Dragon's Tale
2/1/19
Thursday, Feb. 7
Dismissal at 12:09pm
Tuesday, Feb. 12
Science Center Assembly during the school day for all students!
Friday, Feb. 15
More information from our Green Team coming your way soon!
Kids Heart Challenge (Formerly Known as Jump Rope for Heart)
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
C.H. Smart Middle School Gymnasium
Dear Parents and Students,
Good physical fitness is important to everyone. Through physical education classes, your child is learning the importance of daily physical activity and the importance of cardiovascular fitness.
In conjunction with the American Heart Association, we will be promoting physical fitness through the Jump Rope for Heart Program. This is a two-hour event for grades K-5 conducted in the C.H. Smart Middle School from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 12. To ensure safety, participants will work together in teams taking turns using one rope. Participants secure donations by asking sponsors such as: friends, family, neighbors (you know) and parental colleagues. Donations may be accepted online or in the form checks. When turning the donations into the school, please convert cash donations to checks written to “American Heart Association”.
Through the Kids Heart Challenge event, participants will have the opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of jumping rope as a cardiovascular fitness exercise to keep hearts healthy. They will also have the chance to educate the public on the benefits of jumping rope when asking for donations. In addition, their participation will help keep all hearts healthy since donations benefit research, education and community service programs of the American Heart Association. Students win AHA prizes based on collected donations. Local merchants have donated door prizes.
Sincerely,
Bob Marijanovich
JRFH School Coordinator/Physical Education Teacher
Valentine's Day Classroom Parties
Teachers are responsible for letting their parents know the time frame and plan for the party that day, should there need to be an alteration to the schedule.
Please watch for information from your child's teacher regarding Valentine's Day party plans and help needed. Teachers will supply you with a class list with names of all students for Valentine's Day cards.
As always please be mindful of all food allergies in your child's classroom when planning for any food items with your child's teacher.
Activity Photos Rescheduled for February 28th
We have rescheduled our activity photos for the yearbook. The new date is February 28th in the afternoon. Just a reminder that the groups that will be photographed are: Student Council, Safety and Service Patrol, Announcement Team, SNAPS, KC3, Green Team, Math Club and Reflections. We ask that student please bring their group t-shirt and/or safety belt for their photographs.
Footloose-The Musical
Walled Lake Northern Performing Arts
Proudly Presents
Footloose: The Musical
Friday February 1, 2019 @ 7:30pm
Saturday February 2, 2019 @ 7:30pm
Friday February 8, 2019 @ 7:30pm
Saturday February 9, 2019 @ 7:30pm
Sunday February 10, 2019 @ 2:00pm
For more information Click Here
Keith Announcements
Congratulations PTSA Reflections Participants!
Keith Dragons and Dragon families, I am excited to report updates on the 2018-2019 PTA Reflections Contest, “Heroes Around Me.” As you know, in November, Keith Elementary submitted 18 qualifying entries for continued judging at the District Level. Then, those advancing from the District Level are sent to the State Level, where works submitted from schools around the entire State of Michigan are then judged for advancement to the National level.
The District PTA Reflections group has completed their judging and the results are in. I am pleased to announce that Keith Elementary boasts the highest number of District entries from any school in the entire District, including all middle and high schools. Further, out of the 18 we sent to the District level, there were a total of 9 Keith Elementary art entries that are now advancing to the State level! This was the second highest number of advancing entries from any school in the entire District this year.
Please congratulate your fellow Keith artists whose art has advanced to State level as follows:
KEITH ELEMENTARY PTA REFLECTIONS ARTISTS ADVANCING TO STATE LEVEL
- Mathew Bloch (Visual Arts)
- Alexander Bloch (Visual Arts)
- Nigel Levu (Music Composition)
- Piper Tomasik (Music Composition)
- Brayden Muir (Film Production)
- Nolan Levu (Film Production)
- Francis Miller (Literature)
- Hollis Miller (Literature)
- Arbor Neal (Dance Choreography)
Good luck Keith artists! Way to create and participate!
The State round of judging should complete by March 1, 2019, and artists advancing to the National level will be announced. The National winners should be announced in May.
Winter Clothing Reminders
Colder temperatures have arrived! We want all children to feel comfortable and enjoy being outside so we ask that you please send your student to school with all of the winter gear they may need including warm coats, hats, gloves, boots, and snow pants.
Please label everything with your child's name in the event that their items become separated from them during the school day.
See guidelines below and be sure to discuss your expectations with your student(s):
- We go outside unless it is below zero degrees (windchill)
- Boots & Snow pants are required for students to play off the blacktop. We don't call home for dry clothes. This is their best protection.
