KERBY NEWSLETTER
October 15, 2021
MESSAGE FROM WALTER FITZPATRICK
Wow! What a week! Besides it being Spirit Week which was so fun, there have been several events that have increased my appreciation for the Kerby community.
The Fun Run this year has raised in the area of $30,000 for our PTO, which in turn supports and supplements the daily activities at Kerby. Reaching that number didn’t just happen. The Fun Run committee worked tirelessly to get us to that point. I am extremely grateful for the committee's work.
Wednesday and Thursday were parent teacher conferences. We had almost 100% participation in conferences. When parents are engaged, it is one the best ways to help create a positive learning environment for all students. Thank you for taking the time to visit with your child’s teacher.
Finally, the recognition by our wonderful PTO that conference days are long ones for our staff. Providing meals has been a great way to support the staff on these days. The food was outstanding and much appreciated. Thank you to all who contributed and to Jessica Safadi for an excellent job coordinating, setting up and cleaning up!!!
We are grateful that we get to work in a school where parents and staff can work together to support the growth of our students.
HALLOWEEN
Halloween will be celebrated on Friday, October 29, 2021. It is a 1/2 day of school with dismissal at 11:36 AM.
Please keep in mind the following costume reminders:
No toy guns, knives, or swords. Bringing these items to school would be a violation of the Grosse Pointe Public Schools Code of Conduct.
No scary costumes. Although scary costumes may not bother the older students at Kerby, they can create anxiety and fear in many of the younger children. If a costume has a mask, students will be asked to not wear it while they are in the parade or building. Another concern is safety. We do not want students to have any difficulty navigating the parade route or the hallways when wearing a mask. Another reason for no masks is we need to insure all students have a face mask on. They are more then welcome to wear a decorative non scary face mask.
No fake blood. Again, older students may not have a problem with this, but we want to make sure that everyone in the Kerby community has the opportunity to enjoy all aspects of our Halloween celebrations.
If students come to school with any of the above, we will ask them to remove the item, or we may ask them to not participate in the day’s activities. If there is any question as to whether or not the costume is appropriate for school, my suggestion would be not to wear it. Thank you in advance for your help and cooperation in this matter.
Weather permitting there will be a parade around the perimeter of the building beginning at approximately 8:45 AM. The exact route will be shared with you as Halloween becomes closer.
We are only allowing 2 parent helper per classroom in the building on Halloween. Your child's teacher should have already contacted you.
PTO HOLIDAYFEST
KERBY PTO IS HAVING A HANDMADE MARKET AS PART OF OUR SCHOOL HOLIDAY EVENT!
IF YOU, YOUR CHILDREN, A FRIEND, FAMILY MEMBER, OR YOUR SCHOOL GROUP MAKE SOMETHING BY HAND TO SELL ($25 MAX), CONTACT
VENDOR TABLE COST $10
EVENT; FRI 12/10 5:30P-8:30P
VENDOR SPACES ARE LIMITED!
COMMUNITIES UNITED IN DIVERSITY
All GPPSS parents are invited to join our Communities United in Diversity group and participate in an ongoing conversation about topics related to diversity.
Our first meeting is Wednesday, Oct. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gym at Defer Elementary School, 15425 Kercheval, Grosse Pointe Park.
Please join Deputy Superintendent Roy Bishop, Defer Principal Lisa Rheaume, and facilitator Ginni Winters, school culture and equity consultant with Wayne RESA, as we discuss and reflect upon real situations our students are encountering on a daily basis and how we create awareness and appreciation of diversity in our community.
Ms. Winters has supported our efforts for many years and we welcome her back to GPPSS as she helps us to continue to value and embrace diversity in our school district.
Communities United In Diversity FlyerKERBY SAFETY UPDATES
If you drop your child off after 9:10 on Mondays and 8:25 Tuesday - Friday you will need to walk them around to the front doors on Kerby Rd and walk them into the office to sign them in.
KERBY SPIRIT WEAR
Take a look at the updated web site for 2021-22
https://kerby.highwindsgraphix.com/
Young Fives - Navy Blue
Kindergarten - Red
1st - Kelly Green
2nd - Blue
3rd - Orange
4th - Lime Green
CUB SCOUTS
The Kerby Cub Scout Pack is back up and running. There is still an opportunity to join. Meetings will be held in the Kerby gym on Wednesday evenings starting at 6:30 PM. Please reach out to Tim Josephs at tim.josephs@gmail.com or Jon Ferris at j.ferris.25@gmail.com for more information.
