Keeping up with Keller

The mission of Helen Keller Elementary School is to establish and maintain an educational community that empowers all students to become principled, independent inquirers who are socially responsible global citizens.

Do you want to see what's going on at Keller? Check out my Facebook page where I frequently post pictures and share events that are happening within the Keller Community. Click on the button below to go right to my page!

MARCH:

*March 15: RO St. Patrick's Day Parade - Student Senate

*March 18: 3rd Grade Concert @ 7:00 p.m. (Gym)

*March 19, 26: Late Start for Students/Professional Development for Staff

*March 31-April 4: No School - Spring Break

*April 7: School Resumes

Help us keep our parking lot safe and organized. We’re looking for volunteers to assist at the two crosswalks during drop-off and pick-up times. Your support makes a big difference in ensuring a smooth process for everyone.

If you’re available to lend a hand, please contact the main office. Thank you for helping our school community!

This week, I had the joy of stepping into classrooms to share the love of reading with our students My first stop was DK, where we explored a wonderful story together titled, After The Fall. I will be reading After The Fall to grades DK-2 and Penny Angelo Girl Guardian to grades 3-5. Seeing their excitement and engagement reminded me just how powerful a good book can be. I look forward to visiting more classrooms in the coming weeks—stay tuned for the next stop on our reading journey!

*These books will be donated to the class library and an additional one to the school library.

In February and March, ELD students are assessed in their language skills in English in the four domains -- reading, listening, speaking, and writing. This is not a pass/fail test. Rather, it is a check-in for students and teachers. We use the results of these exams to shape our instruction for the upcoming year. Results arrive to schools in late July, and we immediately begin processing these marks and distributing score reports to families.

Please reach out to Hannah Sells, ELD Program Coordinator, with any testing-related questions: hannah.sells@royaloakschools.org

For more ELA news click on the button below.

What an incredible night of talent and fun at the Keller PTA Talent Show! Our students took the stage with confidence, showcasing their amazing singing, dancing, comedy, and more. We even had a Wicked staff performance. The audience was wowed by the energy, creativity, and hard work of each performer.

A huge thank you to everyone who made this event possible—our talented participants, supportive families, dedicated volunteers, and co-chairs Melissa the Keller PTA. Your efforts created a truly special night filled with joy and celebration.

Click on the links below to view the following:

• Video of entire Talent Show
• Pictures of the performers

Curious about what’s happening in our student news? Click on the button below to watch this week’s broadcast and catch up on future updates! Don’t miss out on the latest stories, events, and highlights shared by our talented students.

Spring is coming!! The sun shining and warmer temps this week were much needed after the artic blast of the last few weeks. Our Nomination Committee is working hard to put together a slate for next year’s board. The Slate will be presented at our next Business Meeting on March 10th!

Nominating Committee:

We are currently in search of members to join our Executive Board! If you are curious what that entails please reach out to our Nominating Committee: charitygingell@hotmail.com

If you would like to become more involved now is the time, we would love to have you!! If you are curious about board positions or committees please reach out. Inquiries are not considered a commitment so if you are curious about what a board position entails or interested in learning more about being a committee chair please contact me: jenmackenziepta@gmail.com

Our next meeting will be Virtual at 7pm on Monday, March 10th. The zoom link will be sent out the weekend before and will also be posted in the Facebook event.

Upcoming Events:

Spring Scholastic Book Fair

March 17-18 & 20-21 from 3:35–5PM

March 19 from 6-8PM*

*To accommodate families who can't make it right after school

IFFF - May 2nd, 6:30-8:30

Silent Auction - May 2nd, to coincide with IFFF

Time: TBD

Fun Fair - June 6

It’s not too late to purchase your annual $10 membership to Keller PTA. Family Memberships are only $18, (any two adults per one student and they do NOT have to live in the same home).

A membership does NOT require you to volunteer or attend meetings, although we would love to have you do both! Aside from the September meeting, meetings are all under an hour and give the opportunity to talk to the principal and our Royal Oak District School Board liaison. It's a good way to be in the know. Some are in-person and some meetings are virtual this year.

How you PTA is up to you!

Get involved to your comfort level.

But also know this: we can't function as a PTA unless volunteers get involved. Events, committee work, meetings, executive board, and community work won't be successful and wanes when we don't have active volunteers.

Please visit our website regularly to keep informed of all things PTA and Keller Elementary. On there you will find:

• PTA annual calendar of events

• A list of all committees and contact info

• Teacher and staff favorite things (still updating)

• PTA FAQs

• Spirit Wear store

• Givebacks link to buy membership and join our online directory

• National PTA podcast link for Notes From the Backpack

And much more!

Thanks for all you do!

Jen MacKenzie

PTA President

JenMackenziepta@gmail.com

Royal Oak Parent Advocacy Committee Meeting - 3/18 @ 6:30 PM on Zoom

The Royal Oak Parent Advocacy Committee (ROPAC) is our school district's Parent Advisory Committee - a group made up of parents/caregivers of students with IEPs or 504 Plans, those that want to learn more, and those that think their student may benefit from special education services. ROPAC sincerely welcomes any parent or caregiver with a student(s) in Royal Oak schools to join us in our mission to make this district a destination for students receiving special education services. Learn more about the ROPAC here: ROPAC Info Flyer

The PAC's March meeting will be held Tuesday, 3/18 @ 6:30 PM on Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83507795904?pwd=NJz0Ud4O1pEN3tiyaTjqpbFsPvUWig.1).We will be joined by Lynne Porter from Total Education Solutions. Get some new ideas to take back to your family and your team. To join our mailing list for meeting reminders and other updates, complete this quick form: ROPAC Email List

According to BeSMARTforKids.org:

• Firearms are the leading cause of death for American children and teens.

