Dragon's Tale

January 10, 2025

Dear Dragon Families,

Happy New Year! I hope you and your family had a wonderful and restful winter break. It is a joy to welcome our students back to school, and I am pleased to report that they have jumped right back into their learning with enthusiasm! We look forward to continuing our efforts to support your child’s growth and development as we move forward into the new year.

As we work toward meeting our academic goals, I would like to emphasize the importance of practicing reading at home daily. Reading with your child—or encouraging independent reading—is one of the most powerful ways to reinforce what they are learning in school and help them develop essential literacy skills. Even just 20 minutes of reading each day can make a significant difference in their progress.

For more information about upcoming events, celebrations, and updates on school activities, I encourage you to click on the link to our Dragon's Tale Newsletter. This newsletter is a great way to stay informed and involved in our school community.

As we continue to navigate the colder winter months, please ensure your child is sent to school with appropriate winter gear, including coats, hats, gloves, and scarves. This will help keep them comfortable during outdoor activities and recess.

We also want to encourage all students to maintain a consistent sleep schedule. A good night's sleep is critical for your child’s focus, well-being, and overall performance, especially as we prepare for our next iReady Diagnostic Testing in the coming weeks. If you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher. They are always available to support you and your child's learning journey.

Thank you for your continued partnership in helping our students succeed. We look forward to working together to ensure a successful second half of the school year.

Warm regards,

Marci Augenstein, Principal

January, 2025

Jan. 6 - School Resumes - Reminder School Begins at 8:55a.m.

Jan. 7 - Keith PTA Meeting - 6:30pm Learning Commons

Jan. 13 - The Anxious Generation Family Book Study 6pm Learning Commons

Jan. 20 - No School - MLK Day

Jan. 20 - MLK Day Celebration at WLN - Details about this WLCSD Event Below

Jan. 22 - Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten Orientation - 6:00pm Keith Cafeteria

Jan. 24 - Keith's Got Talent Show at WLC - 5:30pm Call Time, 6pm Show Begins!

Jan. 27 - 5th Grade Concert Tour at WLN High School - 9:30am (details to come)

Jan. 29 - 1/2 Day of School

The Keith Office is requesting the following items to help replenish the dwindling supply:

• Boxes of facial tissues
• Snack size, zip-top baggies

Thank you! Your help is greatly appreciated!

It is with mixed emotions that we celebrate Mrs. Terri Mazer’s retirement after an extraordinary 30-"some" years of dedication to our school and community. While we are thrilled for her as she embarks on this new chapter of her life, we cannot help but feel the weight of the loss of such an integral part of our school family.

Mrs. Mazer has been a cornerstone of our educational community for multiple decades, impacting the lives of countless students, colleagues, and families along the way. Her unwavering passion for teaching, her tireless commitment to her students, and her compassionate heart have made her a beloved figure here at school. She has truly been a teacher in every sense of the word, going above and beyond in her efforts to make learning meaningful and enriching for all who crossed her path.

Over the years, Mrs. Mazer has received numerous FFE grants, which have enriched our classroom experiences and allowed for countless new learning opportunities. Her role in helping Lauren establish our therapy dog program has brought comfort, joy, and emotional support to many of our students. And this is just a glimpse of the many ways she has served our school, always working behind the scenes and never seeking recognition. Her impact is immeasurable.

Terri, your dedication, generosity, and love for what you do have left an indelible mark on all of us. We are grateful for the years of service you’ve given, the relationships you’ve built, and the difference you’ve made in our students’ lives. You will be deeply missed, but your legacy will continue to live on in the hearts of everyone you've touched.

We wish you nothing but the best in this next chapter of your life. May it be filled with joy, relaxation, and all the things you’ve so richly earned.

Thank you all for Celebrating Mark Jahn, Keith's Teacher of the Year! (Start the board meeting video at about 14 minutes if you'd like to see the portion honoring Mark.) It was wonderful for those attending to give Mr. Jahn a standing ovation.

Mrs. Ranya Grimes will be joining the Keith staff replacing Mrs. Mazer starting on January 27.

Ms. Amanda Freeman will be subbing in Room 120 until January 27

Mrs. Lisa Henry will be subbing in Room 111 until January 27 for Mr. L who will return to Keith.

Ms. Maddie Donberger is joining our team as a part-time social worker. This is a new position.

Mrs. Brandie Thacker has joined out team as a part-time special education para-educator. She replaced Mrs. Sia Kupfer.

