musician on stage. student watching

“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...
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Parent Chat Info Image

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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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CharacterStrong Parent Chat Promo for Sept.

CharacterStrong Parent Chat this Wednesday, September 20 @ 6 PM

September 17, 2023
This Wednesday, September 20, all PPPS families are invited to attend an online parent chat program at 6 PM via Zoom (LINK: Parent Chat for 9/20/23 @ 6 PM ). During the program p...
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Community Partners. We will foster connections among our schools and the community. PPHS Principal Tammy Southworth, PPPS Nurse Cathy Lancaster, Beaumont Student Heart Check Manager, Jennifer Shea, and PPPS Maintenance Director Tom Imus. Build together logo. United with our community to build success.

Beaumont Health Donates AEDs to PPHS

September 14, 2023
For Immediate Release: Contact: Tammy Southworth, Principal Paw Paw High School tammy.southworth@ppps.org, 269-415-5600 Beaumont Health Donates Two New AEDs to Paw Paw High...
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community connections. we will foster connections among our schools and our community. Supt. reo with 2 reps from Arbor Credit Union

Community Connections.

September 6, 2023
Thank you to the amazing team at Arbor Financial Credit Union for today's generous school supply donation! The Caring Committee at Arbor Financial Credit Union has a 25 year histo...
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SCHOOL BOARD SHOUT-OUTS, AUGUST 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. “First, thank you to Curriculum Director Corey Harbaugh for inviting me to walk over to see the new wall mural at the middle school. If you have not seen it, I would encourage everyone to do so. It is a positive addition to the south side of school. Today, I attended the active shooter training for the district, which was interesting. The I.S.D. safety specialists led many hands-on exercises and demonstrated other scenarios to keep safety top-of-mind if something were to happen. Lastly, while I was in the high school for the safety training, I was impressed to see so many staff members there before school started taking time to get their classrooms ready to receive our kids.” Brent McNitt “In the building updates, I really like that Superintendent Rick Reo and Early Elementary Principal Leah Barnes are connecting everything to our five Core Values. At the Elementary, under the Core Value of Community, they hosted a popsicle and playground event! Under the Core Value of Success, all the great work being done to add staff is exciting. Lastly, under Innovation, kudos to the staff for all the work that was done with Kindergarten and Young 5’s Jumpstart.” Dale Pease “I had a chance to speak to Cedar Street Director Beckah Chartier and Early Childhood Education Director Mindy Brennan, and I found out there are some really great things happening at the Cedar Street Campus! Beckah is working with her staff to make sure all the positions are filled. Thank you for that update. After talking with the ECE Director, I was happy to learn that nearly all the kids leaving the 4-year-old preschool classroom were meeting many of the kindergarten standards. I was also excited to hear that most of the ECE staff will be returning. One more shout-out to Principal Leah Barnes and her team for their work with Kindergarten and Young 5’s Jumpstart. It was a great event and made an excellent first impression with our new families.” Lindsay Clark “I’m happy to actually be able see some of the bond projects have started. I am also excited for the rest yet to come. Our summer Meet Up and Eat Up meals program provided almost 1600 breakfast and over 2500 lunch meals in June! Thank you to all the staff who helped make that program so successful. Lastly, kudos to the behind-the-scenes work of the Technology Department as they prep the classrooms and Chromebooks for a successful start to the upcoming school year.” Ray Martin

School District Shout-Outs!

August 30, 2023
SCHOOL BOARD SHOUT-OUTS, AUGUST 2023 Paw Paw Public Schools Board of Education At the end of each regular Board of Education Meeting, the board members each take a m...
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It's more than the form. We strongly encourage all parents/guardians to return their education benefits form. completing this form takes less than 5 minutes and can help students receive important resources. Every application that is not submitted means lost educational programs and resources for our students. Completing the Education Benefits Form may help provide health and wellness services, before and after school programs, guidance and college counselors, fee waivers for college applications and admission tests, and important resources for classrooms. every form counts. build togethe logo. clip art of kids.

