WELCOME TO
Ferndale Upper Elementary School
Grades 3-5 & Montessori (K-2)
About FUEL
When our Second Graders transition to the Ferndale Upper Elementary School (3rd - 5th Grade) they benefit from a more focused curriculum that challenges everyone to ask questions, seek answers, and develop leadership skills. Parental involvement is a key component of this program, fostering a partnership between school and home. Parents regularly volunteer inside the classroom, for school events or provide enriching support for their child at home with home-school projects.
Ferndale Upper Elementary is also the new home to Ferndale Lower Elementary Montessori.
Bell Schedule
- 8:38am to 3:38pm (M,T, Th, F)
- 8:38 to 2:38pm (W)
Links
MISTAR Free /Reduced Lunch Form
Elementary PTA Facebook Page
Authorization to Administer Medication Form
Forms
2021 Welcome Back Letter
Welcome to Upper Elementary Letter
2021 School Supply Lists
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30 May
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FLower and FUEL: 5th Grade Camp 9:20 AM to 9:00 PMFLower and FUEL: 5th Grade CampDate: May 30Time: 9:20 AM to 9:00 PMLocation: Ferndale Upper El (Kennedy) - FUEL Off PremisesCalendar: Ferndale Upper Elementary Calendarlocation TBA
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31 May
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Early Release Wednesday (excluding ½ days or non-student days)Date: May 31Location: All Sites - All SpacesCalendar: Ferndale Upper Elementary Calendar
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FUEL: Last Early Dismissal Wednesday @2:38pm 8:00 AM to 2:38 PMFUEL: Last Early Dismissal Wednesday @2:38pmDate: May 31Time: 8:00 AM to 2:38 PMLocation: Ferndale Upper El (Kennedy) - FUEL Building WideCalendar: Ferndale Upper Elementary Calendar
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FLower and FUEL: 5th Grade Camp 9:20 AM to 9:00 PMFLower and FUEL: 5th Grade CampDate: May 31Time: 9:20 AM to 9:00 PMLocation: Ferndale Upper El (Kennedy) - FUEL Off PremisesCalendar: Ferndale Upper Elementary Calendarlocation TBA
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All District: Early Release Wednesday 2:30 PM to 3:30 PMAll District: Early Release WednesdayDate: May 31Time: 2:30 PM to 3:30 PMLocation: Ferndale Upper El (Kennedy) - FHS Building Wide, FMS Building Wide, FUEL Building Wide, Lower El BuiCalendar: Ferndale Upper Elementary CalendarEarly Release will occur every Wednesday throughout the school year beginning the first Wednesday after Labor Day through the last Wednesday in May (excluding ½ days or non-student days)
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Girls Run Club Completes 5K
The FUEL Girls On The Run Club completed a 5K this weekend. The coaches wrote a heartfelt congratulations:
To our awesome girls on the run: Fantastic job this weekend! We are so, so proud of you for training so hard all season and going all out for our 5k. Even as the temperature rose and the breeze stopped, the girls kept pushing through and finished strong. They went 3.1 miles! It has been such a pleasure coaching for you amazing girls this season. Congrats on completing your first 5k, and we hope to see you run many more. Great work on an awesome season: Alma, Chloe, Phoebe, Frankie, London, Kyra, Alona, Charlotte, Chelsea, Miriam, Violet, Margot, Apple, Izabella, Brooklyn, Tyler, and Sophia!
With love, your coaches: Coach Sophie, Coach Kyla, Coach Danielle, and Coach Adam

