Bloomingdale Public Schools

Boys basketball practice is cancelled for tonight (2/4) due to weather. Stay safe!

Contact Practices are scheduled to begin Monday (2-8) however there are many details that we do not know yet - regarding testing, testing administration , schedule, length of season, masks, etc - about the only thing we know right now is fans 2 adults per participant for contests - so when that information is shared we will get it out to everyone as soon as we know.

Our girls basketball team put the following video together and I could not be prouder of what they created. Take a look! https://youtu.be/gcIMQlW4u3E

Dear MHSAA Community, Governor Whitmer’s press conference this morning included brand new information for the MHSAA and member schools relative to winter contact sports. We did not anticipate this delay in winter contact practices and competition, and today’s announcement has created many new questions. That being said, we are currently working to obtain further information on the MDHHS order. There are no changes to current winter sports practices in basketball, competitive cheer, ice hockey and wrestling as those activities can continue with no physical contact, using social distancing and face masks. The same is true for fall and spring sport 4-player workouts being able to continue now. The Representative Council and our staff will be using the next few days to gather all information and discuss current options. Know that the MHSAA remains FULLY committed to winter and spring sport seasons as this latest set of hurdles will require continued creativity in finding the way for both remaining seasons to be played. Further information with updated details will reach you early next week.

Many questions have been asked after the Governors press conference this morning pertaining to athletics. The MHSAA has not released an updated timeline yet. When a press release come out I will share it here. At this time non-contact practices can continue. Have a great Weekend!

Winter athletic teams are still looking for more participants. If you are interested go to www.bdalecards.com, click on athletics and check out the calendars for each sport to see the practice times.

If you plan on attending athletic practices you must complete your registration in Final Forms. The link is- https://bloomingdale-mi.finalforms.com/

Dear MHSAA Community, The Representative Council met today and took action on two items including an updated winter calendar for the five “contact” winter sports as defined by the MDHHS along with an extension of the Previous Academic Credit Record waiver, allowing local school districts to determine the eligibility status for winter and spring sport athletes during 2020-21 just as was done for fall athletes earlier this year under the previous academic term rule waiver. Know that we are seeking specific, sport-by-sport guidance in terms of defining what is, and what is not, allowed activity for “contact” winter sports from Jan. 16-Jan. 31. We will share this information as soon as we receive it. A virtual “roundtable” session has been scheduled by the MIAAA for tomorrow, Jan. 15 at 1pm, for athletic directors to connect with MHSAA staff to share information and answer questions. Updated Winter Calendar for Basketball, Competitive Cheer, Ice Hockey and Wrestling: The Council approved a plan for adjusting schedules for the five Winter “contact” sports which may begin non-contact practices on Jan. 16 but must delay any activities that involve physical contact between individuals until Feb. 1 per the recent update to the MDHHS epidemic plan. The updated schedule for girls and boys basketball, competitive cheer, ice hockey and wrestling pushes Finals for those sports into late March or early April. The Council approved the following dates: Girls Basketball First non-contact practice: Jan. 16 First contact practice: Feb. 1 First contest: Feb. 4 Districts: March 22, 24, 26 Regionals: March 29, 31 Quarterfinals: April 5 Semifinals: April 7 Finals: April 9 Boys Basketball First non-contact practice: Jan. 16 First contact practice: Feb. 1 First contest: Feb. 4 Districts: March 23, 25, 27 Regionals: March 30, April 1 Quarterfinals: April 6 Semifinals: April 8 Finals: April 10 Competitive Cheer First non-contact practice: Jan. 16 First contact practice: Feb. 1 First contest: Feb. 8 Districts: March 15-20 Regionals: March 22-24 Finals: March 26-27 Ice Hockey First non-contact practice: Jan. 16 First contact practice: Feb. 1 First contest: Feb. 1 Regionals: March 15-20 Quarterfinals: March 23 Semifinals: March 25-26 Finals: March 27 Wrestling First non-contact practice: Jan. 16 First contact practice: Feb. 1 First contest: Feb. 8 Districts: March 15-20 Regionals: March 22-28 Team Finals: March 31 Individual Finals: April 2-3 Spring sports will continue with their traditional dates, with first practices March 15. With this updated schedule, the majority of Winter athletes will have completed their seasons by the end of March. The updated schedule does carry on through schools’ spring breaks – MHSAA research found that 63 percent of member schools have spring break the week of March 29-April 4, with the other 37 percent are on break from April 5-11. Previous Academic Credit Record Waiver Extension: The Council also approved an extension of the previous academic credit record waiver, allowing local school districts to determine the eligibility status for winter and spring sport athletes during 2020-21 just as was done for fall athletes earlier this year under the previous academic term rule waiver. Note that the current academic credit record regulation (weekly or quarter grade checks as set by each school) has not changed and must be followed for all athletes, as under Regulation I, Section 8. Here is the full text of the updated Previous Academic Credit waiver regulation along with further guidance. Previous Academic Credit Record (Regulation I, Section 7): The MHSAA minimum eligibility requirement will continue to be waived for all sports played during the remainder of the 2020-21 school year. It is for each school to determine the eligibility criteria for students under the previous academic record rule. Schools may maintain the MHSAA minimum standard (66%), reduce the standard (e.g. 50%) or eliminate and/or modify it as they see fit so long as the policies are applied equally to all student-athletes without regard to athletic ability or potential. Students must continue to be enrolled in 66% of a full-time student course load. The current academic credit record regulation (weekly or quarter grade checks as set by each school) has not changed and must be followed, as under Regulation I, Section 8. As in the past under existing regulations, schools have the option to issue incompletes and keep online courses open and consider a student determined to be ineligible to become eligible when a deficiency of credit is made up and posted to the transcript, or on the 61st school day if passing on the 60th day. MHSAA regulations have always accepted pass-fail credit as opposed to a letter grade or GPA, and that has not changed. The MHSAA minimum standard of the previous academic credit record regulation will reactivate for fall sports based on credit from the 2nd semester or 3rd trimester of 2020-21. Connect with the MHSAA with questions or concerns. Thank you.

