GPPSS Update

Grosse Pointe South Girls Varsity Cross Country welcomed cross-town rival Grosse Pointe North and Bloomfield Hills Marian for a non-scoring tri-meet focused on competition, community and sportsmanship. And that spirit was on full display at the finish line. On a hot afternoon and a challenging 5K course, runners from all three programs came together to celebrate each and every finisher as they crossed the line. That’s what high school athletics are all about!

At the top of the regular board meeting, on Monday, September 14th, the board heard from South Student Representative Lauren Cole who highlighted outstanding student achievements in academics, arts and athletics. She mentioned the Girls Varsity tennis finishing 4th in the State, Boys Track & Fiend elite performances at Division 1 State Finals, lacrosse players Lyla Hampton earning 1st Team All American and Stella Fry being names Academic All American, and two seniors this year committing to college teams -- Sam Rouleau football at Central Michigan University, and Harriet Kowalski field hockey at Maryville University. She also mentioned TV Production awards at the DAFT Michigan Student Film Festival and the MIPA Student Journalism competition. She also asked for balance during the upcoming homecoming weeks so students could participate in traditions while maintaining rigorous academic expectations.

During the Superintendent's report, Director of Special Education Rici Shovein provided an update on numerous trainings in partnership with by Wayne RESA to our staff already this year:

The board approved three action items: special and regular meeting minutes from August 17th, and a memorandum of understanding MOU with Grosse Pointe Woods for Security Cameras.

Please watch the district calendar on the website for the latest information on board and committee meetings. Agendas and supporting documents are linked from the calendar. Upcoming BOE meetings include:

• BOE Regular Meeting, Monday, September 21, 7 p.m., Brownell MPR

• Facilities Meeting, Monday, September 28, 5:30 p.m., North Library

• Policy Meeting, Monday, September 28, 6:30 p.m., North Library

• BOE Regular Meeting, Monday, October 5, 7 p.m., Brownell MPR

• See graphic below for the upcoming Superintendent Listening Sessions

On the website, click About GPPSS, then School Board. From there you can read about our board members, find links to past and current agendas, and watch the meetings. Meeting agendas with supporting documents are linked from the district calendar (see icon on right side of main page).

The third graders at Defer are getting to know each other by “flamingling” to finding out more about their peers and what they have in common.

- submitted by Kristin Perlin

The Public Education Program (PEP) is designed to promote, publicize, and facilitate education for the purpose of encouraging the public to reduce the discharge of pollutants into the Grosse Pointe Public Schools' separate storm sewer system. In an effort to maintain compliance with the objectives set in the district’s Storm Water Management Plan, we are sharing local watershed information, activities, and volunteer opportunities.

Friends of the Rouge and Detroit Bird Alliance hosts its Fall Birding Paddle October 3rd, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. See the beautiful fall colors and explore the bird species in the Rouge River watershed. Last year we spotted over a dozen bird species as well as an Eagle! This open water paddle is great for beginner paddlers. There is a $50 boat rental fee or a $15 service charge if you are bringing your own boat.

• Register Today: https://motorcitycanoerental.com/events.php
• Other Lower Rouge Water Trail Events: https://therouge.org/what-we-do/explore/water-trail-events/

One of the strengths of our district is the strong connection between home and school. It is not uncommon for our elementary schools to have 100% participation at conferences. That is remarkable. Start the year off strong by attending Back to School Night. And thank you for being actively engaged in our schools!

Here is the link for the fall swim class registration: https://gpschools.formstack.com/forms/fallswimming2026

See you at the pools,

Diane R. Zedan

zedand@gpschools.org

Aquatics Coordinator, Community Education

Grosse Pointe Public School System

One of the important steps at the start of each school year is to fill out the K12 pre-registration forms. About 90% of families have completed the forms to date -- thank you. By default, that means 10% of our students don't have updated emergency contacts, won't be in yearbooks, can't go on walking field trips, and haven't agreed to our behavior expectations. So we will be calling and emailing you until these are complete and we know your family's decisions and not just the default exclusion.

Inside K-12, make sure you have visited MiStar and updated your emergency contacts. This ensures we have the proper phone numbers in the event of any emergency (like a snow day) and email addresses for school communications like this. You may update your emergency contacts at any time and here are step by step instructions to do so.

Other key forms are:

• FERPA - without that we cannot include your student in yearbooks or celebrate them in newsletters or graduation/promotion/concert materials with their name or image.
• Technology Acceptable Use
• Walking Field Trip (for elementary)
• Student Handbook

Just a reminder, GPPSS has Late Start Mondays for professional learning for staff. Please see the chart above for Late Start Monday times by level, our schedule for Tuesday-Friday, and half day dismissal times. Grosse Pointe Transition Campus, for our students ages 18-26 receiving special education services, has times slightly offset from the high school schedule to make for an easier drop off and pick up; those times have been communicated directly to families. Thank you!

Please visit the Food Service section of our district website by clicking Meals in the upper right corner. And be sure to download the Taher Food4Life app for your phone. These are the easiest ways to access the menus by school (use the dropdown menu to select your school and your meal - breakfast or lunch). Click on any menu item to see the Allergen and Wellness Guidelines. A form for those with dietary restrictions was included in the K12 Pre registration packet and is available in each school office. Remember that for breakfast or lunch to be free students must take all items including milk. Taher staff will gladly help if students have questions about what makes up a full meal. A la cart items will be charged to their account. Money can be added to your student's account online with a credit card. Click Cafeteria in MiStar to check your balance, then Online Food Service Payments (upper right corner) to add.

