The Kurtz Connection

THIS IS YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR VALUABLE INFORMATION YOU MAY NEED TO ACCESS THROUGOUT THE YEAR.

10-5-26 - Mobile Dentist will visit

10-6-26 - Early Release / dismissal is at 2:37

10-7-26 - Student Count Day

10-7-26 - Hearing Screening (through 10-12-26) JK/K/2/4/KATS

10-12-26 - Fire Prevention Assemblies for JK/K/1st and 2nd

10-14-26 - PTO meeting @ 3:15 in the cafeteria

10-30-26 - Fall Costume Festival / parade - 1/2 Day for students - dismissal @ 12:40

The 2026 Color Run was such a HUGE success! Thank you to our amazing PTO for organizing the event. We very fortunate to have so many supportive members of our fine community. Everyone who donated and/or supported the event is greatly appreciated. Your generosity will fund many great programs and initiatives in the near future. The best part is all of the students had a great time!

Our WATCH D.O.G.S. Pizza Kick-Off event was a huge success. Thank you to our friends at the Milford Hungry Howie's for donating the pizzas and our PTO for the salads and desserts for our attendees. Guests came with theirs students and listened to a presentation. We all ate together as a community. We are excited to get the program started this month. Check your email if you are interested in being a Watch D.O.G. as Mr. Chisik recently sent out the presentation for review.

My name is Mr. Van Houzen (Mr.V. works too), and I am thrilled to join the Kurtz team this

year as one of your new Physical Education teachers. Bringing 22 years of teaching experience

into the gym, my main priority is to work with our students to build a lifelong culture of physical

activity and health using safe, proven, and effective practices.

I am truly looking forward to partnering with our families to support healthy, active habits both

at school and at home. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime at

Jamison.vanhouzen@hvs.org. Let's make this an incredible, healthy, and active school year

together—Go Cougars!

After focusing on "LEVELING UP" last year, our team is shifting our collective work to a concept everyone is familiar with, but can look very different to every individual. Each year, our school improvement team combs through all of the responses that students, staff and parents make to perception surveys. One of the interesting things we noticed in the latest responses was that many students stated they respected others, but were not shown that same respect in return. This was an interesting concept to us and we felt strongly that these findings created an opportunity for us to drill down on the concept of respect and do some intentional teaching. Respect is a term often used, but is not clearly understood. We believe that true respect is based on individuals being SAFE, KIND, CARING and RESPONSIBLE. This year, we will endeavor to develop a solid understanding of these topics by clearly defining each concept, by explicitly teaching students what each concept looks like in school and in the world and we will create opportunities for students to learn and grow their understanding of what respect really means and how they can play a positive role in making respect the cornerstone of every relationship they have. Every member of the Kurtz community maintains a vital role in establishing this year's focus. Each member of our community is encouraged to ask questions about the meaning of respect and how they both show and receive respect from others. Keep an eye out for more information about our work with this topic and for opportunities to drill down on it at home and as a family. As always, we do our best work when we are all working toward the same goals. Thank you to each member of our Kurtz community for making respect a common topic in the 26-27 school year and beyond.

We are thrilled to announce an exciting enhancement to our elementary classrooms this school year: the adoption of the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program for grades K–5. CKLA is a research-backed, comprehensive literacy curriculum built on the Science of Reading. It is designed to ensure that every student not only learns how to read, but also develops a deep, lifelong love for reading, learning, and discovery.

Why CKLA? A Research-Based Approach

Recent decades of cognitive research show that skilled reading requires two essential components: strong decoding skills (sounding out words) and rich background knowledge (understanding what those words mean). CKLA brings both of these elements together in a connected, intentional way so that learning to read and reading to learn grow hand in hand.

How CKLA Works Across the Grades

• Grades K–2 (Building the Foundation): Early literacy is taught through two complementary strands each day:

  • The Skills Strand: Explicit, systematic phonics instruction that teaches students how sounds map to letters, paired with fully decodable books that boost early reading confidence.