Mrs. Sia Kupfer will be joining the Keith team as a Permanent Building Substitute.

Ms. Paige Myers is a previous para-educator at Keith who will be subbing in a special education para-position until that is filled.

Thank you for your support, and please join us in celebrating this exciting changes to our Keith team in the coming weeks. We look forward to the continued success and growth of our students at Keith with excellent staff and teachers!

The Keith PTA is so excited about the coming 'Keith's Got Talent' show! Reminder: the submission deadline for student performers is Monday, January 13th ~ Sign up and show us what you've got! We are also seeking help from parent volunteers to ensure that the show runs smoothly. Please click on the link below to sign up.

Hello Keith Community,

Keith’s Got Talent, our annual variety show is back, and it’s coming soon! Please mark your calendars for Friday, January 24th, 2025 at 6:00 pm for a night of fabulous performances by our very own students. The event will be held in Walled Lake Central’s auditorium.

If your child would like to perform, please fill out the form below and return it to the main office.

Please note: Each act must submit a taped video of their act to Mrs. Matyus along with a file of their music track (if needed) to:

(ShannonMatyus@teachers.wlcsd.org)

Submissions are due by Monday, January 13th. Any type of electronic submission will be accepted, including Google files and CD’s. Our variety acts might include singing, dancing, acting, gymnastics, comedy, instrumental music, magic, athletic abilities, and more. All acts must be under 1 ½ minutes, making sure any music/content is age appropriate. In order to keep the show to a reasonable time frame, we strongly encourage group acts. Please turn in one form for each child, even if they are in the same act.

**Any further inquiries may be sent to ShannonMatyus@wlcsd.org or MatthewHewitt@wlcsd.org**

- The “Keith’s Got Talent” Team

Hello, everyone!

Thank you so much to all of our creative students for their participation in the Reflections competition this year! We had some amazing entries representing Keith Elementary this year and I'm so proud of our Dragons! School and District judging has been completed and I'm excited to share the results.

The following students made it to the District round:

District Entries | Keith Elementary 2024-2025

Literature: Ameya Rajesh, Havanna Wright, Blake Mikho, Noah Dabesh

Visual Arts: Giavanna Pauls, Charlotte Borders, Ah’ Mari Hill, Matteo Canchola, Silas Leger

Photography: Vinay Madhavan, Silas Leger, Hunter Spiess

Film Production: Dresden Neumann

Congratulations to all of our students whose entries moved onto Districts!

***SAVE THE DATE***

There will be a WLCSD celebration on March 31st for all the above entries that advanced to the District level. The award ceremony is at Walled Lake Northern on Monday, March 31st. This is an exciting annual event where all of those students' entries will be displayed. If I don't have a hard copy of your child's piece already, I will need it by March 1st to include it in the display. Please email me with any questions. We can't wait to celebrate all of this amazing work! I will send out more details about the District celebration in the coming weeks.

An extra round of applause, please, for students whose entries advanced to the State level of competition after District judging!

The following students made it to the State round:

State Entries | Keith Elementary 2024-2025

Literature: Ameya Rajesh, Blake Mikho, Noah Debesh

Visual Arts: Matteo Canchola, Silas Leger

Photography: Silas Leger, Hunter Spiess

Film Production: Dresden Neumann

WAY TO GO!

Making it to the State round is such an amazing accomplishment! I will let you know when State judging has been completed and if any of our artists will be moving on to the National level.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks again to all of your children (and also to you) for your participation!

Lauren June

Keith PTA Reflections Chair

Q’s? Please send me an email: ljones456@sbcglobal.net

Thank you for supporting the 5th grade party by purchasing bagels from New York Bagel for $2.00 each. Thank you for supporting the 5th grade party by purchasing bagels from New York Bagel for $2.00 each.

Cash: return with this form by: Friday, January 17th OR Venmo:

Bagel delivery to classroom on: Friday, January 24th

Additional Information is in the form below and the form was also sent home with your child on 1/10/25. Please email your child's teacher if you need another form.

Walled Lake Schools 26th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration at Walled Lake Northern High School on Monday, January 20th beginning at 5:00 p.m.

This year’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration theme is Unity.

“Unity in diversity is unity between all individuals and groups, regardless of differences. It is unity without uniformity, and diversity without divisiveness. It is an understanding that the differences between people enrich our lives and makes our country the special, and unique place it is”.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Thank you so much to the almost 20 parents who were able to attend our discussion on Part 1 last Monday. I would encourage anyone who still may want to participate to catch up on the reading and join us for the future sessions!

