Martell Monitor

November 9: Family Pictures: Winter Photoshoot

November 10: Defeat the Label- Virtual (see info below)

November 11: PTO Meeting, 6:30pm in Media Center

November 17: ELD Family Game Night- See flyer below

November 20: Exotic Zoo Assembly (during school hours-students only)

November 23: Neehee's Dining Out Night (4924 Rochester Rd, Troy)

November 25-27: No School/Thanksgiving Break

Martell families are invited to join Defeat the Label's FREE virtual Community Conversation on Bullying on Tuesday, November 10. This year's theme, "Kids Are Watching: What We Teach Through Our Words," highlights the important role adults play in modeling kindness, respect, and belonging for our children.

The event will feature experts in education, mental health, and technology, including keynote speaker Dr. Devorah Heitner, author of Growing Up in Public and Screenwise. Sessions will explore social media, building inclusive school communities, supporting student well-being, and creating environments where all children feel valued and connected.

The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and families are welcome to attend any sessions of interest. A recording will be shared when available.

Click here to register for this FREE virtual event!

Please see the flyer below for additional information. Together, we can continue building a community where every Mustang feels safe, supported, and a sense of belonging!

At Martell, we celebrate the many languages and cultures that make our school community special! Troy School District has created a helpful guide for families whose children are learning English. The guide explains how our schools help students grow their English language skills while supporting their learning in the classroom. We invite you to explore this resource and learn more about the support available for your child.

Click here to explore the ELD Family Guide!

The staff at Martell Elementary has always believed in the importance of educating and preparing young people for the future. Our goal is to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

The Martell Elementary Alumni Scholarship will award a one-time grant of $500 to each of two deserving high school seniors to support their pursuit of post-secondary education. Voluntary donations are welcome and appreciated to support the scholarship fund.

For inquiries, please contact Clayton Lalko at clalko@troy.k12.mi.us.

As we enter into November, many consider it a season of giving Thanks – we appreciate all of you so much! Thank you for reading our weekly updates, for volunteering and supporting our wonderful community!

• Teachers Friendsgiving! We need YOU!

Parents, our annual teachers Friendsgiving luncheon is coming up and we are going to need quite a few BACKGROUND checked parents to volunteer in the classrooms for an hour on November, 24th. This event cannot happen without an iChat form on file for the current year. If you are available, please send in the completed iChat form with your ID to the Martell Office BEFORE November 10th.

• As a PTO, we want to ensure we’re asking for feedback to continue making our events as great as possible. Please take 2-3 minutes to provide your anonymous thoughts on our 2026 Fun Run by clicking here to take the survey.
• Start your planning for our Winter Student Market on December 3 - plan to have a booth or come shop the event. This will replace the holiday shop from previous years. More information will be coming!

• See you at our next PTO Meeting: Wednesday, November 11, 6:30 in the Media Center. The agenda is attached and we will be discussing the budget.

Stay Connected!

Email us anytime: martellpto.contact@gmail.com

Our Facebook Page

Dear Troy School District Families,

Career readiness begins much earlier than most families realize. Research shows that children start forming ideas about “what people like me can be” by age seven — and without intentional, positive exposure to a wide range of careers, those ideas can be shaped by stereotypes rather than possibility. That’s why Troy School District begins career readiness in kindergarten, not high school. Our goal in the elementary years is simple: help every child discover the incredible range of careers available to them, build the vocabulary to talk about their interests and strengths, and see the connection between what they are learning in the classroom today and the opportunities available to them tomorrow.

What Career Readiness Looks Like in Grades K–5

At the elementary level, career readiness is not about choosing a job — it’s about awareness. Students learn career-related vocabulary, explore how core subjects like reading, math, and science connect to real careers, and are introduced to people and professions they may not otherwise encounter. This early foundation sets the stage for the more in-depth career exploration and planning students will do in middle and high school.

Introducing Michigan’s Six Career Zones

To make the world of work easier for young learners to understand, Troy elementary students are introduced to Michigan’s Six Career Zones — broad groupings of careers that share similar interests, strengths, and skills. Thinking in terms of “zones” rather than hundreds of individual job titles helps children recognize patterns in what excites them and gives teachers and families a shared language for talking about careers at any age.

