A Message from Dr. A.
November 1, 2024
Dear Dragon Families,
I hope this message finds you well! I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to each of you for making our annual Halloween parade the biggest and most vibrant one yet! Your enthusiasm and participation not only created a memorable event for our students but also reinforced the importance of community and involvement in our children’s lives. It’s clear that your support makes a meaningful difference in their development and happiness.
I would also like to remind you of our upcoming parent book study on November 4 at 6 PM in the Learning Commons. We will be diving into Jonathan Haidt's thought-provoking book, The Anxious Generation, which explores the rising anxiety among today’s youth and offers insights on fostering resilience and well-being. It promises to be a great discussion!
Please note that there will be no school on November 5 due to the election. I encourage you to take this opportunity to engage with your children about civic responsibility and the importance of participating in our democracy.
As we approach the holiday season, we would greatly appreciate your help with our Thanksgiving meal kit donations and the hospitality house contributions. Additionally, don’t forget that our PTA Book Fair begins on November 7. It’s a fantastic way to encourage a love for reading and support our school.
Thank you once again for your partnership and commitment to our students. Together, let’s continue to foster daily reading habits at home, as these moments are invaluable for their growth and success.
Please be sure to read this week's Dragon's Tale Newsletter with additional information about upcoming events.
Warm regards,
Marci Augenstein, Principal
Upcoming Events at Keith
November, 2024
Nov. 4 - Parent Book Study with Dr. A. and Mrs. Faber - The Anxious Generation - 6-7pm Learning Commons (Details below)
Nov. 5 - No School
Nov. 7 - Nov. 14 - Keith PTA Book Fair
Nov. 8 - Bagel Order Forms Due
Nov. 11 - Nov. 13 - 5th Grade Camp at WLOEC (Questions - Email your child's teacher.)
Nov. 12 - Keith PTA Meeting - Learning Commons, 6:30pm
Nov. 13 - Walk into Walled Lake Event 4-6pm Educational Services Center 850 Ladd Rd. (Details below)
Nov. 15 - Bagel delivery day
Nov. 19 - Half Day
Nov. 19 - Taste of the Lakes - Benefit for Lakes Area Youth Assistance
Nov. 27 - Half Day
Nov. 28-29 - No School - Thanksgiving Break
Keith Elementary Food Drive for Hospitality House
The amazing Hospitality House organization needs breakfast items, specifically the following: boxes of cereal, pancake mix, syrup, and peanut butter and jelly.
If in the next week or so you could send in just a few items listed above with your children, it would be a great kindness for us to stock shelves at our local food pantry before the Thanksgiving holiday. Thank you for your help and support!
Donation boxes will be located at the front of the school!
Donations for Thanksgiving Meals
Keith PTA would like to gift a Thanksgiving meal kit to some of our own Keith families that could really use the help this year. These families have already been predetermined and will receive a box filled with a turkey and ingredients to make sides for their Thanksgiving celebration. PTA will purchase the turkeys and we need your help purchasing the ingredients for the side dishes. As you shop for your own Holiday celebration this year, please consider purchasing some of these items (or gift cards) below to donate. Please have all items donated to the school office by Friday, November 15th. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!
Keith Fall Book Fair!!!!
Book Fair is less than ONE week away! See our flyer for ALL the Book Fair info. There is still time to help out and get involved! Please see the links included on the flyer AND below. We still need items for the teacher preview lunch OR volunteers to work shifts at the Book Fair. Thank you so much in advance for helping to make this Book Fair special!
Teacher Book Fair Preview Lunch Items Needed
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D48AEAB22A7FC1-52062176-fall
Book Fair Shifts
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D48AEAB22A7FC1-52712614-fall
Thank you for your help and support!
The Book Fair Committee
5th Graders are Invited to CHS Basketball Game
Dear 5th Grade Parents,
Commerce, Dublin, Glengary and Keith Elementary 5th Grade Students are invited to CHS Middle School on Monday, November 18th at 4:30 p.m. to enjoy some pizza, water and a CHS Middle School Basketball Game.
Students must be accompanied by an adult and report to our cafeteria for pizza and water at 4:30 p.m. before heading over to the main gym to support our Trojan Basketball Team.
Please remind your child that we have the same expectations here at CHS Middle School that they have at their elementary school. We want our children to have fun but also exhibit the sportsmanship and overall behavior that makes our schools a great place to learn and grow in.
Please be sure to complete the form below by Wednesday, November 13th.
Elementary Night at CHS Middle School Form
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you and your child at CHS Middle School on Monday, November 18th!
Respectfully,
Nayal Maktari, Principal
Bagel Sale Fundraiser - 5th Grade Party
Our first bagel sale in support of the 5th grade party was a HUGE success. Thank you all for your support! Our next bagel sale will be on Friday, November 15th with the forms or Venmo payment due by Friday, November 8th. If you are using Venmo, please don’t forget to include the name of your child, their teacher, and the kind of bagel in the notes! Thanks again for your support of the 5th grade party fundraising!
Mileage Club - Parent Volunteers Needed
Hello Dragon Families,
Please consider signing up to help track our students' mileage club progress on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please feel free to sign up for every grade level and take an entire day. If you are only able to come during your child's time slot, we have created a sign up below. We need the support of our amazing parent volunteers to help encourage the physical fitness of our students.
Thank you again for signing up to volunteer on the playground during our lunch recess times to stamp our students' mileage club card. The link for parent volunteer help is below. When you arrive to Keith to help, please check in at the main office to get the mileage club supplies if you are the first parent volunteer to arrive.
Thank you for supporting the physical fitness of our students at Keith!
Jamin Stewart and Steven LaCross
Keith PE Teachers
2024-2025 REFLECTIONS CALL FOR ENTRIES!
