Principal's Post

This week's post begins with a special message an invitation from the Berkley Education Foundation.

You’re Invited to the Berkley Education Foundation’s Off to the Races.

Please join us at the Berkley Education Foundation’s Off to the Races fundraiser on March 8, 2025 at 7 pm at The Kingsley Hotel in Bloomfield Hills. The Berkley Education Foundation (BEF) is a non-profit organization that raises funds to support all students in the Berkley Schools. Their purpose is to maintain and enhance educational opportunities and programs for Berkley Schools students. Every dollar the BEF raises during Off to the Races supports teacher innovation-grants, free enrichment programs, student scholarships and the 8th grade college tour program.

How has the BEF impacted Angell?

Enrichment Courses: The BEF has supported Angell students who have enrolled in 23 free enrichment courses since 2018, including: Pitch Perfect, Coding, STEAM, Cubinga, Entrepreneurs, Taste of History and Fueling up our Futures.

Teacher Innovation-Grants: The BEF has funded 73 Angell teacher innovation-grants since 2017, including: STEM stations, a chick incubator, broadcast tools, LEGO animation, trip to DNR Detroit, classroom tree house, executive functioning strategies, Mystery Science program, fine motor development for Kindergarten, OSMO explorer kit, keyboarding with pop-its, steel drums, math toolkits, two iPads and social emotional learning tools.

Off to the Races Details

• Saturday, March 8, 2025

• 7-10:30 pm

• The Kingsley Hotel, A DoubleTree Hotel, Bloomfield Hills

• $60/ticket

• The event includes simulated horse racing, owning & naming horses, a silent auction (powered by mobile bidding), a vacation give-away, and most importantly, funding the #BerkleyDifference.

• It is a fun event and I hope to see you there. You can learn more and buy tickets on the Off to the Races website.

• Come cheer on our Angell PTA horse
  
  

If you can’t make it, consider buying and naming a horse to run in the races for $30. Horses can be purchased on the Buy Tickets page of the Off to the Races website.

Monday kickoffs Reading Month activities at Angell. We will celebrate our PAWS to Read theme throughout the month. Our first event is a school wide play called PAWS to Read Adventure produced and performed by our staff. This event will be on Monday, March 3rd at 8:30 am. Below are the other activities planned during the month to highlight our theme.

• Author Assembly, A. KIdd - Tuesday, March 11th Time (wil be in the PM)

• Battle of the Books - Thursday, March 13th 8:30am

• Skate Night - Thursday March 13th 6:15-8:15

• Book Swap - Friday, March 14th, 8:15am

• Book Fair - week of March 17th, Family shopping Wednesday 3:15-8 and Thursday 3:15-8

• Family Guy Louis Event - March 19 6:30-7:30

• PJ Day -Thursday, March 20th

• Book Bingo Due - Monday, March 31st

• We will have Motivational Monday - wear shirts with words

• Tiger Tuesday - Wear Detroit Tigers gear or colors
  

Volunteers Needed!

We’re looking for approved volunteers to help make March is Reading Month a fantastic experience for our students! Whether you’d like to help with the book fair or be part of the "Prize Patrol" we’d love to have you join us. If you’re an approved volunteer and interested in signing up, please visit this link. Thank you for supporting our young readers!

Finally, we wish our 5th grade staff and students the best of luck as they travel to YMCA Storer Camps for their annual 5th grade camp experience. Our students will leave on Wednesday, March 5th at 8:30 am and return back to Angell on Friday between 2:00 and 2:30 pm. This outdoor education experience compliments our science and social studies curriculum and provides our students an amazing learning experience for all the 5th grade students across the district. An event like this does not happen without a lot of cooperation between the schools. A special thank you to our Berkley High School students for volunteering as counselors. Camp is a long standing tradition in the Berkley School District. We are pleased and excited to offer this learning opportunity to our students. Wish us luck.

Take care and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Sincerely,

Vince Gigliotti

Angell Principal

Also, included in this edition of the Principal’s Post . . . . . .