Arts & Communication

Careers in the visual and performing arts, literature, journalism, and media — from graphic designers and musicians to authors and broadcasters.

Business, Management, Marketing & Technology

Careers in accounting, business administration, finance, information technology, and marketing — the people who help organizations run and grow.

Engineering/Manufacturing & Industrial Technology

Careers that design, build, install, and maintain the products, machines, and systems we use every day, from bridges to robotics.

Health Sciences

Careers focused on promoting wellness and treating illness and injury — doctors, nurses, therapists, technicians, and many more.

Human Services

Careers that help people and communities thrive, including early childhood education, teaching, social work, public safety, and hospitality.

Natural Resources & Agriscience

Careers connected to agriculture, the environment, and natural resources — from farmers and veterinarians to conservation scientists.

Exploring the Career Zones with Pathful Junior

Troy School District uses Pathful Junior, an online career-awareness platform built specifically for K–5 students, to bring the Six Career Zones to life. Pathful Junior is colorful, interactive, and designed to be developmentally appropriate at every grade band. In it, students can:

• Visit Career Central to independently browse careers that interest them

• Watch short, kid-friendly cluster videos introducing different careers and career zones

• Complete teacher-assigned lessons that combine videos, games, and familiar characters

• Take a first interest survey that begins to connect their personal interests to career zones

• Earn badges and track their exploration on a student dashboard

The platform is fully accessible and available in more than 50 languages, so every student — regardless of learning style or home language — can take part.

How You Can Support Career Readiness at Home

Families are one of the most powerful influences on how children see their future. A few simple ways to keep the conversation going at home:

• Ask your child what career zone(s) they explored in Pathful Junior as the school year progresses

• Talk about your own job or the jobs of family members, and how they connect to a career zone.

• Point out careers you encounter together in everyday life — at the grocery store, the doctor’s office, or on a walk around the neighborhood

• Encourage curiosity rather than a single “right answer” — at this age, the goal is exposure, not decision-making

Thank you for partnering with us to help every Troy student build a strong foundation for their future.

To help keep dismissal safe, efficient, and moving smoothly, we highly encourage families picking up by vehicle to use the designated pick-up lanes and avoid the side parking lot. Cars entering and exiting the side lot create an additional layer of congestion during an already busy dismissal time.

A few reminders to help keep traffic flowing:

• Pull forward as far as possible behind the vehicle in front of you so we can accommodate as many cars as possible.
• If using the left lane, please continue all the way to the front before merging.
• Please do not attempt to merge two or three cars back from the front of the line, as this can slow the flow of traffic for everyone.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work together to keep our Martell Mustangs safe at dismissal!

If your child's pick up will be different than normal, please ALWAYS send a note to your child’s teacher Red Communication Folder.

Please do NOT rely on email to a teacher. Teachers are teaching during the day, and sometimes cannot get back to their computer if it's a late message! We do not want to miss a dismissal message.

We will not vary your child’s end of the day routine unless we have a note from you.

Should you have same day changes and need to modify your child's dismissal plan, please call the office before 2:30 p.m.

The Troy School District values those who volunteer in our classrooms and schools. If a volunteer will be with students for a significant length of time without a TSD employee being present, or will be with students on a regular basis, that volunteer is required to have a Michigan State Police Internet Criminal History Access Tool (I-CHAT) screening annually. All results will remain confidential and will only be used by the TSD administration to determine if you have been convicted of an offense that would otherwise prohibit you from working in our schools.

If your child requires any kind of medication either over the counter or prescribed, you will need to fill out a medical form and have it signed by your physician.

If your child has a severe medical condition, please turn in this form and the medication prior to the first day of school.

All medication must be brought into school by an adult.

Below is a link to the forms you will need.

Principal: Colette Ivey: civey@troy.k12.mi.us

Secretary to the Principal: Jill Gentner jlgentner@troy.k12.mi.us

Secretary for Records and Attendance: Lia Chirinos Arriaga lchirinosarriaga@troy.k12.mi.us

Staff emails: First initial, full last name @troy.k12.mi.us

Martell Office Main Line

248-823-3800

Martell Attendance Line

248-823-3801

Martell Office Hours

8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.