KERBY NEWSLETTER
October 22, 2021
MESSAGE FROM WALTER FITZPATRICK
We are more than two months into the road construction on Kerby Road. Add to that, the change in temperature and you get a perfect storm of increased traffic and unsafe conditions.
The road construction has caused more of our neighbors to park along Beaupre which has taken away spaces for families to pull in and drop off their students. There is also house construction across the street from Kerby and the workers there are also parking in spaces typically used by our families. With Kerby Road off limits, the school vehicles dropping off several of our students must use Beaupre instead of Kerby. That is funneling an awful lot of traffic into a very small space.
Traffic creates frustration and makes people unhappy. Sometimes that frustration turns into unsafe driving and decision making. Being a school built in the middle of a neighborhood, there are not many alternatives for drop off and pick up. I toured the area around Kerby with Mr. Howell from the district office and we were unable to find alternative locations for drop off or pick up.
Construction hopefully will be completed within the next month. Once we regain access to Kerby Road, we can have the school vehicles pull in the front of Kerby which will alleviate some of the traffic issues. We are also thinking it might be wise to move a grade level to the front as well. We will also regain space along Beaupre as the residence of Kerby Road will be able to use their driveways.
In the meantime, I ask that we all be patient as we navigate a situation that none of us created but are left trying to navigate. We must alway remember safety first for our students.
Have a great weekend!
Walter Fitzpatrick
LETTER FROM THE PTO PRESIDENT
Hello Kerby Community!
It has been a great school year at Kerby so far!! The Kerby PTO has been quite busy already! Our wonderful Fun Run team just wrapped up a tremendously successful event that will benefit our students the entire year! Thank you so much for all of your support and donations!! In fact, we have already approved a proposal from the second grade team for Phonics Reading supplies, supported our staff with meals during parent-teacher conferences and welcomed our new families with our famous Kerby Cougar signs! We are planning more events and activities for the school year as well! Look for the Kerby directory to be coming out in the next week! Seeing those smiles and supporting learning makes us happy!
In the spirit of inclusivity, our PTO does not ask for parents to pay a separate membership. We consider everyone in our community to be a member of the Kerby PTO and love all of your participation! We are always looking for volunteers to plan or work our events. The time commitment can be as much or a little as you wish!
Happy Fall Everyone!
Kate Walczy
Kerby PTO President
HALLOWEEN HAUNTED GARAGE THANK YOU!!
Thanks to all the incredible families that supported the Kerby PTO and attended the Haunted Garage. If you bought tickets and were unable to attend, you can still use them any night the Haunted Garage is open: Friday-Sunday from 6pm-9:30pm. If you did not buy tickets and would still like to attend, please be sure to tell the ticket agent that you are buying tickets for Kerby and we will still get the donation.
Huge thank you to Glen Williams and the Haunted Garage crew for their support and a terrifying fun night!
Thank you!
Lisa Shimko
HALLOWEEN
Halloween will be celebrated on Friday, October 29, 2021. It is a 1/2 day of school with dismissal at 11:36 AM.
Please keep in mind the following costume reminders:
No toy guns, knives, or swords. Bringing these items to school would be a violation of the Grosse Pointe Public Schools Code of Conduct.
No scary costumes. Although scary costumes may not bother the older students at Kerby, they can create anxiety and fear in many of the younger children. If a costume has a mask, students will be asked to not wear it while they are in the parade or building. Another concern is safety. We do not want students to have any difficulty navigating the parade route or the hallways when wearing a mask. Another reason for no masks is we need to insure all students have a face mask on. They are more then welcome to wear a decorative non scary face mask.
No fake blood. Again, older students may not have a problem with this, but we want to make sure that everyone in the Kerby community has the opportunity to enjoy all aspects of our Halloween celebrations.
If students come to school with any of the above, we will ask them to remove the item, or we may ask them to not participate in the day’s activities. If there is any question as to whether or not the costume is appropriate for school, my suggestion would be not to wear it. Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation in this matter.
Weather permitting there will be a parade around the perimeter of the building beginning at approximately 8:45 AM. The exact route will be shared with you as Halloween becomes closer.
