April 7, 2020 announcement: Char-Em ISD’s Career and Technical Education Department staff has had to make the unfortunate decision to cancel this year’s Career Academy for Kids and Welding Academy summer camps. The camps take place each year in late June. This is the first time in the camps' 30- year history that they have not taken place, and we are all disappointed that they need to be cancelled this year due to the unknowns around COVID-19 restrictions. (CA4K was formerly known as College for Kids.) This year’s Welding Academy was set to have two different camps at a new location, East Jordan High School’s welding classroom; it had traditionally been held at the Industrial Arts Institute in Onaway.

We will greatly miss the interactions with students in grades 2 through 11 as they explored the fun and exciting camp programs with our awesome instructors at CA4K and Welding Academy. We will look forward to welcoming campers back in June of 2021!  Sincerely, Char-Em ISD CTE staff

Learn about Google Classroom, Zoom, Google Meet, Loom, and much more by checking out the videos on the Video Tutorial Links page.

If you are a licensed child care provider please respond to the survey from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services- Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) in order for us to monitor the existing capacity of local providers who are able to provide child care to essential workers.   

The link to the short survey is:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/childcare-covid-response.  

Due to the mandated closure of PK-12 school districts by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, all Char-Em ISD professional learning scheduled throughout the duration of the mandated closure period will be canceled. Staff will be in touch if any sessions will be rescheduled. If you have any questions, please email Julie Hersha. 

Everyday conversations with young children can have the power to boost their brain and vocabulary development through the simple act of talking. That is the premise behind a new initiative known as “Talking is Teaching,” which has launched in the communities of the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District and throughout the state. “Talking is Teaching: Talk, Read, Sing” is a public awareness and action campaign that empowers parents and caregivers with fun and easy ways to improve their babies’ and young children’s learning, said Maureen Hollocker, Great Start Collaborative Director, which is leading the regional Talking is Teaching effort.

“While it may sound simple, we all live busy lives and sometimes are task-oriented rather than conversational with our children,” Hollocker said. “Whether you are a parent, caregiver or community member, we all have opportunities to talk with children and this campaign is intended to provide gentle reminders and prompts for conversation.”  Read the full details about the Talking is Teaching campaign

Parents and caregivers play an invaluable role in keeping their children on track to meet career and college readiness goals. To help in those efforts, Char-Em ISD's Career and Technical Education Department developed the "Step Up to Success" Career Staircase. This interactive tool takes students on a journey from kindergarten through graduation and beyond in goal setting and awareness of career and college readiness activities and events. It provides resources that families will need along the journey, and it lets community members and professionals know where they can step in and be part of creating bright futures for our youth.

Check out the Career Staircase!

A new initiative, Career Tech to Careers, is celebrating the decision of high school graduates to enter the workforce after earning their diploma – specifically those students whose high school careers included Career and Technical Education classes.

“There are many ways that young adults can excel in life after they graduate from high school – it can be by attending a college, university or other post-secondary training, joining the military, and also by taking the skills they learned and heading directly into careers,” said Jim Rummer, Career and Technical Education Director for Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District. “This new Char-Em ISD ‘signing event’ initiative recognizes those students who are putting the knowledge and skills they developed through career tech education classes directly to work.”

Pictured is the most recent Career Tech to Careers signing event at Lanzen, Inc. in Harbor Springs with recent graduate Brian Ferrell.

Visit the Career Tech to Careers page to view recent celebrations!

Char-Em ISD is hiring!

View complete details about the following positions and other job openings in several Char-Em ISD school districts:

• Accountant
• School Social Worker
• Special Education Teacher Assistant
• Transporter

Precious cargo aboard! Char-Em ISD is looking for substitute bus drivers and riders/aides for our multiple bus routes to and from Char-Em programs. Flexible hours and days mean you choose when you can provide coverage of routes. Char-Em pays for all required driver training (written testing and on-road testing), so experience is not necessary. Experience working with special needs children is not required, but is helpful, as is a compassionate personality. Because of the wide geographical area covered by Char-Em, we pay you from when you leave the house to get to your assigned transportation route each day that you work. Routes may be in Charlevoix, Emmet and northern Antrim counties. Those interested may also start as (paid) aides rather than driver, to see if the job is a good fit.