Paw Paw Later Elementary

PPPS Educational Hero Award Winners

March 1, 2024

Paw Paw Public Schools is pleased to announce this year's winners of the 2024 Educational Hero Awards: Music Teacher Amy Gronda and Math Teacher Cari Houston. At last night'...

Angel miller makes pphs history by competing at individual state wrestling finals.

PPHS Wrestler Makes History as First Female to Compete at the Individual State Wrestling Finals

February 28, 2024

Blazing new trails, breaking the mold, shattering stereotypes. Check, check, and check. Angel Miller, a junior at Paw Paw High School, is not afraid to challenge the status quo....

Decorative Text Parent Chat Info Graphic

Parent Update in Student Programming: Thursday, March 7 @ 6 PM

February 27, 2024

Paw Paw Public Schools will host its next online Parent Update in Student Programming program on Thursday, March 7, 2024 from 6-7 PM via Zoom. The link for the program is here:...

“BEING A BUS DRIVER - THE MOST GRATIFYING JOB I’VE EVER HAD.”

February 22, 2024

After spending years working in customer service, factory jobs and various management positions, Jen Himmelein prayed that she would find a job she enjoyed. Then one day, she was ...

SCHOOL BOARD SHOUT-OUTS, FEBRUARY 2024 Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education At the end of each regular Board of Education Meeting, the board members each take a moment to share some of the great things they see in the district while serving on the Board. Here are this month's points of Pride & Progress. “First, thank you to the board for approving the Clay Target Team. I think that it is going to be a huge, positive addition for the high school and the district. Also, the parent-teacher conferences at the high school were outstanding! In other news, the PPHS Varsity Girls Basketball Team, which is fourteen and two, had five players who scored in double digits in a single game. This does not happen often. They are really playing well together, and it is a total team effort. Lastly, as the Varsity Cheer Team makes their State Title run, they need the support of the entire community to help them get there. Please attend and encourage others to come out and support them in the stands at the district, regional and state level.” Brent McNitt “At the Central Office, I would like to give shout-outs to Kara and Rick for getting a nice jump on the budget and shrinking the deficit this year, both big accomplishments. Hopefully, that will continue going forward. Also, there are some great things happening with grant work, which have not yet been received, but hopefully soon we can talk about that. There is a great deal happening behind the scenes to help the district as we go forward.” Dale Pease “At Paw Paw Middle School, Independence Pro Wrestling made an appearance to support the PPMS Wrestling Team. Way to go PPMS Wrestling Coach Josh Raymond for his backflip off the top rope to finish his opponent! In other news, all grade levels are showing growth in the English Language Arts (ELA) area of the Star Growth Report. Thank you to the entire PPMS staff for their efforts in helping to improve those results. Lastly, the seven-week friendship group was successful in teaching students about friendship, communication, positivity, and other traits that make someone a good friend. These traits are important at any level, but especially during the middle school years.” Ray Martin “I would like to start by giving a shout-out to the custodial staff at the high school. From basketball on Friday night to Cheer on Saturday, the staff had everything set and ready to go. Additionally, shout-out to Amy Gronda and the band for taking time and showing kindness to my son. Also, shout-out to the early elementary staff for sending texts on snow days encouraging students to play outside or challenging them to read in novel places. At a recent Cheer meet, it was great to see Coach Stefanie Miller, the Cheer Team and varsity parents stand up and cheer for the middle school students. At the later elementary, I have heard wonderful things about Mr. Caleb Shaefer. In his role, he is working with kids to show kindness and empathy. Lastly, the high school play “The Lightning Thief” was a huge hit! The performing arts director and students are focused on bringing home more WAVE performing arts awards this year, which is phenomenal!” Lindsay Clark “Through a new, innovative partnership called “Little Connections” at Paw Paw Early Elementary, second-grade students and high school students established pen pal relationships. After writing back and forth for six weeks, the high school students visited the EE to meet the younger students in person, which was wonderful! Also at the EE, grade-level teachers participated in “Data Days,” where groups were formed to review winter benchmarking data that revealed areas of deficit and areas for growth. This sparked some great conversation! Tom Baney

School District Shout-Outs

February 16, 2024

Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education At the end of each regular Board of Education Meeting, the board members each take a moment to share some of the great things they see...