• Occupation Day
• A. Kidd, Author Visit
• Angell Network News
• PTA Restaurant Night
• Spirit Wear
• When to Exclude a Child from School
• Important Safety Reminders
• Battle of the Books Information
• Cold Weather Notice
• PTA Information
• Class Funds
• PTA Membership Link
• Camp Invention
• Varsity Tutors
• Upcoming Events
• Volunteer Release Form
• Nuts and Bolts
• Music Concert Schedule

The students and staff at Angell are excited to host our 3rd Annual Occupation Day. The goal of this event is for students to discover the many different career paths that are available in their future. It is also a great opportunity for family members to showcase the hard work and skills needed to be successful. We hope to display a range of different occupations. We will provide the students with "passports" so they can record their visits to the different destinations. This will help us facilitate discussions with students in the weeks following the event.

Presenters (family members) will create a tri-fold poster that features the different aspects of their occupation. Please see examples below. You are encouraged to create these with the whole family. On April 29th, you will set up your tri-fold on an assigned table and stand near it while students tour the gym asking questions and listening to information. It works much like a science fair, with the different occupations taking the place of the experiments. Feel free to bring props, tools, etc. that showcase your profession. Due to our zero food policy and severe allergies in the building we ask that you do not bring any food items to display or share.

If you would like us to provide the tri-fold, please indicate it below so we can send it home with your student. If you have any questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page or you can email Mrs. Chudler at kezziah.chudler@berkleyschools.org. Please ensure you have completed the volunteer paperwork . We look forward to another great event.

EVENT: OCCUPATION DAY at Angell!
DATE: Tuesday, April 29th
TIME: 1:00 - 3:00 (Setup at 12:30)
LOCATION: Angell Gym

DEADLINE TO SIGN UP: March 22nd

We are also excited to announce that our PTA has arranged for children's author, A. Kidd to visit with our students on March 11th. As part of the event families may pre-order books that the A. Kidd will pre-sign. She is offering two books, one geared towards TK-2 (Yasuko) and one towards 3-5 (Healing Star). Please print off the forms below and send in with payment to your student's teacher no later Tuesday, March 4th.

Our PTA has arranged to have a restaurant night sponsored by Oak Park Social. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 11th from 4:00pm to 9:00pm. Oak Park Social will give back 15% the sales during this time the to help fuind enrichment opportunities for our students.

2/24 - 3/2: 25% off all bags

Many illnesses do not require exclusion. However, children may be excluded if the illness prevents the child from participating comfortably in school activities or if there is risk of spread of harmful disease to others. Criteria include:

1. Severely ill: A child that is lethargic or less responsive, has difficulty breathing, or has a rapidly spreading rash.

2. Fever: A child with a temperature of 100.4°F or greater AND behavior changes or other signs or symptoms (e.g., sore throat, rash, vomiting, or diarrhea). The child should not return until 24 hours of no fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications.

3. Diarrhea: A child has two loose or watery stools. The child should have no loose stools for 24 hours prior to returning to school. Exception: A healthcare provider has determined it is not infectious. Diarrhea may be caused by antibiotics or new foods a child has eaten.

4. Vomiting: A child that has vomited two or more times. The child should have no vomiting episodes for 24 hours prior to returning.

5. Abdominal pain: A child with abdominal pain that continues for more than two hours or intermittent pain associated with fever or other symptoms.

6. Rash: The child with a rash AND has a fever or a change in behavior. Exclude until the rash subsides or until a healthcare provider has determined it is not infectious.

7. Skin sores: A child with draining sores on an exposed area that cannot be covered with waterproof dressing.

8. Certain communicable diseases: Students and staff diagnosed with certain communicable diseases (e.g strep throat, norovirus, influenza, hand foot mouth, pinkeye, etc. ) may have to be excluded for a certain period of time. Please call the office and report if your child has been diagnosed with a communicable disease.

