Mason Moose Minutes October 1
Teamwork it is! One Mason, One Family, One Team!
Message from the Principal
As I take the time to reflect on the past month of school, I truly feel blessed to be a part of the Mason family, and the collaborative efforts by all to truly work hand in hand, and heart in heart to reach the needs of our dear students. It truly "takes a village to raise a child", and we are blessed to have the commitment from one another to guide our students, teach them, and believe in them day in and day out!
We take pride as a Mason team for the accomplishments achieved thus far! Students and staff have been working diligently to jump right into our literacy, math, science and social studies curriculum, along with our specials' curriculum as well! Community circles are taking place in many classrooms promoting student reflection and goal setting just as well! With many pre-assessments completed, we are preparing for differentiated reading opportunities, use of online learning tools such as Reflex for math, Lexia Core 5, IXL, and more!
I would like to take this opportunity to share that Mason has a Read at Home plan, which we ask that all students read daily for at least 20 minutes. Kindly know that this may include students reading to themselves, reading to someone else, reading with someone, and even using our online literacy tools which support reading and literacy such as Raz-Kids and Lexia Core 5. We are extremely excited about incorporating Lexia Core 5 within our school instruction, and at home as it supports students with their reading and literacy skills! It is a research-based program that provides explicit, systematic, personalized learning in reading instruction, targeting skill gaps as they emerge, and provides stakeholders with data and student-specific resources needed for individual or small-group instruction. Parents, kindly ensure that when students work on Lexia Core 5 at home, this is done independently to ensure that the data is reflective of the student's own ability level, which will allow the tool and teachers to provide support and differentiated instruction to meet the need of each student.
A few kind reminders for our dear parents...
* Please do not part on Charlevoix Rd as this is a drop off area during morning arrival and dismissal times. We want to be proactive about this so that parents are not ticketed for parking there.
* Additionally, we kindly ask that handicap parking in the parking lot is only used by those who are permitted to park in such parking spots.
* Furthermore, during morning arrival, let us try to park in the parking spots which tend to be available if you intend to walk your child to the blacktop, and to keep the drop off circle as a drop off circle.
Thank you sincerely for your ongoing support and partnership in addressing our students' needs. We continue to move forward as One Mason, One Family, One Team! If you need anything in the meantime, please know you can contact me via email at Hassana@gpschools.org or by phone at (313) 432-4404. As always....Teamwork it is! Together we learn, we lead, and we lift!
Mrs. Anita Hassan
Principal
FROM THE OFFICE
We are One Mason, One Family, One Team!
Parents know your child is in great hands! We are committed to providing our students with a quality education and maximizing the safety of all.
To assist us with this, please call the attendance line at 313-432-4401 anytime your student will be absent or late to school by 9AM. Please know if a student is out two or more days due to illness, we will need a doctors note upon their return.
If you need an early dismissal, we are asking that you also call the attendance line at 313-432-4401 as soon as possible, but before 3PM.
Need to Speak to Someone in the Main Office
Do you need to speak to someone in the main office?
Please use one of the following numbers:
(313) 432-4400
(313) 432-4411
(313) 432-4403
Count Day is October 6th
Count day is when all public schools in Michigan tally the number of students attending their schools. Count information is critical to districts, because each student translates into state funding. LEA and ISD state aid is based on the number of students legally enrolled on or before count day.
With this said, the safety of everyone takes priority. We want to be sure that all students who are sick or having symptoms as noted in the COVID 19 Family Screening Tool, are not sent to school.
Please make note of the following on Count Day:
* Every student will receive a blue Mason Moose t-shirt provided by the PTO. Please know that every student will receive the same size which is a large youth.
* The Mason Moose hopes to join us on this day during lunch or recess time to bring a smile to each student's face!
* Our wonderful PTO has scheduled the Scholastic Book fair on this day. Additional information is provided in the newsletter below.
Parent-Teacher Conferences 10/13 and 10/14!
