Dear Glengary Families,

These past few weeks have certainly been trying. I know that the events that occurred in Oxford last week and the news of a lock down at WL Central on Tuesday have shaken our community and left our families feeling an array of emotions. I am grateful for our families, our students, and our incredible staff who continue to work in partnership and rise above the challenges.

As we embark on the month of December and prepare to close the last chapter of the year 2021 as a Glengary Family, may you remember these things...

-Take time to celebrate how far we have come

-Reflect on all that we have learned this year

-Know we are not alone if we are hurting

-Remember that even though there are 100 things to do, we are not wrong for needing time to rest and regroup

-Be grateful for things both great and small

-Believe that some of the best gifts we can give are time, empathy and love

Thank you for your continued partnership! 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

December

12/9: Parent/Teacher Conferences (early dismissal 11:25 see below)

12/14: No School for Students (Staff Options Based Training)

12/15: Ugly Sweater Day (Spirit Week Info Below)

12/15: Friend of Diversity Award Nominations Due (See Below)

12/15: Express Yourself Projects Due

12/16: Holiday Headgear (Spirit Week Info Below)

12/16: Student Options Based Training (See Below)

12/17: Fancy Friday (Spirit Week Info Below)

12/19: Final Day of i-Ready School-Wide December Challenge (Info Below)

12/20: Snowman Day (Spirit Week Info Below)

12/21: Snooze-Day (Spirit Week Info Below)

12/21: Final Day for Students (Winter break begins at close of school day)

January

1/3: School Resumes

1/6: Board Meeting (Emily McBryar honored for Teacher of the Year)

1/17: No School (MLK Celebration)

This week our Gators are building the Other People Matter Mindset by learning about Words and Actions and How the Affect Others (Dec 5th-11th). The following week (Dec 12-Dec 18), the character strength of focus will be Self-Control.

Please take a look at the links below for each strength 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. Thank you!

This week Glengary Elementary will think and reflect on How My Words and Actions affect others. Did you know that everything you do and say can affect people in a positive or negative way? Think about it...Did someone smile at you today? Did you smile back?

The smallest of gestures and one kind word can change someone's entire day. We continue to encourage you to help your child build the Other People Matter Mindset by asking them to think about how their words or actions affect others. Re-framing our thinking so that things do not just center around us can be challenging but through purposeful conversations and reflections, our students will begin to think about others first in everything that they do.

Some things you can do at home to encourage your child to think about the words they use with others are:

*At the dinner table ask everyone to say something positive about everyone present. Talk about how it made you feel when others said nice things to you.

*Challenge your child to smile at someone when you are out and see if the person smiles back. Talk about how it made them feel if they did smile back or if they didn’t.

*Challenge your child to hold the door open for someone and see how the person responds. Talk about how it made them feel if they responding positively or negatively.

Yesterday evening, you received a district communication regarding Options Based training.

The Walled Lake Consolidated School District utilizes an “Options Based” (commonly known as ALICE) approach to school emergency/lockdown scenarios. Within this training, students and staff have the options to run, hide, fight (age appropriately) in the event that there is an active threat in the building.

Walled Lake Central High School students and staff made use of their training during the false alarm the school faced yesterday. Most staff and students stayed in their classrooms, barricaded the doors, remained quiet, and allowed for the police and the administration to assess, evaluate, and investigate the alleged threat. A small number of WL Central students ran out of the building as that was their choice within their training.

We are thankful that there was no credible threat and that our students and staff were never in any danger.

Next week, each of our schools will have one day where building staff will be trained by local law enforcement along with the building administration in Options Based emergency response. In order to make this necessary training a reality, we will need to keep students home on each building’s designated training day to allow our staff and trainers to complete this important work. We recognize that this is inconvenient for parents and we apologize for this; however, we must continue to prioritize safety.

Please note that the Glengary Staff Training Day (No School for Students) will take place next Tuesday, 12/14/21.

Glengary will have a school-wide training for students and staff in school on Thursday, 12/16/21.

Please note that I will send an email with additional details regarding the training that will take place next Thursday no later than Monday, 12/13. Elementary principals will be collaborating together and with local law enforcement to ensure student training is developmentally appropriate and takes the needs of our elementary students into account. This training will NOT be ALL day, but rather, will last for about 1 hour.

This training is necessary so we can all be as prepared as possible to ensure the safety of everyone. Please know that we will have staff on-site to support any student who becomes overwhelmed with emotion during this time.

We appreciate all of your help and support.

Below are some helpful resources you can use as you have difficult conversations with your children.

