Dear Glengary Families,

As I share the February edition of the Glengary Gazette with our character strength of focus being love, it felt like a good time to let you know that the Johnson family is growing! We are expecting a new addition to our family in August. I will be collaborating with the Human Resource Department to ensure a good plan is in place to support our Gators while I am out on a brief leave. More information will be shared as we get closer. Thanks for your support!

As always, the Glengary Staff is here to support you. Should you have questions or if concerns arise, please reach out to your child's teacher or myself and we will work together to find a solution. I can be reached at rosaleighjohnson@wlcsd.org or at 248-956-3100.

Here's to a GREAT week ahead!

-RosaLeigh

If any parents have photos of any special events thus far this school year, please email them to glengary.yearbook@gmail.com so we can review them for the yearbook! Thank you!

Below you will find the topics of focus for last week (Feb 6-10) and this week (Feb 13-17). I strongly encourage families to click on the links below and use the family resources to reinforce the learning at home! Once you click on the P2 for Families, you’ll find 1 quote, 1 video, and 3 questions to help you and your children discuss The Positivity Project’s character strength of the week. Please join us!

The focus for last week was building the Other People Matter Mindset with a focus on Cheering on Others' Successes. This week the character strength of focus is Love.

Please take a look at the links below as they will provide you with the knowledge and tools needed to partner in this important work. The resources in the links below were created to help parents reinforce this important learning at home.

Cheering Others’ Successes means when other people succeed, I am happy for them and cheer them on.

Being happy for other people when they succeed isn’t always everyone’s initial reaction. Often, it’s easy to become jealous or envious of others’ victories -- or even to experience schadenfreude, which is deriving pleasure from witnessing (or learning about) another person’s misfortune. People who have these reactions to the success or misfortune of others are colloquially known as “haters.” It’s important to note that these are natural emotions and in small doses can be helpful in allowing us to see what we care about -- and motivate us to pursue those goals.

But making a commitment towards cheering on other people’s successes can be a great way to improve our own health, happiness, and relationships. People can take active steps to be more genuinely happy for the achievements of others. Ways to do this include; telling others about the success of your modest friend; noticing when your reaction to a sibling’s success is envy or jealousy -- and asking yourself why that is; reminding yourself that appreciating the excellence in another is a character strength; asking your successful teammates and classmates what they do to prepare for games or tests.

Being supportive of people who succeed is good for our mental, physical, and emotional well-being and when people cheer each other on it begins a reciprocal process that forges stronger relationships. Those relationships are the foundation for a strong culture in teams, schools, and businesses.

Love means you value close relationships with others and being close to people. The character strength of love represents the way we think, feel, and behave towards the people with whom we have close relationships. When one person loves another person, that person: comforts and makes the other feel safe; sacrifices on the other’s behalf; supports the other during struggles; and places the others' needs ahead of their own. If you love a person, that person makes you feel safe and secure. You can be yourself with that person. You miss that person when they are not around.

On a group level, love is vital for the wellbeing of society. The world is endlessly interconnected. We are all dependent upon each other for survival and happiness. Love produces positive feelings, which help negate loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Without love, we cannot form strong relationships with our families, friends, or communities. A world without love is a dangerous world.

Zoom in on the Blue Zone

In this edition of the Gazette, we will focus on the Blue Zone. The Blue Zone – used to describe low states of alertness, (such as feeling sad, tired, sick or bored. Body/brain is moving sluggishly).

There are multiple tools and strategies that our students can use to self-regulate – and they will be individual to each child. However, it may be useful to think about the types of activities that will help our children to regulate in each zone.

Blue Zone Tools: 

• Think about what you might do as an adult to make you feel better when you are sad, tired or bored.
• This might include talking to a trusted person, breathing, taking a break and relaxing, doing a hobby or importantly, doing some physical exercise. 
• These exercises should wake up our bodies, recharge and activate our senses and regain our focus. Examples may include: taking a walk, doing some active movement (think jumping, bouncing or swinging).

Since the 2019-2020 school year, we have shared information about district-wide efforts to improve our emergency responses. Walled Lake Consolidated Schools has adopted ALICE, a research-based training program to ensure schools are prepared to respond to potential intruder events. ALICE is about empowering individuals and providing options or strategies beyond the traditional lockdown methods. This past fall, District staff partnered with local law enforcement agencies to train in ALICE protocols. Shortly thereafter, students participated in ALICE based safety lessons and drills. We will continue with this work in the coming months as listed below:

Students have been working very diligently during the past month to complete i-Ready Diagnostic 2. We are excited about some significant gains our students made during this testing window! Remember, this data helps us understand your student's growth and ways we can better support them to either close academic gaps or extend their learning.

