Bear Bulletin
Maire newsletter: November 30th Edition
Dear Maire Families
Congratulations! We made it through our longest stretch without a break. Now we, students and staff alike, are back and recharged with renewed energy and focus moving into our second semester.
Report cards will be distributed on Tuesday, December 4th. Be sure to celebrate the amazing achievements that they have made so far. Report cards are an opportunity for continued dialogue with your child(ren) on areas that are going well and areas that are in need of improvement. Life is all about chances to improve. The growth mindset is especially important to remember when looking at a report card. There is time to work and time to grow.
We had our first Maire School Culture Committee meeting this past week. Teachers, in grades fifth through first, nominated 2-3 students to come together to share their opinions and thoughts about how we are doing at Maire. We want a safe, respectful environment where everyone feels included. The students in this committee are dedicated to giving honest feedback so that we can continue to honor the things going well and look for opportunities to improve our school culture.
Lastly, I invite any parent interested in our Diversity Meetings and our PTO Meetings to join us on Tuesday, December 11th. The meetings will be held back-to-back in the library, with Diversity starting at 6pm and PTO starting at 7pm. Both are important parts of our school and are essential for positive and continued change at Maire.
Sincerely,
Ryan Francis
Principal
PARKING LOT SAFETY REMINDERS
Please continue to show patience and gratitude for our volunteer parking lot helpers. We sincerely appreciate you modeling such good examples of kindness and respect for our students!
We understand that some mornings can be frustrating because of weather, traffic or other extenuating circumstances. Please pack your patience in the cold and snowy weather so that we can all have a positive start to the school day!
Character Words of the Month Review
So far we have had KINDNESS, RESPECT, and RESPONSIBILITY as our Character Words of the Month. Thank you so much for continuing to support us at home with conversations about the importance of good character. Look for our next word to launch at our December Bear Den Town Hall Meeting.
***Our 5th Grade Student Council Representatives created a wreath using our Character Words. The wreath will be on display at the Edsel Ford House during the holiday season. Vote for ours and our art department could earn a prize***
Looking for gently used items for lunch/indoor recess
"Maire Moment" Dates Coming Soon:
12/1 PTO Holiday Craft Fair & Gift Shop 9am-12pm
12/4 Report cards go home
12/11 Maire Diversity Meeting 6pm (Maire Library)
12/11 Maire PTO Meeting 7pm (Maire Library)
12/12 String Extravaganza 7pm at GP North
12/13 Band O'Rama 7pm at GP South
12/18 Maire Winter Vocal Music Concert 7pm at Parcells Middle School (see details below)
12/20 Box Top Collection
12/24 Winter Break begins
1/2/2019 School resumes 8:20 a.m.
Vocal Music Concert Important Info
LOCATION: PARCELLS MIDDLE SCHOOL – VERNIER AND MACK, GPW
PARKING: BACK PARKING LOT, OFF OF SUNNINGDALE
(Be prepared to park along Sunningdale when Parking Lot fills.)
DRESS REHEARSAL:
Tuesday, December 18th, during PM classes. The rehearsal is at MAIRE.
EVENING PERFORMANCE:
6:30 ARRIVAL FOR CHOIR, 6:45 ALL OTHERS, CONCERT BEGINS AT 7:00.
PLEASE NOTE – this early arrival for choir is incredibly important due to our lack of stage rehearsal time. Please be walking into Parcells between 6:20-6:25 with your choir student.
DRESS:
CHOIR – Navy Blazer, choir T-shirt, Khaki Pants, Dark Shoes. Boys will tuck in their shirt and wear a belt. Girls will use a hair tie on the back of the shirt.
ALL OTHERS -- “Winter Dressy.” No Jeans, Shorts, Sandals, or Athletic Shoes. Girls please keep heels to a minimum. All hair should be neat and off the face. All shirts tucked in. Please look your best!
CHOIR:
Your choir t-shirts are ordered and you will get them the day of the concert.
Please send $20 to school (if you haven’t) to cover t-shirt, props, party for Choir.
Parents of Girls -- If you are having trouble finding a blazer, please consider looking for a BOYS blazer. Girls’ blazers are expensive and hard to find. A blazer is a blazer for this show.
ROOM ASSIGNMENTS:
Hunwick 100
Rennpage 101
Miller 102
Maison 103
Pearson 104 (only if not in choir)
Davis 106 (only if not in choir)
All CHOIR reports to 127 (including 5th grade at 6:30)
Maire Messages from the Office:
- Please label all of your child's outerwear! It is very helpful with so many students and so much winter gear.
- Please check the lost and found for any missing items. It is always overflowing! Any items left after the Winter Break will be donated to charity.
Please be sure to call our Attendance Line at 432-4301 with all absences/late arrivals by 8:45 a.m. This is a dedicated line and is available 24 hours/7 days a week. If you know of a future absence (trip, appointment, etc.) please let the office know with a phone call or note as soon as possible.
