SJPS Superintendent’s welcome back letter sets the tone
We are three weeks away from the first day of school for students which is Monday, August 28. The 2023-2024 school calendar is posted on the district website for students and parents to plan accordingly for the upcoming school year.
I want to thank the staff and community for being so welcoming going into my first year with the district. The Board of Education, staff and I are strongly committed to providing educational opportunities to your children, Preschool-12th grade, so they are prepared to be successful at their next grade level and for our senior class the next chapter in their lives after they graduate from St. Johns Public Schools.
As a district our motto for this school year is: “Who I am, who you are, who we are together!”. That motto encompasses many factors so let me start by saying, building relationships with our students, staff, and families is essential for the success of our district. Second, providing the best education for your children is a partnership between our children, families, and staff, which means we must communicate the positives and challenges to better serve our students. Lastly, it is our mission as a district to highlight the great
achievements our students and staff accomplish throughout the school year. We will be using our district website and other various social media platforms to do as such. We want our community to know what makes St. Johns Public Schools a destination school for our families!
To reiterate, the staff and I are strongly committed to doing our part. Some of our most important goals are to provide an educational environment necessary for student achievement both in and outside of the classroom, to ensure a positive and safe climate/culture in our buildings, and to increase communication with parents and community members. Your input is always welcome and valuable to the success of our students and schools.
I am honored to serve St. Johns Public Schools and the community as your Superintendent. Thank you in advance for your continued support and dedication toward our students and school district. I am looking forward to an exciting and successful 2023-2024 school year and beyond.
Sincerely,
Dr. Anthony Berthiaume, Ph.D
Bluegrass at its very best comes to St Johns August 16
Wednesday evening, August 16 – St Johns City Park! That’s all you really need know as one of the best bluegrass groups in the country will be in town that night. The Full Cord concert will begin at 7:00 in the William E. Tennant Performance Shell. The concert is co-sponsored by the Clinton County Arts Council and the City of St. Johns.
Full Cord has made it into the top tier of bluegrass groups in the United States after winning two major awards last year; first the prestigious 2022 Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition in Colorado, and they followed that up with another much-coveted honor when the international Bluegrass Music Association named Full Cord its “Momentum Award Band of the Year!”
This Michigan based group has recently performed locally at the Ten Pound Fiddle and the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival. They are currently performing concerts throughout the United States.
“Sally Potter, a powerhouse in the world of folk music in mid-Michigan, told me last summer about this incredible bluegrass group that she was aware of,” says Bill Tennant, concert committee chair. “She said book them now as very soon, with the award they just won, they’re not going to be readily available. I researched the band, as did my committee – they were the first group we signed to this year’s summers series. After hearing them live on a Ten Pound Fiddle concert in the fall, I knew that we did the right thing as they were absolutely phenomenal.”
If Bluegrass is your thing – or even if it isn’t, you owe it to yourself to make your way up to St. Johns to hear these amazing musicians; mandolinist Brian Oberlin, guitarist Eric Langejans, bassist Todd Kirchner, fiddler Grant Flick, and award-winning Colorado-based banjoist, Ricky Mier, become one – an incredible band called Full Cord.
Bring a chair or blanket – visit the Lion’s Club Food Trailer – the concert takes place rain or shine. The concert is free, but donations are greatly appreciated and needed to support the series each year.
So set your GPS to 801 W Park St, and enjoy an evening of music you won’t soon forget. The CCAC receives funding from the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Spend some Mint Festival time at the Museum
Mint Festival week is here, and the Paine-Gillam-Scott House Museum is open from 1-4 both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
On Saturday they will be in the Mint Festival Parade with an old car courtesy of Pete Stevens, local old car enthusiast as well as members from the Michigan Wheelmen, a group of folks that are committed to keeping high wheeled bicycles on the road.
After the parade, come to the Museum to see the bicycles up close and personal! Maybe catch a glimpse of a rider doing tricks. Tour the Museum and get an ice cream sandwich! What a great way to spend your Saturday.
Sparrow Clinton Hospital nurse receives DAISY Award for calming patient
A Sparrow Clinton Hospital nurse was honored with the DAISY Award for her
compassion and willingness to take time to truly listen to her patient.
Surgical Services Nurse Jessalyn Cooper, RN, was named a DAISY honoree after receiving a heartfelt nomination from a patient who said Cooper took time to listen, “calmed my nerves and answered all my questions.” It was a busy surgical day, but Cooper “cared to listen to me rattle on and on.
“Jessalyn didn’t only ‘check the boxes’ in her assignment to ensure this patient was prepared for her surgery, she listened. She recognized a need in the patient and took time to meet that need. L.J. Isham said, ‘Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another which both attracts and heals.’ Nursing is definitely an attitude of the heart with a desire to heal… and Jessalyn exhibits this every day,” said Lea Curtiss, BSN, RN, Surgical Services Manager at Sparrow Clinton Hospital.
The DAISY Award is an international program established in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes. Created in Pat’s memory, The Foundation is dedicated to recognizing extraordinary nurses for the enormous difference they make in the lives of their patients every day. Nurses are nominated by their patients and patients’ families. To learn more about the award, visit Sparrow.org/Daisy.
Celebrate Kindness and Empathy with Grandma’s Window
Local native Janet Halfmann has done it again with yet another book which went on sale August 4, 2023.
Grandma’s Window shines a light on the ageless ache of feeling lonely and the power of kind reactions like empathy and concern. Mateo is lonely. All the other kids on the bus already have friends, leaving him to stare out the window during the ride to school each day. But one day he sees an older woman waving to him from her own window, and his excitement draws the other kids’ attention, as the whole school bus bonds over the grandmother who takes time out of each day to say hello. Mateo isn’t lonely anymore.
One day, though, Grandma isn’t at her window, but that won’t stop the students on Mateo’s bus from reaching out to her. Determined to repay her kindness and lift her spirits as she did for them, all the kids on the bus set out to find Grandma and make sure she has plenty of friends in the nursing home where she lives now. It’s a heartwarming intergenerational effort that shows readers of all ages that small, simple acts of compassion and connection can inspire others, change lives and perspectives, and build goodwill in communities of all kinds.
Based on a true story, and accompanied by tender illustrations by Christy Tortland that capture the diverse humanity of their subjects, young and old, Grandma’s Window was released on August 4, 2023.
Grandma’s Window is a story of friendship and kindness that shows us that, no matter how young or old you are, the best way to bring joy into your life is to give it to others.
About the Author
Janet Halfmann is an award-winning children’s author, a native of the St. Johns and Fowler area, who strives to make her books come alive for young readers and listeners. She writes about family and community, animals and nature, and about little-known people who have achieved great things. Janet has written almost fifty fiction and nonfiction books for children, including The Clothesline Code: The Story of Civil War Spies Lucy Ann and Dabney Walker, published through Brandylane Publishers.
Janet was formerly a daily newspaper reporter, children’s magazine managing editor, and a creator of coloring and activity books for Golden Books. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of seven. When Janet isn’t writing, she enjoys gardening, exploring nature, visiting living-history museums, and spending time with family. She now lives in South Milwaukee, WI.
RBW Class of ’64 picnic is August 27
The Rodney B. Wilson High School Class of 1964 is gathering for their annual picnic. It will be be held on Sunday, August 27 at the St. Johns City Park, main pavilion.
Starting at noon, they will eat at 1:00. Bring a dish to pass; water will be available.
If you have any questions or suggestions contact: EWKnight400@gmail.com , atkinsonrd@charter.net or bmdroste@comcast.net