• Every year, nearly 360 children in the US under the age of 18 gain access to a firearm and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else.

• More than 700 children living in America die by gun suicide every year, and secure storage can play a crucial role in preventing those deaths.

• 3/4 of school shooters acquired their firearm from the home of a parent or close relative.

Michigan State Police has provided Royal Oak Schools free gun locks to distribute to families or staff members. If you have unsecured weapons in your home, please help to keep our children safe by stopping by the main office at your child's school or the District Administrative Offices at 800 DeVillen, Royal Oak, to pick up a free gun lock.

Are your children safe while online? Michigan families, especially minors, are becoming inundated with advertisements from alcohol, tobacco, pornography,illegal drugs and gambling marketers through different internet and cell phone inboxes. Thankfully, the State of Michigan offers a free program to stop adult advertisements from reaching e-mails, text messages, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Discord, TikTok, Twitch and Twitter. The Michigan Child Protection Registry, is a free do-not-contact service for Michigan’s families and can be located at www.ProtectMIChild.com.

Protecting your children online is extremely important. You can sign your entire family up for the Registry and inform your friends and colleagues about how they can protect children and families from unwanted adult advertising. To sign up, it only takes a few seconds. Just go to www.ProtectMIChild.com and keep your family safe.

When bringing your child late to school we ask that you please bring them into the lobby and sign them in on the purple sheet. It is important to include time you are signing and if your child will be getting A or B lunch for the next day.

All absences should be called in to the Safety Check number. Absences that are not reported are considered unexcused.

Safety Check number 248-542-6500 option #1

Please be aware that our after-school latchkey program uses the playgrounds each day, starting around 4 p.m. If you decide to stay on school grounds after dismissal please avoid those areas being used by the latchkey program. This will allow our staff to monitor our after-school care kids and ensure safety.

For the safety of our students, please do not allow your child to climb on the outside of the tunnel slides after school. This is a school rule that the students follow during the school day. We need your help ensuring our students are safe on the playground.

It is requested that all adults who are arriving and departing from the school be particularly cautious and mindful of the children and adult pedestrians in the school vicinity at all times. The safety of our entire school community depends upon the care and concern of all of us.

Please follow these safety precautions in the parking lot:

• DO NOT PARK or STAND in the drop off lane at the end of the school day.
• Obey all traffic signs and follow traffic flow -- map below.
• Please refrain from cell phone calls and texting while driving.
• Drop-off area – there is one lane of drop-off.
• Pull all the way forward to the end of the lane before dropping or picking up children. Do not back up in the pick-up lane.
• Students should enter and be ready to exit on the passenger side of the vehicle only.
• Do not exit your vehicle, thus parking in the drop-off only lane, even if it is to run to the door or drop off a project. If you must exit your vehicle you need to park in a parking spot.
• Adults and students should remain on sidewalks and cross at crosswalks only. It is difficult to see children in the parking lot between vehicles.
• Park in a handicap parking spot only if you have a valid and visible permit

The safety of our students remains our utmost priority! We kindly ask that you refrain from parking or standing in the drop-off lane (red marked areas pictured below). It is essential to keep these lanes and the sidewalk clear during dismissal as vehicles in these areas contribute to congestion in the parking lot and on Campbell Avenue, and they also create a visual barrier between the sidewalk and the parking lot.

Help keep our students and pedestrians safe!

Did you know that the yellow diagonal lines in the parking lot at the end of the row and at crosswalks are designed to enhance pedestrian safety?

Please refrain from parking or waiting in the yellow diagonal lined zones in the parking lot.

• This areas at the end of each row are designated for pedestrians to wait while preparing to cross the parking lot.
  

  
  

• It is difficult to see oncoming traffic when you impede our pedestrian's vision when trying to cross the parking lot to the sidewalk.

As winter continues, we want to remind everyone about an important safety rule regarding snow banks around our parking lot. For the safety of all students, we ask that children refrain from climbing or playing on the snow banks before and after school. These areas can be slippery, unstable, and close to moving vehicles, posing a significant safety risk.

This rule is consistent with our in-school policy of not playing on snow piles during recess. As a school, we have a responsibility to minimize unnecessary risks, especially when they involve potential liability and student safety. We appreciate your support in reinforcing this expectation with your child to help keep everyone safe.

Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to student safety!

School premises can be crowded during these busy times, with children and adults walking to and from their cars, buses, and school buildings. Riding bicycles in such confined spaces poses a risk of accidents, especially when mixed with a large volume of pedestrians.

To ensure everyone's safety, we kindly ask you to adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Walk your bike on school property: If you choose to ride your bike to school, please dismount and walk your bike when entering school premises. This will help minimize the risk of collisions and falls.

2. Utilize designated areas: If your school has specially designated bike racks or parking areas, we encourage you to utilize these facilities to safely secure your bicycles.

3. Follow traffic rules: When approaching or leaving school property, please adhere to all traffic laws and signals. Signal your intentions, yield to pedestrians, and maintain a safe speed.

At Keller we take pride in making sure we have a kind, caring, environment. Our parents play a large role in helping us to achieve this goal. Before posting to social media or any other venue, please consider the feelings of all our community members . Before you post, remember to T.H.I.N.K.

*We are respectful

*We are safe and in control

*We are responsible learners

I will act in such a way that I will be proud of myself and others will be proud of me too.

I came to school to learn and I will learn.

I will have a good day.

Don’t forget that the highlighted monthly learner profile and weekly behavior focus is on the Google calendar (every Sunday).

Principal

Email: marcie.dryden@royaloakschools.org
Website: https://www.royaloakschools.org/our-schools/elementary/keller/
Location: 1505 North Campbell Road, Royal Oak, MI, USA
Phone: (248)542-6500