Upper Elementary News

Our community members have supported our families in need for the holidays with an abundance of generous donations to support our 9 families in need. Mrs. Mollica's sleigh was overflowing this year!

The latest FPS Curriculum Quarterly is now available. Our Curriculum & Instruction Department will be releasing a new issue 4 times a year that will briefly highlight areas of teaching and learning in Ferndale Public Schools. We look forward to sharing our programming overviews with you.  If you have questions, please contact Johanna Mracna at johanna.mracna@ferndaleschools.org.

This issue focuses on our Mathematics learning goals and methods, presented by grade ranges. Please take a look, and stay tuned for future issues introducing our other pillars of education.

Read the Curriculum Quarterly for December 2020 - Math & Our Students »

In the beautiful, warm weather, FUEL students were invited to do some fall planting for spring flowers and veggies on Thursday, November 4th. We also did some more digging in the back gardens for potatoes and some much needed cleanup and soil enrichment in the BIG GREEN gardens in front of school. With the help of our new garden liaison–Emma R.–Ms. Hillebrand, Mrs. Jeffrey, the kids all had a great time. We can now look forward to beautiful tulips in the spring and some yummy garlic slips to cook up.

The library subscribed to Tutor.com this fall, which offers free live tutoring on top of a bunch of other cool stuff.  Students can get access to Tutor.com with their Ferndale Library card.

The latest FPS Curriculum Quarterly is now available. Our Curriculum & Instruction Department will be releasing a new issue 4 times a year that will briefly highlight areas of teaching and learning in Ferndale Public Schools. We look forward to sharing our programming overviews with you.  If you have questions, please contact Johanna Mracna at johanna.mracna@ferndaleschools.org.

This issue focuses on our literacy learning goals and methods, presented by grade ranges. Please take a look, and stay tuned for future issues introducing our other pillars of education.

Read the Curriculum Quarterly for October 2020 - Literacy and Our Students »

FUEL gardens are still serving the kids and the community nutrition and learning opportunities. Click the link to read Mrs. Hillebrand's letter about giant sunflowers, massive pumpkins, and potato hunting.

On Tuesday, October 13th, Mr. Davis and Mrs. Carp's Classes met up at FUEL for their first ever Pop-Up event, "Pop-Up. Drop-Off. Pick-Up". Students and families came to pick-up their October materials, drop off completed work, and enter a class raffle. Masks were required according to District Safety Guidelines. They even enjoyed popcorn, treats, and finally, a family photo opportunity. It was a lot of fun connecting in person! 

Ferndale Schools continues to provide contactless meal pick-up for children throughout building closures. Pick-up is available at the FMS North Entrance at 725 Pinecrest Dr. (glass awning pictured below):

• Monday
  • 9:00 am – noon
  • Breakfast and Lunch for Mon, Tues, Wed
• Thursday
  • 9:00 am – noon
  • Breakfast and Lunch for Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun

Meals include breakfast, lunch, supper & snack including milk. Vegetarian options are available upon request at curbside.

Special dietary needs and allergies will be accommodated, after a special form is filed with the Chartwells Food Service Office.

Learning Support Lab attendees are now receiving supper and snack at Ferndale Upper and Lower Elementary, in addition to breakfast and lunch. Children now go home with nutritious meals to be enjoyed daily!

This program receives support from the Children and Adult Care Food program to serve healthy meals to your children. For more information about the USDA nutritional standards used to guide meal preparation, please see the attached flyer.

• CACF Meal Flyer

Oakland Together has announced a new call-in tool offering guidance for parents and students. This telephone screening resource is available to assist parents in pre-screening and identifying potential illness in children prior to entering school buildings.

The hotline is supported by Beaumont, and all screenings are conducted by healthcare professionals. Hotline staff can help answer questions about COVID-19 symptoms, the need for testing, and what is considered high-risk.

COST: No cost for parents/guardians of Oakland County school-aged children
WHEN: 5:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Monday through Friday
October 12 - December 30, 2020
 

Call 248-551-4242 to reach the hotline.

Mrs. Jeffrey has started a Parent University series where parents teach other parents about different subjects.  With students learning virtually right now, the first presentation was on personal internet security. You can view the video on YouTube by clicking on the image below.

On Tuesday, FUEL students attending Learning Support Labs were able to harvest 1.5 pounds of carrots–planted by Mrs. Winne and her son–and 2 more pounds of potatoes. Squirrels have been busy harvesting as well, but there are still more harvests to be had this fall!

Learning Support Lab students at FUEL took a break Wednesday to work outside and get some fresh air. A member of the 5th grade garden club and several other 4th and 5th graders went in search of a potato harvest in one of the back gardens at FUEL.

Planted in the spring after the building was closed, the Big Green gardens and the back raised beds still did their thing with the help of 2 dedicated FUEL parents–Christine Martin and Keri Winne–and Ms. Hillebrand as the planting and watering team!

The kids were able harvest about 7 pounds of potatoes, with enough left in the ground for another harvest day. The front gardens will also host a harvest day pop-up for students to pick some carrots and potatoes and gather dried flower seeds on the calendula plants to save for next year. We will keep families posted on the pop-up dates.