Office of the Superintendent
Dr. Bobbie Hayes Goodrum was selected by the Ferndale Board of Education to lead Ferndale Schools, beginning in July 2022.
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Greetings Ferndale Family and Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all who celebrate!
We have had an exciting week as usual here in the Ferndale Schools. Below you will read about our wonderfully talented Symphony Band and our Wind Ensemble and their recent accomplishments. Additionally, the FHS Boy’s Basketball team was victorious in both of their games this week. Let’s continue to cheer them on as they move toward participating in the State Championships next weekend! I would also like to shout out University High School for their amazing Black Excellence Celebration. We truly have the best of the best in the Ferndale School District.
Next week marks the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan Mubarak to our entire Muslim community. Next week is also our last week of school before Spring Break. Let’s make sure we head into next week ready to work and have fun!
Greetings Ferndale Family!
March is finally here! March is my favorite month for many reasons: Reading Month, Women’s History Month, the first day of Spring and my birthday . While we are entering this month under the threat of an impending snow storm, I am looking forward to our eventual shift out of Winter.
We have so many amazing artist and programs from early childhood to high school, and several of them were on display this week. Lower Elementary students presented some amazing artwork to the board and our admins on Monday, and our champion Winterguard team is in full swing this season. We love seeing all of the art our students are creating—visual, musical and performative—at all levels. You can see some of our student's artwork for yourself at the student art show, open now at at Affirmations in Ferndale (290 W Nine Mile Rd) until March 22nd. Artwork is featured from many students at CASA, a collaborative program serving students from Berkley, Clawson, Ferndale, Lamphere, Madison, Oak Park and Pontiac.
This month will be filled with activities and information. We are busy planning for our Summer programming and next school year. We are revisiting our policies, procedures and codes and are making sure that we are doing everything we can to offer our students the best support possible. Fill out the form below to participate in hiring decisions and stay tuned for more opportunities for our community to be engaged in our planning processes.
I look forward to seeing you!
With Eagle Pride,
Bobbie Hayes Goodrum, PhD
Greetings Ferndale Family,
This week many of our students, staff and community members are in shock and mourning due to the untimely death of one of our high school students. There has been a great deal of speculation about how our student passed, but in our conversations with the student’s family the cause of death has not been confirmed. Please continue to keep the student’s family, friends and all who loved them in prayer. The family appreciates the outpouring of support they have received and thanks you in advance for respecting their privacy.
January 27 is internationally recognized as Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD). This day commemorates the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp and is a day for learning more about the past and promoting action that ensures that all people are safe from discriminatory persecution. We must never forget the atrocities we have witnessed, lest we see them repeated.
Take care of yourselves and one another.
Happy New Year Ferndale Family!
Hopefully everyone had a relaxing break and a fantastic first week of school. We have been very busy around here and I am happy to announce new members of our Administrative Team: Mr. Robert Tolbert is our new Director of School Community Relations and Pupil Accounting, Mrs. Terri Faison is our new Director of Human Resources and Mrs. Dawn Huntley is our new Director of Finance. You will be hearing more about our new team members next week.
Eagle Excellence Time! Geraldine Perry shows she is a dedicated and exemplary employee. She goes above and beyond to make sure that all students feel her love and get her attention daily. She is committed to making children feel safe and works closely with teachers to ensure a positive learning environment for all students. She dedicates time after school to help girls in grades 6 -8 to see the good in themselves, make positive connections with staff, and uplift each other. She is definitely what Eagle Excellence should look like! Thank you Mrs. Perry for sharing your time, talent and treasure with Ferndale. Remember if you would like to nominate someone for this acknowledgment, please complete this form, or submit their names anytime at https://tinyurl.com/eagleexcellence22 . We want all our staff to know that we recognize their hard work!
With Eagle Pride,
Bobbie Hayes Goodrum, Ph.D.
Superintendent, Ferndale Schools
Greetings Ferndale Family!
We have officially had our first snow day of the year. I hope you all were able to incorporate the extra day into your Winter Break without too much difficulty. Don’t forget we are still looking for individuals to join the Ferndale Public Schools Health and Wellness Committee via this form and we will be back in January with new Eagle Excellence acknowledgments submitted via this form. Please stay safe and warm during the break. Relax, reflect, laugh and spend time with loved ones. We will see you all next year!!
With Eagle Pride,
Bobbie Hayes Goodrum, Ph.D.
Superintendent, Ferndale Schools
District News
Montessori Students Explore the Origins of Writing
The Montessori students at FUEL have been studying the history of writing, following the 4th Great Lesson in the Montessori curriculum. On Thursday, they gathered natural materials outside to make paintbrushes. Lead teacher, Amy Pommereau, showed them how to grind charcoal between two rocks and mix in snow, much like early humans may have done, to make black paint. The children practiced grinding charcoal sticks with a mortal and pestle and then painted with the paint they made.
