It's one of the most exciting times of the year - Back to School! Students fill our hallways with fresh backpacks and supplies and teachers excitedly greet all of the new faces that are ready to learn! I am so excited to be back at Weston for another year as the building principal. I am looking forward to seeing all of your smiling faces soon!

My name is Mrs. Sarah Wood. I enjoy doing things outside like kayaking and bike riding. I also enjoying reading (mostly thrillers and mysteries), cooking, and doing crafts. Mr. Wood and I enjoy taking trips up to the Petoskey area, attending concerts, and exploring new restaurants.

I hope everyone had a great summer, is well rested and ready to get back to school. We have been working very hard to get everything ready around Weston and cannot wait to see you!

You will notice a few updates to the building and grounds this year. First, the parent loop has been expanded to help with the traffic down Cashin St. and Richfield Rd. The process will still remain the same as previous years (more info below) for both drop off and pick up. Second, the secure entrance work happened this summer! We are excited about the renovation and the new processes that this renovation allows us to have!

This year our first day of school is Monday, August 26, 2024. This day will be a half day, so school will be in session from 8:35 AM to 11:45 AM.

Our regular day starts at 8:35 AM and ends at 3:25 PM.

Remember, this year in order to find out your child's classroom teacher you will need to log into ParentVue and complete the Online Registration which will have you verify and update your child's profile information. If you need assistance you can call our Technology Help Desk at (810) 249-1266.

Online Registration updates must be completed in order to view your child’s classroom teacher assignment.

You will receive your welcome packet, tour the building, and meet your child's teacher at our Open House. Please see below for additional information.

I'm looking forward to a great year!

Sarah Wood

Weston Principal

Kindergarten: Thursday, August 22, 5:30-6:30 PM

1st grade: Thursday, August 22, 4:00-5:00 PM

At Open House, you will have the opportunity to see your child's classroom, meet their teacher, and drop off supplies for the school year. The Transportation Department will have a table during this time where you can discuss bus arrangements.

Students will receive tags that zip-tie to their backpacks that MUST be attached for the first day of school, and remain on their backpack for the remainder of the school year. This will help us to ensure that all students quickly get to the appropriate location for transportation home each day.

• Thursday, August 22: Open House
  Kindergarten: 5:30-6:30 PM
  1st grade: 4:00-5:00 PM

• Monday, August 26: 1st Day of School (half day, dismissal at 11:45 AM)

• Friday, August 30: No School

• Monday, September 2: No School

Please click this link to access the supply lists for each grade level. At Open House, each teacher may give you a copy of this with a few additional items listed, but this is the basic list for each grade.

Bus Riders

The Transportation Department published bus routes in the Kearsley Connection and on the district's Transportation Department website. Please refer to these resources to find your bus information. A representative from the Transportation Department will be available at Open House, and you can also contact Transportation at (810) 591-7623.

Bus Routes for Weston

We encourage as many students as possible to ride the bus - this will help to keep the car loop numbers manageable for the end of the day.

It is worth reminding families that riding the school bus is a privilege, and unsafe and out of control behavior will not be tolerated.

Car Riders

You must use our Weston car loop to drop off in the morning and pick up in the afternoon. Students can be dropped off beginning at 8:25 AM and will be dismissed at 3:25 PM. All student pick ups/drop offs will take place in the loop in the back of the building. Only students who are riding the bus will enter and exit through the front doors. Please be sure to have your student's number clearly displayed in your car window at pick-up. We ask that you display the number on your driver side visor. A rubber band can be used to secure the number to your visor. If you do not have your number card, you will be required to show your ID. To ensure student safety, you may be asked to show your ID to more than one staff member throughout the process. Number cards will be available for pick up at the Open House.

If you are in the pick up/drop off line, it is imperative that you do not exit your vehicle. Our staff will gladly help your child in and out of your vehicle. We want to avoid any unsafe situations that could cause accidents. Safety comes first! Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Staff will be out at the loop each morning to begin dismissing students from cars beginning at 8:25 AM. Please wait until your child is dismissed by a staff member before allowing them to exit.