Teacher and student building connections paw paw public schools

Building Connections at PPPS - Four at the Door + One More

February 2, 2024

For Immediate Release Contact: Rick Reo, Superintendent Paw Paw Public Schools 269-415-5200 rick.reo@ppps.org Paw Paw, MI – (Feb. 2, 2024) Ev...

School District Shout-Outs!

January 16, 2024

SCHOOL BOARD SHOUT-OUTS, JANUARY 2024 Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education At the end of each regular Board of Education Meeting, the board members each take a mo...

January is Perseverance for our CharacterStrong trait

Our CharacterStrong Trait for January is Perseverence!

January 8, 2024

We will be teaching students about the trait of perseverance during our CharacterStrong lessons for January. At home, please be sure to make connections with your kids about sett...

SCHOOL BOARD SHOUT-OUTS, DECEMBER 2023 Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education At the end of each regular Board of Education Meeting, the board members each take a moment to share some of the great things they see in the district while serving on the Board. Here are this month's points of Pride & Progress. “I’d like to give a shout-out to our bands. They recently hosted the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) All-Star Bands, which was a big win! Also, kudos to the PEP Band and the student section at Friday’s basketball game. They all sounded great! I attended the last Senior Citizens Luncheon. If possible, I encourage you to attend one of the luncheons. I’d also like to recognize the PPHS Students of the Month: Abigail Goodwin in September, Billy Webster in October, and Molly Goodwin in November. On another note, the digital photography class worked with the yearbook staff to inform seniors, who still need photos taken, that we have student photographers who can help, allowing as many seniors as possible to have photos in the yearbook. Lastly, we have both a boys and a girls wrestling team at the High School this year!” Brent McNitt “At the Central Office, I heard we had a good financial audit, which is great news! Nice work by the whole team to make that a success. It’s also great to see all the Strategic Plan work that is coming out of the Central Office in the areas of goals and objectives to not only implement the plan, but also to improve upon it. For the Transportation Department, it was awesome to see their Dr. Suess “Whoville” Christmas Theme on display in the Christmas Parade. Nice teamwork there!” Dale Pease “At the Middle School, under the Core Value of Integrity, 17 students on the Robotics Team competed and placed 8th and 11th overall in a regional competition, which represented a lot of sacrifice and teamwork. The previous placement was close to 30th, so this showed amazing growth and improvement! In the area of Kindness at the MS, the new Friendship Lunch Group, made up of 13 students from all grades, is a seven-week program designed to create, nurture, and enhance friendships. Lastly, kudos to MS Band Director Kevin Cort on a successful day of Solo and Ensemble, another fantastic way to bring other schools into our district, to be an example, and to show off our Core Values.” Ray Martin “I want to congratulate the supervisors in their new positions. I also want to recognize PPPS staff and others who are not PPPS employees, for going out of their way to help fix things when they break down. I was excited to learn that the custodial department is now fully staffed! When I met with Transportation Director Angela Vasquez recently, she was interviewing someone for a bus driver position, so hopefully that comes through. If anyone knows of someone who might be interested in a driver or substitute driver position, please have them reach out to angela.vasquez@ppps.org. On another note, thank you to the band for a great performance! Lastly, I met with Food Service Director Korrie Perkins, and she was nice enough to walk me through her vision of the new addition to the High School Cafeteria. It’s going to be nice!” Nate Mitchell “At the Early Elementary, students and staff are participating in several exciting holiday events and community initiatives throughout the month of December: the Lions Club Christmas Basket Program, a hot chocolate sale, the Senior Citizens Luncheon, Listen to Reading at the EE, a dental screening and a Holiday Drive-Through event on Tuesday, December 19th from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Families are invited to drive through the bus loop, wave to EE staff, and grab a sweet treat for the holidays!” Tom Baney “The Cedar Street Campus is doing their first pop-up shop for charitable donations, which I think is a great idea! They will be offering socks, winter jackets, among other items that will help families get through the winter. The shop is open to those in need, and they can come by to pick up anything they might need or want. To learn more, please contact Cedar Street Director Beckah Chartier at beckah.chartier@ppps.org.” Jon Vick

PPPS SCHOOL DISTRICT SHOUT-OUTS!

December 15, 2023

Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education At the end of each regular Board of Education Meeting, the board members each take a moment to share some of the great things they s...