We invite you to join us in this important conversation, participate in discussions, and partner with our school in looking out for our kids. Together, we can create a supportive environment that fosters resilience and understanding.

Meeting Schedule

We will hold four meetings, each lasting one hour, where we will discuss different sections of the book. ALL meetings will be from 6-7pm in the Keith Learning Commons. Please see the schedule below:

11/4/24 - Introduction to the book and Discussion of Part 1: The Great Rewiring of Childhood

12/9/24 - Review of Part 2: The Backstory: The Decline of Play-based Childhood and increase in childhood anxiety

1/13/25 - Discussion of Part 3: Social Media and Mental Health- Strategies for healthy technology use – The Rise of the phone-based childhood

2/10/25 - Overview of Part 4: Building Resilience - Collaborative ideas for supporting our children

To help ensure that everyone can participate, I am happy to provide a copy of the book for any family that may face financial barriers. If you would like to receive a book, please let me know when you RSVP.

You are welcome to attend any or all of the meetings. Each session will provide a space for open dialogue, sharing of experiences, and brainstorming actionable steps we can take as a community.

Thank you for your commitment to our students’ well-being. I look forward to engaging with you in these discussions that will undoubtedly strengthen our community and support our children’s futures.

Warm regards,

Marci Augenstein, Principal

In an effort to find additional ways to celebrate our staff, the WLCSD Community Relations department requests that families fill out the information below for staff who are rock stars in their classrooms and school communities.

A sample of what these shout outs will look like on social media and in our district newsletters can be found below.

Links

Ski Club Enrollment and Information Form

Keith Elementary Ski/Snowboard Facebook Link

Sponsor Contact Email: Ulrey.Christopher@gmail.com

Please click on the button below to learn more about our Keith Green Team!

Happy New Year! What to watch for in January:

Wed, Jan 8th ~ Marco's Pizza Day ~ $2 / extra slice, $1.25 chips

Mon, Jan 13th ~ Lucky Tray Day

Fri, Jan 17th ~ Big Chocolate Chip Cookie Day ~ $1.50 ea

Fri, Jan 24th ~ Chips Day ~ $1.25

Fri, Jan 31st ~ Tubby's Sub Lunch & Ice Cream Day ~ $1.00 ice cream

As always, parents & staff can add funds to student accounts via Skyward, or cash / check brought to me in the kitchen. If students bring cash/checks, please send the funds to the cafeteria either:

1. Labeled inside your lunch barcode sheet, or
2. Have students bring down their money during breakfast

The lunch line moves quicker if their funds are deposited beforehand. Thank you in advance for your help!

Thanks to all the families who came out for the Ellington and The Nutcracker concert. We learned about Carlos Simon, Concertos, Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker and Ray Chen at our Club meet. We also had a great discussion about the future of classical music and how the online presence of artists, composers and their social media content is the major source of introducing and keeping students engaged. Ray Chen stole the show playing with effortless grace and technical mastery, and it was such a treat to hear him perform an encore - his newly released Serenade.

Our next Club meet is Sunday, February 16, 2024 at 2:30 followed by the 3pm Broadway Love Songs concert.

Tickets are available starting Monday, February 3rd at 9am, by calling or visiting the box office and are subject to availability. For those students who usually book tickets online, please note the DSO is transitioning to only booking Student Soundcard tickets through visiting or calling the box office 313.576.5111.

Upcoming concerts where we plan to meet as a group:

· Sunday, Feb 16 2025, 2:30 Club meet, 3pm Broadway Love Songs

· Sunday, March 16, 2025, 2:30 Club meet, 3pm La Vida Loca

· Sunday, April 27 2025, 2:30 Club meet, 3pm Women Rock!

· Saturday, May 24 2025, 2:30 Club meet, 3pm Ben Folds

***Your student soundcard membership allows you to attend many more concerts in addition to the ones listed above. Please consider making the most of your membership and check out other concerts at DSO.org***

It is not too late to join now! After attending only 1 concert, your student membership will have paid for itself.

Cost: $25 per student membership unlocks one free ticket to almost every Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) 2024-2025 concert series, including the concerts outside of those we plan to meet at, and up to two companion tickets (bring or invite your parents/sibling/friend/teacher) for $5 each, access to the best seats, access to DSO Replay and online Live streaming performances. Carpooling opportunities are available!

