Hello Wixom Families,

I am pausing on sharing more from the Anxious Generation this week to focus on ongoing practices related to Safety and Security. Walled Lake Consolidated Schools has adopted ALICE, a research-based training program to ensure schools are prepared to respond to potential intruder events. ALICE is about empowering individuals and providing options or strategies beyond the traditional lockdown methods. Over the course of this school year, students and staff have learned about the various options available, across settings in the school, to respond to a potential intruder event.

Thursday, May 8 staff and students will participate in a school-wide ALICE drill. Each class will choose an option based on their location in the building. The scenario presented will NOT include a specific threat, but rather read, “…if there was something dangerous happening in the (a specific location in the school.)” During this upcoming week, teachers will be reviewing ALICE options.

Although possible in a real emergency, at no time during the drill will any student(s) evacuate through a window, nor will they travel off school property.

The book, “I’m not scared, I’m prepared,” by Julia Cook, read in classrooms this fall, comparisons to stranger danger, and additional resources linked below may be helpful for families that discuss the drills at home with their children.

Lesson teaching points that may assist families with at-home discussions include:

• We practice so we know what to do in an emergency. We’re not scared, we’re prepared!

• Our job is to keep you safe. Your job is to listen and follow the adults’ directions.

• Evacuation means to leave the building. Your teacher or a trusted adult may tell you to leave the building and go to a safe place.

• If an adult tells you to leave the building. Listen, quickly go to a safe place, and then wait for helpers (police officers, firefighters, trusted adults, etc.)

Student safety continues to be our first priority. We will continue to collaborate with local law enforcement and families to ensure a safe learning environment for our children.

Sincerely,

Kristin Froning

Helpful Links:

Talking to Children about Violence - Tips for Parents and Teachers

Is My School Safe: How to Ease Your Child’s Anxiety

Talking to your Child about Safety - K-2

Talking to your Child about Safety - 3-5

It was wonderful to see so many families on Friday night as we celebrated our students and their amazing art work! We are so grateful to Mrs. Sachs and her love for art and our students! Mrs. Sachs spent many hours preparing the student work to be display and she was join by an army of staff and parent volunteers, turning our hallways into the Wixom Art Museum! Thank you Mrs. Sachs! What a wonderful tradition you have started!

Tuesday , April 29

• 1/2 Day for Students: Dismissal @ 12:35 pm

Tuesday, May 6

• 25 -26 Kindergarten Visit & Bus ride (10:00 - 11:30 am)
• PTA Meeting 6:00 pm

• Spring Flower Fundraiser Pick-Up *Please note this is a Wednesday

Tuesday, May 20

• 1/2 Day for Students: Dismissal @ 12:35 pm

Friday, May 23

• Wixom Field Day 9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Mr. Brad Levick has joined our school family as our Behavior Support Interventionist. This is a new role at Wixom Elementary and we are very fortunate to have the skills and expertise of Mr. Levick! He brings a great deal of experience in education, including three years in a similar role in Southfield Public Schools. Mr. Levick has enjoyed getting know students and staff since starting on April 14. He looks forward to meeting parents/caregivers as well. If you see Mr. Levick during arrival or dismissal, please be sure to give him a warm wolf pack welcome!

Last week, Elliot Wiercioch noticed an unusual amount of garbage along the eastern fence at Sarah Banks middle school so he mobilized a small crew to clean it up on Sunday afternoon. After about 2 hours and more than 4 bags of garbage, the area looked amazing. We are so very proud these students and their efforts to help make the world a better place! Way to go Elliot, Arthur and Hiatt!

Pictured:

Arthur Weaver (left, preschool)

Elliot Wiercioch (right, 2nd grade)

*Hiatt Weaver (1st grade, not pictured)

We are getting excited to share what we have been learning and playing in music class this year! We will be rotating which grades are performing in person, and which ones will share a “virtual” video concert with you.

If you have a student in Junior Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st grade, or 3rd grade, we will be sharing some videos of our best songs from the school year! You will get to see students dance, sing, and play instruments together. Keep a look out for future communications about when we will send out these “virtual” performances.

If you have a student in 5th grade, they will be sharing some musical selections for you in person at their End-of-Year Celebration. Keep reading the Howler for the latest information about this special event!

If you have a student in 2nd or 4th grade, you are invited into our music room for a relaxed performance to share what we’ve been up to this year. The performances will last about 20-25 minutes and will be during your child’s regular music time. The times for each class are listed below.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Fox at shellyfox@wlcsd.org

Monday, May 19th - 4th Grade

• 9:20am Ms. Chalmers
• 9:50am Ms. Foster
• 10:20am Ms. Marchese

Wednesday, May 21st - 2nd Grade

• 9:45am Ms. Sadoway
• 10:15am Ms. Scheck
• 10:45am Ms. Mifsud

Friday, May 23rd

9:30 - 12:00pm

*Rain date: Friday, May 30th

The Wixom PTA Google Calendar can be found here: https://shorturl.at/QyTie

You can also add them all to your own Google Calendar with one click!

