A Staff Member on a Mission

To start the professional development session on September 28, Joel Jacobs, a Special Education teacher at Belleville High School, organized a pancake breakfast for middle and high school staff. Joel has had experience with pancake breakfasts with the Community Picnic, as well as in his previous district where he hosted a breakfast for students.

In advance of the event, Joel sent out a survey to ask staff about their preferred toppings. He made sure to have gluten-free and lactose-free options too.

To "top" it all off, he invited his former church choir director, Rosalie Penniston, in to play her accordion for the staff as they entered!

Joel's food and positive vibes sustained staff throughout the day of professional learning!

"Awesome" Mike (and Erin) Treder Donation

At the September 14th school board meeting, “Awesome” Mike Treder made a $5,000 donation to the school district, with $1,000 going toward the Backpack Club and another $4,000 replenishing the Awesome Grants. Teachers can apply for these grant opportunities, providing staff with the chance to experiment with their instruction or support student learning in a new way. 

Being as humble as he is, Mike did not want to pose for a picture, but the district still wanted to recognize he and his wife for this large contribution supporting educators in the Belleville community!

Welcome to our new teachers!

Change is expected during uncertain times. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to affect our schools and community, the School District of Belleville has had more turnover in staffing than normal for a district of our size. Entering into our Wildcat family at this challenging time are a number of new staff members. Under these circumstances, I am very thankful that they all landed in Belleville! They deserve an enthusiastic Wildcat welcome, joining our ranks amidst so much uncertainty! Our new staff include:

• Kaitlin Hoven - 4-year-old Kindergarten Teacher
• Kim Hedeman - Kindergarten Teacher 
• Valerie Kieler - Kindergarten Teacher
• Megan Wagner - Kindergarten Teacher
• Sydney Bump - First Grade Teacher
• Kim Allen - Fifth Grade Teacher
• Tyler Kraft - Elementary Music Teacher
• Jamie Mitchell - Elementary STEM
• Madison Blair - Speech Pathologist
• Mary Fell - Secretary I at the Elementary School
• Tessa McGuire - Long-term sub for Mrs. Kolasch
• Melissa Riedel - Elementary School Associate Principal
• Emilee Meincke - Middle School ELA Teacher
• Shira Isaacson - Long-term sub for Mr. Holm
• Kyle Loshaw - MS-HS Associate Principal
• Karen Binger - Accounting Specialist