We Are... Wildcats!
9/6/2021
A Message from the Principal
As I said in my last update, we are really going to be focusing on a theme of gratitude this year, "Grateful to be a Wildcat". We know our students flourish when their physical, emotional, and mental health are taken care of. Focusing on gratitude really helps to promote a positive mindset which will enable our students to grow even more emotionally, and academically.
Please continue to share gratitudes as a family to build on this important skill. Also, take a moment to watch this video about gratitude to learn other ways to continue practicing this skill as a family.
I hope you all enjoy these last few moments of summer break with your children. We are so GRATEFUL to be partnering with you during this school year!
Sincerely,
Mr. Bezeau
Principal
Downriver STEM at Weiss
Mask Mandate from WCHD Reminder
- Masks are always available to students on the bus, in classrooms, and in the main office.
- If a student refuses to wear a mask, they will be placed in our Lakeshore Virtual Program for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year.
- If a student cannot medically tolerate a mask, parents should contact their child’s principal to set up a meeting with medical documentation to develop a plan.
Thank you for your continued flexibility, support, and understanding. Our continued partnership ensures that we can continue to offer quality in-person learning for all.
Open House (Sept. 8th)
Open House will be on September 8th. Your child's teacher sent an Open House schedule last week in their opening communication. Please select a time that will work for your family. We are scheduling open house times this year to help lessen the traffic within the building. Additionally, masks will be required indoors for anyone that attends our Open House due to the WCHD mask order.
If you aren't able to select a time slot that works with your family's schedule, please email the teacher and they will work with you. We are limiting the spaces per slot, but are flexible to ensure all families get a time that works for them. Parents are invited to join their students for Open House.
The staff at Weiss has been hard at work creating a fun, engaging, and welcoming environment for our Wildcats!
Arrival and Dismissal Times
As always, we need our families to follow the processes in order for them to work for our students. While we understand it will take a few days for students and families to become confident with their child's entry and dismissal location, we need parents to stay in their cars. At dismissal, we will walk students to the front of the building to enter their vehicles. At arrival, students will walk to their entrance independently.
Arrival:
Students can arrive and enter Weiss Elementary at 8:43 AM. Students may not arrive prior to 8:43 AM. Please do not drop your child off prior to 8:43 AM and have them wait at the doors. We will not have any staff to supervise and keep them safe. Students are expected to be in the school by 9:00 am. The majority of our students will enter the building through their classroom's exterior door. Mrs. Laidler and Mrs. Robert's class will enter through the main office area. Any student that arrives after 9:00am will enter our building through the office. Upon arrival, students must enter the building independently.
Dismissal:
At the end of the school day, students will exit from the same door they used at arrival. All students will enter their vehicle along the front of the building. This is to ensure we do not have students walking in or across the parking lot. It is imperative that families do not arrive prior to their dismissal time. If families are arriving early, this process will not work. If you arrive before your scheduled block, you will be asked to exit the pick-up loop, park in the lot, and get back into the pick-up line during your designated time. If you need to pick up your child early, just contact the office prior to dismissal to ensure we have your child ready during this time.
**If you have multiple children in the building, they will be dismissed at the oldest child's dismissal time.
Dismissal Times (by grade level) for FULL DAYS:
Kindergarten/1st Grade/Mrs. Roberts Class: 3:35pm
Second/Third Grade: 3:40 pm
Fourth: 3:45 pm
Fifth: 3:48 pm
Dismissal Times (by grade level) for HALF-DAYS:
Kindergarten/1st Grade/Mrs. Roberts Class: 11:50am
Second/Third Grade: 11:55am
Fourth: 12:00 pm
Fifth: 12:05 pm
Arrival and Dismissal (First Day ONLY)
Hazardous Material Update
GSD has been in constant communication with the governmental agencies that are monitoring and assisting with the hazardous material incident in Flat Rock. At this time, no GSD school buildings are in the incident zone and all GSD schools will be open for in-person learning on Tuesday, September 7, 2021. We will continue to communicate with families if anything changes and we are excited to see everyone tomorrow for our first day of school.
School-Parent Compact
Parent Square
- Send and receive school and class information
- Share pictures and files
- See calendar items
- Sign up to volunteer
- Schedule parent-teacher conferences
- and much more . . . all in one centralized place!
For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iOS and Android devices). Using the app is not required, however the app provides the best experience for all users and brings all your School and District communication into one place!
Parents—Getting Started Video
All district and school, grade level and classroom information will now be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text via ParentSquare.
Have questions? Click the question mark in the top right corner of the desktop version or the Help tab on the app (tap the triple bar icon at the top left) to find answers to most of your questions.
