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: 2nd Grade Field Trip to Henry Ford Museum

*March 18-22: PTA Book Fair

*March 19: 3rd Grade Music Concert (7-8 p.m.)

*March 20: Late Starts for Students/PD for Staff

*March 21: World Down Syndrome Day - Wear Mixed Socks

*March 25-29: No School - Spring Break

Author Princeton Lockett, from Mrs. Strong's 5th grade class, spent three days reading his book "Secrets of the Wolves" to our students during mini assemblies. He engaged with our students by answering their questions and sharing insights about his inspiration from his mom, aunt and grandfather and motivation from his classmates Rowan, Maya and 4th grade teacher Mrs. DeWolfe.

Princeton has now motivated others to participate in a new book writing club, encouraging them to embark on their own literary projects.

Author Tyler Benson is from St. Louis, Michigan. He has served in the United States Coast Guard for over 20 years. He began writing short stories about his search and rescue adventures in the Coast Guard to educate his four young children about what Daddy does when he goes on duty for 48 hours at a time. He wanted them to learn the importance of service to their country and helping those in need. To help them better understand his job, Tyler wrote the stories featuring his station’s morale dog, Onyx. These stories soon evolved into a dream—to publish a book series that would serve as a tribute and a way to bring recognition to all who serve or have served in the United States Coast Guard.

A few years after The Adventures of Onyx and The Guardians of the Straits was released, Tyler and his wife, Kristy, realized that although ‘The Adventures of Onyx’ was a great tool to educate children ages four and older, there wasn’t anything for the younger children about the United States Coast Guard. So Tyler and Kristy co-authored Rosie the Response Boat to teach children ages 0-4 not only information about the United States Coast Guard, but also the importance of friendship and working together as a team.

Tyler and Kristy currently reside in Petoskey, Michigan, with their four children-Olivia, Annie, Charlotte & Parker.

The Contest: A letter to Dog Man about why Dog Man will love the City of Royal Oak!

Eligible Participants: All Royal Oak Schools Third Grade Students

Entries, Selection of Winner: Submit your entry in person at Sidetrack Bookshop, 325 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak, MI 48067 between Monday, March 11, 2024 and Monday, March 18, 2024 during Sidetrack Bookshop business hours (10 am-8 pm Monday-Saturday, Sunday 10 am-6 pm). Sidetrack Bookshop will choose a winner, notifying the winner by 3 pm on Thursday, March 21. The winner must be able to accept the prize at the ceremony on March 23 at 1:15 pm at the Royal Oak Police Department.

Prize: The winner will present Dog Man (the character) with the key to the City of Royal Oak at the Royal Oak Police Department on March 23 at 1:15 pm and receive a gift card to Sidetrack Bookshop.

Schools of Choice Application Window Closes March 29, 2024

The Schools of Choice application window for students going into Developmental Kindergarten/Kindergarten - 8th grade in Fall 2024 is now open.

THE APPLICATION PERIOD IS MARCH 1 - MARCH 29, 2024

Schools of Choice slots are available for Oakland County residents who do not live within the Royal Oak School District boundaries.

Schools of Choice application

The Parent Advocacy Committee's March meeting will be held March, 3/19 @ 6:30 PM on Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83350937382). Our topic will be transitions, and we will be welcoming guests from Royal Oak Schools to speak on IEP and 504 Transitions (between schools, programs, etc). To join our mailing list for meeting reminders and other updates, complete this quick form: ROPAC Email List

Hello Blessings in a Backpack Royal Oak Supporters and Friends!

Please join us for a "Trivia Night" Fundraiser on Friday, April 12, 2024 at 6:00 PM at The Royal Oak Elks benefiting Blessings in a Backpack Royal Oak. Tickets are $50/person or $450 for a table of 10. Price includes entry, dinner catered by Kouzina Greek Street Food and trivia game. Cash bar is available. Reserve your spot now! This is a paperless event- no hard tickets. We will have a check-in for guest registration. We will also be having a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction with amazing items generously donated from local businesses. Stay tuned for auction items! ALL proceeds will benefit Blessings in a Backpack Royal Oak. Please reach out if interested in donating to our silent auction or considering a sponsorship.

Blessings in a Backpack is a registered 501 C (3) non-profit organization that provides food on the weekend to children who might otherwise go hungry. The kids we serve rely on meals they receive during the week at school but what do they eat on the weekend? Most of them go 65 hours with little or nothing to eat but that's where we come in. Every week our volunteers, in cooperation with school officials, distribute the packed food bags filled with enough non-perishable food for the weekend (six meals) to our “food-insecure” students on Friday so kids return to school on Monday full, focused, and ready to learn. We are currently packing weekend food bags for around 200 children per week in Royal Oak. These students are participants in the government subsidized free or reduced fee hot lunch program. As little as $155 feeds an elementary school child attending Royal Oak Schools in the Blessings in a Backpack program for an entire 38-week school year. “Hunger doesn’t take a break on the weekends.”

If you are unable to attend but would like to donate to Blessings in a Backpack Royal Oak, please Donate HERE! and select ROYAL OAK from the community drop down, click the donate button to go on to the next step. Thank you for your consideration!

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE!

If you are interested in learning about what is being shared on the student WKBS you can click on this link to watch this weeks and future broadcasts: WKBS

Students should not be communicating with parents/families using their phones or Smartwatches during the school day. If a student is wearing a Smartwatch they are to use it as a watch only. All phones are to stay in the student's backpack in their lockers. Please refrain from texting your child during the school day as it is a distraction from instruction. All communication during the school day should be done through Seesaw with the teacher or through the front office at (248)542-6500. Thank you for your cooperation.

