DeKeyser News

Dear DeKeyser Families,

February is Black History Month, a time when we celebrate and honor the important contributions, achievements, and voices of Black Americans throughout history and today. Throughout the month, our students will engage in age-appropriate lessons, read stories, and participate in activities that highlight courage, creativity, leadership, and kindness.

At the elementary level, Black History Month is about helping children understand fairness, respect, and the idea that everyone’s story matters. Students will learn about influential Black leaders, artists, inventors, and everyday heroes who helped shape our country and continue to inspire change.

We encourage families to join the conversation at home by reading books together, asking your child what they are learning, and celebrating the many ways people make a difference in our world. Together, we can help our students grow into thoughtful, inclusive, and compassionate individuals.

Thank you for partnering with us as we celebrate Black History Month throughout February.

Warmly,

Shannon Hathcock

The 2026-2027 PreK for All pre-application opens December 9, 2025. PreK for All is a free preschool program funded through the Michigan Department of Education, Please see the attached flyer (14A).

To be eligible for the 2026-2027 school year, children must be four years old on or before September 1, 2026.

Click here to apply

🍫 DeKeyser Elementary World’s Finest Chocolate Fundraiser! 🍫

Get ready for a sweet way to support our school! Students can participate in the World’s Finest Chocolate fundraiser by returning a signed permission slip — this is required before any chocolate will be sent home. Boxes of delicious chocolate will be delivered to students at the end of the school day for them to take home and sell. Please remind your child not to open the box until they get home. All money collected is due Friday, February 6, 2026. Thank you for helping make this fundraiser a success!

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Chocolate Fundraiser Form.pdf

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February 2026

VIP Parking: Lisa Dicker

Black History Month

American Heart Month

Dental Health Month

Monday, Feb. 2

Groundhog Day

Smencil Sale

Chocolate Sale

8:00 – ATG Meeting

8:15 – Student Council – Meeting in 5th / 6th Grade Learning Community

6:00 – 7:00 – Cub Scouts – Gym / Wall Up

Tuesday, Feb. 3

Chocolate Sale

Smencil Sale

5th Grade DIA Field Trip

3:55pm – 5:10pm NASA Academy of Future Space

Wednesday, Feb. 4

Smencil Sale

Chocolate Sale

Bubbles Boutique – School Store Open Durning Lunch

Beautification Team – Students meet during lunch recess

4:00 – 5:30 – Choir Club – Music Room – Pizza Provided

Thursday, Feb. 5

Smencil Sale

Chocolate Sale

3:55pm – 5:10pm Macomb Crew Soccer (Gym)

Friday, Feb. 6

Frozen Friday - $1 Popsicle Sale
Bagel Order Forms Sent Home – Order Forms Due Wednesday – Bagel Delivery Friday

Smencil Sale

Chocolate Sale

Last Day for Chocolate Sale

Progress Reports Available

3:55pm – 5:10pm Art Around (Art)

Sunday, Feb. 8

Superbowl Sunday

PTCG 2026 Bowling flyer (1) (2).pdf

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February 2026

VIP Parking: Lisa Dicker

Black History Month

American Heart Month

Dental Health Month

Monday, Feb. 9

Chocolate Sale

8:00 – ATG Meeting

9:30 – Jeanette Counselors visit DeKeyser

Tuesday, Feb. 10

Chocolate Sale
Group Pictures/Kaiser Studios

9:30 – Davis/Bemis Counselors visit DeKeyser

3:55pm – 5:10pm NASA Academy of Future Space

6:00 – PTCG Meeting

Band Cluster Concert @ Stevenson

Wednesday, Feb. 11

Happy Birthday Brandee Gibson! 🥳

Chocolate Money Due

Bowling RSVPs and Money Due Today

Bubbles Boutique – School Store Open Durning Lunch

Beautification Team – Students meet during lunch recess

4:00 – 5:30 – Choir Club – Music Room

5:00 – 8:00 – Winter Conferences

Thursday, Feb. 12

5th Grade Growth and Development

3:55pm – 5:10pm Macomb Crew Soccer (Gym)