Most importantly, reassure them that they are safe

• Glengary takes many steps to help keep students safe
• Identify a safe/trusted adult at school who keeps me/them safe

Make time to talk

• Allow your child’s questions to lead and guide your conversation
• Children’s questions are not always direct or chronological in nature
• Be patient
• Watch for clues they want to talk (lingering around you)
• It may be easier for your child (especially younger to communicate through drawing or imaginative play

Keep your explanations appropriate

• Keep it simple and brief
• Older students may be more specific in their questions. Answer but keep your responses brief and factual. Focus on efforts of school, community, and home to keep them safe. Separate fantasy/rumor from reality
• If you have both younger students and older students in your home, you may wish to have these conversations with them separately. The questions older students ask may be more information than you wish to have your younger student hear.

Review safety procedures (home and school)

• Ask, “how is your school safe?”
• Students may share or you can offer
• All doors are locked all the time
• Staff have a special badge to get in
• Staff use walkie-talkies, the phone, and p.a. to talk
• Lunch/playground monitors
• Cameras around the school
• Fire Department and Police (We partner with the Wixom Police Department)
• Drills (Fire, Tornado, and Safety)
• What do you do in these drills?
• Emphasize the most important thing in all drills is to listen for directions from adults

Limit television and access to social media

• Think of radio in the car and TV in common areas
• Limit/avoid adult conversations about the incident(s) in front of your children

Maintain normal routines

• Kids like routine and know when it is different and off
• Attend evening activities
• Maintain sleep and meal routines
• Complete school work, read (always need to sneak this in :))
• Remind your children that if they see something, say something

Thursday, December 9th are Parent Teacher conferences. It will be a 1/2 day, but with an extra early dismissal for students. The official end time for students is 11:25 am with an 11:30 departure. Dismissal will run as follows:

11:10am: Apple Pick-Up and Walkers

11:15am: PTC

11:20am: Begin loading busses

11:25am: Official Dismissal

11:30am-11:32: Departure

This is a friendly reminder that Parent/Teacher conferences will be held on Thursday, December 9th. Please be reminded that conferences are virtual and your teacher will share a zoom link with you.

As you prepare for your conference, please note the following reminders:

-Please be on time to your scheduled conference

-Please presume positive intent, seek to understand if you need clarification, and remember that effective communication will aide in a successful home/school partnership.

Thank you for your partnership!

IF you signed up for a conference time with one of our FAPES teachers, please find their zoom links below. Please do NOT join a zoom meeting with the FAPES teachers unless you already scheduled a conference with them in Skyward. They have full schedules at this time. Thank you.

Due to the school closures on December 2nd and 3rd, report cards will not be available prior to Parent/Teacher conferences. Staff is still planning to have in depth conversations with you about your child's progress.

The finalized report card release date will be shared with you soon.

It is my absolute honor to recognize Mrs. Emily McBryar as Glengary’s Teacher of the Year for the 21-22 school year.

Mrs. McBryar received multiple nominations which highlighted her excellent character, work ethic, and genuine commitment to her students and families. Mrs. McBryar served as a Resource Room teacher at Glengary for several years, providing individualized and small group support for students across all academic areas. In this role, she fostered a safe environment where students felt comfortable taking academic risks, asking questions, and developing into their best self. Most recently, Mrs. McBryar transitioned into the Level 4 Categorical Program at Glengary. Making this move was no easy task but Mrs. McBryar did so with positivity, grace, and enthusiasm. Only two full years into her new role and Mrs. McBryar is a leader not only in the classroom, but in the program as well.

Mrs. McBryar has a gift for connecting with students and meeting their individual needs in an appropriate and inclusive way. Most recently, Mrs. McBryar attended 5th grade camp and did all she could to ensure that the students who receive support in her program had the same experience as all other 5th graders. Mrs. McBryar is a highly respected educator who exudes kindness and is student-centered always. We are inspired by Mrs. McBryar every day and I can't think of a more deserving educator to receive the Teacher of Year award at Glengary!

Mrs. McBryar will be honored at at the board meeting on Thursday, January 6th. I encourage any families who have been impacted by Mrs. McBryar to join us for the Teacher of the Year Celebration on January 6th. Congratulations Mrs. Emily McBryar!

Thank you to all students, staff and family who took time to write a nomination for a staff member this year. Your nominations were shared with staff so that they could read your kind and encouraging words!

• Gift Drop off will take place on Monday, December 13th from 9:15 am- 10:00 am. We also have an evening drop off on Tuesday, December 14th from 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm.
• Drop off will be in the front bus loop. You will pull up in front of the main door and a volunteer will be there to take your donation.
• It is very important that you attach a note to your gift that tells the Family Number, Gender and Age.
• Please do not wrap the gifts.