  • The Knowledge Strand: Interactive read-alouds where students explore fascinating topics in world history, science, literature, and the arts—expanding their vocabulary and comprehension long before they can read complex texts independently.

• Grades 3–5 (Deepening Comprehension & Expression): As students transition into intermediate grades, these strands merge into integrated units. Students dive into authentic literature, historical narratives, and scientific topics, sharpening their reading stamina, critical thinking, daily writing skills, and morphology (word roots and prefixes).

What You Can Expect at Home

As your child embarks on this literacy journey, you will notice them coming home excited to share fascinating facts about astronomy, ancient civilizations, ecosystems, or classic folklore. You will also see decodable books, engaging writing activities, and rich discussions taking center stage.

By grounding our instruction in proven science and inspiring topics, CKLA ensures every student has the tools and confidence to succeed. We invite you to ask your child what new topics they are exploring each week, and we look forward to partnering with you for a remarkable year of growth!

As we close out each school year, Student Profile forms are made available for parents to share concerns, suggestions and/or to help us best understand all implications related to placing their child in the new year. We ask all of our parents to trust in our team and the work we put into placing students. Moving students at this time of the year unravels the intentional work our team does to ensure the success of each student and teacher. We appreciate parents not requesting changes to placement at the beginning of the school year. Not requesting changes is another way for community members to show respect, support and appreciation to members of your Kurtz team.

Below is an excerpt from the HVS Student Code of Conduct:

DRESS - A student shall not dress or groom in a manner, which in the judgment of a building administrator or school personnel, may be harmful to the student or others or disruptive to the educational process.

Students should dress in a manner that is appropriate for the weather and conducive to the learning environment.

Important Guidelines:

• Shorts and skirts must be long enough for all school activities. This includes: PE, recess, sitting on the floor and all types of movement.

• Shoes should be safe for all school activities such as PE and recess. Closed-toe shoes are highly recommended. Flip flops are not conducive to school activities.

• Midriffs should not be showing.

• Tank tops may be worn, but should have thick straps, not spaghetti straps.

• No hats or hoods will be worn in school, other than Hat Spirit Days.

• Makeup should not be worn to school.

• Clothing with inappropriate or disrespectful sayings, logos, or images are not permitted. This includes but is not limited to: alcohol, drugs, tobacco, weapons, or profanity.

School begins at 9:15 AM and ends at 4:08 PM. Students may be released from cars at 9:00 when supervision is available. Students enter the building with their class at 9:05 AM (see the map below for the door your child will line up at).

• Early dismissal days end at 2:37 PM

• 1/2 Day dismissal days end at 12:40 PM

Please SAVE our 24-Hour attendance line number in your phone contacts: 248-684-8026 for all attendance related calls. Attendance is an important component in a students education. If we do not hear from you, it is our policy to call to verify your student's absence.

If your child will be absent for an extended period of time, please make sure to complete a Pre-Arranged Absence Form found HERE and return it to the front office prior to the absence.

In the past few years, we have experienced a significant rise in what the state refers to as chronic absenteeism. Chronic absenteeism is defined as students exceeding 10% of days attended for any given school year. Letters are sent to parents of students who typically have missed 10 or more days of school.

Parents may not be aware of the implications related to excessive days missed from school. You should be aware of the issues related to missing portions of learning in multiple academic areas. Students who miss topics are expected to play catch up when they return. Students miss collaborative work and the important scaffolding that occurs in classrooms each day.

With that being said, sicknesses, family emergencies and/or special circumstances are a part of the landscape in schools. We understand that things do happen, but hope parents go to great lengths to make sure students are at school each and every day, from bell to bell.