They added chicken feathers, milkweed seeds, and broom corn to make their paintbrushes, and tied them with synthetic sinew. Ms. Jen Boudoin, FUEL LATA and parent of a former Montessori student, led the children through the process of making paper. Each child was able to make their own piece of paper from recycled class paper, flower petals, and mineral flakes! We had a great time learning about early processes that led to writing!
FPD Officer Shares a Book with Students
In celebration of Reading Month, Mrs. Trolinger's third graders were super excited to share a story from Ferndale police officer, J. Mahlmeister. They really enjoyed that she read one of their favorites, Officer Buckle and Gloria, while in uniform.
Music & Movement Combine for Colorful Fun at FLower
This week was “Parachute Week” at Ferndale Lower! Kindergarten through second grade Music and P.E. classes combined together to do cross-curricular and cross-grade level activities with the parachute. There was so much laughter, fun, and learning! There was folk dancing, popcorn balls, mountain climbing, tents and more that incorporated essential skills of working together. Music and gym classes promote social emotional learning in a natural and organic way. It was so much fun!
Golden Eagle Author & Illustrator Visit FUEL Classroom
FUEL had the opportunity to host our very-own-guest author and illustrator this week when students were joined by former Ferndale Golden Eagles Greg Williamson (5th grade teacher at FUEL) and Greg Abele! Mr. Williamson graduated in 1989, and this was Mr. Abele's first time back in Ferndale since 1984! They presented on the writing process, illustrations, and the innovation behind their book, What's the Recipe for Friends?
Mr. Williamson has published two other children's books with Peerless Press, and all three can be ordered direct at a discounted rate.
- Why Do I Have to Wear Glasses?
- How Do I Cure This Cold?
If you would like to purchase a copy, please download the form below and turn into the Ferndale Upper Elementary office with cash or check payable to Peerless Publishing along with your contact information.
Symphony Band Scores A Masterpiece
This past weekend, the Symphony Band played at MSBOA Band and Orchestra Festival and got straight 1 (superior) ratings from all 3 judges in performance, and a 2 (excellent) rating in sight-reading. That means a strong 1 rating overall.
Ferndale Director of Bands Elon Jamison reported, "The auditorium chairperson was blown away...Lots of directors have said things about the consequences of COVID about their performances today, but he said that it didn't sound like Covid had impacted us at all." Mr. Jamison praised the students for their hardwork since September that earned this high score. "I am SO proud of them. They've shown up every day and gotten better. I would say they've probably exhibited at least a year and a half of growth, in only 6+ months."
In addition, Wind Ensemble performed today (March 17th) at the Great Lakes Concert Band Festival at Easter Michigan University. This event is a non-rated, non-competitive festival affiliated with Bands of America, the national concert and marching band organization. It featured twelve high school bands from around the state (as far as as Manistee and Traverse City), as well as a performance by the EMU Wind Symphony.
Wind Ensemble performed a challenging 25-minute program, and did a phenomenal job. Performing groups were assigned a clinician after each performance, and Ferndale was fortunate to work with Dr. Stephen G. Peterson—recently retired Director of Bands at University of Illinois. While he gave them plenty to work on, he also had high praise for their musicianship and achievement. "When he was told that Ferndale HS has a student enrollment of less than 700, he was floored with what they played and how they played it! He assumed we were a large suburban school of 1500 students or more," Mr. Jamison said.
We are all so proud of our Golden Eagles and cannot wait to hear their beautiful sounds once again. The next performance of Symphony Band and Wind Ensemble will be on Wednesday, May 3, at 7:30 pm in the FHS Auditorium.
Celebrating Love of Reading with the Superintendent
March is Reading Month, and we are bringing in friends and neighbors from all around town to show students their favorite books. Superintendent Goodrum stopped by Mrs. Lusk's 4th Grade classroom to read Magnolia Flowers by Zora Neal Hurston, adapted by Ibram X. Kendi, and illustrated by Loveis Wise.
Drumming with Ms. Lori
Ferndale Early Childhood Center spent two days drumming away with Lori Fithian, creator of Drummunity. Ms. Lori brought in many tall hand drums and a diverse range of other percussion instruments for some high energy, interactive fun! Our littlest eagles loved to create beautiful music together: shaking to the beat, beating to the rhythm, and bringing out the sound in everyday instruments from muffin tins to salad bowls! More information about Lori and the traveling program can be found here: Drummunity.com
UHS Hosts College Fair
UHS hosted a college fair in partnership with the Michigan College Access Network this week. Over 50 colleges and universities were in attendance. UHS students enjoyed learning about different options for their post-secondary studies. Thank you to all of the institutions that came to present these opportunities to our students!