- In order to reduce the amount of classroom interruptions, it is best to make sure your child is prepared in the morning with their winter gear, lunch, homework or any other needed items. This eliminates unnecessary trips to school for parents.
Weather info
Do the students stay in for recess if it is cold outside?
Maire students go outdoors for recess two times each day throughout the school year unless it is raining hard or the wind chill is below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Please be sure that your child leaves for school dressed properly for the weather. All students must have boots and snowpants to play on the wood chips, gaga ball court, or playfield once the snow is on the ground—otherwise they must stay on the blacktop.
Students should NOT throw snow or ice while on Maire grounds. They may throw snow AT the target only.
SCHOOL CLOSING INFORMATION
This time of year there are always questions about how the decision is made to close the school district or cancel events and activities. When deciding whether to close schools here are some of the factors that are taken into consideration:
Amount and type of snow
When the snow falls, and when the snowfall is expected to end
Ability to clear parking lots and sidewalks around school
Freezing rain and the effect on roads, power lines and tree limbs
Parents/guardians always have the right to keep their children at home if they do not believe they should be going to school because of weather conditions.
Clustering or Magnet Services
These learning opportunities include:
- Formal cluster grouping in math, language arts or both within their homerooms.
- The Magnet program, which focuses on the specific needs of academically gifted children
Parent Nomination Letter
Parent nominations are due by Wednesday, December 12th 2018.
========specials update=======
Art, Mr. Heenan
We went thru 150 lbs. of clay in the month of November! 5th graders made gnomes, fourth graders made coil pots, third graders created little pools with creatures and things inside them. Second graders made islands, first graders alligators, and kindergartners did shoe print necklaces and snails. The kiln is getting a rest while we continue painting, printing, drawing and sculpting….
PE, Ms. Kefgen
Library, Mrs. Hermon
Music, Mr. Hipple
Spanish, Srta. Zamudio
Hola! Spanish rotation has just started here at Maire. 3rd graders are learning common greetings and working on translating our common song Buenos dias. They will soon learn the Spanish alphabet and count 1-30. 4th graders learned how to say the date in Spanish and reviewed Spanish numbers 1-30. They started learning how to give weather descriptions. Soon we will pair up weather and date for a full morning report. 5th graders have written and read mini stories together as a class. One of their mini stories was on Spain. We will continue creating mini stories and talking about Spain for the next few classes.
Congratulations Mrs. McClanaghan
Welcome New Learning Resource Center Teacher
LEXIA READING and DIGITAL MATH CONTENT AT HOME
Did you know that the district has provided digital math support in Freckle Math for Y5-2nd and Imagine Math for 3rd-5th? Both programs are adaptive and self-paced, targeting math skills at each student's level.
Lexia and Freckle/Imagine Math can both be done at home to help reenforce the work going on in the classroom. Lower EL students received login cards to help them gain access at home. Access to both programs can be done on the Maire website.
Gleaner's Food Drive continues!
Boxes can be found on the 1st and 2nd floor for collection of non perishable items.
Here are some suggested items to donate:
Boxes of: pasta, rice, potatoes, cereal, containers of oatmeal
Bags of: rice, pasta, crackers
Cans of: fruit, vegetables, sauce, canned meat (tuna, chicken) soup, beans, canned chili, canned pasta sauce
Peanut butter, sun butter, almond butter
Squeezable jelly
NO Glass bottles or containers
NO fresh fruit or vegetables
$$$ monetary donations are always accepted, and should be turned in to the office.
***BE SURE THE DONATIONS HAVE NOT REACHED THEIR EXPIRATION DATE. FOOD THAT IS BEYOND THE DATE CANNOT BE DONATED***
Maire Holiday Craft Fair Saturday December 1st 9-12
HELP! WE NEED YOU...Lunch and Clinic Volunteers!
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044fa9ac2ea20-december
Maire Weekly Flyers
https://mi01000971.schoolwires.net/Page/14526
Flyers may also be accessed by going to the Maire website and clicking on the "Weekly Flyers" button.
Follow us on social media
Twitter: @GPMaire
Facebook : Principal Francis-Maire Elementary and Maire Elementary PTO group page
Maire Mission Statement
The staff at Maire School, in partnership with students, parents, and community, will provide a high quality instructional program. Our purpose is to prepare students to be life-long learners and productive citizens in a dynamic society.
District Mission Statement
The Grosse Pointe Public School System mission - in partnership with students, staff, parent, and community members - is to challenge all students to realize their full potential by providing them with the highest quality educational program and instruction.
District Vision
One GP-where everyone learns every day.
Maire Elementary School
Email: kramerm@gpschools.org
Website: https://mi01000971.schoolwires.net/gpmaire
Location: 740 Cadieux Road, Grosse Pointe, MI, USA
Phone: 313-432-4300
Twitter: @GPmaire