Late drop-offs and early pick-ups should also be avoided whenever possible. We strongly encourage parents to work hard to get students to school by 9:15 and allow them to finish the day at 4:08. Parents should know that we are very proud of our pick-up and drop-off process at Kurtz. We have a solid, average time of about twelve minutes for parents to drop off and pick up their child(ren). We work very hard to make the process safe, quick and run as smoothly as possible. If the bus is not a possibility for your family, please work with us to get your child to school on time, and to keep the car loop line moving smoothly. Remember to respect the parents behind you by getting kids in and out of the vehicle quickly and safely and always moving forward in order to get the maximum amount of students in and out of cars. Our hope is that we always work together as a team, in order to ensure the highest degree of success possible for every student at Kurtz.

Kurtz staff members make it a priority to start each day connecting with students. Our team members meet students outside at their designated doors at 9:00. Parents should note there is no supervision of students before 9:00, so students should not be released from cars until that supervision is in place. The first bell rings at 9:10 and the tardy bell rings at 9:15. If your child arrives after 9:15, parents must escort their child into the building in order to sign him/her in.

Where should your child meet their class each morning?

JK and Kindergarten: Meet under the awning near the main entrance.

First Grade: Meets at the door labeled A5 (in front of the building/orange hall).

Second Grade: Meets under the awning near the main entrance.

Third Grade: Meets at the door labeled B6 (along the side of the building, on the way to the playground / green hall).

Fourth Grade: Meets at the door labeled B3 (along the side of the building, on the way to the playground / blue hall).

Fifth Grade: Mrs. Fontaine's class meets at the door labeled A5. Phillips & Spurlock meet at the door labeled A8 (along the side of the building, on the way to the playground / purple hall).

Teachers will have signs outside, with their name and grade level, during the first week of the school year!

Parents picking up their child(ren) should start a line-up on Kurtz Drive (before the island with our school sign) in order to allow for our special education buses to load and depart each day. This process will be in place throughout the school year and staff members will be on hand to remind drivers to get in the line up. We appreciate your patience and support as visitors become acclimated to our processes and protocols. You can read more about our process below.

Students who are allowed to exit the building through the playground, reside in the neighborhoods surrounding our building. Although we do not monitor or enforce traffic in that area at the school level, car riders are expected to drop off and pick up students from the front of our building in the pick-up drop-off lane. Please consider using our formal pick-up and drop-off loop instead of the adjacent neighborhoods. If you do, please be safe, follow posted signage and do not block driveways.

Milford Police have been alerted to address concerns related to Kurtz community members picking up or dropping off students from the neighborhood side of our campus. We understand that parents may be using that area to avoid waiting in our formal car loop in front of the school. Our neighbors indicate that cars regularly block driveways and/or narrowly avoid accidents trying to navigate the narrow connecting road just behind our playground. Milford Police has informed us that they will be monitoring that no parking zone between Hill and Noble Street during pick up and drop off times. They have made clear that improper parking citations will be issued to parents parked on that street starting in September.

We are very proud of the pick-up and drop-off processes we have in place at Kurtz. We work hard to make this daily routine safe and effective. There are Kurtz staff members assigned to ensuring our systems work effectively, while still making sure to use the time to connect with students and provide support when and if support is needed. We assure you that our system works and is most effective when visitors follow our plan. We are always focused on getting you in and out of the parking lot as quickly as possible. Visitors can help us make pick-up and drop-off times flow best by not parking on the curb during pick-up and drop-off times.

· Mind the 15 MPH speed limit on Kurtz Drive.

· Vehicles should be pulling all the way up and quickly getting child(ren) in and out of the car. Please do not get out and help children in or out of the vehicle.

· Utilize pick-up and drop-off Kurtz staff or park if your child requires extra support.

· Visitors should never pass in the left lane of the loop because it is not safe for our students and could (and has) resulted in damage to vehicles, adding unnecessary stress on individuals. We feel strongly that passing really only has the potential to save a few seconds on your commute and strongly expect you not to do it.

· If you are planning to park, please park in a designate parking space. Kurtz staff members park in the back of the lot in order to make it as easy as possible for parents to find a parking space in our small parking lot. Also, students should never be walking through the parking lot without an adult. Parents, please observe the posted speed limit sign on Kurtz Drive.