We will be learning more about the music, the performances, the artists and attend concerts with:

Oldies Music by The Drifters, Roy Orbison, Nat King Cole, The Beach Boys, and The Beatles; Ray Chen; Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker; Broadway Love Songs; Music of Enrique Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Santana, & Ricky Martin; Women Rock! (Music by Carole King, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Pat Benatar, Tina Turner), Ben Folds and many more!

See Music Appreciation Club Details Document for more information and link to Google form for registration https://forms.gle/3eAmCFB4Vf9FCP626

Please save the date for these WLCSD Parent Advisory Meetings!

Go go go Joseph! Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor is coming to Walled Lake Northern! There are students from Keith Elementary School in the junior cast, and we are excited to see the future knights shine on stage! With a running time of just 90 minutes, this family-friendly show will have you singing and dancing in the seats! Show dates are February 6-9, and discount ticket rates are available for groups of 15 or more. Questions? Reach out to Director Ashley Ward- ashleyward@wlcsd.org.

5:30 PM - 8:00 PM - January 28, 2025 - Zekelman Holocaust Center

In partnership with the Walled Lake Consolidated School District and the Zekelman Holocaust Center, the Walled Lake Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) is proud to host Building Connections - Learning from the Past, Uniting for the Future on Tuesday, January 28 from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills, MI. (This event is better suited for students aged 10 and up.)

Please register for this FREE event using the online registration LINK.

WLCSD, in partnership with the Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities, invites parents, guardians, and community members to an important educational presentation by Fentanyl Fathers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about fentanyl prevention and the dangers of misuse.

📅 Date: Monday, January 27
🕔 Time: 5:45–6:45 p.m.
📍 Location: Clifford H. Smart Middle School Media Center

This presentation will take place just before the WLCSD PTSA Council Meeting, which begins at 7:00 p.m. in the same location. Students are also welcome to attend the presentation; however, all three WLCSD high schools will host similar assemblies during the school day that week. High school parents should watch for additional details regarding these events.

We hope to see you there for this crucial conversation!

The Walled Lake Consolidated School District is committed to supporting the health and well-being of our students and families. To help address concerns about vaping, we are sharing valuable resources that provide information on the risks of vaping and strategies for prevention. These tools are designed to empower families with knowledge and support meaningful conversations at home. Together, we can help every child make healthy choices every day.

• E-cigarettes and Vaping: What Parents Should Know - American Lung Association

• E-cigarettes and Youth: What Parents Need to Know - Centers for Disease Control

• E-cigarettes/Vaping Facts - Oakland County Health Department

Please remember to register or re-register your Kroger Plus card to Keith Elementary. Last year we made just over $2,000! It’s easy! Just go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com and go to the community rewards section. You must re-register your card annually. Anyone having an issue with their email address or password can call 1-800-KROGERS for customer service.

February 4th at 6:30pm - Keith Learning Commons

Visit our PTA's Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/KeithElemPTA/

Keith Vision Screening Schedule:

Grades to be assessed: J/K, 1, 3, 5

TECHNICIAN: TERRI ALCOCER

10/16, 10/17, 10/18, 10/22, 10/23, 10/24, 10/25/2024 AM

Keith Hearing Screening Schedule:

Grades to be assessed: J/K, K, 2, 4

TECHNICIAN: DENISE GAARDER

03/14, 03/17, 03/18, 03/19, 03/20/2025

Please visit the WLCSD website linked in the button below for additional information about your child's health and immunizations for school. In addition, should your child need to take medication while at school, all medicines must be kept in the main office. They must be brought to school by an adult with the permission to administer medicine at school form (linked in the button below) and original bottle included. Please review the Keith Medical Information section of our family handbook for additional information.

The Keith Elementary School Community will inspire and empower all- academically, socially, and emotionally.

Diana Tyrrell - Principal's Secretary

DianaTyrrel@wlcsd.org

Alice Johnson - Building Secretary

AliceJohnson@wlcsd.org

Marci Augenstein, Ph.D. - Principal, Keith Elementary

MarciAugenstein@wlcsd.org

Email: DianaTyrrell@wlcsd.org
Website: http://wlcsd.org/schools/elementary/keith/
Location: 2800 Keith Road, West Bloomfield Township, MI, United States
Phone: (248)956-3700
Twitter: @KeithElementary