Did you know you can print Week at a Glance menus by school also? Below is a sample from Parcells.

Earlier this school year, GPPSS communicated that e-bikes were not permitted on school property. Since then, we have received thoughtful questions and feedback from students, families, and community members about e-bikes, e-scooters, and the growing variety of electric motorized devices students are using to travel to and from school.

We appreciate that feedback, and we listened.

One theme that emerged from those conversations was the need to balance two important priorities: supporting safe ways for students to travel to school while keeping our busy school grounds and arrival and dismissal areas safe for everyone. As a result, we are refining our approach and introducing a simple districtwide safety expectation:

Walk Your Wheels in School Zones

Moving forward, students may bring Michigan-compliant e-bikes to school. Once students reach school property and adjacent sidewalks, bicycles, scooters, e-bikes, and e-scooters should be walked — not ridden.

This gives students the ability to use these devices for transportation while reducing the risk of collisions in areas where students, families, buses, and vehicles are moving during arrival and dismissal.

What is an e-bike?

An e-bike is a bicycle with a seat or saddle, fully operable pedals, and an electric motor of 750 watts or less. Under Michigan's e-bike classifications, electric assistance is limited to no more than 28 mph.

What is an e-moto?

An e-moto is a higher-powered electric motorbike that does not meet Michigan's definition of an e-bike. These devices may look similar to e-bikes but operate more like motorcycles or other motor vehicles. For example, a device may be considered an e-moto rather than an e-bike if it does not have fully operable pedals, exceeds 750 watts, provides motor assistance above 28 mph, or operates primarily by throttle above 20 mph.

Because e-motos are motor vehicles rather than e-bikes, students may not bring or operate e-motos on elementary or middle school property.

At the high school level, students may bring a qualifying motorized vehicle to school only when the student and vehicle meet the applicable Michigan requirements for that type of vehicle, including any required license or endorsement, registration, insurance, and safety equipment. The vehicle must also be registered with the school and have an approved student parking permit.

Please take a few minutes to review these expectations with your student, particularly if they ride an electric bike or other motorized device to school.

• When you reach the school zone, walk your wheels.
• Whether you arrive by bicycle, scooter, e-bike, or e-scooter:
• Slow down.
• Walk safely.
• Look out for one another.

Thank you for helping us keep our school communities safe.

Early On

Early On is Michigan's system for helping infants and toddlers, birth to age 3 and their families who have developmental delays or are at risk for delays due to certain health conditions.

Build Up

Build Up helps parents and their eligible children, ages 3 through 5, access special education supports and services as they develop and learn skills before they go to kindergarten.

If you have a concern about your child's development, go to https://miearlychildhood.org/ to make an online referral for a free Early On or Build Up evaluation.

Do you know someone who would be a good fit for one of these open positions in GPPSS? We're particularly looking for paraprofessionals and early childhood staff, but check out the possibilities and help us spread the word to find great candidates! Here are a few positions to explore:

• Elementary School Resource Program Teacher - 2 Positions (1.0 FTE) (Mason and Defer Elementary)

• Spanish 1.0 FTE- North
• Elementary Art (0.5)

• Lunchroom supervisors

• Kids Club Caregiver, multiple sites

• Senior Employee Relations Specialist

• GSRP Associate teacher

• GSRP Caregiver

• Performing Arts Center

• Lifeguard-Swim Assistant

• Swim Instructor

• Guest Teacher (Instructional Substitute) through EduStaff

Thank you to our GPEA teacher's union and district administration for agreeing to the key dates in our 2026-27 GPPSS calendar. Additional dates will be announced when the contract is settled, but above are the major breaks and below are a few more we can share:

• North Homecoming is October 2nd vs. Marysville
• South Homecoming is October 9th vs. Eisenhower
• The North South game will be October 23rd at North

The Fall Frolic is back! Join the GPFPE for the return of our favorite fall tradition - a casual evening that brings our district community together for food, drinks, entertainment and an all-around good time!

When: Thursday, September 24

Where: Cadieux Cafe

Mark your calendars - ticket details and full event info will be shared soon. We can't wait to see you there!

Here is a quick summary of key communication tools we utilize to stay connected:

• District Newsletter - Our GPPSS Update you're reading now comes out every week on Wednesdays throughout the school year. Please make a practice of scanning through it for important updates throughout the district.
• School newsletters typically come out Friday or Sunday with school-specific information.
• Daily updates are posted on social media.
  • Facebook @GPPSS
  • Twitter @GPSchools
  • Instagram @gppschools
  • LinkedIn will be a focus this year as we seek different ways to tell our story
• Calendar updates are on the district website (click icon right on main page). Please note there is a separate Performing Arts Calendar, and high school athletic calendars are linked from the school athletic department websites.

If you know someone (neighbor, grandparent, business owner, public official) who would like to be on our mailing list for the district newsletter, please share this form with them. There is no cost to subscribe and emails will not be shared with any other organization or business.

Did you know you can submit stories to celebrate throughout the school year by emailing info@gpschools.org and putting Good News in the subject line? We love photos and try very hard to balance stories across the district. Thank you for sharing your stories.

• Did you partner with a classroom on a special learning opportunity?
• Did you go to 5th grade camp?
• Do you coach a team?