FUEL School Newsletter

Dear FUEL Families,

This past week was fast and furious with so many events, but I was very impressed with our students' participation, resilience, flexibility, and joy in what was our last full week of school (where has the year gone??). My favorite event of the week was our 5th grade band/orchestra/choir "Demonstration Concert" for our 4th graders - 4th grade families, make sure those forms get back to classroom teachers by early next week to help us prepare for the 4th grade fittings the week of May 25th.

This coming week, we are excited for our 4th grade camp - we have over 75% of the grade participating this year - our highest percentage ever! We are so grateful for the ECG group for their seamless planning and coordinating of hundreds of volunteers throughout the month of May. A reminder - 4th grade students who are attending camp may NOT take the bus to school on Wednesday - they must be dropped off to the FUEL Gym with their gear. Our 5th graders will also do their final celebratory class field trip on Tuesday as they head to the zoo (rain or shine!). And please remember that our remaining three Fridays are all HALF DAYS with 11:53 dismissal times.

I also want to shout out our Girls on the Run and PACE running club students who completed their 5K Run today in St. Clair Shores! Woot!! A special thank you to all of our parent volunteers who make this program work!

Finally, the district is asking for feedback on one more survey! Ferndale Public Schools is asking families to review and share feedback on a proposed Instructional Technology and Student Learning policy and a related Dynamic Plan metric. This update was shared with the Board on May 4 and is about making sure technology is used with purpose, balance, and alignment to strong teaching and learning.

Families are encouraged to attend and share feedback at one of the upcoming Board meetings:

Monday, May 18 at 7:00 PM
Monday, June 1 at 6:00 PM

Please take a moment to review the policy and proposed metric. Your voice will help shape the next steps.

With gratitude,

Mrs. Jeffrey

We are dedicated this year to working on our students’ social-emotional growth in addition to their academic growth. This week we begin with Module 6: Character Values. Our focus this week:

Empathy & Acceptance

Early Release Wednesday dismissal is 2:38 p.m. Remember, every Wednesday through May

• Tues. 5/19 - 5th Grade Zoo Field Trip
• Wed. 5/20 - 4th Grade Camp, Day 1 (Gym opens 8 am for check-in!)
• Thurs. 5/21 - 4th Grade Camp, Day 2
• Fri. 5/22 - HALF DAY, 11:53 a.m. dismissal time
• Mon. 5/25 - NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day

Save the Dates:

• Summer School Flyer - summer 2026

The Oakland County Enhancement Millage will be on the August 4, 2026 ballot. If approved, each public school district and eligible public school academies would receive approximately $781 per student annually. This proposal would cost about $150 per year for a $200,000 home ($100,000 taxable value).

Districts could use the funding for a variety of reasons. Here are some examples of how these general fund dollars could be used:

• Staff recruitment and retention
• Stabilizing general fund budgets
• Maintaining or reducing class sizes, where possible
• Expanding professional development
• Enhancing student wellness supports
• Improving safety and security
• Maintaining and strengthening district programming

Visit the Enhancement Millage website for more information and a tax calculator.

To learn more about FE PTA:

Website: www.fepta.org

Email: ferndale.elem.pta@gmail.com

Facebook: fb.me/FerndaleElementaryPTA

Instagram: instagram.com/ferndale_elementary_pta

Scholastic Book Fair at FLower

May 18-22, 2026

The BOGO Book Fair returns to FLower!

Visit https://linktr.ee/fepta to:

• Start your eWallet
• View the Book Fair Preview
• See dates and location info
• Sign up to volunteer
• Donate to Share the Fair

• Apply for a book fair scholarship (no questions asked) for your child

June Fair

May 29, 2026 5-8PM

This community event is a Ferndale tradition! The fair features midway games, rock climbing wall, putt putt, inflatables, food, raffle baskets and more! Everything is set up outside at the Ferndale schools Administration Building (the Old Lower/Roosevelt).

June Fair is also the main fundraiser for FE PTA - all proceeds will support programming for the 2026-2027 school year including school assemblies, Skate Nights and other family events, grants, and teacher appreciation efforts!

Tickets will be available for presale (dates to be announced soon) or you can purchase them the day of the event.

