Penguin's Raft

Dear Moraine Families,

This edition of the Raft includes:

- Spiritwear Sale - Orders close on September 15th!

- Pictures from our First Week of School

- Birthday Book Club Sign Up

- School Lunch Information

- Picture Day is Sept. 28th

- Death is Not the Answer registration parent movie event moderated by Chuck Gadica

- Northville Academic Games

Be well and talk soon,

Joe Reimann

Principal, Moraine Elementary

Teaching for Learning for All!

Please remember the first few days of school will be busier than usual in the parking lot and carpool lane. Safety is our number one priority and your patience and care is greatly appreciated.

Arrival does not begin until 8:30am and there is no student supervision prior to this time. Arrival Entrances:

• Front Entrance: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, Ms. Roberts and Ms. Meeks
• Door 42 (Located by 2nd/3rd Centrum): 2nd and 3rd Grade
• Bus Loop Entrance: 4th Grade Students, Ms. Witter

Moraine uses a bus loop at arrival and dismissal - no other vehicles are permitted to use the west bus loop during these times.

Arrival:

• Pull all the way forward until you can stop and immediately drop off your child as soon as you are next to the sidewalk.
• It is not necessary to hold up the line by waiting until you are in front of the entry doors to drop off your child.
  
• In the arrival lane, do not exit your vehicle to help your child out of the car. If your child needs assistance exiting the vehicle, please use our parking lot.
• After 8:46, you must sign your child in at the front entrance.

Dismissal:

• Practice having your child repeat their dismissal plan to you.

• Your family should display a name card on the right hand side of the dashboard and visible through the windshield. A BIG and BOLD name displayed assists our dismissal team with having your child ready to enter your vehicle.

• If your child requires assistance, you may wish to park your vehicle in the parking lot and greet your child outside of their classroom door upon dismissal.

• To avoid a dangerous backup on the westbound 8 mine left turn lane, we will be using a double lane dismissal. Eastbound 8 mile traffic will use the lane closest to the sidewalk and the Westbound 8 mile traffic will use the next lane over.
• In order to keep access to our parking lot open as long as possible, Westbound drivers will wait in the left hand turn lane until 3:41pm. At that time, they will enter the lane for dismissal.

It is worth noting that because of our dedicated staff and our patient families, after the first couple weeks, we are able to dismiss in under 12 minutes! (Pretty impressive by National School Dismissal standards)

Please use kindness, courtesy, and patience for a safe, efficient dismissal!

If you've not already done so, please bring all medical plans and medication that your child may require to the office as soon as you're able. We want to keep your children safe!

Information about your child's bus route is now available in the Parent Portal. When you log in to your account , click the tab entitled, "Transportation". If your child qualifies for a bus route, his/her route will be listed in the portal.https://sisweb.resa.net/Northville/ParentPortal

We hope you had a great first week back, Penguins! Please take a moment to go over our Welcome Packet, which can be viewed here. It provides a plethora of information, from how to stay connected with the PTA, how to become a member, and donating to our Penguin Pledge, and more!

Our spirit wear sale is now live until September 15! Please see attached flyer for information or visit our store here to purchase. Please note that late orders will not be accepted! The store is managed directly through the vendor and you will receive a confirmation email of purchase from them. If you do not receive a confirmation email, you can contact ptamoraine@gmail.com and we will be happy to help!

If you and your child(ren) are interested in signing up for FLL Explore Robotics, please view the pre-sign up sheet for the non-competitive team (Grades 1-3) here. For the competitive team (grades 4-5), view here.

** This is not an official sign-up, we are simply trying to see who is seriously interested in joining, as we cannot have a Robotics program without parent volunteers!**

To volunteer this year, please visit our Sign-Up Genius here! Please note that, if signing up under a committee, you are committing to the actual planning and execution of that committee. If you’d like to simply sign up to volunteer for day-of or as-needed, please sign up under the “Misc. Volunteer” section.

Also attached is an information flyer about our Penguin Pledge, which is traditionally the PTA’s main fundraiser for the year. The flyer provides a lot of insight of how much money the PTA spends annually for Moraine and how your contribution helps make everything possible! As always, we appreciate your contribution to helping the PTA continue supporting Moraine through its 22 committees.

