HIAWATHA HIGHLIGHTS

Phone Number: 517-706-4500

Principal: Joseph Corr, joseph.corr@okemosk12.net

Administrative Assistant: Michelle Stover, michelle.stover@okemosk12.net

August 30 - September 2: No School K - 12 / Labor Day

September 13: Picture Day

September 23: No School; Teacher Professional Development Development

While construction continues, we will utilize door 13 in the front the building as the office entry point. Please use the door buzzer if you need anything during the school day. This is the door you need to use for assistant, to pick up and child, etc.

We will continue to use the other main entry door for end of day dismissal and beginning of day entry for students.

The construction crews are wrapping up the drywall in the new office space. The plan is to start painting the spaces this upcoming week. We are looking forward to the new office and appreciate everyone's patience as the crews work hard to keep moving towards completion. Here is a sneak peak of the tile and some of the finished drywall work!

For the safety of students and staff, all pets must also remain in vehicles and may not be brought onto school grounds, unless they are certified therapy animals.

Utilize the drop car line. Please do not park and get your child out of the vehicle in the CAR LINE . Staff members can assist with car doors if needed. We also have a staff member that will stop traffic at the designated crossing point. This is for everyone's safety. Thank you for understanding.

Only if your child needs assistance getting out of the vehicle and buckled into a car safety seat may you park in the parking lot and walk them across at the designated crosswalk area nearest the playground. If they do not need that assistance, you should not be parking in the lot and walking your child to the doors. Also DO NOT drop off in the bus lane. This is for busses only! The only exception is for before and after care (NOT during drop off and pick up times).

Caretakers,

As you may know, construction to the office begins this summer to create a secured vestibule. This scope of work will change procedures for the fall for students that are dropped off in the morning, and picked up at dismissal. The parking lot will occupy some of the construction equipment which will LIMIT parking options for staff and families. For this reason the following changes will occur:

1) All non bus families MUST use the drop off/pick up line for the 2024/25 School year. DO NOT park in the parking lot and walk your child to the doors. (Exceptions only for our youngest students who need parental assistance with 5 point safety harness seats. These families may park in the parking lot and use the crosswalk with the help of the crossing guard).

2) Please have your student exit from the passenger side of the vehicle and be ready to exit once in the drop off zone (this zone will be marked). Parents should remain in the vehicles during drop off. Please pull up as far as possible within the drop off zone (this is between the two drop off zone signs) to help with traffic flow and safety.

3) Designated pick up areas will be assigned by grade level (including kindergarten: which is new). Staff will assist students to their cars, and parents are asked to remain in the vehicles (unless you meet the exceptions and utilize the parking lot). We are continuing to adjust this to help facilitate a quicker dismissal. Your help is needed in this process and we thank you for your patience as we work to maximize safety and efficiency in the process.

4) Parents MAY NOT park on Summergate Lane to walk their students. We understand families walk to school, but we are asking to NOT park on Summergate Lane. You must find an alternative to keep the entrance drive from being overcrowded with vehicles on the roadway and keep the road clear for all traffic including BUSSES. Please respect this request to help keep our school safe and allow for a smoother dismissal process.

This information will also be sent out before the start of the school year for 2024/25. There will also be lessons and other reminders available closer to the start of school in the fall. Thank you so much for your understanding.

END OF DAY REMINDER:

If you arrive to pick up students at the end of the school day and there are students on the playground, we need you to refrain from entering the playground area until all students are inside from recess. During school hours the playground if only for staff and students. We ask this out of precaution and safety. Please wait on the front sidewalk near the drop off zone signs, in the parking lot, or in your vehicle until all Hiawatha students are in from recess. Safety is our priority and our signage at Hiawatha asks the public to stay off of the playground while school is in session. We will release your child to you when we conclude our activities for the day! Thank you for your help!

Caretakers:

While we encourage families to utilize the car line, we acknowledge that we have a lot of families that walk to and from school. We would like to encourage walking and provide a safe place away from the busy car line. As we continue to to evaluate the needs and adjustments to our dismissal process we are hoping to create a separate location for those families of non independent walkers. If your child is not an independent walker (meaning you walk your child home from school), there will be a new process we will be trying to help with an easier dismissal. We will be creating a new location to pick up these students at the end of the day. There will be staff members assigned to this location to ensure students connect with their adult. A communication will be coming SOON, once this process has been finalized. We are working with OPS Communications and our Safety Director to finalize the plan.