- Anytime it is 32 degrees and below, students are expected to wear hats/gloves/mittens. Above 32 degrees, we leave it up to your discretion, but do give reminders and encouragement.
- If a student wears a coat to school, they will need to wear it to recess unless the temperature rises to over 50 degrees.
Keith Spirit!!!
Friday’s are Spirit Day here at Keith.
Your child is encouraged to wear a Keith shirt or the color red each and every Friday. The upper elementary and lower elementary classroom with the highest number of participants will win a visit from “Sparky” our Keith Dragon for the week.
This week's winners are:
Upper Elementary Room:
Lower Elementary Room:
Second Step Announcement!
Parents, this week your children focused on the second step lesson below. Please take a moment to talk with your children about how they took time to show positive behavior at school.
Managing Learning Challenges:
Using our Calming-Down Steps at Keith Elementary helps us be better learners! There are many opportunities to practice your calming-down skills at school. You may have a strong feeling when you have to wait, or when you make a mistake, or when you have trouble finishing a difficult task. These are perfect moments to practice using your stop signal, naming your feeling, and calming down. When staff and students at Keith Elementary calm down our emotions, it helps us all learn.
Our focus for next week is listed below. We will review the following with your children when they return to school on Monday.
Say the Problem:
We all have problems here at Keith Elementary School that can be hard to solve. Using Second Step Problem-Solving Steps can help us solve our own problems! The first step is S: Say the problem. When you have a problem, it’s very important to say what the problem is respectfully and without blame. Knowing exactly what the problem is will help you find the best solution! This week, remember to use your words and say the problem respectfully.
Supporting Your Child with iReady
Speak with your child about how using i-Ready will help him or her grow in school.
i-Ready shows where your child is doing well and where your child needs some more review. It helps teachers understand how to give your child the best support, and it lets your child see the gains they will make throughout the school year.
- Help your child prepare for the Diagnostic by explaining that some questions on the Diagnostic test will be hard and that it’s okay not to know the answer to every question. Questions on the Diagnostic get a little harder each time a question is answered correctly, and a little easier when answered incorrectly. The goal is to figure out the math or reading level that is “just right” for your child, so your child should expect to see some questions that are too hard—and that’s okay! It means the test is working correctly.
- Encourage your child to take each lesson and test question seriously.Emphasize “thinking before clicking,” because just clicking through answers will not give teachers an accurate picture of what is understood and what requires further instruction.
- Help your child identify and become familiar with the different parts of the student dashboard.Log in to your child’s account with them and ask them to give you a “tour” of what they see.
- Encourage your child to use the tools that will appear at the bottom of the screen in some lessons. Your child will sometimes see tools, like a calculator or dictionary, that will be helpful for completing an activity or answering a question on a quiz.
- Discuss your child’s results by looking at “My Progress” together. First, look at the number of lessons shown as completed in i-Ready and celebrate that number with your child, who should feel good about this achievement alone. Then, take a look at the percentage of questions your child answered correctly in the quiz at the end of each lesson. In discussing these results, you might say
“Let’s look at how well you’ve been doing on your i-Ready lessons!”
“What do you notice when you look at this data?”
“Can you identify strengths from this report?”
“What is something you feel like you are doing well?”
“What areas are challenging to you?”
“Let’s look at your data to see where and how we can work together to improve in those more challenging areas.”
- If you are unsure about the expectations your child’s teacher has for the use of i-Ready at home, and which lessons your child should be completing, contact the teacher to clarify them.
Tuition Expedition 50/50 Scholarship Raffle
Tickets may be purchased at Keith in the main office!
Chance to win BIG! Raffle benefits Walled Lake Schools!
Purchase Tuition Expedition 50/50 Scholarship Raffle tickets today!
· $50 each | 3 tickets for $100
· 1,000 tickets available
- Drawings sponsored by WL School Emp. Fed. Credit Union will be held for FREE TE raffle ticket
- The Foundation for Excellence Grant Program channels raffle's proceeds into Walled Lake Schools' classrooms!
Grand Prize: Scholarship funds for postsecondary education (40% lump sum option available)
Secondary Prize: Amazon Echo Show
Raffle details & purchase info: Visit https://tinyurl.com/TE2K19
Grand Prize Drawing: March 25, 2019 @ Walled Lake Schools' PTA Reflections Celebration (Need not be present to win)
Questions: Contact Foundation for Excellence-Walled Lake Schools: Phone 248.956.2116 or email MichelleBianco@wlcsd.org
MI Raffle License# R49794
Ashton's Miracle Foundation Event
Please join the Arabo family as we celebrate the three-year anniversary of Ashton earning his angel wings. Family, friends, and community members near and far are invited to Waterford Lanes to bowl and bounce, two of Ashton's favorite things to do. $20 tickets include 2 slices of pizza and pop and your choice of either 2 games of bowling OR unlimited bouncing in the kids' room. Sweet treats, 50/50 raffle tickets, and auction baskets will also be available. Tickets will be sold at the door.
