The Gator Gazette

Earlier this week, we celebrated our very own "Mr. Ron". Mr. Ron is our new day custodian this year and has quickly become a fan favorite of our students, staff, and volunteers. He works hard, cares about kids, and loves the Tigers, Lions, and Pistons (and the Wolverines). Aside from that last one, what more could we ask for :)

Thank you, Mr. Ron. We appreciate you every day, especially on National Custodian Appreciation Day!

With several fun occasions throughout the school year and a few of them coming up soon, now is a great time to review our school policies around these fun events.

Please read the following excerpt from our Student Handbook related to Parties / Treats / Holidays:

• Generally, classrooms celebrate the following days with class parties: Halloween, December holidays, Valentine's Day, and the end of the school year. Birthday celebrations can be noted with a small, non-food token. In an effort to support healthy life choices, the district is requesting your support in this matter. Please clear these tokens with your child’s teacher. Please note that invitations for birthday parties, other celebrations, or play opportunities taking place outside of school MAY NOT be distributed at school.
• In accordance with District policy, no weapons of any kind (real or toy) are permitted at school, and may not be included as a part of a Halloween costume. Students may be asked to remove masks or other portions of a costume that may interfere with their work or which might be disruptive to the rest of the class.

Of special note is the section regarding birthdays. Although we appreciate the joy and excitement that comes with a birthday, it is District policy that children may not bring food items to share with others either at school or in a "goodie bag". This includes candy as well as all food items.

Suggestions, if you are interested, might include purchasing a gift for the class in your child's name such as a book or pencils for each student. You might also donate playground items for the class or indoor recess items such as board games, card games, puzzles, etc.

We do our best to minimize classroom interruptions during the day and we appreciate your help in doing so. To assist us and as we work together as a TEAM, please note/remember the cutoff time to sign out your child(ren) from school remains 3:15pm. After 3:15, our building is abuzz with students and staff taking care of final learning tasks for the day and a late dismissal is highly disruptive to this process.

Thank you for your understanding.

School Breakfast - This year, the state of Michigan has continued to provide free breakfast to all of our students. We have noticed that a significant amount of breakfast food is going to waste and is being thrown out. It seems like a good number of students are not hungry or do not like what is on the menu. To help reduce this waste, we kindly ask you to talk to your child about their breakfast preferences.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

The TC Office

I am excited to share with you that this school year represents the 30th year of Thornton Creek! And yes, that means TC is older than a few of our staff :)

To honor the event, I have arranged for a former student to return and snap a building-wide photo of us using his drone camera!!

To help make this special, and easy, we are going to take the photo on Thursday, October 10th immediately following our Leader in Me assembly. Please have your child(ren) wear their grade-level colors and staff will be wearing our colors so we can represent as one TEAM!

TEAM COLORS:

Kindergarten - Blue

1st - Pink

2nd - Red

3rd - Orange

4th - Yellow

5th - Green

• October 28th
• November 13th
• December 9th
• January 13th
• February 10th
• March 10th
• April 23rd
• May 12th

With Halloween steadily sneaking up on us, it is just the right time to provide a few noteworthy items.

First up, Thornton Creek will be having our annual Costume Parade on Thursday, October 31st @ 9:15. As always, we will have two routes mapped out for the event. Route A will be for if the weather cooperates and we can parade around the OUTSIDE of the building. Route B will be for inclement weather, in which case we would parade through the building. Please know that families are welcome to attend regardless of the weather as we will be prepared to host either way :)

Second, each year I receive several inquiries as to what is acceptable or not as it relates to student costumes. Please see the "Costume Check" below for answers to most, if not all your costume queries.

COSTUME CHECK:

I am excited and ready for Halloween!

Let's see if my costume is ready too!

IS MY COSTUME...

Appropriate for school? (no pretend weapons & no bloody makeup)

Something I can sit, learn, and have fun in?

Something I can take off all by myself?

Something I am comfortable in?

If you answered YES to all of these questions...you are ready!

Northville Public Schools is still seeking individuals for Para Professional roles in the District. Specifically, we have current needs at Thornton Creek Elementary, Silver Springs Elementary and Winchester Elementary. Hours are 8:20 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. These positions adhere to the school year calendar and are benefit eligible with an hourly rate starting at $15.97. If interested, the application process can be started here: https://www.applitrack.com/resa/onlineapp/_application.aspx?posJobCodes=27909&posFirstChoice=Support%20Staff&posSpecialty=Paraprofessional by clicking on the "Apply" button for the K12 Paraprofessional posting found at the bottom of the page.

Each year, our 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade students demonstrate their growth and learning in music during an evening event called an "Informance". An informance is an opportunity for students to both perform and to share what they have learned about music over the course of the year.

Young readers rely on strong background knowledge to fully understand the books they read.

You can help your children expand this knowledge through reading, conversations, and hands-on experiences like family outings. The Michigan Activity Pass (MAP) offers library cardholders discounted access to cultural destinations, parks, and recreation areas across the state—a great way to make learning fun and memorable!

Be in the know – learn more about what is happening in your child’s school and district
Tap into a network – meet school and district staff as well as fellow parents and connect with valuable resources
Be part of the solution – have a voice and help make positive changes in your child’s school

Next Meeting dates are:

10/8 @ 9:00 AM - Grade 5 Presents!

11/6 @ 9:00 AM ( Wednesday meeting due to election day)

1/14 @ 6 PM - Grade 4 Presents!

2/11@ 9AM - Grade 2 Presents!

3/11 @ 9 AM - Grade 3 Presents!

4/8 @ 9 AM - Grade 1 Presents!

5/13 @ 9 AM

Join TC PTA Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/920347345361627

Race Details

Date: Sunday, October 13th

Location: 8 Mile Stadium (formerly Tom Holzer Field), Northville

Start Time:

• 5K Run/Walk: 9:00 AM
• Kids Dash: 10:00 AM

All ages and abilities are welcome! Whether you’re racing or walking, this event is a fantastic way to support Northville as we gear up for the week’s culminating event – the Baseline Blitz Tailgate on Friday, October 18th, before the big Northville vs. Novi football game.

Pricing:

• 5K Run/Walk: $30 (through October 12th), $35 on race day (online registration only)
• Kids Dash: $10 (through October 12th), $15 on race day (online registration only)

Click here to register!

Race Swag & Awards

All 5K and Kids Dash participants will receive a t-shirt (register by September 30th to guarantee your size).

Awards for top male and female finishers by age group and overall categories.

Our Staff Appreciation Committee is partnering with Fuller Farms to provide mini donuts to our entire staff on Wednesday, October 23rd. Thank you to our Staff Appreciation Committee and to Fuller Farms for this "sweet treat" :)

The Staff Appreciation Committee is trying to work with our local business community to show EXTRA love and well, APPRECIATION for all of you EXTRAORDINARY TC staff members. We started at the best place, right here at TC and The Czaps who co-own Ascension Brewing, put me in touch with their General Manager, who was MORE than happy and excited to show their love/appreciation. Including 50% Off All Appetizers during Teacher Appreciation Week!!

Website: https://thorntoncreek.northvilleschools.org/
Location: 46180 West 9 Mile Road, Novi, MI, USA
Phone: 248-465-2350
Twitter: @CreekGators