Defer Dragon's Burning News
February 15, 2019
From the Principal
Dear Defer Families,
It was a great week at Defer. The building was filled with excitement with another ice day, mural painting, twin day, Valentine's Day and 100th Day of school celebrations. Winter is flying by at Defer!
On Monday, March 4 Mrs. Quiane Bates will be joining the Defer team as the new secretary. Please welcome Mrs. Bates when you see her in March. Mrs. Zens will be staying with us until Friday, March 1. Thank you to Mrs. Zens for her help in the office the last few weeks!
We are also still looking for more lunch volunteers for indoor and/or outdoor help! If you are able to volunteer, you can join us for lunchtime on Mondays between 11:56 am - 12:44 pm or Tuesday - Friday between 11:30 am - 12:30 pm.
Over the Mid-Winter break take time to sharpen the saw with your family. We will see you back at school on February 25th!
Have a wonderful break!
Dr. Rheaume
Defer Upcoming Events
February 18 - February 22 - Mid- Winter Break No School for students or staff
March 1 - 4th Grade Rescheduled NAEP test
March 4 - OBOS Kick Off Assembly; 4th Grade Rescheduled NAEP test
March 5 - 1/2 Day of School for Students - Records Day
March 15 - PTO Family Bingo
March 20 - 21 Parent Teacher Conferences
March 22 - 8 am Donuts with your Dragon; 1/2 Day of School for Students
One Book, One School
Motor City Mitten Mission - Container Collection
Do you have any clean, take-out containers you can spare? The Motor City Mitten Mission is in need of clean, recycled take-out containers for their meal out-reach program. Defer will be collecting these clean reuseable containers through the end of March. A collection box has been placed outside the office. Thank you for your generosity.
Safety/Service
In December, Defer Safety/Service celebrated in the Defer Gym. We enjoyed Mr. C’s pizza, drinks, snacks, and desserts together. It was great to see everyone enjoying just being together.
Every cold morning the safeties enjoy hot cocoa to “Warm the Safeties.” Thank you, to the PTO, it is greatly appreciated.
If you see a Safety/Service doing a good job, please tell them.
Happy New Year,
Helen Srebernak
Safety/Service Member of the Month-December
Safety: Daniel Doles
Service: Caroline Ward
Post Times Late Start Monday
Safety: 8:10-8:20a.m. Safety: 8:50-9:05a.m.
3:35-3:45 p.m. 3:35-3:45 p.m.
Service: 8:15-8:25a.m. Service: 8:55-9:10a.m.
3:35-3:45p.m. 3:35-3:45p.m.
Safety Patrol Members check the weather before leaving their houses in the morning and if the weather is below 0’ F degrees with the wind-chill, then the Safety Patrol Members will not be at their posts.
Office News
Reminders Arrival and Departures
Our first interest is always the safety of all of our Defer families and students. We appreciate your cooperation with these procedures.
- There is No Parking on Kercheval in front of the building.
- There is No Parking along either side of Nottingham near Defer. Parking on the west side of Nottingham is allowed only during posted times and locations.
- Since there is no parking anywhere on the east side of Nottingham, parents can drop off students at any point along the full length of Nottingham from Vernor to Kercheval on the Defer side of the street. Students should be exiting the cars from the Defer side ONLY. You do not need to wait until you get in front of the Defer gate to drop off or pick up your child.
- Bottom line---Please Stop, Drop and Go! This will help the traffic to flow smoothly. Help us keep our Dragons safe!
BEGINNING OF THE DAY
Please remember to use our 24 hour attendance line at 313-432-4001 to report your child's absence. Thank you.
Cold Weather Reminder
Defer students go outdoors for recess two times each day throughout the school year, unless it's raining hard or the windchill is below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Please be sure that your child leaves for school dressed properly for the weather. It might also be helpful to keep an extra set of clothes in your child's locker in case clothes get wet during recess fun.
Please dress your child with a hat and gloves and a winter coat and snowpants when the weather is cold. We also ask that you write your child's name on his or her gloves, hats, boots, coat and snowpants. Our Lost and Found is filling up quickly!
In the event your child has a cold, and is healthy enough to attend school, they will participate in recess- playing outside with their peers twice a day. Exceptions will only be made with a doctor's note stating they are healthy enough to attend school, with reason and number of days they are required not to participate in recess play. Thank you for your understanding concerning this matter.
