Welcome to Kindergarten!
School starts on Wednesday, August 25th
A message from Mrs. Johnson
Dear Kindergarten Families,
Welcome to Glengary Elementary! I hope you have had a wonderful summer with your family and friends. I am so excited to partner with you as your child begins his/her educational journey. This is my sixth year as the principal at Glengary Elementary and my thirteenth year in education. I can honestly say that I love what I do and I look forward to coming to Glengary each day!
The beginning of Kindergarten is a very exciting time in your child’s life! Your child is in kind, capable hands with our kindergarten teachers and our entire staff. Below you will find important information about our Welcome Back event, transportation, the first day of school, and general Glengary procedures.
I know this will be a great year for our newest Gators!
Warmly,
RosaLeigh Johnson
IMPORTANT TASK THAT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED BY EVERY FAMILY
Every family MUST complete Walled Lake's annual registration/first-day packet process. Please note that this is in ADDITION to enrolling your Kindergarten student in the district.
The District will be using the Family Access/Skyward system to automate the process for updating and completing documents such as the emergency card, Food Service application, FERPA form, fee payments, Code of Conduct, and other important annual school forms that require parent/guardian approval.
A Skyward Family Access parent account is required in order to complete the Online Back-to-School Packet process for all schools. (A parent account username is alphanumeric - SMITHMAD000; a student account username is the student's ID number - 1234567.)
To obtain a Family Access username and password, please email FamilyAccess@wlcsd.org or contact the Family Access hotline at 248-956-2190. Please be sure to include your name, the name of each child in the district, your email address and a daytime phone number. You can also visit https://wlcsd.org/parents/family-access/ for additional information.
Skyward Family Access is how parents access the Online Back to School Packet.
Student classroom placements will be available sometime after 4:00pm on Friday, August 20th if your Online Back to School packet is completed.
Enrollment
All Kindergarten families should complete the online enrollment process ASAP. You will receive an email confirmation once your enrollment has been processed. Please note that the Student Service Department is currently behind on finalizing enrollment. If you have completed all steps and submitted all paperwork, you should hear from Student Services soon letting you know that everything has been finalized.
If you have questions about enrollment, please contact Student Services at 248-956-2085 or 248-956-2086. You can also contact our main office for help.
First Days of School Information - August 25, 26, and 27
As we begin the 2021-2022 school year, kindergarten students will engage in a host of learning opportunities, and we couldn't be more excited to serve your children face to face to begin this school year!
During the first week of school, your child will begin a required comprehensive assessment to determine social and academic skills. These investigations into each individual child’s attributes are best completed in smaller settings. We also know that these smaller settings will support the social-emotional wellness of our youngest learners as they adjust to these first days of school.
In order for optimal execution of these state required assessments, we will be staggering our start by alphabet in our Kindergarten classrooms August 25, 26, and 27.
Last names A-L: 9:00am -12:00pm
Last names M-Z : 1:00pm - 4:00pm
*Lunch will not be served to Kindergarten students on these days.
*For those eligible to receive it, transportation WILL be provided to and from school for both AM and PM students.
Transportation Updates
Please review the following information from our transportation department:
- If your child is eligible for bus transportation, it is recommended that they start this routine on the first day of school.
- Bus Stops/Routes: Bus stops/routes will be posted on the district website and Skyward Family Access the week of August 16, 2021. www.wlcsd.org
- Bus Drivers - Bus drivers will be contacting all kindergarten families to introduce themselves. You can expect a phone call from your child’s driver in the coming weeks! Our drivers take care to ensure our kindergartners get on/off the bus safely each day.
Kindergarten Suggested School Supply List
Glengary Family/Student Handbook
Arrival & Dismissal Procedures
**Please note: If you plan to drive your Kindergarten student to school each day, you should have your child begin practicing getting in and out of a booster seat, unassisted from the back, passenger side of the vehicle. Thank you!
Snack and Water Bottle Policy
Please click on the below link for information on the Glengary Healthy Snack and Water Bottle policy.
Glengary Kindergarten Questionnaire
A HUGE thank you to all of our families for completing the Glengary Kindergarten Questionnaire! This information was very helpful as our teachers worked to complete placement!
Meet the Glengary Kindergarten Team
Mrs. Creech: Kindergarten Teacher
My name is Ami Creech and I have been teaching for Walled Lake since 2017. Prior to being at Walled Lake, I became a tenured teacher in Plainwell Community Schools located in South West Michigan.
My 20 years of teaching experience and my knowledge of all elementary grades began in Tulsa, Oklahoma. My journeys have helped me develop a love of learning new places and people.
It is a joy to teach in this district and I feel I learn more every day by being here.
Mrs. Dryden: Kindergarten Teacher
Lara Dryden has been teaching kindergarten for over 20 years. She graduated from Eastern Michigan University with an Early Childhood Degree and then from Oakland University with a Masters in Reading.
She believes every child can, if given time, grow their character and achieve their dreams. The development of the whole child gives them the foundation for intellectual, physical, social, and emotional growth. With a strong foundation, every student will progress and reach their full potential.
Creating the basis for this growth has been her lifelong dream. Seeing the changes that kindergarten has adopted lets her know that the essential element that you must keep in mind is the whole child. You cannot focus on one aspect of a kindergarten student.
In 1837, Freidrich Wilhelm Froebel saw kindergarten as a place to have freedom of self expression, creativity, social participation, and motor expression. These areas are still essential in developing a learner who aims to conquer the challenge of education.
For classroom information, please visit her website.
Mrs. Steele: Kindergarten Teacher
Welcome to Mrs. Michelle Steele's kindergarten class at Glengary Elementary School! Mrs. Steele has been teaching for twenty-six years, twenty-three years in the Walled Lake School District. She has taught many grade levels in many different buildings here in Walled Lake, and feels very fortunate to have found her true passion as a kindergarten teacher!
Mrs. Steele attended college at Eastern Michigan University where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and her Master's degree in Learning Disabilities. Although she is certified to teach students from kindergarten through high school level, kindergartners truly have her heart!
Mrs. Steele currently serves as a member of Glengary's leadership team, as well as the district's leadership team, the iCouncil. She was honored to be Glengary's Teacher of the Year in 2011-12, and again in the 2019-20 school year. She is grateful to be part of this wonderful school district and shares in the commitment of serving every child, every day.
Along with her love of teaching kindergarten, she also enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family. She and her husband have two wonderful children, Ryan and Kaitlyn, who are both attending college.
Mrs. Steele strongly believes in having open lines of communication and building partnerships with the families of the students she serves and is always available to help however she can!
Mrs. Johnson: Principal
Mrs. RosaLeigh Johnson has served the Glengary community as principal since 2016. Mrs. Johnson has been trained in Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop, Restorative Practices, and PBIS. Prior to that time, she was a 1st grade teacher and 2nd grade teacher in Charlotte, NC, Clio Area School District and Linden Community Schools.
She earned her bachelor’s in Human Development and Social Relations from Kalamazoo College, bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte; and a master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Educational Administration, from the University of Michigan-Flint.
Mrs. Johnson is committed to serving every child, every day! She believes in the power of meaningful relationships, celebrating individual character strengths, and instilling a love of learning so that all students achieve their maxim potential.
She and her husband reside in White Lake with their son, Grayson.