· We ask parents to respect our neighbors and never block driveways when you are picking up or dropping off. We have also been contacted by our neighbors at the Document Store to ask parents not to use their parking lot as a pick-up space.

Parents are not to escort their child(ren) to their classrooms for various health and safety reasons. Teachers meet their students outside each morning to start the day in a positive and personal manner. Your participation in this process is both expected and appreciated. Please feel free to share ideas and suggestions in writing with me, Mr. Chisik, at your earliest convenience

We recognize that parking at Kurtz is a challenge, especially during those special times of the year when we invite family members in to school. Another way of showing support to your Kurtz team is to refrain from parking past the stop sign to the left of the gym. The area in the back of the building, by the cafeteria door, is considered the staff parking area. The exception to that designation is the signed handicapped parking spots. Thank you in advance for making sure your Kurtz team members have easy access to the school at all times during the school day.

Students requiring medication at school must have an Administering Medication Plan of Care form. There are also plans of care for: allergies, asthma, seizure , and topical medication. These forms need to be completed by both a doctor as well as a parent or guardian.

You can access plans of care HERE.

All medication, including over-the-counter must be dispensed through the office and needs completed Plan of Care Forms. All medications must be in their original packaging with prescription sticker.

Please inform the office and your child(ren)'s teacher of any health concerns including allergies (food, insects, or seasonal) or any special needs your child may have. Your child(ren)'s records will be kept confidential and are crucial in an emergency situation.

Unfortunately, there were very few students interested in attending before school care and eight students for after school care. This means, due to lack of interest, we will not be able to offer School Aged Care at Kurtz, in the new school year. We are very aware of the impact of not having School Aged Care has on families in our community. Please look for Empower Hour options being offered as the staff works very hard to run programs that will help out working parents, during the school year.

At Kurtz, each WATCH D.O.G. must complete a CRC (criminal background check) and agree to following the expectations we have in place for them each day. We are very proud of our program as it provides our volunteers with a clear schedule for the day that get's them into their child(ren)'s classrooms, specials, have lunch and go out to recess with them. Our volunteers understand they are here to support students and to be visible on campus. WATCH D.O.G.S. walk the exterior of the building making sure doors are secured and that students are safe. They help out in classrooms, in the lunchroom and on the playground. Our WATCH D.O.G.S. know that their day is about students and not about them.

This year we are asking WATCH D.O.G.S. to sign up for one school day. This change is taking place this year in order to create opportunities for our positive male role models to lock in a day at school. We believe that doubling up on WATCH D.O.G.S. takes away from the special experience our volunteers experience on their day, so we are focused on continuing to have one WATCH D.O.G. at a time on duty during the school year.

Stay tuned for information on our WATCH D.O.G.S.' pizza kick-off night when Mr. Chisik and Mrs. Zimmerman will be presenting more information to new and interested members of the Kurtz community. Volunteers will be able to sign up for their day starting at the pizza kick-off. The calendar will be displayed in the main hallway, across from the main office, for parents and kids to review.

All visitors to Kurtz must enter through the main office where they will be required to sign in and present identification. If an individual is interested in volunteering in a classroom at Kurtz, he or she must have a completed CRC (Criminal Records Check) on file here at the building and have their visit scheduled with the classroom teacher. A CRC is good for the school year that it was completed in, so it is important to make sure you complete the process if you would like to volunteer in the building in the new school year.

A CRC is not required for guests to attend large events or classroom parties where there is a teacher or designated staff member supervising students. We do encourage all parents to complete the form in order to help ensure our ability to maintain a safe and secure environment at school.

All families with emails entered in Skyward should have received a message directly from Droplet inviting you to complete the CRC form. If you have not received your email, please check your spam folder. You can use the link emailed from Droplet for multiple CRC applications.

Click here to complete a CRC form.

We wanted to provide you an important update on our free meal program currently provided.