District Calendar

Lunch Menu

Dear Families,

Each year, all Kindergarten through eighth-grade students are given the NWEA Reading and Math assessments during the Fall, Winter, and Spring. Each screener will be given as a whole class supervised by your student’s teacher over a two day period during the weeks of September 3rd through September 13th. You do not need to do anything else to prepare your students for these assessments. In addition, if your student is absent, they will have an opportunity to complete the assessment on an alternate day during the testing window. We use these assessments along with other data to help us determine the specific needs of each student. If you should have any questions regarding the NWEA assessments please reach out to your student's classroom teacher. You can also reach out to our Instructional Coach, Adrienne Hagon at adrienne.hagon@okemosk12.net). Thank you for partnering with us for this important assessment!

Dear OPS Parents and Guardians:

Okemos Public Schools is committed to supporting the needs of the whole child. One way we are addressing the whole child is by identifying student strengths and areas for growth relative to social, emotional, and behavioral well-being. In our continuing efforts to support the well-being of all students, we will be administering a universal screener of social, emotional and behavioral health.

We will use the BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) to identify student strengths and areas for growth, which will be administered during the Fall (Sept. 3-13), Winter (Dec. 2-20) and Spring (March 31-April 18) assessment windows. Students ages 8 and above (3rd – 12th grade) will be invited to complete a self-rating screener that will take 5 to 15 minutes to complete. There are 28 questions.

This screener is NOT a clinical diagnostic tool. Rather, the screener provides us with a single data point that is used alongside many other sources of information to develop a multi-dimensional understanding of each student. We are using the data to inform decisions about school-based interventions and supports.

The opt out form can be found here

Kindergarten: 12:30 (12:50) - 1:10

1st Grade: 11:15 (11:35) - 11:55

2nd grade: 11:40 (12:00) - 12:20

3rd Grade: 12:05 (12:25) - 12:45

4th grade: 12:55 (1:15) - 1:35

**Please note that the times in parentheses are designated release times for each grade level to go to recess.

Please be reminded if you are dropping off your child(ren) for before care to do so at the marked cone area and not park in the staff parking spots in the back of the building.

Safety Patrol may be dropped off at the back doors. Before and after school care students can and must be dropped off in the back of the building.

Here at Hiawatha we use CR-PBIS to create a safe and culturally responsive approach to positive behaviors. This information is available on the Hiawatha Web Page

Curious about what CR-PBIS looks like here at Hiawatha, check out this slide show! https://bit.ly/3MFEQ8x

As students earn golden tickets, there will be an opportunity to becoming Leader of the Pack recipients. This section of the newsletter will be designated to recognize those students.

What the Health Team Does for Students

Spectator/Fan Code of Conduct

Dear Students, Families, and Okemos Community Members:

To ensure that everyone has an enjoyable and memorable experience at OPS athletic events, we established a spectator code of conduct that promotes sportsmanship, respect, and a positive atmosphere. A true display of sportsmanship involves treating opponents, teammates, coaches, and officials with courtesy and consideration. It embraces the acceptance of victory with humility and the acknowledgment of defeat with grace. As we come together to support our student-athletes, let's create an environment that fosters fair play, encourages teamwork, and showcases the true essence of sports.

The information below outlines the expectations of students, parents, and all spectators/fans​. Please review and remember this information so that we represent our school community in a positive manner at all times.

We have made a commitment to promote good sportsmanship by student-athletes, coaches, and spectators at all athletic events. Profanity, degrading remarks, and intimidating actions directed at officials or competitors will not be tolerated and are grounds for removal from the event site. Thank you for being a part of our team and creating a positive environment for everyone in attendance.

Go Wolves!

