Yake Gator Bites

• August 27th - Open House from 5:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.!
• September 2nd - First Day of School! - a full day for all students!
• September 17th - Our first PTO meeting of the year staring at 6:00 p.m.! - details coming soon!
• September 18th - Watch D.O.G.S. Dads & Kids Pizza Night starting at 6:00 p.m. in our cafeteria
• September 21st - Fall Festival from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on the Yake grounds
• October 2nd - Picture Day!

As we head into the home stretch of the summer break, I wanted to take a moment to share a special recognition that our school received. This is an indicator that showcases the excellence of our team at Yake Elementary School. Staff, parents, and Gators continue to set a high bar and it doesn't go unnoticed. Enjoy the rest of your well deserved summer break and enjoy the pat on the back that our team deserves. Keep Giving and Expecting the Best, Gators!

Gators who were in young fives last year do not need to come in for kindergarten screening this year, nor do Parents who plan to choose Young Fives for their Gator(s) this fall.

Click on the link below to access your Parent Connect account.

If you do not know how to log into your parent portal, try following the steps listed on the website. If that does not help, please call Mrs. West to assist you with logging in. We are unable to share these assignments over the phone.

We have a back to school packet for families to complete in Parent Connect. MiStar updates (emergency contacts, numbers, emails, etc.) will be made automatically when families complete the online packet. In Parent Connect on the top there is a link that states 2025-2026 Back (coming soon) to School Packet. Click on the link below for directions and a short video explaining how to complete the Parent Connect Packet. The deadline to complete the online Parent Connect packets is Friday, September 5th.

https://www.mywbsd.org/page/parent-connect-resources

Our 4th graders have been selected to participate in the 2026 NAEP this year. Please see the images below for more information, but as a snapshot, our 4th graders will be selected to take tests in reading and math and our results will be used a part of "The Nation's Report Card." Testing will take place between January 26th and March 20th and would take no more than two hours. I am confident that our 4th grade Gators will be ready to boost our Nation's Report Card when they represent our school, school district, Michigan and the United States of America when they take the tests at the start of the new year.

Are you smarter than a 4th grader? Test yourself by clicking here or on the link below to try our some of the NAEP questions for yourself. Would you be able to help our Nation's Report Card?

*Bus routes may be updated, particularly in order to get children to Yake in time to have breakfast before school starts, but with all five elementary schools being on the same schedule, there will be bugs to work out.

Please click here or on the image below to see this year's bus routes. They should be the same as last year. *Updated routes are coming soon! I will update this link as soon as it is available.

Please click here for more information about our Transportation Department as listed on our District website.

Please take a peek at Yake's 2025/26 building calendar. This calendar is subject to change and will be updated as we move through the new school year.

I wanted to welcome some new faces to Yake Elementary School.

• Kennya Salinas - Speech Therapist

• Jenni Hanna - Building Sub
• Evan Bliss - Long-Term Sub for Mrs. Ulman - Evan is a second generation teacher at Yake Elementary School!

Please join me in welcoming Mrs. Salinas, Mrs. Hanna & Mr. Bliss to our family. We are fortunate to have such great additions to our team at Yake Elementary School.

We are waiting with fingers crossed to see if breakfast and lunch will be available for all students for free once again this year. Stay tuned...

New this year, all breakfast and lunch menus are available for families to view through the Nutrislice app. View menus online or with the Nutrislice app.

mywbsd.nutrislice.com

Children who are coming in for breakfast will be allowed to enter Yake through the maind doors at 8:40 a.m. and head to the cafeteria for breakfast. Kindergarten & Young Fives Gators will be allowed to enter through the front doors and line-up outside of their classrooms starting at 8:50 a.m. All other Gators in grades 1-4 will enter their classes through the exterior classroom doors at 9:00 a.m.

Calling all Dads!

Mark your calendars to help us bring Watch D.O.G.S. back to Yake Elementary School!

Yake was the first school to establish a Watch D.O.G.S. program in Southeast Michigan when we got started on May 17, 2010.

Starting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 18th. We will have our Dads & Kids Pizza Night. This introduction program is for all new “Dads” and veteran “DOGS” to learn more about the program and to sign up for the 2025.26 school year.

For more information about the Watch D.O.G.S. program, click here.

For a copy of the Dads & Kids Pizza Night flyer (to RSVP), click here.

To access the ICHAT (background check and volunteer waiver form) so that you can volunteer as a Watch D.O.G., (coming soon). By bringing the completed form and a copy of your driver's license to the dinner, we can get you up and running as a Watch D.O.G.

I am very excited to see Watch D.O.G.S. get back up and running this year!

Please see the flyer below and click on the link to book your room at Kalahari on President's Day! You don't want to miss out on a great deal for a room and a few days of waterpark fun with some great Yake families at Kalahari on President's Day, which will be on Monday, February 16, 2026! The rooms sell out every year. Be sure to book early to reserve your room.

All about i-Ready for parents! Please see the videos below for information about the i-Ready diagnostic and the i-Ready program.

Additional information will be coming throughout the year. i-Ready is a great resource for tracking your Gator's academic growth in Reading and Math, particularly when reviewing initial (September), mid-year (January) and end of the year (May) data.

We will all work diligently to help our Gators demonstrate academic growth throughout the year.

Click here to access a FAQ parent guide which will be updated throughout the year.

Your one stop quick reference!

Home of the Gators!

Where our Gators "Give and Expect the Best!" everyday!

Email: podlewt@wbsdweb.com
Website: https://www.mywbsd.org/yes
Phone: (734)692-2230
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yakepto
Twitter: @YakeGators