Turrill Family Newsletter

Dear Turrill Families,

Welcome to February! It's hard to believe that we are almost two-thirds of the way through the school year. This is the time of the year when we evaluate the pacing of our curriculum to ensure that we cover all the necessary content by years end. It's also a time to pay attention to your child's attendance.

We realize that this year is yet another challenge with students who are asked to quarantine due to COVID exposures. Quarantined absences do not count against your child's attendance record, but please keep in mind how many days your child has missed outside of being quarantined. If your child is ill, please make sure to bring in a doctor's note so we can make note in our attendance system.

Consistent school attendance is one of the key indicators for children being able to read by 3rd grade and graduating high school. Please monitor your child's attendance and make every effort to get students to school.

Student Count Day is Wednesday, February 8th. Please make every effort for your child to be at school on this day and every day.Thank you for your attention and support. Click on the link below for more information regarding attendance.

Click Here to discover 10 Facts About School Attendance

Warmly,

Kelly Vangel

Principal, Turrill Elementary

• 2/3 Spirit Popcorn Day
• 2/7 Pizza Kit Order Pick Up
• 2/8 Student Count Day
• 2/9 5th Grade Spelling Bee
• 2/10 Valentine Parties
• 2/13-17 Winter Intersession
• 2/20 No School - Records Day
• 2/28 March is Reading Month Kick-Off event "Get in the Game of Reading" 5:00-7:00

This year we will be holding the 5th grade Spelling Bee on Thursday, February 9th at 2:30. We will attempt to record the Spelling Bee for parents wanting to watch. I say "attempt" because we will do our best to make it work barring any technical difficulties.

The ZOOM link to watch our 5th Grade Spelling Bee is:

Topic: Turrill Spelling Bee

Time: Feb 9, 2023 02:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://lapeerschools-org.zoom.us/j/89270466862?pwd=Y0QwWTdITzVVaHlNN0x4cHErY1lzUT09

Meeting ID: 892 7046 6862
Passcode: 275027

On Friday, February 10th, we will be having classroom Valentine's Day parties. Each teacher will communicate to their students and families what they will be doing that day.

The February Intersession is currently full. For those attending the dates are February 13 through February 17.

Due to last week's snow day, the 5th grade transition meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, January 30th. Scheduling forms will be due to classroom teachers by Friday, February 3rd. You can also check out this link for other RW scheduling questions: RW Scheduling 23/24

If you have a child or if you have friends or neighbors with school aged children, please mark your calendars for Kindergarten Round Up on March 6th & 8th from 1:00-7:00 at the Administration and Service Center (250 Second Street) to register for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. Children who will be 5 years old by September 1st (or by December 1st with a signed waiver) are eligible to attend either our early fives or kindergarten program. Currently, Turrill has 3 kindergarten classes and 1 early fives/kindergarten split. We would LOVE to be able to run a straight early fives program and multiple kindergarten classes. Please tell your neighbors, relatives, and friends about Turrill.

Enrolling during Kindergarten Round Up in March (instead of waiting until school starts) is vital for school programming, such as staffing, planning bus routes, and so much more! I encourage you to get the word out about KIndergarten Round Up. If you know someone who would like to know more about Turrill's year round program or would like a tour prior to Kindergarten Round Up, I would be more than happy to accommodate. For more general information about kindergarten in Michigan, check out the article below.

Getting You and Your Child Ready for Kindergarten

Congratulations to our December/January Student of the Month winners who display patience and perseverance. Students will be enjoying a snow cone with Mrs. Vangel to celebrate their accomplishments.

Avery Garrett

Mathilda Payne

Bryson Downey

Callie Goff

Riley Morrison

Evelyn Reppuhn

Karson Domeier

Elijah Massie

Caleb Lloyd

Charlotte Becker

Kasen Wright

River Wolosion

Hank Howard

Kennedy White

Maverick Fuhr

Lilith Plue

Weston Carter

Report cards will be completed on Monday, February 20th (Records Day) and sent out via School Messenger later in the week. E5-2nd grade spring conferences will be held for students who are performing below grade level expectation. Spring conferences are by invitation only and allow the teacher and parents to discuss how to build a stronger home/school relationship to support the child, as well as meet requirements for the Third Grade Reading Law. Stay tuned for more information about E5-2nd grade conferences in the coming months.