All proceeds from this event will go to Ashton's Miracle Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to spreading acts of kindness in his honor. Please visit www.ashtonsmiracle.org to learn more, donate, or nominate someone in need.
Girls on the Run
The Keith Girls on the Run Spring 2019 season is quickly approaching. The goal of the program is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum, which creatively integrates running. Please see the flyer for important registration information. To register, you may use the Keith Elementary link provided. Questions? Contact the Keith Elementary Coaches…Juliann Snavely: juliannsnavely@wlcsd.org or Barb Kneal: bbkneal@comcast.net
Please register for Girls on the Run Spring 2019 Here: Keith Elementary
Girls On The Run Is So Much Fun!
Two-Hour Delay Procedures
On rare occasions, morning conditions occur that temporarily prevent the District from safely transporting students or requiring students to wait at a bus stop or walk to school. These conditions typically involve thick fog, winter weather or utility problems and historically required cancellation of school for the entire day.
Walled Lake Schools has developed a two-hour delay procedure that could be used if conditions are expected to improve within two hours. This procedure, which will be used sparingly, will permit students to get to school safely and allow the District to conduct a credited day of school.
Parents are encouraged to develop a plan so their children can safely stay home for an additional two hours in the morning and have them go to a trusted alternate location to await the delayed start of school.
In the rare event that a two-hour delay is activated, the following procedures will be followed:
- The District’s phone system will be used to notify all school families and staff members of the delay (by approximately 5 a.m. when possible)
- Local news and radio stations will be contacted to report the delayed start.
- If conditions do not improve within two hours, classes may be cancelled for the entire day and the same methods of notification will be made.
- All bus stop pick-ups will be delayed by exactly two hours (i.e. if your bus stop is normally 8:36 a.m., it will be at 10:36 a.m. on delayed start days).
- All schools will start exactly two hours later than normal (i.e. if your school normally starts at 8:55 a.m., it will start at 10:55 a.m. on delayed start days).
- Prime Time Care will open at its normal time (must be pre-registered to use Prime Time Care).
- Essential service staff (custodians, food service, maintenance, mechanics and warehouse) will report at their normal starting time.
- Professional, administrative and support staff shall report as soon as possible and no less than 30 minutes prior to the delayed start time of their school or work site.
- Students shall report to the class they would normally be in at the time they arrive for a two-hour delay.
- Breakfast will be available for the duration of the delay and lunch will be served at the normal time.
- Schools will be dismissed at their normal times at the end of the school day.
- Staff will be released at their normal times at the end of the school day.
Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)
Walled Lake Schools Special Services
Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)
What is the PAC?
PAC is a committee of parents whose children receive Special Education services. It's made up of parent volunteers from every school and program in the district. The group meets once a month with the Director of Special Services.
What do PAC Representatives Do?
- Attend monthly PAC meetings to help plan events and help other families in the district navigate various issues relative to our Special Education community.
- Ensure communication between schools, families, and Special Education staff.
- Pass along Special Education information to other families and your school's PTA.
- Publicize upcoming Special Services PAC events.
- Donate their time and talent to help with various PAC events throughout the school year.
When does the PAC Meet?
Meetings are held once a month, typically in the evening. Everyone interested in supporting Special Services is welcome. Come as often as you can!
Take a Small Step
- Go to http://wlcsd.org/our-district/special-services/ for more information about Special Services in Walled Lake. Be sure to check out the important links to the right and check back often as new information is constantly available.
- Join our Facebook page for more information throughout the year. https://www.facebook.com/groups/477146786058805/ or search "Walled Lake Schools Special Needs PAC" and ask to join the group.
Interested?
If you would like to join us or if you'd like more information, contact the Walled Lake PAC representatives. We are here to help!
Cory Hensley: knackcor@yahoo.com 248-225-7922
Kathy Mack: kathygm01@sbcglobal.net 248-342-6186
Please click HERE for an informational flyer with details and dates of meetings with topics.
February Lunch Menu
Announcements From our Keith PTA:
Next Keith PTA Meeting - Wednesday, February 6 at 7pm -Keith Media Center
Keith PTA Membership Drive! Meet and Greet 6pm Feb. 6 - Keith Media Center
The Keith PTA is having a mid-year membership drive!
