School day to start earlier for many students
Posen and Rogers City students are packing away their barely-used swimsuits and are deciding which of their new clothes to wear on Tuesday. That’s the day doors will open for a new school year. As the new school year begins, there are some changes in the time school starts in both communities, most notably for high school students. Because state legislators changed the minimum requirements for a school year from days to hours, it has given school officials a chance to save money by reducing the number of days students and teachers are in the buildings. They’ve done that by adding time to a typical school day. “The state offered us more flexibility,” said superintendent Dennis Stratton. “We’ll have longer periods.”
INCOMING STUDENTS, K-12 in Posen, will start 10 minutes earlier. The elementary will start their day at 8 a.m., while the high schoolers will need to report to class by 8:05 a.m. The elementary will end at 3:10 p.m., while the high school concludes its day at 3:12 p.m. The reduction in days will mean less use of the facility, which will save the district in their electric and heating bills, as well as costs to staff, Stratton said. High school students in Rogers City, accustomed to getting to their first class at 8:05, better set their alarm clocks for five minutes earlier as the school day will begin at 8 a.m. The elementary starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 2:58 p.m., while the Grambau Center day will be from 8:03 a.m. to 2:57 p.m.
BECA– USE OF budget cuts in Rogers City due to declining enrollment, there has been major reshuffling of the teachers since the students left school in early June. Deb Jones, who is now the K-12 principal, said a great deal of time was spent over the summer, changing students’ schedules. Getting the high school schedules prepared has been the biggest challenge, said Jones. Jones had served as the elementary principal but accepted the role of K-12 principal when it was offered to her earlier this year. Melissa Wozniak has assumed the duties of assistant principal, K-12.
“WE JUST want to make sure they (schedules) are done,” said Jones of her concerns. Jones said the schedules for the seniors were completed Friday, while the schedules for the juniors and sophomores were to be worked on this week. “We’ve worked on it (schedules) all summer,” said Jones. Projected enrollment is 660 students, down 15 from a year ago. For Posen, Stratton said the number has showed an increase over earlier projections, to 294 students. It was 305 last year, but there was a large graduating class, so school official thought the numbers were going to be low. Stratton said the board of education recently decided to become a 105C “School of Choice,” meaning students living on the border of the Hillman and Alpena public schools could select Posen. Stratton said requests had been denied in the past.
“WE’RE STILL getting calls from families,” Stratton said Monday. So the number of students could go up. One situation the superintendent was keeping close tabs on is the combined fourth and fifth grade class, which had 38 students in it. “It may end up getting split,” Stratton said. Students will have Monday, November 15 off and begin Christmas break Monday, December 20. School is to resume January 4. Winter break is February 14-21, while spring break is March 24-April 4. The final day of school is June 2. Commencement exercises will be June 3 at 7:30 p.m.
THE ROGERS CITY Educators Association are still without a contract, s
The private schools in the area start school in the coming days. St. Ignatius will have the bell for the first day of school ring for 100 students Tuesday at 8 a.m., which is unchanged. School gets out at 3 p.m., as it did last year. The school is up one student for grades one through eight.
ST. JOHN Lutheran School had to adjust the school day to coincide with the public school schedule. The day will start at 8 a.m., five minutes earlier, and end 10 minutes later at 2:55 p.m. The first three days for students in grades five through eight will begin at the Ocqueoc Outdoor Center. Following the Labor Day weekend break, when all 44 students are assembled, there will be a worship service Tuesday, September 7 at 8:30 a.m. There is no preschool or kindergarten classes being offered at St. John this year. Enrollment was at 57 a year ago. St. Michael School in Belknap has its first day Tuesday for K through eighth grade students with the school day beginning at 8 a.m. The Rogers City Baptist Academy is the only school that opens post-Labor Day. Thirty five students will begin their first day of school September 7 at 8:30 a.m. .