Principal's Post
Sunday, April 7, 2024
Principal's Message
Dear Angell Community,
As Monday approaches and we prepare for the Total Solar Eclipse I wanted to share some quick reminders and important tips:
- The school district is providing Solar Eclipse Glasses for all staff and students.
- Students will not have recess outdoors after lunch as a precaution.
- All grades are scheduled to go outside and view the eclipse at scheduled times and locations.
- We will only have one grade out at a time spread out in different locations.
- Grade levels will exit the building with glasses off until they get to their location and then will put on their glasses and will safely view the eclipse.
- Grade levels are only scheduled for 5 minute sessions.
- This is NEW INFO: At the end of the day when the eclipse is in full effect, students will be dismissed a class at time without glasses on (they would not be able to see otherwise). Students wil have their glasses in hand in case you would like to allow them to view the eclipse again. They can also share thier glasses with you. Please remember that it is not advised to view the eclipse with out specialized glasses.
- The Angell playground will be closed until the eclispe ends at 4:27 pm.
- Please review your end of the day plan so child knows exactly what to expect since it will be dark outside.
- SPECIAL NOTE: If you plan is to pick your child up early please infom the office prior to 1:00 pm and please pick up your child prior to 2:45 pm pm to avoid congestion in the office.
We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to sharing this exciting learning experience with your children.
I would also like to make special mention about our PTA's exciting event called Angells Around the World. This is a great opportunity to share your culture and heritage with the entire community. The more involvement we have from our community the more our children will learn. I am proud of my Italian heritage and love to share how this helped shape who i am as an individual. Please take a look at the flyer below and use the Signup Genius to participate. It would be great to have twenty or more families share their stories, traditions and food with our entire community. Thanks for your consideration.
A special message from our PTA about Back to School Supply Lists
The Angell PTA is already thinking about the 2024-25 school year. The PTA has again partnered with 1st Day School Supplies to offer an optional way to purchase suggested school supply items for your student. These school supply kits have been reviewed by our staff and contain everything needed to start the next school year. Orders are due by July 1st and will be delivered to Angell prior to the start of school. Please remember to order the grade level that your student will be in the fall.
Also included in the Principal's Post this week is:
- Counselor's Corner
- Angell Network News
- Respect Circle Honorees
- M-STEP Testing Schedule
- Angells Around the World
- PTA Updates
- Community Coffee Series
- Upcoming Events
- Food Service Information
- New Lunch Items
- Angell Calendar
Sincerely,
Vince Gigliotti
Angell Principal
Counselor's Corner
It was wonderful to see so many of you at the PTA meeting on Tuesday. Mrs. Greager and I appreciate the opportunity to share some of the things we are working on here at school. This week we shared some information we learned during a recent training with Dr. Laurie Faith on Emotion Validation. You can find a link to our presentation here. As you look through the slides you’ll see the Stroop Test. This is a fun way to test your metacognitive strength. The goal is to say the color you see, not read the word on the screen. It may seem easy at first, but gets more challenging as the words flash more quickly. There are different strategies you can use to make this task easier, but different things work for different people. This task not only builds metacognitive strength, but also reinforces our barriers and strategies protocol where the students are empowered to come up with their own strategies to overcome challenges.
We all know how it feels to have our emotions invalidated, or told our feelings are wrong. It’s hard to see our children struggling with difficult emotions and feel uncomfortable, but by validating we teach them it is ok to have all our feelings and that we can work through difficult things. The three steps of emotion validation include:
Step 1 – Notice
Don’t ignore or pretend you don’t see it when a child is upset. Rather, confirm that you notice their negative emotions. “I heard that you just lost the game.”
Step 2 – Acknowledge
Acknowledge your child’s feelings and identify where they come from. If the child is able to speak, use empathic listening (or active listening) to hear them out. If the child is too young or too upset, teach them to name their feelings. “That feels very unfair because you played so well in the game.”
Step 3 – Witness
Here is the crucial step where we tend to make a mistake. Many parents will try to explain why the child shouldn’t feel that way or give unsolicited advice on how they should feel or what they might do instead. There is an implicit sense of invalidation here implying that the child had the wrong feelings.
At this point, you really don’t need to say anything else. Simply stay with the child and express empathy and attunement with your facial expression or body language. If you want to teach them to “think differently” or see things from a different perspective, do it later. This is a time for your child to understand their feelings, accept them, and form an emotion regulation strategy.
Some examples of validating statements include:
- That must be frustrating
- That is so sad.
- What a yucky day for you!
- Tell me what happened.
- It makes sense that you feel upset.
- It means a lot to you.
- I know it must really hurt. Do you want a hug?
- I would feel bad in that situation, too.
Angell Network News
Respect Circle Honorees
MSTEP Testing Schedule: Grades 3-5 ONLY
Our 3rd - 5th graders are scheduled to test on the dates below. Please do your best to make sure your child is in school for each session so we can minimize make-ups. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out directly to Mr. Gigliotti.