Please go to the athletic website https://www.bdalecards.com/o/activities then click on Winter (located on the top red banner of the page), and you will see the winter sports that will be starting over the next week. When you click on the sport you will be taken to that sports homepage, where you will find calendars for each level of that particular sport. Most of the practice times have been entered on the calendars for the next week. I will continue to update as more practice times are entered.

This was released by the MHSAA just a bit ago! Dear MHSAA Community, With today’s press conference and public release of the MDHHS epidemic order effective as of Saturday, January 16, the following is information we know at this time. With the Representative Council scheduled to meet tomorrow, Jan. 14, along with dozens of additional questions that have already reached us this afternoon, schools should expect additional information and further communication in the next few days. Here is initial guidance to schools based on today’s announcement and release of the updated MDHHS order: No changes have been made to the three remaining fall sports in the MDHHS pilot rapid testing program; since the updated order goes into effect on Saturday, the two fall non-contact sports of girls swimming & diving and volleyball must continue with testing this week. Winter teams may continue with OUTDOOR conditioning activities through Friday, Jan. 15. On Saturday, Jan. 16, the following changes go into effect for school sports: The non-contact winter sport of swimming and diving- boys in the LP and both boys and girls in the UP- may begin practices on Jan. 16 and compete starting on Jan. 22. The non-contact sports of bowling and gymnastics may begin practice on Jan. 16 and compete starting on Jan. 25. The four winter contact sports as defined by MDHHS include basketball, competitive cheer, ice hockey and wrestling. These four sports may begin indoor practices with no physical contact on Jan. 16. There must be at least 6 feet of distance between each occupied workout station with spaces and activities set up to maintain 6 feet between all persons at all times. Based on the order, the first day of competition would be on Feb. 1 for these 4 sports with new MHSAA tournament dates. We will provide updated MHSAA tournament dates for these four winter sports by the end of this week. The MHSAA will continue to actively advocate for an earlier start to competition and physical contact practices in these sports given the non-school sports activity within our state, and the school and non-school activity in our three bordering states, all include competition now in winter sports, including wrestling. Spring sports and fall sports not involved in the MDHHS pilot testing program may begin indoor 4-player workouts and resume conditioning activities on Jan. 16. Note that all of this out-of-season activity must be NON-PHYSICAL CONTACT work at this time. Masks are required of all participants except when actively participating in swimming & diving and gymnastics. School weight rooms are now open for lifting and conditioning with physical distancing and NO PHYSICAL CONTACT activities and masks being worn at all times. Under this updated order, spectators for winter sports are limited to 100 persons, except for stadiums and arenas, which are capped at 250. Note that bowling center capacity is limited to 25% of total occupancy set by the local fire marshal. The Representative Council will be meeting tomorrow to address new calendar issues and other challenges that today’s MDHHS announcement created. We will communicate with all schools following the meeting with more updated information.