Join Cub Scouts Pack 721! Boys 1st through 5th grades, come to Join Scouting Night and check out Cub Scouts Pack 721 at Our Lady Of Victory Church. We are a boy’s pack from Moraine, Ridgewood and OLV. Some of our Pack 721 events include remote control airplane flying, Maybury corn maze and cookout, family roller skating night, overnight at the Air Zoo, Pinewood Derby, of course camping, and more! As a scout in Pack 721, you are a part of a group of boys who love to be active together outside, who learn and grow together, contribute to the community and love to have fun together! For additional information, contact Marissa Edwards mmegge@hotmail.com

We would like to inform you about an upcoming change to our K-12 District Calendar that is aimed at enhancing the educational experience. In our continuous effort to provide the best possible education for our students, we have scheduled two consecutive Teacher Professional Development days on Monday, November 6 and Tuesday, November 7, which will necessitate a slight adjustment to the school schedule.

On these days, all regular classes will be canceled to allow our dedicated teaching staff to engage in valuable training and development opportunities. This professional development is designed to further enrich teaching methods, explore innovative strategies, and stay updated with the latest advancements in education. Ultimately, the goal is to enhance student learning and ensure that children continue to receive a high-quality education.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, we firmly believe that the benefits gained from these training sessions will significantly outweigh the temporary adjustment.

Thank you for being an integral part of our school community.

View updated District K-12 Calendar.

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year!

All new and returning families: It's time to fill out your required online Annual Registration!

Every year, all families (including those who recently enrolled) are required to fill out the digital Annual Registration for each student. Families may complete these forms through MiStar ParentConnection. After logging in to your Parent Portal account, click the RED Annual Registration at the top right of your screen. Then select Register Now to the far right of your student’s name to begin the process.

Through this process you will be asked to update your student’s emergency contact information, home address and health information, review our technology use policy and student handbooks, learn more about PTSA/PTA, access the web store and much more.

Need Help? Many of the most commonly asked questions can be found on our FAQs page (located in the upper right-hand corner of ParentConnection.) If you have further questions, please email the helpdesk at parentportal@northvilleschools.org

• All elementary students must have the Annual Registration completed prior to the start of school on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

“Academic Games stimulates students to learn Math, English, and Social studies through fun games and competition.”

PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

MINOR: (3rd and 4rd Grade) Wednesday 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm & Friday 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

ELEMENTARY: (5th & 6th Grade) Tuesday 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm & Friday 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

MIDDLE: Mondays & Fridays 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Register Now! (on the google form bellow)

https://forms.gle/5JViwsUMjYW3oWKg9

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Thank you,

Karla Calderon (Academic Games Coordinator)

We know September is a busy month but we wanted to take the time to highlight a few events as part of Suicide Prevention Month.

The first is a movie screening that is open to all parents in and outside of Northville Public Schools. The event will feature the movie "Death is Not the Answer" that was made by Keith Famie (a local filmmaker). We are fortunate to have Chuck Gaidica moderate this event which will also feature a panel that includes local agency representatives as well as Eric Hipple and Kevin Fischer. We will also have the following resource tables with mental health and suicide prevention specific information available:

New Hope

Color my World

RESET

Hegira

NAMI

IHA/Trinity

This is a FREE EVENT! You will see on the flyer a QR code to register but you can also use the link below. Registration is not required but appreciated!

Death is Not the Answer registration

Last year, a group of Northville Public Schools staff participated in the NAMI walk. This year the Suicide Prevention Coalition (which Northville Public Schools is a part of) has formed a team and would like all of the partner districts and our families to join. This is meant to show how we are all in this together no matter what your district boundaries are. The event is at Wayne State University on September 16th (Saturday)

630 Merrick St,

Detroit, MI 48202

Check-in at 8 am,

Walk time is 10 am -12:30 pm ET

There's no cost to walk with us, though donations to NAMI Michigan are certainly welcomed.

Use this link to register yourself and put Suicide Prevention Coalition in the team search box.

SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM

The Northville Public Schools provides a breakfast and hot lunch program for interested students.

Families must preorder lunches for preschools and elementary students. Orders must be in by 7am for all students for breakfast and lunch. The system will not allow you to order after the time listed above. For your convenience, meals can be preordered up to 30 days in advance. To avoid any issues, we recommend ordering the night before.