By Friday, 2/17, you will receive a math and reading Diagnostic 2 Parent Report from your child's classroom teacher. We encourage you to review these reports and celebrate progress with your child!

*Note: In grades K-3, if your child scored below the "cut score", you will receive a letter from me and communication from your child's teacher in the coming weeks regarding developing and individualized reading plan to support your child's reading.

Kindergarten Orientation is right around the corner (Monday, March 13) and we are in the process of gathering names to ensure communication makes it to all of our families with incoming K students for the 23-24 school year. Please help spread the word!

Any child that will be five years old before September 1, 2023, is eligible to enroll/register for Kindergarten. Call our office as soon as possible and say that you want to place your child’s name and other contact information on our enrollment list. Glengary’s office number is (248) 956 - 3100. More information about Kindergarten can be found in the link below.

*Note: Children with a birthdate between June 1, 2018 and December 1, 2018 are eligible for 2023-2024 Junior Kindergarten program in Walled Lake. More information about Junior Kindergarten can be found in the link below. Interest forms should be completed by February 27.

We are seeking donations to create Kindergarten Dexterity kits for our incoming Kindergarten students. These kits help our youngest learners develop their fine motor skills in a creative way! Please click on the Sign Up Genius link below and consider donating supplies for next year's incoming kindergartners!

All items back to the school by March 3rd, please! Thank you!

We have a super exciting month planned to celebrate March is Reading month but we need a little help. We are turning Glengary into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory and are seeking donations to help make the decorations. All donations are greatly appreicated! Sign up link is below! Please have any donated items to the school as soon as possible but no later than 2/17/23!

Click on the link below to check out the March is Reading Month Smore with some exciting information about the plans for the month. As updates occur, information will be shared in this Smore.

Spring is around the corner and Girls on the Run is back for and will be offered to grades 3-5. This will begin on March 13th. If interested click on the link below for all details and information!

*Note: There will be no spring offering of STRIDE.

Interested in helping plan the end of year celebration for our 5th graders? We are beginning to form our planning committee. Please email Mrs. Johnson at rosaleighjohnson@wlcsd.org by Monday, February 27th if you are interested in helping to organize the end of year events for the Glengary 5th graders.

There will be a 5th Grade Informational Meeting regarding 5th Grade Camp on Wednesday, March 8 from 6:00-6:30 p.m. in room 3 at Glengary.

Congrats to Grace Dodds who won the awesome prize of being PE teacher for the day via the Fun Run raffle that took place in the fall. Grace spent the day teaching alongside Mr. Vogt and did a fantastic job engaging students in meaningful physical activity! I think it is safe to say the perfect combination of learning and fun was had by all! Way to go Miss Dodds!

Save the date for a fun event coming up in March! The Glengary staff will be taking on the Loon Lake staff in Volleyball.

Location: Walnut Creek Middle School

Time: Games begin at 6:30

More details coming soon!

As previously shared, Glengary has been taking steps toward becoming a "Green School" during the 23-24 school year.

This week, we kicked off a recycling initiative through a partnership with TerraCycle. Students are now able to deposit drink pouches and squeezable snack pouches into designated containers in the cafeteria. For every 5 pounds, the school can earn up to $50 while we simultaneously teach students how to recycle.

Did you know Glengary has a butterfly garden? How about a Pheasant habitat? Information available about sustainable fishing? Well, now you do!! A portion of the school's property houses a garden to attract Monarch butterflies, preserves the natural habitat for Pheasants, and signifies the importance of our environment.

Love eating fish? Seafood? Check out ways you can change your menu to support sustainability in our fishing practices: https://seafood.edf.org/

As a reminder, Glengary offers recycling for ink cartridges, drink and squeezable pouches, and encourages waste free lunches. Please partner with us in leaving the world better than we found it.

Next Steps: We are still looking for a cost-effective partner to recycle our paper based products. If you have a recommendation, please email andreahalimi03@gmail.com

The Walled Lake School District is holding its 12th annual EARTH DAY POSTER CONTEST! Please submit entries FEBRUARY 20th through MARCH 13th to the main office at Glengary.

