Dear Glengary Families,

It's November which is the perfect time to have an attitude of gratitude. No matter what is on our plate or how overwhelmed we may feel, there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for. From now until Thanksgiving I challenge our Glengary community to join me in the practice of intentionally stopping to notice and appreciate.

The Daily Giving Thanks Challenges:

• 11/7: Commit to Giving Thanks-Name 3 Things You Are Grateful For
• 11/8: Spend Time With Someone You Care About Today
• 11/9: Offer Someone a Heartfelt Compliment
• 11/10: Go for a Walk-Find Something Beautiful & Give Thanks
• 11/11: Feel Thankful About What You Have
• 11/12: Leave a Note of Encouragement in a Public Place
• 11/13: Lend a Hand to Someone Needing Help
• 11/14: Think About a Tough Situation in Your Life That Helped You Grow
• 11/15: Feel Thankful About Someone You Know
• 11/16: Give Thanks to Yourself With a Treat
• 11/17: Complain About Nothing for a Day
• 11/18: Give Thanks to a Stranger
• 11/19: Tell Your Loved Ones Why You Love Them. Be Specific.
• 11/20: Make Yourself Your Favorite Hot Drink
• 11/21: Say “Thank You” Instead of “Sorry”
• 11/22: Cheer on Somebody Else's Achievements Out Loud
• 11/23: Think of Someone Who Made a Difference in Your Life. Tell Them.
• 11/24: Send Gratitude out Into the World

Here's to a GREAT week ahead!

-RosaLeigh Johnson, Principal

If any parents have photos from the Trunk or Treat or Halloween Parade, please email them to glengary.yearbook@gmail.com so we can review them for the yearbook! Thank you!

Below you will find the topics of focus for the next 3 weeks. I strongly encourage families to click on the links below and use the family resources to reinforce the learning at home! Once you click on the P2 for Families, you’ll find 1 quote, 1 video, and 3 questions to help you and your children discuss The Positivity Project’s character strength of the week. Please join us!

The character strength of focus for this week is Bravery (Nov 7-11). After Bravery, the character strength of focus will be Gratitude (Nov. 14-25). This character strength will be our focus through Thanksgiving.

Please take a look at the links below about Bravery and Gratitude 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.

Bravery means you act with mental, moral, or physical strength even when you know things are difficult or scary.

Gratitude means you are aware of and thankful for good things that happen. Gratitude is the quality of feelings and expressing thankfulness and appreciation. Out of all 24 character strengths, gratitude is the single best predictor of individual well-being. It is correlated with increased energy, empathy, happiness and optimism. And, the great thing about gratitude is that it can be intentionally cultivated.

At Glengary this year, we are continuing to teach all students about the Zones of Regulation.

How can you help your child use The Zones of Regulation at home?

• Identify your own feelings using Zones language in front of your child (e.g.: I’m frustrated. I think I am in the Yellow Zone.”)

• Talk about what tool you will use to regulate (e.g.: “I need to take four deep breaths to help get me feel calm.”)

• At times, wonder which Zone your child is in. Or, discuss which Zone a character in a film / book might be in. (e.g.: “You look sleepy. Are you in the Blue Zone?”)

• Engaging your child in discussion around Zones when they are in the Red Zone is unlikely to be effective. Save your intentional discussions about the different Zones and tools they can use when they are more regulated / calm.

• Regular Check-ins. “How are you feeling now?” and “Which zone are you in?"

• Put up and reference the Zones visuals and tools in your home. •Praise and encourage your child when they share which Zone they are in.

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

This is a friendly reminder that there is NO school on Tuesday, November 8. Remember to VOTE!

Technology has become an undeniable aspect of our day-to-day lives and though it can serve as a great resource to entertain, teach, and keep children occupied, too much use may lead to problems. According to AACAP, children ages 8-12 in the United States spend 4-6 hours a day watching or using screens, and teens spend up to 9 hours. This time is usually divided among social media, video games, and video/streaming services, such as YouTube and Tik Tok.

