March 06, 2015
The Fulton Flyer
Salmon Release Project
Fulton 8th Graders are in the midst of raising newly hatched salmon sac fry. This is the fifth
year Fulton students have participated in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Salmon in
the Classroom project. As part of the program, students toured the Wolf Lake State Fish
Hatchery located near Mattawan Michigan in early November, where they picked up the classes
salmon eggs. The eggs were collected and fertilized by DNR fisheries biologists at the Little
Manistee River Weir in early October and then transported to Wolf Lake to incubate. The DNR
initiated the project by collecting and fertilizing the salmon eggs. The eggs were treated with a
variety of anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agents prior to their release to our students. During the
hatchery tour, students observed the egg-take and fertilization process. They were also
instructed on the processes involved in raising healthy adolescent salmon.
The eggs that were collected were “eyed-eggs,” meaning that they were mostly developed. The
translucent egg shell allowed students to easily see two black dots which were the eyes. This is
where the term “eyed-eggs” comes from. To ensure normal growth, students are required to
maintain proper water quality by completing water quality testing and the occasional water
change out. Water change outs are performed routinely by removing about one-third of the fish
tank water and replacing it with freshwater. Students must also remove any dead eggs to
maintain proper water quality. This is done by running the tank during class breaks to determine
if any dead eggs are present.
The healthy eggs hatched over Thanksgiving Break. Since the eggs have hatched, students have
been observing the juvenile salmon on a daily basis and continue to perform water quality
testing. This process will continue until the salmon reach the smolt stage. At that time, students
will participate in a release day lab where all of the surviving salmon will be returned to a local
tributary to continue their life cycle.
You are able to view the hatchlings via the internet at http://fulton.schoolwires.net/Page/627.
They can be viewed at any time throughout the day or evening.
A number of changes have occurred with the Salmon in
the Classroom program at Fulton Schools over the last
few years. The project has become a cross-curricular
experience in all subject matters. Mr. Winsor started the
project in science class and has expanded the project
throughout the middle school curriculum. With the
incorporation of the Salmon Project into the
Middle School curriculum, teachers have been able to
create new and exciting lessons for our students.
● Mr. Winsor uses the project to teach important science related concepts related to
biology, life cycles, habitats, water quality, genetics, environmental studies, carrying
capacity as well as many others.
● Mr. Hyler is using the project to help students write primary source research papers and
help students to effectively support an argument.
● Mrs. Smith is using the project in Math to create charts and graphs of survival rates and
fish lengths. She is also using the project to create box and whisker plots and analyze
probability and statistics.
● Mr. Sherrick uses the project to support students with differentiated instruction.
Currently the staff is exploring ways to incorporate the project into the Social Studies
curriculum with Mr. Mager.
This project is only possible with the support of the Michigan DNR. Mr. Winsors involvement
in this program has given Fulton Schools the opportunity to work with individuals at the
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The DEQ supplies engineers and
biologists to aid in the release day labs. These individuals allow the lab day to have a greater
impact on our students. Utilizing real-life hands on experiences by individuals in the
profession is vital in teaching real life skills to the students.
Also, the Gratiot County Community Foundation has provided Fulton Schools with numerous
grants totaling in excess of $6,000 for the purchase of equipment used in the project. The
grants have been used over the years to purchase fish tanks, chillers (to cool water temperatures
to 47 degrees Fahrenheit), water quality chemicals, filtration systems, consumable supplies,
waders, fishing equipment, video recording equipment and much more.
Fulton School’s students and staff are excited about this learning opportunity. Students have
taken a vested interest in this project and are actively engaged in making sure the young salmon
have the best opportunity to survive in their temporary classroom home. At the culmination of
the school year, all adolescent salmon will be released to, hopefully, carry on their life cycle
and return to lay eggs of their own. For more information on the salmon in the classroom
program visit Mr. Winsor’s Middle School website at http://fulton.schoolwires.net/Page/627 or
visit the Department of Natural Resources’ website at http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7153-10369_50075---,00.html.
Fulton Schools –
There Is No Better
Place To Learn!
GRIM REAPER
Visits Fulton High School
On Friday, February 6,
S.A.D.D., (Students Against
Destructive Decisions),
members educated their
classmates on the
consequences of drinking
and driving. The Grim
Reaper, played by Gregg
Jones, identified students
with grave markers that
simulated how they could
be killed in an alcohol
related accident. These
students were required to
remain silent for the
remainder of the school
day. To culminate the
event, S.A.D.D. students
held a school wide
assembly under the
direction of Emily Fife,
Carlee Gillespie, Brooke
Grinnel, Kendra
Hungerford and Mende
Palmer. They presented
how the 27 students who
simulated being deceased
by an alcohol related
accident, represented an
individual who is killed
every 24 hours in the
United States by a drunk
driver. Students also
watched a video, created by
a High School in
California, which showed
the consequences of
drinking and driving. To
wrap up the presentation,
students were asked to
pledge their support to
make good decisions
throughout the school year
and at the upcoming Fulton
Schools Junior/Senior
Prom.
