DeKeyser News
September 20, 2025
Principal: Mrs. Shannon Hathcock
Administrative Assistant: Mrs. Lisa Russo
Clerk: Mrs. Heather Mansour
Location: 39600 Atkinson, Sterling Heights., MI 48313
Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Office Phone Number: (586)797-4400
24 Hr Attendance Line (586)797-4499
Fax (586)797-4401
Email officedekeyser@uticak12.org
Website: DeKeyser Elementary / Homepage (uticak12.org)
Facebook: DeKeyser Elementary School
School Hours: 9:05 AM - 3:55 PM (full days) and 9:05 AM -12:09 PM (half days)
Morning SACC (DeKeyser): 6:45 am - 9:05 am
Afternoon SACC (Messmore): 3:55 pm - 6:00 pm (Students bussed from DeKeyser to Messmore)
Breakfast Hours: 8:45 - 9:05
Security Safety Video
Safety remains a priority for our school. Elementary is once again providing training to our students on our safety protocols. The protocols identify actions that students may be asked to take in the event of a potential incident: hold, secure, lockdown, evacuate and shelter.
The training is provided through a short, animated video. In the video, the teacher – Mrs. Appleton – and her students walk through the different responses in a very relaxed and engaging way for younger children. The script was written by our staff.
The protocols will continue to be part of the training while practicing our regular school safety drills, such as fire drills, security drills, tornado drills, evacuation procedures, etc.
The video is available for you to review at this link: UCS School Safety: Standard Response Protocol - Elementary - YouTube If you have any questions, please contact our office.
Fall Conferences - Coming Soon!
An important parent-school activity that occurs each fall is our Parent-Teacher Conference. This is your opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher and discuss progress this year and shared expectations.
Please note: October 2 is a half day for all secondary students (junior high and high school), and October 15 is a half day for all elementary students to accommodate conferences.
Here is the upcoming schedule for our conferences:
- October 14 – Evening Conferences (5:00-8:00 p.m.)
- October 15 – Afternoon or evening conferences 1-4pm, 5-8pm (this will be a half day for our students)
More information on how to sign up for conferences will be sent shortly.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Spirit Week
Sept. 22nd - Sept. 29th
What's Happening at DeKeyser
September 22nd - September 26th
September 2025
VIP Parking – Amy Nowaczok
Hispanic Heritage Month
Deaf Awareness Month
Habit 1: Be Proactive / Purposeful People Character Trait: 3-to-Be
NWEA Fall Reading & Math Testing Window – K-6: September 2, 2025 - September 26, 2025
Monday, Sept. 22
- Spirit Day: Lions / Pajama Day - Wear Detroit Lions gear or favorite PJs
First day of Fall
Tuesday, Sept. 23
- Spirit Day: Twinning Day - Wear the same colors as your bestie or group of friends!
Rosh Hashanah
6:00 - 8:00 - A Night on Mars - Malow Jr. High
Wednesday, Sept. 24
Spirit Day: Wacky Wednesday - Wear crazy socks and mismatched clothes - anything silly goes!
Thursday, Sept. 25
- Spirit Day: Sports Day - Wear your favorite sports team shirt or jersey!
4:00pm-5:00pm Macomb Crew Soccer-Session 1 (Gym)
- 6:00 – 8:00 O'Keefe's Parent Advisory Meeting (Gym)
Friday, Sept. 26
- Spirit Day: Color Wars - Wear your grade level assigned DeKeyser shirt or color!
- Frozen Friday - $1 Popsicle Sale
FUN RUN
Johnny Appleseed Day
Scholastic is hosting live author events on Friday's in September!
M-STEP Parent Letters Sent Home (Grades 4-6)
STEAM Night Opportunity for Students
Tuesday, Sept. 23rd - 6-8 pm @ Malow Jr. High
Is your child interested in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics)? Are they looking to broaden their horizons and try out a new opportunity? Night on Mars is the perfect event for you! For children in 2nd to 5th grade only, Night on Mars is a fun, interactive design and building event that will help children explore their interest in science and robotics. It will include an immerse experience along with a creative design and building activity, all free of charge. Not only will they have tons of fun, but you and your child will be informed on our high school robotics team, Crevolution 2851, and Project FIRST First. Project FIRST First is an excellent opportunity to allow your child to begin/join a robotics team in their school. All you have to do is show up! We hope to see many of you there.
Fun Run Schedule
Friday, September 26th
DON'T FORGET TO RSVP!
