Defer Dragon's Burning News
April 26, 2019
From the Principal
Dear Parents,
It was a "green week" at Defer! With some help from our Green Squad, students celebrated Earth Week with activities such as a waste-free lunch, adopt an animal day, and walk or bike to school day. Many classes also celebrated Earth Day in their classroom reading books and talking about the small activities we can do each day to help our Earth.
Fourth graders also participated in Disability Awareness Day on Wednesday. Disability Awareness Day provided students with interactive lessons to build awareness and empathy related to people who live with disabilities. Thank you to the coordinators and volunteers that made the day successful for our students.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Dr. Rheaume
Defer Upcoming Events
April 30 - 4th Grade ELA M-Step
May 1 - Spring Instrumental Concert 7pm @ Defer
May 2 - 4th Grade Math M-Step
May 6- 5th Grade Class Photograph @ 10:30 AM
May 7 - 3rd Grade ELA M-Step
May 9 - 3rd Grade ELA M-Step; Spring Vocal Music Concert 7 pm @ Pierce
May 14 - PTO Meeting 7 pm
May 16 - Defer Town Hall Meeting 6:30 pm
May 20 - 24 Spring Book Fair
May 23 - Spring Social
Earth Week Activities
Thank you for everyone who participated in our Defer Earth Week Activities!
“In nature, nothing exists alone.”
— Rachel Carson
Spring Assessments
M-Step testing starts for fourth graders on Tuesday. NWEA testing also begins next week for some classes. Both tests will be administered on the computer again this year. The NWEA and M-Step tests are opportunities for our students to demonstrate their current levels of understanding in core subject areas. During the spring testing time, we are asking parents to be especially alert to their child’s needs for:
- getting plenty of rest,
- eating a good breakfast each morning,
- and being in school and on time on testing days.
Please ask your child's classroom teacher for the specific assessment dates.
Office News
In the event your child has an appointment, or you need to get a message to your child and/or child’s teacher, please call the attendance line and/or office directly no later than 10:30 AM for morning instructions, and no later than 2:30 PM for afternoon instructions. Messages will be delivered to classes twice a day. Also, if your child forgets something at home and you plan to bring it to school for them, the teachers have requested for you to drop it off at the office or the grade cubbies/shelves in the Copier Room. Again, this keeps interruptions to a minimum and maximizes class learning. Any help and consideration concerning this matter is greatly appreciated!
We are so thankful the weather is warming up, and the children are so excited to spend time outdoors. Please take a moment to check in with your kids to see if they need of an extra change of clothes (including shirt, pants, socks and underwear) to keep in their lockers. Although it is warmer outside, we are finding some children need to change after playing on the playground. Also, please remember to have your children wear closed toe shoes to school for their own safety. We all love the idea of wearing open-toed sandals, however we have already had some bloody toe injuries at recess this week. Thank you for all your help!
Lastly, if you have a moment to pop in to take a look at our Lost and Found, please do so this next week. We have many items we would love to get back to their rightful owners. At the end of the week we will be gathering the winter lost and found and donating it to local charities to be recycled. Thanks again!
Volunteer and Field Trip Chaperone Forms for Parents and Guests
Student Leadership News
Thank you Defer students for purchasing the school supplies sold by the Student Leadership Team. We really appreciate it and we will be using the money to buy some recess equipment.
May 1st - 10th we are collecting non perishable boxed items to donate to Karmanos in honor of Mrs. Lapensee. Please see the link below.
Kindergarten and Young Fives Program
Have a Kindergarten student next fall - establish/verify residency now
It is critical that families establish or verify residency if they have a student entering GPPSS next fall, particularly for kindergarten (May 1). Click here to see the pre-enrollment process (step one) and the residency documents (step two) required by board policy. Call 313-432-3083 if you have questions or need an appointment outside the enrollment office hours 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Friday.
Blue Ribbon Committee
Please visit the Blue Ribbon Link (https://mi01000971.schoolwires.net/Page/19013) for current facts. Please keep in mind, no decisions have been made yet. A Town Hall meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 16th at Defer. We hope you are able to join us at one of the Town Hall meetings to share any concerns and get answers to questions you might have about the possible changes to the district. We will continue to focus on student learning and providing the best experiences for all the students in the district.
PTO News
Week of May 20th--Spring Book Fair
More details related to the schedule and volunteer sign up coming soon!
Wednesday, May 22--Box Tops deadline!
One of the ways in which parents can help support Defer is to clip and turn in box tops. Classrooms earn parties once they reach a certain number of box tops submitted. The organizers are in the midst of planning the third party of the school year currently. The deadline to earn a party this school year is May 22! Please submit any box tops you may have collected so they may be counted and parties may be awarded to the students!
Thursday, May 23--Spring Social
The whole family is invited to the Defer PTO annual Spring Social event on the blacktop and field of the school. Think inflatables, photo booth, music, Wally's custard and family mingling! Pizza and custard will be available for purchase during this evening gathering. More information coming soon!
Tuesday Teacher Treats!
We love to spoil all of the teachers and staff at Defer! We are looking for more volunteers to sign up for bringing in treats/snacks for the teachers on Tuesdays this spring. Check out available dates here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e4dabae2ea4f58-tuesday
Defer Diversity Parent Group
District Diversity Meetings (GPPUD)Upcoming Meetings: GPPUD
Share Your Culture! We want to hear more about your family’s cultural background and traditions. New in 2019 we will be creating a bulletin board that will be changed monthly. We are looking for families to decorate the board to help us learn more about diverse cultures and families. Bulletin boards could include family photos, traditional customs, recipes, suggested reading and any additional information you would like to share. Please email Sarah skswanson@gmail.com or Heather hbendure@gmail.com for more information and to let us know you are interested in participating!
Please contact Dr. Rheaume or one of our parent organizers Susan Sutorka at susansuto@yahoo.com or Janice Fox at jcfcreative@gmail.com for more information about our Diversity Parent Group.
Habit 7- Sharpen the Saw
Welcome to the April edition of our Leader in Me newsletter!
Published by the Defer Family Learning Team
The 7 Habits are reviewed, practiced and integrated daily at Defer. We will review the 7 Habits with you monthly. Thank you for your partnership in reinforcing your child’s leadership skills.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw.
We are learning about Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw. Once there was a man who was sawing down a tree and not making much progress. When asked why he didn’t stop sawing to sharpen his saw, he answered that he was too busy sawing.
Habit 7 reminds us that we are more productive when we are in balance; body, brain, heart, and soul. If one area is being ignored or overused, the remaining three areas will feel the results. A good analogy for children is: a car needs all four tires and as leaders of themselves, they need to take care of all four parts.
Books that reinforce Habit 7:
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems, Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D. B. Johnson, Me I Am! by Jack Prelutsky, Uncle Willie and Soup Kitchen by DyAnne DiSalvo Ryan
Sharpen the Saw at home: Expect your child to use words and phrases like Sharpen the Saw, 4 parts of myself; body, mind, heart, and soul, “it’s like 4 tires of a car”, taking care of myself, and balance. You can encourage your child by using some of these words at home. Take time to talk about and practice sharpening the saw at home.
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