Cheboygan Area Schools – Sunday Soup Newsletter
Week of December 15, 2025 – Only 5 More School Days Until Winter Break!
You Made It to Winter Break! Congratulations!
As we approach our upcoming two-week winter break this Friday, I want to emphasize how important it is for our students, teachers, and administrators to fully disconnect, recharge, and invest in rest. Stephen Covey’s well-known concept of “sharpening the saw” reminds us that sustained excellence requires intentional renewal. Taking a solid break and truly disconnecting is one of the best ways to maintain professional clarity, energy, and effectiveness.
Covey’s “sharpen the saw” analogy illustrates the importance of intentionally renewing yourself so you can work more effectively over time. He describes a person sawing a tree with a dull blade, working harder and harder but making little progress. The same can happen to us in education: if we don’t take the time to rest and rejuvenate, we diminish our effectiveness and our value to others. Sharpening the saw is not time lost, it’s an investment that enables higher performance and better results when we return.
I strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of this time away from the daily demands of school life. Rest, reconnect with family, and engage in activities that restore you physically and mentally. When we return in January, my hope is that we all come back refreshed, renewed, and ready to finish the second semester with focus, energy, and purpose.
Winter Solstice is Near…
Sunday, December 21st, marks the shortest day of the year and the official start of winter. In Cheboygan, we will experience roughly 9 hours of daylight, the least of the year. The solstice occurs when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest from the sun, giving us the longest night and shortest day. For many in our community, the early sunsets and colder temperatures are a clear reminder that winter has fully settled in across Northern Michigan.
While the solstice represents the darkest day on the calendar, it also signals an important turning point. Beginning the very next morning, daylight will gradually increase, slowly at first, then more noticeably as we move into January and February. Each day brings a few more minutes of sunlight, steadily building momentum toward spring.
This is my favorite time of the year. From December 21st forward, each day grows just a little longer, bringing us closer to the warmer, brighter days of spring and summer that we all cherish here in Northern Michigan. As we move through winter together, the growing light serves as both an encouraging marker of progress and a promise of the new season ahead.
Last Week! 5 More School Days Until Break… Ho, Ho, Ho
15 – Cabinet Meeting @ 1:00 PM
15 – BOE Meeting @ 6:30 PM
19 – Region 2 Meeting in Alpena @ 9:30 AM
22 – Winter Break Begins (Two Weeks)
A Look into the Future… January
5 – Return to School
12 – COPESD Superintendent Meeting @ 10:00 AM
13 – BP Meeting @ 9:00 AM in the BR
14 – Rotary Presentation @ Noon
15 – Athletic Committee Meeting @ 6:30 PM
20 – Finance Committee Meeting @ 10:00 AM
20 – Negotiation Team Meeting @ 11:30 AM
20 – Policy Committee Meeting @ 2:30 PM
20 – Curriculum Committee Meeting @ 3:45 PM
21 – MASA Superintendent Conference
26 – Cabinet Meeting @ 1:00 PM
26 – School BOE Meeting @ 6:30 PM (Reorganization)
Quote of the Week:
“As the earth sleeps under a blanket of snow, so too do we need our moment of rest and renewal.” – Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau is best known as a writer, philosopher, and naturalist who championed simple living, self-reliance, and a deep connection with nature. His book Walden reflects on life close to the natural world, while his essay Civil Disobedience advocates standing up to unjust government practices. Thoreau’s ideas continue to inspire readers, environmentalists, and social activists around the world.
As always, thank you for your continued partnership and dedication to the success of Cheboygan Area Schools.
Spencer S. Byrd, Ed.S, CSBO, CAA
Superintendent
Cheboygan Area Schools