The Falcon Focus

Flickinger Mission Statement

The mission of Flickinger Elementary School is to provide a caring, academic environment that empowers students to become responsible citizens and lifelong learners.

Dear Falcon Families,

I hope you are keeping warm and enjoying this long weekend. Even though this is a short week, our students still lots of fun learning opportunities to look forward to. We are excited to welcome an historian who will be presenting to our third-grade classes, and our sixth graders will be meeting with scientists from the Sterling Heights Nature Center. We will be sending students outside for recess when the real feel temperature is 10+ degrees so please remember to pack appropriate winter clothing.

Parent-Teacher conferences will take place on Thursday evening, February 6th from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Please be on the lookout for letters from your child's teacher regarding information about meeting times and locations. Kindergarten Open House will take place on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, 7:00 p.m. in the Media Center. If you have any friends or neighbors who are interested in our Early Childhood or Kindergarten programs, please encourage them to join us.

We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment here at Flickinger, and that includes our parking lots. Our goal is to keep the flow of traffic moving during pick-up and drop-off times, however, there are some critical things to remember to keep your child and other children safe. Drivers must remain in their vehicles at all times. If you need to exit your vehicle for any reason, please find a designated parking space. These spots are limited so we request that you “do the loop” and circle around the parking lot until one becomes available. Please do not stop in the loop and call children over to your vehicle while circling. This can be extremely dangerous and impedes the continuous flow of traffic. We encourage our students to use the designated walkway to get to parked cars but please be mindful for anyone coming out from behind parked buses.

As always, thank you for your continuous support and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have.

Pauline Roberts

January

22-Sterling Heights Nature center visit 6th Grade

23-Michigan Historian visit 3rd Grade

24-ZapZone Fundraiser

28-ATG in Media Center

28-Talent Show Blocking 3:30PM-6:00PM

28-Parent Group Meeting in the Media Center at 6:30PM

29-5th Grade Trip to DIA

29- Talent Show 6PM

February

5- Kindergarten Open House @ 7:00pm

5-Kindergarten Trip to Cranbook

6- Parent-Teacher Conferences

10-14 Jump Rope for Hearts

17-21 No School Mid-Winter Break

Nominations

Parents with students who receive Special Services are encouraged to submit the completed form, including the required supporting criteria to ensure eligibility for recognition of any staff that is making a difference in the life of a student with special needs.

Examples of staff to nominate for Make a Difference Award may be teachers, related service providers, paraprofessionals, administrative assistants, bus drivers, cafeteria staff or administrators.

Important Details:

Nomination Deadline: All forms must be submitted by February 14, 2025, to Laura Miskelly at the MISD via van mail, email at lmiskelly@misd.net or faxed to (586) 263-6240.

Award Ceremony: The recognition will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 6:00 p.m. at the MISD.

Forms are fillable and may be submitted electronically.

Please help us in recognizing the outstanding individuals who make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students with special needs.

Below are current and revised attendance areas scheduled for fall of 2027. The

attendance revision is made in conjunction with planned reconstruction at Havel

Elementary and Graebner Elementary. The reconstruction work is part of a

long-term vision for our schools that is focused on safety and designs that support

innovation, growth and achievement. The revised attendance areas provide more

students access to reconstructed elementary schools and reconnect communities.

Report cards are available on your parent PowerSchool account. The file can only be accessed through a web browser, such as Edge, Chrome or Safari. Please note that the link is not available through the PowerSchool App.

Directions on how to access the report cards are available at this link.

Utica Community Schools will send an email when the report cards are available. If you have issues accessing the file once it is available, please contact us at 586-797-4900 or email Pauline.Roberts@uticak12.org

Creating an account- PowerSchool / Creating a PowerSchool Account (uticak12.org)

Click through tutorial- PowerSchool - How to Create a Parent Account (iorad.com)

Parent sign in- Parent Sign In (misd.net)

Adding a student- PowerSchool / Adding a Student to PowerSchool Account (uticak12.org)

Resetting a password- PowerSchool / Resetting a Password (uticak12.org)

Click through tutorial- PowerSchool - How To Reset a Password (iorad.com)

Mobil app- PowerSchool / Mobile App (uticak12.org)

At the beginning of each year, we ask our families to complete the necessary paperwork for the school year. This year, most of those forms need to be completed online in PowerSchool.

All Parents MUST COMPLETE the Mandatory Forms NO LATER THAN Friday, September 6th for their student(s).

