Morford Monthly Memo

I can't believe this is the last monthly memo of the year! First and foremost, I want to thank each of you for welcoming me to Linden, especially at Central Elementary. I have enjoyed the year getting to know each of you. I look forward to many more years here in Linden watching our Eagles grow and learn.

As you know the next few weeks will be very busy. Please make sure to read the SMORE in its entirety so you have all the info you need for field trip dates, SOAR Day info and 5th grade clap out. It is sure to be an exciting time for our students.

In partnership with you,

Mrs. Morford

SOAR day is Wednesday, May 21st. At this time, we are all set with volunteers for the event. Please know that this is a student centered event so only those who are volunteering (and have a valid up to date i-Chat) will be able to stay on that day.

I would like to take a moment to share some information about the last day of school and our 5th grade Clap Out Celebration. Our last day of school at Central Elementary is Friday, June 6th. This is a half day with a scheduled release time of 11:37am.

To celebrate our 5th grade students completing their elementary school career and moving up to middle school, we will be continuing our clap out tradition this year. I have attached a picture below showing where parents can line up to help celebrate. Parents will not be allowed in the building during the clap out time, but are invited to stand along the yellow highlighted area connecting the 4th grade playground doors with the sidewalk in front of the building. Parents may begin lining up at 11:25 am.

Students that are riding the bus can continue back inside the building and head down to their bus. Students being picked up can find their parent/guardian and head home from Central one last time. Please make sure to respect those around you so that all families can celebrate their child.

Silly string and other confetti devices will not be allowed in the building and again we ask that you be responsible for the bulk of any mess created on school grounds. Our hope is this is a positive and exciting event for all students and everyone gets the opportunity to be celebrated for the work they've put in to get to this point in their educational careers.

Your child’s medication(s) must be picked up at school in the office on or before JUNE 6, 2025.

Due to Safe and Drug-Free laws, any medication must be picked up by an adult. If the medication is not picked up by this time, it will be properly disposed of according to district policy/guidelines. All medical documentation from physician and parent/guardian will be disposed of as well.

Thank you!

Mrs. Oden

Parents of future middle school students for the 2025-2026 school year be on the lookout for an informational video coming in the next few weeks. The video will help answer questions you might have all while sharing some great things going on at the middle school.

All library books are due! Please make sure to locate any that you may have lost and get those turned into Mrs. O'Connell.

Please have your eagle check the lost and found! We will be donating items that are not claimed by the last school day to a local charity.

Dress and Grooming

While fashion changes, the reason for being in school does not. Students are in school to learn. Any fashion (dress clothing, accessory, or hairstyle) that disrupts the educational process or presents a safety risk will not be permitted. Personal expression is permitted within these general guidelines.

Students should consider the following questions when dressing for school:

*Does my clothing expose too much? (no)

*Does my clothing advertise something that is prohibited to minors? (no)

*Are there obscene, profane, drug-related, gang-related, or inflammatory messages on my clothing? (no)

*Would I interview for a job in this outfit? (yes)

*Am I dressed appropriately for the weather? (yes)

*Do I feel comfortable with my appearance? (yes)

If a student has selected a manner of appearance that is beyond mere freedom of expression and disrupts the educational process or presents risk to themselves or others, they may be asked to change or be removed from the educational setting.

The following styles or manners of dress are considered inappropriate for the education environment:

1. Sleeveless shirts/top (males and females)

2. Any clothing bearing tobacco, alcohol logos, sexual innuendo, or profanity

3. Shorts, skirts, and dresses that are shorter than fingertip in length, and/or holes in clothing above fingertip length.

4. Bare midriffs, bare shoulders, open back shirts, indecently low-cut shirts, and clothing that would expose undergarments.

5. Any clothing that rides up and exposes a bare midriff and/or undergarments while student is sitting or raising hands.

6. Attire not specifically necessary in the classroom.

7. Hats, bandanas, and sunglasses (These must be kept in the student’s locker).

8. Appropriate footwear as to not cause potential injury.

Students who are representing Linden Community Schools at an official function or public event may be required to follow specific dress requirements. Usually, this applies to athletic teams, cheerleaders, bands, and other such groups.

New SEMESTER - - TIME TO FILL OUT A NEW I-Chat form to Volunteer. Please be sure to get these to the office in time to have the check before the event. Thank you for your help!

Visitors are welcome in our building. In order to chaperone on trips, assist in classroom parties, help at field day, etc. you must have completed a Volunteer Registration Form to have a background check done prior to you helping. Given the process takes a couple days, please plan ahead. The application must be turned into the school at least 5 school days prior to the activity occurring. The form must be completed and is a non-negotiable for student safety. If you do not have one on file the day of the event, you will not be able to attend. As a parent myself, I hope that you understand the importance of the background check and will trust this process.

The best way to avoid hiccups and issues is to complete the form now! Click here to access the form. Complete the form and return it to the main office.

Please make sure you have a scheduled appointment time with your child’s teacher if coming in. Upon arrival, please sign in at the office.

