Defer Dragon's Burning News
November 2, 2018
From the Principal
Dear Defer Families,
It was an exciting week at Defer! It was wonderful to see so many families on Halloween for the parade or helping with classroom parties! Thank you for all your support and donations to help make the Halloween events at Defer a success for our Dragons!
Students will also lead our second Town Hall meeting Wednesday, November 7 at 9:30 am. You are welcome to join us for the celebration! In November we will focus on Habit #2: Begin with the End in Mind. This month students will be discussing W.I.G.'s (Wildly Important Goals) and ways to achieve their goals by tracking their practice. More information can be found in the Leader in Me section below.
We would love to see all of our families complete a Family Flag! There is still time to turn in a Family Flag. Flags are displayed in the gym and more information can be found in the link below. Extra flags can be found in the office.
Have a great weekend!
Dr. Rheaume
Defer Upcoming Events
November 6 - No School for Students - Election Day
November 13 - PTO Meeting
November 20 - 1/2 Day for Students (morning only); End of first Trimester
November 21 - 25 - Thanksgiving Break -No School Students or Staff
December 1 - PTO Holiday Craft Fair
December 4 - Report Cards Distributed
December 18 - Winter Music Concert: Grades 1, 2/3 Magnet, 3, 4/5 Magnet, 5 & Defer choir
Office News
BEGINNING OF THE DAY
Please remember to use our 24 hour attendance line at 313-432-4001 to report your child's absence.
END OF THE DAY
Our dismissal bell rings at 3:38. Please make sure your child knows his/hers after school plans in the morning when you drop off. The only after school care available is Kids Club. Check out Defer's website for more information.
Defer Diversity Parent Group
District Diversity Meetings (GPPUD)- Thursday, November 8 at 6:30 pm at Pierce Middle School. Information about Upcoming Meetings: GPPUD
Defer Diversity Meeting Information:
The Defer Diversity Meeting was Wednesday, October 24. The topic of discussion was Implicit Bias. Implicit Bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. The next Defer Diversity meeting is tentatively planned for the last week of November.
https://www.pbs.org/video/pov-implicit-bias-peanut-butter-jelly-and-racism/
If you have culturally rich materials and resources that can be shared with the school or if would you be willing to share your own culture/experiences with students please contact Dr. Rheaume or one of our parent organizers Susan Sutorka at susansuto@yahoo.com or Janice Fox at jcfcreative@gmail.com.
Lunchroom and Playground Supervisors Needed!
We still have a few paid lunchroom and playground supervisor positions open. If you are interested, please contact Denise Embree. This is a great way to get involved in our Defer community.
If you are interested, please call Denise Embree 313-432-4003.
School Bond 2018 Information
Election Day is Tuesday, 11/6
Election day is Tuesday, November 6. There is no school for students. On the ballot is a School Bond Proposal. As school employees, we cannot and will not tell you how to vote, but we can share the facts. A fact card is in your student's backpack. Additional information is on the district website gpschools.org under School Bond 2018.
Vote November 6
There is no school for students on Tuesday, November 6. On that day, we encourage you to take your student to the polls and model the voting process, or discuss the ballot initiatives with them.
On the ballot is a School Bond Proposal. It is designed to:
· Enhance student safety and school security
· Make infrastructure improvements (roofs, boilers, HVAC)
· Upgrade technology infrastructure (no student devices)
Projects fall into four main categories to keep students:
· Safe - secure vestibules, cameras, PA systems, asbestos abatement, locks from inside classrooms
· Warm - energy efficient HVAC (boilers, air handlers)
· Dry - roofs, mechanical systems
· Connected - technology infrastructure and classroom technology (no student devices)
Key Points:
· To calculate your annual cost multiply 1/2 the market value of your home by 0.0015 (Example: $300,000 market value divided by 2 = $150,000 x 0.0015 = $225/year or $19/month)
· The average age of a GPPSS school is 77 years.
· 100% of the funds raised stay in GPPSS for our students.
· The district will continue to act as wise fiscal stewards. On 10/08/18 another clean audit was presented to the Board highlighting how fund equity has increased to our goal of 10%.
· If you have questions or need more information, call any principal or call Superintendent Gary Niehaus at 313/432-3010.