Calling all artists, writers, dancers, musicians, photographers, and videographers! Entries are now being accepted for the National PTA Reflections art competition. Create something in one of the categories below with the theme “ACCEPTING IMPERFECTION” and fill out the google doc to submit your entry!
CONTEST DIVISIONS:
Keith Elementary has separate divisions for grades K-2nd and 3rd-5th. 2 winners from each category (per division) will advance to District level. Students may submit an entry in any of the six areas listed below:
· Literature
· Music Composition
· Photography
· Visual Arts
· Dance Choreography
· Film Production
For more information and official rules per category click here
DEADLINE:
Submissions must be sent digitally and are accepted until November 11, 2024.
ENTRY FORM:
Submit contest entries using this link:
REFLECTIONS SUBMISSIONS 2024-2025
A letter will be sent home with students this week with more information. Updates will be posted on the Keith Elementary PTA Facebook page so be sure to follow us!
For more information on this year’s theme: “ACCEPTING IMPERFECTION” click here
Please email ljones456@sbcglobal.net with questions. Thanks for your support in unleashing your child’s inner artist!
Keith Elementary School is Hiring!
Keith Elementary School is currently seeking to hire two para-educators: one full-time and one part-time to assist our students and teachers. Additionally, we are still looking for a MICI teacher, social worker (to serve both Keith and another building), a crossing guard and an assistant lunch-room server.
All jobs are posted on the Oakland County Consortium website, linked on the WLCSD HR Homepage.
If interested, please submit your application and email MarciAugenstein@wlcsd.org
Thank you for your interest in joining Keith Elementary School.
Family Book Study
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope this message finds you well. As we continue to navigate the complexities of childhood in today’s world, I am excited to announce a community-wide book study focused on "The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness" by Jonathan Haidt. This insightful book offers valuable perspectives on the challenges our children face and provides us with tools to support their well-being.
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
Keith Ski and Snowboarding Club
Links
Ski Club Enrollment and Information Form
Keith Elementary Ski/Snowboard Facebook Link
Sponsor Contact Email: Ulrey.Christopher@gmail.com
News from the Keith Cafe
What to watch for:
Fri, Nov 1st ~ Tubby's Sub & Ice Cream Day ~ $1.00 ice cream cups
Fri, Nov 8th ~Chips $1.25 & Snacks $1.00
Mon, Nov 11th ~ Lucky Tray Day
Fri, Nov 15th ~ Chips $1.25 & Snacks $1.00
Fri, Nov 22nd ~ Chips $1.25 & Snacks $1.00
Fri, Nov 26th ~ $1.00 ice cream cups
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:
- Labeled inside your lunch barcode sheet, or
- 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!
Keith Music Appreciation Club
Thanks to all the students and their families who came out for the Music of Star Wars. We were delighted by the very engaging performances including the excellent background talks from Maestro Yanez introducing each piece, lightsaber duels on stage as well as costumes. Also, the grand encore of The Imperial March - Darth Vadar's theme song was a treat.
At our Club meet, we learned about the Composers of Star Wars music (John Williams, Michael Giacchino, Ludwig Goransson) and Leitmotifs - theme music for a character, idea or action, and shared in our love of the different memorable theme music for our favorite Star Wars characters, actions and ideas like "the force". From our informal fun survey of who is our favorite Star Wars character, in first place, there was a tie between Ray, Darth Vader and the Mandalorian.
Our next Club meet is Sunday, November 17, 2024 2:30, followed by the 3pm Under The Streetlamp Concert with former cast members from the hit musical Jersey Boys harmonies and dance moves, performing old-school hits by The Drifters, Roy Orbison, Nat King Cole, The Beach Boys, and The Beatles, plus a celebration of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
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) 2023-2024 concert series in addition to the concerts listed above, 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.
See Music Appreciation Club Details Document for more information and link to Google form for registration https://forms.gle/3eAmCFB4Vf9FCP626
Please see Music Appreciation Club PDF below for more information on Club meets, membership and concerts.
To Join, fill out Club Registration form after you have purchased your DSO Student Soundcard membership
https://forms.gle/3eAmCFB4Vf9FCP626
Should you have any question, contact Monique Levu monique.levu@gmail.com 248-301-1415
District seeks operating millage replacement in November Election
The Walled Lake Consolidated Schools’ Board of Education approved seeking a replacement of the district’s operating millage in the upcoming November election during its August 8, 2024 special meeting.
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools is asking the community to replace its current operating millage with an 18 mill non-homestead millage that represents roughly $31 million and a 3.6297 mill hold harmless that represents approximately $2 million of the district’s budget. The total of $33 million accounts for 18 percent of the district’s $187 million revenue budget.
Every District in the state is expected to levy, with voter approval, 18 mills on all non-homestead properties in order to receive full state funding under Proposal A. The 3 mill "Headlee cushion" will allow the district to collect the full 18 mills over the duration of the operating millage. The proposal will not increase property taxes on any primary residence property that is within Walled Lake Consolidated Schools boundaries. Since the approval of Proposal A in 1994, the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools’ community has overwhelmingly supported the operating millage, most recently in 2014.
If the November 5, 2024 proposal is not approved, the school district will lose more than $33 million in operating revenue every year and the state will not make up the shortfall.
More information about the 2024 Operating Millage Replacement can be found at www.wlcsd.org/elections.
Kroger Rewards - $$$ For Keith!
Vision and Hearing Screenings for Keith Students
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
WLCSD Health and Immunization Information
Keith Elementary School
Diana Tyrrell - Principal's Secretary
Alice Johnson - Building Secretary
Marci Augenstein, Ph.D. - Principal, Keith Elementary
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