Principal's Post

The Berkley School District and the Berkley Area PTA have collaborated for many years to sponsor our Caring and Sharing program to support our families throughout the district during the holiday season. There are many opportunities to get involved. Specifically, all of our students have an opportunity to participate in special days to help raise funds, as well. However, please know that ALL students are welcome to participation with or without a $1 donation. Here are the remaining themed collection days.

• November 22: School Spirit Day - Wear class colors (fun run shirts) or Angell spirit wear.
• December 6: MVP Day - Wear - Dress Up Like Your Most Valuable Person
  

As parents and community members you can get involved by making online donations or referring a family in need that lives in our community. All the information you need to make this happen can be found below in the Caring & Sharing section of the Principal's Post.

This year the Berkley Area PTSA has a new way to get involved. Here is a Special Invitation from our Berkley Area PTA . . .

Take care,

Vince Gigliotti

Angell Principal

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

• Caring and Sharing Information
• Glow Lunch
• Respect Circle Honorees
• Angell Network News
• Counselor's Corner
• PTA Information
• Angell Family Turkey Trot
• Spirit Wear Sale
• Class Funds
• PTA Membership Link
• Holiday Shop Coming Soon
• Camp Invention
• Varsity Tutors
• Upcoming Events
• Volunteer Release Form
• Nuts and Bolts
• Music Concert Schedule

Sincerely,

Mr. Gigliotti

Angell Principal

Our community exceeded its overall Fun Run goal. As a result our students will get to enjoy a special Glow Lunch on Monday, November 25th.

It was our pleasure to join you in the Art Room for the November PTA meeting and have linked our presentation here. This month our focus was on attention and feedback. In a time when our lives are so busy it may come as no surprise to hear that multitasking is a myth. Our brains are capable of one or two thoughts at a time, so when there is a lot of distraction or we try to do too many things at once our brains need to switch back and forth. With each switch you must remember what you were doing and what you thought about it, making it nearly impossible to keep everything straight. As adults we have tools, we make lists, we stick to routines, and our children are learning those strategies also. Better yet, let’s work to stick to one thing at a time and progress through the list, prioritizing the tasks or activities that are most important.

Our brains are complex with each part responsible for a different function. The limbic system is our emotion center, completely separate from the thinking and reasoning that happens in the cortex. As powerful as they are, our brains struggle to tell the difference between a real and perceived threat, and when we get the signal, the cortex shuts down and we lose emotional regulation. Dr. Dan Siegel uses a hand model to illustrate this far better than I can. The thing to remember is that when our children’s emotions run high they are not capable of higher level processing or problem solving. This is the reason it’s more effective to validate and wait until they are regulated before attempting any deeper conversations.

We spent some time talking about positive attention. It’s helpful to remember that children will do more of whatever gets attention, positive or negative. The Child Mind Institute wrote a great article explaining more of how it works if you have a moment and would like to read or hear more.

Finally we’d like to draw your attention to Varsity Tutors, a new resource offered by Berkley Schools. All your students (K-12) can access their own account through Clever, our single sign-on platform. Varsity Tutors offers a wide variety of academic and even extracurricular lessons offered free of charge to our students. We invite you to explore this resource with your child and invite your feedback.

Week of November 18th, 2024

Upcoming Events!

PTA Meeting

Our next PTA meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 3rd at 7:00pm in the Angell Media Center. All are welcome!

Holiday Gift Shop: Coming soon! Angell PTA will host its annual Holiday Shop the week of December 9th - 13th. See the graphics below for more information. Schedules and more detailed information will be shared as the date approaches.

PTA Sponsored Events

See the fliers below about Restaurant Night, Angell Turkey Trot, Class Funds and Spirit Wear.

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

Our next Restaurant night will be Tuesday, November 19th, from 11:00 am - 8:00 pm at Little Lou’s Hot Chicken in Berkley.

15% of sales (dine in, catering, carry out) will be donated back to the PTA. Please mention Angell PTA when ordering. Third party ordering services such as Door Dash are not included.

What is Camp Invention?

A STEM summer camp where kids build creative inventions. Led by certified local educators, Camp Invention offers new and exciting hands-on activities every year for kids entering grades K-6.

2025 Program: Discover

This year’s brand-new program will illuminate imaginations, inspire curiosity and help kids build essential STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills through collaboration and problem solving. Campers explore hands-on challenges and open-ended adventures designed to unlock creativity and help them shine their brightest!

Secure Your Spot Today

• Register online or call 800-968-4332
• Grades: K - 6th
• Location: Norup International School
• 14450 Manhattan Street, Oak Park, MI 48237
• Date: June 23 - 27, 2025
• Time & Cost: 9 am - 3:30 pm | $275 (before discount)
• Camp Director: Kimberly Ternus | kimberly.ternus@berkleyschools.org | (248) 837-8655
  
  

Current Offer: $35 off with code GIFT35 if you sign up by 12/31.

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, November 18

Pledge Leaders: Cozart

Tuesday, November 19

Pledge Leaders: Cozart

5:00pm: Berkley District PTA Caring and Sharing Mixer at Dog and Pony Brewing

6:00pm: 5th Grade Parent Camp Meeting at BHS Collaborative Center

Wednesday, November 20

Pledge Leaders: Cozart

Thursday, November 21

Pledge Leaders: Cozart

8:15 am: Family Circle

Friday, November 22

Pledge Leaders: Cozart

Caring and Sharing Wear Your Class Colors or Spirit Wear - $1 Collection

____________________________________________

Monday, November 25

Pledge Leaders: Zimcosky

Tuesday, November 26

Pledge Leaders: Zimcosky

Wednesday, November 27

Thanksgiving Holiday

Thursday, November 28

Thanksgiving Holiday

Friday, November 29

Thanksgiving Holiday

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:

• 2nd Grade - February 27, 2025 at 6:00 P.M. @ Angell
• 3rd Grade - February 27, 2025 at 6:45 P.M. @ Angell
• 4th Grade - February 27, 2025 at 7:30 P.M. @ Angell
• 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. @ AMS (with Pattengill, Rogers, & AMS)

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