Your Weekly Principal Message

Don't forget that every Thursday is SPIRIT day at Keppel! Students and staff are encouraged to wear their Keppel Gear!

Monday, October 5 - Camp Pali Meeting for 5th Grade Parents @ 6:00PM

October 5 - 20 - PTA Food Drive

Tuesday, October 6 - School Site Council Meeting at 2:45 PM in Library

Wednesday, October 7 - Walk to School Day, McTeacher's Night

Saturday, October 10 - PTA Boo Bash Event - See below for important information!

Monday, October 12 - PTA Reflections Entries Due

Tuesday, October 13 - Master Class Workshop for Interested Students

October 12 - 16 - Scholastic Book Fair!

October 14 - Reading Night from 5 - 6 PM

October 15 - Donuts with Grownups from 7:45 - 8:45 AM

October 23 - No School for Students

GUSD is participating in the 11th Annual California Crunch on Wednesday, October 7th during lunch. The California Crunch is the annual event where students across the state take a collective bite of locally-grown fruits and vegetables to celebrate local farms, healthy eating, and Farm-to-School Month!

Join us for the 1st School Site Council Meeting of the year. All are welcome! Here is the agenda:

I. Welcome and Roll Call

II. Approval of the Minutes from May 13, 2025

III. New Business:

• Uniform Complaint Procedures

• School Site Council Training

• Review By-laws

• Elect New Officers

• Student-Parent-Teacher Compact

• School Parent & Family Engagement Policy

• Single Plan for Student Achievement

• Review progress on 25-26 Goals

• Review & Revise 26-27 Goals

• 2026 Budget Update

• Title I, Supplemental, Title III, Intervention, GATE, Prop 28 (Arts)

IV. Reports:

• Principal’s Report

• ELAC/DELAC, GATE, Testing

• Intervention Updates

• Parent Education Opportunities

V. Future Meetings: Jan 26, 2027; March 16, 2027; May 11, 2027 at 2:45pm

VI. Adjournment

Join us for the 2027 Walk to School Day!

Meet up at 7:40 AM at one of these locations!

Location 1: Highland/Olmstead

Location 2: Norton/Glenwood

Location 3: South/Virginia

Location 4: South/Concord

Please share photos here!

Let's get ready to celebrate literacy and the love of reading with the annual book fair.

Volunteers should sign up here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080544ABA72FA1F58-66263484-book#/

Create an "e-wallet" for your child here:

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/markkeppelelementaryschool

Join us for Story time on Wednesday October 14 from 5 - 6pm in the cafeteria.

Join us for Donuts with Grownups before school on Thursday, October 15. Students visiting the book fair should have an adult present with them from 7:45 - 8:30.

All volunteer guidelines for the school district have been updated. Even if you were previously cleared to volunteer, you must go through the new process. Please find all of the details and steps here. (gusd.net/volunteer)

All Tier 2 clearance (we rarely have anyone who would be a Tier 1 volunteer) is done through the school district office and may take several weeks to complete, so please get started now if you plan to help on campus, be a field trip chaperone, support a class event, etc. Mark Keppel can not clear volunteers, there are no exceptions under the new policy. Once you receive the email from GUSD that you are cleared, please forward it to Rita Janoyan, school secretary, so we have a record of it. (ritajanoyan@gusd.net)

Keppel Winter Gift Shop

5th Grade Committee will be hosting a Resale Winter Gift Shop at school this Holiday Season! Donate unwanted items and help fundraise for our school!

We are collecting Gently Used & Like-New Items:

Kids Toys:

Loose Legos

Pokemon Cards (ask your kids for their duplicates)

HotWheels

Small Toy Figures

Board Games

Card Games

Loose Dice & Game Pieces

Sundry:

Sunglasses (like new)

Wallets (like new)

Costume Jewelry (no used earrings)

English, Korean & Armenian Kids Books

Cookbooks

Unused Notebooks

New, Unopened Gift Items (no glass, liquids or electronics)

Baskets, Crates & Trays

Collection: Bins in Front Lobby 9/28-10/16

Shopping: Open at Dismissal 12/10 & 12/11 and at Winter Fest

Please help us provide a fun experience for our kids to shop for themselves and purchase gifts for parents, grandparents, siblings, friends and mentors!!

MKS is excited to announce this year’s Teacher Grant recipients! Thanks to the support of our Keppel community, MKS is providing funding for arts enrichment and creative learning opportunities across our school.

Congratulations to this year’s funded programs:

Camp Snap Digital Photography — K–5 Students
Viola Spolin Theatre Games Workshop — Theatre/Drama
Master Artists Art Education — 2nd Grade
SoCal Drum Party Music Enrichment — TK & Kindergarten
Crayola Imagine Arts Academy — 4th Grade
Deep Space Sparkle – Sparklers Club — 3rd Grade

Thank you to all of our teachers and resident artists who submitted proposals and continue to bring creative and meaningful arts experiences to our Keppel students. We can’t wait to see these programs come to life!

Saturday, October 10, 4pm to 8pm
Enter at the 2nd Level Virginia Gate
Entry is FREE!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Boo Bash is a PTA-school-sponsored event. All school rules and regulations will be in effect. Students must be accompanied by a parent/guardian for the duration of the event and may not be left unattended. Please review the expectations with your child to ensure a positive experience.

