Welcome Back Martell Mustangs

8:25am - Students wait in their assigned classroom waiting line.

8:34am - First Bell - Warning Bell

8:39am - Second Bell - School Start Bell

3:37pm - Dismissal

August 31: Breakfast Begins

September 1: Class Shirt Orders DUE by 11am

September 1: 5th Grade Instrumental Music Family Orientation/Athens High School, 7pm (this will be recorded to view after the meeting)

September 2: Curriculum Night, 6:00 p.m.

September 4: No School

September 7: No School/Labor Day

September 9: Room Parent Kickoff Meeting, 6:30 pm, (dinner provided). Room Parents will be contacted next week.

September 16: First PTO Meeting of the Year, 6:30pm

September 23: FUN RUN (grade schedule coming out soon) (PTO Fundraiser)

September 25: Picture Day

September 28- Red Robin Dining Out Night (PTO Fundraiser)

Hello Martell Families!

We have had an amazing first week of school! From our newest Mustang kindergarteners learning their new routine to our 5th grade safeties setting the Mustang example, it's brought our school back to life.

Here are just a few reminders:

Full Day Start Time is 8:39a.m./End Time is 3:37p.m.

Half Day Start Time is 8:39a.m./End Time is 12:29 p.m. Lunch is not provided on half days.

Arrival

• School begins at 8:39am.

• For safety purposes- parents are not allowed to park to walk their students to their classroom lineup. Students arriving by car must be dropped off using the parent pickup/drop-off loop. Students may exit their cars starting at 8:25am to walk to their classroom lineup.

• Students that arrive by bus will walk to their outdoor classroom lineup (see the map below for the outdoor lineup map).

• For students who walk to school, parents will give their final hugs at the bike rack on the south side of the building. Students will then walk to their classroom lineup.

Students Arriving Late (Tardy)

• Use either the Visitu App (see the flyer below for QR code) or kiosk in the vestibule to sign your student in.
• All students must be walked in by an adult and must remain with the student until the office staff has let them into the building.

Dismissal (further directions will be given to students during school hours)

• Students going home on the bus will line up according to bus number at the front entrance.
• Students being picked up will line up outside and parents will use the parent valet pickup/drop-off loop.
• Students walking home will meet their parents at the bike rack on the south side of the school.

Healthy Snack & Refillable Water Bottle Please send a healthy (tree nut/peanut free) snack every day separate from their lunch. As well as a leak free water bottle. We have two water bottle stations in the school they can refill when they need more.

Have a wonderful weekend! Please reach out if you need anything!

Best,

Colette Ivey, Principal

Welcome Back to School! It was a wonderful first week back - Chalk the Walk, BooHoo Breakfast for our kindergarten parents, and Welcome Back Treats for the teachers to help get them through the first week!

There are lots of happenings with the PTO - you’ll see an update from us in the Martell Monitor each week, but you can also reach out to us at anytime: martellpto.contact@gmail.com

Other ways to get information from us:

Our Facebook Page

must have a Facebook account and be a member of the page - request access now!

Martell Elementary PTO website

Highlight of the week:

Class shirt orders are due by September 1 at 11am! Order here: Martell Elementary Spirit Wear Fall 2026 | The Varsity Shop

We’re all looking forward to a great year ahead!

You may have noticed that your child’s bus stop information in PowerSchool does not show a drop-off time for half days.

An easy way to figure out what their Half Day bus drop-off time is to count the number of minutes from the end of a regular full day (3:37pm) to the full day drop off time.

For example:

Jill’s Bus Stop Drop off time on a regular full day is 3:52pm. The number of minutes from 3:37 to 3:52 is 15 minutes.

Half Days end at 12:29pm, so Jill’s bus stop drop off time for half days will be 15 minutes after 12:29, which is 12:44pm.

If you have additional questions regarding TSD transportation you can call 248-823-4054.

We want to share our sincere thanks to Katie Scott, our school Media teacher, who has decided to spend more time at home with her young children at this time. We are incredibly grateful for Katie’s time, dedication, and commitment to the Martell community, and we wish her and her family all the best.