As of right now the expected start date for MS/HS Athletics is Saturday, January 16th. I will release a practice/tryout schedule next week. If you have not registered on Final Forms please make sure to register. If you have registered on Final Forms please login and make sure your highlighted in green (which means you have all required information to attend practice). You must complete your Final Forms registration to attend practice (that includes an MHSAA Health Questionnaire if physical was done between 4/15/19 and 4/15/20, or an MHSAA Physical only, if dated after 4/15/20). The high school sports that will be continuing/starting are boys and girls basketball, wrestling, and competitive cheer. The middle school sports that will be starting are wrestling and girls basketball. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call the athletic office or send me an email @ bvaughn@bdalecards.org. The link for Final Forms is: https://bloomingdale-mi.finalforms.com/ The link for physical or health questionnaire is: https://www.bdalecards.com/o/activities/page/documents

Press Release from the MHSAA 12/18/20: Dear MHSAA Community, With the announcement from the Governor’s office and MDHHS, along with today’s Representative Council meeting, here is the updated MHSAA plan for fall, winter and spring sports. The Governor and MDHHS have a shared priority that high schools need to reopen first, followed by extra-curricular activities. With high schools now reopened, the MDHHS has announced a pilot testing program that will allow the three unfinished fall sport tournaments to resume under these new testing requirements. The updated emergency orders continue the pause on all organized sports except those three fall MHSAA sports identified in the MDHHS pilot testing program. This will allow those schools with teams still playing in MHSAA tournaments (volleyball and football) and individuals in LP girls swimming & diving (Finals qualifiers, only) to resume practice on Monday, Dec. 21. All safety protocols remain in effect. The tournament schedules for these 3 fall sports are as follows: Volleyball- Quarterfinals on Tuesday, Jan. 5; Semifinals and Finals on Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 7-9 at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek. Swimming & Diving- Finals on Friday, Jan. 15 (Diving) and Saturday, Jan. 16 (Swimming) at 3 locations. Football- Regional Finals and 8-Player Semifinals on Saturday, Jan. 2; Semifinals at home sites and 8-Player Finals on Saturday, Jan. 9 ; Finals on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 15-16. All details on this pilot testing program will be shared by MDHHS with the MHSAA and those fall sports schools soon. Unless new MDHHS orders are issued, all winter sports practices and competitions may start when the updated emergency orders expire on Jan. 15. Only virtual contact is allowed for all sports in all member school facilities, except those fall sport schools and individuals still in the MHSAA tournament following the pilot testing program, at this time. Schools and coaches should strongly discourage any non-school activity by individuals during this pause to not create more virus spread so that we can return to play. All winter sport tournaments will conclude by the end of March and updated scheduling guidance and winter sport tournament dates will be finalized and shared with member schools next Tuesday, Dec. 22. Note that the one outdoor winter sport, skiing, may begin outdoor practices and competition on Monday, Dec. 21 with no change to the published MHSAA Ski tournament dates. All indoor junior high and middle school sports may also resume when the orders expire on Jan. 15. All safety protocols remain in effect when winter practices and competitions resume. At the current time, the updated MDHHS emergency orders do not allow for any spectators at contests for both fall and winter sports. All spring sports will start on time and no changes will be made to spring sport tournament dates. Additional winter scheduling details and finalized tournament dates will be shared with schools by the end of the day next Tuesday, Dec. 22. Thank you. Mark Uyl MHSAA Executive Director mark@mhsaa.com Phone: 517-332-5046 MHSAA.com