Poster Rules:

• Paper no larger than 11x17 (ask teacher or office)
• Must be an original concept and design
• All Posters must highlight how we can change our resources (water, gas, electricity)
• A completed entry form must be attached (available in the office)

Questions: melindamiller@wlcsd.org

Walled Lake Central High School has a Red Cross blood drive scheduled on Friday, February 17th. Each donation can help up to three people and each donation only takes about 45 minutes. The blood drive is also the same day as WLC basketball games (girls JV/varsity, Unified, and boys JV/varsity), so individuals can donate blood, enjoy the game, and support the basketball teams all at once. Donors will earn a free basketball game ticket for that evening’s games.

Who wants a chance to win BIG money through our Tuition Expedition 50/50 Scholarship Raffle?

50% for you and 50% to support our classroom grant program.... it's win-win!

Consider buying your ticket today! Link is below!

In an effort to find additional ways to celebrate our staff, the WLCSD Community Relations department requests that families fill out the information below for staff who are rock stars in their classrooms and school communities. Please complete the form below and contact Dan Durkin (danieldurkin@wlcsd.org) with any questions you may have.

Check out the resources below from our school social worker, Ms. Abbo! It contains a lot of resources to support families in need.

School Portraits and Yearbooks go hand and hand, order your Glengary Elementary YB today! This special collection of school year memories can be treasured by your student for a lifetime! Friendly Reminder: New this year, yearbooks are no longer provided through the school picture program. Yearbooks must be purchased separately to receive one. Be sure to place your yearbook order!

In years past, yearbooks have been given to all students at no cost to families. These books were provided by Lifetouch, the company contracted to provide school pictures. Unfortunately, due to a significant decline in families purchasing individual student pictures, Lifetouch can no longer offer yearbooks at no charge.

In an effort to offset the cost of the yearbook for families who may not have the means to purchase one, the Glengary PTA is selling advertisement space in this year’s

yearbook. Each ad will be in color and consist of ⅛ (or the size of a business card) of a page at the conclusion of the book. The cost per ad is $50.

If you would like to purchase advertisement space, please do the following:

1.Complete the form linked below

2. Provide Andrea Halimi with the ad (exactly as you would like to be printed in the yearbook)

3. Submit payment, either cash or a check made out to Glengary Elementary PTA. All items can be sent to Glengary Elementary School PTA, 3070 Woodbury St, Commerce, MI

48390 (℅ Andrea Halimi).

This year, the PTA is excited to use their own communication platform to help organize important information all in one place. The Glengary Gazette is often loaded with info and sometimes the PTA updates can become buried. The link to the first edition of the PTA Post is linked below and will be regularly blasted out via Skyward and linked in the Glengary Gazette! Be sure to check it out!

Please check out some awesome activities below being offered through Walled Lake's Community Education Program.

Spring Leagues

• Gladiators Lacrosse - Available Now!
• WLCE Basketball Mini League - Registration Begins March 1st
• Spikers Girls Volleyball - Registration Begins March 1st
• After School Soccer - Pilot Program

The Walled Lake Consolidated School District, following the guidance of the Oakland County Health Division, requires individuals that are positive for COVID-19 AND individuals that exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, (one symptom from the top section or two symptoms from the second section), to follow certain steps before they can return to school. The link below contains a symptom screener as well as the options a family can take for their student to be eligible to return to school when a student is suggestive of COVID.

Many symptoms of COVID overlap with symptoms of other common illnesses and seasonal allergies. Current guidance requires us to follow COVID protocols for individuals that cannot pass the health screener until COVID is medically ruled out or a certain period of time has passed.

At this time, communication to families regarding COVID-19 cases at school is the same as it was at the end of the 2021-22 school year. When I learn of a positive case, I will send a letter to the classroom of the positive individual, as well as a letter to the entire grade level, to notify families of a possible exposure. For privacy reasons, names and identifying information will not be disclosed.

If you have any questions or need additional guidance regarding a sick child and school attendance, please contact our GLE Main Office. We recognize the added layer of responsibility on parents and school staff when an individual presents with symptoms during the pandemic and appreciate your partnership.

If your child tests positive for COVID-19, it is critical that the office staff and classroom teacher are quickly informed.

Please send an email to:

RosaLeigh Johnson - rosaleighjohnson@wlcsd.org

Melissa Roth - melissaroth@wlcsd.org

Cheryl Maten- cherylmaten@wlcsd.org

Your child's teacher

In the email, please include ALL of the following information:

Your child's name

Your child's grade

Your child's teacher

Your name

Your contact phone number

The date of symptom onset

The date your child was tested

The last date your child was in school

Type of test that was given (Home test, Rapid test at a testing site, PCR test at a testing site)

Name of testing site, if tested in a facility

*Note: Once staff are informed, the following action items occur.

