Farley Focus

Last Thursday, the spirit of the Pinckney community, and especially Farley Hill, shone brightly!

I want to send a huge thank you to all of you. Our dedicated teachers give endlessly of their time and resources, and when they reached out for help with their recent party needs, you responded with incredible generosity. Because of your support, every party request was filled, making the first big party day of the school year a huge success!

Following the parties, we had an AWESOME Halloween parade!

Not only did EVERY child have their costume, but so many of you also rearranged your schedules to attend! WOW! It was heartwarming to see students whose own parents couldn't make it waving to neighbors, friends' parents, and familiar grandparents. Together, you stepped up and made every Farley student feel seen and celebrated.

Thank you for being such a truly awesome and supportive group!

Sincerely,

Danielle Birdyshaw

Above is a link to a letter that explains why schools need survey data from our students' families. These anonymous, annual surveys help us continually improve. Click the pdf icon above to read the letter.

If you are familiar with school climate surveys and feel ready to take the survey, here is the link to the survey: Farley Hill Family Climate Survey 2025-2026.

Please take 10-15 minutes to complete the climate survey about Farley Hill. Your views matter, and we can only take action on things we know!

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at Parent-Teacher Conferences this week! If you have not yet scheduled your conference, please contact your child's teacher ASAP.

Conferences provide teachers with time to share information about your child as a student. We know that children often behave, or demonstrate knowledge, differently at home than they do in school. Classrooms are full of friends who can sometimes be distractions for even the most focused learners. Lessons at school are often more complex and fast-paced than activities done at home. These are just a few of the reasons why your student might be able to complete activities with you that they are having difficulty finishing successfully at school. Also, even the most well-meaning parents often provide more help or coaching than they realize whereas teachers are highly-trained to provide support for most tasks and lead other tasks without support so that students can show what they are able to do independently.

Conferences are also an opportunity for parents to ask questions. If you have a few questions that you are planning to ask at your child's conference, it can be very helpful to send them to your child's teacher ahead of time. This gives your child's teacher the opportunity to gather relevant documents and structure the conference to address your questions.

This month, our Positivity Project studies will start with Bravery. This is a fitting topic as we formally honor our veterans on November 11th. If you have a veteran in your life, on behalf of Farley Hill staff and students, please thank them for their service.

We will then spend a week reviewing the topics we have studied so far. Review helps us learn by refreshing and expanding the connections in our brains.

These are the topics we studied in September and October:

-Having an Other People Mindset (OPM)

-Curiosity

-Teamwork

-Open-Mindedness

-OPM: Being present and giving others my attention

-Integrity

-Creativity

-OPM: Knowing my words and actions affect others

As we approach Thanksgiving, it makes sense that we will spend some time discussing Gratitude.

Farley Hill has an INCREDIBLE PTO! The dedicated parents and guardians of the PTO are always welcoming new members (no cost to join) and volunteers.

OUR NEXT MEETINGS ARE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH and THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11th.

Meetings take place in the Farley Hill library from 4:15-5:15; childcare is provided at no cost. Families can attend PTO meetings virtually. Meeting attendance is not required to volunteer for a PTO event or project.

Here are just a few of the great things PTO has done for Farley Hill recently:

-ran a successful fundraiser (This takes TONS of behind-the-scenes work!)

-planned a meal for our teachers on the extra long conference days

-got the yearbook photo collections up and running

Thank you to all the parents and guardians who have worked through the initial implementation glitches with Rooms.

If you have not yet downloaded the Pinckney Schools app and tried to communicate via Rooms, we encourage you to give it a try.

If you are having trouble logging into Rooms, stop by the office after your Parent-Teacher conference, we may be able to help.

Here is the link to some Room FAQ: PCS Rooms Support | District

Also, here are a few additional tips that have helped other Farley parents get Room up and running for them.

• Check that your app is updated.

• Make sure you are signing in with the email address you have in MiStar.

When asked for a password, enter the password for the email platform, not your MiStar password.

CHANGES TO AFTERNOON PICKUP OR BUS ROUTINES - Please start to make it a habit to contact the office BY 2:00 PM if there is a change to how your child will be getting home. Currently, Mrs. Morgan and Ms. Andrews spend a lot of time each afternoon making sure that teachers have updated information about changes to afternoon plans for students. Mrs. Morgan's working hours are scheduled to shift. When this happens, the office cannot guarantee that dismissal changes called in after 2:00 will reach classroom teachers. It may be tempting to contact your child's teacher directly instead of calling the school office, but our staff is busy with their students and they often are physically unable to check their phones or computers between their planning time in the morning and dismissal. Now is the time to make it a habit to call with any dismissal changes before 2:00 PM.

Our drop-off and pick-up loops are running smoothly. We are always happy to have additional parent volunteers to assist with the parent pick-up loop from 3:55 to 4:15 PM. If you are interested in helping, please let us know!

Please remember that all students must enter the building through either the drop-off loop at the back of the school or from the buses at the front. The drop-off loop is open from 8:40 AM to 9:00 AM, with our school day officially starting at 8:58 AM. If you bring your child after 9:00 AM, please walk them into school and sign them in on the clipboard in the office.

If your child does not ride the bus for a week, the transportation department considers them as unenrolled from the bus. Please notify transportation as soon as possible if your child has not ridden the bus for a while, and you wish for them to resume riding the bus.