Excessive screen time can lead to a multitude of problems, one of the most notable that makes its way into the school setting is exposure to inappropriate language and content. As you know, we spend a great deal of time teaching students about the Positivity Project and how words and actions matter. When helping students resolve conflict where their words or actions negatively impact others, the majority of times students reference learning what they said or did from YouTube, Tik Tok, or some other technology source. Much of this content is developmentally inappropriate and has the potential to negatively impact others and even cause social and emotional harm.

As we continue to work in partnership to support our Gators, I am asking families to take time to review the technology being used by students and consider the tips below:

1. Familiarize yourself with programming to make sure it is age-appropriate.
2. Learn about and use parental controls.
3. Develop a screen-time plan with your family, setting boundaries around screen usage.
4. Create and manage your expectations.
5. Talk to your child about what they are viewing. Have multiple conversations with him over time.
6. Set a good example with your own safe and healthy screen habits.
7. Teach children about online privacy and safety.

Thank you for your partnership!

The Glengary STRIDE Team will run their 5K on November 13th at 9:00am on Belle Isle in Detroit. Below is a picture of the 18 boys on the team. We wish them all the best and are amazed at their perseverance preparing for this race.

PAC MISSION STATEMENT

“Our mission is to increase awareness and current best practices in special education while working towards a larger voice, meaningful communication and more inclusive practices and parental involvement.”

TIME COMMITMENT

Approximately 2 hours per month (Not including optional training/activity participation)

PAC Executive Board

Please contact a member of the Executive Committee for more information:

President - Cory Hensley knackcor@yahoo.com

Aimee Page - aimee.page2@gmail.com

Denise Dunn - denisedunn@wlcsd.org

*Please email rosaleighjohnson@wlcsd.org if you are interested in taking on this role.

Did you know the monarch butterfly is on the endangered species list? Threats to their natural habitat and food sources are making it more difficult for them to survive, so we are building a Monarch Butterfly Garden at Glengary!

We are looking for interested families to volunteer their time to plant milkweed and pollinator plants, which will create shelter and food for the butterflies, on Saturday, November 19 from 10 am. - 12 p.m.

In the spring, we will have more volunteer opportunities to continue growing and attending to our garden.

If you’re interested in volunteering in the first garden planting, use the Sign Up Genius link below. Email parent, Miesha Joassin, (miesha.joassin@gmail.com) with any questions. Thank you!

Glengary Elementary, in partnernship with the Glengary PTA, is proud to again help several local families for the 22-23 holiday season. Prior to the Thanksgiving Holiday, we plan to share a Sign-Up-Genius with various needs/wishes (i.e.-clothes, snow gear, toys, etc.). If you are able to assist, we greatly appreciate it!

Date: Friday, December 16

Time: 6:00-8:00 PM

Location: Glengary Elementary

What: Join us at Glengary Elementary for a night of Giving Back! Students will get to put a variety of character strenghts to practice while engaging in interactive activities that help build the Other People Matter Mindset!

*More details coming soon!

The Holidays are right around the corner and so is our Scholastic Book Fair! Although more information will be forthcoming, we want our families to save the dates, as books make excellent holiday gifts!

The Scholastic Book Fair will take place from December 1st - December 8th.

To help make the Book Fair a success, we will be in need of parent volunteers. A Sign-Up-Genius will be coming out soon with volunteer opportunities. In the meantime, feel free to take a look at some of the needs below and consider saving a date that may work for you.

Opportunities to assist include:

• Setting up the Fair (TBD for November 28th, 29th or 30th)

• Helping shoppers at the Fair (December 5th, 7th, and 8th)

• Checkout (December 5th, 7th and 8th)

• Packing up the Fair (December 8th at 7:30pm)

If you have any questions, please contact me at pamelabrucker@wlcsd.org. Thank you for your help and support to make our Book Fair awesome!

-Ms. Brucker, Media Specialist

Picture retake day is Tuesday, November 15. If you would like your student to retake their photo, please send them with their original picture package which will be returned to the photographer.