Senior Citizens' Holiday Luncheon

December 13, 2023

All Paw Paw area senior citizens age 60 years and older are invited to attend the monthly PPPS Senior Citizens' Luncheons at Paw Paw High School. At Paw Paw Public Schools, we a...

Parent Update Program (online) Scheduled for Dec. 20

December 12, 2023

Wednesday, December 20, all PPPS families are invited to attend an online parent chat program at 6 PM via Zoom (LINK: Parent Chat for 12/20/23 @ 6 PM ). The link is also available...

students and basketball players shaking hands. go red wolves. #packpride. basketball and red wolves logos.

PPHS Basketball Teams Unite with Our Community to Build Success

December 8, 2023

Paw Paw, MI – As ambassadors and role models for Paw Paw Public Schools, the student-athletes and coaches in Paw Paw High School’s basketball program take their jobs seriously...

COMMUNITY INVITED TO ATTEND FREE HOLIDAY CONCERTS

December 7, 2023

Come celebrate the holiday season with student performances by the award-winning band and music programs of Paw Paw Public Schools! The public is encouraged to attend concerts thr...

PAW PAW HIGH SCHOOL’S “PAY IT FORWARD” CLASS BUILDING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

November 9, 2023

For Immediate Release Contact: Rick Reo, Superintendent 269-415-5200 rick.reo@ppps.org Paw Paw, MI – In the 2010 movie “Pay it Forward” a teacher gives stud...

PPPS Community Connections Open House

October 26, 2023

Paw Paw, MI - With so many exciting things happening at Paw Paw Public Schools, we thought this would be a perfect time to share some exciting district updates with students, s...

“THE PRESIDENT’S OWN” US MARINE BAND MEMBER PERFORMS FOR PPPS BAND STUDENTS

October 26, 2023

Paw Paw, MI – On Tuesday, October 24, 2023, Paw Paw High School and Paw Paw Middle School band students had the rare opportunity to attend a live performance by one of “The Pre...

Parent Info Session (virtual) on CharacterStrong

October 18, 2023

Wednesday, October 25, all PPPS families are invited to attend an online parent chat program at 6 PM via Zoom (LINK: Parent Chat for 10/25/23 @ 6 PM ). During the program parti...

SCHOOL BOARD SHOUT-OUTS, OCTOBER 2023 Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education At the end of each regular Board of Education Meeting, the board members each take a moment to share some of the great things they see in the district while serving on the Board. Here are this month's points of Pride & Progress. “At the High School, I experienced spirit week first-hand, and it was great to see so much participation! Also at the High School, there’s been a real effort to change how students are greeted by making sure all staff stand outside their doors in the morning. It has transformed that building into a much nicer place! Lastly, a community member who attended our last board meeting and participated in our CharacterStrong workshop, came up to me three days later and said, ‘It (the workshop) changed her life.’ She went on to say that she had never been able to remember names, but after doing that exercise, she remembered everyone’s name. She thought it was such a great idea that she took what we did and recreated in at the Senior Center, a great example of the positive impact the school board meetings can have on the community.” Brent McNitt “At the Early Elementary, to recognize classes exhibiting P.R.I.D.E. (Personality responsibility, Respect, I am a learner, Demonstrating safe behavior, and Excellence) behaviors in school, the specials teachers came up with an idea to give out a “Rufus Award” and a “Rosy Award” to two classes each week that are showing progress in these areas. To present the awards, Leah Barnes and Jesey Davis delivered stuffed animals to the winning classes, and the classes cheered for one another!” Tom Baney “I had a chance to meet with Beckah Chartier at the Cedar Street Campus, and I gained some valuable insight into the Alternative Education and the Early Childhood Education Programs.” Jon Vick “I attended the Early Elementary Prowl, a PTO fundraising event. It was great to see so many parent volunteers, and it was so well organized! At the Later Elementary, 18 students were recognized at a CharacterStrong assembly, where they talked about respect. They also introduced the next value, which is responsibility. Thanks to Jeremy Davison for his leadership in this area. Disney’s 101 Dalmatians is also coming up at the Later Elementary. Lastly, it was great to hear so many positive comments from parents when the PPHS football players opened the doors for the younger players on Homecoming Day.” Lindsay Clark “There has been a noticeable shift toward a culture of kindness at the Middle School. CharacterStrong and a further distance from COVID isolation is being partially credited, along with staff training on restorative practices and community circles. Our Core Values are at work! Also at the Middle School, the WMU Men’s Basketball Team came to visit a for an all-school assembly. They shared how our Core Values have a connection to their Core Values. Students participated in some ball handling competitions and were thrilled to see the WMU players put up some impressive dunks!” Ray Martin “Thank you to the Maintenance Department for fixing the forklift and saving money for the district. I’d also like to recognize Custodian’s Day, which was October 2. I know that can be a thankless job, but I appreciate our custodians for all they do! The Transportation Department held Bus Driver Awareness Training and discussed different scenarios and challenging situations that can take place on buses. For School Bus Safety Week, the Transportation Department will be hosting a poster contest in the schools. Winners from each grade level will be announced, presented with a certificate, and choose a book from the vending machine.” Nate Mitchell

