Dear Parents, March is an exciting month with several motivating March is Reading Month activ-ities. This year our reading theme, “Rock N Readers”, has been a big hit! We have been starting our mornings with reading parody pop music that promotes rocking’ reading. Be sure to stay informed with our March is Reading Month calendar as each day we have motivating reading activities that Mrs. Conley has planned! http://crissmanmediacenter.weebly.com/march.html Have fun this month as stu-dents Read Like Rock Stars! The third marking period ends on March 31 that is hard to believe! As always, the teachers and I will continue to focus on learning for all students as we encourage students to engage in reasoning, problem solving, communication, and collabora-tion. We are committed to preparing students not just for the opportunities that we know about today, but also for the economic and intellectual challenges of the future. We cannot accomplish our mission without your partnership and parent support. According to the research, the most accurate predictor of a student’s achievement in school is not income or social status, but the extent to which that student’s family is able to: (1) Create a home environment that encourages learn-ing, (2) Communicate high, yet reasonable, expectations for their children’s achievement and future careers, (3) Become involved in their children’s education at school and in the community. The resulting benefit of your time and effort is well worth the aspirations and success of your child. I am very proud of the success and growth that our students have shown so far this school year and we will con-tinue to monitor and nurture students so they can reach their personal learning goals. As you know, regular attendance in school is important in helping students to be successful in school. In the event that your child is absent due to a chronic health, a verified physician’s note would be helpful so we have record of your child’s case. Some of you may have received attendance letters from me in the past and I want-ed to clarify that Utica Community Schools district attendance policy (#5115) is to keep you informed on the status of your child’s attendance. According to the policy, after the tenth and fifteenth absence a letter is to be sent to the parent/guardian from the principal. After the twentieth absence, Pupil Services may initiate a court referral, depending on the case. I know that students stay home due to chronic ill-ness. Keeping in contact with me when there are several absences is the best way for us to work together. Thank you for your support. Sincerely,

Renee A. Fiema Principal

Crissman Elementary 53550 Wolf Drive Shelby Twp., MI 48316 PH: 586-797-4300 FAX: 797-4301 ATTENDANCE: 797-4399 SACC: 797-4350 http://crissman.uticak12.org/

Inside this Issue:

NotefromthePrincipal

HelpWanted!

DistrictCalendar

PlaygroundRules

SuperStars

CrissmanCalendar

LunchSystem

BreakfastInformation

Menu

Waste‐Free

Wednesdays

Recycling

EnrichmentClasses

YearbookInformation

March 2017

Position: Lunchroom Supervisor Days: Part-time or Substitute Benefits: Being looked up to by all of those

smiling faces

Being considered a HERO by the office staff

Unlimited hugs

Your own personal whistle

Fresh air and exercise on a daily basis

Contact the office at 797-4300 for more information

2016/2017 UCS District Calendar  03‐31‐17   Early Dismissal 12:04 p.m.  04‐03‐17   Spring Break  04‐10‐17   Schools Resumes  04‐14‐17   No School ‐  Good Friday  05‐26‐17   Memorial Day Weekend  05‐30‐17   School Resumes  06‐15‐17   Last day of school 

Upcoming Events: April 2017 April 3rd - 7th

No School Spring Break April 9th

School Resumes April 12th

PTA Meeting/Bagel Day April 14th

Career Focus Luncheon The 24th Career Focus Luncheon for all district sixth graders will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, May 3 and May 4, 2017 at the Palazzo Grande in Shelby Township. The annual event is sponsored by the Utica Community Schools Foundation. Parents are invited to sponsor a table and share their career and college experience. For more information, please visit the Foundation’s website at www.ucsfoundation.org or call 586.797.6953. The UCS Foundation for Educa-tional Excellent is an independent 501(c)(3) organization comprised of community volunteers.

Evening of Excellence Gala The Evening of Excellence Gala will take place on Thursday, March 9, 2017 at the Palazzo Grande in Shelby Township beginning at 6 p.m. The UCS Foundation is proud to be announce our ninth year of hosting an event that supports the Superintendent’s Scholarship Fund and the UCS art and music programs. Musical talents from the district’s high schools will perform along with a UCS student. Works of art will be available for purchase. Info on tickets to the Gala, which includes dinner, entertainment and art sale are available by calling the UCS Founda-tion at 586.797.6953 or online at www.ucsfoundation.org. The UCS Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) organi-

To  donate, please follow the link:  https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/886957/2017     

Crissman’s Second Annual Family Dance. Thank you to Mrs. Del Greco and all the Volunteers that made the

If you need to contact Crissman…..

Main Office (586)797-4300 Absence Line (586)797-4399 The Works (SACC) (586)797-4350 Fax Machine (586)797-4301

School Hours 9:00 a.m.—3:50 p.m.

Children will not be allowed to enter the building until 8:50 a.m. each morning. Please help your child(ren) time their arrival according-ly. Children who must arrive earlier need to be en-rolled in our Child Care program. Please contact “The Works” (SACC) for more information

Requesting Early Dismissals

If you will be picking up your child(ren) earlier than the regular dismissal time, please come to the office to sign them out. The office staff will be happy to call your child(ren) down. If someone other than the student’s parent will be picking up a child, please send in a note to the of-fice or call the office in advance. We will not release a student unless we are informed by the student’s parent. Procedures are in place to keep our stu-dents safe. Our staff will always take time to check the emergency card and ask for proper identification, prior to releasing a student. We would rather be overcautious when it comes to this important matter. Please make sure to keep your child’s emergency care updated with any changes throughout the year.