For the past several years, all students in Michigan have received free breakfast and lunch through the Michigan School Meals Program.

Even if your student doesn’t need free meals, completing the application can provide access to other important Educational benefits, including:

• Reduced registration fees for AP exams

• Lower fees for college applications

• Programs that provide food support, field trip support, school supplies or holiday support

• Free or reduced pay-to-participate activity fees

• Potential household support for cable and internet

• Title 1 funding to help support additional support, purchasing instructional materials, offering additional programs

Your application helps us support all students and maintain critical school resources.

The application can be found on Family Access as part of the Online Process or you can find it on our website on the food services page.

During the school day, if you need to drop off something that was forgotten by your child, we have a procedure in place. When you come in through the main doors at Kurtz, you will find a black shelving unit that is set up for each grade level. There is always a stack of Post-it notes that parents can use to identify their child and teacher. Leave the item, with the Post-it note attached, in the designated space on the shelf, according to grade level. Visitors do not need to buzz the office in order to let the team know. Our amazing office team sees you on camera and checks the shelves throughout the day to make sure each child gets their lunch, backpack, water bottle, etc.

Keeping our students hydrated throughout the school day is very important, however current trends with water bottles has led to some issues within our classrooms. Very large and/or metal water bottles are taking up a lot of space on desks or in designated water spots in classes and often fall to the ground creating a very startling distraction. If you choose to send a water bottle in with your child, please consider purchasing a light weight, plastic bottle that is 20 fluid ounces or less. As a side note, we often have a limited number of plastic bottles that are often donated to us through community partners for children who lose or forget their water bottle, there are also water fountains (that are attached to the same filtration system as our bottle fillers are) that students can have access to. If you are interested in donating unused water bottles to Kurtz for students, please contact Mr. Chisik directly. Rest assured that water breaks, movement breaks, bathroom breaks are all a part of daily routines at Kurtz Elementary School.

It is important to know the role of the traditional school social worker has evolved over the years. At Kurtz, our social workers do a lot to support what we refer to as social emotional learning or SEL. SEL is a big part of our work together and can be observed in every corner of the school, in the cafeteria an on the playground. Our full time building social worker, Mrs. Smith leads our Positive Behavior Intervention system and the paraprofessional that work with our staff and students to make sure everyone has the tools they need in order to solve problems and navigate issues with others. Our social workers are a part of our BEST process where we support students by implementing systems that are designed to make every child thrive, regardless of obstacles. Mrs. Smith often tells children that she is the feelings teacher at Kurtz in order to help them to navigate issues and learn about how to utilize tools like deep breathing, taking breaks, talking things out or just encouraging the children to connect and share "worries" at school with their family members. If you hear that your child has gone to see Mrs. Smith or our part time social worker Mrs. Szalay, know that they have been able to work with them to solve a problem, which has been a part of the way we have serviced students for years at Kurtz. Please know that our social work team reaches back out to parents whenever an issue occurs that is larger than a disagreement or misunderstanding between students. Our SEL (Social Emotional Learning) team wants you to know that they are here to provide support to family members looking for creative ways to solve problems and are very much plugged in to the community. Their community connections make them the best member of your community based support team to help parents navigate difficult situations when they need it most.

Our social workers work hand in hand with the principal and staff in order to make sure that all community members are supported appropriately. As many of you know, every staff member at Kurtz is a mandatory reporter (click here to read more about mandatory reporting) and is expected, by law to report issues to the state when he or she suspects the possibility of neglect or abuse. Our teachers and social workers do everything in their power to understand that children often say things that are questionable and even false.

Mrs. Chwalek

Hello! I am excited to join Kurtz this year as a resource room para educator! I am a proud product of our district, having attended Spring Mills Elementary and Oak Valley Middle School before graduating from Milford High School in 2021. Since graduation, I’ve spent the past five years working as a para educator at both Oak Valley and White Lake Middle School. I am also currently in college pursuing my degree to become a resource room teacher! Outside of school, I love to travel and spend time with family and friends. I’m thrilled to transition to the elementary level and can't wait for a fantastic school year at Kurtz! Go Cougars!!