Lifetouch will also be photographing any students that were absent or not photographed on 9/23/22, as this is the photo that will be used in the yearbook.

The 9/23/22 event number is no longer valid. Parents wishing to order pictures from the retake can place an order at mylifetouch.com or request a hard copy order form from the main office. The event number for the retake day is: EVTQHND7K.

In years past, yearbooks have been given to all students at no cost to families. These books were provided by Lifetouch, the company contracted to provide school pictures. Unfortunately, due to a significant decline in families purchasing individual student pictures, Lifetouch can no longer offer yearbooks at no charge.

In an effort to offset the cost of the yearbook for families who may not have the means to purchase one, the Glengary PTA is selling advertisement space in this year’s

yearbook. Each ad will be in color and consist of ⅛ (or the size of a business card) of a page at the conclusion of the book. The cost per ad is $50.

If you would like to purchase advertisement space, please do the following:

1.Complete the form linked below

2. Provide Andrea Halimi with the ad (exactly as you would like to be printed in the yearbook)

3. Submit payment, either cash or a check made out to Glengary Elementary PTA. All items can be sent to Glengary Elementary School PTA, 3070 Woodbury St, Commerce, MI

48390 (℅ Andrea Halimi).

As we continue to help students feel prepared and not scared, Mrs. Osentoski, lunchroom paraprofessional and Mrs. Johnson, Principal, spent Thursday, 11/3 talking about safety procedures in the cafeteria during the K-5 lunch periods. Through our discussion, students reviewed evacuation points and the lockdown plan, specific to the cafeteria.

Student safety continues to be our first priority. Additional safety drills will take place later in the school year. We will continue to collaborate with local law enforcement and families to ensure a safe learning environment for our children.

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.

We are ready to build some excitement around i-Ready at Glengary! 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. As we work to build a positive culture around i-Ready and ignite excitement among our Gators, we will again be implementing some friendly competition.

At the front of the building, we have put together a large bulletin board entitled, We are Nutty for i-Ready. Each grade-level has a squirrel labeled with their grade and they will earn 1 acorn for every 10 i-Ready lessons passed in their class. Lessons will be tallied each week and a bar graph of acorns displayed to show grade-level progress. You can find more details below:

November Theme: We are Nutty for i-Ready

November Competition Dates: 10/31-11/27

Week 1: 10/31-11/6

Week 2: 11/7-11/13

Week 3: 11/14-11/20

Week 4: 11/21-11/27

Competition Focus: Each class will earn 1 acorn for every 10 lessons passed. Classrooms will earn 1 bonus acorn in math and/or reading if 80% of the class has met their goal of 45 minutes. We will have a K-2 competition and a 3-5 competition.

Purpose: To increase student engagement with the i-Ready instructional lessons which target specific focus areas for each student based on their individualized fall diagnostic. i-Ready is research based and while it does not replace the core, quality instruction happening in the classroom, it certainly serves as a great way to close gaps and enrich our learners that are ready for the next challenge.

How Can you Help? Encourage students take their i-Ready lessons seriously. Teachers will do their best to ensure students have the appropriate number of minutes built into their weekly schedule to complete the recommended number of minutes per week at school (30 minutes for K and 45 minutes for grades 1-5). If students have not been able to complete the recommended amount of time on their i-Ready lessons at school, please encourage them to complete them at home if possible. Unfortunately, at this time, we do not have Chromebooks available to send home with students.

Attached, please find the fillable applications for our annual holiday events – “Adopt-a-Child” and “Shop With a Cop/Hero”. The deadline to apply for “Adopt-a-Child” is Friday, Nov. 11, 2022 and the deadline to apply for “Shop With a Cop/Hero” is Friday, Nov. 18, 2022.

If you are a family that needs Holiday support this season please reach out by e-mail to rosaleighjohnson@wlcsd.org.

Consistent, on-time attendance is a key component to school success. Over the past few years, it has been a challenge to prioritize school attendance while also following COVID protocols. This letter is to inform families of the District’s attendance procedures and COVID protocols. Please click on the link below to read the full letter.