Parent-Teacher conferences are right around the corner! This year, parents will have a choice of participating in conferences in person or via Zoom based on the schedule noted below:
Elementary Conferences
Wednesday, Oct. 13 - evening conferences 5-8 p.m. - Zoom only
Thursday, Oct. 14 - afternoon conferences 1-4 p.m. - Zoom OR in person options are available
Thursday, Oct. 14 - evening conferences 5-8 p.m. - in person only
Parents, kindly know that you will be receiving an email on Monday, October 4 with your login information to PTC Wizard, which is where all conferences will be scheduled. PTC Wizard will be available for parents to start signing up on October 4 at 5:00 p.m. and through October 11 at 11:59 p.m. Kindly prioritize your meeting times with the homeroom teacher, and know that specials' teachers are available to meet as well. In the comments section, we kindly ask that you please note whether you are requesting a Zoom conference or in-person conference if applicable for the day chosen. If you need help signing up for conferences, please feel free to reach out to your student's teacher or call the main office.
Birthday Treats
Dear Mason Families,
Due to the increasing number of students with medical conditions and various food allergies, the Mason staff will continue to not allow birthday treats to enter the classroom. Holiday and classroom celebrations will have a strictly enforced list of safe food options to choose from. Classroom teachers will individually connect with their parents' population to explain what products can and can’t be brought into the room for classroom celebrations.
The start of a new school year brings about many challenges. One of those challenges is creating a safe environment for students with food allergies. Educating the staff, students and community is essential to creating that safe environment. A startling statistic is that every grade level has multiple students with varied types of food allergies, whether it is to nuts, dairy or wheat. The severity of each child’s allergy is vastly different. Some reactions may be minor, but we have others whose exposure to certain foods could be life threatening. Exposure can occur from ingesting food or through contact with any surface (desks, door handles, etc.) that another child has touched after eating the allergy-causing food. Thank you for helping us keep Mason as safe as possible.
The Mason staff will continue to provide reminders to our community about the importance of keeping all students safe. We understand that for some this will be difficult, but our decision was based on making an environment that is safe for ALL learners. Thank you for understanding.
Sincerely,
The Mason Staff
PTO Color/Fun Run
If you are interested in volunteering on the Color/Fun Run day, please reach out to the PTO.
***Staff Spotlight of the Week***
Mason PTO Scholastic Bookfair
We will be holding our Scholastic Book Fair in person on Wednesday, October 6th! Students will be given time during the school day to shop. As in previous years there will be a wide range of books available to suit all tastes and reading abilities. Don’t want to send cash with your child? Visit our Book Fair Homepage and set your child up with an eWallet!
Online Shopping is available as well! Scholastic.com/bf/masonbookfair
The Book Fair is not only a great opportunity for students to add to their book collection, but also an opportunity to earn ‘free books’ for the school. All purchases made during the Book Fair contribute to the number of free books the school is given.
As well as being open for student shopping during the school day, families can visit us on the blacktop until 6pm!
Are you looking for creative ways to thank your teachers? One suggestion; books for their classroom!! Our teachers set up a personalized Scholastic e-wallet link. This is a great way for teachers to build their libraries with new books! Just find your teacher’s name on the list and click on their link.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19Sy3sCwDDv7GYieG-aGFKDkAOXe80lYhgFfV048LJ8Q/edit?usp=sharing
Mason PTO Spiritwear
Building Visitors and Volunteers
Dinner Conversation Topics
What is something new that we learned or were inspired with this week?
How long will I read at home each day and do I want to create a reading place for me at home?
What day do we want to schedule Parent Teacher Conferences for?
Do we need anything from the Book Fair that is scheduled on October 6th?
Oct 6 - Scholastic Book Fair - outside - information below
Oct 6 - Count Day
Oct 8 - Spirt-wear orders due
Oct 13 - Full Day for Students- Parent Teacher Conference -5-8 PM Zoom only
Oct 14 - 1/2 day AM only dismissal 11:36AM for students- Parent Teacher Conference - afternoon 12:30-3:30 p.m. zoom or in-person available and 5:00-8:00 p.m. in person only
Oct 15 - Fun Run - See flyer above
Oct 16 - Fall Fest - Information coming soon
Oct 22 - Picture Re-take Day
Oct 24 - Haunted Garage
Please use this COVID-19 Screening Tool for Families below as a checklist before sending your student to school.
USDA Waiver Continues for Free School Lunches
Mason Elementary School
Teamwork it is! One Mason, One Family, One Team!
Email: hassana@gpschools.org
Website: https://www.gpschools.org/Domain/1501
Location: 1640 Vernier Road, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, USA
Phone: 313-432-4400