Dear BR Families,

Yesterday, our Governor announced that wearing a mask is no longer required for Michigan residents.  While there is still a recommendation for summer school students and staff to wear masks, Black River has decided to allow our staff and families to make decisions about this for themselves and their children.

Beginning Tuesday, June 22, 2021, face masks are no longer required and are optional for all Black River students and staff members while on campus. This will be communicated to our summer school students today and tomorrow.

Thank you for your continued support and patience as we go through this process together.

Sincerely,

Shannon Brunink, Head of School

Happy Summer! Main office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9am-1pm. Offices are closed on Friday. The elementary building main office will close for the summer starting June 17. Please contact the middle/high school main office if you need assistance. 

Sports Physicals required again for 2021-22 school year

• For the 2021-22 school year, each student athlete in grades 6-12 will need a sports physical on file with the school prior to participating in practice/tryouts/games.
• The health questionnaire that was accepted for the 2020-21 school year will NOT BE ACCEPTED for 2021-22
• A valid physical must have occurred on or after April 15, 2021. 
• Please make sure the physical is signed by the doctor, parents, and students.
• Find the sports physical here
• Questions – contract Athletic Director, Kyle Lawton – lawtonk@brpsk12.org

High School Fall Sports – Girls Volleyball, Boys Soccer, Boys and Girls Cross Country, and Boys Tennis (co-op with Holland Christian)

• All High School fall sports will begin on Monday, August 9.  This is an update from the originally printed start date of August 11.  Please contact individual coaches with practice and tryout times and locations.
• Volleyball – Jay Liu – liuj@brpsk12.org
• Cross Country – Steve Lambert - lambertsteve058@gmail.com
• Boys Soccer – Kyle Lawton – lawtonk@brpsk12.org
• Boys Tennis – Steve Gorno – contact lawtonk@brpsk12 with questions

Middle School Fall Sports will begin on August 23.  More information to follow.  Questions contact Kyle Lawton – lawtonk@brpsk12.org

Kudos to our Elementary students and families who smashed their Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Fundraising goal!

During spirit week week, the kids dressed up to raise awareness and collected a grand total of $$11,160.89 for LLS! With this donation, Black River earned the nationally recognized Inspiring Impact Award from LLS. Great job!

United Nations Association of the USA Recognizes Youth Leaders Delivering Progress Toward The UN Sustainable Development Goals

Black River Public School is delighted to announce Isabella Camarota, class of 2022, is being recognized by the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and InnerView in the fourth Annual National Community Service Awards.  This program, open to all U.S. students, has been designed to connect student community service activities and commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to transform our world. The Kroger Co. is presenting the second annual Zero Hero Awards to students for taking action to help create communities free of hunger and waste. 

The three tier award program recognizes a range of student achievement: Merit for 20 hours, Honor for 40 hours and Ambassador for 100 hours of service this school year and special recognition for a focus on Zero Hunger and Zero Waste. Camarota received Honor for completing 40 hours of community service during this school year.  Head of School Shannon Brunink commented "It is inspiring to see a student make a point to serve others, even in this very difficult year."

Great job Isabella!

Black River has summer opportunities for Middle and High School students as well as Elementary. 

Camps are open to any student from our school! We welcome all students who want to have fun, improve skills, and enjoy a camp with individualized instruction. Invite your friends!

Black River has once again been recognized as a top high school in Michigan by US News & World Report, a well respected review. Based on state-required test performance, graduation rates, and a special emphasis on how well our school prepares students for college, Black River ranked #12 in the state of Michigan. This ranking is out of 1149 Michigan high schools and puts us in the top 1.04% of high schools in our state! We were also ranked in the top 500 schools nationwide, putting Black River in the top 2.1% of high schools in the US.

In this study, Black River also earned the #1 ranking in the state among charter high schools. We are so proud of all of our teachers and students. “It takes the whole K-12 to make the high school rank this highly,” said Head of School, Shannon Brunink. Click here for the full article.

Stop the Silence! Black River Parents and Guardians - If you are worried about a student, don't be afraid to speak up by contacting the Ok2Say Hotline to leave an anonymous tip - OPEN 24/7 including weekends and before/during school hours. Specially trained technicians receive the tips and filter the information to the appropriate agency. Please use this resource if you have a concern during a time school is not in session. Contacting 911 with a concern is also an option. These methods will be the quickest way to ensure student safety. Thank you! 

Phone: 855-565-2729     Text: 652729 (OK2SAY)     Email: ok2say@mi.gov

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