When picking up your student from school early, please be prepared to show your ID. This is for safety and security of our students. Know that while we are working to build relationships with our families we don't always have the same people working in the office, nor do we often see you each day. Thank you for being patient to ensure our Eagles are safe!

Just wanted to remind you of the health safety information shared in the welcome back letter in August especially as it pertains to meds and birthday treats.

Some of our students have been diagnosed with Tree Nut/Peanut Allergies and have had severe reactions after contact. Please be cognizant of any allergy in your child’s classroom.
A few students are diabetic and have food restrictions. Medications and special accommodations for the health of your child are required to have a medical professional authorization form completed. Please refer to the forms section at www.lindenschools.org. If planning for birthday treats please take the above info into consideration and plan for store bought pre-packaged items. Check with your child’s teacher for ideas.

I am noticing that arrival and dismissal can be a bit challenging. Please know that student safety is of top priority. While we recognize that some of you may be in a hurry, it is absolutely important to pack your patience each day for both arrival and dismissal for pick up and drop off.

Students cannot be wandering into the parking lot on their own. The parking lot is for "parking" only. If you wish to park and walk your child up to the building that is up to you. If you must pick them up from the parking lot, it is expected that you walk your student to ensure safety. The last thing that we want is that someone gets injured because of carelessness.

Our main goal is fluidity, so please join the queue to drop your Eagle off or pick them up from the car line loop. If all those participating in the loop pull all the way forward, students hop out or into the car quickly, the time will be minimal.

I am hopeful that together we can work through this to ensure student safety.

The office is a busy place at the end of the day. If you would like to sign your student out at the end of the day please be sure to stop by the office prior to 3:15pm. As the end of day dismissal is happening, students are packing up, teachers and students are moving, it makes it very difficult to locate students. It takes a village and we appreciate you understanding.

If you are aware of end of day changes in which your eagle will veer off the "normal" schedule (needs to be a pick up rather than ride the bus), please make sure to send your student with a note to school that day. If you must contact the school to make changes to end of day dismissal, you must call the office by 3pm. Please know that the office gets rather crazy towards the end of day and while we do try and make sure all information is passed along, students start traveling throughout the building and it makes the message hard to reach the recipient. A note will help!

Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to switch busses, allow a friend to tag along with another student, etc. so please plan accordingly as the transportation works through continuous transportation glitches.

Emergency contacts and transportation information needs to be updated when changes happen. Please make sure that your ParentVue account has been updated when things change, like that of phone numbers, address, etc. Our systems pull from this data and if you haven't updated it, we will not know without you making changes to ParentVue. If you should have questions, please contact the office at 810/591-8410.

If you have someone that plans to pick up your eagle and they are not on your emergency contact being they have permission to pick up, someone will be contacting you to approve this change. To eliminate this from happening, be sure that ParentVue is up do date by adding those who are approved to pick up your eagle. Thanks for your support with this!

Congrats to Madeline Brender who is being recognized as our staff member of the month for May. Her colleagues have this to say about her....Madeline is always putting her best efforts forward for the kids. Whether it is a high-five in the hallway, handshake or an encouraging sentiment in need she always advocates for her students. When faced with decisions she always does what is best for the students, no matter the need. She is a gem to have on staff and is well deserving of this honor!

Congrats Madeline!

Keep an eye out for the sign up genius coming your way for SOAR day!

If you need added to the PALS email list for more in depth information please send an email to central.el.pals@gmail.com.

School Hours 8:19 am - 3:27 pm.

8:00am - students getting breakfast can enter building

8:09am - all students can enter building

8:19am - bell rings to start class

Students arriving after 8:19am must be signed in by an adult in the office

4th Grade

Recess is from 11:15-11:40am

Lunch is from 11:40-12:10pm

5th Grade (divided into 2 groups)

Group 1 Recess from 11:501-12:15pm

Group 1 Lunch from 12:15-12:40pm

Group 2 Recess from 12:00-12:25pm

Group 2 Lunch from 12:25-12:40pm

3:27 pm Dismissal

April 1-30 - Dimes for Diapers

April 29 - 5th Grade M-Step SCIENCE

May 1 - 4th Grade M-Step MATH

May 1 - 5th Grade M-Step SOCIAL STUDIES

May 6/7 - M-Step ELA for 4th and 5th Grade

May 8 - District wide art show at Multi-Purpose Building

May 19 and 20 - 5th grade students heading to middle school to visit

May 20 - Visit with incoming 4th graders from Linden Elementary

May 21 - SOAR Field Day

May 26 - No School - Memorial Day

May 27 - Sinn and Perkins Field Trip to Greenfield Village

May 28 - Welch and Elmer Field Trip to Greenfield Village

May 30 - 4th grade Field Trip to Mackinaw

May 30 - Barber and Edwards Field Trip to Greenfield Village

June 3 - 5th grade Field Trip to Splash Village

June 5 - 4th grade Field Trip to Rollerhaven

June 6 - Last Day of School - Half Day