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A Message
from the Superintendent
Superintendent's
2011/12 Goals
[Board Approved
9/06/2011]
Strategic Planning
Priorities and Goals
For School Improvement
2009-2014
[Approved by Lakeview's Board of Education
on 4/7/2009]
Superintendent's Spring 2011 Update
School District Finances . .Teaching &
Learning. . .Facilities/Equipment. . .
 The
Pursuit of Excellence
October 26, 2011
Dear Parents and Community Members,
As we come to the close of the first few
weeks of school, I would like to take the
opportunity to offer a few thoughts in this
“letter with news”. Please read on for
information on several topics you will find
interesting and informative about Lakeview’s
recent past and our future.
Goals and Accomplishments
Our teachers, principals and central staff
have continued working hard behind the
scenes to transform education for Lakeview’s
children. Implementation of the
District Strategic Plan 2009-2014
with attention provided to each
Priority Area stays our focus. All
schools continue to execute School
Improvement Plans that are in alignment with
the District Strategic Plan and prepares
students for the high stakes assessments
given each year (MEAP, MME/ACT). School
grades stayed high or improved, with all
four elementary schools earning an “A”, the
middle school earning a “B”, and the high
school improving to a “B”. Technology is
being utilized as a daily tool within the
instructional atmosphere and new purchases
will continue this year. Real-time data on
student achievement is being gathered
through our NWEA testing process. All
students K-11th grade are being
challenged to improve and Lakeview will use
the NWEA information to benchmark against
national data, not just Michigan. Strategic
Plan highlights, school improvement goals at
each school, and my goals as Superintendent
are available on the District website
http://www.lakeview.misd.net/
.
Accelerating Learning for Our Best and
Brightest
The past two years, Lakeview has expanded
our accelerated course offerings at the
secondary level in all the core areas.
Jefferson Middle School now provides an
accelerated course section in Mathematics,
Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science.
Lakeview High School (LHS) course options
have also been expanded to provide
additional options for advanced students to
“dual enroll” in college or advanced
placement classes prior to their graduation
from high school. Also, our partnership
with Wayne State University
provides students four (4) course offerings
during the school day at the high school
campus (Computer Science, History,
Psychology, and Philosophy). We also have
Kendall College School of Art
offering classes for high school students
after school on the campus. Providing more
options for advanced students and raising
our expectations for all students while
providing the support they need to be
successful continues to be the highest
priority.
This fall, I have commissioned a research
group to investigate the “how and why” of
offering an elementary accelerated
educational option. Right now, the research
is targeted at the 4th and 5th
grade level, where our strongest students
have finished “learning to read” and begin
“reading to learn”. The plan is for the
committee to provide a report on their
findings by December with a Board of
Education presentation in January. It is my
hope to implement a program in fall 2012.
This vision is to provide accelerated
programming so a student can leave Lakeview
at graduation with two years of college
completed (with nearly all of the cost “on
Lakeview”).
Budget/Finances
The General Fund Budget
reflects the instructional priorities and I
am proud to say Lakeview stands alone in
Macomb County with our focus on
instructional expenditures (with 74% of our
budget dedicated to instruction, where the
average in Michigan is in the 55-65% range).
At the October Board of Education Meeting,
Stewart, Beauvais & Whipple, the District’s
independent auditor provided their report to
the Board on the 2010-11 finances (year
ended June 30, 2011). Once again, Lakeview
was provided an “unqualified opinion”,
the best available to us. The lead auditor
was particularly impressed by Lakeview’s
continued commitment to facility improvement
and technology purchases demonstrated by the
large amount of funds dedicated to these
accounts. Earlier in the spring, I reported
that Standard & Poors
upgraded Lakeview’s credit worthiness
to A+ from A, because of our
sound management practices and fiscal
prudence. These independent examples
demonstrate our high standards of financial
stewardship and ethical use of funds. Our
financial report is also available on the
web at
http://www.lakeview.misd.net/departments/businessoffice.htm.
Parent Tools for Student,
School and District Information
Important tools are available for parents to
get up-to-date, real-time information.
First, and most important, the new Power
School student data system is available
through the Parent Portal button on
the District or school websites. The Parent
Portal allows a parent to view real-time
attendance and grade information for their
child(ren) through a password protected
Internet feature. Our teachers update the
grade book feature on a regular basis,
allowing parents to view this information as
soon as the teacher “publishes” the data.
Second, thank you to everyone for getting
on-line, accessing the Info-Snap software,
and inputting your emergency information.
Use of this tool helps the District be more
efficient and “stay green” with less paper
traveling back/forth to school. Each year,
we will remind parents to update their Info
Snap information to keep phone numbers and
email addresses current. Additionally, many
departments, teachers, and parent support
groups are utilizing blogging, email, and
web pages specific to their group or classes
as another set of communication avenues.
For example, the athletic department
utilizes Twitter to publish scores of games
and rain day cancelation of events. Be sure
to find out specific information from the
teacher, principal or contact person for a
group to know how to access their
information. Many of these are also
available on the District website.
Extra-Curricular Opportunities Continue to
Expand
Lakeview has continued to expand our options
for students in the extra-curricular area.
Several 9th grade sports teams
have opened up the past couple of years.
Middle school clubs in swim, cheer, and
wrestling are now offered. Huskies with
Heart and the Diversity Club are service
oriented groups gaining notoriety at the
high school. We know that providing
students opportunities to develop leadership
and social skills outside of rigorous
academic classes will provide our students
the additional life skills to be the leaders
of tomorrow. This is one reason we take
pride in offering all of our
extra-curricular options without any fee to
participate. In many schools the past few
years, “pay-to-play” has become the norm;
not in Lakeview. Sometimes, we require
groups to participate in fundraising
activities to help with how much we can
offer, but Lakeview does not collect a $100
per season fee just to be on the team.
VOTE November 8, 2011-County Wide
Several important items are on the ballot in
every community this November 8. In
Lakeview specifically, voters will select
the Mayor, City Council seats, School Board
seats, and decide on the MISD County-wide
Special Education Millage proposal. A quick
link is available on our District Web-site
to help you determine your polling location,
no matter where you live. Click the button
that says “Here on the State Link” to access
your polling location and sample ballot
(this works for all cities/precincts in
Michigan).
As your
superintendent, I commit that Lakeview will
continue being an innovator and leader in
what we offer for our students. With your
support, our programs and offerings are
growing and continue to improve. We are, in
many ways, the envy of the area with respect
to education. High expectations from all of
us for our children will mean they can
achieve anything in the new global economy
they will face in the future. Thank you for
reading and please do not hesitate to
contact my office or your principal if you
have any questions or comments to share
(586) 445-4000 or
kpaulson@scslakeview-k12.com
With
Warmest Regards,
Karl D. Paulson
Superintendent of Schools
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