Outdoor play is an important of every child's day. Students will go outside when the temperature is zero degrees and above, with the wind-chill factored in. Please make sure your child has the following items for recess and refer to the infographic below for further information:

Winter Coat

Snow pants

Snow boots

Hat/Earmuffs

Mittens/Gloves

Please label all of these items and place them in a bag. Students will remain on the blacktop if they do not have the appropriate outdoor gear. If you need help providing winter wear for your child, please reach out to us! We want all of our Mustangs to have the items they need!

Donations will gladly be accepted and can be dropped off to the Meadowbrook office anytime between 9am-4pm. Thank you for your support!

#mustangproud

In Partnership,

Jennifer VanWagnen, Principal

Don't Forget! This year, parent/teacher conferences will be held virtually via Zoom on Thursday, December 8. On this date, students will be dismissed at 11:25am.

Parents and guardians can sign-up for parent/teacher conferences using Skyward Family Access. Online sign-up for conferences closes on December 5.

Below are directions to help you sign-up:

• Elementary – Skyward Family Access Online Conference Sign-Up (PDF)
• Elementary – Conference Sign-Up – Directions for Parents (Video)
• Link to Skyward Family Access
• IMPORTANT: When you login to Skyward, you will notice that Skyward says conferences will be in-person. This is incorrect – Conferences will be virtual via Zoom this year. Please still sign-up per the directions above.

Please Note:

• In addition to your child’s classroom teacher, you may also choose to sign-up for virtual conferences with our FAPES teachers: PE, Music, Art, and Media. These conferences are OPTIONAL but we encourage you to sign-up if you have concerns, would like more information, or want to connect with our wonderful FAPES staff:
• Mr. Hojnicki, Mrs. Keillor, Mrs. Kearney and Mr. Swisher
• If your child receives support from our resource program, social work, reading recovery or interventions, etc. You should sign up for a conference with those teachers. This is an important opportunity for you to partner with all of your child’s teachers. Conference sign-up for these teachers is also done in Skyward Family Access (see directions above).
• Mrs. Behan, Mrs. Fox, Mrs. Kuzmich, Mrs. Halicki, Mrs. Mouawad, Mrs. Phillips
• If you need help logging in to Skyward Family Access, please e-mail familyaccess@wlcsd.org for tech support.

This is an important reminder that Thursday, December 8th is a half day of school with a dismissal at 11:25 PM.

Please refer to our tiered dismissal times below:

11:10- Saddle Up Pick-Up Begins

11:18: Prime Time Care Dismissed

11:20 13 Mile Walkers

11:21- Begin loading busses

11:23- Meadowbrook Walkers

11:25-Official Dismissal

11:30-11:32 – Departure

December

12/4: Happiest of birthdays to Jennifer Schloegl!

12/5-12/9: PTA Book Fair

12/7: Report Cards Available in Skyward

12/7: PTA Meeting @ 9 AM

12/8: Parent-Teacher Virtual Conferences, Dismissal at 11:25 AM

12/9: Breakfast with a Buddy, 8-9 AM

12/11: Happiest of birthdays to Jennifer Shaw!

12/12: Happiest of birthdays to Carrie Stauss!

12/12: 5th Grade Introduction to Instruments: 8th Grade Performance

12/13: Happiest of birthdays to Kelly Thompson!

12/14-12/16: The Holiday Gift Shop

12/23-1/3: No School for Winter Break

January

1/4: PTA Meeting @ 6 PM in Media Center

1/6: Dr. Bernia Visits Meadowbrook

1/12: Board of Education Meeting: Teacher of the Year Recognition

1/13: Student Council Meeting in AM

Meadowbrook Families,

Book fair is here! We highly recommend setting up an eWallet account for your student. This allows your child to shop without bringing in cash. Set up an eWallet here: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/parent-how-it-works.html?fairID=5210402

Some of our teachers have also set up their own eWallet. If you would like to contribute to a teacher’s classroom library you can donate through their link. If you don’t see your student’s teacher listed below, check with them directly to see if they have an account set up.

