Comets' Corner
Twain Update - Week of Sunday, November 15, 2020
Twain Joins FHS Students in Celebrating Virtual Kindness Week This Week!
We don't have to look far to see that the stress and anxiety of the past several months is getting to people. It's easy to focus on all the things that feel wrong and to give in to the negativity all around us. I hope that as a community, we will always look for ways to see the good and share it with others. To that end, it's a perfect time for us to help our Comets' Community to focus on one of our Mark Twain ROCKSTAR traits: KINDNESS!
If your child is at all unwell, you must keep them home.
Student Benchmarking Data & Tier Letters
If you have questions, please email Kristin Reilly, our Title I Coordinator, for more information: kristin.reilly@fraserk12.org
Twain Picture Days - Save the Dates
Our virtual Comets will be invited to come into the building (at assigned times, TBD) between 3:30 and 6pm on Wednesday, December 9th.
More information will follow, but we wanted to get these dates out to our families as soon as possible.
Keeping Our Comets Community Safe is EVERYONE'S Responsibility
Please remember, you MUST complete the screener each morning before bringing your child to school; this will continue to be the practice as many of our students return to school face-to-face starting November 30th. If your child is not feeling 100% healthy, please DO NOT send them to school. Be vigilant to note any new symptom, no matter how minor it may seem, and keep your kids home until you are SURE they are healthy.
In addition, if someone in your household tests positive for Covid-19, or if you find out that your child has been exposed to someone who has tested positive, please reach out to the office immediately so we can walk you through next steps.
We are working so hard to keep sick people out of our building so we can keep healthy ones here teaching and learning. And your cooperation is CRUCIAL.
Wednesday, 11/23 to Friday, 11/26
As we look ahead to Thanksgiving, we hope that you will enjoy this family time. We do ask that you PLEASE make safe choices to limit exposures to help us keep our entire Comets' Community safe when many of our students return to in-person learning the following Monday.
Please remember that during a pandemic, our choices don't just impact ourselves. When it comes to returning to school, everyone's choices outside of school will impact the health and wellbeing of our students and staff inside of school and throughout our school community. Please partner with us to keep our community healthy.
For ideas about how to celebrate Thanksgiving more safely this year, see the infographic below, or visit the CDC's recommendations here.
Fraser Forward Plan
Here are some IMPORTANT dates to keep in mind as you plan:
- Tuesday, November 17th - Thursday, November 19th - Final small-group cohort meetings
- Friday, November 20th - Updated Teacher Records Day - Asynchronous learning for students
- Monday, November 23rd & Tuesday, November 24th - Student-Involved Virtual Conferences by appointment (sign-up information will follow next week) - Asynchronous learning days for students
- Monday, November 30th - Students begin new schedules of ALL Face to Face or ALL Virtual (based on parent enrollment choices)
- Thursday, December 3rd & Friday, December 4th - Student Half-Days for teacher planning
- Monday, December 7th - 1st Trimester Report Cards sent home
- Wednesday, December 9th - Evening Class Parent Meetings with Teachers (details forthcoming)
- Thursday, December 10th - Student Half-Day for teacher planning
***As you know, many of our students' class placements will change due to re-staffing to accommodate fully in-person and virtual-only classes. Updated class/ teacher assignments will be sent out the week of November 22nd.***
Have You Signed Up for Virtual Conferences Yet???
This year, due to the upcoming November 30th transition of all students to fully face-to-face or fully virtual instruction, we are holding our Elementary Fall Student-Involved Conferences earlier than normal, on November 23-24, during school hours. These conferences will be held VIRTUALLY via GoToMeeting.
We expect every parent to make it a priority to attend our Fall Conferences. Teachers will be discussing your children’s progress and celebrating some of their learning experiences this trimester. It is our hope that your student will be able to participate in their virtual conference with us, too.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
- We will need to keep on schedule. Please be on time, and You may want to schedule time in between conferences if you have more than one child at Mark Twain.
- We will lock the meeting room during each conference, so if it says “Waiting for Host” when you log on, it means the previous conference is still in session.
- Mrs. Reilly will be available to meet with parents who have questions or concerns about our Intervention/ Title I Services.
- Conferences with Specials teachers are not required but are available to parents who wish to set them up.
- If your child receives special education services and you would like his/her caseload teacher to join in for your general education conference, please email them to set that up.
If you have not yet signed up for your child's conference, please do so using THIS LINK.
Virtual Scholastic Book Fair Coming Soon!
You’re invited to shop our Scholastic Book Fair online from November 23rd – Dec. 6th. All purchases benefit our school and connect kids with new books, favorite characters, complete series, and more.
You’ll love the NEW option to shop for Book Fair exclusives directly from the interactive booklist and enjoy these special online shopping features:
- ·Over 6,000 items, including new releases, best sellers, and value packs
- ·All orders ship direct to home
- ·FREE shipping on book-only orders over $25*
- ·All purchases support our school and earn 25% in rewards
The virtual link will become available on November 23rd to begin shopping! We hope you'll be able to support our school and your student's love of reading, too!
34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Celebration of Macomb County
Elementary students have two options to participate. Please download the files below for more information. We hope some of our Comets will take advantage of this great opportunity this year!
Solid Gold Shout Outs!
