Penguin's Raft

Dear Moraine Families,

What an exciting week ahead! As we host our families at Wednesday Night's New Family Orientation (grades 1-5) and Open House, it will be just the start of a wonderful school year. Our staff has been working hard to have the floors clean and rooms ready so that we can begin the year focusing on what truly is most important: building a relationship with your child and your family.

There's nothing quite like connecting with our community. This is something you can expect to see as a focus during the first few weeks and throughout the year as we continue to work together in creating a world-class learning environment. You'll find our teachers spending extra time in these first weeks getting to know your child and you as we believe at our core in the power of relationships.

We look forward to seeing you soon,

Joe Reimann

Principal, Moraine Elementary

Teaching for Learning for All!

New to the District Family Orientation (Grades 1-5), August 30th 5:00pm

Open House, August 30th

• Last names A - M, 5:30 - 6:15pm
• Last names N - Z, 6:15 - 7:00pm

Office Closed, Friday Sept 1 & Monday Sept 4

First Day of School, Tuesday, September 5th

First PTA Meeting - Tuesday, September 5th, 9:15 am, Moraine MPR

Moraine Fall Fling - Friday, October 13

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year!

All new and returning families: It's time to fill out your required online Annual Registration!

Every year, all families (including those who recently enrolled) are required to fill out the digital Annual Registration for each student. Families may complete these forms through MiStar ParentConnection. After logging in to your Parent Portal account, click the RED Annual Registration at the top right of your screen. Then select Register Now to the far right of your student’s name to begin the process.

Through this process you will be asked to update your student’s emergency contact information, home address and health information, review our technology use policy and student handbooks, learn more about PTSA/PTA, access the web store and much more.

Need Help? Many of the most commonly asked questions can be found on our FAQs page (located in the upper right-hand corner of ParentConnection.) If you have further questions, please email the helpdesk at parentportal@northvilleschools.org

• All elementary students must have the Annual Registration completed prior to the start of school on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

The first day of school is Tuesday, September 5th. First bell rings at 8:41 AM and school starts at 8:46 AM (Families must sign in students after 8:46am). Arrival begins at 8:30 AM. Students will be allowed to enter the building at 8:41 AM each morning. The school day ends at 3:45 PM.

Additional back-to-school information including Arrival and Dismissal specifics will be sent out next week.

A New Family Orientation will take place on Wednesday, August 30th at 5:00pm just prior to Open House. This is a great opportunity for our NEW TO MORAINE students and families in grades 1-5, as well as incoming kindergarteners who did not attend Round-Up, to learn about Moraine and to ask questions about the upcoming school year.

We are excited to once again host ALL families for an Open House. This will be an opportunity for you to meet your child's teacher and to visit the classroom. Classrooms will be open from 5:30 - 6:15pm for last names beginning with A - M, and from 6:15 - 7:00pm for last names N - Z.

Please bring all medical plans and medication prior to the first day of school on September 5, 2023. The office is open from 8am - 430pm, Monday - Friday. Please call first (248-465-2150) if you're coming during the lunch time-frame.

Please remember the first few days of school will be busier than usual in the parking lot and carpool lane. Safety is our number one priority and your patience and care is greatly appreciated.

Arrival does not begin until 8:30am and there is no student supervision prior to this time. Arrival Entrances:

• Front Entrance: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, Ms. Roberts and Ms. Meeks
• Door 42 (Located by 2nd/3rd Centrum): 2nd and 3rd Grade
• Bus Loop Entrance: 4th Grade Students, Ms. Witter

Moraine uses a bus loop at arrival and dismissal - no other vehicles are permitted to use the west bus loop during these times.

Arrival:

• Pull all the way forward until you can stop and immediately drop off your child as soon as you are next to the sidewalk.
• It is not necessary to hold up the line by waiting until you are in front of the entry doors to drop off your child.
  
• If you have to put your car in park for any reason, including if you are removing your child from a car seat, you must use the parking lot.
• After 8:46, you must sign your child in at the front entrance.

Dismissal:

• Practice having your child repeat their dismissal plan to you.

• Your family should display a name card on the right hand side of the dashboard and visible through the windshield. A BIG and BOLD name displayed assists our dismissal team with having your child ready to enter your vehicle.

• If your child requires assistance, you may wish to park your vehicle in the parking lot and greet your child outside of their classroom door upon dismissal.

• To avoid a dangerous backup on the westbound 8 mine left turn lane, we will be using a double lane dismissal. Eastbound 8 mile traffic will use the lane closest to the sidewalk and the Westbound 8 mile traffic will use the next lane over.
• In order to keep access to our parking lot open as long as possible, Westbound drivers will wait in the left hand turn lane until 3:41pm. At that time, they will enter the lane for dismissal.

It is worth noting that because of our dedicated staff and our patient families, after the first couple weeks, we are able to dismiss in under 12 minutes! (Pretty impressive by National School Dismissal standards)

Please use kindness, courtesy, and patience for a safe, efficient dismissal!

Information about your child's bus route is now available in the Parent Portal. When you log in to your account , click the tab entitled, "Transportation". If your child qualifies for a bus route, his/her route will be listed in the portal.https://sisweb.resa.net/Northville/ParentPortal

The PTA is very excited to share with you our plans for the upcoming year and hope to see you at our first meeting of the year on September 5 from 9:15-10:15am in the Multi-Purpose Room. We also will be reviewing the year’s budget as well as asking our PTA members to vote on its acceptance.

Please take a moment to go over our Welcome Packet, attached to this email. It provides a plethora of information, from how to stay connected with the PTA, how to become a member, and donating to our Penguin Pledge, and more!

