Dragon's Tale

March 15, 2024

Dear Dragon Families,

It was a wonderful week of learning at Keith Elementary School and it has been so much fun seeing so many parent volunteers in to read for March is Reading Month! I know our students love being surprised and enjoy it when they have a special grown up visiting and reading with them. Our students have also really loved practicing their own reading and reading with Willow. I wanted to thank Kirsten Woodby and all of our parent volunteers for helping to make this schedule work for all kids at Keith.

We are looking forward to our Inclusion Revolution Week at Keith Elementary School. Next week, teachers will have special activities planned for your children focused on inclusivity and kindness. Included in this week’s Dragon’s Tale Newsletter is more information about our spirit days and more. Thank you to our families who donated Duplo blocks for our Keith kindness project. We met our goal and we are excited for every child to participate in this fun activity.

Enjoy the weekend ahead with your amazing children.

Warm Regards,

Marci Augenstein, Principal

The Keith Elementary School Community will collaboratively inspire and empower all – academically, socially, and emotionally.

We are a dragon family united with a common purpose.

Dragons believe…

…in welcoming and trusting one another;

…in learning beyond the school day and for the future;

…in empowering every member of our community to be helpful, respectful, and kind;

…learning is engaging, purposeful, and fun.

Please email Dr. A. or reach out to our HR department if you might be interested in working at our crossing guard position. We are also always looking for substitute teachers. Again, please reach out to Dr. A. or visit the WLCSD webpage under our Human Resources department you will find all of the information you need to begin your application process.

March, 2024 - MARCH IS READING MONTH

3/1 - Life Touch Activity Group Photo Day

3/4 - 5th Grade Students - Transition Meeting with CHS Admin/Counselor at Keith

3/5 - Keith PTA Meeting - 6:30pm Learning Commons

3/11 - 5th Grade Parent Transition Meeting at Clifford Smart Middle School 6:30pm Gym (additional information and links below)

3/12 - 1/2 Day for Students - Teacher PD Day 12:25pm - Dragon Dismissal, 12:30pm Walkers, 12:42pm Buses Depart Keith

3/13 - Kindergarten Orientation at Keith 6:00pm Learning Commons

3/19 - Kindergarten Round Up - Keith Cafeteria 9:30-11:00am

3/21 - Kindergarten Round Up - Keith Cafeteria 9:30-11:00am

3/18-3/22 - Keith and WLCSD Inclusion Week - See Details below including Spirit Week Days!

3/21 - World Down Syndrome Day (Walk/Run during Recess if students would like to participate)

3/25-3/29 - Spring Break

April, 2024

4/3 - Kindergarten Round Up - Keith Cafeteria 9:30-11:00am

May, 2024

SAVE THE DATE: May 16, 2024 - Keith Family Music Night - Clifford Smart Middle School Gym, 6:00-7:00pm - ALL students will be performing on the same night. Music teachers will email details as we get closer to this event.

Hello Dragon Families,

Thank you to all who were able to donate Duplo blocks for our school-wide inclusion week project next week. As part of inclusion week, the week of March 18th, our school is hoping to build a Duplo display with all students at Keith adding a piece to the sculpture. We now have enough Duplo blocks for all of our 535 students to have one to participate. Thank you so much for your help and support with making this activity a fun one for your children.

Thank you for your help and support,
Marci Augenstein, Principal

Mileage club will be starting when we get back from spring break. It will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch recess.

March is Reading Month. Our book vending machine is all decked out and ready for extra business this month! Ask your student how they can earn a token for a free book!

We are thankful that our therapy dog, Willow has been busy helping our students read and learn, especially during March is Reading Month. I wanted to thank Kirsten Woodby, PTA parent volunteer for helping us ensure students who would like to read to Willow have the opportunity. We appreciate your help with our "Willow Schedule" this March!

We are excited to have a week focused on Inclusion and making sure that all children feel a sense of belonging here at Keith Elementary School. Teachers have planned a fun week focused on inclusion and kindness. We will be having a "Spirit Week" in addition to fun activities each day. Please also note the "Incredible Kid Day" 5th grade fundraiser, where we hope every child will receive an "Incredible Kid Gram."

Monday: Tie Dye Day and School-wide message, buddy classes will make special bead bracelets together and every classroom will read The Invisible Boy and discuss it with their teachers.

