The new school year begins

ROSEVILLE — At press time, students were headed back to class Sept. 3 in Roseville Community Schools.

While many local districts started in late August, Roseville didn’t begin the new school year until two days after Labor Day, a general practice for the district. Educators have found that attendance is better after the holiday and kids seem more excited to return to school.

District Superintendent Mark Blaszkowski said that so far there are 30 more kindergarten students enrolled than last year, but enrollment projections for the 2025-26 school year weren’t available yet.

“That looks promising for us because we’ve had declining enrollment for years,” he said. 

RCS expanded its Great Start Readiness Program to 10 classrooms at Kment, Green and Fountain elementary schools. The Great Start Readiness Program is Michigan’s state-funded preschool for 4-year-old children. Families qualify for the preschool program based on annual income guidelines. Blaszkowski said there are still openings available and to call the enrollment office at (586) 445-5510 for more information.

Oct. 1 will be count day when all public schools in Michigan tally the number of students attending their schools, which translates into state funding. 

The state Legislature didn’t pass the state budget by the July 1 deadline, which includes the school aid budget.

“There is no solid information to create a budget. It’s an estimate of what you think you’d spend. They haven’t allocated any money for next year as of yet. We don’t know if the state foundation allowance will go up. They have to hash out a budget and send it to the governor for approval,” Blaszkowski said Aug. 25. “There’s a lot of fighting back and forth in Lansing. We’re basically the fallout of their argument. We’ll do the best that we can. We have some fund balance we can use.” 

The state foundation allowance is a per-pupil funding amount for general school operations in Michigan.

Blaszkowski offered the following tips to students for the new school year.

“We need them to be here. Obviously, attendance is a huge indicator of success,” he said. “It’s important they get enough rest every night. Drink water and eat properly and have a routine in the morning. If they prepare for the morning the night before, it will help them sleep better.”

Blaszkowski also encourages students to get off electronics an hour before bedtime.

One purchase the board approved this year was a culinary foods trailer to be built from scratch.

“It’s similar to a food truck,” Blaszkowski said, adding that it’s designed for culinary arts students “to get their careers started. We hope to go around different buildings so staff can buy lunch from the food truck.”

District Marketing & Communications Facilitator Joe Genest said there also are plans to bring the food truck to different community events.

 

New administrators named
This year, the district welcomes Michael Mitchell as the new principal of Roseville Middle School. He is taking over from Chris LaFeve, who relocated to a position closer to his home.

Mitchell began teaching in 1998. He has taught science and social studies at several schools, including St. Juliana, Regina High School, and Lake Orion Community Schools’ Learning Options High School. In 2005, he joined Arts Academy in the Woods to teach science and social studies courses. For the past 12 years, Mitchell served as the Academy’s principal/lead administrator. 

“I have been consistently impressed with Roseville Community Schools’ supportive staff and programs that help students achieve their full potential academically and socially,” Mitchell said in a prepared statement. “I bring an experienced, consistent, and caring presence for our students, staff, and community members. I look forward to meeting everyone and hearing how I can help Roseville Community Schools empower students for a lifetime of success.”

Ann Paul is the new dean of students at Eastland Middle School. She is taking over for Alexandra Muhammad, who is moving out of the area. Paul has been in Roseville for six years. She taught English language arts at Roseville Middle School. She also was a member of the school improvement, leadership and curriculum teams, and served as Roseville Middle School’s teacher in charge, as well as the lead for the new teacher induction program. 

Rebecca Miglio has been named principal at Green Elementary School. Miglio is taking over from Donna Ambrose, who retired from the district after more than 30 years in education. Miglio has taught at every level of K-6, and she became one of the district’s instructional coaches six years ago. 

On the sports front, Aja Williams has been named head coach of the Roseville High School Girls Basketball Program, moving up from junior varsity. Williams was a star athlete when she attended RHS, graduating in 2013. She played two years at St. Clair County Community College, helping the team make a Final Four national championship run during the 2013–2014 season. 

On Aug. 25, the district held a new teacher orientation, and on Aug. 27, the district held a welcome back staff event. The district had two professional development days planned before the new school year: Aug. 28 and Sept. 2.

As the new year gets underway, school officials noticed an increase in marching band students at Roseville High School. According to Genest, the number of band students decreased after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It’s up to 87 students this year,” Blaszkowski said. “That’s really encouraging. They performed at Panther Day (Aug. 16) and sounded great. The kids already got their T-shirts and they’re fired up.”