Amy Fernandez

Hi everyone! My name is Mrs. Fernandez, and I'm excited to be the new Head Cook at Kurtz. I have a bachelor's degree in Business, but what I'm most excited about is getting to know all of the students and being part of the school community again. I have two kids who attend Milford High School, so this community is very special to me. I love working with kids and can't wait to get to know everyone while serving great meals each day. I'm looking forward to a great school year!

Keri Kazer

Hi! I'm Keri Kazer and I will be taking over as Math Coach here at Kurtz. I spent 3 years teaching third grade at Kurtz before moving on to the Math Coach role at a couple of other buildings in the district and I am thrilled to be coming back to Kurtz.

Mrs. Sanderson

My name is Kari Sanderson and I am one of the PE teacher's at Kurtz this year. This is my 19th year teaching; 8th in Huron Valley Schools. Both my boys are HVS graduates, and I’m so proud of them. Corey is a senior at Alma College and plays on the Alma baseball team. Jamey is a sophomore at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor in the College of Engineering.

I am really looking forward to working with your children this year! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Ms. Schlueter

Hello! My name is Chena Schlueter, and I am so excited to be joining the Kurtz Family as your new English Language Development (ELD) Teacher! I spent the first several years of my career teaching and volunteering abroad (primarily in Spain, but also in several other countries in Europe, Africa, and South America) so I could learn from teachers, cultures, languages, and school communities around the world. Now that I am back home in Michigan, I cannot wait to start learning how to best support our students' needs and celebrate their accomplishments with you!

Mrs. Steslicki

Hello! I am so happy to introduce myself as one of the KATS teachers at Kurtz this year! I have a degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s in Special Education, and I previously worked at Kurtz as a building substitute, including time with the KATS students, so this role feels like such a natural next step. Two of my four children attend Kurtz as well, so this school already feels like home to me. I’ve loved getting to know so many wonderful people here, and I’m truly looking forward to continuing to be part of the Kurtz community this year!

Mrs. Szalay

I am excited to be joining the Kurtz family. I have been a social worker for many years. I have 27 year old twin girls (one just got married last year) and my husband and I will be celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary in September. It is going to be a great year!!!

The Kurtz team works hard to partner with parents in leading the way in all aspects of safety and academic growth of our students. Together we have used tools like communication, empathy and patience to stay committed to all of the members of our school family. Through the many community conversations, surveys and communications, we consistently heard the message that you recognize the hard work we put into making Kurtz Elementary School, a world class organization and resource. We value your understanding and support of our commitment to execute the protocols and procedures that have been delivered to us throughout the pandemic. We understand that not every parent or community member feels the same way about the decisions that are made or about how those decisions impact us at the building level.

We believe you recognize that the Kurtz team does not and will not bring politics, personal beliefs or protocols into play here at school, especially where they involve our students. We strive to make Kurtz a key foundational experience that prepares our students to eventually move on to the middle school as prepared students and individuals. Our focus is on creating and maintaining systems that help our students become leaders and thinkers. It is never our intention to provide students with “hot topics” related to political or social media-based subject matter. You can rely on us to execute our state and local board approved curriculum with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity. In the event you hear something that contradicts this message, we encourage you to seek clarification at the source before assuming ill intent.

Sometimes social media or even community conversations present ideas that are not consistent with the reality of what is actually taking place at the building level. We want to put your mind at ease and squash any information that could cause any potential stress or obstacles in our relationship as a team centered around the positive growth of our students. During the school year, you may hear conversations related to diversity, equity and/or inclusion. These concepts are key to the work we do to recognize our students and their families. We focus on teaching our students to be all inclusive, kind and to stick up for themselves and others when issues arise. We do not teach our students how to think about race or ethnicity, rather to understand that there are differences and those differences should not impact what we do at school. If you have questions about teaching or learning practices at Kurtz, you are encouraged to reach out to us for more information.

