The Spencer Scoop

Hello Spencer Families,

It was such a great first week of school! We are all getting to know each other and our new teachers, enjoying the new playground, and forming new friendships. We have had a cooler start to the year than usual so it already feels like fall.

Thank you to everyone for your patience with transportation, drop off, and pickup. It seems to be getting a bit smoother!

Thank you, as well, to our Spencer PTO for providing breakfast for us this morning.
We hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of rest and time together.

Mrs. Boyd

We are continuing our efforts to maximize security and minimize traffic in our lobby where students frequently pass through at any given time during the course of a school day, and will again use the QR code system for parents/guardians when either 1) signing in your student tardy or 2) picking up your student early. The QR codes will be affixed outside Door #1 (the main entrance door) and you will simply use the camera on your phone to scan the QR codes (NOTE: one code is for signing IN a student and one code is for signing OUT a student). After you scan the code, it will direct you to either the Student Sign In or Sign Out Google Form. The office and/or safety officer will then locate your student and send them out to you where you will show your ID. **NOTE** This year you will have to wait outside for your student to come down for an early pick up so be mindful of the weather conditions (ie: bring an umbrella if it's raining). To expedite this process, it will be helpful to you to send in a note with your student in the morning to give to the teacher if you will be picking up your student early.

Here are the QR Links. You can always save these to your phone for quick reference.

GOOGLE FORM FOR STUDENT SIGN IN

GOOGLE FORM FOR STUDENT SIGN OUT

You will find the Drop Off Cabinet (pictured below) near the main entrance to the school. Here you will put those forgotten items that your student may need. Simply fill out the small slip of paper with the student's name and teacher, and a staff member will deliver the item to your student.

Student Drop Off: 8:55 AM

First Bell: 9:01 AM

Second Bell: 9:05 AM

Starting Time In Class: 9:05 AM

Dismissal Time: 3:58 PM

Students eating Breakfast may enter the cafeteria at 8:45 AM

Attendance Line: 810-299-4354

*Please remember to call your child's absence in as early as possible.

Our Spencer curriculum night will be September 11th from 5:30-6:45PM. This is a chance for parents to meet with the teacher without their students, learn about our curriculum, and get the flow of the school day! We ask that you leave students at home so you can attend to the information the teachers have prepared for you! If you have multiple Roadrunners, then you decide which presentation to attend. The schedule will be as follows...

5:30-6:00 Presentation option #1 for classroom

6:00-6:30 Presentation option #2 for classroom

6:30-6:45 Informal meet the principal in the Media Center (optional) ~ Mrs. Boyd

*Specials Teachers will be in their rooms 5:30-6:30 so you can meet with them and explore the classroom spaces!

Remember to call in your child's absence to the Attendance Line at 810-299-4354 as early as possible in the morning. Leave a brief reason for their absence so I can excuse it. As a safety precaution, there will be an automated call for any parent who hasn’t called into the Attendance Line to report an absence. These calls go out at 3PM. If your child was absent for an illness and you have note from the doctor, please send it in to the office.

Parent Reported Absences

A convenient feature in Parent Connect will allow you to enter your student’s absence. Simply log into parent connect and click on the link Report Absence. The Report Absence link will open a screen for you to complete. If you have more than one student check the name of the student for whom an absence is being submitted. Add the applicable dates. If you check the All Day flag attendance will be submitted for the AM and PM periods. If you do not check the All Day flag times must be entered and attendance will be submitted for whichever periods meet during the time range (based on period schedule).

Please remember to send your child to school each day with a refillable water bottle with their name on it. Spencer has water refilling stations throughout the building and we encourage students to drink water throughout the day.

Parents - Please make sure you pack a change of clothes (that are weather appropriate) in your child's backpack EVERY DAY. This is for ALL students, grades JK-4th, you never know when your student may have a nosebleed, or loose a tooth, or spill food/milk on their shirt, or find a mud puddle outside, or have a bathroom accident. If your student keeps a change of clothing in their backpack, then we can take care of it here, otherwise we need you to bring up a change of clothes. Thank you for your cooperation.

Dear Parents,

We’d like to share some important information about Free & Reduced-Price Meal eligibility.

