Dear Families of Deerfield,

We have successfully transitioned to our new hybrid/remote "Return to Learn"! After two days of 'in-person learning', we have been excited to see many friends return to their classrooms, as many others continue learning remotely. We hope that you are adjusting to the new schedules and new opportunities for learning as they arise. Thank you for your continued flexibility with everything! We so appreciate our Deerfield family!!

We are asking parents to remind their students that a mask must be worn while at school and on the bus, and students need to be one child per seat on the bus. Please remember to complete the daily Clear to Go screening for each student prior to coming to school. This has allowed our drop off procedures to go very smoothly these first two days! Thank you!

For our hybrid schedule, AM hybrid students will be allowed into the building starting at 8:25 AM and classes begin at 8:32 AM and end at 11:30 AM. PM hybrid students will be allowed into the building starting at 12:32 PM and classes begin at 12:40 PM and end at 3:39 PM. Please see below for additional reminders about our drop off/pick up procedures.

Have a wonderful extended weekend!

Mr. Goetz

The district has purchased new Chromebooks to loan out to each student. We would like to begin distributing the devices to our students next week on Wednesday, February 24th. We will have a device pick up/exchange from 8:00 AM-6:00 PM. If your child is currently borrowing a device, please bring the old device and the power supply to the school. We will check in the device and check out the new Chromebook to your child. Along with the new computer, the district has purchased protective carrying cases for the computers. There will also be insurance available for parents to purchase in case of any damage or theft. Please see the flyer below for more information about the insurance option. Once we have the computer exchange on Wednesday, students will not be allowed to bring their own computers into the school.

Parents who are using the drop off/pick up lane, we need your help to have our system work effectively and efficiently. Please follow the guidelines below to help ensure a smooth process.

• Please do not park and walk your child up to the school. All parents must use the parent drop off line.
• Please do not get out of the car. If your child needs help unbuckling, please place your child on the passenger side of the vehicle and a staff member will help them unbuckle.
• Please make sure your child has all of their bags, are unbuckled and ready to exit the vehicle as you pull up to the numbered spots.
• Please pay attention to the staff members and pull all the way forward.
• Please have students sit on the passenger side of the vehicle. It is not safe for students to exit on the driver's side.

Thank you for your support and patience!

**Please note the following changes to our calendar:

• March 4th and 5th are no longer 1/2 days. March 4th will be a regular day of school and there will be no school on March 5th for teacher records day.
• The Early Release Days (March 18 and May 6) have been moved to Wednesdays. This will allow Thursdays to remain a regular day of school

Feb. 24- Supply Pick Up (remote students) & Technology swap 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Mar. 5 - No School- End of the 2nd Trimester

Mar. 17- PTO Meeting 7:00 PM

Mar. 24- Kindergarten Roundup 6:00 pm (more information to come)

Mar. 25- Parent Teacher Conferences

Mar. 29-Apr. 2 - Spring Recess

Apr. 14 - Half Day Dismissal @ 11:45 AM

May 7 - No School - Teacher PD

May 31 - No School - Memorial Day

Please find below the Deerfield Bus Schedule for the remainder of the year. If you have any questions, please contact Ken Koch or Mary Shank in the Transportation Department at 248-537-6050.

The character trait of love represents the way we think, feel, and behave towards those we care about. When one person loves another person, that person comforts and makes the other feel safe; sacrifices on the other’s behalf; supports the other during struggles; and places the other’s needs ahead of his/her own. If you love a person, that person makes you feel safe and secure. You can be yourself with that person. You miss that person when he/she is not around. In our online behaviors, we show love and stand up for each other.

"It's not about how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do that counts." Mother Theresa

We need your help! With the school year starting off remotely (and now continuing remotely), we have no fun photos of our students to include in the 2020-2021 yearbook. We still want to have fun memories of this school year that include our amazing students! It would also be a great way to include pictures of your children if you were not able to attend Picture Day. Please email a copy of the photo to victoria.sheldon@avondaleschools.org with your child's name and grade.

Thank you for helping us create memories of this most unexpected school year.

This has not been a normal school year, but it is definitely one that you kiddos will remember! We will be capturing this time in history for them with our yearbook. We invite you to order your yearbook online at ybpay.lifetouch.com and use the Yearbook ID Code: 5932821. The cost of the yearbook is $10, and the order deadline is April 12th. Don't miss out! We may not be ordering extra copies for later purchase this year.

**At this time, students will not be having PE classes outdoors. With the snow and cold temperatures, it will be better to use the gym for the fun PE activities. Mr. Stabnick will be sure to let families know when students will begin going outside for PE class.**

The Kids Heart Challenge is in full swing.

I hope you’re having a ball and feel as rewarded as I do helping fight heart disease and stroke. Keep up the great work - you’re making a huge difference!

1. DOWNLOAD THE APP for iPhone or Android — it makes fundraising easy. If you do receive checks, you can now use the app to scan them instantly!
2. SEND MESSAGES to your friends and family. The tools make it easy to send a personalized ecard or pre-written emails and spread the word on social media.
3. EARN THANK YOU GIFTS for fundraising and helping save lives.

Learn more about how your donations help families just like Alexa’s.

Thank you for your hard work. Every dollar you raise will help kids live healthier lives.