All absences should be called in to the Safety Check number. Absences that are not reported are considered unexcused. Please make sure to indicate if you are ordering lunch the next day if the call is before 10:00 a.m. Calls after 10:00 a.m. we cannot guarantee your A or B lunch choice.

Safety Check number 248-542-6500 option #1

Please be aware that Board Policy 5330 (below) requires a doctor's prescription as well as parental authorization before we can dispense non prescribed (over the counter) medicine as well as prescribed medications.

For purposes of this policy, "medication" shall include all medicines including those prescribed by a physician and any nonprescribed (over-the-counter) drugs, preparations, and/or remedies. "Treatment" refers both to the manner in which a medication is administered and to health-care procedures which require special training, such as catheterization.

Before any medication or treatment may be administered to any student during school hours, the Board shall require the written prescription from the child's physician accompanied by the written authorization of the parent. This document shall be kept on file in the administrative offices. No student is allowed to provide or sell any type of over-the-counter medication to another student. Violations of this rule will be considered violations of Policy 5530 - Drug Prevention and of the Student Discipline Code/Code of Conduct.

Our staff works so hard everyday focusing on our students and school community. If you would like to say thank you to any staff member, please fill out and submit the form linked below. I will be sure they get your messages, which I know will make their day!

Hi PTA friends!

Please make note of this important PTA news:

Thanks to the hard work of our Green Schools Committee, Keller has achieved Evergreen Status again for the Green Schools Initiative. Thanks, Emily & Edna, for working on the lengthy application process, which takes months to complete. You both are AMAZING!

In the March PTA meeting Monday, we presented our nominees for the 2024-2025 PTA Executive Board:

President: Jen MacKenzie

VP of Communications: Jennifer Streamer

VP of Membership: Melissa Berry

Secretary: Jennifer Brown

Treasurer: Belem Morales

Member-At-Large: Charity Gingell

Please join us at our next meeting to vote for the slate of electors. We are meeting in-person on April 8th in the Keller Learning Commons at 7pm.

Our Scholastic Book Fair is next week! Please click this link for details on days and times it will be open. Please consider signing up to work a shift or two, as we cannot open each day without help. If we don’t get enough help, we will notify Keller families on the PTA website and on our FB page that we will be closed, if applicable. You can sign up here: https://bit.ly/KellerSpring2024BookFair

Join us on March 20th between 4-8pm at Royal Oak Brewery for the next Restaurant Night!

We are gearing up for one of our biggest celebrations, the International Food & Fun Festival, (IFFF,) which will be held Friday, April 12 at Keller. This is a great opportunity to learn about other customs, cultures, and backgrounds. There will be food trucks onsite, a complimentary snack, entertainment, games, student art displayed, a sensory room, and informational stations about world countries set up throughout the event. Questions can be sent to ifff@helenkellerpta.net.

Coupled with the IFFF is our Silent Auction. Our committee is still looking for donations to auction off from people and businesses. If you have something of value, whether it’s a good or service, please reach out to the Chairs at silentauction@helenkellerpta.net. The auction will open online for the week leading up to the IFFF. We hope you check out this amazing fundraiser!

Continue to check our website any time you need to find PTA information.

All My Best,

Carie Hooker, President

president@helenkellerpta.net

Studies have consistently shown that many girls and young women struggle with feelings of low self-confidence. This unfortunate trend seems to persist across various aspects of life, including academics, body image, and career aspirations.

In the realm of academics, girls often exhibit lower levels of confidence compared to their male counterparts. They may doubt their abilities and hesitate to take on challenging subjects or leadership roles. This lack of confidence can impact their performance and limit their academic achievements.

Body image is another area where girls often feel inadequate. Unrealistic media portrayals of beauty standards, combined with societal pressures, can lead to body dissatisfaction and a decrease in self-confidence. This can have long-lasting effects on mental and emotional well-being.

Furthermore, many girls struggle with confidence when it comes to career aspirations. They may underestimate their skills and downplay their ambitions, leading to a smaller presence in traditionally male-dominated fields. This self-doubt can hinder their pursuit of fulfilling careers and limit their potential for success.

It is crucial to address these issues and foster an environment that empowers girls to believe in themselves. By promoting self-acceptance, resilience, and a growth mindset, we can help girls develop the confidence they need to thrive and reach their full potential.

Click on the link below for the first-ever, large-scale national 2023 survey designed to develop a deeper understanding of the thoughts, experiences, behaviors and attitudes of teen girls throughout the U.S:

The 2023 Girls’ Index Executive Overview

The 2023 Girls’ Index™

Keller continues to be recognized as a No Place For Hate School 2023-24 by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League). One criteria to meet this is to have student-led activities that empower our students to use their voice and create a culture of inclusion.

One of the many student-led initiatives has been our Student Council's SGS Club (Students Guiding Students) during lunch recess. This is an opportunity for our older students to help our younger students to problem solve on the playground, a place to report bullying or help someone who needs a friend to play with.

Up next for us is our Student Council will be developing and teaching one of our future Husky Packs which will include the No Place For Hate Pledge below.

The lane closest to the sidewalk is a drop-off lane. This is for drop-off ONLY. There is no parking, stopping, standing, or idling at any time.

Please find a parking spot when picking up your student.

When parked in the drop-off lane, it blocks the view, exits, and flow of 450+ students leaving the building. Thank you for keeping our lot safe for pedestrians!

Please refer to Keeping up with Keller newsletters and to the Keller handbook on the district website: https://keller.royaloakschools.org/

Please do not park or stand in the small entrance leading onto the playground (see picture below). This entrance is for emergency vehicles and ROS maintenance vehicles ONLY. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

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

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