SCHOOL DISTRICT SHOUT-OUTS!

October 13, 2023

SCHOOL BOARD SHOUT-OUTS, OCTOBER 2023 Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education At the end of each regular Board of Education Meeting, the board members each tak...

film crew shooting video with elementary teachers

PPPS STRATEGIC PLAN FEATURED IN NEW PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS

October 13, 2023

News R elease Contact: Rick Reo, Superintendent 269-415-5200 | rick.reo@ppps.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Paw Paw, MI – The Paw Paw Public Schools (PPPS) Strat...

SCHOOL BOARD SHOUT-OUTS Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education September 2023 At the end of each regular Board of Education Meeting, the board members each take a moment to share some of the great things they see in the district while serving on the Board. Here are this month's points of Pride & Progress. “At the High School, the staff have been unbelievably welcoming and helpful! In the Photography and Digital Arts Class, where I’ve been helping, it was great to see the old PCs replaced with new laptops. It allows students to move around, which is important in the creative arts. The kids are already excited to see some of their work featured on social media. Lastly, I appreciate everyone who watches and helps with the football broadcasts. It is a true team effort to make those happen, but it’s worth it!” Brent McNitt “Since it’s September 11th, I’d like to show my appreciation to our first responders, school resource officers and veterans. We take that seriously in our district, and there is great work being done in our schools to recognize these groups. At the Central Office, I appreciate the detailed financial reports from Kara Corniel. It was great to see the innovative investments being made in technology that will benefit our students. From a community standpoint, it was great to see so many PPPS students and staff involved in the Paw Paw Wine & Harvest Festival, and I enjoyed seeing the social media posts of everyone having so much fun!” Dale Pease “At the Early Elementary, I met with Principal Leah Barnes, and there’s no question in my mind that she is right where she belongs! She and her team are involved in a project involving the Core Value of Innovation. EE administrators, teachers and staff are developing enrichment opportunities by listening to feedback from a parent survey. The EE team would like to offer more diverse experiences for students who may need more of a challenge in their daily learning. A select number of students will receive innovative enrichment opportunities four days a week.” Tom Baney “At the Later Elementary, Mr. Davison reported that they had a successful “Back-to-School Night.” Every family received an envelope, and some students received a golden ticket that could be redeemed for a free book in their new book vending machine. Also, the rollout of CharacterStrong has been going very well! Today I was able to participate in a 9/11 ceremony that involved the Cub Scouts and many of our local first responders. It was great for the kids to get to see the leadership in our community.” Lindsay Clark “I’m so proud of Paw Paw Middle School Student Brynn Cummings and her top five semifinalist placement on “America’s Got Talent.” It was also great to hear that members of the Red Wolves Band volunteered to help clean up the grounds prior to school starting. As Superintendent Reo indicated, this is the epitome of the Core Value of Community that we are hoping to instill in our students during their time at PPPS. Thank you, Paw Paw Band!” Ray Martin “I’d like to give a shout-out to our Maintenance Department for their great work maintaining approximately 50 acres of athletic and event fields. They also take care of over two miles of grass trimming and three miles on the cross-country trail. Also, the custodial crew did a great job over the summer deep cleaning our schools. I appreciate their hard work!” Nate Mitchell

School District Shout-Outs!

September 18, 2023

Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education September 2023 At the end of each regular Board of Education Meeting, the board members each take a moment to share some o...