To assist students in
making good decisions
during Prom night, the
Fulton Schools is once
again holding Project
Graduation at the MiddleHigh School building.
Students will be able to
enjoy an evening free from
the pressures of
experimenting with drugs
and/or alcohol.
2014-2015 Graduation Dates
The Fulton Schools has changed graduation dates for its
outgoing seniors for the 2014-2015 school year. Moving
the date will allow the graduating seniors to leave school
earlier than previous years. This will allow the graduates to
begin searching for employment opportunities for their
future career or a summer job before going onto college or a
career trades school.
Alternative Education Graduation
Friday, May 15, 2015 at 6:00 p.m.
Fulton High School Graduation
Sunday, May 17, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.
All of the Fulton
Schools teaching Staff
meet the Highly
Qualified criteria set by
the State of Michigan
and Federal regulations.
FOOD DRIVE A SUCESSS
Fulton Elementary and Middle-High School students teamed up with the Maple
Valley Lions Club for their annual winter food drive. The elementary students
donated over 1400 cans of food and nonperishable items and the Middle-High
School donated over 200 cans and items to the worthwhile cause. The members
of the Lions Club packaged the donated food to give to our local less fortunate
families.
Fulton Alternative Education
Volleyball State Champs
In January, the Fulton Adult Alternative Girls Volleyball team won the 2015 Michigan
Alternative Athletic Association State Championship for their outstanding volleyball
play. The Championship game was held at Portage Central High School on Saturday,
January 17, 2015. Fulton’s team was comprised of six players; Amber Burgtorf,
Amber Rutkowski, Paige Gregory, Felicia Miles, Missey Jordan and team captain
Amanda Johnson.
The team was undefeated in pool play. In the Championship Round they defeated both
Hazel Park and Owosso Schools. In the finals, the girls defeated Portage Schools in
straight sets. It is the third State Championship in girls Volleyball for the Fulton Adult
Alternative Education program. Fulton holds the M.A.A.A. record for the most girls
Volleyball State Championships. Congratulations to our athletes and coach, Jim
Collins!
Fulton Township
Strategic Planning Committee
Needs Your Help
The Fulton Township has been working hard to organize a Strategic Planning committee to
brainstorm ideas on how to improve our community. The committee has met four times
and is planning to meet again on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. at the Fulton
Township Hall. If you are interested in attending, please contact Denise Rossman at 989236-5102 to R.S.V.P.
The committee was originally formed to maintain and promote new business growth in the
village of Middleton. One project that grew out of the committee was to have a clean-upday in the village of Middleton. The event was completed in 2014. It was considered a
huge success in terms of trash collected and individuals that participated. Out of this
success, interest has grown to include the entire township. With the support of the
Strategic Planning committee, the township is applying for two (2) grants to help offset the
costs for a township wide clean-up-day event and recycling project.
The goal is to:
 Encourage new business and residential growth in our downtowns and outlying
areas
 Build community relationships in the villages and township
 Inspire individuals and groups to engage in quality of life efforts to enhance our
community
To achieve these goals, the committee would like to continue to pursue a win win
relationship with its residents and businesses. For this to happen, we are asking each and
everyone one of you to join the Strategic Planning committee. We need your ideas to
assist us with future projects, brainstorm new ideas and to utilize your expertise to keep our
community thriving.
Be a part of this exciting transformation by joining the Strategic Planning committee, for
more information, please contact Denise Rossman at the Fulton Township Office at 989236-5102 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Geography Bee Held at Fulton Elementary
For the thirteenth year, Fulton Elementary School held its school wide Geography Bee
sponsored by the National Geographic Society. Preliminary Rounds of competition were held in
each of the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classrooms during December. The following students emerged
as finalists during those rounds of competition:
Fourth Grade
Mrs. Misenhelder – Ethan Hull, Mikayla Ney
Mr. Postema - Bruce Thelen
Fifth Grade
Mrs. Walden – Logan Hinds, Markus Mills
Mr. Wetmore – Lilith Upton
Sixth Grade
Mrs. Cook – Ethan Walton
Mrs. Heinze – Kaiden Dennis, Austin McIntyre, Ethan Troub
On Thursday, January 16, 2015, the qualifiers competed in our school wide geography bee.