Title 1 - Back To School - Parent Event
Tuesday, Sept.30th - 5:30 - 7:30
What's Happening at DeKeyser
September 29th - October 3rd
September 2025
VIP Parking – Amy Nowaczok
Hispanic Heritage Month
Deaf Awareness Month
Habit 1: Be Proactive / Purposeful People Character Trait: 3-to-Be
K- 5 - mClass DIBELS 8 – Fall Window – Sept. 22 – Oct. 17
Monday, Sept. 29
Happy Birthday Teresa Cuares! 🥳
Picture Day (Gym)
Coffee Day
Tuesday, Sept. 30
10:00 - 6th Grade - SMART MOVES - 5/6 Collaboration Space
5:30 – 7:30 – DeKeyser Title 1 Back to School Parent Event (Gym)
October 2025
VIP Parking – Danyette Embry
National Cyber Security Awareness Month
Bully Prevention Month
Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind / Purposeful People Character Trait: Respect
K- 5 - mClass DIBELS 8 – Fall Window – Sept. 22 – Oct. 17
Wednesday, Oct. 1
Fall Count Day
10:00 - Student Council Assembly - Student Speeches
6:30pm – 8:00pm Cub Scout Meeting (Cafeteria)
Thursday, Oct. 2
Yom Kipper
Custodian Appreciation Day – Let's Celebrate Zef and Ylli
4:00pm-5:00pm Macomb Crew Soccer –Session 1 (Gym)
- 6:30 - 7:30 - 1st Grade Parent's Night
Friday, Oct. 3
- Frozen Friday - $1 Popsicle Sale
10:00 – 10:45 – Detroit Lions Assembly with Roary
3:00 – Chuck E Cheese visits DeKeyser
4:00 – 9:00 - Chuck E Cheese Fundraiser
Sunday, Oct. 5
Happy Birthday Ylli Zykaj! 🥳
World Teacher’s Day
11:00 - 2:00 - Sterling Heights - FIRE - Open House
7:00 pm - Band-A-Rama - Runkel Field
Sterling Heights - FIRE - Open House
Sunday, Oct. 5th - 11:00 - 2:00
UCS - Band-A-Rama
Sunday, Oct. 5th - 7:00 pm
PTCG News
We are absolutely thrilled for our DeKeyser dolphins to lace up their sneakers and get ready for our 17th Annual Fun Run on Friday, September 26th! Students should wear their grade level color shirts (K- green, 1st- purple, 2nd- teal, 3rd- red, 4th- orange, 5th- yellow, 6th- royal blue) and good running shoes. Each grade level will spend about 45 minutes outside to warm-up with drills from the Army National Guard, run laps around the building with DJ Super Dave, and then enjoy a popsicle treat! PTCG volunteers will have water coolers outside but it's a good idea to have kiddos bring their water bottles to have outside with them for this event. We can't wait to celebrate all the funds that our school collected for an incredible school year at DeKeyser!
It's not too late to support our Fun Run event by sending in donations for your child! There are TONS of incredible prizes to give away for kiddos that help raise money for DeKeyser by sending in cash, a check made payable to DeKeyser PTCG, or sharing our Fun Run donation page online by clicking here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/dekeyser-fun-run We only have ONE WEEK LEFT to reach our school goal of $17,000!! We have collected about $3,150 online and about $1,500 sent in with cash/check which puts us at $4,650 so far. We are really hoping for a big push next week to help us reach that goal for an AMAZING whole school assembly SURPRISE for reaching $17,000 with a hint for kiddos that starts with FORWARD DOWN THE FIELD.....We appreciate your help!
If you are volunteering for the Fun Run, we look forward to meeting you on the grassy field for your AM or PM block. Even if you're not volunteering, parents are more than welcome to come on over to DeKeyser and cheer on your kiddo during their time outside. Please check out the schedule below if you'd like to visit our Fun Run and cheer on our dolphins:
Click here if you missed the SignUp Genius for volunteering at our Fun Run: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B49A8AE2AA1FEC61-51393693-funrun#/
Grade Level T-Shirts
We Love Our Volunteers and Visitors!
We are asking for your support to help keep our students safe. If you plan to volunteer in our classrooms, work directly with a student and/or chaperone a field trip, etc. you will need to have a volunteer background check on file. The new volunteer application form is located at this link: www.uticak12.org/volunteer. The background check involves multiple state and federal law enforcement databases. We greatly appreciate the involvement of our families and the difference you make at DeKeyser Elementary. Thank you for your partnership with this extra step that will improve safety in our school.
A few reminders:
- Please have all required documentation ready before you begin.
- The application must be completed in one sitting.
- One application can be used for multiple schools
- Once approved, you will be cleared to volunteer in UCS schools
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the DeKeyser Office: OfficeDeKeyser@uticak12.org or 586-797-4400.
Thank you for supporting our students and school community through volunteering!
School Age Child Care
Utica Community Schools is pleased to provide an opportunity for School Age Child Care (SACC)!
DeKeyser Options are as follows:
Morning SACC: Monday - Friday 6: 45 am - 9:05 am (Currently registering on a waitlist)
Afternoon SACC: Monday - Friday 3:55 pm – 6:00 pm at Messmore Elementary
Students will be bussed to this location after school.
Please click on the link below for more information and the opportunity to register your child for SACC.
UCS Text Messaging Service
UCS App
Utica Community Schools has a new mobile app! Search for 'Utica Schools' in your phone's app store and download the free app to stay up-to-date on district and school news. The old mobile app 'Utica Community Schools' is no longer supported and should be deleted from your devices. Download at the App store here and Google Play here.
