South Lake Schools By the Numbers
| County: | Macomb | Schools in the District: | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superintendent: | Deborah Thompson | Primary Schools: | 3 |
| Students Enrolled (K-12): | 2,210 | Middle Schools: | 1 |
| Full-Time Teachers: | 152 | High Schools: | 1 |
| Student / Teacher Ratio: | 14.53:1 | Preschool: | 1 |
| Per Pupil Expenditure: | $9,194 | Phone: | (586) 435-1600 |
| Website: | www.solake.org | Primary Years | 3 |
What Will Their World Be Like? Whatever it is, South Lake Students will be Ready!
How will you prepare your students for their place in the increasingly changing and global economy? At South Lake we ask ourselves that question and use the answers to drive our innovative and future-focused program development. We were one of the first districts in the area to offer our middle school students a global education that included full-time Mandarin language and culture instruction. This prepares our students to move into our high school international classes and continue their Mandarin instruction.
6th graders have fun while building teamwork skills in our weekly "Where Everyone Belongs" (WEB) program.
When parents hear the term International Baccalaureate school, they often think of larger schools and districts. We are the only district in Macomb County to offer the IB Primary Years Programme, (PYP), at all of our elementary schools! This means that our elementary students are learning their content in the same way as students in IB schools around the state, country, and world. The PYP focuses on developing the attributes in your students that will enable them to interact with peers around the world. It focuses on being good problem-solvers and thoughtful decision-makers, and on being self-reflective-all of those most valuable of life skills. We are proud to be on the cutting edge of educational programming for your students.
At South Lake Schools, we aren’t just preparing your children for a life in the local community; we are preparing them for life in the global community. We are small, but innovative!
Learning…Without Even Knowing It!
Whether it’s a cardboard boat regatta race or a preschool center activity, we provide learning activities for your children that really don’t feel like work. Our teachers strive to develop personalized, fun-filled activities to help your children learn without even knowing that they are learning!
Fun Facts
In 1887 a group of parents in the 9 Mile/Mack Road area wanted a school of their own, so in 1898 South Lake Schools was born. The school was built for $1,200, housed 24 students, and the first teacher was paid $25 per month!
In our elementary classrooms, you’ll see students engaged in activities that focus on collaborative and cooperative skills. The classrooms offer students the opportunity to prove what they’ve learned in many new and creative ways. Teachers design lessons that meet the learning styles of all students.
Our middle school classrooms continue these practices and add in specially developed exploratory classes that reinforce the content in creative and career-focused ways. Our Forces in Motion class teaches students pre-physics concepts in a hands-on, project-based manner. Students are then able to show what they have learned by designing a cardboard boat that must cross the pool, or a roller coaster that has to keep the cars on its tracks!
Our high school offers your students the most Advanced Placement class choices in the area, as well as authentic Culinary Arts and Automotive classes designed to give your students a head start in their future careers. We can also offer your students an opportunity to learn with an award-winning writer from the Inside Out literary project. These professional writers work side- by- side with our English teachers to bring out the very best in all of our students. They learn how to be great writers without even knowing they are learning!
When you ask your student what they learned in school today, they might answer with all of the exciting and fun activities and projects that they did. We know that they will answer with enthusiasm!
Students are working in groups to complete a distance learning science experiment.
Making Big Transitions Hand-in-Hand
Fun Facts
Elton Cleveland was our first superintendent in November of 1924. The question of free books for students was introduced and approved by the voters in 1925. This set a precedent in South Lake and remains today that all attending students, through 12th grade, are still provided with free textbooks and reference materials.
Moving from one level to another can be a really frightening experience. In South Lake Schools we are aware that for many students a successful, supported transition experience can improve their attitude toward school and lead to greater achievement and successful graduation. With this in mind, we have worked hard to make those important transitions smooth and worry-free for both students and parents.
Preschool to Kindergarten
Beginning school is traumatic for students and parents! We smooth this transition with our youngest students by providing many cross-grade experiences. Students just beginning school have older partners who mentor them and become their “pals.” They meet weekly to read, write and even play together. The older students are able to help younger students become part of the bigger school community.
Elementary to Middle School
Your fifth graders get a jump start on their middle school transition by visiting the middle school for fun activities. They get familiar with the teachers and the school before they start their sixth grade year. When they do become middle school students, they become part of the student-to-student mentoring program WEB, Where Everyone Belongs. This program partners 8th grade student leaders with 6th grade students giving them opportunities for team-building and study-building activities. Students have a chance to practice their decision-making and responsibility skills in a stress-free, supportive environment under the guidance of an 8th grade mentor.
Fun Facts
Did you know that South Lake Schools aren't just "Green" - they're EMERALD! That means they met rigorous specifications and needed to adopt two endangered species, including a cuddly panda and a huge sea turtle.
Middle School to High School
We know that freshmen students across the nation experience a great deal of stress when making the transition from middle school to high school. We have spent a lot of time addressing this issue. We provide your 9th grade students with a two-week summer transition program in which they come to school, meet the teachers, preview what they will be learning in their classes and engage in fun, team-building activities. They also become part of the Link Crew program, sister program to the WEB. The Link Crew provides every 9th grader with an 10th or 11th grade leader who will mentor them throughout their difficult first high school year. These Link leaders meet with their 9th grade partners to check in on how they are progressing. They go to dances with them, help them with homework, work on leadership skills and just generally become a connection between the school and the student. Our freshmen success rate has risen to the top of the county and we believe it is strongly related to this great program!
In South Lake, we care about your whole child, both academically and emotionally. We work hard to identify ways to help our students to achieve at their highest levels. Our transition programs have helped our students to score in the top levels on the MEAP tests and prepared them for success after high school!
Cross-Age Activities
In South Lake Schools, one of our primary concerns is developing a community of learners from grades K through 12. It starts in our cross-age activities in elementary school as older, mentor students pair up with younger members of the school community to work on projects and build relationships. Since we are small, we have the advantage of ensuring that all students have a younger or older "partner" to learn with and from. Students here are involved in cross-age activities that allow older students to provide guidance and friendship to younger ones. It is just one of the ways that we make learning personal and fun!
Featured School
It's true, kids smile more during Reading Month when their Grandfathers read to them!
Students and teachers got to dress as their favorite book character for the day.
Fun Facts
James Raab attended South Lake Schools, by the beautiful shores of Lake St. Clair, from kindergarten through 12th grade. He graduated and received a four year scholarship to West Pointe, valued at approximately $500,000. He will proudly spend his next four years in the United Stated Army.
Classroom Friends!
Students bring history to life spending the day at the McGuffey one room schoolhouse. Just another way teachers in South Lake make learning fun and meaningful!
"Forces in Motion Class", students construct boats using cardboard and duck tape. then head to high school for a contest to see whose boat floats the farthest and longest.
Christmas Concert 2009