The mission of Oakland Elementary School is to prepare students to meet life’s challenges with responsibility and confidence by promoting academic excellence, cooperative social relationships, and exemplary personal conduct within a nurturing and supportive school environment.

• Friday March 7th - Oakland Talent Show. TONIGHT!
• Monday March 10th - Oakland PTA meeting at 7PM in the Media Center

• Professional Learning Mornings - 9:20 AM start for student.

  Wednesday March12th
  Wednesday March 19th
  Wednesday March 26th

• Monday - Friday March 31st to April 4th - Spring Break
• Tuesday April 29th - ROMS Open House for incoming 6th graders.

February marked the one year anniversary of the Michigan Secure Storage Law. As part of this initiative the Michigan State Police has provided Royal Oak Schools with a supply of gun locks to distribute to community members who need them. If you have unsecured weapons in your home, you can receive a free gun lock with no questions asked by stopping by the District Administrative Offices Building at 800 DeVillen, Royal Oak, or by stopping in the main office at Oakland. Mrs. Hall, Mrs. Nell or Mr. Taylor can assist you.

According to BeSMARTforKids.org:

• Firearms are the leading cause of death for American children and teens.

• Every year, nearly 360 children in the US under the age of 18 gain access to a firearm and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else.

• More than 700 children living in America die by gun suicide every year, and secure storage can play a crucial role in preventing those deaths.

• 3/4 of school shooters acquired their firearm from the home of a parent or close relative.

I wanted to offer just a few friendly reminders in regards to parking and traffic flow during our high traffic times. Above all, please be cautious in the school vicinity. We also request that adults abide by signage, and follow some simple norms to help alleviate the inconvenience for everyone. A few specific norms that I would like to bring to light are:

• Our Kalama loop needs to remain accessible to buses at pick-up and drop-off times. We have seen an increase in parents parking in the Kalama loop and leaving their vehicles to walk and pick up kids. Please do not leave your vehicle unattended in the loop. The busses require about 1 1/2 lanes to make the turn in the loop and unattended vehicles force the busses to wait in a line of traffic that is unable to adjust their positioning to allow extra space for the busses to pass.
• Parking and waiting in handicap parking spaces. * The purpose for these spaces is for handicapped/elderly community members who need to use the spaces to then walk a shorter distance to pick up and drop off locations.
• Parking and waiting in staff parking spaces(particularly at drop off). * These spaces are reserved for staff to park when they arrive in the morning.

Y on the Fly SportPort is a dynamic collaborative initiative dedicated to empowering children

through the joy of sports and physical activity right in their own neighborhoods. This innovative program offers youth the opportunity to explore a variety of sports and fosters a love of physical activity through at school activity sampling sessions. Our mission is to promote free play, provide children with access to sports and to ensure that kids have the opportunity to develop important life skills and healthy habits. The goal is to offer this within the familiar and welcoming environment of their own neighborhoods.

We have the opportunity to partner with the YMCA this spring and/or next fall to bring Y on the Fly to Oakland. However, before we commit to this we would like to gauge the interest in our community. Please fill out the below survey to help us strategically plan for implementation.

Author: Roda Ahmed

Illustrator: Stasia Burrington

A great classroom and bedtime read-aloud, Mae Among the Stars is the perfect book for young readers who have big dreams and even bigger hearts. When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering. She wanted to be an astronaut. Her mom told her, "If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.” Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents' encouraging words, paved the way for her incredible success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space.

This book will inspire other young girls to reach for the stars, to aspire for the impossible, and to persist with childlike imagination.

The Sexual Education Advisory Board of the Royal Oak Schools, will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, from 5:00-6:00 PM and Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from 6:00-7:00 PM to allow community members to review and comment on the proposed changes to the 4th and 5th grade sexual health curriculum. The meetings will take place at the Royal Oak Schools District Administration Offices, 800 DeVillen, Royal Oak, MI.

Kindergarten enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year begins on Monday, February 3, 2025. District-wide enrollment for all kindergarten programs, including Developmental Kindergarten, is processed through our Central Enrollment Office. All enrollments into Royal Oak Schools are done online.

Kindergarten Age Requirements
A resident child must be five (5) years of age on or before September 1st in order to be eligible to attend kindergarten.

If a child is not five (5) years of age by the September 1st enrollment eligibility date, but will be five (5) years of age no later than December 1st, the parent/guardian may still enroll the child in kindergarten. The parent must notify the school district, in writing, prior to the beginning of the school year. Notification, by way of a completed Kindergarten Age Waiver, must be received in order for a child born between September 1 and December 1 to be enrolled in kindergarten.

If you need assistance navigating the online process or do not have a home computer, please call Theresa Baughman at 248-435-8400 x 1260. Appointments are highly recommended if you'd like to enroll in person.

Documents Specific to Kinder Enrollment:

• Kindergarten Age Waiver
• Immunization Waiver Information

Vision, Hearing and Dental Screening for Kindergarten Entry

• Vision & Hearing Screening Flyer
• OCHD Vision Screening Website
• OCHD Hearing Screening Website
• OCHD Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment Flyer
• Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment

More information regarding Kindergarten Eligibility can be found on the following sites:

• MDE Recommends
• Michigan Legislature, The Revised School Code Section 380.1147

Schools of Choice applications for the 25/26 school year will be accepted March 10th-April 8th, 2025.

The application link will be available on the district webpage starting on March 10th at 9am.

Professional Learning Mornings or "Late Starts" are days when staff report 30 minutes earlier than normal and students report 60 minutes later. Staff have the opportunity to engage in 90 minutes of collaboration and learning. On these Wednesday mornings the first bell will ring at 9:20 a.m. with classes starting at 9:25 a.m. Upcoming Late Starts will be:

• January 29th
• February 5th 26th

Consistent with health and wellness goals and cognizant of various student and staff allergies, Royal Oak Elementary schools recognize student birthdays with non-food-based celebrations. We do recognize birthdays as special days and will recognize a child’s birthday with individual recognition by the classroom teacher. Each teacher will inform you of the specific classroom birthday recognition practice. The students will also have their names announced on the school broadcast and receive a birthday pencil from the office. Please do NOT send food or beverages as birthday treats.

Please see the August 18th, 2023 edition of the Roadrunner Report for a special message about attendance.

Email: jason.taylor@royaloakschools.org
Website: https://www.royaloakschools.org/elementary/oakland/
Location: 2415 Brockton Avenue, Royal Oak, MI, USA
Phone: (248)542-4406
Twitter: @OaklandMrT