Angells Around the World
Our wonderful PTA is planning a special event that will celebrate all the cultures represented at Angell Elementary School and need your help! Here is the PTA's special message and invitation to join:
Come and CELEBRATE your culture and country at Angell Elementary's FIRST cultural festival and dance, Angells Around the World! The PTA DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Committee invites everyone to proudly show off who they are and where they are from.
Here is where we need YOUR help! Families have the option of hosting a table that represents their culture by sharing traditional clothes, providing a traditional dish to sample and/or presenting a trifold poster that highlights their country of origin. Families may also have other items that represent their country (home decor, painting, country flag, etc.).
Interested in hosting a table? Please use the link button below to sign up! The PTA will provide more details to families that sign up after April 15th.
Sign up date extended
PTA Updates
Week of April 8, 2024
Upcoming Events!
PTA Meeting
Our final PTA meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14th at 7:00pm in the Angell Media Center. All are welcome!
PTA Membership
Please consider joining. Get involved and help support our Angell Community.
Printable Membership Form: PTA Membership Form
Join the PTA online: https://angellpta.memberhub.com/store
Volunteer / Chair Opportunities: Angell PTA Committees
Angell Dad’s Club
Know any dads who want to get involved? They are absolutely welcome to join our PTA, but we also have an Angell Dad's Club!
Meetings: 3rd Thursday of the month at 7pm at Dog and Pony Show Brewing
Facebook: Angell Dad's Club
Contact: Scott Sehi
Email: sehisc@gmail.com
Social Media
Follow us on our social media pages to get important information and updates!
Facebook: Angell PTA Facebook Page
Instagram: angellfishpta
*2023- 2024 Angell PTA Board*
Caitlyn Thrasher, President, caitlyn.thrasher85@gmail.com
Bridget Rock, Vice President, bridget.a.rock@gmail.com
Kelsey Cole, Secretary, kelseyl_cole@yahoo.com
Tara Samson, Treasurer, ellorysmama@gmail.com
Lindsay Royce, PR Coordinator, say.royce@gmail.com
Summer Volleyball Camp Opportunity
Community Coffee Series with Superintendent Scott Francis
Superintendent Scott Francis will host community chats this semester. Community members are invited to share thoughts about the Berkley School District at this informal community forum on the following dates:
Monday, May 20, 5:30-6:30 pm. Topic: TBD
All Community Chat events will be held at the Berkley Schools Administrative Offices, 14501 Talbot, Oak Park. Refreshments will be provided.
Upcoming Events
Week of April 8 - April 12
Monday, April 8
Pledge Leaders: Daniels
Ramadan Ends
3:15pm: Angell Run Club - Indoors
7:00pm: Board of Education Meeting at Tyndall
Tuesday, April 9
Pledge Leaders: Daniels
Respect Circle
Wednesday, April 10
Pledge Leaders: Daniels
4th 10 Week Special Rotations Begin
5th Grade MSTEP (Science)
3:15pm: Angell Run Club
7:00pm: 5th and 6th Grade String Extravaganza at BHS
Thursday, April 11
Pledge Leaders: Daniels
5th Grade MSTEP (Science)
3:15pm: Little Yogis
7:00pm: 5th and 6th Grade Band Jam
Friday, April 12
Pledge Leaders: Daniels
Angell Occupation Day
Food Service Information
For all lunch information, INCLUDING LUNCH MENUS, please visit our Food Service page on the district website by clicking on the button below.
New Lunch Items
The Food Service Department is offering two NEW daily lunch options in addition to the three current available daily items at the Elementary Schools.
1. Wow Butter & Grape Jelly Jammer with string cheese and whole grain Cheez-its
(Contains milk, wheat, sesame, soy)
2. Chicken Popper Salad served with a graham cracker (salad includes popcorn chicken and shredded mozzarella cheese over a blend of spinach and romaine lettuce) Italian/ranch dressing available on the side.
(Contains milk, wheat, soy)
All school lunches also contain a choice of 1% chocolate or regular milk and an assortment of fresh or packaged fruit and vegetables. Daily offerings may include bananas, pears, apples, apple slices, orange slices, fruit cups, sliced cucumbers, carrot/celery sticks and more.
Calendar
Please use the button below to access all important Angell Elementary School dates for the 2023-2024 school year.
Subscribe to Angell iCalendar Updates
iCal Feeds
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Read step by step instructions on adding an iCal feed to Google Calendars and your iPhone.
Nuts and Bolts
Click on Nuts and Bolts if you need information about:
Volunteering, Covid Protocols, Food Management/Allergens, Nut Free Safe Snacks, Daily Schedules, Bell Schedules, Specials Schedule, Lunch Information, Nutrislice, and Breakfast Information
Stay In Touch
Email: vincenzo.gigliotti@berkleyschools.org
Website: https://www.berkleyschools.org/schools/angell/
Location: 3849 Beverly Boulevard, Berkley, MI, USA
Phone: (248) 837-8501
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Angell-Elementary-School/688122847952184
Twitter: @GigliottiVince