Raccoon Review

Dear Rogers Families,

Can you believe it's 2026? I certainly can't! As we begin a new calendar year, we are reminding our students and families about our status as a Leader in Me school, along with the "7 Habits of Happy Kids."

The intentional focus on leadership develops the whole child and includes literacy, math, content areas, technology, the arts, and interpersonal relationship skills. The Leader in Me program uses the "Seven Habits of Happy Kids" in order to help students become "leaders of their own learning." This philosophy is an important part of our school culture. It leads to higher levels of learning and greater satisfaction as the students take ownership of their academic goals and character development. As we enter the second half of the school year, we will be revisiting the 7 Habits school-wide.

Please take time to read the 7 Habits and the I-Statements in the picture above. You can use them with your children to support their leadership growth. (These items will also be sent home in take-home folders coming directly from your child's classroom.)

Warmly,

Mrs. Lewis

Important Dates:

December 20-January 4: District Closed - Winter Recess

January 6: PTA Meeting

January 12-30: Winter Benchmark Testing Window (NWEA and F & P testing)

January 14-16: Oakland County will be doing Hearing Screenings January 14-16 and 20th for TK, K, 2nd, and 4th grades. If you have a student outside of these grades but would like a screening, please let either Amanda or Kim in the office know.

January 16: 1/2 Day for Students

January 19: District Closed - MLK Jr. Day

January 22: Kindergarten Open House (6:30-7:30)

January 24: Rogers Skate Night (5:15-7:15 @ Skate World of Troy)

January 28: Dine to Donate - Panera Bread (Royal Oak, Woodward near Corewell)

February: Black History Month -- We'll be celebrating history all month long. Here's the calendar!

February 3: PTA Meeting

February 5: Lyon Counseling is hosting a virtual event on helping students handle body image and self-esteem. This will take place from 6-7 p.m. The registration link can be found here, and you can submit questions in advance at this link!

February 6: Family Dance (6:30-8:30 p.m.)

February 9: African-American Read-In (Wear your PJs today, and we'll snuggle up to read books by some talented African-American authors!)

February 9: Yearbook cover contest entries due

February 13: 1/2 Day for Students

February 16-20: Mid-Winter Break

You can purchase a PTA membership at this link.

Lyon Counseling is hosting a virtual event on helping students handle body image and self-esteem. This will take place from 6-7 p.m on February 5, 2026. Lyon Counseling is hosting a virtual event on helping students handle body image and self-esteem. This will take place from 6-7 p.m. The registration link can be found here, and you can submit questions in advance at this link!

Jenny Zott, LLMSW, will be the clinician hosting the event. She is a clinical social worker who provides therapy to people of all ages in the state of Michigan. She works at Lyon Counseling Center providing fully remote services. You can view her bio here.

To join the meeting, use this link.

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Founders Day

It’s almost time to celebrate Founder’s Day in the Berkley School District and Rogers Elementary!

Founders’ Day (Feb. 17) is when we celebrate the legacy and work of the National PTA founders that made a commitment to better the lives of every child in education, health and safety. It is a time to reflect and take pride in our achievements, and renew our commitment to be a:

powerful voice for all children;

relevant resource for parents; and

strong advocate for public education.

The founders represented people of imagination and courage. They had a simple idea—to improve the lives and future of all children. They understood the power of individual action, worked beyond the accepted barriers of their day, and took action to change the world for all children.

Each year the Berkley District PTSA celebrates Founder’s Day by selecting a PTA Member, Educator, and Support Staff of the Year to be recognized for each school.

Please take a few minutes to complete the Founder’s Day Survey so that we may recognize the great work of our amazing Rogers Elementary School community! Forms are due Monday January 26th!

If you should have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Abby Watteny, PTA Founders Day Chair - Abby.M.Watteny@ehi.com or Marni Saar, Rogers PTA President - rogerselementarypta@gmail.com

Winter Weather & Clothing

As we enter into winter months we will experience some colder weather which will impact our students. We will invite students inside for an inside line-up no earlier than 7:45 am whenever the temperature is 9 degrees or less with the windchill. We have an organized system that allows students to line up in the hallways. However, if the weather is above 9 degrees (factoring in the windchill) we will have students wait outdoors each morning and go outside for recess each day. Please have your children dress appropriately for the weather in the event we do remain outside. Proper winter attire may include winter coats, gloves, hats, snow pants and boots.

Although we have some extras in the office we do not have enough to outfit each child.

If you need assistance with winter clothing, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly as we are fortunate to have anonymous donors who may be able to provide such items.

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Background Check/Volunteer Release Form

Please read the helpful document at this link for more information on volunteering!

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Food Service

The Michigan Legislature passed the state budget. Included in the budget, among other things, are free meals (breakfast and lunch) for all students for the 2025-26 school year.

🍳Breakfast Procedures

Free breakfast will be served each morning from 7:40 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. The main door will be opened from 7:40 a.m. to 7:50 a.m. The door will not open sooner as no supervision is available before that time.

The January lunch menu can be found here.

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📵Electronic Devices

We respectfully ask that students do not use a communication device during any part of the school day. Devices are a distraction and could be sadly lost. Devices, if they must be brought to school, should be powered off and in lockers during the entire day. Smart watches should be for checking time and not games or communication. Thank you for supporting the staff and allowing uninterrupted learning throughout our school day.

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🚦🚧Please visit the Rogers website for important information about traffic patterns and guidelines. Watch this video for more information about School Safety Zones.

🚧 Traffic Pattern Details

• We respectfully ask that you save spots in our parking lot for staff use only.
• Curbside drop-off & pickup will take place opposite school grounds on the resident/house side of the street.
• Drop-off, pickup, parking, stopping, and standing around the perimeter of Rogers is not permitted to allow public safety quick access to buildings in case of emergency.
• Students will cross at the designated crosswalks at the corner of Oxford & Hamilton and Hamilton & Harvard.
• Students should exit cars on the resident/house side of Hamilton & Oxford, walk to the corner, and cross with a crossing guard. Students should exit onto the curb, not into the street.
• Caregivers are encouraged to park and walk with their child to school.
• Parking is allowed opposite school grounds any time of day.
• Rogers staff parking lot has a designated drop-off/pick up zone only.
• Berkley Public Safety will be enforcing traffic rules.

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Have a fabulous weekend!

Katie Lewis, Principal

Rogers Elementary School

2265 Hamilton

Berkley, MI 48072

katie.lewis@berkleyschools.org