While all students currently receive meals at no cost through the Michigan School Meals Program, qualifying for Free or Reduced-Price Meals can provide additional benefits for your child and family—including reduced fees for school activities, athletics, and testing.

In past years, most students’ eligibility was determined through a process called Direct Certification. This automatically qualifies students without the need for families to apply. However, this year Direct Certification has not identified as many eligible students as in the past.

If your child has qualified for Free or Reduced-Price Meals in previous years but you have not received a notification this year, you may need to complete a short application. Also, if you feel that you may now qualify, you should fill out this application as well (Link to Qualification Standards). The good news—it’s quick and simple to do!

• Paper applications are available in all schools.

• Applications can also be printed from the district website.

• An online Application is available on Parent Connect

If you are unsure of your eligibility status or have any questions, please call the Food Service Office at 810-299-4175 and we’ll be happy to help.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to ensure your child receives all the benefits they are entitled to.

Sincerely,

The Brighton Area Schools Student Nutrition Department

Please look over the following information. For the first week of school teachers will be greeting their students on the sidewalk at the front of the school. You may help your child find their teacher and return to your car. The second week of school students can be dropped off in the Student Drop-Off Zone. The Student Drop-Off Zone is the best option to keep traffic flowing and students arriving to school on time. Also, we won't have adults outside until 8:55. Please do not drop off your child before then.

Click here for the procedures

DROP OFF (8:55 AM)

1. Do not drop off your child before 8:55 AM. We do not have adults outside to supervise until 8:55 AM and the classrooms will not be opened before this time.

2. When entering the Student Drop-Off Zone, have your child ready with their belongings to exit the vehicle. Remain in your vehicle and have your child exit from the passenger side. Children and adults should never get out of the driver’s side while in the Student Drop-Off Zone.

3. Please pull all the way forward and then stop to let your child out.

4. After dropping off your child, wait for the cars in front of you to exit. Do not try to pass, as it puts students in danger.

5. After 9:05 AM the Student Drop-Off Zone will be closed and you must park and walk your child up to Door #1 at the main entrance to sign them in tardy from the QR Code on the door.

PICK UP (3:58 PM)

1. To ensure that your child is in the correct location, please make sure your child’s teacher knows your child is a pick-up. You will need to contact the office if there has been a change in your student's transportation at the end of the day. We ask that you do not email the teachers as they are teaching and aren’t always able to check their emails during the day.

2. All students who are being picked up at dismissal will wait inside the classroom. You will go to your child’s designated door (see the list below for door numbers) and at 3:58 PM your child will be dismissed.

3. When picking up your child, make sure you have your photo ID. If a grandparent or other adult will be picking up your student, please be sure they are listed as an emergency contact in Parent Connect and they will need to show a photo ID.

Important Reminders and Updates:

• Please access the crosswalk at the main entrance only

• Do not park in the crosswalk areas.

• Do not pull in handicap spaces to drop off/pick up. These spaces are for our students who need wheelchair access or for adults who are handicapped and need to walk in.

• Students of any age are not allowed to walk in the parking lot without an adult.

• The bus lot is not available for student drop off/pick up.

We will monitor this process and will make adjustments to the procedures to increase efficiency and safety. School traffic is challenging, and we appreciate and thank you for your patience as we work to make our parking lot safe and efficient. We anticipate long lines during the first week of school. Please do not pass cars to bypass these lines to access the parking lot. Again, I know that these changes may cause a slight inconvenience, however, they will allow us to better ensure the safety of our students.

Sincerely,

Chelsea Boyd, Principal

Click Here for Drop-off Directions

Picture Day is Tuesday, September 23rd! There will be a Picture Retake Day on October 29th in the event your student is absent on Picture Day. Ordering instructions are below. I have also attached the order form for you to see the picture package information.

Picture Day ID: 29XM9BTVE

If you are planning to volunteer in classrooms or on field trips this year, you must fill out a background check. This needs to be done each year and if you have students in other buildings around the district, you only have to fill out the form one time and indicate which buildings you would like to volunteer in. Here are the steps to get to the form...

