Late Starts: (2024-25 School Calendar)

February 26

March 5, 12, 19, 26

February 14 - 18: Mid-Winter Break

February 28: PTA Sweetheart Dance 5:30 - 8:00 PM

March 5: All City Orchestra @ Royal Oak High School

March 6: 1st Grade Concert - Rescheduled date

There is no school scheduled from Friday, February 14-Tuesday, February 18. Have a wonderful Mid-Winter Break!

We will be back in school on Wednesday at 8:25 a.m. Please note that school starts at the regular time.

Due to our most recent school closures, Report Cards will now be available to view online starting Wednesday, February 5, at 2:00 p.m. through Parent Portal on the Royal Oak Schools website. There is a Report Card tab on the left side of the screen that you need to click to access your child's Report Card. If you have any questions or need help accessing your child's report card, please contact the Oakland Schools Help Desk at 248-209-2060.

This free event has been well attended, so reserve your space now. This year we will watch the brand new Cities of the Future movie highlighting how engineers are making plans for a more sustainable world! After, students will build and test a Magnetic Levitating (Maglev) train. Popcorn will also be provided! See a preview of the movie Here.

Monday, February 17, 2025. 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Oakland Schools Building 2111 Pontiac Lake Road Waterford, MI 48328

Recommended for 3rd to 8th Grade Students.

Sign up to attend here: www.tinyurl.com/dreambig25

Royal Oak Schools is inviting community members to join Superintendent Mary Beth Fitzpatrick and Royal Oak High School seniors for a special lunch event, Soup & Salad with the Super, on Friday, March 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Leo Mahany/Harold Meininger Senior Center (3500 Marais, Royal Oak).

This free event is an opportunity for senior community members to enjoy a warm meal while engaging in meaningful conversations with the district’s leadership and students. Guests will be served a delicious lunch featuring two kinds of soup, salad, bread, and cookies.

Royal Oak Schools values building connections between students, educators, and the broader community. This gathering is designed to foster engagement, encourage discussion, and strengthen relationships across generations.

Interested attendees can sign up in person at the senior center, call 248-246-3900, or register online using the following link: https://forms.gle/JueR8VzvQ6a9rKRD7.

According to BeSMARTforKids.org:

• Firearms are the leading cause of death for American children and teens.

• Every year, nearly 360 children in the US under the age of 18 gain access to a firearm and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else.

• More than 700 children living in America die by gun suicide every year, and secure storage can play a crucial role in preventing those deaths.

• 3/4 of school shooters acquired their firearm from the home of a parent or close relative.

Michigan State Police has provided Royal Oak Schools free gun locks to distribute to families or staff members. If you have unsecured weapons in your home, please help to keep our children safe by stopping by the main office at your child's school or the District Administrative Offices at 800 DeVillen, Royal Oak, to pick up a free gun lock.

National PTA is the oldest and largest child advocacy association in America. For 125 years, PTA has worked with school communities and decision makers to solve the toughest problems in our nation’s history. PTA is a nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education.

National PTA Position Statements outline the opinion, will or intent of National PTA to address national problems, situations or concerns that affect children and youth. National PTA Resolutions serve to formalize and focus the positions of the organization and are an important part of the association's advocacy work.

National PTA Advocacy

National PTA Positions and Resolutions

Are your children safe while online? Michigan families, especially minors, are becoming inundated with advertisements from alcohol, tobacco, pornography,illegal drugs and gambling marketers through different internet and cell phone inboxes. Thankfully, the State of Michigan offers a free program to stop adult advertisements from reaching e-mails, text messages, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Discord, TikTok, Twitch and Twitter. The Michigan Child Protection Registry, is a free do-not-contact service for Michigan’s families and can be located at www.ProtectMIChild.com.

Protecting your children online is extremely important. You can sign your entire family up for the Registry and inform your friends and colleagues about how they can protect children and families from unwanted adult advertising. To sign up, it only takes a few seconds. Just go to www.ProtectMIChild.com and keep your family safe.