Check out the resources below from our school social worker, Ms. Abbo! It contains a lot of resources to support families in need.

Calling all Gators! It's that time of year again for Reflections! This year's program theme is "Show Your Voice!"

Tell us your interpretations of "Show Your Voice!" through any of the seven categories below. Only new and original works of art will be accepted:

1. Dance Choreography
2. Film Production
3. Literature
4. Music Composition
5. Photography
6. Visual Arts (2D and 3D)
7. Special Artist (must qualify)

This year, the PTA is excited to use their own communication platform to help organize important information all in one place. The Glengary Gazette is often loaded with info and sometimes the PTA updates can become buried. The link to the first edition of the PTA Post is linked below and will be regularly blasted out via Skyward and linked in the Glengary Gazette! Be sure to check it out!

We are in the last week of the PTA Membership Drive! We are encouraging all families to join the Glengary PTA! To join, simply click the link below. The fee is $10.00 and can now easily be done electronically below. Joining the PTA does not commit you to anything but it does ensure you have a voice and partnership with the Parent/Teacher Association at Glengary Elementary!

During the Aug. 11 Special Board meeting, the Walled Lake Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a motion to ask the residents of the Walled Lake School District to renew the half mill levy for the District Building and Site Sinking Fund (.5 mil, 10 year levy). The election for this renewal is Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.

In Walled Lake Schools, our schools and facilities are in good repair as a result of the Sinking Fund that voters approved back in 2004 and renewed in 2012. The District has been able to complete construction, repair and renovation projects annually, with Board approval, because of the current Building and Site Sinking Fund.

For more information, please visit www.wlcsd.org/elections or click the image below.

Thank you for voting on Nov. 8!

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.

Click on the links below to see the great offerings currently available!

The Walled Lake Consolidated School District, following the guidance of the Oakland County Health Division, requires individuals that are positive for COVID-19 AND individuals that exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, (one symptom from the top section or two symptoms from the second section), to follow certain steps before they can return to school. The link below contains a symptom screener as well as the options a family can take for their student to be eligible to return to school when a student is suggestive of COVID.

Many symptoms of COVID overlap with symptoms of other common illnesses and seasonal allergies. Current guidance requires us to follow COVID protocols for individuals that cannot pass the health screener until COVID is medically ruled out or a certain period of time has passed.

At this time, communication to families regarding COVID-19 cases at school is the same as it was at the end of the 2021-22 school year. When I learn of a positive case, I will send a letter to the classroom of the positive individual, as well as a letter to the entire grade level, to notify families of a possible exposure. For privacy reasons, names and identifying information will not be disclosed.

If you have any questions or need additional guidance regarding a sick child and school attendance, please contact our GLE Main Office. We recognize the added layer of responsibility on parents and school staff when an individual presents with symptoms during the pandemic and appreciate your partnership.

If your child tests positive for COVID-19, it is critical that the office staff and classroom teacher are quickly informed.

Please send an email to:

RosaLeigh Johnson - rosaleighjohnson@wlcsd.org

Melissa Roth - melissaroth@wlcsd.org

Cheryl Maten- cherylmaten@wlcsd.org

Your child's teacher

In the email, please include ALL of the following information:

Your child's name

Your child's grade

Your child's teacher

Your name

Your contact phone number

The date of symptom onset

The date your child was tested

The last date your child was in school

Type of test that was given (Home test, Rapid test at a testing site, PCR test at a testing site)

Name of testing site, if tested in a facility

*Note: Once staff are informed, the following action items occur.

1. Office reports to WL Human Resources Department

2. Families receive quarantine timeline via email from WL Human Resource Department

2. Office alerts custodians who deep clean the impacted classroom

3. Office sends a letter to the classroom of the positive individual & a letter to the entire grade level, to notify families of a possible exposure. Individual's names and identifying information is NOT shared.

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!