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www2.heart.org/site/TR?px=15027688&pg=personal&fr_id=5547&et=ymUChHRqALu-VbKxA3u7pw

Click here to view the school page for Deerfield Elementary School
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www2.heart.org/site/TR?company=Deerfield+Elementary+School+Rochester+Hills%2C+MI&company_id=283510&pg=company&fr_id=5547&et=4bu6TbwYAA0UJzmHgxsPzA

If you no longer wish to receive email messages sent from your friends on behalf of this organization, please click here or paste this URL into your browser: http://www2.heart.org/site/TellFriendOpt?action=optout&toe=c16eef126fdb6ef2578c06d13d426aab8b9eed249d6e5f1e5c5c76f65c98521e400c368519cd849e

Register your family for a FREE virtual event with children's author Jerry Craft on FEBRUARY 24 at 6:45-8pm. The evening with Jerry will include a drawing demonstration, sharing about his journey as an author and the ways that his life has shaped his stories, and a reading from his book, New Kid. Register and learn more: https://www.smore.com/mcr0q-joy-in-our-stories

BTW … A copy of Jerry's award-winning graphic novel, New Kid, will be provided for Oakland County students and educators who register (one per household).

See below for ZOOM KAMP for Deerfield students. See the attached pdf for the registration form. Payment may be mailed/dropped off in the office, with a completed registration form.

If you are collecting Box Tops for Education, you may drop them off at school, from 8 am - 4 pm. We will be sending the box tops in on February 25th, so we would appreciate any box tops you have! If you haven't started collecting box tops, you can visit the Box Tops website at: btfe.com Also, going forward, if you download the mobile app, you can simply scan your store receipt to identify participating products and instantly add cash to Deerfield's earnings online.

Please consider joining our PTO for their meetings this school year. All meeting dates for this year will be 7:00 PM. Unfortunately, child care will not be available for PTO meetings this school year due to safety concerns, but Zoom links will be provided for those that wish to attend virtually.

Meeting Date for 2020-2021 School Year

March 17th, 2021

May 12th, 2021

Also, please consider participating in the following ongoing fundraisers.

2021 Winter Reading Program - YouTube

The Winter Reading Program is fun for the whole family! Complete book and library challenges to earn raffle tickets. To register, visit our Library's website https://www.ahplibrary.org/events/featured-events/ or download the Beanstack app. Students do not need to live in Auburn Hills or have a library card to join.

A new resource for schools, teachers, parents, and students is available from Michigan's public television stations in early January 2021, offering supplemental programming to support learning for Pre-K to Grade 12 students, with a special emphasis on K-3 basics in literacy and math. The channel is already viewable through the internet at michiganlearning.org/live and will be available over-the-air Monday, January 4th in Southeast Michigan on channel 56.5. Other public TV stations in Michigan are expected to add the Michigan Learning Channel within a few days.

The Michigan Learning Channel has commissioned new lessons in math, social-emotional learning, and health and fitness - all of which are available at launch. A team of literacy education professionals selected the ELA/ELL content being broadcast at launch and is hard a work on a series of new literacy programs featuring Michigan teachers that will arrive by mid-March.

Sample some upcoming program for Pre-K to 3rd grade at MichiganLearning.org:

• Ages 3-8 (Let’s Learn from WNET)
• Kindergarten Math (from Math Mights)
• First Grade ELA (from Colorado Classroom)
• Second Grade ELL (from Colorado Classroom)
• Third Grade Math (From Math Mights)

Plus much more! Check out January Schedule for details and planning!

Oakland Schools is offering a series of informational seminars for parents dealing with online learning for their students. These 45 minute sessions offer help with specific academic areas for students. We hope you can take advantage of this resource to assist your family.

Here is the flyer<https://www.smore.com/sb0xg-partnerships-home>

Free Videos & Lessons for Michigan Families

Thanks to funding from the state of Michigan, we are able to provide Michigan families with FREE access to our Michigan Cares Portal. This online platform houses hundreds of lessons designed to help children in grades K-12 develop the skills required for social, emotional, and mental well-being.

The lessons included in our Michigan Cares Portal cover a variety of topics that help children in grades K-12 learn to:

• Understand and manage their emotions
• Set and achieve positive goals
• Feel and show empathy for others
• Establish and maintain positive relationships
• Make responsible decisions
• Recognize signs of poor mental health in themselves and others
• Develop healthy coping techniques

Topics Covered:

• Mental health
• Stress management
• Time management
• Goal-setting
• Nutrition and wellness
• Anger management
• Bullying/hazing
• Social media use (pressures and responsible use)
• Drugs & Alcohol (vaping)
• Bystander intervention
• Social awareness
• Academic success
• Respect
• Community service
• And hundreds more!

To create an account, click here.

Chartwells will be distributing breakfasts and lunches for children to ANY family that wishes to receive them every Monday and Wednesday (until schools resumes in-person instruction). Your children do NOT need to be present, and your children do NOT need to be enrolled in the Avondale School District to receive food. Please pull into the bus loop at Avondale High School, Avondale Middle School from 9am-12pm, or Deerfield Elementary from 6-8 pm, to receive one box per child.

Families wishing to apply for the Avondale Free or Reduced Lunch program: can sign their student(s) up online through the Parent Portal: https://mistar.oakland.k12.mi.us/avondale/parentportal/

Avondale families wishing to enroll their student(s) in our Blessings in a Backpack program, please fill out the form at this link: https://forms.gle/PdsACS8KPo7tWKtf9.

Blessings in a Backpack provides simple meals at NO COST each week during the school year for families who need assistance. While Avondale Schools is conducting remote learning, meals will be disbursed in conjunction with the Chartwells Food Service Breakfast and Lunch distributions. (Watch for details about distribution dates, times, and locations.) Sign up today!