We are only allowing 2 parent helper per classroom in the building on Halloween. Your child's teacher should have already contacted you.
PTO HOLIDAYFEST
KERBY PTO IS HAVING A HANDMADE MARKET AS PART OF OUR SCHOOL HOLIDAY EVENT!
IF YOU, YOUR CHILDREN, A FRIEND, FAMILY MEMBER, OR YOUR SCHOOL GROUP MAKE SOMETHING BY HAND TO SELL ($25 MAX), CONTACT
VENDOR TABLE COST $10
EVENT; FRI 12/10 5:30P-8:30P
VENDOR SPACES ARE LIMITED!
KERBY SPIRIT WEAR
Take a look at the updated web site for 2021-22
https://kerby.highwindsgraphix.com/
Young Fives - Navy Blue
Kindergarten - Red
1st - Kelly Green
2nd - Blue
3rd - Orange
4th - Lime Green
DESTINATION IMAGINATION
UPCOMING KERBY DATES
October 28, 2021 - Kerby Spirit Day - MSU/U of M - Cheer on your favorite team
October 29, 2021 - Halloween -1/2 Day Dismissal 11:36 AM
November 2 - Election Day No School for Students
November 7 - District Open House 12-2 PM (Kerby)
November 9 - Picture Retake Day
DISTRICT OPEN HOUSE
KEY DATES FOR THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR
*denotes ½ days
September 7 - First Day of School
October 13 - Parent-Teacher Conferences—Evening (regular day of school for students)
*October 14 -Parent-Teacher Conferences - Afternoon & Evening (½ day for students)
*October 29-Halloween (½ day for students 11:36 AM dismissal/PM PD)
November 2 - Election Day--Full day Professional Development (No School for students)
November 24-26 - Thanksgiving Holiday (No School for students/staff)
December 23-31 - Winter Break (No School for students/staff)
January 17 - Martin Luther King Holiday (No School for students/staff)
*January 21 - ½ day for students 11:36 AM dismissal/PM Records Day
February 21-25 - Mid-Winter Break (No School for students/staff)
March 23 - Parent-Teacher Conferences—Evening (regular day of school for students)
*March 24 - Parent-Teacher Conferences - Afternoon & Evening (½ day for students)
*March 25 - ½ day for students dismissal 11:36 AM
March 28-April 1 - Spring Break (No School for students/staff)
May 30- Memorial Day (No School for students/staff)
*June 16 - Records day (½ day for students 11:36 AM dismissal/PM Records Day)
*June 17- Last day of school ½ day dismissal 11:36 AM
UPDATED COVID INFORMATION
Students need to bring to the office or email sicklel@gpschools.org or Ryana@gpschools.org a doctor's note or a negative Covid test before the student can return to school if they are excluded from school because they have two or more symptoms that are outlined on the Covid-19 Screening Tool for Families.
GPPSS is not allowing students to use at-home covid tests to prove their negative covid result at this time. When students need to test, they can test at the school when they were exposed to Covid in school or at a healthcare facility (doctor's office, CVS, Walgreens, etc...) when they are exposed outside of school.
Please refer to the GPPSS UPDATE from yesterday for more detailed COVID UPDATES.
WAYNE COUNTY RETURN TO SCHOOL ROAD MAP
BELL SCHEDULE 2021-22
09:05 AM Entry Bell
09:10 AM AM Instruction Begins
11:35- 12:23 PM- Y5's, K, 1 & 2 Lunch & Recess
12:23 - 1:11 PM - 3 & 4 Lunch & Recess
03:38 PM Dismissal Bell
Tuesday-Friday Bell Schedule
08:20 AM Entry Bell
08:25 AM AM Instruction Begins
11:15-12:03 PM - Y5's, K, 1 & 2 Lunch & Recess
12:03 - 12:51 PM- 3 & 4 Lunch & Recess
03:38 PM Dismissal Bell
KERBY INFORMATION
Email: fitzpaw@gpschools.org
Website: https://mi01000971.schoolwires.net/Domain/1321
Location: 285 Kerby Rd, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, USA
Phone: 313-432-4203