If your child needs to ride a different bus with a friend, they can do so with prior approval and parent permission. Due to limited space, please contact the bus garage at least 24 hours in advance. Additionally, please provide your child with a note for the school office giving them permission to ride the friend's bus.

On early release Fridays, bus drop-off is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes earlier than the normal time. On half-days, bus drop-off will be approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes earlier than the normal time.

School Hours

• Monday - Thursday: 8:58 AM to 3:58 PM

• Friday: 8:58 AM to 2:43 PM

Office Hours

• Monday - Thursday: 8:30 AM to 4:15 PM

• Friday: 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM

Contact Us

• Main Office: (810) 225-6400

Attendance: (810) 225-6410 or FE-attendance@pinckneypirates.org

To report a student's absence, please notify the school by either:

• Calling the Attendance Hotline at (810) 225-6410

• Emailing FE-attendance@pinckneypirates.org

The Attendance Hotline is available 24/7 for your convenience. Please note that any absence not reported within 48 hours will be marked as unexcused.

Resources and Supports for Families

Through our partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), we have a Pathways to Potential Success Coach available in our building. This coach can confidentially connect you with a variety of community resources, including assistance with:

• Food, clothing, and transportation

• Daycare and healthcare coverage (Medicaid, etc.)

• Utility shut-off notices and evictions

• Mental health services, and more

There's no need to travel to the Howell DHHS office; we can help you right here at school. All information will be kept confidential to protect your privacy.

Please feel free to reach out to us if you need any assistance or have questions. We look forward to partnering with you this year.

• Principal: Danielle Birdyshaw - dbirdyshaw@pinckneypirates.org

• Student & Family Specialists: Patty Higgins - phiggins@pinckneypirates.org and Valerie Schott - vschott@pinckneypirates.org

We understand that sometimes minor bumps and scrapes can go unnoticed on the playground. Our staff will notify you if your child has a significant bump or a head injury. If you notice an injury at home that we were not aware of, please let us know so we can investigate.

If your child becomes ill at school, we will contact a parent or guardian. If we are unable to reach you, we will contact the emergency contacts listed on your child's emergency card. Please be sure to keep your child's emergency card up-to-date with current phone numbers, especially cell phone numbers.

If your child needs to take medication during school hours, a parent or guardian must bring it to the school office in the original, labeled container. We require a completed permission form, which you can fill out in the office, before we can dispense any medication.

Please note: Students are not allowed to carry any medication with them, including over-the-counter items like cough drops or aspirin. All medications must be brought to school by a parent or guardian.

To schedule a time to drop off your child's medication, please call Ms. Andrews or Mrs. Morgan at (810) 225-6400. This procedure is required by state law and is in place to ensure the safety of all students.

Aramark is our district's meal provider, offering several breakfast and lunch options daily that meet federal nutrition guidelines. To see what's on the menu each month, please visit the Pinckney Community Schools food service website.

Breakfast and lunch will be free for all Pinckney students again this year. Milk is included with all meals, but if your child wants to purchase milk separately, the cost is $0.55. You can add funds to your child's lunch account through MISTAR here.

Our students have a 40-minute lunch period that includes both a 20-minute mealtime and a 20-minute recess. Here is the schedule:

• Preschool: 11:40 AM - 12:20 PM

• Kindergarten, KinderREADY, & Grade 1: 12:40 PM - 1:20 PM

• Grade 2: 11:50 AM - 12:30 PM

All students are supervised by our dedicated recess and lunch staff.

We are always looking for parents and family members to join our team as paid lunch and recess supervisors. If you are interested in this position, please contact the school office at (810) 225-6400.

If your child has a diagnosed medical condition or special dietary needs that require an alternative school meal, please complete the Special Diet Form. Once completed, submit the form to Chris Haskin, our Director of Food Service, at chaskin@pinckneypirates.org.

Our Latchkey program provides safe, caring, and fun before and after-school care for school-age children. We offer a variety of activities, including arts and crafts, games, and supervised homework time. Our goal is to provide a supportive and educational environment for your child.

Latchkey is a self-supporting program, with an annual registration fee of $100 per family.

For more information on our services and fees, please click here.

You can register and manage your account online at pinckney.ce.eleyo.com.

To make sure every student at Pinckney receives the best instruction, we're using a tool called aimsWeb Plus this year. It's a quick and simple way to check on your child's reading and math progress.

How aimsWeb Plus works

We use aimsWeb Plus for two main purposes:

• Universal Screening: We test all students in the fall, winter, and spring to find anyone who might need a little extra help.

• Progress Monitoring: For students who are getting extra help, we track their progress with quick tests throughout the year to make sure they are on track.

What You Need to Know

• Testing Time: All students will take these quick tests in the fall, winter, and spring. Students receiving extra support will be tested more frequently. The tests are very short—most only take 1 to 3 minutes. They give us a simple score that helps us understand if your child is on target to meet their year-end goals. Think of it like a quick vision check; it's a simple way to know if we need to examine more.

• Preparation: Your child does not need to do anything special to prepare for these tests. Just make sure they come to school ready to learn as they do every day.

• Questions? If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or the school principal.

Every school in the Pinckney Community Schools district has a Child Study Team/Response to Intervention process. This team helps staff review student performance and concerns, and then work together to develop interventions.

If you have concerns about your child's development and would like more information on special services, please contact the building principal of Farley Hill Elementary, Danielle Birdyshaw, at dbirdyshaw@pinckneypirates.org.