The instructions on how to access Power School Forms through a browser are below (the screenshot is below as well):

1. Log into Unified Classroom Parent Account (BROWSER ONLY – the mobile app will not work)

2. Click on Forms

3. Under General Forms click on "Annual Update"

4. Complete ONLY if there are changes to: Student Address, Student Contacts, Health Information

5. REQUIRED TO COMPLETE EACH YEAR – MUST be completed.

6. Complete any additional forms below (e.g. Technology Agreements)

If you have another student, please repeat the process for them.

• Free meals are in effect again this year due to Michigan School Meals being passed in the budget
• Families need to fill out Educational Benefit Forms (EBF) Paper forms will be coming home to each family. Families can skip the paper/pencil routine and go to https://utica.familyportal.cloud to apply online. This process is quicker than paper.
• Families with allergies need to have the MDE Special Dietary Needs Form filled out and signed by a physician every year. Please submit those forms to Ebeling office.
• Menus are available on Nutrislice at https://uticak12.nutrislice.com

Are you interested in seeing whether or not your child is eating their lunch? Are you curious as to who your child's friends are? Do you like to help? Then this may be the job for you!

We are looking for lunchroom and lunch recess supervisors. If you are interested in volunteering, all we would need is a Criminal History Check Form filled out and submitted. These take approximately two weeks to be processed and then you can sign up here

Flickinger spirit wear is now available to purchase online. Please click here to get to our online store. Flickinger spiritwear. You will find a fun selection of sweatshirts, T shirts, flannel pants and zip up hoodies. Grade Level T Shirts are also available. Order soon so you are ready for our upcoming spirit week events.

When is your child too sick to attend school? The following guidelines, along with the advice of your family doctor, will help you decide when your child should stay home:

• Cold and/or cough – a child with deep mucus that causes a cough and heavy nose drainage cannot function at school.

• Fever – fever is a warning that something is wrong. A child should remain at home for 24 hours after the fever is gone without the use of medication.

• Rash – a rash, spots or blotches on the skin can be the first sign of many illnesses. Rashes require a physician’s release stating they are not contagious.

• Stomachache/Upset – a child who is vomiting or has diarrhea should be kept at home and may return 24 hours after the symptoms are gone.

• Head Lice – a child with head lice must remain at home until treatment is complete and school officials confirm he or she is free of lice. Check your child’s head before school begins in the fall and routinely during the school year or if he or she complains of an itchy scalp. Look around your child’s ears and back of the neck for nits, which are tiny, 8 white, oval-shaped lice eggs that are attached to the hair near the scalp. Nits may look like dandruff or scalp flakes, but nits do not move and are difficult to dislodge. Notify the school office immediately if your child has head lice. Begin treatment immediately by contacting your doctor or purchasing over the counter medication from the drug store. To prevent spreading head lice, wash all infested garments, hair accessories, bedding and other surfaces with hot water and disinfectant. You must sign your child in at the office when he or she is returning to school after treatment for head lice.

Vacation Absences

Vacation or travel during school days is discouraged. Families should seek permission from a building administrator for an excused vacation absence prior to making any travel arrangements. The request should be made in writing at least one week prior to the vacation. Vacation absences of more than ten days in a semester will not be approved. Vacations taken without approval will be marked as unexcused absences. Arrangements should be made with the student’s teacher in advance as to timelines for completing class work. Homework may be requested and requires 24 hours to process.

We are asking for your assistance to ensure that our security procedures during the school day are effective. As many of you know, our school has a security camera, intercom, and buzzer at the front main entrance for use during the school day. To help us assist you when you would like to enter the school:

1. Please press the buzzer to speak with someone in the office

2. You will be asked to state your name and reason for visiting

3. You will be asked to show your photo ID into the security camera above the outside door

4. Office staff will then be able to buzz you inside

5. All visitors must immediately register in the office

In addition, we are asking you to not let any visitors in the door as you enter (and they come up behind you) or as you exit the building.

The teachers and staff are committed to student safety and security and we would like to thank you for your assistance in helping keep the students of Flickinger safe!

Follow us on Facebook to keep up with fun daily happenings and events at school.

If you have a student with medical concerns, a physician must complete and sign the health care forms every year.

Anyone working with students on the district's behalf requires a cleared background check every year prior to working with students.

Please refer to this file if you need translation services.

Please find the handbook for your reference

PowerSchool: https://ps.ucs.misd.net/public

Family Portal (Lunches): https://utica.familyportal.cloud

PaySchools: https://parent.payschools.com/categories.asp?id=31141EF5772F4EBFAD7ADFAE5A1727B7&

UCS Vision

Utica Community School, in partnership with our community, will empower students to positively transform their future and the world.

UCS Mission

Utica Community Schools ignites a passion for learning in all students. We strengthen our community by welcoming all learners, honoring culture, and inspiring remarkable growth and achievement.