Tuesday: Hat Day and classes will make a Kindness Quilt and display in the hallway

Wednesday: Dragon Shirt Day and classes will create a "Kind Hands around Keith" display tracing hands and writing kind words

Thursday: Rock Your Socks - mismatched sock day, World Down Syndrome Day - students will do a special walk/run during recess if they'd like to and teachers will do a special read aloud of Mahaly's Super Powers

Friday: Pajama Day and School-Wide Read-In, Duplo Block Project - where school-wide students will write their name on a Duplo Lego and write a word having to do with inclusion or kindness that they learned this week and display it in our school.

Dear Keith Elementary Families,

We want to show our Keith Elementary students how incredible and important they are to our Keith family by providing each one of them with an Incredible Kid Gram. To make this happen, we need your support. The slot number is the dollar amount needed to ensure each child gets an Incredible Kid gram.

Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Each class has the amount needed to grant an incredible kid gram to each student . You can choose to pay for the entire class or part; whatever you are able to give is appreciated. Each gram costs $2. Please make checks out to Keith PTA or send cash in an envelope marked Incredible Kid Gram. To make it a bit easier, you can also Venmo me at @Jessica-Trotter-16, and I can turn in one check to the Keith PTA. Please put "Incredible Kid Gram" in the notes on Venmo.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at 616-780-1667 or Jrosetrotter82@gmail.com. Thank you again for your support!

The Keith Main Office are hoping to have a few items donated for the office.

• Snack Size Ziploc Bags
• Gallon Size Ziploc Bags
• Boxes of Kleenex/Tissues

Thank you for your help and support!

Diana and Alice

Please see the form below and purchase your 5th Grade Celebration Yard Sign by March 22

Dear incoming 6th grade parents,

Today, Mr. Maktari, the principal at Clifford Smart Middle School, and Mrs. Bratke, the 6th grade counselor, visited the 5th graders today to present information about the middle school. One of the highlights of the presentation included a discussion about the encores offered at Smart. Please sit down with your child to go over the course descriptions that were handed out today (also linked in the google form), and select the encore choices in order of preference for the upcoming school year by filling out this google form. Please fill out this form by Friday, March 15th. Thank you!

https://forms.gle/sg2jaYBHARQW6MLp8

Maureen Bratke

8th Grade Counselor

Clifford Smart Middle School

248.956.3517 | maureenbratke@wlcsd.org

Welcome Dragon Families,

For those of you who were able to attend last night's Kindergarten Orientation, it was a pleasure to talk with you and share what Kindergarten is like at Keith Elementary School. We are really looking forward to a great Kindergarten year with your child. Please be sure to complete the Keith Elementary Kindergarten Survey if you have not already done so.

Registration is now open. Please click HERE to visit our Kindergarten webpage on the district website. It will give you step by step directions on how to register. As a reminder, please try to register as soon as possible.

Keith Elementary School Kindergarten Round Up will take place on Tuesday, March 19, Thursday, March 21, or Wednesday, April 3 from 9:30 - 11:00 am. Your child will only need to attend one of the Round Up dates. Drop off your child at the front of the building - Door 5. Parents are welcome to drop off your child and meet with PTA parents for coffee and a tour of the school or return at 11am for pick up at Door 7. Please contact the Keith Elementary office with questions 248-956-3700.

Please be sure to sign up for your child’s date and time slot on our Keith Elementary School Kindergarten Round Up Sign Up Genius. Our Kindergarten Round Up Event is a time for students to come in, spend time in the Kindergarten classrooms, and go for a short tour of their new school!

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me! My email address is MarciAugenstein@wlcsd.org or feel free to contact our amazing Kindergarten Teachers directly. We are all happy to help and looking forward to welcoming you and your children to Kindergarten at Keith for the 2024-2025 school year.

In partnership,

Marci Augenstein, Principal

Keith Elementary School

Hello, everyone!

Thank you so much to all of our super creative students for their participation in the Reflections competition this year and for your support and encouragement along the way! We had so many amazing entries representing Keith Elementary this year and I'm so proud of our Dragons! School and District judging has been completed and I'm excited to share the results.

The following students made it to the District round:

District Entries | Keith Elementary 2023-2024

Literature: Mariam Aman, Noah Dabesh, Brody Fried, Christos Hanna, Ethan Tomasik

Music Composition: Liliana Alpert, Poppy Kraft

Visual Arts: Noah Dabesh, Emelia Kelso, Adhi Kiran, Silas Leger, Blake Mikho, Isabelle Rivera, Elisha Rodas, Juliet Trotter

Photography: Alex Bascom, Blake Mikho, Briella Muir

Congratulations to all of our students whose entries moved onto Districts!