Cold and Flu Season
For more information on the importance of hand washing with non-antibacterial soap, please see the links below:
- Arlington Public Schools Hand Washing Policy: https://apsshab.weebly.com/hand-washing-policy.html
- CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html
PTO News
Tuesday Feb. 26--Defer PTO meeting
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Defer library. Everyone is invited! For anyone interested in childcare in order to attend the meeting, please sign up here for care by Pierce National Jr. Honor Society students: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e4dabae2ea4f58-february
Saturday March 9--Defer Parents Night Out
This adults-only evening is $30 per person and includes a 3-course meal (salad, dinner and dessert) and non-alcoholic beverages at Atwater in the Park. It starts at 6 p.m. and includes a cash bar. The event is intended to be a spring gathering for parent mingling. It is limited to the first 100 people who sign up. RSVP forms and payment due by Feb. 28, 2019. See attached flyer for additional information.
Friday March 15--Defer Family Bingo Night
Defer families are invited for an evening of bingo in the gymnasium. Bingo games will be free for all students. Bingo cards will be available for parents and others for additional game play. Winners receive prizes. Pizza and bingo daubers will be available at cost during the event. More information coming soon.
Friday March 22--Donuts with your Dragon
Join your Defer dragon in the gymnasium before school from 8-8:20 a.m. to enjoy donuts, including an allergy-friendly table of options, coffee, tea and camaraderie. Treats will be purchased from Motown Freedom Bakery. See attached flyer for additional information.
Defer Diversity Parent Group
District Diversity Meetings (GPPUD)Upcoming Meetings: GPPUD
The February meeting will be rescheduled.
Share Your Culture! We want to hear more about your family’s cultural background and traditions. New in 2019 we will be creating a bulletin board that will be changed monthly. We are looking for families to decorate the board to help us learn more about diverse cultures and families. Bulletin boards could include family photos, traditional customs, recipes, suggested reading and any additional information you would like to share. Please email Sarah skswanson@gmail.com or Heather hbendure@gmail.com for more information and to let us know you are interested in participating!
Please contact Dr. Rheaume or one of our parent organizers Susan Sutorka at susansuto@yahoo.com or Janice Fox at jcfcreative@gmail.com for more information about our Diversity Parent Group.
#ONEGP Parent Camp - Saturday, March 2
Dear Grosse Pointe Families,
We are excited to announce Grosse Pointe Public School System's inaugural parent camp event #OneGP Parent Camp: Empowering Parents with Information and Dialogue to Support the Children of our Community. It will be held at Parcells Middle School on Saturday, March 2nd from 8:30-12pm. A keynote speaker and breakout session on Unconscious Bias will be facilitated by Dr. Asha Shajahan. Dr. Shajahan is a board certified family physician from Beaumont Hospital. Other breakout session topics include: restorative practices, social media, cultural competency, bullying, suicide, early intervention, anxiety, trauma, vaping, special education, and more. The event will be a conference format with a 45 minute keynote session followed by two 55 minute breakout sessions where participants can attend the sessions of their own choosing.
Refreshments and childcare (to potty trained children) will be provided. Please click on this link to fill out the online pre-registration for the event.
Habit 5
Welcome to the February edition of our Leader in Me newsletter!
Published by the Defer Family Learning Team
The 7 Habits are reviewed, practiced and integrated daily at Defer. We will review the 7 Habits with you monthly. Thank you for your partnership in reinforcing your child’s leadership skills.
We are learning about Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood means that it is better to listen first and to talk second.
This habit is best approached by introducing listening as a skill, something that should be practiced. Simply put, we have two ears and one mouth and should use them accordingly.
Books that reinforce Habit 5:
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon; The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka; The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown; Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman; Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino; Rules by Cynthia Lord
You may hear your child use words and phrases like listening first, listening with your ears, eyes, and heart, and seeking first to understand in their conversations. You can encourage your child by using some of this language at home.
Video to reinforce Habit 5:
7 Habits of Happy Kids
Grosse Pointe Public Schools
Our Vision: One GP → where everyone learns, every day
Our Mission: Promote Innovation → Maximize Potential → Embrace Community
Email: rheauml@gpschools.org
Website: https://mi01000971.schoolwires.net/Domain/1099
Location: 15425 Kercheval Avenue, Grosse Pointe Park, MI, USA
Phone: 313-432-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GPDefer/
Twitter: @GPDefer