Cardinal Connections

I hope you fully enjoyed the holiday break with the ones that you love. It went by really fast, and it is truly hard to believe that we have officially arrived to the midpoint of the school year. Before the break we had a lot of fun as a school. Students enjoyed spirit days, holiday parties, concerts, and activities. We even had a staff vs. student game, which of course the staff crushed it. All is well, though, everyone had a great time!

As we return to routine and normalcy, we will focus on reacclimating and consistency. If your child participated in the holiday reading challenge, please be sure to bring the bookmark back by Monday to receive the prize.

Monday also marks the beginning of mid-year benchmark testing in both reading and math. Students will be tested in both subjects to determine their growth so far and to help us to make educational decisions for the second half of the school year. In reading, students will be testing in both foundational skills and comprehension. The test varies by grade level, and this information will be used to adjust groups and determine the focus. We look at a lot of this data on a weekly basis, but the benchmark score will give us a new baseline that we will communicate to you once the window for testing closes. In math, students will be tested on computational fluency as well as problem solving and application. This test also varies by grade level. All information will go home when the reports are made available from the district.

One of the major initiatives of the district have been to focus on teaching students to read using methodologies and practices that are rooted in the science of how the brain actually learns to read. Learning to read is not something that the brain is wired to do, which inherently means that in order to teach a child to read, the brain needs to be rewired over time. With consistency, repetition, a unified scope and sequence, in combination with a viable curriculum, we have truly made huge strides. Much of what the district has adopted over the course of the last few years is now being mandated by the state. It is a wonderful thing to be ahead of the curve. Linked is an article from the State of MIchigan's website referencing the changes that the entire state is required to make by the 2027-28 school year. A snapshot of the requirements is also shown below, all of which Chippewa Valley Schools has already been putting into practice. One of the last major shifts is that we are in the process of piloting a new reading curricular tool set to be adopted next school year. Clinton Valley's pilot teachers are in kindergarten and third grades. At the end of the year, pilot teachers throughout the district will then vote on the curriculum that best meets the needs of our students, so that all teachers can be trained on it prior to the start of the following school year.

Another initiative that Clinton Valley's leadership team is working on is to streamline a process for bridging academics from school to home. The goal is to be able to provide you, as parents, tools to support your child at home. It is not to add a bunch of "homework" and time to your plates, but to give useful tools to support the learning process throughout the year. More will come with this in the coming months.

We have a lot of great things going on this month. Be sure to check out the calendar below. We have our annual PEN Night for families of students from K-3rd grade on the 14th at 5:30 PM. A flyer went home and is also linked below. Please be sure to RSVP for dinner because space is limited! We also have a book drive beginning tomorrow (also see below) and a PTO meeting on the 22nd at 7 PM. We hope to see you there! Thank you so much for partnering with us. We TRULY love your children and look forward to having the opportunity to help them learn and grow each day. If you ever have any questions or would like to chat, please do not hesitate to reach out!

With Joy,

Kristin Doyle

kdoyle@cvs.k12.mi.us

586-723-5200

Students were recognized for being team players and working well with others.

Caleb Percainoff

Olivia Kukla

Aubreyanna Demgen

Aaliyah Taylor

Savastian Summers

Joshua Bird

Mickey Penick

Justin Bays

Hannah Williams

Deonte' Trice

Lilu Gunther

Faith Davis

Bryce Hana

Hayden Kennedy

Fredrick James-Leach

Savannah Summers

Jayceon Brown

Eli Powers

Kali Barnes

Josie Kinder

Penelope Lynn

Ciana Bryant

Payton Sorlien

Aubrey McDuffy

Aryanna Demgen

This year, CVE will have many different platforms to keep you connected! We will use our Facebook pages more frequently, as well as newsletters, and School Messenger to fan out important dates and reminders.

Additionally, Mrs. Doyle and a team of students will be sending weekly updates in a video format so that information is easily accessible for those with a busy schedule! The videos will be housed in our school's YouTube page. Stay tuned!

We will also be using Class Dojo at the classroom level instead of PBIS Rewards app. Our school is still a PBIS school, but we have chosen a different company to use for messaging and updates from the classroom. Please download the Class Dojo app so that you are ready to connect at Sneak Peek.

Below is general information pertaining to the 2024-2025 school year

Please click on the button above to access the arrival and dismissal documents. Please be patient, drive cautiously, and understand that it will get smoother with time. The first couple of weeks are somewhat challenging until everyone figures it out. The bell rings at 8:50 a.m. All students are allowed in at this time.