Did you know? Kearsley buses travel over 1,000 miles per day. We want every trip to be a safe one for our Hornets!

Kearsley Schools welcomes parents/guardians and families as partners, working together to ensure our students arrive to and from school in a safe manner.

We are excited to introduce “My Ride K-12,” a parent communication app, to our transportation operations by Tyler Technologies.

Updates Are Just a Few Clicks Away

Using this one-of-a-kind mobile app, you will have access to your student's bus number, driver's name, bus stops and pick up & drop off times. In addition, on the app, you will be able to see the approximate location of the bus on the route.

Kearsley’s transportation department can send notifications, through the phone app, of changes that may impact on your student's route.

Getting Started with My Ride K-12
You will be able to access student bus information by logging in to My Ride K-12 through the web or downloading the app to your smartphone.

Instructions:

• My Ride K-12 User Guide Parent Flyer (English)

• My Ride K-12 User Guide Parent Flyer (Spanish)

• My Ride K-12 User Guide Parent Flyer (French)

Mobile App - My Ride K-12 is available to download on your Apple or Android mobile device. Simply search the app store for “My Ride K-12” to download.

Website - https://myridek12.tylerapp.com

Questions?
Need help setting up My Ride K-12, or have questions? Please contact Rachelle Stewart at 810-591-7623.

All enrolled Kearsley students are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at NO CHARGE.

Menus are updated monthly, and can be located on the Kearsley Food Service & Nutrition webpage.

If you have questions about school nutrition services you can call (810) 591-5409.

Early Pick Up, Late Drop Off

If your child is arriving late to school, for safety purposes, please walk your child to the door.

If you need to pick your child up early from school, we ask that you please give us a call before 2:30 PM on the day of the change. The Weston office phone number is (810)591-8483. The cutoff time for making changes in transportation is 2:30 PM each day. No changes will be allowed after that time. Students being picked up early must be picked up at the front door by 3:00 PM. After 3:00 PM, students will not be released for early pick up, as the end of the day can be quite busy making sure students get to the appropriate location for dismissal.

Meeting with Staff

If you need to schedule a meeting with a staff member, please email the staff member directly, or call the office to schedule a time.

Volunteering

Prior to volunteering at Weston, all volunteers must fill out the Volunteer Form to have a background check completed. To fill out the form, please click on this link.

Did you know that missing 10 percent or more of school days due to absence for any reason - excused, unexcused absences and suspensions - can can translate into students having difficulty learning to read by the third grade, achieving in middle school, and graduating high school?

It is our policy that students be in attendance and on time at least 90% of the time.

Should your child need to be absent, we ask that you call school (810-591-8483) to verify the absence. For the absence to be considered "medical" we will need a doctor's note.

PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Intervention Supports.

PBIS is an evidence-based framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health. PBIS practices supports everyone in the school - students, educators, and staff. Practices include:

• defining positive school-wide expectations and prioritizing social, emotional, and behavioral skills,
• explicitly teaching expectations and skills to set all students up for success,
• encouraging and acknowledging expected behavior,
• preventing and responding to unwanted behavior in a respectful, instructional manner,
• fostering school-family partnerships.

At Weston, we focus on encouraging positive behavior and choices from ALL of our students. These positive choices are acknowledged in a variety of ways, including B-Code tickets being given to students when they are observed making positive choices with tickets being drawn and announced during morning announcements each day, and Students of the Month.

Teachers and staff teach their expectations regularly to Weston students to reinforce positive choices that create a positive culture where students can learn every day.

Check out the website below for great information for parents about starting school for the year with your child. Topics include: back to school checklist, creating daily routines, getting ready for the first day, easing anxiety about going back to school, lunch box and after school snacks, and fun after school activity ideas.

Weston is Kearsley Community School District's Kindergarten, and 1st grade building. We are the Weston Wonders!

Email: swood@kearsleyschools.org
Website: https://www.kearsleyschools.org/o/wes
Location: 2499 Cashin Street, Burton, MI, USA
Phone: 810-591-8483
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WondersofWeston