Stewart Family Star
October 11, 2024
Exciting stuff!
We are finishing our second week of LIT groups (Lakeshore Intervention Time). Stewart is an early adopter of the model that will be put into place in all LPS Elementary Schools later this year.
The purpose of LIT is to provide every student with targeted, explicit ELA instruction based on need. All students at each grade level participate at the same 30 minute time slot, four days a week, so that no child misses CORE instruction.(Kindergarten and First Grade LIT is held five days a week.) The skills focused on vary by group and grade level, but may include phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and writing. Curriculum used includes, but is not limited to UFLI, Phonics for Reading, Six Minute Solutions and Wonders. Students are challenged appropriately in each LIT group. Their progress is closely monitored and instruction and pacing are adjusted accordingly.
The staff at Stewart is excited about this model program and looks forward to sharing their learnings with the staff of the other two elementary schools. It is so exciting to watch ALL children grow with this model! With LIT, everyone WINS!
As always, thank you for sharing your little Lancers with us!
Carole Fetke, Principal
Mark your Calendars!
- Tuesday, October 15: 5th Grade Parent Meeting re: Band at 7:00 pm at LHS
- Friday, October 25 - 1/2 day
- Wednesday, October 30 - Stewart Trunk or Treat
POP SHOP
Pop Shop is up and running! Our new and revived Pop Store got a face life and a new name. It is now mobile down the hallways delivering the goodies to the kids.
Come see your kiddo. Help others learn to shop with their pop tickets. A fun, rewarding experience!
Sign up below
School Bus Policies
The Policy States:
Lakeshore Public Schools provides bus transportation for all eligible students. We only grant requests to ride another bus in EMERGENCY situations or to a licensed daycare. A parental note describing the type of emergency or daycare situation must be brought to the office in the morning for administration approval. Students must present a valid pass from the office to the bus driver in order to ride a bus that is not assigned to them or get off at a different stop.
Student's will NOT be allowed to ride a bus home to qo to a friend's house for afterschool activities.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
- Please do not drop your child off at school prior to 8:25 The doors open at 8:25 and we do not have supervision outside. Students need to remain in your vehicle until our adults outside give the signal that it is ok to let your children out. This includes walkers.
- In the morning we will have adults outside to assist and/or open doors to get your Lancer inside safely. Please remain in your vehicle to help our car line run smoothly. Please do not park and walk your child across the parking lot. If they are having a "moment" and you need assistance, please pull up to the curve and let an adult know so that we can support you.
- At dismissal you will pull through the car line and we will send your child(ren) to the correct cone.
TRANSPORTATION CHANGES/EARLY PICK-UP's
Please remember to notify the office by 2 p.m. of any transportation changes for your child. This allows us to have ample time to relay the information to their teacher.
If you need to pick up your child early from school, kindly do so before 2:30 p.m. This helps maintain safety in the pick-up line and avoids complications.
Thank you for your cooperation!
IMPORTANT Car Drop Off/Pick Up Information
It is our #1 goal to keep all of our children safe! Unfortunately, we have had a few scary moments for our staff in the car drop off/pick up lane in the past few weeks!
Pick adhere to the following guidelines so we can all work together and protect our children:
- ENTER the car rider drop off/pick up lane off of Maple Lane and veer right to loop around the back parking lot and enter the car rider drop off/pick up lane on Orchard Lane.
- After dropping off / picking up your child, EXIT the lane off of Orchard and onto Morton Lane (watch for our staff member here directing traffic to allow our buses to enter and exit safely).
- Keep your focus on the car lane and our staff who are directing traffic (please refrain from texting and/or look at your phone while you are in the drop off / pick up lane)
- Please do not go around any vehicles at the cones.
Officer Boone, our school resource officer, has watched our drop off/pick time on several occasions in the past few weeks and has complimented our families and staff on how smoothly it runs! Let's keep working together to keep our children safe!
SICK, ABSENT or LATE POLICY
SICK, ABSENT or LATE POLICY
Please remember that your child should be fever free (without medicine) and not vomiting for 24 hours before returning to school. Thank you for following this policy and keeping our Stewart Family healthy! If your child will be late or absent, please contact Mrs. McGovern in the office before 9:00 am by email at jmcgovern@lpslancer.net or call 269-428-1418 please include your child's teacher in the email. You may leave a voicemail at any time. Mrs. McGovern checks it multiples times during the day. It is required by the state to report the reason for an absence so please share the reason/symptom and/or type of illness if known.
Late students need to be signed in by an adult in the office.
Thank you!
Stewart Trunk or Treat
Volunteers Needed!
All volunteers that will spend time in the building beyond the office need a background check. Background checks were sent home during the first week of school. If you need one, please reach out to our office or you may locate one on our website at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfCagP-QMUV-G94YjTrdhxT7fU_v1jDZkCCUZ4l2h-OXYkKsg/viewform
All visitors/volunteers in the building will be pre-arranged through the teachers’ schedules. Please sign in at the office and get a visitor’s tag.
DELAYED YEARBOOK ORDERS
YEAR BOOK ORDERS
Thank you for being patient as we wait for our 2023-2024 yearbooks to arrive!