Teachers and Support Staff of the Year Honored!
Superintendent Goodrum, her cabinet, and several members of the Board of Education surprised select teachers and support staff with gifts this week as part of a Teacher and Support Staff of the Year award presentation. You can view photos of the honorees below. We are so proud of these outstanding educators and team members who make student growth so spectacular at Ferndale Schools.
FECC Teacher of the Year: Shelby Martin
FECC Support Staff of the Year: Jennifer Krycian
Ferndale Lower Elementary Teacher of the Year: Glynis Tyler
Ferndale Lower Elementary Support Staff of the Year: Megan Meloche
Ferndale Upper Elementary Teacher of the Year: Anton Gjonaj
Ferndale Upper Elementary Support Staff of the Year: Raequan Allen
Ferndale Middle School Teacher of the Year: Bridget Guerra
Ferndale Middle School Special Education Teacher of the Year: Brad Tanguay
Ferndale Middle Support Staff of the Year: Geraldine Perry and Katelyn O'Bear
Ferndale High School Teacher of the Year: Michael Hand
Ferndale High School Teacher of the Year: Kandis Pagonas
Ferndale High School Support Staff of the Year: Sharon Stone
University High School Teacher of the Year: Lauren Thomas
UHS Support Staff of the Year: Flaudia Quaker (unpictured)
TCEC Teacher of the Year: Ellie Kotulis
TCEC Support Staff of the Year: Roger Hunt (unpictured)
Central Office Support Staff of the Year: Tammy Foster
Bus Driver of the Year: Wendy Gambill
Bus Driver of the Year: Erricka Thomas
Bus Driver of the Year: Nikki Anderson

Coding and Programming Resources Now in 3rd Grade
Students in Mrs. Nagaj's class is so excited to be learning with new Smart Robots and coding Micro:bits! At a recent Computer Science and Robotics bootcamp, 3rd Grade Teacher Shannon Nagaj learned about Michigan's K-12 Computer Science curriculum. As additional encouragement for teachers to bring this into their classrooms and equitable share these learning opportunities, Oakland Schools partners with MiStem Network and Square One Education to offer classroom grants. Mrs. Nagaj wrote a grant and was one of five teachers selected to receive a classroom kit (15) of tiny cars and Micro:bits. Her students have unplugged & plugged coding lessons weekly and are looking forward to building and programming their Tiny:bit Smart Robots and Micro:bits. We can't wait to see these tools in action!

5th Graders Battle Over Book Knowledge
Ferndale Area District Library staff were on hand last week to host 2023's 5th grade Battle of the Books competition! The 3 Musketeers (Everett MacAuley, Madeline Weakley, & Helen Zamborsky) came out on top in a very competitive trivia-style competition where nearly THIRTY teams competed! We also want to give a shout out to the team voted "Best Name" by our Ferndale Librarians - congrats to The Perfect Loaves (Jasmine & Jocelyn Gooden-Bulger, Leonard Graves & Morgan Karnick).
Each year, FUEL 5th graders are challenged to read and study 5-6 novels and become "Battle Book Experts!" This year's selections included a diverse cast of characters, cultures, and formats, including The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell, Sea Sirens by Amy Chu & Janet Lee, Once Upon an Eid by S.K. Ali & Aisha Saeed, The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, Rick by Alex Gino, and Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac.
Participants were able to keep their copies of the books at the end of Battle. Many thanks to our Ferndale librarians for their incredible creativity in putting this together this year, as well as to our 5th grade students and teachers for all of their reading and hard work leading up to the Battle! Shout out also to our family volunteers for helping put on the event!
Points of Pride
- Elementary band, orchestra and choir lay the foundation for "One of the Best Communities for Music Education" award
- Award-winning Green School
- Outdoor Education experiences
- All-School play/talent show
- Food drives and service learning projects
- Active parent, volunteer and tutoring programs
Dig Deeper
Our Staff

Principal: Katie Jeffrey
Katie Jeffrey is a graduate of Ferndale High School and Michigan State University and has been a Ferndale Public Schools educator since 2005. After working as a teacher and administrator at University High School for eleven years, Mrs. Jeffrey became the FUEL principal when it opened in Fall 2016 and has worked with the incredible FUEL staff to live into both our School Charter and our FUEL vision of focusing on the whole child - where we help to fuel student engagement, empowerment, and joy in their individual learning by focusing on the power of relationships.
Mrs. Jeffrey can be reached by contacting the school office at 248-547-0880 or via email at katharine.jeffrey@ferndaleschools.org.