There are so many wonderful reasons to join the PTA, listed here are a few of the top:
· Your child and teacher benefit greatly from them.
· Your membership gives you priority to signing up for activities and events going on at the school because you will be the first to receive emails.
· You get to be in the know. Going to the meetings allows you to not only stay up-to-date, but know ahead of time, things going on in each child's grade, at the school, and in the district.
Every meeting has a Teacher and Principal report.
Please also see the attached letter from our current PTA President!
What are the incentives of the drive?
· If you are a PTA member, you will be entered into a drawing for a free Foundation for Excellence Tuition Expedition 50/50 Scholarship raffle ticket.
· If your child's classroom has the most memberships at the end of the drive, they will enjoy a pizza party some time in March.
This drive will go through February 28th, after which we will announce the winning classroom. The winner of the PTA FFE raffle ticket will be notified after the March 5th PTA meeting.
If you would like to join but have questions, we will be having a PTA Q&A session before our February meeting on February 6th, from 6-7pm.
The membership form is attached and all you have to do is turn it in to the office, with your $10. We looked forward to having you a part of the Keith PTA!
Thank you!
Andrea Tribbey
Keith PTA Membership Chair
Upcoming Educational Assemblies - Thank you PTA for making this possible for all of our students!
Michigan Science Center - February 12th
9:15 - 10 am - K-2
Science Rocks!
What is sound? Why do things make different sounds? Or why you beat a drum but pluck a guitar? This booming show is sure to be a roaring racket of a good time!
10:15 - 11 am Grades 3-5
KABOOMISTRY!
Why do things explode? Learn about the relationships between pressure, temperature, and fuel to explain why things go KA-BOOM! Physics and chemistry will be mixed to get some loud, flashy effects!
Anthony Ianni - April 8
9:15 - 10 am Grades 3-5
Relentless Tour
The Relentless Tour with former Michigan State University basketball player, Anthony Ianni is a first of its kind grass roots initiative designed to help eradicate bullying across the state of Michigan and beyond.
2019 Earth Day Poster Contest for the MDEQ, MDNR, and MDARD
On behalf of Mr. Tom Occhipinti, I would like to cordially invite all Keith Dragon students to participate in the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD)’s 2019 Earth Day Poster Contest. For the past 13 years, we have received many wonderful submissions from students statewide for judging. Our 2018 Earth Day Poster Contest received an astonishing 3,200 entries!
We welcome submissions from students in Kindergarten through the 5th grade. Posters must fit into a 16” x 20” frame to be eligible for entry. We encourage each student to embrace their creativity and submit a poster to represent what Earth Day means to them.
Submissions are due February 15, 2019 to the following address (included on the flyer with submission slip):
Tom Occhipinti
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
Constitution Hall
525 West Allegan Street
Lansing, MI, 48933
Teachers will be notified if their student’s poster won by March 22, 2019. Awards will be presented to students on April 24, 2019 at Constitution Hall in Lansing (map enclosed) during the Earth Day celebration event.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email (masboobh@michigan.gov) or phone (517-284-6887). You may also contact Mr. Tom Occhipinti, DEQ Environmental Educational Coordinator, by email (occhipintit@michigan.gov) or phone (517-284-6867).
Skate Night at the Rolladium - February 5, 2019
Defy Fundraiser - February 7, 2019 1-4pm
Walled Lake Middle School Football Fundraiser at Defy - Febrary 8th
Dragon Dance - Friday, March 1
Please join us for a Family Dance Party! DJ Brad Kallen will be spinning tunes, there will be pizza and concession snacks for purchase and a fun time for all! We look forward to seeing you!
Admission to the dance is $5 per family.
We are pre-selling whole cheese pizza for $10. We will have individual slices available for purchase at the dance. The link for payment for the event is included in the registration form below:
When: Friday, March 1st - 6-8pm
Where: Walnut Creek Middle School cafeteria
Registration: Dance Party Registration Form
Volunteers Needed: Please help us make this event a great success for our kids! Register to help on our Sign Up Genius Form.
Keith Elementary School
Andrea McFarland - Principal's Secretary
Diana Tyrrell - Building Secretary
Julie Palermo - Interventionist
Marci Augenstein, Ph.D. - Principal, Keith Elementary
Email: AndreaMcFarland@wlcsd.org
Website: http://wlcsd.org/schools/elementary/keith/
Location: 2800 Keith Road, West Bloomfield Township, MI, United States
Phone: (248)956-3700
Twitter: @KeithElementary