Update
There have been issues with printing the winning art clear enough as the cover. Stewart Staff is working eagerly with the company to get the best quality for our yearbooks which has brought on some unforeseen delays. We hope to have yearbooks in hand in the next few weeks and will update when they have shipped.
Again thank you so much for your patience it is greatly appreciated!
Donate TODAY!
Drop off any coats at STEWART ELEMENTARY School if you would like to donate to
OPERATION COATS!
"Each October, Women's Service League collects and distributes thousands of free coats to men, women, and children living in Berrien County. This event has helped thousands of people keep warm through the tough Michigan winters for over 20 years. Please consider donating clean, gently worn coats, hats, and mittens in any size to keep our neighbors warm this winter. A collection box is set up in the lobby for your student to drop items off. Women's Service League thanks you for your donations!"
COUNSELOR CORNER
Welcome back families! I wanted to take this opportunity to inform all of you of something we are continuing to implement at Stewart this year. As always the health and safety of our students is our top priority. Lakeshore Elementary Schools are using screening tools to help identify students in need of additional social and emotional support services. Each teacher will complete a rating scale for each student in their classroom. This tool allows the teachers to identify student social and emotional strengths and areas for growth. An additional tool will also be used with students in grades 3rd-5th. This will provide an opportunity for them to tell us about their feelings and behaviors, and to get connected with social and emotional support. If you would like more information about the screeners please let Mrs. Galloway, School Counselor know via email- dgalloway@lpslancer.net. I look forward to our continued partnership!! Let’s make this year full of PRIDE!
Lory’s Place Groups Starting Soon!
If you have a child who has experienced a significant death in their life and you would like for them to participate in the Lory’s Place peer support grief group, please contact Dayna Galloway. Also, if you would like more information regarding this community resource, please feel free to send an email asking for more information.
****DAILY SCHEDULE****
PTO Corner
Volunteers are needed to current AND new events happening at Stewart.
Pop Shop- every Wednesday 9-11:15am. A mobile shop that helps kids use their pop tickets as money!
Stewie’s Stepper- Every Tuesday and Thursday (shifts are flexible). Come see your kiddo at recess and watch the excited of the staff and students as they complete laps around our track.
Trunk or Treat- Sign up to decorate a trunk and pass out candy at Stewart elementary on 10/30 from 5:30-7pm. Teachers, parents and community members/business will be in attendance!
Veteran’s Day Lunch- An event we create our local Veterans and family/friends of Stewart Students who are Veterans. Help set up, tear down, or help during the lunch hour.
Use our Link Tree to find all of our sign up forms!
https://linktr.ee/stewartpto1
Galactic Gratitude! A huge THANK YOU to all the amazing parents, students, and staff who
joined us for Stewie's Galactic Fun Run! Your energy and enthusiasm made the event truly OUT
OF THIS WORLD!
Reminder: Our Get Movin FundHub fundraiser ends on October 13. We're still reaching for
the stars - our goal of $25,000 will help fund our 2024-2025 school year budget, supporting:
- Field trips - Stewie Steppers - STAR week - Staff luncheons - Stewie Neutron - Book vending
machine - Recess equipment and games - Fun Day - Field day - Teacher grants - Trunk or
Treat - Skate with Santa - Scholastic Book Fair - Family Movie night - Veteran's Day Lunch -
Classroom supplies - Student incentives - POP Shop - Holiday Market - Family breakfast.
Help us soar to new moons! Donate now: getmovinfundhub.com/66cdbcf60093e
When sending cash or check to the school with your child, please label a secure envelope with
their name and teacher’s name.
Thank you for your continued support!
-Heather Rogers, Stewart PTO fundraising
After School Activities
Is your 4th or 5th grader looking to develop essential life skills like patience, focus, and problem-solving in a fun and creative way? Our Knitting Club offers the perfect opportunity! Whether they’re beginners or experienced knitters, your child will enhance fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and confidence while crafting unique, handmade projects. Plus, it’s a great way to foster friendships and creative expression. Let’s weave together learning, creativity, and community - one stitch at a time!
Students in the Knitting Club will join Ms. Lane and Mrs. Miu every Thursday starting November 7th from 3:45-4:45pm in Stewart Room 12! All skill levels are welcome and encouraged to come, and it's completely free to join. Please email Ms. Lane and Mrs. Miu if your child is interested - we will send out important information and updates!
Kid's Night Out October 11th from 4-6:30
https://forms.gle/c8XAWwLoyLZmExwC6
Tutoring every Tuesday from 3:45-5pm.
https://forms.gle/eNFgjHFVJ4gpn9RF9
Canvas on Wednesdays from 3:45-5:15pm
KIDS NIGHT OUT at the YMCA
- Do you need a night out? Look no further! Each month, your child can have an exciting Saturday evening at the YMCA!
- We play in the gym and swim.
- Dinner and a snack are ALSO included.
- Bring a water bottle.
- Ages 5-12 welcome. Space is limited.
Keep collecting those pop-tabs!
Keep on Collecting those pop tabs! Let's support the Ronald McDonald House Charities! Drop off pop tops in the office to Mrs. McGovern.