1. Office reports to WL Human Resources Department

2. Families receive quarantine timeline via email from WL Human Resource Department

2. Office alerts custodians who deep clean the impacted classroom

3. Office sends a letter to the classroom of the positive individual & a letter to the entire grade level, to notify families of a possible exposure. Individual's names and identifying information is NOT shared.

There has been an influx of students wearing Apple Watches to school. Apple watches should not be worn during the school day. Just like cell phones, if it is absolutely necessary for a student to have an Apple Watch at school, please note that students will be asked to keep it in their backpack until the end of the school day. Watches can cause major distractions during the school day and are not a necessary resource for our K-5 students in the school setting. Thank you for your help and understanding.

Please note that our office is open from 8:30-4:30 daily. At times, we have families come to the building to retrieve missing snow gear, homework, etc. This is permissible if it is before 4:30. Please simply ring the doorbell and an office staff member will assist you. If it is after 4:30, you are welcome to call the office at 248-956-3100 and if an office staff member is still present, they may be able to assist you.

Important: Although our Prime Time Care staff is at school prior to 8:30 AM and after 4:30 PM, they are unable to allow entry into the building to anyone other than families picking up for Prime Time Care. Thank you for understanding as we work in partnership to keep our students safe and building secure.

Consistent, on-time attendance is a key component to school success. Over the past few years, it has been a challenge to prioritize school attendance while also following COVID protocols. This letter is to inform families of the District’s attendance procedures and COVID protocols. Please click on the link below to read the full letter.

We have had an increase in the number of Gators bringing electronic devices and toys to school. Students should refrain from bringing toys, Pokémon cards, etc. to school. These items can get lost, broken, and cause arguments amongst students.

Additionally, students who bring electronic devices to school should leave them in their backpacks until they leave for the day. Smart watches have been a distraction for some students as well. Students should not be using cell phones, smart watches, or other electronic devices during the day to make phones calls, access the internet, apps, pictures, etc. If a student needs to communicate with their parent/guardian or vice versa, that communication MUST be done by calling the office. Thank you for your support with this.

Winter weather is here and we are asking families to please take a moment to review the recess wear guidelines.

Please make sure your child has an appropriate coat or jacket for the weather. Many classes have an early morning block recess and we are looking ahead at some chilly mornings.

Hopefully we are still a ways away from snow, put please note that IT IS ESSENTIAL that students have boots and snow pants when there is snow on the ground.

If you need help providing winter wear for your child, please reach out to me and we will help you! We want all of our Gators to have the items that they need!

New for the 2022-2023, families can only access iReady lessons at home through the Classlink website. If connecting with iReady has been a challenge, please check out the one minute video tutorial below.

i-Ready is an online program for reading and mathematics that diagnoses the just right next steps for students. It is one tool that your student’s teacher will use to guide class and small group instruction. iReady lessons support classroom instruction and are designed to meet your student’s specific needs, personalize their learning, and monitor progress throughout the school year. It is a great tool to fill gaps and support classroom learning.

Your child's teacher can provide his/her login information if your child chooses to practice iReady at home.

Attention families! We are now offering a free ink cartridge recycling drop off at Glengary! There will be a bin where cartridges are collected inside the main vestibule; Glengary will return these recyclables to Empties4Cash. Empties4Cash will send a check to Glengary's PTA once they receive our donation. Thanks for supporting Glengary, and "going green"!

A strong home/school partnership is one of our core values at Glengary Elementary. As parents or guardians, we welcome your engagement and collaboration. When concerns arise, we ask that you assume positive intent and seek information first, before drawing conclusions.

When you have a concern specific to your child:

1. Contact the teacher or staff member involved first.

2. Ask for information, express a concern, suggest a solution through a respectful conversation or meeting.

3. Collaborate to generate a plan and agree to a timeline for resolving the issue.

4. Monitor and evaluate the success of your plan and make adjustments as needed.

After genuine collaboration and open communication with your child’s teacher, if resolution cannot be reached, it is then appropriate to contact the principal. Working with the teacher and principal, generate a plan that meets the situation’s needs and agree to a timeline for trying the solution. If you are unable to agree to a solution at the building level, the principal will invite the next most appropriate administrator to join the process.