Royal Oak is proud to be a watch site for the 2025 African American Read-In. Oakland Schools will host author Jacqueline Woodson as our guest for this year's read-in (virtually). She's the award-winning author/illustrator of numerous critically acclaimed books for children. The first 500 Oakland County households who register will receive a copy of one of Jacqueline Woodson's books.

See flyer below for more information and use the link or QR code within to register.

Royal Oak Schools invites students to showcase their creativity in the "Why Compost?" contest! Participants can submit either:

• A 500-word essay or
• A 12x18 poster on the benefits of composting.

Deadline: March 7, 2025
How to Submit:

• Email essays and digital posters to communications@royaloakschools.org
• Drop off physical posters at the District Office (800 DeVillen, Royal Oak)

Grand Prize: A composting bucket and a tree planted in the winner’s honor on Earth Day, April 22, 2025. Winners will also be featured in the district newsletter, at school, and on social media.

Winners will be announced on March 24. Let’s celebrate sustainability together!

Join us for an afternoon of history, creativity, and community at the Royal Oak Historical Museum on Sunday, February 23, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Experience the powerful story of the Hamer Family’s journey on the Underground Railroad, explore the Tangled Web exhibit, and meet Shaelyn Simms, author of Journey to Freedom: The Hamer Family Story. Shaelyn will share the creative process behind her graphic novel at 3:00 p.m.

Activities include:

• Storytelling by the ROHS Diversity Club
• Art projects hosted by the ROHS National Art Honor Society
• Light refreshments

Copies of Journey to Freedom will be available for purchase ($5 – cash or Venmo). Please bring a new pair of socks to donate to Outreach on Seventh.

Royal Oak Historical Museum
1411 W Webster Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48073

Learn more: www.facebook.com/hamergraphicnovel

Join us for the Community Resource Fair on Thursday, February 27 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Royal Oak Farmers Market.

Hosted by the Community Engagement Advisory Board in collaboration with Royal Oak Farmers Market, and the Royal Oak Inter-Club Council, this event offers families the chance to:

• Explore Interests: Learn about community resources, opportunities, and volunteer initiatives.
• Find Answers: Connect with local organizations and experts to address questions and concerns.
• Foster Connections: Build relationships with fellow community members in a welcoming environment.

Last year, 191 entries and dozens of storefronts came to life with colorful student artwork. Only 16 days left for submissions, with cash prizes and the opportunity for student art to be viewed by the 600,000 monthly visitors to the district. The rules and entry form are located here: https://www.romi.gov/1827/I-Love-Royal-Oak-Drawing-Contest

I Love Royal Oak Drawing Contest

Dear Addams Families,

Thank you for your feedback and patience as we took a deeper look at our current practice of looping in grades 1,2,4 & 5. Over the past year, our leadership team collected and analyzed feedback from stakeholders, behavior and academic data, and current practices related to Social Emotional Learning. We focused our study on the impact looping has on relationships, social-emotional growth, behavior, academics, and transitions. That analysis and conversations with all stakeholders gave us valuable insights into the benefits and challenges of being a looping building. I summarized the main takeaways below.

Benefits shared by members of all groups:

• Positive peer relationships built over time

• Deep connections with teachers for both students and parents

• Deep knowledge of students throughout a loop

• Ease of beginning the second year of a loop

Challenges shared by members of all groups:

• Difficulty when peers experience continued behavior/conflict concerns

• Difficulty when parent/teacher relationship has challenges

• Concerns about teachers mastering curriculum/new curriculum when switching grade levels

• Ability to provide consistent professional development for teachers when moving grade levels yearly.

• Transitioning out of a loop

After this process and careful consideration, I have decided to move away from the current looping structure at Addams, beginning with the 2025-26 school year. I recognize that the benefits of looping are important pieces to creating a positive learning experience for all of our students. I believe we have created systems and built a culture as a whole school that will allow us to continue to have those benefits. Our staff, students, and families make Addams a special place, and we will continue to work together to ensure the very best for our students.

will work with staff over the next couple of months to solidify teacher/grade-level placements and provide updates as that work is completed. We will create new class lists for all students this spring and I will continue to provide an opportunity for parents to share feedback for that process as I have in past years. Please reach out if you have questions or would like to discuss this further.