Ethan Hall was the school wide runner up and Ethan Walden secured the winning position.
Upon winning the event, Ethan took a written test which was submitted for statewide
competition. The Fulton Elementary PTO generously awarded the school winners with gift
cards from Barnes and Noble. Awards were fifty dollars for first place, and twenty-five dollars
for the runner up.
Congratulations to all of the participants for their hard work and dedication to excellence.
Front Row (L to R) Markus Mills, Ethan Walton, Kaiden Dennis-Leslie, Ethan Troub, Logan Hinds
Back Row (L to R) Lilith Upton, Austin McIntyre, Mikayla Ney, Bruce Thelen, Ethan Hull
Athletic
Boosters Need
Your Help
The Athletic Boosters are always looking for help with
the many athletic contests they assist the school with.
The two areas help is needed are in concessions and
gate workers. If you are able to help in one or more of
these areas; all you need to do is sign up at
www.signupgenius.com. Once you are at the website,
click “Find a Sign Up” and enter the email address
fultonathleticboosters@hotmail.com. A list of all the
sign up dates and events should come up. This will
allow you to choose which event you would like to help
at.
If you do not have internet access, please contact Mindy
Thomas at 989-534-1021 for sign up assistance.
Peace Poster Winner
Announced
Congratulations to Kamrey Sherrick for being
named the Maple Valley Lions Club Peace Poster
winner for the 2014-2015 school year. Kamrey is a
seventh grader at Fulton Middle School and is the
daughter of Kevin and Kelly Sherrick of Middleton.
The theme of this year’s contest was “Peace, Hope
and Understanding”. Kamrey received a $50 gift
certificate for her winning entry. Her poster has
qualified for district level completion within the
surrounding counties. The Fulton Schools wishes
Kamrey the best of luck in districts and hopefully
state finals.
PTO Carnival Date
Set
Friday, April 10th
6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Fulton Elementary
School
Plans are underway for the
PTO’s Spring Carnival
“Dr. Seuss”. The carnival
committee is in need of
parent volunteers to assist in
hosting the event. If you are
interested in helping at the
event, please call the
Elementary School Office,
(989) 236-7234.
Fulton Schools
2015-2016 Kindergarten
Round-up
Fulton Elementary School will hold
their annual Kindergarten Round-up on
Tuesday, March 24 and Wednesday,
March 25, 2015 in the Elementary
Media Center.
Families with children who will be 5
years of age or older on or before
September 1, 2015, are asked to contact
the Elementary School Office at 989236-7234 to register their child(ren).
If you feel your child is ready for
school and does not meet the age
cutoff date of September 1, 2015, you
can utilize a waiver to enroll for the
2015-2016 school year.
Fulton Schools
2014-2015 Preschool
Sign-up
Fulton Elementary School will hold
their annual Preschool Sign-up on
Thursday, April 22 and Friday, April
23, 2015.
Families with children ages 3 to 4 years
old are asked to contact the Elementary
School Office at 989-236-7234 to
reserve a registration packet for their
child(ren). Parents have the option of
enrolling in a three or four day program
for children who are age 4, and a two
day program for children who are age 3.
Slots are limited, so remember to
register early.
Christmas Holiday Program
Held
The annual Christmas Holiday Program was held on December 17, 2014, at the Fulton
Elementary School. The program theme was the “Polar Express”. Students from
Preschool to grade 6th participated in the event by dressing in their pajamas, singing songs,
and dancing. Once the students completed their individual class performance, they were
led back to their classroom where they were joined by Santa Claus.
The event included the following songs; “We wish you a Merry Christmas, We are Riding
on the Polar Express, Jingle Bells, Feliz Navidad, The Man with the Bag, Jingle Bell
Rock, Rocking Around the Christmas tree, I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, Do You
Hear What I Hear, Santa’s Rockin Down the Chimney Tonight” and many others.
Approximately 700 parents, grandparents, and community members attended the event
during the two performances. Many positive comments were heard from the community
on the success of the program.
Fulton Schools’ Board of Education
Approves Construction for Science Rooms
and Secure Middle-High School Office
Fulton Schools is excited to announce the future construction of two state of the
art high school science classrooms and a secure middle-high school office. The
district is planning to begin new construction over the summer. Barring no
unforeseen delays or issues in the bidding and/or building process, the proposed
completion date is September 1, 2015.
