Category Archives: Carman-Ainsworth District
New Employee Bios
Say Hello To:
Kathy Bailey is a paraprofessional looking forward to helping our Middle School student to reach their full potential. She loves to read, complete word search puzzles, basketball, and most of all, spending time with her family. Travel plans include going to Punta Cana Dominican Republic with her 4 sisters. Welcome Kathy!
Robert Burns joins us in buildings and grounds maintenance at the Middle School. He loves the outdoors and fresh air and enjoys being able to keep things in good shape. Bob’s hobbies include wood working, hunting, fishing and anything else out-of-doors. Time with family also tops his list. Past travels have taken he and wife Lisa to Hawaii, Florida, Louisiana, Alaska and island-hopping on cruise ships. Welcome Bob!
Kathryn Croteau joins Dye Elementary as 4th/5th split teacher. She is enjoying getting to know everyone at the building. In the past she has traveled to Florida and Las Vegas. She is hoping to get to the Dominican Republic one day. Her spare time is filled with her children, Donovan and Payton. She also enjoys dancing, being a cheerleading coach and working out. Welcome Kathryn!
Talisa Gauthier is our District’s Registration and Student Data Secretary. She loves to spend time taking care of her family which includes husband Gary and sons Spencer and Tatum. Talisa has been to several of the States as well as to the Bahamas and El Salvador. She does dream of trips to Australia and Italy some day. Other interests include singing and choir directing at her church. When the weather allows, she is known to enjoy taking walks and bike rides. Welcome Talisa!
Bob Hetherton is our Director of Student Support Services. He brings experience from Grand Blanc and Mt. Morris to us. An avid U of M fan, he also plays fantasy football. Bob also enjoys camping, hunting and playing cards. He has traveled to Hawaii, Costa Rica and Mexico. Bob is looking forward to assisting the District in ensuring that every student has the support they need to succeed. Welcome Bob!
Jaimie Martinbianco is teaching Developmental Kindergarten at Dillon Elementary. With her background in Elementary Education she looks forward to helping her Kindergarteners grow. Jaimie’s spare time is filled with softball, basketball, reading and watching movies. She also enjoys travel and has been all over Michigan. One day she dreams of going to Italy. Welcome Jaimie!
Tammy Matas is the Assistant Building Secretary at Dillon. She is excited to get to know everyone. Tammy loves to travel. Her favorite destination is Mackinaw City to sit by the water to enjoy the waves crashing on shore. Tammy also enjoys spending time with her kids – Ashley, Emily, Cole and Brenden. Welcome Tammy!
Michelle Paul joins the Business Office as Accounting Clerk. She and husband Jared enjoy traveling and would love to plan a trip to Germany and France. Michelle also enjoys scrapbooking and card making, reading, crocheting, jigsaw and word puzzles and movies. Welcome Michelle!
Jessica Thornton joins Dye Elementary as building secretary. She loves to read and spend time with friends. She especially loves her time with her 3 legged German Shepherd, Max, who spends most of his time on her lap. Max also shares Jessica’s time with daughters Lexi and Christine. Travel has taken Jessica to multiple states and to Mexico. She has been to Europe once and would love a chance to spend a month or two there. In the past she has been involved with the Grand Blanc Relay for Life and with the Grand Blanc Optimist Club. Welcome Jessica!
Clayton Wernette joins our bus garage as a mechanic. He loves golf and bowling and is looking forward to being at C-A and making new friends along the way. Welcome Clayton!
MO’ Peeps Competes At 2017 VEX World Championship
Carman-Ainsworth Middle School’s robotics teams topped off an overwhelmingly successful rookie season with an appearance at the 2017 VEX World Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.
MO’ Peeps, Team 1375A, finished 24th out of 80 teams in the Opportunity Division. Even MO’ Peeps, Team 1375B, finished 44th out of 80 teams in the Spirit Division. In total, the 160 middle school teams represented more than 30 countries.
Throughout the tournament, the Carman-Ainsworth teams were paired with alliance partners from the United States, Colombia, China, Singapore and Russia.
Even though the two teams did not advance beyond the division qualifying rounds, they held their own against some of the top teams in the world. In fact, Team 1375B beat eventual world champion Team 8193D from China during the qualifying rounds.