We are also excited to welcome Shadia Martin as our new school librarian. We look forward to the experience, energy, and care she will bring to our students and school community. Please join us in welcoming Ms. Martin to Martell!

To help keep students focused on learning and engaged throughout the school day, please review the following district expectations with your child:

• Cell phones and personal devices must remain silent, with notifications turned off, and stored in backpacks or lockers during school hours.
• Student communication with families during the school day should take place through the main office, unless otherwise approved by a staff member.
• Smartwatches and other wearable devices may be worn, but notifications and communication features must be disabled.
• Earbuds, headphones, and interactive glasses may only be used with staff permission.
• Recording devices are prohibited in accordance with district policy.
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Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a focused, safe, and distraction-free learning environment for all students!

To improve student safety and reduce congestion on Livernois Road, Martell Elementary will implement updated arrival and dismissal procedures for the 2026–2027 school year.

Traffic Pattern Change: Right Turn Only

During the following times, all vehicles exiting the Martell parking lot will be required to make a right turn only onto Livernois Road:

• Morning Arrival: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
• Afternoon Dismissal: 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

This change is designed to improve traffic flow, reduce backups onto Livernois Road, and create a safer environment for students, families, and staff.

School Start

• 8:25 a.m. – Students may arrive on school property.
• Grades 1–5: Report to assigned outdoor classroom lines (see information below).
• Kindergarten: Enter through the door number two to the left of the main entrance and report to the indoor waiting area. Staff will be present to support.
• 8:34 a.m. – First bell
• 8:39 a.m. – School begins

GSRP Arrival

• GSRP begins at 8:10 a.m.
• Use the east/right parking lot.
• Park and walk your child to the designated side entrance.
• Please do not use the K–5 drop-off loop.

K–5 Arrival & Dismissal Options

K–5 students may arrive and depart by school bus, car, or walking/biking.

School Bus: The bus loop is reserved for buses and authorized school vehicles only.

Car Drop-Off/Pick-Up: Both lanes of the loop will be used during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal. Parents should remain in their vehicles. Follow the new pavement markings, use both lanes, and alternate/merge into one lane when you reach the loading/unloading area. Pull all the way forward and have students enter or exit from the passenger/curb side whenever possible.

Walkers & Bikers: Students should use the designated Bike Rack/Walker Area. Parents may say goodbye at this location, and students should proceed independently to their waiting area.

Afternoon Pick-Up

• Student names will be called in the order vehicles arrive.
• Display your Martell Student Pick-Up Hanger from your rearview mirror. Hangers will be provided on the first day of school.
• Pull all the way forward to the loading area.
• Students should enter from the curb side whenever possible.
• Please help your child practice buckling independently to keep the line moving.

Safety Reminders

Please follow posted signs and staff directions, remain in your vehicle when using the car loop, and do not park or block traffic lanes. The updated traffic pattern, including the right-turn-only exit, is designed to improve safety and reduce traffic backups.

Thank you for your patience, kindness, and partnership in keeping arrival and dismissal safe and efficient for all Mustang families!

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.

Lunch and breakfast continue to be offered at no cost for Michigan public school students. Breakfast will begin on August 31st.

The lunch and breakfast menus are available on the TSD website or are included in the Martell Monitor (see attachments above). A vegetarian option is offered every day. If you have a student that requires a specific diet (examples: Halal, gluten free, sesame free), please contact the TSD Food Service Department at 248-823-5089 and inform your child's teacher.

For any other questions please contact the TSD Food Service Department at 248-823-5089.

For the first two weeks of school, please send a healthy (tree nut/peanut free) snack every day separate from your child's lunch as well as a leak free water bottle. We have two water bottle stations at Martell where students can refill throughout the school day.

If your child has a food restriction in their classroom, a separate communication will be sent from the main office and your child's classroom teacher.

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. Please DO NOT send in your student backpack.

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: Julie Richman jrichman@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.