The first pack meeting will be held at Kerby on Wednesday, October 20 at 6:30 PM.
UPCOMING KERBY DATES
October 29, 2021 - Halloween -1/2 Day Dismissal 11:36 AM
November 2 - Election Day No School for Students
November 9 - Picture Retake Day
KEY DATES FOR THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR
*denotes ½ days
September 7 - First Day of School
October 13 - Parent-Teacher Conferences—Evening (regular day of school for students)
*October 14 -Parent-Teacher Conferences - Afternoon & Evening (½ day for students)
*October 29-Halloween (½ day for students 11:36 AM dismissal/PM PD)
November 2 - Election Day--Full day Professional Development (No School for students)
November 24-26 - Thanksgiving Holiday (No School for students/staff)
December 23-31 - Winter Break (No School for students/staff)
January 17 - Martin Luther King Holiday (No School for students/staff)
*January 21 - ½ day for students 11:36 AM dismissal/PM Records Day
February 21-25 - Mid-Winter Break (No School for students/staff)
March 23 - Parent-Teacher Conferences—Evening (regular day of school for students)
*March 24 - Parent-Teacher Conferences - Afternoon & Evening (½ day for students)
*March 25 - ½ day for students dismissal 11:36 AM
March 28-April 1 - Spring Break (No School for students/staff)
May 30- Memorial Day (No School for students/staff)
*June 16 - Records day (½ day for students 11:36 AM dismissal/PM Records Day)
*June 17- Last day of school ½ day dismissal 11:36 AM
UPDATED COVID INFORMATION
Students need to bring to the office or email sicklel@gpschools.org or Ryana@gpschools.org a doctor's note or a negative Covid test before the student can return to school if they are excluded from school because they have two or more symptoms that are outlined on the Covid-19 Screening Tool for Families.
GPPSS is not allowing students to use at-home covid tests to prove their negative covid result at this time. When students need to test, they can test at the school when they were exposed to Covid in school or at a healthcare facility (doctor's office, CVS, Walgreens, etc...) when they are exposed outside of school.
Please refer to the GPPSS UPDATE from yesterday for more detailed COVID UPDATES.
WAYNE COUNTY RETURN TO SCHOOL ROAD MAP
BELL SCHEDULE 2021-22
09:05 AM Entry Bell
09:10 AM AM Instruction Begins
11:35- 12:23 PM- Y5's, K, 1 & 2 Lunch & Recess
12:23 - 1:11 PM - 3 & 4 Lunch & Recess
03:38 PM Dismissal Bell
Tuesday-Friday Bell Schedule
08:20 AM Entry Bell
08:25 AM AM Instruction Begins
11:15-12:03 PM - Y5's, K, 1 & 2 Lunch & Recess
12:03 - 12:51 PM- 3 & 4 Lunch & Recess
03:38 PM Dismissal Bell
KERBY INFORMATION
Email: fitzpaw@gpschools.org
Website: https://mi01000971.schoolwires.net/Domain/1321
Location: 285 Kerby Rd, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, USA
Phone: 313-432-4203
LETTER FROM THE PTO PRESIDENT
Hello Kerby Community!
It has been a great school year at Kerby so far!! The Kerby PTO has been quite busy already! Our wonderful Fun Run team just wrapped up a tremendously successful event that will benefit our students the entire year! Thank you so much for all of your support and donations!! In fact, we have already approved a proposal from the second grade team for Phonics Reading supplies, supported our staff with meals during parent-teacher conferences and welcomed our new families with our famous Kerby Cougar signs! We are planning more events and activities for the school year as well! Look for the Kerby directory to be coming out in the next week! Seeing those smiles and supporting learning makes us happy!
In the spirit of inclusivity, our PTO does not ask for parents to pay a separate membership. We consider everyone in our community to be a member of the Kerby PTO and love all of your participation! We are always looking for volunteers to plan or work our events. The time commitment can be as much or a little as you wish!
Happy Fall Everyone!
Kate Walczy
Kerby PTO President