Upcoming PTA Sponsored Events:
May 5-9: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 6: PTA Meeting 6 PM

May 14: Spring Flower Fundraiser Pick-Up (Please note this is a Wednesday)

NEXT PTA MEETING

Our next PTA Meeting will be Tuesday, May 6th at 6:00 PM. All members of the PTA are welcome to attend. The meeting will be held in person in the Media Center. Childcare will be available. You can join the meeting virtually at the following link: meet.google.com/ecj-uwre-ppp

As Teacher Appreciation Week approaches we are looking for donations to help make it a success! Each year we shower the staff of Wixom Elementary school with a much deserved week of thanks. We have a variety of surprises planned for the Wixom Staff during the week of May 5th. Instead of asking for food items, we are requesting cash donations to fund the week's treats. All the names of donors will be displayed for the teachers and staff to see. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Cash donations can be sent in with your child in an envelope labeled Teacher Appreciation Week. Donations can be made on memberhub by clicking HERE.

Are you looking for the perfect gift for Teacher Appreciation Week? You can find your teacher’s favorite things in this folder and tailor your gift to their tastes and classroom needs. Click here for Wixom Teachers’ Favorite Things

The testing window for grades 3rd - 5th grade is April 7 - May 15. Please see specific grade level testing dates below.

We ask that you make your best effort to ensure your child is present on testing days. Please try to refrain from trips or appointments if possible on those days. Obviously, if your child is ill, he or she should recover at home. Absent students will be required to take make-up tests on alternate dates and miss classroom instruction. We appreciate your support!

Love LEGO? Into robots? Join Wixom’s Lego Robotics Team!

We’re putting together a FIRST LEGO League team for next school year—and we want YOU to be a part of it! If you like building with LEGO, solving cool challenges, and working with a team, this is your chance to dive into robotics, coding, and real-world problem solving (and have a lot of fun doing it).

No experience? No problem! We’re just looking for curious, creative students who are excited to learn.

We’re also looking for parent volunteers to help coach, mentor, or support the team. Whether you can help weekly or just occasionally, we’d love to have you involved!

Interested? Fill out this quick form to let us know!

Hello, Walled Lake Families!

This April, you can recognize your favorite Walled Lake staff member by nominating them for a "Super Star Staff" award with a $10 donation to the Foundation for Excellence (FFE).

Your nomination enters them into a drawing to win one of two $500 prizes, sponsored by the Walled Lake Schools Federal Credit Union.

• Here’s what your $10 donation includes:

  • One raffle entry for your nominated staff member

  • A personalized certificate with your winners message, delivered to th

  • 
    

    All donations go to support the FFE’s mission to bring more resources to Walled Lake classrooms. Just last month, they gave over $51,000 to 70 classrooms!

    You can nominate any staff member in the district—teachers, bus drivers, administrators, custodians, para-professionals, etc.

    Important Dates:

    • Nomination Deadline: April 30

    • Winners drawn: May 2. (No public announcement will be made as the winners will be identified with a surprise visit to their work location.)

    • Surprise Visits to winners: During Staff Appreciation Week (May 5–9).

    Click here to submit your nomination: Super Star Staff Nominations

    If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Jackie Gurwin, Executive Director of the FFE, at JackieGurwin@wlcsd.org.

    Let’s celebrate the amazing people who support our kids every day!

    
    

REMINDER: Possession of look-alike weapons, including toy guns, dart guns, and BB guns, is strictly prohibited on all school grounds and properties. This applies not only during school hours but also after school hours and on weekends. As the weather warms and families may be accessing playgrounds, these items are not permitted. For the safety of our school community, we want everyone to be aware that these devices are not allowed at any time on school property.

Looking for an easy way to support our school? Shop for groceries at Kroger and they will contribute money to our PTA. It’s easy to sign up in the Kroger App:

1. Click the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner

2. Choose “Rewards”

3. Choose “Community Rewards”

4. Search for “Wixom Elementary PTA” and enroll

In addition to receiving phone calls and email notifications from the school district in the event of a school closing or emergency, parents can also sign up to receive SMS Text messages.

Find the helpful step-by-step instructions linked below as well as the video tutorial on signing up for SMS messages.

Signing Up for SMS Messages via Skylert

Principal: Mrs. Kristin Froning (kristinfroning@wlcsd.org)

Principal Secretary: Mrs. Michele Abele (MicheleAbele@wlcsd.org)

Building Secretary: Mrs. Tamara Baker (TamaraBaker@wlcsd.org)

Office: 248-956-3400

FAX: 248-956-3405

Absence Line: 248-956-3490

Late Bus Hotline: 248-956-5199 - All late buses will be listed on the hotline if the driver is running TEN OR MORE minutes late.

Address:

301 North Wixom Road
Wixom, MI 48393