FUEL School Newsletter

Dear FUEL Families,

It was wonderful to see so many of you on the parade route and at the FPS Homecoming Tailgate & Football game! I have been attending these parades since the mid-90s (we used to make floats - anyone else remember that??) and it is always a joy to see so many families supporting our students and schools.

This week, we kickoff our Elementary Connections Groups fall day trips, with the 4th and 5th grade classes heading out into nature this week and our 3rd Grade/Montessori students heading out the week of October 12th. ECG will also be kicking off the Butter Braid fundraiser a week from now - this is a key fundraiser for our overnight camps, and students can raise money towards their individual camp accounts. A special thank you to the ECG group for keeping our students connected to nature and working so hard to keep overnight camp experiences in the Ferndale elementaries. We are grateful!

We are also just over a week away from our biggest fall event, the PTA K-5 Walk-A-Thon & Field Day! Please note that if you plan to volunteer for this event (it cannot happen without volunteers!) you MUST have a volunteer form on file no later than Wednesday, September 30th. Please let my office know if you run into any issues. You can always find the link to the volunteer form at the bottom of this newsletter every week.

Please also take a moment to read this update from the district on our K-5 literacy curriculum and Michigan Public Act 146 of 2024.

Finally, one family task out! We are asking that all of our families do a little "rock hunting" to find one rock for students to paint as part of our "One Word" activities for this year. We plan to "create" a garden of hidden gems - to find our spark and make our mark! Please check out this flyer for more information - rocks should be brought to school on Wed. 10/7.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in the next two weeks!

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 continue with Module 1: Building Our School/Class Family. Our focus this week:

Setting Goals & Self-Reflection/Rituals

This one is always one of my favorites! We talk a lot about micro-goals at school - how to make tiny, small steps towards a bigger goal. Here's a short article on helping students set SMART goals at home.

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

• 4th & 5th Grade ECG Field Trips - T/Th/F this week by class
• Wed. 9/30 - Early Release Wednesday, 2:38 pm dismissal; last day to submit volunteer forms to work at the K-5 Walk-A-Thon & Field Day

Save the Date:

• Wed. 10/7 - K-5 Walk-A-Thon & Field Day
• Thurs. 10/15 - PTA Skate Night, 5-8 pm @ Skate World Troy

Elks Soccer Shoot - Sun. October 4 - 11 am

Check out this flyer for more information and the QR code to sign up!

This is also a reminder that the following FUEL after-school clubs have begun:

• Girls on the Run & PACE - T/Th
• Playlabs - W/Th
• YMCA Sportport - every other Monday

As we move further into the school year, we want to remind families of a few important guidelines for keeping our students and staff healthy. Please keep your child home if they have a fever of 100°F or higher, vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours, a persistent cough or sore throat, signs of an eye infection, or a rash accompanied by itching or fever.

Students should be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication and free from vomiting or diarrhea for at least 24 hours before returning to school. Thank you, FMS families, for helping us maintain a healthy learning environment for everyone!

Additionally, for immediate assistance with food and other essential community resources, you can call the State of Michigan Helpline directly at 1-888-544-8773 or 211 . Let’s make it a great year!

Ms. Pettway

denazia.pettway@ferndaleschools.org

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

To become a FE PTA member: ferndaleelementarypta.givebacks.com/store

Upcoming FE PTA Events - Everyone is welcome!

FE PTA Meetings

If you missed the September meeting, here's the slide deck: https://tinyurl.com/FEPTASeptember2026

Our next meeting is October 13 at FUEL. Join us at 6PM to learn more about the Reflections program and create some art together as a family! The business part of the meeting will start at 6:45PM.

Field Day and Walk-A-Thon

October 7, 2026

A Ferndale tradition returns! This fun-filled morning brings our two elementary schools together for games, physical fitness challenges, and a picnic lunch.

This is also the FE PTA’s fall fundraiser. Students will participate in our Walk-A-Thon – how many laps can they complete? We have a goal of raising $10,000, which provides every student with a school t-shirt for field trips and spirit days and supports our programming throughout the year. Every student will participate and receive a t-shirt, regardless of the amount pledged.

Flyers and pledge forms will be in student folders this week. You can also donate online: https://app.givebacks.gives/feptawalk-a-thon2026. Please share the donation link with family, friends, and local businesses!

Volunteers needed! We need volunteers to make this day a success – from set up, overseeing stations, snack donations, and chaperones – there are so many ways to help! Sign up here to be a part of this fun event: https://tinyurl.com/FEPTAFieldDayVolunteers2026 Volunteer forms must be on file: https://www.ferndaleschools.org/forms/8271

Save the Date - More information coming soon!

October 15, 5-8PM: Skate Night at Skate World of Troy

October 22, 7-8:30PM: Board of Education Candidate Forum at FLower

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