Mr. Ken Hintze, OHS Athletic Director
Dr. Dan Kemsley, OHS Principal

Ms. Allison Cironi, OHS Assistant Principal

Dr. Joe Schmidt, OHS Assistant Principal

Ms. Jody Noble, CMS Principal

Mr. Andre Ridley, CMS Assistant Principals & Athletic Director

Mr. Steve Stierley, Kinawa 5/6 Principal

Ms. Sara Roland, Kinawa 5/6 Assistant Principal

Ms. Lauren Schefke, Bennett Woods Elementary Principal

Ms. Tracy Ojerio, Cornell Elementary Principal

Mr. Joe Corr, Hiawatha Elementary Principal

Ms. Kelly Sundeen, Okemos Public Montessori Principal

Official Spectator/Fan Code of Conduct

Okemos Public Schools, in association with the Michigan High School Athletic Association, promotes interscholastic events and sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is an essential part of any athletic competition and is expected from athletes, coaches, officials, and fans. As a spectator/fan (student or adult) of OPS, we expect you to be an example of positive encouragement while supporting our athletes, coaches, and game officials. Your behavior should be positive, respectful, and encouraging of the athletes, coaches, officials, and the game itself.

All students in grades K-8 must be accompanied by an adult for the entirety of the event. Site supervisors must be able to find and speak in-person to a student’s adult if there is a medical emergency or behavior issue during the event.

We encourage:

• Enthusiastic support of your team

• Good sportsmanship

• Family-friendly atmosphere

• Commitment to safety

• Welcoming attitude to all fans and visitors

OPS respectfully asks that no food or drink or outside athletic equipment be brought into the gym/stadiums at any time.

Unacceptable behaviors:

• Disruptive or unruly behavior

• Foul or abusive behavior or obscene gestures

• Rudeness to fellow fans or OPS personnel

• Spectators are not allowed on playing surfaces at any time

• Use of alcohol or tobacco at OPS athletic events

Fans who display unacceptable behaviors will be subjected to sanctions, including refusal of admittance, removal, and/or arrest.

Any athletic official, including but not limited to, contest officials, Athletic Director, Principal, Assistant Principals, game site supervisors, and anyone else in an administrative role on the site, may uphold enforcement of an ejection.

While the Spectator/Fan Code of Conduct encompasses behavior expectations and consequences for both student and adult fans, OPS administrators may apply further consequences to a student for violation(s) of the OPS Student Code of Conduct. When determining consequences, school administrators may take into account a student’s history of behavior both at school and during extracurricular events.

Essential Components of Literacy at Home

Comprehension

1. Read fiction and nonfiction books together. Talk about the difference between made-up stories and facts.

2. When reading together, predict what will happen next in the story.

3. Listen to audiobooks together. They expose your child to language, how stories are built, and knowledge about the world!

Source: <https://www.readingrockets.org>

We are often asked by caregivers how they can support their children with the use of social media. This shared resource shares what and how apps are used; where kids can 'store' apps; and general ideas of how to support your kids through this digital world. Social Media parent guide

PTO Information

Get Involved:

Interested in joining the PTO for the 24-25 school year? There are plenty of opportunities to help at numerous events we host throughout the year. We will be updating our SignUpGenius throughout the year with these volunteer opportunities. Please watch for more information. Submit questions, concerns, or ideas to the PTO throughout the year. Your feedback is important, please share it with us here. https://forms.gle/s7UxKWTZ3nkdZMz28

PTO Meetings:

PTO meetings will be held the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Hiawatha library. Join us September 12th in person or on zoom.

https://zoom.us/j/93380193012

Hiawatha Apparel:

Hiawatha will host an online sale for spirit week class t-shirts and other Hiawatha gear. Items will be shipped directly to your home and 15% of all the revenue for each pre-order will support the PTO. Financial assistance is available, email hiawathapto1900@gmail.com or contact your classroom teacher for more information. Link is below and will remain open until September 3rd at 8pm.

Hiawatha Apparel

PTO Website

Be sure to check out the Hiawatha PTO website! This site has valuable information; upcoming event details, ways to volunteer, past meeting minutes and more. Please be sure to bookmark this website and visit often to stay up to date with all the PTO happenings: Hiawatha Elementary PTO

Contact Us or Join our Facebook Page!

Facebook - Hiawatha Elementary PTO

hiawathapto1900@gmail.com