Go to www.brightonk12.com

Click on District

Click on Donate & Volunteer

Click on Volunteers & Student Teachers

Click on ONLINE Volunteer/Student Teacher Form

PTO News

2025/2026 PTO Board

Colleen Gaiefsky - Co- President
Amber Gaines - Co- President
Mandy Oswalt - Vice-President
Amanda Dennis - Co-Secretary
Lindsey Kovacs - Co-Secretary
Michele Lewis- Co-Treasurer
Brandy Solanick- Co-Treasurer

Katelyn Bill - Member-at-Large

Kendra Cupp - Member-at-Large

Amber Czajka - Member at Large

Stephanie Day -Member-at-Large
Ashley Kasmierczak- Member-at-Large
Angela Kissel - Member-at-Large
Melissa Rife- Member-at-Large

STUDENT T-SHIRT ORDERS – Order deadline extended!!

Haven’t ordered your child’s Roadrunner shirt yet?

Parent portal closed?

Don’t fret here’s the link.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/spencer-elementary-2025-t-shirt-order

If a shirt order is not placed, we will be left to guess the shirt size of your student based upon average size for grade level.

**Please note-All students will receive a shirt regardless of ability to pay, so please submit a size for all students.

ADULT AND SIBLING SHIRTS

Families, if you would like to purchase this year's special Roadrunner shirt for yourself or for siblings, KVV has created a special shopping link just for you! They have also added a long sleeved option for you to choose from AND have added an additional Spencer design as well!

https://kensingtonvalleyvarsity.com/spencerelementary25/shop/home

SAVE THE DATE

September 11th is our first PTO Meeting of the year! Please join us after school in the Media Center if you'd like to attend.

Family Picnic, which will be held from 6pm-7:30pm on Thursday, September 25th. This is the perfect time to connect with other Spencer families while you enjoy hotdogs and more! Sign up here to volunteer - Picnic Sign Up Genius It's a really fun night, and we hope you'll join us.

Also, please save the date for our 13th Annual Roadrunner Run, which will be held in the afternoon on Friday, October 10th. It's one of our biggest school fundraisers of the year, and it is a lot of fun for the kids! (Volunteer opportunities for set up and for cheer stations will be made available soon! Fundraising paperwork will be sent home with students first week of school)

LET'S STAY CONNECTED

For the most up-to-date happenings with Spencer Elementary PTO, follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/402232026502881 or visit our page online at https://spencerroadpto.weebly.com/

Our Mission:

Fueling Kids' Futures (formerly known as Blessings in a Backpack) mobilizes communities, individuals, and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry.

Our Vision:

Every school-aged child in America has the nourishment needed to learn and grow. As a leader in the movement to end childhood hunger, Fueling Kids' Futures strives to ensure children do not go hungry on the weekends by empowering individuals and communities to take action.

Why Do We Do It:

Did you know that 13 MILLION CHILDREN are experiencing food insecurity? That’s one in six American children who may be struggling with access to food.

The consequences of hunger are much more than a growling stomach. Poor nutrition can result in a weaker immune system, increased hospitalization, lower IQ, shorter attention spans, and lower academic achievement. Children are fed during the school week by federal government programs. We want to make sure they’re getting nutritional meals over the weekend, too.

Brighton has a local chapter and we would love to help. If you are in need or interested in your family receiving food for the weekend, please let the office know. Click on the button below, fill out the form and turn it in to the office. All of the information will be kept confidential.

We have extra backpacks filled with school supplies that have been donated to us. Let the office know if you would like to receive one.

Spencer has a Food Pantry that was gifted to us by our Spencer Class of 2024 students and PTO. It is located outside in the front of the school behind the Teacher's Retreat near Door #3. Feel free to visit if you need some assistance with food. We are also accepting donations to stock up the Food Pantry. If you are so inclined to help with that, it would be greatly appreciated.

We have a brand new Lost & Found in a brand new location this year. It is now located at the front of the building near Door #3 next to the Food Pantry.

September

11 - Curriculum Night from 5:30-6:45 PM

22-26 - Pink Week (more information to come...)

23 - Picture Day (more information to come...)

25 - Family Picnic from 6-7:30 PM

October

10 - Annual Roadrunner Run (more information to come...)

This Spencer Parent Resource Guide is filled with important information and answers to most (if not all) the questions you may have.

Email: boydc@brightonk12.com
Website: https://www.brightonk12.com/Domain/238
Location: 10639 Spencer Road, Brighton, MI, United States
Phone: 810-299-4350
Twitter: @SpencerElem