• Order Online at Nutrislice

• Download the App (Apple Store)

• Download the App (Google Play)

• All students that may qualify for free or reduced lunch should still fill out the form as they will receive additional benefits. You can find a link to the application in the parent portal or on the district's website under the Food Service tab.
• Check out the Frequently Asked Questions surrounding the Free Meals Program this school year.
• Lunch and Breakfast menus are available online through Nutrislice.
  
  
• Breakfast:
  • Pre-K and Elementary students:
    • All students must pre-order breakfast through Nutrislice. (Instructions on how to place an order through Nutrislice)
    • Make sure to include your student number when ordering and choose the correct teacher.
    • ALL ORDERS ARE DUE BY 7AM THE DAY OF, *this is a change from last year. You can order up to 30 days in advance.
    • Breakfast will be served in the classroom during the school day (not before school).
    • If your student wants milk only, this is NOT free. Students must pay for the milk separately.

This school year, Northville Public Schools will be providing free breakfast and lunch meals to all pre-K through grade 12 NPS students, regardless of free or reduced lunch availability. Funding for the Michigan School Meals Program was included in the 2023-24 School Aid Bill approved by the state legislature. Under this program students can receive free breakfast and lunch meals each full school day. In addition to these free meals, students may purchase a second breakfast or lunch meal, snack items or a separate carton of milk, as desired.

In order to operate the program successfully, we are actively seeking additional Food Service staff members to work in our kitchens. If you or someone you know are interested in joining the Food Service team, please contact our Food Service department at 248-344-3690.

Finally, please be aware that the Michigan School Meals Program will supplement the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, meaning that parents of students who would otherwise be eligible for free or reduced meals should continue to submit applications for free or reduced meals for their students. Even though meals will be free this year, it is vitally important that parents who meet, or believe they may meet, the free and reduced income guidelines, submit an application to ensure maximum benefits for their students and the District. Some of these benefits include:

• Athletics and activities discounts for student fees associated with participating in athletics and activities programs
• SAT, ACT and AP test discounts for academic testing
• College application discounts for college application fees
• Discounted internet access services
• Federal, state and local school funding for school budgets
• Summer EBT

For the 2023 – 2024 school year, we are excited to again be partnering with School Toolbox to make ordering school supplies easy and convenient for our Penguin families.

With our customized School Toolbox kits, everything your student needs for the 2023-2024 school year comes packaged in one convenient box, customized to your teacher’s requests, and delivered directly to your home address.

Follow this link for your one-stop shop for back-to-school supplies: https://schooltoolbox.com/school-supplies/school/list-boxes/?schoolId=49913

Each grade has a customized kit. Your kit(s) will be sent directly to your house. Free shipping is available for orders over $75 – so consider combining your order with another family to save. Please allow 10 days for processing.

**Please note that the supply lists are simply suggestions of helpful items and are strictly voluntary, as the Northville Public Schools provide the necessary supplies and materials for your child's successful school experience.

If purchasing your own, please go to this link for a list of suggested supplies:

https://moraine.northvilleschools.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=351548&type=d&pREC_ID=765203

"Hello Mustang Community!

Northville Cheer invites you to join us on Oct. 3rd and Oct. 4th for our annual Pink Out Youth Clinic. The clinic will be hosted at NHS from 5-7pm and run by our Northville High School cheerleaders. At the clinic, participants will learn to jump, stunt, tumble and cheer. Our clinic is open to all students grades K-8.

The cost of the clinic is $50, proceeds will be divided between the Northville Cheer program and our chosen charity, Pink Sisters. Attendees must register by Sept. 10th in order to receive a clinic shirt.

Clinic participants are invited to attend the Oct. 6th game and cheer alongside the NHS cheerleaders for the first quarter in their pink out shirts.

We look forward to cheering with you!

Registration: https://forms.gle/4SuFkqcZK2f7Z6Tg7"

Quick Links for Reference

2023-24 Moraine School Calendar

Moraine Student Handbook

Moraine Snack Procedure and Birthday Treat Policy

Video Gallery Picture - Exciting NPS Events!

Moraine Parent Portal Link

Email: reimannjo@northvilleschools.org
Website: https://moraine.northvilleschools.org/
Location: Moraine Elementary School, Eight Mile Road, Northville, MI, USA
Phone: 248-465-2150
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/morainepta
Twitter: @MorainePenguins