By seeking to understand the context of the conversation you might find out that a discussion was held in a classroom, designed to promote empathy and inclusion rather than being politically motivated. Once again, we would greatly appreciate you seeking more information starting with your own child. If you feel like clarification is still required, please go directly to the source. Email your child’s teacher and seek to understand. With a little bit of effort, we can continue to grow our collaborative teams and you might find that providing our team members with the benefit of the doubt and reaching out may have a significant and positive outcome. Your principal is always available to parents who follow through this process and still require more information or perspective. Know that we care for each and every one of our students and are invested in helping them become positive and productive citizens, friends and neighbors, as they age through elementary, middle school and high school.

Kurtz Elementary has and will continue to follow the district policy on electronics. To ensure that no misunderstanding occurs relating to this issue, we consider a Kindle, Nook, tablet, smart watch or even a cell phone to fit into the district’s set position on the student’s use of electronics. Please check out the district’s policy.

As technology is becoming more and more a part of our lives, we at Kurtz realize that many devices can be used in the classrooms to enhance the educational experience for our students. We are moving forward with the integration of technology while limiting the amount of distractions that may be created in the learning environment. We are a one-to-one district. This means we have a Chromebook for each student to access during the school day.

Parents are asked not to give in to sending students with cell phones, smart watches or other devices as our focus is on maximizing positive social experiences for our students. We find that students with devices often choose those devices over interacting with friends. Also, students are often tempted to take and send pictures of one another that might not be approved or appreciated. We have protocols in place for parents to use in order to communicate with their children without calling or texting them directly during school hours.

Student possession of an electronic device in the building is allowed only if it is turned off and put away. Possession of an electronic device by a student is a privilege and will be forfeited by any student not following school policies and/or classroom protocols. If a parent chooses to send a child to school, the device must be off and in a backpack. A student using a device without permission or in an inappropriate fashion will result in the device being turned in to the principal. Parents will be called and will be responsible for picking the device up in the office.

Please note, each student is personally responsible for the safety and security of their electronic device. There are no options for students to "lock up" their device at school. We encourage parents to avoid lost or broken devices by keeping them at home.

Students may not text, email, take pictures or otherwise use a personal device on school property during school hours. Please note, if a parent allows their child(ren) to bring in a device to school, the device must be turned off and put away. All communication during the school day should be through the teacher and/or main office in order to avoid distraction during learning time or confusion related to messages that are not communicated to all parties.

Kurtz Elementary School strives to create a safe zone for all students, staff members and visitors. During the school day, we do not allow dogs on our school campus. As the weather starts to warm up, we understand the interest our families may have in bringing the dog along to drop off or pick up Kurtz students from school each day. We recognize and appreciate how well trained and/or well behaved your dog may seem, but we also respect the fact that all parents expect their child(ren) to be safe at school each day. Even well-trained/behaved fury friends can have unexpected responses while out in public. This means parents, guardians, and visitors should not bring their four legged family members to the school at drop-off or pick-up time under any circumstances.

It should be noted that you may hear about visits from Rosie, the district’s resident therapy dog. Rosie has had extensive training and is a certified therapy dog and is recognized by the State of Michigan as a certified therapy dog. Rosie also carries liability insurance as a part of the partnership agreement we have with her owner.

OK2SAY is the student safety program which allows students to confidentially report tips on potential harm or criminal activities directed at students, school employees, and schools. It uses a comprehensive communication system to facilitate tip sharing among students, parents, school personnel, community mental health service programs, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and law enforcement officials, about harmful behaviors that threaten to disrupt the learning environment.

Facebook: KurtzSchool

Instagram: @kurtzelementary

Youtube: Kurtz Elementary School

Email: steve.chisik@hvs.org
Website: http://www.hvs.org/schools/elementaryschools/kurtz/
Location: 1350 Kurtz Drive, MI, United States
Phone: (248) 684-8250