The Tiger Times

Hello Mohawk Families!

Welcome to the 2024-25 school year! I hope you had a wonderful summer. I also hope you are relaxed, recharged and ready to start a new school year. I am so delighted that you are part of our amazing learning community. I welcome and value your positive energy and dedication to excellence in education, and I look forward to working with you and your children.

All signs point to an incredible and productive school year. Our devoted staff has been planning and preparing for your child(ren). Our hard working and conscientious custodians have spent the entire summer thoroughly cleaning the building, and PTO is gearing up to provide volunteer opportunities and offer other exciting events and programs. We are indeed a caring community with the common goals of nurturing responsible, caring students and promoting high-level learning.

A great deal of time, effort and thought has gone into the process of student placement for the 2024-25 school year. Careful consideration was given from staff and families as well as student learning styles. Classrooms have been balanced academically and socially. Our class lists are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each grade level. Moving students causes imbalances and inequities.

Thank you so much for being positive with your child and helping him or her understand that it is impossible to place all students with a preferred best friend or teacher. Our staff works hard to make school a positive experience for ALL students. Mohawk Elementary is eagerly looking forward to enriching your child’s life. Thank you for understanding that it can take a few weeks for a child to acclimate to a new grade, peer group and teacher.

Thank you to all who are helping prepare for the new school year. Your commitment to ensuring that Mohawk remains a celebrated and successful school is awe-inspiring. I eagerly look forward to greeting students and families again. It remains an honor and privilege to serve as your principal. Please stop by and say hello. Together, I know we will make this school year one of growth and achievement for all children.

Educationally Yours,

Ms. Andrea Verellen

Tuesday, August 27th

Sneak Peek 5:00-7:30pm

Classroom Presentations

• Session #1 5:45-6:30pm
• Session #2 6:45-7:30pm

Tuesday, September 3rd

First Day of School 11:50am Dismissal

Tuesday, September 17th

1st PTO Meeting 6:30pm-Media Center

Wednesday, September 18th

PTO Scoop & Twist 4-9pm

Wednesday, September 25th

Fall Picture Day (Retake Day is 11/3)

Thursday, September 26th

PTO Restaurant Night-Red Robin

Class assignments will be available in Parent Portal on Tuesday, August 27th at 12:00pm. You can also get your assignment the night of Sneak Peek, Tuesday, August 27th from 5-7:30pm

You meet your teacher and see your classroom. Then parents can attend one of the two sessions to learn about the curriculum and procedures.

Session #1-5:45-6:30pm

Session #2-6:45-7:30pm

PTO has arranged for an ice cream truck to be available for you to purchase items and will also be selling t-shirts. Stop by their table to get more information about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities!

Feel free to bring your child's school supplies that evening. The supply list is located on our website.

https://www.chippewavalleyschools.org/downloads/mohawk/24-25_supply_list.pdf

School hours are 8:55am-3:39pm on full days and 8:55am-11:50am on half days.

The procedures are the same as last year, see below. It is important that ALL parents and visitors adhere to them. We are ALL responsible for our students' safety.

Student Arrival

Morning music will begin at 8:50am and students will begin entering the building. The school day officially begins at 8:55am. Students arriving after 8:55am will be marked tardy and must be signed in at the office by a parent.

Students dropped off before 8:50am are NOT supervised and must wait outside the building.

Service squad and safeties should not be arriving before 8:45am and will enter through the main doors

Kindergarteners will line up at their classroom's outside door

1st-5th Graders will use the front doors for arrival and dismissal

Parents and guardians are NOT permitted to walk their child(ren) through the building or to class. A staff member is always available to help them get to class if needed.

Early dismissals must occur before 3:30pm or wait until students are dismissed.

Dismissal-Full Days

• 3:37pm SACC Dismissed
• 3:38pm K, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Grade Parent Pick-Up
• 3:39pm 4th & 5th Grade Parent Pick-Up
• 3:40pm Bus students are dismissed

Half Days

• 11:48am SACC Dismissed
• 11:49am K, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Grade Parent Pick-Up
• 11:50am 4th & 5th Grade Parent Pick-Up
• 11:51am Bus students are dismissed

ALL visitors, including parents/guardians must come to the window and push a button before entry. All guests will need to show ID and state the reason for their visit before being permitted to enter the building. Entry is only permitted through the office doors.

ALL visitors and volunteers must sign in and wear a Visitor Badge. Any non-staff member in the building must be here for a specific reason such as volunteer work, PTO, or another approved purpose.