9. Covid- We are still no longer contract tracing for covid and do not need to quarantine for 5 days. Everyone is able to return when they are "well," meaning fever free for 24 hours, without fever reducing medications. It is left up to the individual when they feel well. Also, masks are optional and not required per Oakland County Health Department.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Nurse Rose or the school office.

1. ROLLING THROUGH THE STOP SIGN NEAR CROSSING GUARDS: I have noticed that several drivers are not coming to a COMPLETE STOP at our designated crossing areas. This is not only unsafe but illegal. Please slow down, come to a complete stop and wait for our crossing guard to completely clear the traffic area before moving forward.
   
   
2. PARKING AND DROPPING OFF IN THE STAFF PARKING LOT: The staff parking lot located near the south end of the school between the school and the tennis courts is reserved for staff only. We have one family (due to a temporary medical issue) that has permission to use the lot for drop off and pick up. Without specific permission absolutely no other community members should enter the staff parking lot with their vehicle. For many this may seem convenient but for our students and staff this creates a very serious safety and access issue. I am directing anyone who is currently using our parking lot to wait for students or to get closer to drop off points to stop this practice immediately. If you have relatives helping with drop-off and pick-up please make sure you pass this information along.

Please be advised that I will work with public safety to encourage tickets for anyone who continues to create these safety issues. Your cooperation is both appreciated and expected moving forward.

Welcome to Angell's thirteenth annual Battle of the Books! The Battle of the Books is a reading challenge for all 4th and 5th grade students in which students are placed on a team, read from a selected list of books and then compete against other teams by answering questions about those books. The Battle encourages students to read various genres of books to enhance their reading. Families are encouraged to read with your students and to help prepare them for the Battle. The Battle is a reading challenge above and beyond the regular school work and curriculum. Because of this, both the parents and students are required to sign a permission slip. Information was sent home with students that included permission slips, book information and general expectations.

Feel free to reach out to Julie McKeeman, Media Specialist with any questions.

Julie McKeeman, julie.mckeeman@berkleyschools.org

Important Dates

Fifth BOTB lunch meeting - March 12th, ALL books need to be read by today.

BATTLE will be held at 8:30 am on Thursday, March 13th

As we enter into winter months we will experience some colder weather which will impact our students. We will invite students inside for an inside line-up no earlier than 7:45 am whenever the temperature is 9 degrees or less with the windchill. We have an organized system that allows students to line up in the hallways. However, if the weather is above 9 degrees (factoring in the windchill) we will have students wait outdoors each morning and go outside for recess each day. Please have your children dress appropriately for the weather in the event we do remain outside. Proper winter attire may include winter coats, gloves, hats, snow pants and boots. Although we have some extras in the office we do not have enough to outfit each child.

If you need any assistance with winter clothing please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly as we are fortunate to have anonymous donors who have provided funds and winter clothing to help our Angell families during the winter months.

Week of March 3, 2025

Upcoming Events!

PTA Meeting

Our next PTA meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4th at 7:00pm in the Angell Media Center. All are welcome!

PTA Sponsored Events

See the fliers below about Class Funds.

PTA Membership

Please consider joining. Get involved and help support our Angell Community.

Printable Membership Form: PTA Membership Form
Join the PTA online: https://angellpta.memberhub.com/store
Volunteer / Chair Opportunities: Angell PTA Committees

Angell Dad’s Club

Know any dads who want to get involved? They are absolutely welcome to join our PTA but we also have an Angell Dad's Club!
Meetings: 3rd Thursday of the month at 7pm at Dog and Pony Show Brewing
Facebook: Angell Dad's Club
Contact: Rob Herman

Email: rob.herman@outlook.com

Social Media
Follow us on our social media pages to get important information and updates!
Facebook: Angell PTA Facebook Page
Instagram: angellfishpta

*2024- 2025 Angell PTA Board*

Bridget Rock - PTA President
Nicole Feys and Erin Steinger - PTA Co -Vice Presidents
Kelsey Cole- PTA Secretary
Tara Samson - PTA Treasurer

Berkley Schools has partnered with Varsity Tutors for Schools, an online platform with access to free learning tools.