The project has been made possible by the Fulton Schools Building and Site
Sinking Fund Levy that was approved by district voters in 2012. The levy was
approved for 5 years and will expire in 2016. The levy raises approximately
$400,000 per year. Property owners are accessed $3.00 for every $1,000.00 of
taxable valuation. An example of how the levy is applied is as follows: If you
have a home with a taxable valuation of $100,000.00, the owner would be levied
$300 for the year. Over a five year period, the home owner will have been levied
$1500.00 or $0.82 cents per day.
We’re on the Web!
See us at:
fultonpirates.net
A short list of past projects is included below, but not all projects funded by
sinking fund monies have been included.
 Elementary and Middle-High School Boiler Replacements
 Elementary and Middle-High School Roof Replacements
 Football Field Bleacher Replacement
 Elementary School Bleacher Replacement
 Middle-High School Fire Alarm System Replacement
 District Phone System Replacement
 Elementary and Middle-High School Door Security System
 Middle-High School Electrical Upgrade
 Middle-High School Gymnasium Floor Refurbishing
 Elementary Gymnasium Painting and Safety Wall Mats
Because of the scope and timeline of the science classroom and office project, a tremendous
amount of planning has gone into its design and location. To ensure the planning period was
appropriate and meaningful, a building construction committee was created to determine the
best plan to meet the middle-high schools goals. The committee consisted of three science
teachers, the building principal, the transportation and maintenance director, the district
superintendent and three board members. The group met numerous times throughout the school
year to finalize the layout, location and cost of the addition.
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The committee focused their decisions on long term cost savings and student safety
measures. They reviewed possible locations throughout the current building layout,
but determined a new addition would best fit the school buildings needs and budget.
The committee determined the new construction will be located adjacent to the
student parking lot on the east side of the middle-high school building.
The layout of the addition includes a main hallway that will connect to our existing
hallway. This hallway is currently used by the community as an athletic entrance to
volleyball and basketball games. The addition will have two science classrooms on the
north side of the hallway, and the secure office will be located on the south side of the
hallway.
To improve student safety during the school day, the addition will be arranged to have
students, parents and community members enter the building through a main lobby. The
lobby will lead into the main office where staff will meet and greet the individual or
individuals. During this time, a staff member will determine if the guest should be
allowed to enter the main school building where students are located. If the staff member
determines the individual is a threat, a locked door will prevent them from entering the
building any further. Office staff will be able to contact local authorities or escort the
individual out of the main office to the school parking lot without disturbing any of the
classrooms.
Once the project is completed, the entire building will be flipped to ensure a separation
occurs between middle school students and high school students. The current middle
school wing will become a high school wing. The middle school classrooms will be
moved to the west corridor of the building, which currently holds high school classrooms.
The movement will not only keep the students separated from one another but it will
allow teachers with the same teaching certification to be located beside one another.
Science teachers will be clustered with science teachers, math teachers with math
teachers, and language arts teachers with language arts teachers. This will provide them
the opportunity to have daily communication about their curriculum, best teaching
practices, and student needs.
On behalf of the Fulton Schools students, staff, administration, and school board
members, I would like to thank the Fulton Schools Community for supporting the
Building and Site Sinking Fund Levy to make this improvement possible, as well as the
many past building improvements that have been made utilizing the sinking fund. Your
support continues to make our district “No Better Place to Learn”.
Education is for improving the lives of
others and for leaving your
community and world better than you
found it.
Marian Wright Edelman
FULTON SCHOOLS
8060 Ely Highway
Middleton, Michigan
48856
BULK RATE U.S.
POSTAGE PAID
MIDDLETON, MI.
48856
PERMIT NO. 01 NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
Carrier Rte. Pre- Sort
Elementary PTO
The PTO meets the third Tuesday of each month
at 6:00 p.m. in the elementary media center.
Come and join us!
Your School Board
President: Phillip Hyde
Vice President: Lee Williams
Secretary: Dee Grover
Treasurer: Amy Case
Trustee: Dan Rossman
Trustee: Matt Vusich
Trustee: Karla Childers
“No Better Place To Learn”
FULTON SCHOOLS
ADMINISTRATION
Superintendent
Daymond R. Grifka
236-7300
Middle/High School Principal
Paul K. Hungerford
236-7232
Elementary School Principal
Paul A. Avery
236-7234
Community Education Director
Mike T. Myers
236-5130
Director of Support Services
Greg S. Wolfe
236-7676
FULTON SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
DATES AND TIMES
School Board Meetings are held in the
Middle-High School Media Center on
the second Monday of the month. All
meetings begin at 7:00 pm. Upcoming
dates include:
March 09, 2015
April 13, 2015
May 11, 2015
June 08, 2015
The public is invited to all meetings.
Director of Athletics
Chad R. Podolak
236-7232
Director of Food Services
Debbie A. Dayringer
236-5642