The Carman-Ainsworth teams qualified for the world championship by winning the Michigan VEX state championship in February. During their rookie season in VEX, the two teams amassed a total of 17 awards, including several overall tournament victories.
C-A Robotics Competes AT FIRST World Championship
Carman-Ainsworth FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition®) Team 314 completed a successful season with an appearance in the FIRST® Championship from April 26-29 in St. Louis, Missouri. Team 314, also known as Big MO, was one of 407 teams from around the world that competed in the event at Edward Jones Dome and America’s Center.
Team 314 competed in Darwin division, which included 68 teams, playing in 10 qualifying matches with two other alliance partners.
The team ended the qualifying rounds with a 4-6 record, ranking 39 out of 68 teams, with 1.5 ranking points and 3,095 match points. However, the record and ranking did not tell the real story about Team 314 and their robot. When individually evaluated, Team 314 was in the Top 10 for offense, defense and calculated contribution to win margin, key metrics other teams considered when making a run for the championship.
As a result, Team 314 was selected first pick by the 3rd Alliance Captain, Team 1305 Ice Cubed, from North Bay, Ontario. We then chose Team 48 Delphi E.L.I.T.E, from Warren, Ohio, and Team 2370 IBOTS, from Rutland, Vermont, to partner with us in the elimination rounds.
The alliance won the divisional quarterfinal but was eliminated by the No. 2 alliance in the semifinals.
That said, the chance to compete on an international level, to make new friends from around the world and to reunite with old friends was outstanding. The best overall part of this journey was seeing the students design, build, program and compete with a robot that impressed competitors, judges and fans throughout the season. The students not only applied their technical skills but also honed their abilities to work as a team, solve problems and compete with gracious professionalism.
Marvelous News from the Instrumental Music Department!
(And, a way You can make a difference!)
An anonymous donor has given a substantial contribution to the Kyle Hart Fund in memory and honor of Marion Lage, and her significant contribution to education and her support of the C/A music program. This surprise gift comes at a time when our instrument inventory is in desperate need of updating and replenishing. The donation equates to approximately 30 gently used instruments for students here at C/A. We invite you to consider helping us raise funds for an additional 30 instruments. (The average cost of a gently used instrument is $250).
Thank you in advance of your consideration. No donation is too small or too large when you are helping a child.
If you would like to help make a difference in this way, please use this form and send to Sue Miller at Randels Elementary, 6022 Brobeck Street; Flint, MI 48532.
Click here to for Kyle Hart donation form.
Volunteers Needed at Dye Elementary
The last few months of the school year hold many challenges for the teachers and staff responsible for all of the fun end-of-year activities we do! The color run, the track meet, field day; these are some of the special things our students will always remember.
We need help from our parents and grandparents!
There will be a sign up sheet in the office starting April 19th for anyone that has a few hours to help with one of the above mentioned days.
It could be as easy as handing out popsicles, helping to supervise a three-legged race, or just helping to tie a little ones shoes!
Please be a part of our extended Dye Family!
Dye Elementary Showcase Concert
Many of our third, fourth, and fifth graders at Dye Elementary have been invited to perform in our annual Showcase Concert on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. in the Dye Elementary Gym.
The children will be sharing a variety of folk, patriotic, and recorder songs at this concert. Members of the 5th Grade Band will also be performing.
Students should arrive by 5:45 p.m. and meet in the Music Room (Room 401 in the blue hallway). Students ar asked to dress up for this event.
The program will last about 45 minutes.
Please contact Mr. Holmberg if you have any questions – 810-591-6741 or cholmer@carmanaisnworth.org
Big MO is going to Worlds!
The Carman-Ainsworth FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition®) Team 314 did compete this last weekend at the Michigan FRC State Championship at Saginaw Valley State University with 159 other teams from around the state to earn enough points to qualify for a spot at the FIRST® World Festival in St. Louis MO. This was their last competition this year in Michigan at which they had a fantastic weekend.
- The 160 teams were divided into 4 divisions. We were on the Ford Division
- Overall Rank: 1st out of 40 teams in the Ford Division. We were in the # 1 spot for most of the weekend and all day on Friday.
- Was the 1st Alliance Captain which at that time we asked Team 27 RUSH (Clarkston) and Team 5907 CC Shambots (Novi) to partner with us in eliminations.
