Mike's Monday Memo

Here’s what’s up for the week of April 24, 2006:

1. Administrative Professional’s Day® – This Wednesday is Administrative Professional’s Day®. I want to tell you how much I appreciate all of these wonderful people. They truly are the foundation of our ISD. I would not be an effective Superintendent without the tremendous help of Brenda Peppel and Katie Legner. On Behalf of the Board of Education, I would like to thank each and every one of our Office Professionals for the job they do each and every day.  You are the best!  Thank you.
   
   
2. Reminder-Revision to Travel Guidelines – We’ve had a number of people charging meals to their rooms when traveling. This is done either through room service or by signing for the meal at the hotel restaurant. Employees will still need a detailed receipt to get reimbursement for this meal. If you are not provided one, ask for it. Employees should also keep in mind that IRS guidelines for meals are about $6 for breakfast, $10 for lunch and $15 for dinner or $31 per day if no meals are included in the conference fee. In some high cost locations (Washington DC, San Francisco, etc.) the meal rate is somewhat higher. IRS publication 1542 has rates for most metropolitan areas.
   
   
3. LLC-Arenac Campus – Garden of Hope – Gloria Anderson indicated that the students will be working on the Garden of Hope soon. I can’t wait to help “eat” the food.  
   
   
4. Lansing Visit - Gloria Anderson and her students will soon be traveling to Lansing to visit our State Capitol. They are making the trip from the money they raised from their candle sale. We wish them well and hope they have a great time.
   
   
5. “Take Your Daughter to Work Day” - Friday, April 28, 2006, is “Take Your Daughter to Work Day.” If you want to bring your son/daughter to work on Friday, you need to first get approval from your supervisor. Please remember that this is a place of business and you need to have planned activities for your child throughout the whole day.  Thank you.
   
   
6. Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate - Just a reminder that if you haven’t yet paid the $2.00/month fee, please do so.
   
   
7. Career Center Student Competitions - We would like to wish our students success in the upcoming state and national competitions. We are rooting for our students to bring home the “Gold.” 
   
    
8. Special Education Prom/Graduation – This year, Randy Schantz informed me that we will have a small graduation ceremony that will be tied to our annual Prom. As always, it should be a great event. Our staff does a great job with these events. The Prom is scheduled for
   May 4, 2006. 
   
   
9. Birthday Wishes – Happy Birthday to everyone!
   4/24 David Buchmann;                                 4/27 Heather Rousseau
   4/25 Katie Ries and Louann Suszko               4/30 Beverly Hauk.