Upton Update

Dear Families,

Thank you all for your support this school year! It was wonderful to work with you and your children to make this school year successful. I have been blessed to be part of a learning community that strives to make sure our students succeed academically and treat others with kindness and respect. We are very fortunate to have parents who are willing to work as partners in their children's education.

Enjoy your summer! For those of you that are returning to Upton, I look forward to seeing you in the fall. For those of you that will be leaving Upton, I wish you success and happiness as you enter a new school. Best of luck to our 5th graders! You will be missed.

Monday, June 10, there is a PTA Meeting scheduled for 7:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend!

Wednesday, June 12, is our last day of school. Students will be dismissed at 12:15 p.m.

Families are invited to attend the 5th grade awards ceremony on Wednesday, June 12 at 9:30 a.m. The ceremony will be held in the cafeteria, and we are asking families to limit the number of guests to 4 or less in order to ensure we will have enough space for everyone. During the ceremony, students will be celebrated for their achievements this past school year, and will reflect on their time in elementary school. We can't believe it's almost time for us to say goodbye and good luck as they move on to middle school! We're looking forward to celebrating with all of you!

Following the ceremony, we have planned a picnic for students to enjoy across the street at Upton Park. Families will not attend this event. Since this picnic is not on school grounds, a permission slip will be coming home. We will dismiss students from the 4/5 doors at 12:15 p.m.

Report Cards will be available to view through Parent Portal on Monday, June 17. If you are unsure how to view your child's report card, please contact the Main Office.

Please come to the school prior to the start of Summer Break and check our Lost and Found for your child's belongings. We have MANY items that belong to our students waiting to be claimed. All unclaimed items will be donated to charity after June 14.

Summer reading? Summer reading! Students might not be the most excited about summer reading, but teachers and parents are. Studies have shown that reading 20 minutes per day not only strengthens standardized testing scores but offers many more benefits. Students who read 20 minutes daily get exposed to over 1.8 BILLION words in a year. That helps with spelling, strengthens phonics skills, inference skills, and background knowledge for future reading/school work. Some studies show it can help the brain focus better, help calm or relieve stress, help with insomnia, and more. Here is an article about the benefits of reading daily and also some ways to help incorporate this expectation at home.

At ROMS, we want to maintain a reading culture. This includes stamina for independent reading and increasing speed and text difficulty. Just taking 20 minutes out of the day to read lessens the dreaded summer slide. Students can delve deeper into reading at school if they practice throughout the summer.

ROMS students are encouraged to read a minimum of THREE books over the summer. This includes ROMS students headed to ROHS. Incoming 6th-grade students have a tic-tac-toe sheet to fill out for different reading opportunities. Here is a slideshow with some resources and the expectations for each grade level.

Each student will be receiving a paper to keep track of summer reading (digital copies are in the slideshow). In the fall, students can turn this into their teachers. ROMS PTA is generously supporting our reading initiative with prizes for classroom drawings. Both at ROMS and ROHS, summer reading books will be used during the first few weeks of the year for writing and communication assignments.

Happy reading!

#ROMSRocks #ROMSReads

Incoming sixth-grade students will exchange their current ROY Chromebook during the first week of school. More information will be provided close to the start of the school year.

This summer, Royal Oak Schools is excited to announce the launch of the Summer EBT program. This new grocery benefits program provides $120 per eligible school-aged child to help purchase groceries while school is out, ensuring children have access to nutritious food year-round.

**Eligibility:**
- Participation in the Free and Reduced Lunch Program.
- Attendance at a school offering the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program, with qualifying household income.

**Enrollment:**
Families in SNAP, FDPIR, or TANF will automatically receive Summer EBT. Others can apply through Royal Oak Schools Food Services.

**How It Works:**
Benefits are provided on a separate EBT card and can be used at authorized retailers, including grocery stores and farmers' markets. Each eligible child receives $120 for the summer to buy healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, meats, whole grains, and dairy products.

For more information, visit the [Summer EBT] page and see our [Frequently Asked Questions].

Thank you.

Monday

Royal Oak Junior Olympics 6:00 p.m. at ROHS

PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday

5th Grade Field Trip

Kindergarten Picnic

Wednesday

Half Day for Students- Dismissal at 12:15 p.m.

5th Grade Awards Ceremony 9:30 a.m.

Monday, June 17

Report Cards Go Live

Mr. John Grzywack

john.grzywack@royaloakschools.org

4400 Mandalay Avenue, Royal Oak, MI, United States

(248) 549-4968

https://upton.royaloakschools.org/

The vision of Upton Elementary School is to inspire students to become lifelong learners.