There will be a WLCSD celebration on March 18th for all entries that advanced to the District level (above). The award ceremony is scheduled for 5:30PM at Walled Lake Western on Monday, March 18th. This is an exciting annual event where all of those students' entries will be displayed. If I don't have a hard copy of your child's piece already, I will need it by March 1st to include it in the display. Please email me with any questions. We can't wait to celebrate all of this amazing work! I will send out more details about the District celebration in the coming weeks.

An extra round of applause, please, for students whose entries advanced to the State level of competition after District judging!

The following students made it to the State round:

State Entries | Keith Elementary 2023-2024

Literature: Noah Dabesh, Brody Fried, Christos Hanna

Music Composition: Liliana Alpert, Poppy Kraft

Visual Arts: Noah Dabesh, Adhi Kiran, Silas Leger, Blake Mikho

Photography: Alex Bascom, Blake Mikho

WAY TO GO!

Making it to the State round is such an amazing accomplishment! I will let you know when State judging has been completed and if any of our artists will be moving on to the National level.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks again to all of your children (and also to you) for your participation!

Kristen Meisnitzer

Keith PTA Reflections Chair

Our current math standards are more rigorous and demanding than ever. Students are expected to develop a deep understanding of concepts leading to fluency with facts and procedures, and the ability to clearly communicate their mathematical thinking. Further, students must pass a demanding sequence of high school math courses in order to meet graduation requirements. In response to the increased expectations for all students, we have adjusted the content focus and instructional approaches in all of our math courses.

Because of the higher standards and to ensure student success at all points of their

mathematical education, we are using the procedures described below to accelerate students.

In order to skip a course in the math sequence, students must demonstrate proficiency in

the content and skills of the course they are attempting to skip.

The process and procedures described on the following pages apply to all students

currently in grades 2 through 7. Students attempting to test-out of high school courses will

use the existing process described on the district website. If you have questions after

reviewing the process, please contact your building principal or me.

The Walled Lake Consolidated School District is pleased to offer Junior Kindergarten to families for the 2024-25 school year. Based on the results from the Junior Kindergarten Interest Survey, tentative JK locations for 24-25 are as follows: Commerce, Dublin, Keith, Guest, Loon Lake, Meadowbrook, Oakley Park, Wixom. *Please note that these tentative locations may still be subject to change if enrollment fluctuations occur.

Families interested in and eligible for Junior Kindergarten in 2024-25 (See the chart below for eligibility guidelines.) should fill out the Junior Kindergarten Interest Application by Monday, February 12, 2024. More information on Junior Kindergarten in Walled Lake Schools can be found on the District website: https://www.wlcsd.org/programs/junior-kindergarten

Eras begin and march onward, shed pieces of themselves and gather more along the way, ever changing until the era recognizes itself no longer. And a whole new era unfolds only to greet the cycle once more.

Board members come, and Board members must go, but the Keith PTA carries on with new faces, new ideas, and new contributions. While we say goodbye to graduating members, we hold out torches of opportunity for new members to claim and carry on. The time goes by so quickly. What will you do while you are here to shape your own Keith era?

Because here we have it! Elections for Keith PTA Board positions are upon us for the 2024-2025 school year. Come claim your spot. Dare yourself to be a part of something bigger! Find PTA and find out.

OPEN POSITIONS FOR 2024-25 KEITH PTA BOARD (Board members manage budget, decide on contributions, vote on the business of the organization):

-CORRESPONDENCE SECRETARY ⦁Maintains social media correspondences

-VICE PRESIDENT - FUNDRAISING ⦁In charge of Fun Run, spirit wear, flower sale

-SECRETARY ⦁Takes meeting minutes

-REFLECTIONS ART CONTEST CHAIR ⦁Runs the art contest

-LEGISLATIVE CHAIR - Reports on new laws affecting education

-HOSPITALITY – Gives attention and care to teachers and staff

Elections happen at the General Meeting, Wednesday APRIL 3rd in the Media Center. We will present the full election slate and take floor nominations from desiring members. Nominations can be sent to: K8Tomasik@yahoo.com

Want to specialize in something amazing and stamp it yours? Next Year’s Era will need someone to take command of: BOOK FAIR or KEITH’S GOT TALENT / Take advantage of our current talent while they are here! Seek Kirsten Woodby at kmwoodby@gmail.com for training at April bookfair. Help these great programs to continue.

For the upcoming Yuja Wang Concert, please note for those who have tried, but noticed the Balcony seating is currently not available for Soundcard account ticket reservations, the Balcony seating is scheduled to be released to Soundcard members for reservations on Monday March 18th. If you already have booked tickets but find on March 18th and after that there is a better seating option in the balcony available for you, please call the DSO Box office to see if they can do anything for you.

Thanks to all the students who have attended our club meets and concerts to date, and their families for supporting this club!