Parents of remote students. Please complete this short survey if you want door-to-door food delivery of breakfast and lunch for your student(s) starting January 11, 2021. Deadline to sign up is Friday, December 18, 2020. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-i7mFYI-RsFsDUUqIzQOluQfTFvgVJvwtfGOl-sVMQg/edit

The Bloomingdale Track and Field and Cross Country teams were one of twenty-six schools to be awarded the Brooks Booster Club grant! The grant includes $12,400 in Brooks shoes, apparel, and gear, a personalized team tent, as well as $2,000 to help with expenses such as meet entries, transportation costs, etc. Jordan Hamm, Brooks Sports Marketing Specialist states, "At Brooks, we know that running is the most inclusive sport in the world. Our hope for the Brooks Booster Club is to clear the path for participation in running and ensure its accessibility so that young runners can have a lasting and impactful experience with our sport." The Bloomingdale teams and coaches are thankful that Brooks has given us such a generous and program changing grant! Our athletes will benefit from this grant by having the necessary gear to help them be successful. Thank you Brooks!

Families of remote students. Please complete this survey if you would like door-to-door breakfast and lunch delivery for your students, including students that attend Bloomingdale, but live in another district. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScr-lmxX70OiqM-sGf4G_n8J0GFhwqtHd_eZYl-Z1Q2LX3ZMg/viewform

From the MHSAA: Dear MHSAA Community, Today’s announcement from Governor Whitmer and MDHHS has extended the “pause” on high school in-person instruction and high school and middle school sports through Dec. 20. The MHSAA had provided a detailed plan to both Governor Whitmer and MDHHS that would have completed fall tournaments with no spectators as safely as possible during the month of December along with allowing winter sport practices to resume. While we are disappointed in today’s announcement, we will continue to look forward as we remain committed to play three sports seasons to their conclusion. The MHSAA Representative Council will meet on Wednesday of this week to chart out another plan for finishing Fall and restarting Winter. Updated information will reach you again following Wednesday’s Representative Council meeting.

Are you interested in helping to form an athletic booster club for Bloomingdale Athletics? If so, fill out the attached interest form and we will be in touch. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGUsRNVmDvkVW1lC7ruqwhjk5aTU6wYKUt7zW0noc-ThN--Q/viewform?usp=sf_link

New COVID-19 guidance from the Van Buren / Cass Health Department. When to quarantine https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XEJVBFkxwxERVJXSS8-cTo47bsYreITt/view?usp=sharing Public Health Advisory - COVID Contact Tracing Priority Shift https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WNfhKzsdwyElyoiYjmgs5MLHrzf2TqXZ/view?usp=sharing If you test positive https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IfDMyLhFgvzYQ1wIym43c5Uz3Wqe_IbS/view?usp=sharing

Fall Conference Honors- Congratulations to the following Bloomingdale fall athletes on their post-season honors. Volleyball: Honorable Mention All Conference Allison Starbuck Aquinnah Kelly Soccer: 1st Team All Conference Alex Arias Antonio Garcia 2nd Team All Conference Miguel Lopez Andy Sustaita Honorable Mention All Conference Alexus Castillo Esteban Lule Cross Country 1st Team All Conference (Girls) Kallie Harrison Aimee Sustaita Zee Dickerson 2nd Team All Conference (Girls) Abby Krall Olaisa Moss 1st Team All Conference (Boys) Joe Furlan Jaden Barnes Joe Stocchiero Trace Wixon 2nd Team All Conference (Boys) David Garcia Tyler Osterman Congratulations on all your hard work!

Congratulations to our October Athletes of the Month, Aimee Sustaita and Jaden Barnes. Jaden finished the conference season as the #2 overall runner in the conference and the #1 freshman in the conference. He finished 5th at the pre-regional meet to help the team win. He was also a regional medalist finishing 13th at the regional championship meet. Aimee was champion of the pre-regional race and in the process ran the 4th fastest time in school history. She was also a regional medalist at the regional championship race finishing 7th overall helping the team win regionals.