UHS News

Starting on July 1st, Ferndale Schools will be transitioning to a new communication platform, replacing Q Communication with Remind.  While we understand how frustrating it is to learn a new system, this decision was made after careful deliberation and consultation with many staff and community members.  

What is Remind?

If you're not already familiar with Remind, it's a classroom communication tool that makes it easy to stay involved with your child's learning. Remind is free to use, and you'll be able to get and send messages on any device—even a simple text message from your phone!  Remind uses email, text, and telephone calls to help you communicate with individuals or groups quickly and safely.  Many staff, parents, coaches, and students may already be experienced in using Remind.

How does this impact me?

Families are automatically signed up to receive communication from their child's school, teachers, and Ferndale Schools. In order to receive emails, telephone calls, and even text messages, all you have to do is maintain your contact information and manage your personal preferences within our student information system, MiStar. Click here to update your contact information in MiStar.  If you do not remember your login information, please email mistarhelp@ferndaleschools.org.

As part of this rollout, official accounts will be created for all the educators, parents, and students in Ferndale Schools. Around the 1st of July, you'll receive an email or text message from Remind. All you need to do is follow the steps in the message to finish setting up your account. Watch a video demo here to see how Remind works »

Thank you for your patience and flexibility as we roll out this new system. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask.

FHS and UHS seniors celebrated a major milestone this past weekend, and the commencement ceremony is available for viewing anytime at FerndaleSchools.org/grad or on our district facebook page. Congratulations, Seniors!

In conjunction with Lighthouse, St David's Episcopal Church in Southfield will be distributing 20 lb boxes of fresh produce every Thursday through August. Boxes will contain potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, cabbage, apples and strawberries. The hours of the distribution are Thursdays,  9:30 am – 1:00 pm. The church is located at 16200 12 Mile Rd, Southfield, MI 48076.

Thursdays 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
St David’s Episcopal Church
16200 12 Mile Rd, Southfield, MI 48076

2007 FHS graduate Katy Olesnavage, a Thermal Hardware Engineer for SpaceX, was on Mission Control for the Crew Dragon rocket launch. The rocket successfully delivered two astronauts to the space station. Way to go, Katy!

During times of crisis, our students need extra support to process their emotions. The Michigan Cares Portal offers Michigan families and educators FREE digital lessons designed to help students in grades K-12 develop the skills required for social, emotional, and mental well-being. This portal will be freely available until the end of the 20-21 school year.

Register for Free

Topic covered include:

• Mental health
• Stress management
• Time management
• Goal-setting
• Nutrition and wellness
• Anger management
• Social media use (pressures and responsible use)
• Respect
• And hundreds more!

Read More about Michigan Virtual's Social Emotional Learning

We have an unusual summer ahead of us.

Typically, during the summer, it’s important for kids to have less structure than usual, so they can relax and recharge. This year, the needs of our students may be a little different. They may need routines & structured learning opportunities in a way they didn't in years past.

Michigan Virtual is offering Online Summer Camps & Courses for grades 3-12, a safe alternative that allows students to keep learning and potentially even earn school credit.

Search their Full Course Catalog

This week, we received the results of a community survey conducted by the City of Ferndale through the Cobalt Community Research Company.  This survey showed tremendous gains in the community's perception of Ferndale Schools compared to the previous time the survey was conducted in 2009.  Below you will find several slides showcasing the tremendous growth.

While we are very excited to see this renewed confidence you have shown in our progress, we also want to assure you, that as an organization committed to continuous improvement we will not rest on our laurels but rather continue our efforts to provide each student with the world class education they deserve.

Ferndale School Family is looking for volunteers to be part of the District Wellness Committee. The committee will support our new Strategic Plan goal to examine, motivate, and ensure physical, mental and nutritional health and overall wellness for our entire school family. This committee will be comprised of families, community members, secondary students, and staff members. If this is of interest to you, please email Dina Rocheleau at Dina.Rocheleau@ferndaleschools.org.  

Our first meeting will take place on March 23 at 4:00 pm, Ferndale High School, Room 333. Once the team meets, we will make a collective decision on what dates and times work best for the team.

UHS Student Council visited Forgotten Harvest today. We packaged 3,240 pounds of grapefruit! The kids had a wonderful visit!

As part of the Leadership class at University High School, small groups of students are planning and implementing service projects for the UHS community or the community as a whole. UHS students Bobbie Bolden, Robyn Bolden, Tatiana Wilbourn, Anthony Boudreaux, and Lamoune Meeks held fundraisers and donation drives to support Common Ground Sanctuary in Oakland County. Common Ground Sanctuary helps teens and young adults suffering from substance abuse, housing insecurity, suicidal tendencies, and other challenges. Last week, they delivered their donations, which will go to these young people in the residential crisis centers.

Nya Williams made the University high school family proud as our first Finalist in the Advanced Web Design contest sponsored by Michigan Women in Technology. Her impressive website highlighted a Braille development aid. Using HTML and Javascript, the website had outstanding functionality and sleek design. Nya was awarded an honorable mention, a cash prize, and a backpack full of tech goodies. Way to go, Nya!

This week's eblast is all about travel, near and far, and just in time for holiday traffic! Students went to Campus Martius, to Stanford, and even to Merry Old England. Drive safe out there, everybody. See you next year!

Weekly E-blast – December 20th, 2019