Shark Tales Weekly Update
Sheiko Elementary: December 1, 2023
PRINCIPAL UPDATE
Happy Friday, Sheiko Sharks!
We have had another great week of learning here at Sheiko Elementary! This week's "Big Announcement" is about Camp Tanuga for our 5th grade students! We had a great parent zoom on Wednesday night. Thank you to those that joined us! Camp will be on May 28-May 30th. Our goal is that 100% of our 5th graders go to camp!
Some of the presentation did not record for some reason, but you can hear from the Camp Director, Sid Friedman, and some of the Q & A at the end too:
Students brought home the paper that needs to be filled out to reserve their spot by January 10th. We will let you know the following week how much camp will cost, but the maximum cost will be $425. Students that sold "Mumkins" already have a head start on earning their way to camp. Students also brought home a "Hungry Howies" fundraising opportunity. Students can sell pizzas all throughout the holidays, starting tomorrow. The pizzas are $10 each and $5 will go right into their own individual camp account.
Camp is a tradition at Sheiko Elementary. Even if you have a 3rd or 4th grader, I want to build the excitement until it is your child's turn to go in 5th grade! It really is an AMAZING trip! We are starting early so that ALL students can go. Please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or your child's teachers with any concerns. We are here to help!
I also wanted to give a huge shout out to our PTO for providing lunch for our teachers during conference week, providing funding to supplement the cost for our 3rd grade trip to Lansing in January, and for hosting our movie night on December 15th. We hope to see all of our families for the viewing of "Home Alone". We welcome siblings as well. Please remember that this is NOT a drop off event. There is not a cost for the movie, but we will have pizza and concessions for sale.Feel free to bring pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, and wear PJ's or comfy clothes.
Sheiko is a wonderful place to learn and grow. I can't tell you how much we appreciate all of the parent support. I am truly grateful.
Have a relaxing weekend, and never hesitate to reach out if we can help in any way.
Gooooooooooooo Sheiko Sharks!
Blaine McDowell
IMPORTANT DATES AND LINKS
- Thursday, Dec. 7th- PICTURE RETAKE
- Wednesday, Dec. 13th - LATE START -school starts at 10:10am, dismissal is 4:02pm
- Friday, Dec. 15th- MOVIE NIGHT 6-8PM
Dec. 23- Jan. 7th - WINTER BREAK/NO SCHOOL
5th grade Camp Tanuga May 28th - 30th
Click here for the district calendar.
5TH GRADE CAMP TANUGA PRESENTATION
If you were unable to attend the Camp Tanuga Zoom meeting, no worries just use the link below for all the details!
NEWS FROM OUR SPECIALS CLASSES
GYM - MRS. SCOTT
In PE this week we started learning about floor hockey. How to hold the stick, stick handling, and passing. We will continue this next week and start playing hockey games.
It’s the time of year the snow starts falling. Your students know which day of the week they have PE. Please help them remember to bring a pair of shoes for PE when they wear boots to school. Next week students who have PE on Friday will also have PE on Wednesday. They’ll need proper shoes both days.
Thank you!
Mrs. Scott
ART - MS. TUCKER
5th Grade: We are continuing our work on personal mandalas.
4th Grade: We are finishing up our geometrics forms.
3rd: We painted our warm/cool leaf project,
Next week we will be doing work on the button contest.
VOICES OF EQUALITY
A special thank you to our West Bloomfield High School students for presenting activities to our fourth and fifth grade students this week about equality. Be sure to ask your child about it!
* Fun Fact: Some of these students are former Sheiko students! The “Voices of Equality” group is what they call themselves now at WBHS, but they started out as the “ABC Club” (Anti-Bullying Club), right here at Sheiko with Mrs. Snead!
OK2SAY
Our fourth and fifth grade students will have a presentation from OK2Say on December 14th.
As a parent/guardian, you provide love, guidance, and counsel to help your children
adjust to life transitions in a healthy and successful manner. We hope you will take a
moment to talk to your children about strategies to keep themselves and their friends
safe.
OK2SAY, Michigan’s student safety program is one resource that can make a big
difference. OK2SAY is a confidential way your children can report any behavior that
threatens their safety or the safety of others. The program is designed to knock down
barriers so a student who is struggling can get needed help before a situation turns into a tragedy. Tips can be submitted 24/7 by phone 8-555-OK2SAY (855-565-2729), text 652729 (OK2SAY), email (ok2say@mi.gov), online (ok2say.com), or through the mobile app.
When students make the courageous decision to break the code of silence and speak
out against harmful behavior, they give authorities the information they need to respond to threats and avert tragedy.