It's More Than The Form!

August 30, 2023
Please take a few minutes to complete the Education Benefits Form. The Education Benefits Form collects household information needed to ensure the schools receives state and feder...
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CharacterStrong Logo

Parent Chat: Introducing CharacterStrong

August 8, 2023
On August 16 at 6 PM, Paw Paw Public Schools will host an online Parent Chat program for all parents and guardians to introduce CharacterStrong, a program that will be implemented ...
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Build together logo. Images of tables, chairs, desks and kitchen utensils. Districtwide Garage Sale. Paw Paw Middle School Gym, 313 W. Michigan Ave., July 20, 21 and 22 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. To clear out storage rooms and free up some much-needed space, Paw Paw Public Schools will be liquidating outdated or unused school equipment, supplies and furnishings. Surplus Inventory from all five schools will be brought together for one huge 3-Day Mega Sale! Desks, chairs, tables, appliances, kitchen items, food service items, and many more items will be offered at a low price to the general public. All items will be marked and priced to sell. No early sales. Enter the gym through the south entrance of the middle school.

Districtwide Garage Sale!

June 22, 2023
There will be a Districtwide Garage Sale in the Paw Paw Middle School Gymnasium at 313 W. Michigan Ave. on July 20, 21 and 22 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. To clear out storage rooms ...
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internet safety month, paw paw public schools joins our partners in raising awareness about internet safety and providing resources to keep kids safe online

June is Internet Safety Month

June 16, 2023
June 14, 2023 ProtectMIChild Registry keeps kids safe from adult ads online as summer break begins LANSING, Mich. – Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson today announ...
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SCHOOL BOARD SHOUT-OUTS – JUNE 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. “There was a lot going on at the high school this month, especially with graduation. A few things really stood out, so I want to congratulate everyone in the district for some of these things. It was great to take pictures and see the students at the elementary schools and the middle school receiving our seniors during the Senior Walk. In addition, graduation went flawlessly! Kudos to Tammy, Tracy and Alan for all of their work planning graduation. I also want to thank Beckah at Cedar Street for inviting me to be their keynote speaker. They had a great turnout with many happy, smiling faces. Here are a few other shout-outs from the high school. First, a shout-out to Aaron West, who medaled in two different events at the State Track Meet. Secondly, H.S. Principal Tammy Southworth relayed that 81% of high school students who took AP classes took the AP tests, which means there are 88 students who potentially picked up college credits. Lastly, I was able to attend the Year-End Staff Celebration. Kudos to Alisa Clark and everyone who helped with this great event! It was great to see the staff recognized and realize how many district employees positively impact our kids.” Brent McNitt “At Paw Paw Later Elementary, they were very busy with end of the year activities and events. Great job, Principal Jeremy Davison and Later Elementary Staff.” Tom Baney “I was able to attend Water World Day at the early elementary, STEAM Day and Hot Diggity Dog at the later elementary, graduation at Cedar Street, and the Field Day and Picnic for the Early Childhood classes. All activities were well organized and well attended. Thank you to all of the volunteers! Special shout-outs to the Kindergarten Team for organizing Water World, LE Teacher Sarah Crawford for organizing STEAM Day, LE Art Teacher Amanda Nielsen for organizing the Art Show at Hot Diggity Dog, Mindy Brennan and her team for organizing the Field Day, Preschool Teacher Susy Sanger for her great work, and Beckah Chartier for inviting us to Cedar Street’s graduation.” Lindsay Clark “I’m looking forward to the implementation of CharacterStrong for the 2023-2024 school year. A lot of effort went into finding the right program for PPPS. We had tremendous growth scores throughout the district. Thank you to all of the administration and staff that work so hard every day to make this happen. Lastly, the business office gets very little notice most of the time. Thank you to Kara Corniel and the newly hired Jeremy Thompson. Paying the bills and planning the budget are vital to the operation of our district. Thank you for all you do!” Ray Martin “Everyone congratulated Beth Covey, who just retired as the Math Interventionist at the Middle School. I hope she does well too! I hope that we can find someone to live up to her standards. Thank you to all of the administrators and teachers. They did a fantastic job learning all of the new things that are coming our way. It was great to see the Paw Paw Fire Department participate in Water World Day at the elementary schools and being part of creating memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you to all of the volunteers!” Nate Mitchell “We just finished sports physicals today. We had several hundred kids get their physicals, and it was run well. Moving forward, we have big hopes that we can be a beacon for this area. We saw many Lawton kids, so it was nice that we could provide that service. Hopefully, we can continue doing this, and it could translate into some good notoriety fo

