be closed on Friday, February 17th.
Good morning Pioneers...as we press on toward the May 2 bond vote authorized unanimously by the Board of Education, please note that you can find information regarding the bond issue on our website at any time. The bond proposal is for $66.52 million and includes building a new high school, renovating the current high school to serve as a middle school, safety and traffic enhancements, and removal of the 1922 middle school. Due in part to the age of our facilities (101 years old, 63 years old, and 51 years old), the Board has determined it is time to put this issue before the voters and to act.
Tours of the 1922 middle school will be offered at 7 p.m. on March 14th and April 11th, as well as 10 a.m. on March 15th. Please meet at the main entrance to the middle school on State Street.
Additionally, Community Forums will be held at 7 p.m. on March 15th and April 12th in the Middle School Auditorium. These are opportunities to better understand the scope of the bond project, costs, and goals. This information is also on the website.
Please Vote May 2nd!
Clare Public Schools are closed today, Tuesday, February 7th, due to icy back road conditions. Thank you
Reminder: School is in session Monday, February 6th. The professional development day is February 13th, and only staff report that day.
Clare Public Schools will be closed Monday, January 30th, due to back road conditions.
Congratulations to Mrs. Brandie Ketchum, our MVP (Most Valuable Pioneer) for the month of January. Mrs. Ketchum is a paraprofessional in the Primary School, this year working in kindergarten. She starts each day with a positive attitude and greets kindergarteners by name with a smile. Brandie believes that every day is a fresh start and focuses on building strong relationships & helping students succeed. Students know she cares even when she is reminding them of expectations and shaping behaviors. Brandie is a leader among her team and respected by colleagues as they praise her for her hard work and calm demeanor. Congratulations, Mrs. Ketchum, and thanks for all you do to make Clare a great place to live and learn!
Good afternoon Pioneers...
My job is generally a great one. But there's a lot of pressure lately...from kids...about snow days! I'm a big kid, too, hoping we see some elements of the traditional Michigan winter just yet. Until then...
The Board of Education has unanimously authorized a May 2, 2023 election for the bond issue which would involve building a new high school. Details are included in an upcoming mailer to all Clare Public Schools voters, and you can find more about the project on our webpage.
The Fire Department will be using one of the vacant homes in the adjacent block for periodic training, beginning tonight. The home they're using is vacant, and we're happy to assist in their training activities.
Many great things are happening in our District. Students are achieving in the classroom...in art, music, band, quiz bowl, and BPA...in CTE programs and our industrial arts classes...in their co-op work assignments...in athletics...and they are excelling as great human beings. They are problem-solvers, hard workers, compassionate, and young people of integrity.
Thanks everyone for your continued support of Clare Public Schools. As my mom said recently, there are a lot of people in the Clare community who care a lot about the people in Clare...and together, we all make Clare a great place to live and learn!
Clare Pioneers! Start your day off with Breakfast at School.
Primary K-3rd: Breakfast in the Classroom, Universal Free
Middle School & 4th Grade: 7:50am-8:15am in the MS Cafetorium, $1.10
High School: 745am-8:15am in the HS Cafeteria, $1.10
Good morning Pioneers! Welcome to 2023, sure to be our best year ever with great effort. School resumes for students on Thursday, January 5th! Prepare for Glory!
Congratulations to our December Most Valuable Pioneers (MVPs) Jen Quick and Sixta Carpenter.
Mrs. Quick is new to Clare this year, but no stranger to the profession. She teaches US History and Government for our students, and has been nothing short of incredible since she came on board just as school began. She is passionate about teaching and learning, and her hard work & dedication is evident every day. Jen was instrumental in planning the Freshmen Field Trip as well as Freshmen Fridays. She has been a classroom teacher, school administrator, and college professor - and all those experiences benefit Pioneers.
Mrs. Sixta Carpenter works as a paraprofessional in the middle school. Her ability to build & maintain positive relationships with our students produces positive results. Students know she cares and she is also able to hold them accountable for their words, work, and actions. Sixta's students improve academically and in their behaviors, and her upbeat attitude even positively affects our staff. We benefit greatly from her compassion, work ethic, and commitment.
Thank you Mrs. Quick & Mrs. Carpenter for making Clare a great place to live and learn!
Good afternoon Pioneers,
As you are aware, the nationwide shortage of school bus drivers also hits home in this area. We’ve been fortunate thus far, and we make regular adjustments to keep everything working as we intend. However, we currently have only 6 drivers for 6 routes. This means there’s no margin for error, sickness, vacation time, and even some requested trips. And so, while we continue to advertise and train potential drivers, we need to adjust our plans.
Beginning January 5th when students return, we’ll shift to 5 regular daily routes. IF your child’s pickup or dropoff time will be affected, a member of the transportation team will be contacting you sometime between now and January 4th. Some routes will be longer and all routes will have more students transported on them, but still be well within the bus capacity.
If we are able to secure additional drivers, we can adjust again as needed. Thanks for your continued support. If you know someone who may be interested in working as a bus driver, we pay very competitive rates including performance bonuses and health benefits. Per our recent Facebook ads, potential drivers can contact Tessa Lewis at 989.386.9569 for more information.
Thanks again for all you do to make Clare a great place to live and learn.