Thank you for your consideration in our efforts to make this a wonderful holiday season for every family. Questions can be emailed to amy.e.fry@hotmail.com

Family 15: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-15glengary

Family 14: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-154glengary

Family 13: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-13glengary

Family 12: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-12glengary

Family 11: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-11glengary

Family 9: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-8glengary

Family 8: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-8glengary1

Family 7: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-7glengary

Family 6: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-4glengary

Family 5: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-3glengary

Family 3: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-glengary

Family 2: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-2glengary

Family 1: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E48ABAA23A2FC1-1glengary

*Note: We have partnered with the local Eagles Club who is supporting Family 4 and Family 10.

We would like for our Gators to have some fun and show the spirit of the season while also supporting the Walled Lake Foundation for Excellence.

The Foundation for Excellence is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization that champions "Every Child, EveryDay" and promotes excellence in public education by providing funds beyond WLCSD resources. This year the foundation is commemorating 30 years of fostering innovation in teaching and learning in the Walled Lake school district. Each school is working to raise additional funds this year that can be donated to the Foundation as a thank you for 30 years of service to our community.

In an effort to help raise funds and have some fun this holiday season, The Positivity Project Committee at Glengary has put together 5 Spirit Days for the final 5 days of school leading up to the holiday break.

We will be collecting $1 each day your child participates ($5 total if your child participates in each daily activity). Money should be given to the classroom teacher. We know that December is an expensive month for families so if you can't contribute monetarily, please do not let that inhibit your child from participating in the fun if they wish. Thanks for your support!

The Glengary staff really hit the ground running this year! They continue to impress me each and every day with their level of commitment and willingness to go above and beyond to serve our kids, despite the obstacles that the year has brought. I want to bring them some joy this holiday season in a couple of ways. Please consider writing a letter of appreciation to a Glengary staff member by clicking on the form below! It will only take a few minutes, but the impact the note of appreciation will have on the staff member will certainly be impactful.

Please complete the form by Tuesday, December 14th. I will share the uplifting words with staff before the holiday break. Thank you for your consideration!

Girls on the Run is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.

Meeting twice a week in small teams, we teach life skills through dynamic, interactive lessons and running games. The curriculum is taught by certified Girls on the Run coaches and includes three parts: understanding ourselves, valuing relationships and teamwork and understanding how we connect with and shape the world at large.

The Girls on the Run coaches will be 2 staff members: Ms. Lessa and Ms. Krass. They are super excited to bring this opportunity to our 3rd-5th grade girls at Glengary.

Please click on the link below for more detailed information including practice dates, times, and how to register.

We hit the ground running with our December i-Ready Challenge! As a reminder, Glengary is working to build some excitement around i-Ready and increase student engagement with this research based program! i-Ready is a district-wide program that Walled Lake Schools uses to not only assess students’ academic levels, but to enrich and supplement instruction so that we can close academic gaps and differentiate appropriately.

At the front of the building, we have put together a large bulliten board entitled, Chillin with i-Ready (pictured below). Each grade-level has a polar bear labeled with their grade and they will earn 1 fish for every 10 i-Ready lessons passed in their class. Lessons will be tallied each week and a bar graph of fish displayed to show grade-level progress.

The grade levels are in rank order below, based on the number of lessons passed for week 1:

Reading

1st place- 2nd grade

2nd place-Kindergarten

3rd place-1st grade

4th place- 3rd and 4th grade tied

5th place-5th grade

Math

1st place- 4th grade

2nd place-2nd grade

3rd place-Kindergarten

4th place- 1st grade

5th place-3rd grade

6th place-5th grade

We are now in week 2 of the competition and we ask that you encourage your student(s) to complete lessons at school when they are given time and at home if possible. Week 2 closes on Sunday night so there is still not to complete those lessons!

Per the district communication that went out this week, Glengary does NOT have any cancelled busses next week (Dec. 13-17).

Who? You! The students of Walled Lake Schools. What? Speech, essay, picture, poem, drawing, video, or any other way you choose to express yourself.
How?

• Express the theme, “Together We’re Better!” in your own unique way. There are lots of possibilities for creating a project. It can be a piece of writing, music, art, or other visual that shows how you want to make a positive change and/or impact in the world.
• Fill out an entry form (see back) and attach your entry to the form.

When? Turn in your entry to your school’s office by Wednesday, December 15, 2021.

The event's keynote speaker at the MLK Celebration will be Rabbi Yarden Blumstein. He will share his experience with bringing people together within our local community.

Please complete the entry form available by clicking the button below.

The Walled Lake Schools is currently seeking nominations for the “Alec Bender Friend of Diversity Award.” This award will honor individuals who are true friends of multicultural diversity in our school district and community. The honor will be bestowed upon the recipient(s) at the district-wide virtual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration on January 17, 2022.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any staff member, student, parent, or community member.

WHO MAY NOMINATE?

Any person in the community may submit a nomination.

Nomination forms for the “Alec Bender Friend of Diversity Award” are available in each school office. Please submit your nomination to your school office, attention Principal, by the deadline of Wednesday, December 15, 2021.