Upcoming concerts that we will attend as a group:

*The Music Of Pink Floyd: Saturday, April 20 – 8:00pm
*Mozart & The Seasons: Sunday, May 5 – 3:00pm
*Disney & Broadway Favorites: The Magic Of Menken: Sunday, June 23 – 3:00pm

It is not too late to join now! After attending 1 concert, your student membership will have paid for itself.

Cost: $25 per student membership unlocks one free ticket to almost every Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) 2023-2024 concert series in addition to the concerts listed above, and up to two companion tickets (bring your parents/sibling/friend) for $5 each, access to the best seats, access to DSO Replay and online Live streaming performances.

See attached flyer and Music Appreciation Club Details Document and link to Google form for registration.
https://forms.gle/3eAmCFB4Vf9FCP626

For more information please contact Monique Levu: monique.levu@gmail.com

Important upcoming events:

3/14: Last day for earth day art contest submission. Drop off at office and we will mail to the state of Michigan for the contest.

3/16: Young birders field trip: Guided tour + Free lunch at the Detroit zoo.

4/12: Hazardous waste collection day. Adults drop off your hazardous waste to school 4:15 - 4:30 pm and we will help you dispose of it. Donation suggested but not required.

More details and news at:

https://sites.google.com/view/keithgreenteam/newsletters/2023-24/mar2024

What to watch for:

Fri, Mar 1st ~ Chocolate Chip Cookie Day ~ $1.50 ea

Mon, Mar 4th ~ Lucky Tray Day

Tue, Mar 5th ~ Pizza Day ~ $1.75 / extra slice, $1.00 chips

Fri, Mar 8th ~ Tubby's Sub & Ice Cream Day ~ $1.00 ice cream

Fri, Mar 15th ~ Chocolate Chip Cookie Day ~ $1.50 ea

Fri, Mar 22nd ~ $1.00 ice cream

As always, parents can add funds to student accounts via Skyward, or cash / check can be given to Mrs. Link in the kitchen.

Alison Link, Keith Kitchen Server

Keith Elementary, 956-3735

In an effort to celebrate our staff, the WLCSD Community Relations department requests that families fill out the form below to nominate staff who are rock stars in their classrooms and school communities. A sample of what these shout outs will look like on social media and in our district newsletters is on the right.

Please remember to register or re-register your Kroger Plus card to Keith Elementary. Last year we made just over $2,000! It’s easy! Just go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com and go to the community rewards section. You must re-register your card annually. Anyone having an issue with their email address or password can call 1-800-KROGERS for customer service.

For additional information regarding our Transportation Department, please visit our website!

• Bus transportation will be provided on the first day of school for those students who are eligible for bus transportation throughout the regular school year.

• Transportation postcards will not be sent. Bus routes will be posted on the district website and in Skyward Family Access after 8:00 am on August 18, 2023.
• Bus drivers will be contacting Kindergarten families by August 20th (drop off times for students attending in the AM and pick up times for the PM students will be provided in that call.)
• If your child is eligible for bus transportation, it is recommended that they start this routine on the first day of school. Parents are welcome to follow the bus to school to see your child off to their first day of school, but it is highly recommended that they ride the bus to and from school this first day if they will be riding daily during the school year.

Our hot lunch program begins on Monday, August 28th for students in grades K-5. Please see below for additional details.

During the 2023-24 school year, all Michigan public school students in grades Pre-K through 12 will have access to free breakfast and free lunch every day through the "Healthy School Meals for All" program. This includes a meat/meat alternative, grain, fruit/vegetable and milk. A la carte items will be available for purchase.

Families are still encouraged to complete the free/reduced meal form in Skyward help secure additional funding for the District including Title I funding. By completing the form, eligible families may also receive access to other free and reduced programs within the District including SAT testing, pay to participate, and more.

You can always visit Walled Lake's Food Service Website for information by clicking HERE.

February 6, 2024 at 6:30pm - Keith Learning Commons

Visit our PTA's Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/KeithElemPTA/

The Keith Elementary School Community will inspire and empower all- academically, socially, and emotionally.

Diana Tyrrell - Principal's Secretary

DianaTyrrell@wlcsd.org

Alice Johnson - Building Secretary

AliceJohnson@wlcsd.org

Marci Augenstein, Ph.D. - Principal, Keith Elementary

MarciAugenstein@wlcsd.org

Email: DianaTyrrell@wlcsd.org
Website: https://keith.wlcsd.org/
Location: 2800 Keith Road, West Bloomfield Township, MI, United States
Phone: (248)956-3700
Twitter: @KeithElementary