The Varsity Tutors Platform gives students more opportunities to learn at their own pace, to get support on subjects they might be struggling with, to explore subjects they are learning in class and to support their curiosities. The platform includes the following:

• 24/7 on-demand chat tutoring and on-demand essay review to help students with any questions about homework, classwork or test prep.

• Live group classes, recorded classes and celebrity-led StarCourses allow students to learn more about the subjects they’re interested in and add a touch of fun.

• Assessments and self study practice problems provide opportunities to drill skills towards mastery.

• College prep & admissions resources ensure that students have the best resources available.
  
  

How to Access Varsity Tutors

Sign into the Varsity Tutors platform through the student Clever portal. To learn how to log into Clever with your child’s Berkley Schools Google account, follow these directions.

Learn More & Get Started!

• Varsity Tutors Berkley Schools Launchpad

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Varsity Tutors video overview

Monday, March 3

Pledge Leaders: McVeigh

Reading Month Kickoff - Motivational Monday, wear shirts with motivational words

4th and 5th Grade Upstander Club

Tuesday, March 4

Pledge Leaders: McVeigh

Reading Month - Tigers Tuesday, wear your Tigers gear or orange and blue

PTA Meeting, 7:00pm

Wednesday, March 5

Pledge Leaders: McVeigh

Reading Month - wear your Reading Month Shirt past or present

5th Graders leave for Camp Storer

Thursday, March 6

Pledge Leaders: McVeigh

8:15 am: Respect Circle
5th Graders at Camp Storer

Friday, March 7

Pledge Leaders: McVeigh

5th Graders return from camp, 2:00pm

2:30 pm Guest Reader in Media Center - Representative Natalie Price

Parents are encouraged to volunteer in classrooms, chaperone field trips, and be a volunteer driver. In order to volunteer in the classroom or on school-sponsored functions, all parents or guardians must complete the Volunteer Release Form and be approved through the district process prior to any activities. Please allow up to 2 weeks for processing.

New this year - Volunteer forms will be completed online (see button below). There is an option to fill out the Chaperone Section within the online Volunteer form. Driver forms must be completed using the usual paper copy format. Remember to submit a copy of your current driver's license and proof of insurance with ALL Driver Forms even if you submitted your driver's license online.

Volunteer forms must be completed every year. If you were an approved volunteer last year, you still must complete the process again for the 2024-2025 school year.

By clicking on the Nuts and Bolts button below you will be able to access information about:

• Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
• Traffic Patterns
• Health Forms
• Food Free Policy
• Snack Ideas
• Daily Schedule Information
• Bell Times
• Specials Schedules
• Wednesdays Rotations
• Lunch Information
• Breakfast Information
• Spiritwear
• iCalendar Updates

We are fortunate to have two talented music educators leading our music program this year. Mrs. Kathy Manuel and Ms. Maiuri. Mrs. Manuel also teaches at Burton Elementary and Ms. Maiuri teaches at Rogers Elementary, as well. We have made some adjustments to our performance calendar this year so please disregard any published dates that may appear on the district calendar. Moving forward please reference the dates below:

• Kindergarten - May 8, 2025 at 6:00 P.M. @ Angell
• 1st Grade - May 8, 2025 at 6:45 P.M. @ Angell
• 5th Grade Choir - May 22, 205 at 7:00 P.M. @ Norup International School (with Pattengill, Rogers, & AMS) - THIS IS A NEW LOCATION

Please take note that all but the 5th grade concert will be in the Angell Gymnasium due to construction projects across the district. We look forward to seeing all of our families at the performances later in the year as we showcase our students' talents.

Email: vincenzo.gigliotti@berkleyschools.org
Website: https://www.berkleyschools.org/schools/angell/
Location: 3849 Beverly Boulevard, Berkley, MI, USA
Phone: (248) 837-8501
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Angell-Elementary-School/688122847952184
Twitter: @GigliottiVince