Vassar Public Schools

Two great events for our families at the Bullard Sanford Memorial library!! Check them out!

Mr. Fabbro's class helped organize at the Vassar Food Pantry today! Thank you Peggy Barnes for having them and for committing so much of your time to provide food for the families in our community!

Vassar students are getting ready for the holidays and upcoming senior citizen brunch. If you have any holiday or Christmas decorations that you would be willing to donate we would appreciate it. Happy Holidays!

Let's continue with our staff introductions! We are excited to introduce Mrs. Bilbee, a teacher with 20+ years of experience!

🚴‍♀️ Attention Parents and Families of Bike Riders! 🚴‍♂️ As winter approaches, our mornings are getting darker, making visibility challenging for everyone on the road. To help keep our students safe, we strongly encourage parents to equip bikes with lights and make sure students are wearing bright or reflective clothing. 🌟 We've received calls from concerned citizens about our students’ safety while riding to school in the mornings, so let's work together to make sure they’re seen and safe! Your support and attention to this will help protect our kids on their way to school. Thank you! 🧡🖤

Congratulations to Mrs. Lisa Heinlein! Mrs. Heinlein has been recognized by the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) as a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction. This esteemed honor reflects her dedication to education and her exceptional commitment to the teaching profession. Nominated by senior, Emilee Dembowske, Lisa is praised for being a role model in the Vulcan Community and for the profound impact she has on the lives of students at Vassar Public Schools. Submission Nomination from Emilee: Mrs. Heinlein was my Sociology and Gov/Econ teacher; she was also my class advisor. Mrs. Heinlein always showed up with a smile on her face and a good attitude. It made me excited for her class every day, and I know it was always the class I looked forward to. I had Mrs. Heinlein for 2 hours back-to-back, and those were the best hours of my day. If something happened in my life that I was either really excited about or maybe even upset about, I knew I could talk to Mrs. Heinlein, and she would do her absolute best to help with the situation. I think she had a very big impact on my life because even if she had something going on, we would never know. Mrs. Heinlein makes teaching and being a mom her life, and she is amazing at it. I have never had a teacher who was so willing to help and do what she could to help you get the grade you wanted in her class. As long as you put in the effort and ask questions when needed, she will help you and make a plan to get or keep you on track. Mrs. Heinlein truly connected with all her students, making coming to school a lot easier some days. Thank you to Lisa Heinlein for her commitment and service to Vassar Public Schools and to Emilee Dembowske for taking the time to acknowledge and nominate Mrs. Heinlein for this award.

Let's continue with our staff introductions! We are excited to introduce Mrs. Germain!

On November 16th, the Central Parent Coalition is hosting a Mom2Mom sale! The group is looking for mothers interested in selling their children's clothes, baby/children's items, and toys. See the flyer for contact information.

Check out this week's Vulcan View! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pYCjUnaaL8

Just a reminder to parents, tonight is the K.I.S.S. (Kids Invite Someone Special) dance at Central School, hosted by the Central Coalition parent group. If you did not pre-register, you may also pay at the door.

The Vassar Theater Program presents Disney Descendants: The Musical. Shows will take place in the Randall and Patricia Middlin Auditorium on Friday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 16, at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 17, at 2 p.m. Tickets are available from any cast member, the high school office, or at the door.

Let's continue with our staff introductions! We are excited to introduce Mr. Heinrich, a teacher with 20+ years of experience!

Let's continue with our staff introductions! We are excited to introduce Mr. Tallman!

Attention Kindergarten-5th grade parents: Picture retakes will be tomorrow, Friday, November 8. If your child was absent on picture day, picture forms are available in the office. If you ordered pictures but are not satisfied, please return the photo package with your child on Friday and they will give it to the photographer. Remember, all students and staff must be photographed for Student ID and yearbook purposes.

Are any of our parents of teen drivers interested in taking part in a virtual study? Help us develop strategies to improve teen driving safety! Dr. Renée St. Louis and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute's (UMTRI) Behavioral Sciences Group invite Level 2 and Level 3 teen drivers and one of their parents/guardians to participate in a new research study, “Teen-Parent Countermeasure for Teen Risky Driving.” What is this about? The purpose of the study is to evaluate resources designed to help teens and parents improve the teen’s driving safety. What will we be asked to do? Eligible parent-teen dyads will be asked to complete three virtual appointments (30-, 45-, and 45-minutes) together with the study team from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). Teens will drive for 4-weeks in their own vehicle equipped with an Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) system that detects the speed limit and alerts the driver when it is exceeded. Before the first virtual appointment, parents and teens will both complete online surveys about driving behavior. During the first virtual appointment, parents and teens will download a driving app, and receive information about the first two weeks of the study. Teens will then be asked to drive their household vehicle with ISA as they normally would for the next 2 weeks. During the second virtual appointment, dyads will provide study staff with teen’s trip log and trip summaries/scores from the driving app. Parents and teens will sign a driving agreement. Parents will receive further information about the driving app and teens will receive information about the ISA system in their vehicle. Teens will be asked to drive the vehicle with ISA for another 2 weeks. Parents and teens will also be asked to complete brief online surveys about every three days. During the third virtual appointment, parents and teens will both complete interviews with research staff to give feedback about the study. Dyads will provide the teen’s trip log and trip summaries/scores from the app. An online survey will be sent to both parents and teens after the final appointment. Teen’s state driving records will be retrieved. What are the participation requirements? Teen age 16-17; have a valid Level 2 or Level 3 driver’s license; have access to a household vehicle equipped with an Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) system; Parent and teen willing to download, subscribe to, and use a driving app; Parent and teen allow investigators to access teen’s driving scores on the app as well as the teen’s driving records; and, additional criteria to be provided by study staff. What do we get? Parents will be paid up to $75 and teens will be paid up to $125 – distributed across the study visits. I'm interested, what should I do? If interested in participating, parents/guardians should contact me at 734-615-4744 (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm) or email teendriving@umich.edu. Feel free to share with anyone you think would also be interested. Study ID: HUM00260685 IRB: Health Sciences and Behavioral Sciences Date Approved: 10/2/2024 Nicole Zanier Research Area Specialist Associate Behavioral Sciences Group University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute 2901 Baxter Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2150 734-615-4744 nzanier@umich.edu

Mrs. Piazza's Advanced Art students are working on fusing glass with clay - the first pieces came out of the kiln this morning and they are beautiful! Talent abounds at VHS!

Free clothing giveaway! Contact Maisie Hecht if you have any questions.

This morning, many of our high school students received Academic Awards for their achievements from last year. Parents and students enjoyed a wonderful breakfast provided by our food service staff. We are very proud of all the students who received awards today. While some students were not pictured, everyone is listed in the program (see photo of list) and will still receive their award. Great job to each recipient—keep up the excellent work!

Literacy Lights Night is tomorrow, Thursday, November 7th! This evening is planned to help your child’s reading and writing with fun activities, games, and helpful resources. You’ll learn new ways to support literacy at home, meet others, and take home useful materials. Check the flyer for more details!

Its the most wonderful time of the year... almost! We invite you to join us for our annual Senior Citizen Christmas Brunch on Friday, December 13. Please see the flier below for RSVP information and event details.