FES Monthly Newsletter

Principal's Message

Dear FES Families,

We are just days away from welcoming our students back, and I can’t wait to see our hallways filled with smiles and excitement again!

While this back-to-school season has brought a few unexpected twists — including the cancellation of our district-wide Open House — we’re still making sure families have opportunities to see classrooms and connect with teachers.

On the first day of school, August 25th, parents and guardians are welcome to walk their child to their classroom if they would like. To make sure this morning runs smoothly for everyone, please review our First Day Guidelines below:

First Day Morning Checklist

Walk through the breakfast line with your child if they plan to eat at school.
Help your child find their locker and put their belongings away.
Accompany your child to their desk and say hello to their new teacher.
Keep conversations with the teacher brief—this is a time for them to greet and welcome all of their new students.
Give your child a goodbye hug and exit the building before 9:30 AM so the school day can begin smoothly.

First Day Walk-In Reminders

If you plan to walk your child in:

Please park in designated areas — not along curbs or bus lanes.
Keep hallway traffic moving so students can settle into class smoothly.
Say your goodbyes at the door and let them start building independence right away.

Kindergarten Reminder:

Last names A–M attend on Monday, August 25 and may walk their child to the classroom and complete the checklist items that morning.
Last names N–Z attend on Tuesday, August 26 and will also have the opportunity to walk their child to the classroom and go through the checklist.
All Kindergarten students attend together starting Wednesday, August 27.

We’ll have staff members stationed throughout the building (along with some friendly helpers from our district office) to make sure every student gets where they need to go.

Drop Off

If you are parking in the parking lot, please make sure that when you are dropping off your child that you are walking them all the way across the parking lot and to the entrance. This is to keep your child safe from crossing vehicles and ensure that they make it to the school safely.

If you are going to use the drop off line please be sure to stay in your vehicle at all times. If you need to get out of your vehicle for any reason, please pull into a parking space.

Pick Up

When you are coming to pick up your child, be sure to make contact with your child's teacher to ensure that your child is being picked up by the appropriate person. Be careful when exiting the parking lot as well, we have already had a few incidents and would appreciate no more.

Do not block driveways, crosswalks, or fire lanes.
If you’re doing a quick drop-off, pull all the way forward before stopping so we can keep the line moving.

Attendance & Appointments

We know life happens, but consistent attendance is one of the biggest factors in a child’s success at school — both academically and socially.

If your child must leave for an appointment, call the office (517-223-6400) ahead of time so we can have them ready.
Please limit early pickups and tardies when possible — those minutes add up quickly.

Shoutouts

A HUGE thank you to our amazing teachers for the countless hours they’ve put into creating warm and welcoming classrooms.
Our maintenance and custodial staff deserve a round of applause for keeping our building and grounds looking beautiful.
Our secretaries deserve a standing ovation — they’ve handled all the details, kept everything organized, and made sure the building runs smoothly (often behind the scenes!).
And a special shoutout to Young’s Turf Farm — the new grass in our playgrounds looks incredible!