FES: Monthly Newsletter

Freeland Elementary Families,

I hope you all had a wonderful winter break and holiday season. The children were excited to be back last week, and we were happy to have them back. The second half of the school year goes by fast! Please continue to watch our school and classroom newsletters, social media, and website for information as it comes out. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Our first semester ends this week on January 17. Teachers will be working to finalize grades for report cards the week after, and grades will be posted on Skyward (our student information system on January 27). You will be able to see a label that says "Report Cards" once they are finalized, and that is how you will access your child's report card. You will not be able to click this until January 27. If you would like a paper report card, please call our front office to request no later than January 22. Paper report cards (if requested) will be sent home on January 27.

Some reminders about Report Cards, Assessments and Scoring

Letter Grades: Our 6th graders use a traditional grading system, and those grades will be reflected on their report cards.

Standards Based Grading: In Freeland Community School District for grades K-5th, we use standards based grading, which is different than your traditional scoring of letter grading and percentages. By using standards based grading, it allows teachers to score children on a scale for the state standards in which they teach, and allows children to receive academic related feedback on an ongoing basis that shows guided improvement. The scale is 1-4, and specific indicator descriptions will be listed on report cards.

Standards Based Scale Indicator:

4: Accelerated

3: Consistent and Independent Application (Desired Level)

2: Occasionally Needs Support

1: Does not meet grade level expectations

At the halfway point in the school year, when our first report cards come out, it is important to remember that every standard has not been taught or for that matter retaught. Children have the whole year to learn the required material. It is okay if they have 1's and 2's at this point in the year, because content is still being taught.

NWEA (Reading and Math): Each year students in 3rd-6th grade will take the NWEA test 2 times (Fall and Spring) in reading and math to show progress towards standards. This assessment gives our teachers a great idea of how your child is doing and how they are progressing through grade level standards. We break the assessment up over time, and allow students to have breaks between the testing sessions. Results of this assessment, along with other classroom assessments drive our instruction to ensure your child is meeting the grade level expectations. Our goal over time is for students to show high growth as they take the different benchmarks throughout the school year. This assessment is adaptive, which means the tests are not the same for each child and will adjust based on what the students know or don’t know. It provides us as educators a great deal of information and can also predict performance on state assessments such as MSTEP for our 3rd-6th graders. For more information about NWEA testing and how it works, check out the NWEA Family Toolkit.

i-Ready (Reading): The i-Ready Reading and Math Diagnostic is given three times per year (Fall, Winter, Spring) for our 2nd-6th graders. This assessment is used as a screening and diagnostic tool to inform instruction and intervention planning and to monitor growth in core components of early literacy word recognition and language comprehension skills.

Both i-Ready and NWEA, measure student achievement and growth and are designed to monitor progress toward meeting Michigan state math and reading academic standards. Both assessments are a part of a balanced assessment system that include screening, diagnostic, formative, summative, and state-level assessments. It is important to know that teachers use a variety of assessments to measure how students are performing when it comes to state standards.

I am looking forward to the rest of the year and I hope you are as well!

Your Proud Principal,

Mrs. Kali McKenna

4th Graders had the opportunity for a hands on experience of dissecting a sheep's eye!

Each day our 6th graders record elementary news on "The Falcon Nest." You can check out our news by clicking below!

The Falcon Nest

The Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students) school program is a national initiative that encourages fathers and father figures to engage with their children and schools, creating a positive impact on students and communities. By volunteering at least one day a year, dads and male role models actively participate in various school activities, offering support in classrooms, hallways, and playgrounds. This presence enhances school security, fosters positive relationships, and provides students with strong role models. With thousands of participating schools nationwide, Watch D.O.G.S. is dedicated to promoting father involvement and strengthening family and school connections. If you are interested, please contact Mrs. McKenna at mckennak@freelandschools.net.

WATCH D.O.G.S. Program Information

Reminder: 5th and 6th graders release at 11:05 a.m. on Thursday (1/16/2025) and ALL GRADES have half day dismissal on Friday (1/17/2025).

5th and 6th Grade Half Day Release Time: 11:05 a.m.

2nd-4th Grade Half Day Release Time: 12:30 p.m.

5th Grade students picked a dwelling that we learned about, and then designed a plan of how they would build it. Each dwelling had a certain challenge for it. Some of the challenges included a time limit, limited supplies, and even structural challenges. Every group succeeded in their challenge! I am so impressed with their creativity and how well they collaborated.

Get your 2024-2025 Yearbook NOW! All yearbooks will have a custom cover created by one of our 6th graders. A new tradition that started at Freeland Elementary School last year.

Please note:

• All yearbooks are sold separately and are not included in picture packages purchased in the spring.
• Extra yearbooks will not be purchased and sold separately at the end of the year. If you are interested in a yearbook, you MUST order through the link below.
• All orders must be placed by: April 25, 2025. Late orders will not be accepted.

How to Order:

Visit the website: ybpay.lifetouch.com

FES Yearbook Code: 12858825

Heading into winter always leaves us with little predictability with our weather. One of the ways that we are able to keep students safe is to provide consistency with winter gear and recess. If the feels like temperature is 39 degrees or below, students will need to have coats, and other gear is optional depending on what the students plan to do at recess. We highly encourage students to bring all winter gear if they plan to be in the snow. Students will only be in the snow if they have boots on, as we don't want them to be uncomfortable during the day if they get their shoes wet. Between 40-54 degrees (feels like), students will need to have long sleeves on, and 55 and above, students can wear what they are most comfortable in. If your child is need of a winter coat, please reach out to our front office. We will go outside as long as the feels like temperature is above 5 degrees. Our staff will use best judgement on the wintery conditions on those days, if we need to have indoor recess. Our goal is our student's safety when they are outside playing.

** We are always in need of extra gloves. If you have extras around the house that need a home, please drop them off in our office**

FCSD Food Service Upcoming Menus (Menus also available on Nutrislice)

January 6: Welcome back to school!

January 7: January Monthly PTO Meeting. 6:30 p.m. FES Stem Room

January 8: FCSD School Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m. @ HS Auditorium

January 16: Half Day for 5th and 6th grade

January 17: Half Day for ALL grades

January 17: End of First Semester

January 20: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL for students.

January 27: Semester 1 Grades will Post to Skyward

Kali McKenna, Principal, mckennak@freelandschools.net

Lauren Hall, Secretary, halll@freelandschools.net (PM Only)

Meghan Maxwell, Secretary, maxwellm@freelandschools.net (AM Only)

Annette Moore, Secretary, moorea@freelandschools.net (All Day)

5th/6th Grade Information

Doors Open: 7:15 a.m.

First Bell: 7:25 a.m.

Official Start Bell: 7:35 a.m.

Dismissal Time: 2:25 p.m.

2nd-4th Grade Information

Doors Open: 8:25 a.m.

First Bell: 8:50 a.m.

Official Start Bell: 9:00 a.m.

Dismissal Time: 3:50 p.m.

Freeland Community School District Website