There are still volunteer opportunities as well, volunteer here:

December Book Fair

signupgenius.com

Teacher eWallets:

Shaw: https://shop.scholastic.com/ewallet/fund?lang=en_US&walletId=d9bc6e05-01b8-4da6-a9ad-e23c7560634c

Bak: https://shop.scholastic.com/ewallet/fund?lang=en_US&walletId=572725fd-a6df-4ea7-ba1b-486c8cee9695

Payne: https://shop.scholastic.com/ewallet/fund?lang=en_US&walletId=1c927584-2448-4861-bee8-f9747c9ac801

Stauss: https://shop.scholastic.com/ewallet/fund?lang=en_US&walletId=fcd245d4-f502-465d-aa0e-fb90c02cc479

Wetzel: https://shop.scholastic.com/ewallet/fund?lang=en_US&walletId=48a455c8-8733-49b8-ab2c-e742561a73bb

Widmayer: https://shop.scholastic.com/ewallet/fund?lang=en_US&walletId=688905d0-5297-4312-a25b-1b5cde41c755

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.

Dear School Families,

We are inviting you and your child to participate in the upcoming "Holiday Gift Shop" program at our school. This program makes it possible for children to experience the joy of choosing their own special holiday gifts for family and friends. To better prepare for this shopping experience, please take the time to fill out the envelope that will be sent home with your children. Additional information will be sent home this week, but please contact Ann Kearney at AnnKearney@wlcsd.org with any further questions. Cheers!

On Saturday, December 17 at 4 PM the Michigan Men's Basketball team will be hosting their fifth annual Education Day when they take on Lipscomb. Students at Meadowbrook Elementary School can participate in person at the game or virtually! They have created a pair of age-specific STEM workbooks that will be available at the game or can be downloaded for free along with a certificate of completion that can be filled out! To download the workbooks, go to the webpage HERE. They would love to have HWE students take advantage of the day by attending the game here in Ann Arbor or visiting the website. Staff and students can purchase tickets at a discount to our Education Day by visiting HERE and using the promo STEM.

Join Meadowbrook principal, staff and parents as they come together in a judgement free and collaborative safe zone to explore the book titled

Raising Good Humans: A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids.

"With this book, you’ll find powerful mindfulness skills for calming your own stress response when difficult emotions arise. You’ll also discover strategies for cultivating respectful communication, effective conflict resolution, and reflective listening."

For more information and to request a copy of the book, please email JenniferVanWagnen@wlcsd.org or KellanWatkins@wlcsd.org. Our next conversation and club meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 21st at 9:30 AM and we welcome new attendees! We will be discussing Part I: Breaking the Cycle of Reactivity. Refreshments will be served and a Zoom option will be available for those who cannot make our in-person meeting. See you soon!

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.

A sample of what these shout outs will look like on social media and in our District newsletters can be found below.

Not receiving district and/or building communications?

If you are not receiving emails from Mrs. VanWagnen, including the Mustang Express, District Weekly Updates, please use the link below to double-check your preferences are correct.

Signing Up for SMS Messages via Skylert

In addition to receiving phone calls and email notifications from the school district in the event of a school closing or emergency, parents can also sign up to receive SMS Text messages.

Please find the helpful step-by-step instructions linked below as well as the video tutorial on signing up for SMS messages.

• Signing Up for SMS Messages via Skylert

Principal: jennifervanwagnen@wlcsd.org

Kellan Watkins

Principal's Secretary: kellanwatkins@wlcsd.org

Jennifer Schloegl

Building Secretary: jenniferschloegl@wlcsd.org

Important Phone Numbers:

Main Line: 248-956-2700

Attendance: 248-956-2790

It is very important that you take time to review the Meadowbrook Handbook which is filled with important information, policies and procedures.