Defer Dragon's Burning News
December 22, 2017
From the Principal
Dear Defer Families,
It has been a wonderful few months together at Defer! I can’t believe 2017 is coming to close. I have watched your children grow and learn each day since September, they have accomplished so much as leaders and learners! As I have shared with many of you, I feel very fortunate that I have the opportunity to work with your children and the staff at Defer. The Defer Dragons will continue to inspire me in 2018!
Take time together with your friends and family to “Sharpen the Saw”! Have a wonderful winter break and happy new year!
Sincerely,
Dr. Rheaume
Follow Defer on Twitter (@GPDefer) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GPDefer/)
Defer's Family Flag
The Defer Staff would like to invite each family to create a Family Flag! Each flag will be unique just like each of our families at Defer! We want to celebrate all families.
Your child should have brought home a flyer (attached below) with instructions. If you still need to family flag template, stop by the office or ask your child's teacher to send one home.
We will also have a Family Flag Night, Wednesday, January 10th at 6:30 if you'd like to bring your family to Defer's gym to create your flag.
All flags should be returned to your child's teacher by January 12th.
Sr. Grattan's Spanish Class
All of our classes have been very active, with no shortage of charades, songs, and dances! Mrs. Denison’s class has been working hard on Spanish class survival phrases, greetings, and describing how we feel and what we are like. After break we will be bringing it all together with an overview of the artist Frida Kahlo. Mrs. Gout’s fourth grade class has been working on saying the date in Spanish, and how to tell what our weather is like today. We will be moving into clothing soon as we get ready for our imaginary trip to Peru! Mrs. Cross’ class started the year with an introduction to Spain, and survival phrases for Spanish class. More recently they have been studying sports and hobbies with the greater goal of talking about what we really like to do, and what we don’t like to do. It has so much fun learning about what the students of Defer enjoy doing! We will be studying the community and how to give directions next as we continue looking at Spain.
Upcoming Events at Defer
December 25 - January 2nd Winter Break
January 3 - Welcome back to school!
January 10 - Family Flag creating in Defer's gym @6:30 pm
January 12 - Family Flags due
January 15 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day NO SCHOOL
January 18 - Kindergarten Open House
January 19 - AM School Only
February 19 - 23 Mid Winter Break No School
The Great Kindness Challenge
#OneGP
Jan. 22-26, 2018
5th Grade Only January 18th
JANUARY 18, 2018
6:00-7:30 PM
Pierce Middle School’s Faculty, Student Body and PTO Cordially Invite
5th graders and their parents to attend our Coney Night, Exhibits, Club Activities,
Athletic Teams, Snacks by Life Skills,Questions & Answers.
Coney Dog $3.00
Water $1.00
Ice Cream $1.00
Pop $1.00
Chips $1.00
DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE BOOK FAIR IN THE PIERCE LIBRARY 6:00-7:30 PM
Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night
Tuesday, January 16, 2018 @7:00 PM Pierce Auditorium
Leader in Me Family Information
Dear Defer families,
Our goal is to share with you all of the exciting things happening in our school as we work to build a culture of leadership at Defer. The Leader in Me is an approach to developing a culture of leadership at Defer and is based on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People® by Stephen Covey. Founded on internationally recognized, universal principles, The Leader in Me model emphasizes skills that students need in order to be successful in an ever changing society. Developing a culture of leadership at Defer is about helping children be leaders of their own lives. It helps them identify their own unique talents and abilities and encourages them to make a positive difference in the world.
Defer students participate in both Dragon Dens and Town Hall meetings monthly. Dragon Dens are comprised of students in grades K-5 where the Habits are reviewed and practiced. Town Hall meetings are school wide celebrations recognizing students’ achievement and leadership.
Published by the Defer Family Learning Team
Library News
The Young 5's and Kindergarteners have been doing some research on Farm Animals in the library. Grade 2 is working on an adaptation of the book Old Black Fly. Each student will have their own page to write and illustrate for our library. The librarians look forward to seeing you at our fabulous Defer Book Fair next week.
Please click on our Library Link below for more information:
December Digital Library PicksDefer PTO
Check out the information from the Defer PTO! Click on each of the links below for more information:
Defer Directory--if you paid for it earlier this year, it'll be arriving home this week! If you did not pay but are still interested, please send in either a check made out to Defer PTO or cash in an envelope labeled with 'Directory' & your child's name to the office. The cost is $10.
Defer Spirit Wear-- Online orders may be placed here: https://gpschools.formstack.com/forms/deferspiritwear
Box Tops: The first class to earn a popcorn party for Box Top Collection was Mrs. High's first grade. They celebrated earlier this week. Mrs. Mannino & Mrs. Morris' class also earned a party. Classrooms earn a popcorn party for every 500 box tops collected. Please send any box tops you collect in with your child in an envelope or sealable bag to help Defer!
We are looking for more clinic volunteers to help out mid-day with providing band-aids and ice packs during lunch recess. This is a SIBLING-FRIENDLY volunteer post with a view of the playground! Mrs. Hines was kind enough to allow us to photograph her during her hour. It's from 11:30-12:30 p.m. daily. Contact parveensiddiqui@comcast.netfor additional information.
7 Habits of Happy Kids
Grosse Pointe Public Schools
Our Vision: One GP → where everyone learns, every day
Our Mission: Promote Innovation → Maximize Potential → Embrace Community
Defer Elementary School
Email: rheauml@gpschools.org
Website: www.gpschools.org/defer
Location: 15425 Kercheval Avenue, Grosse Pointe Park, MI, United States
Phone: 313-432-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GPDefer/
Twitter: @GPDefer