Trombone Shorty

Author: Troy Andrews

Illustrator: Bryan Collier

Focus: Black history month, community pride

This picture-book autobiography follows the rise of a young trombone player in New Orleans and describes the support and encouragement he receives from friends and family.

Please check out the January edition of the English Language Development (ELD) newsletter. The ELD department serves the multilingual student population in Royal Oak. Inside you will find updates from ELD staff, information about upcoming events, and a recap of ELD students' accomplishments and activities in the month of December.

Link for the newsletter is below!

Please see Mrs. Maria Elliot's Newsletter before. She provides art for our ASD, Developmental Kindergarten, and Ms. Parker's class!

In the Art Studio w/ Mrs. Maria

Click the link to learn more about Mr. Woodward's Art Class.

Please click on the link for an update on Vocal Music!

Mr. Watson's Newsletter

Curriculum Information

Please click the link for Mrs. Glowacki's Newsletter.

Please use the following link to learn more about what is happening in Mrs. O'Dell's Spanish class!

https://secure.smore.com/n/g9425-spanish-news?ref=email

Parking reminders: Please be sure to not park in the back parking lot as that is for staff only between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. Webster Road, the East side of Clawson and the West side of Linwood is DROP-OFF ONLY areas from 8:10 to 4:00, Monday through Friday. Parking is available beyond the school staff parking lot to the North of the building (around the playground) and down side streets South of Webster. Thank you in advance for adhering to these parking rules so that we can keep all of our students safe.

• It is requested that all adults arriving and departing from the school be particularly cautious and mindful of the children and adult pedestrians in the vicinity of the school.

• Students should enter and exit on the passenger side of the vehicle only.

“Blessings in a Backpack” is a program designed to provide students on the free and reduced lunch program with enough food for three meals a day during the weekends. This program, administered by the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester, is active in Royal Oak Schools. If you agree to take part in this program during the school year, your child will receive a bag filled with food for the weekend. A bag of food will be put in your child's locker for take home on Fridays. The simple meals may include food like macaroni and cheese, beef ravioli, canned fruit, granola bars, soups, juice and other items. Students will receive a bag every week.

If you would like to have your child participate in this program, fill out the form below.. Please be sure to indicate on the form if you child has any food allergies. If your child has a food allergy, you as the parent are responsible for checking all food labels when the food arrives home. Royal Oak Schools, as well as Blessings in a Backpack, will not be held responsible for any accidental food allergen exposure.

Blessings in a Backpack Form

If your child needs to take medication throughout the school day, please fill out the following form and return it to the main office. Thank you!

Request for Dispensing Medication

Addams Media Center Policy 2024-2025

Sweetheart Dance tickets are now available! In order to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for guests, the dance will have a capacity limit this year. Tickets may sell out. Be sure to purchase your ticket in advance to guarantee your spot!

Link to purchase tickets: https://app.givebacks.gives/snowball2025

Link to volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C4AA8A72FA46-54672734-sweetheart#/

Addams PTA will be participating in the Royal Oak St. Patrick's Day parade on March 15th. Anyone who attends Addams can join our group! We are hoping to have a good sized group of Addams families to participate!

Please click the link below for opportunities to volunteer during lunch and recess. The Lunch Buddy program is an awesome way to support your child and all of the students of Addams!

The Justice, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion committee is inviting YOU to join us in our mission to have students feel seen, supported, empowered, and valued while cultivating a community that looks out for others. Meetings are held virtually every other month (starting October) after the general PTA meeting. Register at addamspta.com for meeting link. We hope to see you there!

2024-2025 Calendar: A calendar for the 2024-2025 school year is now available! Building and program specific calendars, as well as a complete calendar for our current school year, are all available from the calendar page of our district website.

Principal, Addams Elementary and Early Childhood Center

Email: Timothy.boyer@royaloakschools.org
Location: 2222 West Webster Road, Royal Oak, MI, United States
Phone: 248-288-3100