Friday, Feb. 13

Frozen Friday - $1 Popsicle Sale

Bagel Day

Happy Birthday Meghan DeCarlo! 🥳

3:55pm – 5:10pm Art Around (Art)

Thank you SO MUCH to all the dads and daughters that joined us for our Life of a Snow Girl Daddy Daughter Dance on Friday night! It was an absolutely magical event that was full of dancing, excitement, and beautiful memories to last a lifetime. We appreciate all of you that joined us and hope you'll check out some special photos on our DeKeyser PTCG Facebook page. A tremendous thank you to Mrs. Russo, Ms. O'Keefe, Mrs. Ritz and Nicole Luebs for making this event possible. Be sure to check out how incredible this night was for our DeKeyser girls on our PTCG Facebook page. Thank you so much for making the Daddy Daughter Dance the most special time for our little ladies!

A huge congratulations to Mrs. Distelrath's second grade class for winning our Coin Wars this week! Their classroom will get to enjoy a visit from the Dolphin Delights cart on Friday, February 6th that will be absolutely stocked full of snacks, treats, candy, and treats for our champions!! Bravo to all our coin-collecting kiddos in Mrs. Distelrath's class!

We can't wait to go bowling at Five Star Lanes with all the families that registered for the event on Saturday, February 28th from 1:00-3:00pm. Our DeKeyser families will enjoy an afternoon of bowling, pizza, and raffle baskets prizes with their school community. Please be sure to turn in your bowling form and payment by February 11th to join us. A humungous thank you to Niki Kevonian, Stephanie Steffes, and Tracie Barnes for organizing and charging this event!

Please remember that PTCG will be selling Sweetheart Smencils next week from Monday, February 2nd through Friday, February 6th. Each Smencil costs $2 and will be delivered to classrooms on Friday, February 13th. These make a wonderful treat for friends and kiddos to enjoy for Valentine's Day!! Thank you so much!

DeKeyser Elementary CARE Closet Drive

The CARE Closet helps make sure all students feel comfortable, confident, and ready to learn! We are restocking essential supplies and welcome your donations of new or gently used clean clothing and footwear (no holes/heavy stains). We especially need children and youth sizes. New items still in original packaging are required for underwear, socks, and feminine products.

What to Donate:

Clothing & Footwear: pants/shorts, athletic shoes, jackets/coats, hats, gloves, scarves (new or gently used)
New Items Only: children’s underwear, socks, and feminine pads/liners

How to Donate:
Drop off items at the DeKeyser Elementary main office on school days from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Questions or large donations? Contact Sarah Keilman at sarah.keilman@gmail.com.

Thank you for your generosity!

Small acts of kindness make a big difference in our school community!

Click here to sign up

There has been an increased request for food assistance resources recently. The following are resources that can be shared with families regarding food assistance in Macomb County:

Macomb County Food Resources by Community 9.26.25.pdf
Macomb Community Food Resources
https://www.uwstclair.org/Food
https://pantrynet.org/mobile-distribution-events/Gleaners Mobile Pantry Drive Up Distribution Events
https://www.forgottenharvest.org/find-food/ Forgotten Harvest Mobile Pantry locations
https://mi211.org/food-assistance Michigan 211 Food Assistance Programs and locations

Click Here to Download the Raptor Safe App

We are asking for your support to help keep our students safe. If you plan to volunteer in our classrooms, work directly with a student and/or chaperone a field trip, etc. you will need to have a volunteer background check on file. The new volunteer application form is located at this link: www.uticak12.org/volunteer. The background check involves multiple state and federal law enforcement databases. We greatly appreciate the involvement of our families and the difference you make at DeKeyser Elementary. Thank you for your partnership with this extra step that will improve safety in our school.

A few reminders: