Star Team Weekly

Email and video directions from Mrs. Alex Miller:

We are excited to introduce a new two-way communication tool available through PowerSchool. This tool is designed to send messages in real-time through the PowerSchool app and web version to keep you connected with students and families.

Please encourage parents to download the PowerSchool app on their phones to get connected. Additional resources regarding the features of this tool will be shared at a later date.

Please review this video to learn how to get started, and reach out to help@kalamazoopublicschools.net for support as needed.

School Assembly will take place on Friday, September 5th at 9:15 AM. This year grade levels will be called down to the gym. Please be ready to leave your classrooms by 9:10 AM, 4th and 5th grade please be ready by 9:05 AM.

Bus Training

The Transportation department will be sending buses to train students on bus expectations on Tuesday, September 2nd.

The schedule is as follows:

9:00: 5th grade and 3rd

9:20: 2nd and 1st

9:40 4th and Kindergarten

Where: The bus lane

Please be on time to the bus lane. We will announce the next group as bus drivers finish up training sessions with each grade level, however we will try to stick to this time line.

We wish the following team members well...

It's my job to keep the classroom/school safe. It's the children's job to HELP keep the classroom/school safe!

• Thank you to Mrs. Stempek for the love, care, and pride she has put into our library. It looks amazing!
• Congratulations to Ms. Brown, our Teacher Advisory Council representative.

Thank you for the wonderful visits last week to get dip stick data on the start to our school year. "Look fors" were as follows:

• Posted I Can Statements in student friendly language
• Student-Teacher created Classroom Family Agreements/Social Contracts
• Evidence of Routines, Procedures, or a Classroom Management Plan in place
• Evidence of Conscious Discipline/School Family Implementation
• Calm Down Corner/ Safe Space in the classroom

I will be placing a copy of the feedback form in your mailbox for you this week. Grade level data graphs will be shared with the teaching team.

I am seeing wonderful things, keep up the great work!

• Lesson plans are due in the drive by Mondays at 9:00 AM starting September 8th, 2025.
• Block Schedules were to be turned into the Block Schedule Folder/Google Classroom by Friday, August 29th. Place a copy of your block schedule and put in the Block Schedule folder. Also print a copy and hang outside of your classroom/door.
• Ensure you have principal permission to be in the building on days without students, and you notify the principal when you arrive and leave. This ensures the safety of the building and prevents the alarm from going off due to unknown staff in the building.
• AT - Academically Talented Program Letters will go home to parents soon. AT will begin on September 15th, and will take place on Wednesdays. Students will be picked up at 9:05 AM and return at 12:00PM. They will eat lunch at Arcadia. A student list will be shared.
• Warm Breakfast Mondays begins September 8th. Classes will go to the cafeteria and return to their classrooms to eat together as a class family. K will eat in the cafeteria.
• Warm Breakfast Schedule:
• • 8:50am: 4th, 5th
  • 9:00am: 2nd/3rd
  • 9:10am: K/1st (K eats in the cafeteria)
• Every Class should have a Class Family Agreement/Social Contract created with your students, and it should be posted in the classroom. This was a first week expectation.
• There are new procedures for teacher Amazon orders that is being pushed out by the district. You can expect an email that explains the details. Keep in mind that each teacher will be granted $150 for supplies.
• Deb Kloosterman, our clinical social worker, will be at Arcadia on Wednesdays.
• Emergency Lesson Plans/ 3 days of emergency plans are to readily available in your classrooms by September 27th. The location of your plans/sub tub is to filled into the form. Form is in the google classroom.
• Split lists are to be entered into the split list document by September 5th. Form is in the google classroom.
• Open House is on September 11th from 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM.
• Fun Run takes place on
• Fall Conferences are Wednesday, November 5th - 4 PM- 8 PM and Thursday, November 6th - 12 PM- 8 PM.

• First Grade Library Visits: September 19th at 9:30 AM.
• Kindergarten Mobile Library visit to Arcadia is October 13th at 1:00PM.
• The Think Energy Program will visit Arcadia for 2nd Grade and 4th grade on September 30th. Start times of 9:15 and 10:30 for 4th grade and 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM for 2nd grade.

Technology Reminder from Ian Haight:

• I want to reiterate a few things - our Tech Services department number is 337-0283. We will never pop up a notice on your computer asking you to call any other number. If we ask you to call us for help, it will be through our ticketing system to your email. If you get into a situation that has red flags, immediately stop what you are doing and call 337-0283.

• Throughout the year we will have cybersecurity training modules sent out to help bolster our defenses. Please keep an eye out for more information on those in the coming weeks.

• Unfortunately, we live in an imperfect world where we need to have constant vigilance against scams in both the real world and the cyber world. Please protect your password and devices. Cybersecurity is everyone's job.

K-3 Passwords:

• In an effort to improve security we are moving away from using student ID numbers as their passwords. All students will now have the two four-letter words with two numbers like Wallruby28. We are in the process of pushing this out now so you should see the new passwords tomorrow in PowerSchool and be able to log in with them. Whatever is in there right now likely is incorrect. - Ian Haight

• 1. The assessment calendar can once again be found on the KPS Assessments Site (under the KPS Staff Bookmarks tab on the top left of your Google toolbar.)

  
  

  2. Please be sure to look at the dates for FastBridge testing. The window opens Sept 3rd and goes through Sept 26, but the bulk of aReading and aMath testing should happen the week of Sept 9th.

  
  

  3. For Early Reading, Early Math, and CBM reading assessments, you do not have to cut a student off at the 1 minute mark. You can have them take longer if needed to best gauge their abilities and make sound instructional decisions. The 1 minute guideline is a minimum. You can go longer, please just still use the timer so that we can get grade level norms for the student's score.

  
  

  4. Fall testing matters! Please review this handout on why it is important to get accurate fall data.

  
  

  5. If you are new to proctoring FastBridge, be sure to review the PD modules in the FastBridge site as well as the assessment website that has additional information on administering the tests. If you still need assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to me or the coaches. We are here to help you.

  
  

  6. Please note that district Fastbridge reports will only include data collected through September 26th. Any student tested after this date will not be included on our district longitudinal reports. Please continue to test kids as needed after this date to get the data you need for instructional purposes.

  
  

  7. Please get permission from your Principal before deleting a student's score in FastBridge and having them retest. We should only be doing this in cases where a mistake happened (testing under wrong name, didn't receive accommodations, etc.)

  
  

  8. Don't forget to look for flags! These indicate that a test is invalid and it might be a good idea to have the student test again.

  
  

• Classroom teachers were given a "starter set" of supplies already. If you did not receive it, please reach out.
• The Teacher Supply Closet is open for business! It is the closet in the library farthest from the printer. In it you will find items such as chart paper, expo markers, crayons, lined paper, spiral notebooks, composition notebooks, glue sticks, pencils, colored copy paper, white cardstock...ect... Please be sure to sign out the items and # of items. It helps us track what the grade levels/building uses, what we might need, and how to order in the future.
• Classroom teachers are provided $150 each. You are allowed to turn in an order/wish list to the office or turn in original receipts for reimbursement. You must spend this money by Dec 1st or you will lose it.

Please give a warm welcome to Ms. Kamarria Hampton. She will be our Gryphon Place facilitator here at Arcadia. She will help support mediation with students and staff to resolve conflict peacefully. Above is a link to put in a referral when support for restoration with students is needed. She will not have a regular schedule here at Arcadia, however she will respond to any referrals that are turned in (see button above).

Kamarria Hampton: khampton@gpcorre.org

Sept. 1st- Labor Day No School

Sept. 2nd - Bus Training sessions with students at the bus lane (see schedule)

Sept. 5th: School Wide Assembly

Sept. 5th - Bus Meeting with Transportation, Ms. Timmons, and Mrs. Gardner

Sept. 8th- Staff Meeting 4:10-5:10 pm

Sept. 8th- Warm Breakfast

Sept. 9th - Ms. Timmons out for Principal Meetings

Sept. 10th - CST

Sept. 11th- Open House 4:30-6:00 pm

Sept. 16th - Ms. Timmons out for Instructional Leadership

Sept. 17th- Professional Development- 6 hr. (No school for students)

Sept. 19th - First Grade Library Visit

Sept. 22nd- Staff Meeting 4:10-5:10 pm

Sept. 24th- Facilitator Training Grade Level/Department Heads District Meeting 4:30-6:00

Sept. 24th- CST

Sept. 30th: Think! Energy Program visits 2nd and 4th grade

Oct. 1st: Fun Run

Oct. 2nd: Picture Day

Oct. 6th: Staff Meeting

Oct. 7th: Ms. Timmons out for Principal Meeting

Oct. 8th: CST

Oct. 13th- Kindergarten Mobile Library Visit @ 1:00 PM

Oct. 14th: Ms. Timmons out for Instructional Leadership

Oct. 22nd: No School for students/ PD- 6hrs.

Oct. 31st: Half Day for students; Records Day; No PEEP/ECSE

Nov. 4th: Ms. Timmons at Instructional Leadership

Nov. 5th - Fall Conferences from 4 PM- 8 PM

Nov. 6th - Fall Conferences from 12 PM - 8 PM/ Half day - am sched.

Nov. 7th: Half Day - pm sched.

Nov. 10th: Staff Meeting

Nov. 11th: Ms. Timmons out for Principal Meeting

Nov. 12th: New Teacher Training

Nov. 14th: No School - Teacher comp. day

Nov. 19th: CST

Nov. 26th: No School; comp day

Nov.27th-28th: No School- Thanksgiving Break

• 9/29
• 10/27
• 11/19
• 12/1

• 9/24
• 10/1
• 11/19
• 12/3

• 9/10
• 9/24
• 10/8
• 11/5
• 11/19
• 12/3

• Good Things/ G.O.A.T. Award
• G.O.A.T.- T= team commitment
• Mission/Vision
• Staff Highlights
• Conscious Discipline Review Snippet: Mapping

• Staffing/Grade Level Updates
• Open House
• Concerns/ Thoughts for the common good of all
• Grade Level Team Time/ Small Fires: Open House/ Mapping
• Launch