OK2SAY is for serious reports only. Students who intentionally file false tips will face
serious consequences, so please talk to your child about using the program
responsibly.
Your child is tomorrow’s leader. By encouraging your child to do the right thing, they
can make a big difference at their school. Because if they don’t, who will?
Please visit OK2SAY.com to learn more.
PLEASE WELCOME: ROAK!
We are excited to announce that Sheiko will soon have a certified therapy dog! Roak is a sweet and calm 3-year-old labrador retriever who is currently enrolled at Union Lake Pet Services getting trained to become a therapy dog. Roak belongs to our speech-language pathologist, Jessica Anderson. He loves scratches, cuddles, and people! The hope will be that he is certified after the new year. How do therapy dogs help in the classroom? Studies have shown that therapy dogs in schools have both socio-emotional and cognitive benefits. Therapy dogs are companions who are good listeners and offer an audience to children without making any judgments. Students who bond with therapy dogs tend to feel more connected and confident, and this reduces negative behaviors and improves mental well-being. Therapy dogs within the school environment can also improve development in the areas of attention, concentration, relaxation, and motivation. If your child has an allergy, please let us know and we will keep him away from them.
Jessica Anderson, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Sheiko Elementary (248) 865-6370
West Bloomfield School District
WBHS BAND CONCERT
STUDENT COUNCIL SEASON OF GIVING
SHEIKO MOVIE NIGHT
Sheiko Movie NIght - Friday, December 15th, 6-8 p.m.
Movie: HOME ALONE
*This is not a drop off event - parents/guardians must attend.
*Free admission
*Concessions will be sold!
*Super fun! Hope you can join us!
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
Zones of Regulation and the Mood Meter:
This week in class, students were introduced to what we call the Mood Meter. This is a systematic, cognitive behavioral approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all of the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience in four concrete colored zones. The Zones framework provides strategies to teach individuals to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, manage sensory needs, and improve their ability to problem solve conflicts!
CAPTURING KIDS' HEARTS SURVEY
Did you know that we are a Capturing Kids' Hearts Showcase School? We NEED you to fill out this survey by Dec. 15th. We always want to learn and grow to make Sheiko the best it can be! Thank you in advance!
https://iheartckh.com/squrl/jx2ufw7x
Blaine McDowell
UNITED WE WALK
PTO NEWS
PTO meetings will be in person and you can zoom in.
Please join us at 7:00pm on:
- February 13
- March 12
- April 9
- May 14
This will be our link for all future dates: https://wbsd-org.zoom.us/j/4211617208
IXL INFORMATION
We will be using IXL at school to supplement instruction and review skills. It is a great resource to use at home too:
Helping Your Child Logging In At Home
IXL is designed to help your child learn at their own pace. The program is adaptive and will adjust based on your child’s demonstrated understanding of the material. If students are working on their Skill Plan, they should select tasks in order from the top. All of your child’s results will be saved, so you can monitor their progress anytime by clicking on Analytics. Although IXL is not required, it may be something you
would like them to do 2-3 times per week at home.
Students might need your help to log in at home on a device. Here are some tips:
● When students are logging in from home on a computer, they need to use
https://www.ixl.com/signin/wbloomfieldsd and then their school google email/password.
Happy Learning!
FRIENDLY REMINDERS
Winter is upon us and students should be dressed for outdoor recess. Students are outside for recess unless there is heavy rain, thunderstorms/lightning or the 'feels like' temperature is below 10* Fahrenheit.
Please label everything. It will help eliminate the need for a Lost & Found table.
We are asking that students leave their smart watches at home. They have proven to be a huge distraction to teaching and learning. Students may have phones (but totally not necessary!) as long as they are powered down and in their backpacks. Students will have one reminder to put them away. Otherwise, these items will be turned into the office for parent pick up if they are out.Thank you for your support in this matter!
SICK POLICY INFORMATION
To protect all children from communicable illnesses, students infected with certain diseases are not allowed to come to school while they are contagious. Students should be symptom-free for 24 hours before returning to school. Please call our Safeline (248-865-6372) if your child will be absent from school. We also have a masking station at the front of the building in which students are welcome to help themselves. For more information regarding the sick policy, please see the attached document.
BRIDGES MATH PROGRAM
The West Bloomfield School District uses the Bridges math program. Below you will find the family letters for Dec/Jan Unit 3
DECEMBER LUNCH MENU
DISTRICT CALENDAR/SAFELINE PHONE NUMBERS
About Us
Email: blaine.mcdowell@wbsd.org
Website: https://www.wbsd.org/sheiko-elementary
Location: 4500 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, MI, USA
Phone: 248-865-6370
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/225210744201191
Twitter: @BlaineMcDowell