Character Trait Work

Each month we are working on a different character trait to help shape student behavior positively. We have worked on kindness, confidence, respect, gratitude, patience, and perseverance so far, and now we will be working on courage in February. Students learn about the character trait of the month in their classrooms and attend an assembly in which a picture book on the character trait is read and discussed.

BOLT Tickets

Students can earn BOLT tickets from adults throughout the school day for exhibiting positive behavior. Students can turn BOLT tickets in each week to earn prizes. If you would like to donate PBIS prizes to Turrill, we would really appreciate it. Prize examples include: pencils, erasers, fidgets, small games, small toys, etc.

Compliment Chains

Classrooms have compliment chains made out of paper links in their classrooms to measure compliments they receive from adults. When a class meets their personal goal, they enjoy a compliment party of their choice.

Be on the lookout for February Reading Logs! Students have a goal of reading at home for at least 20 minutes every day and completing a reading log throughout the month. Reading at home with your child is part of Read-by-Grade Three Law.

Click here for a list of books about courage to read with your child.

Click here for online math fact practice

Click here for some more math at home activities

For more information on math skills by age level, click here

Calling all volunteers! Turrill has an amazing PTC that needs your help. Check out the newsletter below to find out more. Join us in person for our next PTC meeting on February 2nd at 9:30 am or stream live on Facebook,

Please make sure to fill out the LCS Volunteer Application below if you plan to volunteer in your child's classroom, attend parties, chaperone field trips, or volunteer in other capacities.

LEAF, the Lapeer County Education Attainment Fund, is devoted to being a partner in your child's academic future. Your kindergarten, 1st, or 2nd grader will be able to deposit money into their LEAF account on the following dates:

• March 16
• May 18

For more information on the LEAF program, please CLICK HERE.

We absolutely LOVE reading, which means March is our favorite month because we celebrate March is Reading Month. Our theme this year year is, "Get in the Game of Reading!" Be on the look out for information about our March is Reading Month Kick-Off Event scheduled for Tuesday, February 28th from 5:00-7:00. During our evening event, we will play games and have loads of fun with reading!

Today, perhaps more than ever, parents play an important role in their child’s education. Gone are the days when it was solely the school’s job to educate. Parents are an active part of the teaching and learning process, which can be challenging combined with all the other tasks of providing for a family.

The following ideas are intended to help increase your child’s understanding of reading and writing skills and to develop confidence in learning, while providing parents with a general framework for how to get this all done. Choose two or three of the following strategies and use them throughout the year.

Click Here for the Remainder of the Article

Each year we need to seek input on our Family Engagement Plan. Below is a link to our plan. Please take some time to review it. If you see anything that needs revision or have any recommendations please email me at kelly.vangel@lapeerschools.org .

Turrill Family Engagement Plan 2022-2023

8:00 Office Opens

8:45 Student Drop off Begins

8:50 Students Allowed to Rooms

8:54 Classes Begin

2022-2023 Recess Schedule:

11:15-11:45 E5/KDG - 1st Grade

11:45-12:15 2nd - 3rd Grade, 2/3 Split, and CI Classrooms

12:15-12:45 4th - 5th Grade

2022-2023 Lunch Schedule:

11:45-12:05 E5/KDG - 1st Grade

12:15-12:35 2nd, 2/3 Split, 3rd Grade, and CI Classrooms

12:45-1:05 E5-4th - 5th Grade

3:50 Dismissal

4:30 Office Closes

Lapeer has mental health resources to support families. Click on the link below to access a valuable list of mental health resources in our area.

Email: kelly.vangel@lapeerschools.org
Website: http://turrill.lapeerschools.org/
Location: 785 S Elm St, Lapeer, MI 48446
Phone: (810) 667-2438
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063652505228

Mission: We will use our talents and compassion to educate our students in order to create a world in which all children embrace the journey of learning.

Turrill Vision: We are a kind family built on trust.

Turrill Motto: Better together!