Please click on the button below for the Walled Lake District Update.

Check out the link below for a variety of Community Ed classes that are offered through WLCSD.

Thanks to everyone who completed the Room Parent Survey. PTA Volunteer Coordinator, Wendi Oliver, will be in touch over the next few weeks regarding the room parent groupings and some ideas for how to facilitate with the classroom teacher. Thank you!

If any parents that volunteered took pictures and would like to share, please email them to glengaryfunrun@gmail.com so we can review them for the yearbook!

Are you someone who is interested in helping with this year's yearbook?! Being back in school and having events like the Fun Run and Trunk or Treat make putting the memories together, fun and totally worthwhile.

If any parents are interested in starting to work on the yearbook, please reach out to alisonburke521@gmail.com or come to our meeting in November!

The future of the Glengary Yearbook lies with you! If you would like to volunteer to help put

together the yearbook, the committee is forming now - please sign up at the meeting or reach

out to Alison Burke at alisonburke521@gmail.com!!! If you were able to take pictures at the Fun Run and have not yet done so, please email them toglengaryfunrun@gmail.com for yearbook

consideration!

This is a friendly reminder that positive COVID cases of students and household members should be reported to office staff as soon as possible so we can complete our necessary protocols.

To report positive COVID cases parents should email the following office staff:

RosaLeigh Johnson: rosaleighjohnson@wlcsd.org

Cheryl Maten: cherylmaten@wlcsd.org

Melissa Roth: melissaroth@wlcsd.org

As we prepare for the colder fall/winter weather to hit, 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!

At Glengary this year, we are teaching all students about the Zones of Regulation.

Here are some skills taught during The Zones of Regulation:

• Identifying your emotions by categorizing feelings into four zones (more on this below)
• Self-regulation: Achieving the preferred state of alertness (zone) for a situation. This is all about regulating your body and emotional regulation.
• Identifying triggers: Learning what makes you “tick” and why
• Coping strategies: Various techniques and strategies that help achieve emotional regulation and manage strong emotions
• Size of the problem: Introduces the idea that the size of your reaction should match the size of your problem, how to identify the size of your problem, and strategies for problem-solving.
• Expected behavior vs unexpected behavior: This also covers perspective taking and how your behavior affects the thoughts and feelings of the people around you.

Click on the link to learn more! This is a GREAT tool and language to use at home as well!

Please take note of the symptoms below. Based on guidance from the Oakland County Health Department, if a student presents the following symptoms, they may be suggestive of COVID-19.

1. Is this student currently experiencing ONE or more of the following symptoms unrelated to a known pre-existing condition (e.g. asthma, allergies)?

* New Cough

*Shortness of breath

*Difficulty breathing

*New loss of taste or smell

2. Is this student currently experiencing any TWO or more of the following symptoms unrelated to a known pre-existing condition (e.g. asthma, allergies)?

*Fever (100.4 degrees +)

*Chills

*Diarrhea (2x in 24 hours)

* Fatigue

*Congestion/runny nose

*Headache

*Muscle aches

*Sore throat

*Nausea/Vomiting (2x in 24 hours)

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) COVID-19 testing is strongly recommended. Contact your medical provider and get tested for COVID-19.

For the student to return back to school, there are three options:

1. Receive COVID-19 testing, and return to school with proof of a negative PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test result, provided symptoms have improved and fever resolved for 24 hours without fever reducing medicine. Rapid test results are not acceptable.

2. Exclude from school until 10 calendar days have passed since symptom onset and at least 24 hours fever free without fever reducing medicine.

3. Provide a note from your physician indicating a clear alternative diagnosis (e.g. positive strep throat, urinary infection, etc.). Must be fever free for over 24 hours without fever reducing medicine with improvement in symptoms.

We continue to urge all families to check your child's health daily and make decisions that will help ensure we keep our students, staff and community healthy and safe.

Daily Health Checks: Please check your child(ren) daily for ANY signs of illness before attending school. Check for the following symptoms:

• Fever/Chills
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
• Muscle of Body Aches
• Headache
• New loss of smell or taste
• Sore throat
• Congestion
• Runny Nose
• Nausea or Vomiting
• Diarrhea

If your child has any of these symptoms, please err on the side of caution and keep them home until they are feeling better! We appreciate your partnership as we continue to work together to keep our community healthy and safe!

For the 2021-22 school year, breakfast and lunch is free for all students. If you would normally fill out a form to receive free or reduced lunch, we ask that you do so for accounting purposes. Forms are available on the district food service web page.

Below you will find the breakfast and lunch menus for October. You will also find the contact information for our Food Service Department.

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 Website and Updates

Our PTA has an excellent website with upcoming events, fundraiser information, PTA membership links, and other pertinent information and forms. PTA information and updates are also shared with the Tuesday Tidbits.

Social Media

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

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