As we gear up for the first 5 day week we are excited to keep our positive momentum continuing! We want to welcome our PEEP students for their first day tomorrow, September 9th. Our PEEP teachers are ready to welcome these students with open arms!

We are also so excited to see everyone at our Open House this Thursday from 5:00-6:30! More information below.

Here's to another amazing week!

-Principal Jessica Rosecrans

rosecransje@kalamazoopublicschools.net

(269) 337-0720

Arrival:

Our students have been doing amazing at learning where they have to go in the morning! They are showing what role models they are at doing this independently and following our school PURRS expectations- Parkwood Upjohn is Respectful, Responsible, and Safe. Parents we need your help with the safe part. Please help keep our students safe by letting them walk independently to class. With everything going on in the world, it helps all of our parents and students feel secure not to have unexpected adults in our building, even if it's just for a minute or two. If you feel it might be a morning you and your child need a longer goodbye, check in through the office. We can help make a plan to support your child's transition to school. Thank you and I appreciate your understanding and support in this area!

Dismissal and Limiting Disruptions:

As we get into our back to school routine, everyone is working so hard to help our dismissal run smoothly. Be mindful not to block driveways or intersections in our neighborhood. Not only is this illegal, it can be really upsetting to those who live near by. We are such a great community and neighborhood school. We want to model good citizenship values for our students. Thank you so much for your support with this over the first two weeks!

We still need help limiting disruptions during class instruction time and dismissal time. This really affects students' academic achievement and the success of our classrooms. Ways you can help support our office staff, classroom teachers, and students' learning, is by limiting the frequency that we pull students out of class to visit with parents in the office. As well as limiting picking students up from the office between 3:20-3:50. We ask that if you are picking up your child early you arrive before 3:20. If you are picking up after 3:20 we ask that you do not come in the office, but rather meet your child at their designated dismissal location. Feel free to reach out to your child's teacher if you have specific dismissal questions.

At Parkwood Upjohn, we have high expectations for all students and staff. We believe in creating a safe and respectful environment where everyone can thrive. To ensure this, we have established the PURRS framework, which stands for Parkwood Upjohn is Respectful, Responsible, and Safe. We encourage all members of our community to embody these values in their daily interactions.

To support students in meeting these expectations, all schools have electronic referral systems. When a student breaks an expectation or demonstrates behavior that is not aligned with our code of conduct, a referral is written by the staff member for documentation purposes. These referrals have always gone to the principal and behavior specialist, who then can help address the situation. Our new online referral system also includes an option to create a letter that can be emailed to the guardian.

At Parkwood, we believe in the importance of strong home-school communication and collaboration. In the event that your child receives a referral, we want to assure you that it is not meant to be punitive, but rather an opportunity for us to work together to address any concerns and support your child's growth. Our teachers and staff are committed to reaching out to you directly, either through a phone call or a direct message, to discuss any incidents that may arise. Sometimes they might choose to send a referral letter if needed.

We appreciate your ongoing support and partnership in creating a positive and nurturing learning environment for all students at Parkwood Upjohn. If you have any further questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Our amazing librarian, Mrs. Yerdan, needs some support! Did you know she works as a librarian for three of our KPS schools? This makes it a very short timeframe to get all the books reshelved. If anyone is available to help volunteer to work with her to return books to the shelves for students to check out again, it would be much appreciated! Please email her at yerden-fergusondk@kalamazoopublicschools.net if you might be able to help in this area!

We will hold our annual Panther Prowl on Oct 4th to allow more time to raise funds for our school. More info to come soon but we will definitely love to have parent volunteers to help make this an amazing event for our students!

Hello! My name is Tianna Smith and I am a Clinical Mental Health Therapist here at KPS. I’m thrilled to dive into the vibrant world of elementary schools, where every day is an adventure! I can’t wait to explore, connect, and support the amazing kids as they grow and learn. Together, we’ll tackle big feelings, celebrate small victories, and make each school day a little brighter. Here’s to building confidence, fostering resilience, and having a lot of fun along the way!

Sept. 9th- First Day for PEEP students

Sept. 12th Open House 5:00-6:30

Sept 16th First Grade Field Trip to Kalamazoo Library 9:30-11:00

Sept 19th & Sept 20th- Picture Day More Info Soon

Oct. 4th- K-8 Half Day Dismissal 12:06 Panther Prowl in the morning!

Oct. 10th- K-8 Half Day Dismissal 12:06

Oct 11th- K-5 Half Day Dismissal 12:06

Oct. 21st- K-12 Half Day Dismissal 12:06

Picture Day is September 19th and 20th. This year we are doing two half days instead of one long day of pictures. We are hoping that helps students stay fresh for pictures, if they can all get them done in the morning half, and it gives an additional day for pictures of students who might be absent on the 19th. I will work on creating the schedule for which classes go on which day this week and update everyone as soon as it's created.

Conferences will be Monday Oct. 7th 4:00-8:00, Wednesday Oct. 9th 4:00-8:00 and Oct. 10th 12:00-4:00.

More information coming soon on both of these topics!