A strong home/school partnership is one of our core values at Glengary Elementary. As parents or guardians, we welcome your engagement and collaboration. When concerns arise, we ask that you assume positive intent and seek information first, before drawing conclusions.

When you have a concern specific to your child:

1. Contact the teacher or staff member involved first.

2. Ask for information, express a concern, suggest a solution through a respectful conversation or meeting.

3. Collaborate to generate a plan and agree to a timeline for resolving the issue.

4. Monitor and evaluate the success of your plan and make adjustments as needed.

After genuine collaboration and open communication with your child’s teacher, if resolution cannot be reached, it is then appropriate to contact the principal. Working with the teacher and principal, generate a plan that meets the situation’s needs and agree to a timeline for trying the solution. If you are unable to agree to a solution at the building level, the principal will invite the next most appropriate administrator to join the process.

The Student Pantry is a local resource we have available for any families in need. If your family has a need for basic school supplies, clothing, or food, please email RosaLeigh Johnson, Principal, Kristen Abbo, Social Worker, or Laura Locke, Teacher Liason. We will work in partnership with the Student Pantry to get you resources and supplies at no cost while respecting your privacy.

rosaleighjohnson@wlcsd.org

kristenabbo@wlcsd.org

lauralocke@wlcsd.org

Those who are interested in volunteering or making a donation should visit the Student Pantry website, www.thestudentpantry.weebly.com.

During the 2022-2023 school year, breakfast and lunch will NO LONGER BE FREE for ALL students. It will only be free (or reduced) for those who qualify.

Congress voted not to extend the waiver which provided free breakfast and free lunch for all students. The waiver ended June 30, 2022.

Your family may qualify for free meals or for reduced-price meals. You can complete a free and reduced lunch application during registration in August.

If you do not qualify for free or reduced meals, you may begin depositing money into student accounts at any time to prepare for the cost of school lunches next year. Information on meal prices for the 2022-2023 school year are listed below

Breakfast costs

• $1.50 for Elementary
• $1.75 for Middle/High School

Lunch costs

• $3.00 for Elementary
• $3.25 for Middle/High School

If your student has a negative lunch account balance, we encourage you to pay it off as soon as possible and then begin depositing money into the account to prepare for the 2022-2023 school year.

Your family may qualify for free meals or for reduced-price meals. Reduced-price is $.30 for breakfast and $.40 for lunch. Completing an application is the only way to be considered for free or reduced meals next school year. Please take action now. You can complete the online free and reduced meal application located in Family Access once registration is open.

This free and reduced meal application information is critical in determining the amount of money that the District receives from a variety of State and Federal supplemental programs like Title I A, At-risk (31a), Title II A, E-Rate, etc.

These supplemental programs have the potential to offer supports and services for our students including, but not limited to:

• Instructional supports (staff, supplies & materials, etc.)
• Non-instructional services (counseling, social work, health services, etc.)
• Professional Learning for staff
• Parent and Community engagement supplies and activities
• Technology
• Pandemic-EBT

Our food service department is asking families to complete and submit the free and reduced meal application as soon as possible to ensure that additional funding for our school is available to meet the needs of our students. All information on the application submitted is confidential.

Please contact Anne Merchant at 248-956-3081 or at annemerchant@wlcsd.org with questions.

Glengary Elementary welcomed Romeo, our therapy dog, in the fall of 2021. We are thrilled to welcome Romeo as therapy dogs provide a host of benefits to students and staff.

Our program would not be possible with the support of many donors and sponsors. If you are interested in making a donation for Romeo's ongoing care, you can contact lauralocke@wlcsd.org or rosaleighjohnson@wlcsd.org.

Thank you to our AWESOME sponsors below!

Communication is important to us at Glengary. Parents will be notified and updated in a variety of ways throughout the school year. The majority of information for parents will be available on our school and District website and through email.

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 Post & Website

Our PTA will share updates via a PTA Post. Additionally, the PTA has an excellent website with upcoming events, fundraiser information, PTA membership links, and other pertinent information and forms.

Social Media

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

RosaLeigh Johnson

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