For safety and security reasons, no adults are allowed into the building during arrival or dismissal. PLEASE park and walk your child to their designated door if you are dropping off. Do not leave your child unattended prior to the bell ringing, as there are no staff at this time for supervision. If you must speak to someone, please come to the front door and our secretaries will buzz you inside. Thank you for your cooperation, safety is our top priority.

The front of the school is for bus drop off only from 8:50-8:55 a.m. If your child is late, you may use the main entrance to come into the building and sign your child in. The side lots by the gym are there for parent drop off of our oldest 4th, 5th, and 2nd graders. The lot by the church off of Prevost is for those who drop off ECSE, kindergarten, first, and third grades along with their older siblings. PLEASE do not use the bus loop for any reason, at any time. Park in the lot across the street, or behind the baseball fields and walk your child up to the school. You may also park along the street, but you MUST drive slowly, cautiously, and be patient. Accompany your child up to the school and look both ways while you cross. Do not leave your child to wait unattended. There is no adult supervision until the arrival bell at 8:50.

Parent portal houses all important forms and information that needs to be updated to ensure that you stay connected to school. Your child's report card will no longer be sent home but will be visible in Parent Portal. Directions to accessing this portal are below.

We welcome parent volunteers, but times to come to a classroom must be pre-arranged with the classroom teacher. If you wish to volunteer at Clinton Valley, be sure to complete a background check. This form must be completed each year. To obtain this form, call the front office and they will send you a link to an electronic document and you should be good to go!

Chippewa Valley Schools has developed an Attendance Policy that all buildings must follow:

· Students who arrive at school after 9:00 AM will be marked tardy.

· Students who arrive 90 minutes after the start time will be marked absent for 1/2 day.

· Students who leave school 90 minutes prior to dismissal will be marked absent for 1/2 day.

· Students who leave prior to dismissal (3:39) will be marked as leave early.

Any student who is absent for 10 school days will receive a letter. A doctor’s note is required between the 10th and 15th absence. If no doctor’s note is provided after the 15th absence, the county truancy officer will be contacted.

As a general rule of thumb, if your child sees a doctor (dentist, orthodontist, or other medical professional) please request a doctor's note and submit that to the office, even before your child reaches 10 absences.

If you are struggling with something that is making it difficult to get your child to school, please give us a call and we can work to support you.

If your child was sick and you obtained a doctor's note, it must be turned into the office within 48 hours of the student's return. Thank you!

Starting our school day with routine is crucial in setting the tone for a structured learning environment. Teachers are expected to greet students and welcome them as they enter the classroom. Teachers will assist students in getting backpacks and materials where they belong in the classroom. This is not the time for teachers to have conversations with parents. Please help us allow the teachers and students to begin each day the best way possible by not walking your child to the classroom. If you need to speak to your child’s teacher, please call, email, or message them to set up an appointment. Staff is available daily to help students find their way to class. Even on the first day of school, we ask that you do not walk to class with your child. Starting the first day the way we begin every day will set up the appropriate expectations for our students and prevent disappointment later.

Thank you for your help and cooperation.

Please see the website for information on School Aged Child Care. Ms. Erika, our director, is also available to assist you in signing your child up for care. There is a $25 registration fee to sign up.

Clinton Valley's PTO is a parent group, and we need YOU! PTO helps our school fundraise so that we are able to hold many fun-filled events for the students and their families throughout the school year. As a member of our PTO, you can help be part of the decision-making process to plan events, what fundraisers to do, and more. It’s a great way to meet other parents and network with one another.

Meetings will be held at 6:30 pm in Clinton Valley's cafeteria. Please consider coming to the meeting so that we can continue to have fun experiences for your family here at school.

Thank you!

This year, lunch and breakfast will be free for all students! In order to minimize waste, we will still require students to preorder their lunches the day before. Your child's teacher will take lunch count, which will be reported to food service so that they can prepare and deliver the correct number of meals. Please look for further direction from your child's teacher on how students will communicate their orders. Some will communicate by mouth, but smaller children may have a calendar for you to fill out.

Breakfast begins on the FIRST day of school!

Even though meals are free, it is imperative that you fill out the application. The more applications that are filled out, the more money our school receives from the government to educate your children. This application is part of what determines the funding for things like intervention programs for struggling students, computers, books, tutoring programs and much more. PLEASE take a few minutes to fill it out. It truly makes a difference. There is a QR code and a link in case you cannot use the QR code on your phone.

Email: kdoyle@cvs.k12.mi.us
Phone: 586-723-5200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=clinton%20valley%20elementary%20school