· More facts, including a line by line list of projects by school, are posted at www.gpschools.org - click School Bond 2018
Defer Art Information
What's Happening in the Art Room:
Y5 - Colorful Penguins
K - Primary/Secondary Color Paintings
1 - Matisse Fishbowls
2 - Starry Night Collages/Ancient Beetles
3 - Clay Owls/Sunset Cities
4 - Chalk Cupcakes
5 - Clay Piggy Banks
Check out Defer's Online Art Gallery: https://tinyurl.com/deferartsonia
Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @deferartroom
Defer PTO Information
Defer Craft Fair!
Dec. 1 from 9a-12p
This is an annual event in which our dragons and/or their siblings MAKE up to 3 crafts of their choosing.
Selection of which crafts and payment begins now and continues through Nov. 14. Please use this link to make selections and payment. Among the crafts there is one that is free to all students compliments of the #DeferFunRun (it's the Dragon Hat)! https://gpschools.formstack.com/forms/defercrafts_2018
Lunchtime Enrichment
We are looking for gracious volunteers to help run our Lunch Time Enrichment classes. This program provides a great opportunity for our students to do something fun and interesting outside of their everyday curriculum. Previous programs have included Legos, Drawing, Theatre, Cooking, Board Games, Chess, Knitting, Computers, Yoga, Newspaper, etc. The possibilities are endless! This is also an excellent way to get involved by sharing your knowledge and passions with our students.
We are looking for volunteers for 1 hour per week from January 7th - February 15th. If you are interested or have any questions please feel free to e-mail. If you prefer, I have attached a form which you can fill out and return to the office.
Thank you in advance for making this a great experience for our kids. Please contact organizing parent Beth Lowe with ideas and questions: bethlowe1@gmail.com.
Click on the Link below for more information:
Service/Safety Information
In October our 33 members were sworn in by the Honorable Judge Carl Jarboe at the Grosse Pointe Park Municipal Court. Judge Jarboe does a wonderful job swearing our safeties in and ensuring they understand the importance of their volunteer job.
If you see a Safety/Service member doing a good job, tell them.
Thank you,
Helen Srebernak
Safety/Service Coordinator
Safety/Service Members of the Month-September
Safety: Brendan Stafford
Service: Kyle Fox
Leader in Me
The 7 Habits are reviewed, practiced and integrated daily at Defer. We will review the 7 Habits with you monthly. We thank you for your partnership in reinforcing your child’s leadership skills.
Celebrations: This month at the Town Hall, we will celebrate all students learning the first habit, Be Proactive and we will also celebrate students who participated in the Running Club. Each month we celebrate birthdays, so we will also celebrate November birthdays. We’d love to have you join us! Please check out your child’s charm holder to further acknowledge their leadership growth.
Would you start a trip without knowing where you are going? Knowing what you are trying to accomplish directs the choices on the way.
Habit 2 - Begin with the end in mind
When we use Habit 2, we think about how we’d want something to turn out before starting it. Goal setting is an important skill for success. Therefore in Habit 2- start with setting a goal. Then, break it down into small manageable pieces.
Home practice Habit 2
Doing puzzles is a great example to put Habit 2 in action. First, demonstrate how to study the picture. Then, sort pieces. Perhaps the edge is the first area of focus. Next, it may be finding all the pieces of one color, and so on -step by-step until it is complete.
To further model Habit 2, point out real life examples: Share stories from your life, or even your day at work, where you had a goal or task that you accomplished. Talk about the steps taken to accomplish your goal. Discuss how breaking it down made it easier. Point out examples from your child’s life such as riding a bike, tying shoes, or another Habit 2 skill.
Read more Parent Pointers about Habit #2 in the link below:
News from The Family Center
7 Habits of Happy Kids
Grosse Pointe Public Schools
Our Vision: One GP → where everyone learns, every day
Our Mission: Promote Innovation → Maximize Potential → Embrace Community
Email: rheauml@gpschools.org
Website: https://mi01000971.schoolwires.net/Domain/1099
Location: 15425 Kercheval Avenue, Grosse Pointe Park, MI, USA
Phone: 313-432-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GPDefer/
Twitter: @GPDefer