Also attached is an informational flyer about our Penguin Pledge, which is traditionally the PTA’s main fundraiser for the year. The flyer provides a lot of insight of how much money the PTA spends annually for Moraine and how your contribution helps make everything possible! As always, we appreciate your contribution to helping the PTA continue supporting Moraine through its 22 committees.

We look forward to seeing you all in September!

We would like to inform you about an upcoming change to our K-12 District Calendar that is aimed at enhancing the educational experience. In our continuous effort to provide the best possible education for our students, we have scheduled two consecutive Teacher Professional Development days on Monday, November 6 and Tuesday, November 7, which will necessitate a slight adjustment to the school schedule.

On these days, all regular classes will be canceled to allow our dedicated teaching staff to engage in valuable training and development opportunities. This professional development is designed to further enrich teaching methods, explore innovative strategies, and stay updated with the latest advancements in education. Ultimately, the goal is to enhance student learning and ensure that children continue to receive a high-quality education.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, we firmly believe that the benefits gained from these training sessions will significantly outweigh the temporary adjustment.

Thank you for being an integral part of our school community.

View updated District K-12 Calendar.

We know September is a busy month but we wanted to take the time to highlight a few events as part of Suicide Prevention Month.

The first is a movie screening that is open to all parents in and outside of Northville Public Schools. The event will feature the movie "Death is Not the Answer" that was made by Keith Famie (a local filmmaker). We are fortunate to have Chuck Gaidica moderate this event which will also feature a panel that includes local agency representatives as well as Eric Hipple and Kevin Fischer. We will also have the following resource tables with mental health and suicide prevention specific information available:

New Hope

Color my World

RESET

Hegira

NAMI

IHA/Trinity

This is a FREE EVENT! You will see on the flyer a QR code to register but you can also use the link below. Registration is not required but appreciated!

Death is Not the Answer registration

Last year, a group of Northville Public Schools staff participated in the NAMI walk. This year the Suicide Prevention Coalition (which Northville Public Schools is a part of) has formed a team and would like all of the partner districts and our families to join. This is meant to show how we are all in this together no matter what your district boundaries are. The event is at Wayne State University on September 16th (Saturday)

630 Merrick St,

Detroit, MI 48202

Check-in at 8 am,

Walk time is 10 am -12:30 pm ET

There's no cost to walk with us, though donations to NAMI Michigan are certainly welcomed.

Use this link to register yourself and put Suicide Prevention Coalition in the team search box.

SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM

The Northville Public Schools provides a breakfast and hot lunch program for interested students.

Families must preorder lunches for preschools and elementary students. Orders must be in by 7am for all students for breakfast and lunch. The system will not allow you to order after the time listed above. For your convenience, meals can be preordered up to 30 days in advance. To avoid any issues, we recommend ordering the night before.

• Order Online at Nutrislice

• Download the App (Apple Store)

• Download the App (Google Play)

This school year, Northville Public Schools will be providing free breakfast and lunch meals to all pre-K through grade 12 NPS students, regardless of free or reduced lunch availability. Funding for the Michigan School Meals Program was included in the 2023-24 School Aid Bill approved by the state legislature. Under this program students can receive free breakfast and lunch meals each full school day. In addition to these free meals, students may purchase a second breakfast or lunch meal, snack items or a separate carton of milk, as desired.

In order to operate the program successfully, we are actively seeking additional Food Service staff members to work in our kitchens. If you or someone you know are interested in joining the Food Service team, please contact our Food Service department at 248-344-3690.

Finally, please be aware that the Michigan School Meals Program will supplement the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, meaning that parents of students who would otherwise be eligible for free or reduced meals should continue to submit applications for free or reduced meals for their students. Even though meals will be free this year, it is vitally important that parents who meet, or believe they may meet, the free and reduced income guidelines, submit an application to ensure maximum benefits for their students and the District. Some of these benefits include:

• Athletics and activities discounts for student fees associated with participating in athletics and activities programs
• SAT, ACT and AP test discounts for academic testing
• College application discounts for college application fees
• Discounted internet access services
• Federal, state and local school funding for school budgets
• Summer EBT

For the 2023 – 2024 school year, we are excited to again be partnering with School Toolbox to make ordering school supplies easy and convenient for our Penguin families.

With our customized School Toolbox kits, everything your student needs for the 2023-2024 school year comes packaged in one convenient box, customized to your teacher’s requests, and delivered directly to your home address.

Follow this link for your one-stop shop for back-to-school supplies: https://schooltoolbox.com/school-supplies/school/list-boxes/?schoolId=49913

Each grade has a customized kit. Your kit(s) will be sent directly to your house. Free shipping is available for orders over $75 – so consider combining your order with another family to save. Please allow 10 days for processing.

**Please note that the supply lists are simply suggestions of helpful items and are strictly voluntary, as the Northville Public Schools provide the necessary supplies and materials for your child's successful school experience.

If purchasing your own, please go to this link for a list of suggested supplies:

https://moraine.northvilleschools.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=351548&type=d&pREC_ID=765203

Quick Links for Reference

2023-24 Moraine School Calendar

Moraine Student Handbook

Moraine Snack Procedure and Birthday Treat Policy

Video Gallery Picture - Exciting NPS Events!

Moraine Parent Portal Link

Email: reimannjo@northvilleschools.org
Website: https://moraine.northvilleschools.org/
Location: Moraine Elementary School, Eight Mile Road, Northville, MI, USA
Phone: 248-465-2150
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/morainepta
Twitter: @MorainePenguins