September 29th: Pierce Fun Run

October 1st: SOS Walk/Run

October 3rd: Flu Clinic

October 4th: Count Day & Walk / Bike to School Day & PTA Meeting

October 5th: Picture Day

October 25th: Trunk or Treat

October 31st: Half Day - Dismissal is at 11:50 AM

November 7th: No School

November 8th: Half Day - Dismissal is at 11:50 AM - Conferences

November 9th: Half Day - Dismissal is at 11:50 AM - Conferences

November 22nd - 24th: No School - Thanksgiving Break

It’s FUN RUN week! Fun Run will take place from 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM Friday, September 29, on the Pierce blacktop (near the playground). During the Fun Run, all students will be outside to both run and cheer on runners. Parents and guardians are welcome to come cheer on their children. See below for more information on running times by grade and fundraising details!

Fun Run is an annual fundraiser that our students participate it to raise money for a local non-profit along with school programs. Festivities will kick off at 9:30 AM. Junior Kindergarten, Kindergarten & 1st Grade will run first, roughly 9:45 AM - 10:00AM. 2nd and 3rd graders will be next, running from ~10:05 AM – 10:20 AM. Finally, our 4th & 5th graders will close us out, running from about 10:25 AM – 10:45 AM.

Fundraising for Fun Run is open NOW! Share the link below with friends and family – our goal is to raise $10,000! A portion of the funds raised will be donated to Variety, the Children’s Charity – our nonprofit partner for the last few years. The remaining money will be used to support the Pierce PE department and other PTA programs. Visit https://app.memberhub.gives/piercefunrun23 to set your student up to receive donations today.

Thanks to our all our sponsors!

Visit the PTA Info page on MTK to review the Sept 6 meeting minutes and the 2023/24 PTA Budget Proposal. We will be voting on the budget during the October 4 meeting. All are welcome!

Join us for our annual Walk & Roll to school day! We are excited to bring back this community event for another year. Bike racks are located on the black top. See you there!

Save the date for the annual Pierce Trunk or Treat – one of the favorite events of the year! Look for more details in next week’s PTA post!

Volunteers are needed during Fun Run on Friday, September 29 from 8:45AM - 11:15AM to help out on the run course. Volunteers will be handing out water, fruit & goody bags to all students. If you are able to volunteer, please sign up here!

Our front office is looking for volunteers to assist on a bi-weekly basis. Shifts would be either morning or afternoon, every other week – typically looking to have one volunteer per shift. If you are interested and available, please reach out to Carey Shields Larson (CLarson@birmingham.k12.mi.us) for more details.

Noon Aids assist daily in our cafeteria and on our playground, helping our lunch time run smoothly. At times, we need subs to fill in when our usual noon aids are out. If you can be available from 11:15 AM – 1:30 PM and would like to be placed on the Noon Aid On-Call List (you will only get called when there is a need), please email Rose at RDorre@birmingham.k12.mi.us.

Friends of Different Learners is an independent organization of Birmingham Public Schools parents, staff, and community members dedicated to maximizing the potential of students with different learning styles and abilities.

You’re invited to learn more about Friends of Different Learners at these two upcoming events:

• Thursday, October 5 @ 7PM at the Birmingham Covington School Media Center – meet the BPS Special Services Team and receive a 2023/24 School Year Update
• Friday, October 20 @ 9 AM in the Pierce Commons -- Friends of Different Learner's Pierce Families event
• Come join the Friends of Different Learner's group for some coffee and donuts and take the time to meet the Pierce Elementary Special Education Support staff. Learn what the Friends of Different Learner's group does, and how we can help. If your child has a 504 or IEP, or you have questions on that process, please join us and learn more!

If you are a parent of a student who was eligible to receive Free/Reduced lunch in prior years, BPS asks that you please fill out the online application again this year. Even though meals are free this year, it is vitally important that parents who meet, or believe they may meet, the free and reduced income guidelines, submit an on-line application or paper form. Without this information, our schools could lose important state funding for our programs that our students are entitled to.

Applying only takes a minute! Find the link to apply at https://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/Page/130. Please reach out if you have any questions at the BPS Food Service office: 248-203-3966 or via email

These supplemental grants and programs have the potential to offer support and services for our students including, but not limited to: Instructional staff (ex. Reading Interventionists, Math Tutors, Academic & Behavior Aids), Teaching supplies and materials, Counselors and Social Workers, School Nurses, Professional Learning for staff, Parent and Community engagement supplies and activities, or technology

This is an income-based application and based on your household income, your child may qualify for other programs such as: Summer EBT, Pay to play or Pay to Participate, Blessings in a Backpack, Potential household support for cable and internet, Test Fees

There’s still time to sign up for the Pierce Elementary Team for this year’s SOS 1 Mile & 5K Walk/Run, this Sunday, October 1.

Join your friends and neighbors at Seaholm High School for an event that's fun for all ages. It's the biggest SOS fundraiser of the year! When you register, be sure to join the Pierce Elementary Team!

The BPS schools with top participation win a prize for their school! We hope to see you there!

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a PTA sponsored program to drive reading and reading comprehension for grades 2-5. For more information, please visit https://www.piercepta.com/accelerated-reader.

Your student does not require any separate registration for AR. He/She will log into ClassLink, as they do at school. From there, click on the AR link -- the login/password are the same as your child uses to log into Schoology, except they will replace the "." at the end of their password with a "#".

Please note -- available testing hours are 6:00am-8:00pm Monday to Friday. The site will not work outside of those hours.

Reflections is a PTA Nationally Sponsored Arts Competition. It is voluntary -- entries are to be completed at home by the student. Categories include visual arts, music composition, film, photography, dance, and literature. This year’s theme is “I am Hopeful Because…”.

Entries are due to the Pierce Main Office November 6th and 8th. Please reach out with questions to Heather Holladay (hdbpvigil@gmail.com) or see more information on the PTA website at https://www.piercepta.com/reflections.

An email was sent out the morning of September 20 for information about Math Pentathlon. If you did not receive it and would like to be added to the distribution list, please email piercemathp@gmail.com with your student’s name, grade, parent email & parent phone number. More information about Math Pentathlon can be found at https://www.piercepta.com/math-pentathlon.

What is Membership Toolkit (MTK)? MTK is a website managed by the Pierce PTA and is available only to parents of Pierce Elementary School students where you can:

• Visit our Store
• View the Pierce Online Directory
• Browse Volunteer Opportunities
• View the Calendar
• Review PTA Meeting Minutes & access prior PTA Posts

Hot Tip! Download the Mobile App available for either Apple or Android! With the app, you will have all of this information right at your fingertips easily accessible.

Questions? Email pierceelementarytreasurer@gmail.com.

Purchase your Pierce Spirit Wear here!

Pierce Elementary School

1829 Pierce

Birmingham, MI 48009

Phone: 248-203-4325

Fax: 248-203-4393

https://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/pierce

Ms. Carey Shields (Larson)

clarson@birmingham.k12.mi.us