To volunteer: tinyurl.com/JuneFair2026Volunteers

For all the details, including tickets, pricing, and activities visit: tinyurl.com/JuneFair2026

Congratulations to 5th grade Karter Knight, whose flavor combination was chosen as the Treat Dreams June Fair flavor! Chocolate ice cream, a chocolate swirl, oreos and mini chocolate chips! Yum! Stop by the Treat Dreams truck at June Fair for a taste or try one of their other ice cream flavors - $5 a scoop.

4th and 5th Grade Parents & Guardians!

Attention Families!

Our Camps experience is now officially less than a month away! We are looking for volunteers to make these experiences a success for our students! Please sign up using the appropriate Sign Up Genius.

Camps days are a wonderful way to connect to our school community by volunteering to lead a group or help with a center. We need about 100 adult volunteers to make each day run smoothly! All volunteers must have a volunteer form on file with FPS before volunteering. These take about a week to process so please plan ahead!

4th Grade Camp- Wednesday, May 20-Thursday, May 21 @ Camp Tamarack (Must attend a volunteer training on May 12)

5th Grade Camp- Tuesday May 26- Thursday, May 28 @ Camp Copneconic (Must attend a volunteer training on May 12)

Feel free to reach out with any questions to the grade level coordinators or to Sylvia Oatley sylvia.oatley@gmail.com

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Here is everything you need for 4th and 5th grade camp!!

1. Camp Presentations
1. 4th Grade- Tamarack
2. 5th Grade- Copneconic
2. Paperwork Due Dates- All paperwork must be turned in on time. NO late paperwork will be accepted. If you need a new copy of the paperwork please reach out to the ECG board (ferndale.elementaryconnections@gmail.com)
3. Payment questions? Email the ECG Board and Lauren Donnelly will get back to you.
4. Mandatory Volunteer Meeting- Tuesday, May 12 (6 pm @ FUEL Cafeteria). Please be sure to attend to review chaperone expectations for camp.
5. Volunteer Registration Form- If you are volunteering, be sure to have your form on file!
6. Sign up to Volunteer- You can find the SignUp Geniuses here.
1. 4th Grade Sign Up Genius Link
2. 5th Grade Sign Up Genius Link
7. Dietary Forms- Only fill out if you DO have dietary restrictions
1. 4th Grade- Tamarack Dietary Form
2. 5th Grade- Copneconic Dietary Form
8. Other questions? Reach out to Katie Jeffrey and/or Sylvia Oatley sylvia.oatley@gmail.com

For drop-off in the morning, please be sure to pull ALL the way up in the school driveway in the drop-off line. We will help students walk towards the entrance. This will help us to keep the line moving. Doors do not open until 8:20 am - there is no student supervision until 8:20 am. Also, please note that if students are not eating breakfast, they do not need to arrive at school until 8:28 pm. Students who arrive at 8:28 a.m. can head directly to their lockers and classrooms. Otherwise, students should report to the cafeteria for breakfast or to the gym. Car Line Safety Reminders HERE.

Please remember that the BUS driveway is ONLY for buses. This is a safety issue. Please only use the car line in the front of the building on Rosewood.

For pickup, please be sure to have your yellow identification card with student name and grade available and easy to see.

Please call the attendance line each day your child will be absent from school. Any absence will remain unexcused until the office has been notified. The teachers appreciate an email reminder, but you must still call the office. Please call the attendance line at 248.547.0880, press the #1 option & leave a message with a reason for the absence.

Thank you for helping to keep all of our students SAFE at FUEL by following our safe snack guidelines. This is a reminder that FUEL is a nut-, tree-nut, and sesame-restricted building - please double-check all ingredients before sending in a lunch or snack to school to ensure the safety of all students. Sample safe snack lists can be found ​here​. ​Reminder: NO food birthday treats this year due to our allergy policy.

If your student has a medical need, it is vitally important that our office staff and teachers are aware. Please complete the medical forms available in the main office (or in the link below) and return to school ASAP.

Medical Authorization Form & Medical Treatment Form

All adults interested in volunteering during the 2025-2026 school year must have a Volunteer Form on file. This form should be submitted at a minimum of two weeks prior to the event in order to accommodate processing times. No adult will be allowed to volunteer or chaperone unless they have an approved form on file. Forms are available at the link below. Please note: all volunteer forms must be turned into the main office. In addition, you only need to fill out a volunteer form for one school - it will then cover all FPS campuses.

Volunteer Form

Breakfast and Lunch are free again this year as part of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Please return this form to school ASAP in place of the normal Free and Reduced Lunch application.

Household Information Form