ALL volunteers, must have a criminal record check on file before working with students, attending field trips or parties.

Criminal Record Checks (CRC) MUST be done every year. Parents participating in events during school hours need a CRC. When there is an event, teachers will send a list to the office and then you will be sent a link to complete. Do NOT call the office to see if your check has been cleared. It takes approximately 2 weeks for a record check to come back.

Make sure to sign up for Parent Portal. You will need to have an account to access your child's report cards, sign documents and update contact information. You can also sign up for School Messenger! (see directions below) It is best to use a computer when logging in for the first time. Then, download the app to your phone.

Parent Portal Access ID & Password will be given out at Sneak Peek.

https://ps.cvs.misd.net/public/

Picture Day is Wednesday, September 25th. Order forms will be sent home. If you want to order pictures, you will need to return the the form with payment on picture day.

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Please take a moment to login to the Family Portal and complete the Education Benefits Form (EBF) at @chippewavalley.familyportal.cloud under “Apply for Benefits”. The Education Benefits Form collects information needed to ensure the school receives state and federal funding for education programs. Without this information, Chippewa Valley Schools could lose important funding for education programs that our students need. These supplemental grants and programs have the potential to offer supports and services for our students including, but not limited to:

∙ Instructional staff (ex. Reading Interventionists, Math Tutors, Behavior Aids)

∙ Teaching supplies and materials

∙ Counselors and Social Workers

∙ School Nurses

∙ Professional Learning for staff

∙ Parent and Community engagement supplies and activities

∙ Technology

Why is Chippewa Valley requesting financial information? The Education Benefits Form determines eligibility of a student or household. The total count of eligible students is used to determine the funding amounts that will be made available to a school. The more forms returned the better.

What do I need to do? Please login to the Family Portal and apply for benefits on the Family Portal @ chippewavalley.familyportal.cloud.

How will this information be protected? All documents are kept confidential and stored in a secure place.

What else might my student or household be eligible for? Based on the information you provide on your Education Benefits Form, your child may also qualify for other programs such as:

∙ Pay to play or Pay to Participate

∙ Programs that provide holiday support

∙ Free/low-cost AP testing fees

∙ Potential household support for cable and internet

You must complete the Sharing Information with Other Programs form, to grant permission for your eligibility information to be shared.

If you have any questions, please contact Food & Nutrition Services at 586-723-2110.

Sincerely,

Chippewa Valley Food & Nutrition Services

Free lunch includes one serving per child. If your child wants a second slice of pizza or doubles for any meal, they will be charged. Please be sure to put money on your child's card if this is the case.

The link below allows parents to see what stop is associated with their address for each school. It will let you know if you are in a specific school boundary and if you are in a busing zone or walk zone.

StopFinder allows parents to track their child's bus, get updated stop times, and notifications on delays. Parents can create GeoAlerts which will notify you when the bus has entered a specific zone. Transportation will send you an email invite to sign up.

SACC is available before school at 6:45am-8:55am and after school (3:39pm) until 6:00pm. Please contact our SACC office for any questions you might have 586-723-6233 You must be signed up for SACC to use the service. Register online at https://www.chippewavalleyschools.org/for-parents/sacc/

President: Ashleigh Balsamo

Vice President: Jill Talant

Treasurer: Mariel Allor

Secretary: Stephanie Burkart

Room Parent Coordinator K-2: Nicole Rowley

Room Parent Coordinator 3-5: Amber Clark

Social Committee Chairs: Traci Bowan & Ashley Fruciano

Historian: Julie Hasse

Contact

mohawkpto@cvs.k12.mi.us

PTO Website

https://mohawkpto.weebly.com/

PTO Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/mohawkpto

Join us for our first PTO meeting of the year. We will meet at 6:30pm for this first meeting because we review the budget for the year. ALL parents are welcome! You can also find PTO information on the website https://mohawkpto.weebly.com/ or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mohawkpto

Meetings will take place in the media center. Childcare will be provided.

Tuesday, September 17th-6:30pm (includes review of budget)

Monday, October 14th-4:00pm

Tuesday, November 12th-7:00pm

Monday, January 13th-4:00pm

Tuesday, February 11th-7:00pm

Monday, March 17th-4:00pm

Tuesday, April 15th-7:00pm

Monday, May 12th-4:00pm

Website: https://www.chippewavalleyschools.org/schools/elementary-schools/mohawk/
Location: 48101 Romeo Plank Road, Macomb, MI, USA
Phone: 586-723-6200