The following students are receiving Solid Gold Shout Outs from our teachers for their ROCKS behaviors last week:
Ayden Butler - 1st Grade
"Ayden tries his hardest and completes all of his work each week. He loves participating on our virtual meetings. He is a math whiz!" - Ms. Widmer
Marley Jett - 1st Grade
"Marley always has a positive attitude and a big smile on his face. He loves to laugh and have fun! During our F2F time he is a kind friend, handing out compliments to others throughout the day." - Ms. Widmer
Hannah Jurkiewicz - 1st Grade
"Hannah positively and eagerly participates in 1st grade each day!" - Mrs. Palus
Isabel Kraut - 1st Grade
"Isabel starts each class with a smile and is an eager participant!" - Mrs. Palus
Lily Madrigal - 1st Grade
"Lily works hard both F2F and virtually. She loves school and always has a big smile on her face. I am so impressed by how much she has grown since September. I look forward to reading her writings each week!" - Ms. Widmer
Dexter Miron - 1st Grade
"Dexter is doing a great job getting his assignments completed and turned in. During our F2F time, he works hard and always makes us laugh.. He has a positive attitude, always coming in with a smile and funny things to share with me." - Ms. Widmer
Zion Baker - 2nd Grade
"Zion has been an excellent virtual student. He participates at every meeting, gets all of his work done, and has a great attitude. I am so grateful to have Zion in my class." - Mrs. Barker
Abriana Bowers - 2nd Grade
"Bri is a Mark Twain Rockstar! She works hard and completes all of her class and virtual work. She is keeping up with her Seesaw assignments and her math lessons on Zearn. She has a cooperative attitude and is a pleasure to have in class and at our Virtual Meetings. Keep up the great work Bri... YOU ROCK!" - Mrs. Szeliga
Knox Deatherage - 2nd Grade
"Knox is a Mark Twain Rockstar! He works hard and completes all of his class and virtural work. He is keeping up with his reading on Myon and his math lessons on Zearn. He has a cooperative attitude and is a pleasure to have in class and at our Virtual Meetings. Keep up the great work Knox... YOU ROCK!" - Mrs. Szeliga
Benjamin Villarreal - 2nd Grade
"Benjamin gives 100% effort during all of our GoToMeetings. Thank you for being a Rockstar, Benjamin. Way to go!!" - Mrs. Lipski
Alaina Dorris - 3rd Grade
"Alaina has worked hard to get ahead on zearn and complete all of her seesaw assignments. She is also reading on myON daily and completing her myON projects. She is doing an amazing job getting all of her work done!" - Mrs. Cracchiolo
James Epifanio - 3rd Grade
"James completes his work on time each week!" - Mrs. Riffe
Gary Wakefield - 3rd Grade
"Gary works very hard to get all of his work done each week. He went above and beyond with a writing assignment this week." - Mrs. Riffe & Ms. Tina
Drake Willockx - 2nd Grade
"Drake has been a Myon Rockstar!! He read over 5 hours this week. Way to go Drake!!!" - Mrs. Barker
Isabel Davidson - 4th Grade
"Izzy has been an awesome ELA/Science Rockstar this week! Way to go, Izzy!" - Mrs. Albrecht
Sean Davidson - 4th Grade
"Sean has been an awesome ELA/Science Rockstar this week! Way to go, Sean!" - Mrs. Albrecht
Andrea Maceri - 4th Grade
"Andrea was a Math Rockstar this week!" - Ms. Offer
Chase Rossi - 4th Grade
"Chase was a Math Rockstar this week!" - Ms. Offer
Maddix Lickman - 5th Grade
"Maddix always pays attention and participates in class. He is a great role model." - Mrs. Lombard
Sabrina Warner - 5th Grade
"Sabrina does a fantastic job of participating in face to face and virtual class. She has great insights to share about our readings and writings." - Mrs. Lombard
Congratulations to this week's ROCKSTARS! Keep up the great work!
Lunch Aides STILL Needed at Twain!
Lunch aides are needed every M-F at Twain beginning November 30th. These are paid positions, and applicants must be able to be outside in temperatures above 10 degrees. Interested candidates should email Mrs. Woods and complete an application HERE. We look forward to hearing from you!
Candidates should be able to:
- Observe and supervise students during assigned work period.
- Maintain order and be aware of student safety and well-being, including supervising social distancing, handwashing, and sanitation procedures as needed.
- Wear a mask over nose and mouth when on duty.
- Supervise indoor activities in case of inclement weather.
- Report accidents or injuries or other problems to building principal.
- Assist students with clothing and lunches as needed.
- Maintain standards of conduct expected by the School District when students are eating their lunch or playing on the playground
Technology Support
If you need direct assistance with your child's iPad or any of the websites or educational programs they use, please click here to submit a ticket into our district Tech Support.
Contact Our Twain Office With Questions
Important Contact Information:
Main Office Phone: 586-439-6900
Absentee Phone Line: 586-439-6990
(This is a 24-hour recorded line; please leave your child's reason for absence and length of time out. Absences reported to this line ensure most timely and accurate record.)
Fax: 586-439-6801
Twain Principal: Mrs. Laura Woods
Email: laura.woods@fraserk12.org
Due to Covid-19 health risks, we are not allowing parents or guests into the building except in very specific situations and ONLY with an appointment. Please call the office or send us an email if you’d like to discuss a concern.
School Administrative Assistant: Ms. Beverly Dobosenski (Ms. D.)
Email: beverly.dobosenski@fraserk12.org
Twain Office Hours - 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
School Hours: 8:35am – 3:30pm (Small-Group Cohorts meet from 8:35 am -12:00 pm)
First Bell: 8:30 am
Instructional Bell: 8:35 am
Students must be in class by 8:35 am, or they are marked tardy.
(Some images borrowed from Google)
Email: laura.woods@fraserk12.org
Website: https://www.fraser.k12.mi.us/Domain/14
Location: 30601 Calahan Road, Roseville, MI, USA
Phone: 5864396900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamTwainFraser
Twitter: @LWoodsTwain