Dear Suttons Bay Students and Families,

I hope this message finds you enjoying a joyful and restful summer. As we prepare to welcome students back on Tuesday, September 2nd, I want to share just how excited we are to see our entire campus come back to life — full of energy, curiosity, and connection.

Over the summer, our operations and maintenance team has been hard at work making improvements for this school year with upgrades and changes all around campus including new scoreboards and score tables in the HS gym, continued auditorium refinements, new school-wide announcement system with safety and security features, refreshed elementary building halls and open areas, redesigned district wayfinding signs, ongoing bond projects, repair of the HS gym wall, and new instructional technology. We are NORSEMEN PROUD to welcome our students back to a school that reflects our community’s commitment to being a regional leader and the best choice for Suttons Bay families seeking a public school education. You’re invited to see these updates and meet our amazing staff at our Open House on Thursday, August 28th from 4:30–6:00 pm.

As we do every summer, our District Leadership Team has reflected on what’s working well and where we can grow. This year, we’re focusing our efforts on three goals that we believe will make a lasting, positive impact for all students:

• Create joyful and engaging learning experiences that inspire curiosity and deeper thinking through high quality instruction and “real life” opportunities in and out of our classrooms.
• Build strong relationships with students and families by embracing, supporting, and empowering them in achieving their learning goals.
• Improve daily attendance and reduce truancy by ensuring every student is present, connected, and ready to learn in school.

We cannot emphasize enough how important it is for our students to be in school each and every day. Research shows that students who attend school regularly are more likely to succeed academically, graduate on time, and build the habits they need for life beyond the classroom. Missing just two days a month — even when excused — adds up to nearly a month of lost learning each year. At SBPS, we believe every day matters, and we truly miss our students when they’re not here. Our classrooms aren’t the same without their smiling faces and we know that their regular attendance in school makes a tremendous positive impact on their learning and development. This year, we are rolling out a number of new initiatives, programs, and strategies to address this very important issue in SBPS and we are confident that our collective efforts will improve outcomes for all our students.

This is going to be another great year in Suttons Bay. With your support and our shared commitment, we are certain that our students will thrive — not just academically, but socially, emotionally, and creatively. Thank you for trusting us and for being such a vital part of our school community.

We can’t wait to welcome everyone back on September 2nd!

Upward,

Casey Petz

Superintendent

Suttons Bay Public Schools