Upper Elementary News

COVID-19 Vaccines are now available to ALL MICHIGAN RESIDENTS AGES 16 AND UP. The resources below will allow you to register conveniently, or visit FerndaleSchools.org/District/Health/Vaccine for our vaccination page.

• Ford Field Vaccination Site

• Meijer Clinics Vaccinations

• Rite Aid Vaccinations

  • Rite Aid also offers Free COVID-19 testing for Ages 4+

• Kroger Vaccinations

• Walmart Vaccinations

County Vaccine Distribution

• Oakland County Vaccinations

• Macomb County Vaccinations

• Wayne County Vaccination Page

Learn more about the COVID Vaccine from the Center for Disease Control (CDC)

The Ferndale Equity Development Team will hold a quarterly community meeting on

Wednesday, April 14th
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

If you are interested in joining, please email Robyn Camblin for Zoom information Robyn.Camblin@ferndaleschools.org.

Chartwells is excited to announce a new program: the monthly nutritional enrichment calendar. The calender is a PDF with clickable links available at FerndaleSchools.org/return/meals/#enrichment. Every day features two links:

• Elementary student activity in green
• Secondary student activity in orange

These activities are a part of the after school meals program. QR codes with these same links are being placed in the actual meal bags for parents and students to easily access daily enrichment activities. Click the link or the image to view or download the calendar.

April Nutritional Enrichment Activities Calendar

We are approaching the holy month of Ramadan ( Ramadan 2021: Sundown on Tuesday April 13 – sundown on Wednesday, May 12, 2021) for our Muslim students and staff. Ramadan commemorates the revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad (according to Muslim tradition). During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink from dawn to sunset, and the month culminates with a holiday called Eid al-Fitr, a three-day celebration that involves praying, visiting relatives, exchanging gifts, remembering deceased loved ones and helping those experiencing poverty. Children are not required to fast until they reach puberty, but some do choose to fast regardless of their age. The last 10 days of Ramadan involve intense religious devotion, which may contribute to absence from school.

Here are some helpful resources to learn more about Ramadan:

• Nadia’s Ramada Short Film
• “Islam and Muslims”
• How Teachers Can Support Students During Ramadan
• Teaching About Ramadan and EID

You can view more about what we are doing in our schools to support student's celebrating Ramadan by reading the full article.

Ferndale Upper Elementary (FUEL) hosted a reading pop-up before Spring Break, including free books for kids and a fun bookmark dyeing craft. All of these books were donated by parents to share the joy of reading with more families in our community. Thanks to everyone who came out, and a special thanks to parent Carrie Muxlow for putting the pop-up together!

As Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman spoke recently to our nation:
"...there is always light,
if only we're brave enough to see it.
If only we're brave enough to be it."

We are going to shine our lights in the community and spread messages of hope, dreams, peace, love and kindness for all to see. In the materials that students picked up last week, there was a bag for each student to decorate and a battery light. We are asking ALL students to create a bag with their special message and let it shine at your home on the evening of Friday, February 5th. Then, I encourage families to walk or drive around our school communities and see the unity that we share together as a School Family!  This project is being completed by students at Ferndale Early Childhood, Lower and Upper!

Additional bags are available at the Ferndale Lower Elementary Office M-Thr from 8:00 am – Noon while supplies last for others in our community to participate. Masks and social distancing are required at all Ferndale Schools locations at all times.

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.