Absences To report your child’s absence, please call our Absences Line at (586)797-4399.  When you   

report your child’s absences, please clearly state 

your child’s name, teacher, reason for, and length 

of the absences.  The Absences Line is available  

24 hours a day. 

Safe Snacks Any questions about safe snacks for children with allergies, please visit:

 

 

Lunch

Students may either bring their own lunch to school or purchase a hot lunch. Lunch with milk is $2.75. Students may purchase just milk for $.45. Please review the monthly hot lunch menu with your child. It is very important that students who wish to purchase hot lunch order the day before, and reconfirm they are buying the day of. NOTE: Parents can set-up a lunch account online at www.sendmoneytoschool.com

Lunch Time

LIFE, Kindergarten 11:45—12:25 Grade 4 Grades 1, 3, 5 12:10—12:50 Grade 2, 6 12:35— 1:15 All grades eat lunch first, recess after

Free/Reduced lunch Free/reduced lunch is available to families that meet the eligibility requirements. Forms are available in the main office. A new form must be completed every year. You may also complete the form online at lunchapp.com.

When Should Your Child Stay Home From School

Protecting your child’s health and prevent-ing the spread of illness to other students is one of our parental responsibilities. Please keep your child at home if you notice any of the following illnesses:

Contagious Diseases

Inform the school immediately if your child develops any of the following diseas-es: Chicken Pox, Hepatitis, Mumps, Strep Throat, Scarlet Fever, Impetigo, Scabies, Lice, Flu, Pink Eye, Rheumatic Fever, Ringworm, Hard or German Measles

Elevated Temperature (Fever)

Your child must be fever-free without medication for a full 24 hours before re-turning to school.

Vomiting and/or Diarrhea

Your child must be symptom free for a full 24 hours before returning to school.

Suspicious Skin Rashes or Suspicious Infections

We appreciate your support in this matter . If you should have any questions regarding your child and an illness, please do not hesitate to call the school.

Administration of Medication

UCS policy requires an Authorization for Medication form be filled out for ALL medi-cation that is administered to students dur-ing the school day. Students sometimes need to take medication at school. If this is the case, the school may administer either prescription or non-prescription medicine — but only when au-thorized by the student’s parent/guardian and the child’s physician. A medical doctor’s signature is required on all forms. For con-venience, these forms can be faxed to the Crissman office at (586)797-4301. We thank you in advance for your support.

Lost and Found

If your child loses something during the school year, please have them check the Lost and Found Area. All unclaimed items at the end of the school year will be donated to charity.

Visitors In accordance with UCS district policy, everyone entering Crissman Elementary must report to the office. Our office staff will be glad to help you. If you are volunteering or just visiting, you will need to sign in. All visitors will be given a Visitor badge to wear while inside Crissman Elementary. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Upcoming cold and flu season…

1. Avoid close contact. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your dis-tance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

2. Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

3. Cover your mouth and nose. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

4. Clean your hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

6. Practice other good health habits. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

Playground Rules Reminder Recess is a great opportunity for students to get some fresh air and ex-ercise. Each day, students have two recess opportunities, one at lunch

time and another in the afternoon. Each recess period is supervised by two adults for each playground. A doctor’s note is required to excuse a student from recess for more than two days. Utica Community Schools playground

guidelines are: Remain on school property Play in assigned areas Use playground equipment properly Show respect to adults and other students Quietly line-up and return to classrooms at the end of recess. STUDENTS MUST NEVER: Play games involving fighting, roughhousing, kicking or tackling others

- this includes football. Bring hardballs - such as baseballs and golf balls - and/or bats to

school Throw or kick snow, snowballs, sand, rocks or wood chips

Picture Re-take

Waste-free lunch is back!! Please help Crissman go green by packing your child a waste-free lunch and snack It is estimated that on average a single school-age child generates 67 pounds of lunchtime waste per school year, or 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for one average-size elementary school. A large part of this waste is perfectly good food. At Crissman, we produce approxi-mately 24 bags of trash every day at lunch. Here are some easy ways you and your child can help: Items to pack: Food in reusable containers Drinks in a reusable bottle Cloth napkin Reusable spoons and forks (a Ziploc bag is handy for storing dirty utensils) A reusable lunchboxSnacks bought in bulk and put in reusable containersItems to avoid... Plastic bags, foil, wax paper Prepackaged single-serve lunch items (cookies, crackers, etc.) Paper napkins Disposable drink boxes, pouches, cans, cartons, and bottlesDisposable forks and spoonsHere are a few suggestions for making it work: If you don't do so already, try packing lunches the night before and storing them in the re-frigerator overnight. Make your children responsible for placing their own lunchbox near the door or in the car. Teach your older children how to make nutritious, waste-free lunches and let them make their own lunches. Cut up fruits and vegetables and pack them in reusable containers. That way, children can eat some and save the rest for later. Older children can take responsibility for washing their reusable containers or rinsing them and putting them in the dishwasher. Encourage kids to bring home non-perishable leftovers that can be eaten laterThere are many options for reusable lunch containers. If you need some ideas, here is a direct link: http://www.reuseit.com/reusable-snack-bags-and-reusable-sandwich-bags/reusable-snack-bags-and-reusable-sandwich-bags.htm