School Board Shout-Outs

June 16, 2023
SCHOOL BOARD SHOUT-OUTS – JUNE 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 i...
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community survey share your voice! At Paw Paw Public Schools, community input is important to us. If you are resident in the Paw Paw Public School District, we would love to hear from you.! Please let your voice be heard by June 9, 2023. You may access the survey by using the QR code below or by visiting https:bit.ly/44B1EgU . Thank you . build together logo. QR code,

Share Your Voice by taking the PPPS Community Survey

June 1, 2023
Paw Paw Public Schools wants to hear your voice! On behalf of the Board of Education and the school administration, all Paw Paw School District residents, community members, an...
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Build Together logo. It’s time to break ground! Shovel clip art. Tuesday, June 6 @ 4 pm at Paw Paw High School, 30609 Red Arrow Highway. Join us for the kick-off to construction on the 2022 bond projects. High school rendering. Early Childhood Center rendering. Please join us for this community celebration. Owen Ames Kimball logo. Tower Pinkster Logo.

Paw Paw Community Invited to Groundbreaking Ceremony

June 1, 2023
You're Invited! Whether you're a proud PPPS student, staff member, alumni, or a member of the Paw Paw community, all are invited to attend the PPPS 2022 Bond Groundbreaking Cer...
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wave award winners. Footloose: the musical wins in 3 categories, outstanding choreography, musical direction and leading actor. Kristofer Perkins 10:32 AM (25 minutes ago) to me 3 person photo left to right Amelia Gibbs chorus member and Dance Captain accepted the Choreography Award on behalf of Sophia Marie Louden, Kris Perkins for Best Direction Max Crawford Outstanding Leading Actor. 5 Person Sydney Heasley Pit Conductor Amelia Gibbs, Kris Perkins, Max Crawford Max Wagner Music Director

PPHS "Footloose: The Musical" Wins in 3 Categories at Wave Awards

May 25, 2023
For Immediate Release: Contact: Tammy Southworth, High School Principal tammy. southworth@ppps.org 269-415-5600 Paw Paw, MI - At Last night's WAVE Awards for Excellence in ...
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social media graphic

Community Open House

April 28, 2023
Community Open House You're invited! If you would like to preview the 2022 Bond Projects and learn more about the exciting progress that is being made, then be sure to...
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Sophia Miller, PPHS Art Student chosen for Kalamazoo Institute of Arts exhibition. The exhibit will be open to the public from April 22 - May 21. Admission to the KIA will be free on April 22 and 23 to celebrate the opening of this exhibit. Photo of Miller and teacher, photo of artwork. K.I.A. and PPPS logos

Artwork by PPHS Student Chosen for Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Exhibition

April 21, 2023
Paw Paw, MI – Sophia Miller, a talented art student in her junior year at Paw Paw High School, recently learned that her artwork would be included in a prestigious exhibition at...
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congrats alan farnquist certification

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR RECEIVES NATIONAL CERTIFICATION

March 30, 2023
For Immediate Release: Contact: Rick Reo, Superintendent rick.reo@ppps.org 269-415-5200 Paw Paw, MI – The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association...
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