Schools
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Equity Is the Antidote: A Call for Courage in Strategic Planning
“Your letter paints equity as a threat. But equity is not the threat. It’s the antidote to decades of failure. Equity is what ensures all students have a fair shot. Equity is what makes it possible for a child with a speech impediment to present at the science fair. It’s what helps the nonverbal kindergartner…
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New Innovation & Manufacturing Centers To Support our Trades Kids and Titan/Trojan Integrated Experience Programs
Behind The Bell is a monthly storytelling series that takes readers beyond the classroom and into the heart of Traverse City Area Public Schools’ mission, values, vision and strategic goals. Through inspiring profiles, this series highlights the people, programs, and moments that shape our schools and connect our community. From unsung heroes to innovative initiatives,…
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TCAPS Graduation Rates On The Rise
“In today’s world, if you don’t have a high school diploma, it’s just awfully hard to get ahead and not live in poverty,” Traverse City Area Public Schools Superintendent John VanWagoner said. Our recent graduation rates*: * 4-year graduation rates **Graduation rate for our economically disadvantaged students in 2022/23 = 68%. In 2023/24 = 74%…
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Wait Until 8th Gaining Momentum in Traverse City
Hilary Gessner, an Eastern Elementary mom, is helping to raise awareness about a new Wait Until 8th initiative in Traverse City. Currently, there are 45 local families who have taken the pledge, contributing to a growing nationwide movement with over 90,000 pledges. Parents everywhere are increasingly concerned about the impact of smartphones, social media, and…
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10 Years After Courtade Elementary Showed Us What’s Possible, Work Remains to Close Our Student Achievement Gap
It’s been 10 years since one of our schools has been recognized for closing the achievement gap between our economically challenged kids and our kids who are not. But a decade later, we’re still facing significant gaps in student achievement with too many economically disadvantaged kids struggling to keep up. In 2015, Courtade Elementary was…
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Behind The Bell: A new school-focused storytelling series
I’m excited to launch a new storytelling series called Behind The Bell. Behind The Bell will take readers beyond the classroom and into the heart of TCAPS’ mission, values, vision, and strategic goals. Through inspiring profiles, this series will highlight the people, programs, and moments that shape our schools and connect our community. From unsung heroes…
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Magic at Traverse Heights Elementary: Building Community, Connection, and Success
Behind The Bell is a monthly storytelling series that takes readers beyond the classroom and into the heart of Traverse City Area Public Schools’ mission, values, vision and strategic goals. Through inspiring profiles, this series highlights the people, programs, and moments that shape our schools and connect our community. From unsung heroes to innovative initiatives,…
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TCAPS Mentorship Spotlight: Foster Grandparents
The Foster Grandparent Program, part of Senior Volunteer Programs of Northwest Michigan and AmeriCorps Seniors, connects senior citizens like Cindy with schools to share their time, talents, and wisdom with our kids. These mentors dedicate 10+ hours a week to support students with reading, writing, spelling, and sight words. Beyond academics, they also create meaningful…
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Beyond cost savings & operational efficiency: Connecting students to sustainability with TCAPS’ Central Grade School renovation project
️Sustainability in Michigan’s K-12 public education is about so much more than just cost savings and operational efficiency. It’s an opportunity to connect students with real-world applications of their learning, build essential 21st-century skills, and integrate lessons across subjects. ️TCAPS students are setting a powerful example here in Traverse City: Ahead of Central Grade School’s…
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On Mission-Based Budgeting & Decision Making at Traverse City Area Public Schools
Last week, I sent this email to the community as a heads-up about a special Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) school board meeting that was called the night before (four days before school was to start). The Traverse City Record-Eagle followed up with a great story about that meeting in last Sunday’s paper. In…
TY FOR TCAPS 