If you have not yet connected to Parentsquare, you will soon receive an invitation to connect. While this step is not required, it will allow you to set/adjust communication preferences and confirm your contact information and student records linked to your account.
We are excited at this transition and the opportunities for connection and engagement with families!
Student Medication and Medical Plans
If your child needs medication to be administered at school or requires a medical plan, please call Mrs. Hunter, our school secretary at (734) 379-7060, and set up an appointment. In your call with her, she will reference paperwork that needs to be completed by your child’s physician. Weiss' nursing services documents can be found AT THIS LINK.
Wildcat Spirit Wear
Family Health Screener
Breakfast and Lunch
This school year students will be eating in the lunchroom and possibly the classroom at times. This is based on our Special Area Schedule, lunchtimes, staffing, and making sure students have adequate space to eat.
ALL students can receive a free, healthy, breakfast and lunch each day. Please read THIS LETTER from our Director of Food Service for more information.
We still need your household to fill out and sign the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application. This report is critical in determining the amount of money that our school receives from a variety of State and Federal supplemental programs like Title I A, At-risk (31a), Title II A, E-Rate, etc. The application can be be found HERE.
We will always attach the monthly lunch menu to this newsletter. But it can also be viewed on the Nutri Slice Website.
Fall Picture Day
Mark your calendars our fall picture day is scheduled for Tuesday, September 21st.
Message from the PTO
Welcome families! Do you know your PTO? Thanks to every movie that has ever mentioned a school PTO, you probably have some....ermm... not so stellar ideas of what the PTO is, what they do, and how they behave. I can assure you, that whatever your mental image holds, it's well... not that. The Weiss PTO (Parent/Teacher Organization) is a group of parent/guardian volunteers who work collectively to identify and respond to the needs of our students and staff while providing opportunities for our children to learn about their role in a community. Consisting of five elected members, the PTO Board is filled with working guardians and staff with busy lives and full schedules just like you. We give back to the Weiss community because there is always a need, and who better to help than your neighbor?
In 2018, the PTO requested your support in updating the playgrounds. Shortly after we faced a pandemic. However, we kept working to fulfill our promise and use your fundraising dollars to improve the play space. The district completed repairs to the playground structures last spring, allowing us to purchase recess bags for each student last year and stencils for our blacktop areas that will give our kids activity paths, stations, and updated play areas. Please join us during the Open House on September 8th to complete this project by helping to paint the playground. We will provide paint cups. We need you to provide your artistry.
This year, the PTO will continue to raise funds to improve our outdoor spaces and utilize the outside as a learning environment, play space, and area for creativity. We are looking forward to a new school year and are excited to come together as a community again! This year will still require flexibility, but we will see more opportunities to interact with one another while following guidelines.
Please take a look at the Calendar of Events and contact us at WeissElementaryPTO@gmail.com to volunteer to chair (party plan) an event or volunteer before/during/after an event. We’d like to have the full calendar of events this year, but we can’t do it without you.There will be many times throughout the school year where your time, donations and attention will be requested. We hope that you feel welcome to join us, offer a helping hand, and consider any donations when you can to support the PTO, your students, and your school.
We can't wait to see your smiling faces!
KEEPING CONTACT INFORMATION UP TO DATE
As we work in partnership to keep our school family healthy and safe, it will be imperative that when the school calls, you answer and be prepared to pick your child up in a timely manner should they have symptoms of being ill. If you can not pick up your child, please create a contingency plan that can be utilized immediately. PLEASE make sure all contact numbers are active and all emergency contacts are up to date, too.
ParentConnect is the web application connected to our Student Information System. It will allow you to review current, up-to-the-minute information about your student including their emergency contact information.
Emergency contact information has always been vitally important and it continues to be. More communication than ever will be coming home via email opposed to paper copies.
When you need to update your contact information the web address for the ParentConnection site is:
https://zangleweb.resa.net/Gibraltar/ParentConnect
If you encounter technical difficulties using your account, please send email to:
Parent Portal Mobile App
If you would like to access your Parent Portal on your smart phone or tablet, we offer a free mobile application. It is quick and easy to get started. Click on the PDF below to view Mobile App Installation Instructions
Interested in being a Lunch Monitor?
Upcoming Dates
September 7th-First Day of School for Students
September 8th-Open House-5:30-7:00pm
September 21st- Fall Picture Day
September 22nd- Half Day for Student. Professional Development for Staff
October 14th-15th- Half Day for Student and Parent-Teacher Conferences in the PM
Feel free to add this "Weiss Families Calendar" to your Google Calendar to help easily keep track of upcoming Weiss events: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=gibdist.net_ra1jclsqrn76kim9gv4kj4jsb4%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America%2FNew_York