The Stadium Drive Star September 2015
Where academics shine through the arts
TEACHERS
WORKING HARD TO GET READY NEWS FROM THE PTO SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT GOALS
SEE ENHANCEMENTS OUTSIDE
Welcome Back
Curriculum Night
Rob Murray
Curriculum Night will be on Wednesday, September 16. Prior to the teacher presentations Mr. Murray will be presenting on the District’s shift to standards based grading and reporting.
As we open up the 2015-2016 school year I am reminded of how busy September is. Households (including mine) are again settling in to a schedule for the next 10 months. Students are balancing their out of school activities with homework. And Friday nights are dedicated to Dragon football! Our staff works hard to ensure that we are helping slow things down at the beginning of the school year and beyond by communicating in a variety of ways. Our goal is to keep our Stadium Drive community informed and we hope to make this partnership with home successful. In order to stay fully abreast of events at Stadium Drive, please pay close attention to this publication, teacher newsletters and our website calendar. Also, School Messenger is critical for those ‘in between’ communications. Each year, we have a number of parents that unsubscribe to this system and consequently miss out on important pieces of information. Please be sure that you are wired in to all of our communicative efforts and contact your child’s teacher or the main office if you are not receiving transmissions from us!
Practically Speaking Karen Greening, FSC
Dear Stadium Drive Families, My name is Mrs. Karen Greening and I am the Family/School Coordinator at Stadium Drive Elementary School of the Arts. I have a Master’s Degree in Counseling and am a licensed counselor in the State of Michigan. This is my 20th year as Stadium Drive’s FSC. My role in school is to assist students, teachers, and families with any concerns or issues that are hindering a student’s ability to succeed and grow academically, socially, or emotionally. I work with students individually, in small groups, and in the classroom. Students can be referred to me by parents, teachers, or the children themselves. After I receive a referral, I send a consent form home. The permission slip must be signed and returned in order for me to see a child on a regular basis. If, at any time, you wish to refer a child to the Family School Coordinator Program, you can call me at (248) 693-5475 or email kgreening@lakeorion.k12.mi.us to set up an appointment. I am available to meet Monday through Thursday.
Parents of fifth graders are the target audience, but all are welcome. Presentations will run at 6:00 PM and 6:50 PM. Teacher presentations will run at 6:30 PM and 7:20 PM.
SDE Facebook Stay Connected with your PTO. Check out the official page of Stadium Drive Elementary. Simply request to join the group and you will be updated on important events and reminders about all PTO related business.
Going Home The end of the school day is extremely busy for staff, students, and parents. A significant obstacle for the building is last minute changes to a student’s path home. While we certainly understand that occasionally situations arise that necessitate an end of the day change, we are asking that families work to ensure a consistent departure plan from Stadium Drive each afternoon and that in the
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event of a change, the main office is notified before 3:00 PM. In preplanned departure changes, please be sure to notify your child’s teacher via note, email, or phone call the morning of the change.
A Focus on Growth Each year the State of Michigan requires that all schools draft a school improvement plan based on identified areas of growth. At Stadium Drive, we take this endeavor very seriously. This year we have decided to focus on two very important skills that will transfer to life outside of school, deep thinking and goal setting. Students at Stadium Drive will be asked to communicate complex thinking across content areas. They will be given the opportunity to make their thinking visible through thinking routines and math performance tasks amongst other thinking levers. Although research supports the benefit of goal setting, life experience will convince most that ultimate success occurs when goals are set and objectives are planned to meet aspirations. In reading, our staff will work with students to do exactly this. It is our hope that when students are a part of identifying where growth needs to occur, significant positive change will result. To view our entire plan please click here.
Hard Work Generates Success The staff at Stadium Drive has long been known for its commitment to students. The hard work starts well before September. Teachers wer preparing their classrooms for the upcoming school year as early as August 10. Lesson planning and diving into new reading materials were next. Our secretarial staff was available throughout the summer to help with enrollment and interview scheduling amongst other needs. Our custodial staff and specialists could also be seen Mrs. Fornwall positioning chairs around the building putting the and desks for the optimal learning finishing touches on projects. environment.
The selflessness that our staff shows, coming in on their own time to get ready is the foundation of our continued success at Stadium!
Building Beautification Over the course of the last few years the building has worked hard to enhance our curb appeal. Since many community members never see more of our building than its exterior or lobby area, we understand that these spaces leave a lasting impression.
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Areas inside received fresh paint and new decor, but the most dramatic impact was outside. Working with a local landscape company, run down areas where the school day starts were stripped After down and replaced with plantings and hardwood mulch. It is our hope to continue this process moving forward to transform areas of need into points of pride! Click on each picture for a larger look. 3|Page
Upcoming Events 9/9 – PTO Meeting 4:05 PM 9/16 – Curriculum Night 6-8 PM 9/24 – Picture Day 11/6 – P/T Conferences 12-3 PM 11/9 – P/T Conferences 4:30-9 PM 11/11 – P/T Conferences 4:30-9 PM 11/25-27 - Thanksgiving Recess 12/9 – 5th Grade Production 2:30 PM 12/10 – 5th Grade Production 6:30 PM 12/21 – 1/1 - Holiday Recess 1/18 – No School 1/25 – No School End of Marking Period 2/10 – 2nd Grade Performance – 3 PM 2/10 – 2nd Grade Performance – 6:30 PM
Watch Your Step The beginning of the school year brings a lot of learning time for our staff. Teachers and specialists take part in multiple days of professional development (PD) in an effort to better their practice to have a greater impact on student learning. This time together is usually a combination of enlightenment related to both district and building initiatives. As part of our building level PD, teachers at Stadium Drive revisited the concepts of understanding roles and trusting others. Rather than learning from a book or presentation, Mr. Murray took a unique approach to highlighting the idea that when we all function at the highest level in our positions the team as a whole is much stronger; and that the only way that we can function in this manner is to be trusting of others to do their best so we can do ours. Click here to see footage of an engaging and fun learning experience!
Welcome Back From the PTO Hello and welcome back! This year your PTO will be bringing you many new family centered activities and giving a “makeover” to some long standing events. Please mark your calendars for Sunday, September 13 from 1-3 PM, for the first “PTO Welcome Back Picnic”. This event is for the whole family, and is provided at no charge. Please bring your blanket and a picnic lunch and the PTO will provide popsicles for the kids. Look for a flyer coming home on Wednesday, September 9. This year, you can send a “Birthday Gram” to your Stadium Drive students. Look for details on our Facebook page, Stadium Drive Elementary PTO, soon. A PTO representative will be available to deliver your birthday gram beginning on the first day of school. A flyer will be sent home on September 9. Are you interested in helping the PTO? Email Sue Louvar at susanhandel@yahoo.com. There are lots of opportunities to help. At curriculum night, there will be sign-up sheets for every PTO committee as well. Stop by the media center to sign up! Thank you for your support. We are looking forward to a great school year!