Hello Switzer families,

I want to thank parents for attending our Open House. It is great to see how much our community supports our school. October is almost here and it gives us the chance to enjoy cooler temperatures (maybe) and of course Halloween! Please know that we have a half day on October 28 and 31. We dismiss at 11:44 on both days. On Halloween, classes have great activities planned and an outdoor parade at 10:30, weather permitting. I will be opening the gates so parents can park in the back field. The gates will close at 10:25. Remember that this is a school day so please leave inappropriate costume accessories (weapons, blood, swords) at home.

Some new calendar dates are hot of the press. (Please see the attached calendars) There will be no school on October 19 for teacher professional development. Future breaks and training days can be found in the attachment. We will be reaching out in October with details regarding November parent/teacher conferences.

Parents in grades 4-6 will be receiving M-Step results from the spring. Reports are only sent to families that tested with us in the spring. If you tested with us and do not have your report by October 1. Please contact the office.

Let’s have another super, swell month!

Jacob Palmer

For the 2022-2023 school year, families will visit https://utica.familyportal.cloud to fill out the application for free or reduced-price meals, complete HIR forms and to deposit funds into their student’s lunch account (Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted). Please see the attached guide (Family Portal) for questions regarding this transition. Parents can also click the “tutorial” button on the main page of the family portal website for video setup instructions.

The UCS Wellness team is happy to announce the seventh episode of their podcast series. The team worked with community members to create a podcast regarding different areas of physical, mental, and social health for UCS staff, students, and families. These podcasts are available on the UCS Wellness page. UCS Wellness - Utica Community Schools (uticak12.org)

The seventh podcast in the series is titled “Our Youth and Vaping.” Below is a list of the podcasts available on the Wellness page:

• Mental Health with guest, Nancy Buyle
• Grief and the Grieving Process for Children
• Family Communication
• CARE of Southeastern Michigan
• Discussing Dating Violence with Turning Point
• Tackling Tough Topics with the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office
• Our Youth and Vaping