A Message from the Principal
Dear Turrill Families,
Can you believe we've been in school for almost 7 weeks now? Time is flying! As we enter into the fall season, take the time to enjoy the leaves changing, football games, and family time together. Like the leaves, your children are changing each day, becoming more brilliant and unique. Fall field trips are being planned, parent teacher conferences are on the horizon, and everything will be flavored with pumpkin spice soon :) Just like us, everything in fall is #BetterTogether
Warmly,
Kelly Vangel
Principal, Turrill Elementary
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conferences will be Monday, September 19th and Wednesday, September 21 from 4:00-7:30. As in years past, we will be offering two options for conferences: ZOOM or face-to-face. Be on the lookout for a Sign-Up Genius later this week to register for a 10-15 minute conference time with your child's teacher.
From our Food Service Department
This year Lapeer Community Schools is unable to offer universal free lunches for all students due to lack of grant funds. Therefore, we need families to fill out the Free and Reduced school lunch form below. This form is used for our Title 1 Federal funding allocation. It is important to that we get as many families to fill it out as possible. Forms are confidential and you will find out your eligibility status quickly. Thank you for taking the time. Here is a link to fill it out online.
IDs Please
Please remember to always bring identification when picking up your child and let all people listed on your child's contact list know to do this as well. Even though we may know who you are, there are times when we have a substitute in the office who will ask everyone to show their ID prior to releasing students.
Student Transportation Reminders
Turrill has a large number of students who are car riders on a daily basis. If we all follow the car rider protocols and work together with patience, families will be able to move through the area more safely and efficiently.
Student Drop-off: Drop-off begins at 8:45. We have three points of entrance. Door 12 is the E-5, Kindergarten and 1st grade entrance. Main office is the 5th grade entrance and door 3 is the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade entrance. See Map below.
When dropping off your child/ren select the appropriate entrance. If you are dropping off more than one child, we suggest that you select one drop area and let all your children exit the vehicle at one spot. A red line is painted on the sidewalk for students’ safety. Students can exit their vehicles and walk behind the painted red line until they get to their particular entrance. Staff will encourage students to stay behind the red line but it’s always helpful to remind them of this before they exit your vehicle.
If you need to leave your vehicle please pull into one of the parking spaces. Do not leave your vehicle in the drop lane. This causes large back-ups and becomes a safety issue for students and parents.
If you park your car, please walk your child to the curb using one of the cross walks: We do not want students crossing the parking lot and car lanes unaccompanied by an adult.
Only use the lane closest to the curb for drop-off: Do not drop students off unless you are in the lane next to the curb.
Parent’s Read-At-Home Plan for Student Success
Be on the lookout for September 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 with your child is a proven way to promote early literacy. One of the most important things you can do to prepare your child for his/her future is helping to make sure that your child is reading at grade level by third grade. You can influence your child’s success in school by making reading a daily routine in your home. Research shows that students who read at least 20 minutes per day score in the 90th percentile on standardized tests. Do you want to help your child to be successful in school? They simply need to read.
WHAT CAN I DO TO SUPPORT MY CHILD? Read at home with your child daily (at least 20 minutes) with books they enjoy.
Some ways to do this:
- Read out loud to your child.
- Listen to your child read.
- Echo read (you read a line, then they repeat).
- Read together at the same time.
- Reread or retell favorite stories.
- Talk to your child about the reading.
As you read:
- Ask your child to share what they remember.
- Ask questions about the reading.
- Talk about your favorite parts.
- Talk about what you have learned.
- Talk about how the pictures in the book connect to the words on the page.
- Help connect the reading to your child’s life or other books they’ve read.
Math Facts
We're asking for your help with learning math facts this year. One of the biggest hurdles students can have in math achievement is not knowing basic math facts. Many students can solve elaborate equations and story problems, but can't do it efficiently because they don't know basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division facts. It's not glamorous, but it takes memorizing those pesky facts until students know they quickly. (You know... like we had to do when we were in school)
So what can you do?
- Make memorizing fun and play a game with it, like Red Light, Green Light
- Create flashcards with math facts
- Download an app or find a math fact website
- Quiz each other with math facts
- Use manipulatives, like fingers, cubes, beans, sticks, etc.
For more information on math skills by age level, click here
#BetterTogether Day
Turrill PTC will host its first annual #BetterTogether Day on Wednesday, September 28th. #BetterTogether Day will pair students up from across grade levels to play games, have snacks, climb on inflatables, and build friendships together. If you would like to volunteer for #BetterTogether Day, please contact your child's teacher.
PTC News
Calling all volunteers! Turrill has an amazing PTC that needs your help. Check out the newsletter below to find out more. Our next meeting is October 6th at 9:30 at Turrill or on Facebook Live. Hope to see you there!
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.
Turrill 2022-2023 Family Engagement Plan
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 .
LEAF Program Summer Learning Incentive
LEAF, the Lapeer County Education Attainment Fund, is sponsoring a summer reading, math, & science incentive! Your kindergarten, 1st, or 2nd grader will receive a $5 deposit incentive for competing and turning in the summer fun sheet below. Print, have fun, and return in the fall.
Tentative deposit dates for the year are:
- October 20
- January 19
- March 16
- May 18
For more information on the LEAF program, please CLICK HERE.
Reading Recovery
Lapeer Community Schools is a proud district that offers Reading Recovery services at each elementary building. Reading Recovery is a short-term tutoring intervention that provides one-on-one tutoring to first-grade students who are struggling in reading and writing. The goals of Reading Recovery include promoting literacy skills, reducing the number of students who are struggling to read, and preventing long-term reading difficulties. Reading Recovery supplements classroom teaching with tutoring sessions, generally conducted as pull-out sessions during the school day. Tutoring is delivered by trained Reading Recovery teachers in daily 30-minute sessions over the course of 12–20 weeks. Reading Recovery was developed in the 1970s by Marie Clay and is practiced all over the world.
At Turrill, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Weidinger, Mrs. Oliver, and Mrs. Schuett teach Reading Recovery lessons to some very lucky first graders. Mrs. Vangel is also a Reading Recovery teacher, but is not currently seeing students. To learn more about Reading Recovery, click here or have a chat with Mrs. Vangel.
Bell Schedule:
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
School Intersessions
As in years past, we plan on offering programs during our intersession weeks. More information will be coming out shortly regarding the programming and intersession themes. The dates for intersession are as follows:
1st Intersession: October 24-28
2nd Intersession: February 13-17
3rd Intersession: March 20-24
Intersessions are offered to students during the weeks we have off throughout the school year. Transportation to and from school, breakfast and lunch are offered. The hours are the same as a typical school day beginning from 8:54 to 3:50. There is a fee charged for each week. Sessions are themed and academic based, but also designed for fun and engagement. Students usually take one field trip during their week at school.
Turrill Elementary
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/Turrill-Elementary-1415374235385217/