• No Pets allowed.
• No Scooters or bikes may be ridden on campus
• The playground and equipment (such as balls and the apparatus) are not to be used.
• Students are to remain on the 2nd level of campus. They are not permitted inside the building or inside classrooms.
• Bring your own trick-or-treat bag, or make one at the PTA Boo Bash table!
• Don't forget to come in costume! BUT - Do not include look-alike weapons or weapons in costumes.

Come in costume and join us for a night of music, food, games, crafts, and spooky fun for the whole family.

Here's what's in store:
Trunk or Treat from 5pm to 6:30pm
All-You-Can-Play Games with wristbands
Photo Ops
Music by DJ Max
MKS Spirit Wear
Food Truck from Lovely Tacos, Mediterranean Kitchen, 5th Grade Committee will sell churros and popcorn, and PTA will host their annual Bake Sale!

Save $5 with pre-sale wristbands!
All-You-Can-Play Wristbands are just $10 when you buy early. Pre-sale is open online starting today through Sunday, October 4:
https://linkly.link/2tlGf

You can also buy them in person at Keppel from October 5 to October 9.

Pre-sale wristbands will come home in Thursday folders on 10/8. Wristbands will be $15 at the door on the day of the event.

WANT TO GET INVOLVED?!

There are many ways to help bring Boo Bash to life! Host a Trunk or Carnival Booth on behalf of your student's class! Donate a baked good for our PTA Bake Sale! Volunteer at the event itself! Please see the links below to help!

Boo Bash Trunk or Treat/Carnival Booth Sign Up

Boo Bash Bake Sale Donations

EVENT DAY Volunteer Sign Ups

PTA membership is just $17 per person, and every dollar goes directly to programs and activities that support our kids and strengthen our Keppel community. Our goal is 100% family membership this year!

So far we have 370 memberships, at 39% of our goal. We are still calculating our class winners and we'll let the community know next week! And there's still time to join PTA.

The top 3 classes closest to 100% participation will earn their choice of a donut or popsicle party and their teacher will receive $150 in Classroom Supply Reimbursements!

Join here: https://jointotem.com/ca/glendale/glendale-mark-keppel-elementary-parent-teacher-association-inc

The PTA does A LOT at Keppel to bring joy and core memories to all students and families, but we can't do it alone! Whether you have a little time, or a lot of time, there’s a place for you in PTA! Join a committee, volunteer for an event, or help from home. Please check off all events and committees that you'd like to support. https://forms.gle/n9mkHLrKwHZAQYB67

Keppel PTA is partnering with Mabel's Label's with personalized waterproof name labels for all of your student's belongings. The labels work on clothing tags and water bottles alike and are perfect to stock up on at the beginning of the school year.

Visit www.campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for Keppel PTA (Glendale). When you purchase your labels, Keppel PTA earns 20% from every purchase.

PTA Reflections is a national arts recognition program, and this year's theme was made for a school like Keppel. Culture is the food your family makes, the language you speak at home, the stories your grandparents tell, the music that plays at every family gathering. That is the inspiration. The art is how your child chooses to share it.

Your child does not have to be an "art kid" to enter. They just have to have something to say. Every student who submits an entry is recognized, and work that earns an Award of Excellence at the school level advances to Glendale Council, then First District, then California State, and finally the National level. But the point is the making, not the placing.

Six Ways to Enter
Students may enter one or more of the following categories: Visual Arts, Photography, Literature, Film Production, Music Composition, and Dance Choreography. One entry per student per category.

Important Dates
Entry Deadline: Monday, October 12, 2026. Drop off entries at the school office.

Judging: Mid-October

Showcase and Awards: October 21, 2026 at our PTA Association Meeting, where all entries will be displayed.

How to Enter
Download the entry packet below. It includes the Student Entry Form, Official Rules, Category Guidelines, and a brainstorming worksheet to help your child find their big idea.

Download the 2026-27 Reflections Entry Packet (PDF): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CQfC8YUZFDymTqlL-TC9ssvTXAuncSoZ/view?usp=share_link

Complete the Student Entry Form, attach it to the finished artwork, and drop it off at the school office by the deadline. Please do not fold or roll artwork.

Questions?
Contact keppelptareflections@gmail.com or visit capta.org/programs-events/reflections for more information.

Hoover High School

Pep Team

Tiny Tornado Clinic

(ages 5 - 13)

See the attached flyer

The Hoover High School Pep Team will be your instructors for the camp. You will learn new

cheers and a half-time dance, meet new friends, and have the opportunity to perform at the

Hoover Tornado Football Game!

Clinic:

● Wednesday & Thursday October 7 and 8

● Practice Time: 4:00 - 5:30 pm

● Location: Hoover High School Small Gym & Dance Room

Game:

● Friday, October 9, 2025

● Participant Call Time: 4:30 pm in the Small Gym / Game Time 5:00 pm

● Location: Hoover High School Football Field

● Please have your participant wear their hair in a high ponytail, black leggings & tennis shoes on

game day. Clinic t-shirt will be given the day of the game

● Your child will be released to the person on their enrollment form after their halftime performance

Cost:

● $50.00 per participant, cash or check made payable to Hoover High School

● Please add “Cheer Clinic” to the memo if paying with check

(Tax ID: 95-6001464)

● Payments via Credit Card, Venmo or Zelle are NOT accepted

● NO REFUNDS

Includes:

● Instruction and T-Shirt. Participant admission to the game is free.

● Adult admission to the game is $12.00. Student and Senior admission is $8.00

● Water and snacks will be on sale at the clinic for $1 cash.

Please contact Pep Team Advisor Nikki Giblin with any questions at ngiblin@gusd.net