- Played in the Elimination matches which we were taken out in the quarter finals by the 8th Alliance.
- During the awards ceremony, we did receive an award, Innovation in Controls Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation. This award celebrates a team with an innovative control system or application of control components to provide unique machine functions. This is what the judges said about it: Engineers on this team kept their cool and didn’t get agitated when they had to go back and rework their original design. To fix the problem, the team added new features to the control system and created a very competitive robot. At the same time, these engineers expanded the hopper and their knowledge.
- After this event we finished the 2017 season ranked 35th out of 451 teams in the State of Michigan with a total of 220 points.
- Because of the points we have qualified to compete at the FIRST® World Festival in St. Louis MO which begins on Wednesday, April 26th and continues to Saturday, April 29th. We will be leaving onTuesday, April 25th and returning on Sunday, April 30th.
Our next competitions are the following:
FIRST Championship – St. Louis will be April 26 – 29, 2017 at
Edward Jones Dome
901 N Broadway
St. Louis, MO 63101
Carman-Ainsworth FRC Competes at Districts
The Carman-Ainsworth FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition®) Team 314 competed this last weekend at the Livonia FIRST® Robotics District Competition with 40 other teams from around the state to earn points at qualifying for a spot at the Michigan FRC State Championship. This was their second competition this year. They had a fantastic weekend.
- Overall Rank: 20th out of 41 teams in the District event
- Was selected by the 4th Alliance Captain, Team 3414 Hackbots, Farmington and we chose Team 3175 Knight Vision, Grosse Point Woods to partner with us
- Played in the Elimination matches which went all the way to the finals. Quarter-finals and Finals was pushed to 3 matches.
- We are also the 2017 Livonia FIRST® RoboticsDistrict Competition Winners. Our Alliance was Team 3414 Hackbots (Captain), Farmington and we chose Team 3175 Knight Vision, Grosse Point Woods
- Going in to this event we were ranked 258 in the state because of these outstanding efforts we are currently rank 57th out of 451 teams in the State of Michigan with a total of 91 points earned towards the Michigan FRC State Championship.
- Because of the points we have qualified to compete at the Michigan FRC State Championship at Saginaw Valley State University which begins onWednesday, April 12th and continues to Saturday, April 15th.
Next competitions are the following:
Michigan FRC State Championship will be April 12 – 15, 2017
Ryder Center, Saginaw Valley State University
7400 Bay Rd
Saginaw, Michigan 48710
FIRST Championship – St. Louis will be April 26 – 29, 2017
Edward Jones Dome
901 N Broadway
St. Louis, MO 63101
CAMS National Junior Honor Society Induction Ceremony
The Carman-Ainsworth Middle School National Junior Honor Society Induction Ceremony took place on Monday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m. at Carman-Ainsworth Middle School in the Auditorium. Seventy-two new members were welcomed into the CAMS chapter of the NJHS. The ceremony was led by 8th grade members of the NJHS. After the ceremony, a small reception was held to celebrate the accomplishments of the students.
Criteria for selection: 7th and 8th Grade students must have a Cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher; selected members must meet high standards of leadership, service, citizenship, scholarship, and character. Admission into the National Junior Honor Society is based on participation in one or more community or school activities, GPA, and citizenship. Citizenship is measured by the student’s participation in civic organizations and/or activities. Character is measured in terms of integrity, behavior, ethics, and cooperation with both students and faculty. Students are screened by a Faculty Council consisting of current school staff members.
Spring Assessment Testing
Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools students are gearing up to begin the 2017 state assessment testing. Testing will include the M-STEP, MME (Michigan Merit Exam), SAT, ACT Work-Keys, MI-Access, and the Early Literacy and Mathematics Benchmark Assessments, which is designed for Developmental Kindergarten through 2nd Grade. Spring testing will formally begin on Monday, April 10, 2017. The District has completed the WIDA Assessment (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment for English Language Learners/ELL as of Friday, March 24, 2017). The district will conclude state testing on Friday, May 26, 2017. Attendance is extremely important during the testing window. We appreciate our staff, students, and parents commitment to ensuring that Carman-Ainsworth meets and or exceeds state testing requirements.