The Student Pantry is a local resource we have available for any families in need. If your family has a need for basic school supplies, clothing, or food, please email RosaLeigh Johnson, Principal, Kristen Abbo, Social Worker, or Laura Locke, Teacher Liason. We will work in partnership with the Student Pantry to get you resources and supplies at no cost while respecting your privacy.

rosaleighjohnson@wlcsd.org

kristenabbo@wlcsd.org

lauralocke@wlcsd.org

Those who are interested in volunteering or making a donation should visit the Student Pantry website, www.thestudentpantry.weebly.com.

The Glengary Staff is truly something special! Per the request of several parents, we are sharing an updated list of Favorite Things for each Glengary staff member. If you are ever looking for ideas for how to say thank you, please feel free to click the link below and take a look!

During the 2022-2023 school year, breakfast and lunch will NO LONGER BE FREE for ALL students. It will only be free (or reduced) for those who qualify.

Congress voted not to extend the waiver which provided free breakfast and free lunch for all students. The waiver ended June 30, 2022.

Your family may qualify for free meals or for reduced-price meals. You can complete a free and reduced lunch application during registration in August.

If you do not qualify for free or reduced meals, you may begin depositing money into student accounts at any time to prepare for the cost of school lunches next year. Information on meal prices for the 2022-2023 school year are listed below

Breakfast costs

• $1.50 for Elementary
• $1.75 for Middle/High School

Lunch costs

• $3.00 for Elementary
• $3.25 for Middle/High School

If your student has a negative lunch account balance, we encourage you to pay it off as soon as possible and then begin depositing money into the account to prepare for the 2022-2023 school year.

Your family may qualify for free meals or for reduced-price meals. Reduced-price is $.30 for breakfast and $.40 for lunch. Completing an application is the only way to be considered for free or reduced meals next school year. Please take action now. You can complete the online free and reduced meal application located in Family Access once registration is open.

This free and reduced meal application information is critical in determining the amount of money that the District receives from a variety of State and Federal supplemental programs like Title I A, At-risk (31a), Title II A, E-Rate, etc.

These supplemental programs have the potential to offer supports and services for our students including, but not limited to:

• Instructional supports (staff, supplies & materials, etc.)
• Non-instructional services (counseling, social work, health services, etc.)
• Professional Learning for staff
• Parent and Community engagement supplies and activities
• Technology
• Pandemic-EBT

Our food service department is asking families to complete and submit the free and reduced meal application as soon as possible to ensure that additional funding for our school is available to meet the needs of our students. All information on the application submitted is confidential.

Please contact Anne Merchant at 248-956-3081 or at annemerchant@wlcsd.org with questions.

Glengary Elementary welcomed Romeo, our therapy dog, in the fall of 2021. We are thrilled to welcome Romeo as therapy dogs provide a host of benefits to students and staff.

Our program would not be possible with the support of many donors and sponsors. If you are interested in making a donation for Romeo's ongoing care, you can contact lauralocke@wlcsd.org or rosaleighjohnson@wlcsd.org.

Thank you to our AWESOME sponsors below!

Communication is important to us at Glengary. Parents will be notified and updated in a variety of ways throughout the school year. The majority of information for parents will be available on our school and District website and through email.

SKYWARD FAMILY ACCESS

It is critical that parents keep an updated email address and let us know if it changes as soon as possible. Parents may update this information for us on Skyward Family Access. All teachers at Glengary utilize Skyward Family Access to communicate with parents.Report cards, lunch account information, progress reports, attendance, and other important information will always be posted on Skyward Family Access. If you are a new family to Walled Lake Schools or have misplaced or lost your Family Access ID and password, please click HERE to get connected.

Glengary Gazette AND School Web Page

Our Glengary Gazette newsletter will be sent electronically to families. This is typically a bi-weekly communication filled with all important school and PTA updates. As we begin the year, the communication may be sent on a weekly basis if needed. An archive of newsletters will be posted to our school website. Please visit this page often for information about our school. You will find links to important documents, websites and blogs from your child's classroom, PTA forms and information, and important updates and forms that you will need to access.

PTA Post & Website

Our PTA will share updates via a PTA Post. Additionally, the PTA has an excellent website with upcoming events, fundraiser information, PTA membership links, and other pertinent information and forms.

Social Media

Glengary Elementary also has a Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter which are linked below!

RosaLeigh Johnson

Principal: rosaleighjohnson@wlcsd.org

Cheryl Maten

Principal's Secretary: cherylmaten@wlcsd.org

Melissa Roth

Building Secretary: melissaroth@wlcsd.org

Important Phone Numbers:

Main Line: 248-956-3100

Fax Line: 248-956-3105
Attendance: 248-956-3190