FUEL School Newsletter

Dear FUEL Families,

I can't believe Spring is already here (although the weather has different plans half the time!) and that we are so close to Spring Break and our final quarter of the school year. Our students have grown so much in these first 27 weeks - there are 10 weeks to go, and for many students, this when everything really starts to "click"! Please keep encouraging on time attendance, best efforts during the day, good sleep at night, and don't forget to have them read, read, read!

I also want to shout out some amazing student successes in the past two weeks. First, 5th grader Edison Molnar represented FUEL at the Oakland County Regional Spelling Bee, making it to the third round and in the top third of spellers for the region! He was amazing! And, a big shout out to our 19 teams of 5th grade students who competed at our annual Battle of the Books event last Tuesday. The Battle, sponsored by our Ferndale Librarians, was won by "The Cool Kids" - Cash Harrington, Caleb Moment & Caldwell Schultz! A shout out also to our runners-up, "The Chez Cheezers" - Charlotte Hutson, Xaia Judson, Abby Krueger & Jane Bernard - and two the winners of the "Best Team Name" award - "The Pickle Penguins" - Jasper Thomas, Layla Coleman, Holden Christensen & Ellis Scamardella. We are so grateful for this ongoing partnership and enrichment via the Ferndale Library program.

4th & 5th grade families - please also take time to carefully read the ECG box below for important information and links for our overnight camps in May. And, please remember that Sex Education lessons for 4th and 5th grade students will begin on MONDAY, March 23rd (tomorrow). Please read this letter carefully.

Please note that I will be out of the building Wednesday, March 25th through Friday, March 27th as my daughter competes at the 16U USA Hockey National Championships! Mr. George will be in charge during this time and you contact the main office if you need anything.

We look forward to seeing everyone back in the building on Monday, April 6th following Spring Break (and we will have our BOGO Spring Book Fair right away that week as well!).

With gratitude,

We are dedicated this year to working on our students’ social-emotional growth in addition to their academic growth. This week we continue with Module 5: Mindfulness. Our focus this week:

Compassion & Concentration

This is one of my favorite weeks - compassion is one of those key characteristics that is essential to model for our kids. Here are some tips for teaching compassion: 7 Tips for Raising Caring Kids

Early Release Wednesday dismissal is 2:38 p.m. Remember, every Wednesday through May

**Reading Month Calendar & Coach Mitchell's March Madness Fitness Calendar

• Mon. 3/23 - 4th & 5th Grade Sex Education lessons begin

• Tues. 3/24 - 3rd Grade Music Concert Field Trips; 3rd Grade Music Concerts, 6 pm & 7 pm

• Mon. 3/30 - Fri. 4/3 - NO SCHOOL - SPRING BREAK

Save the Date:

• Elks Lodge Soccer Shoot - 3/28

• Sat. 4/11/26 - District Wellness Fair, 11-2 pm @ FHS

• Summer School Flyer - summer 2026

The MSTEP assessment window opens in April and continues through mid-may for make-up testing. This year, we will be testing as an entire building for the English Language Arts assessments, on Tuesday, April 14th and Wednesday, April 15th.

Please carefully read our FUEL Family Assessment Snapshot document.

It is vitally important that we attempt to limit all late arrivals and appointments on the scheduled testing days to avoid disruptions during testing. Thank you in advance for your support.

5th Grade

• Thurs. 4/9 - Science
• Tues. 4/14 & Wed. 4/15 - English Language Arts
• Tues. 4/28 & Wed. 4/29 - Mathematics
• Tues. 5/5 - Social Studies

4th Grade

• Tues. 4/14 & Wed. 4/15 - English Language Arts
• Tues. 4/23 - Mathematics

3rd Grade

• Tues. 4/14 & Wed. 4/15 - English Language Arts
• Thurs. 4/30 - Mathematics

3rd Grade Montessori

• Mon. 4/28 & Tues. 4/29 - English Language Arts
• Thurs. 4/30 - Mathematics

You can also read the state update from our State Superintendent here:

MDE State Superintendent Letter - Spring Assessments

Please consider supporting our former FUEL students - check out the Giggle Pickles fundraisers and information below in their quest to Nationals!

Upcoming Fundraisers:

• Now – March 31: Round-Up Donation Campaign at Scheer's Ace Hardware

• All March: Tips from B. Nektar will support the team

• March 24: Chipotle Mexican Grill fundraiser — use code VVV3P9C and a portion of sales will go to the team

• March 28 (3–5 PM): Family-Friendly Comedy Show at Go Comedy! Improv Theater

• April 4 (10 AM – 3 PM): Spring Maker’s Mart at Pleasant Ridge Community Center

• April 11: Fundraiser at Tall Trees Cafe (details to follow)

You can also support the team directly through their GoFundMe: gofund.me/8ece02212
Learn more about the team at: gigglepicklesrobotics.org

The flyers can be found here!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEAY0GY5ov80VitNf-t22iWY5WNZVGtg/view?usp=drivesdk

If additional support is needed outside of school hours, families may also dial 211, a free and confidential resource that connects callers to community services in our area.

We are here to help—your school and CIS team are committed to supporting you and your family every step of the way.

Did you know the Ferndale Elementary PTA organizes family and community events, school assemblies, volunteer opportunities, book fairs, and supports our teachers and schools through grants, partnerships and appreciation events? Our events and meetings are open to all our school families!

To learn more about FE PTA:

Website: www.fepta.org

Email: ferndale.elem.pta@gmail.com

Facebook: fb.me/FerndaleElementaryPTA

Instagram: instagram.com/ferndale_elementary_pta

FE PTA Meetings

If you missed the March meeting, here are the slides: https://tinyurl.com/FEPTAMarchMeeting2026

The next PTA meeting is April 14, 2026, 6:30PM at FLower.

4th and 5th Grade Parents & Guardians!

Here is everything you need for 4th and 5th grade camp!!

1. Camp Presentations
1. 4th Grade- Tamarack
2. 5th Grade- Copneconic
2. Paperwork Due Dates- All paperwork must be turned in on time. NO late paperwork will be accepted. If you need a new copy of the paperwork please reach out to the ECG board (ferndale.elementaryconnections@gmail.com)
3. Payment questions? Email the ECG Board and Lauren Donnelly will get back to you.
4. Mandatory Volunteer Meeting- Tuesday, May 12 (6 pm @ FUEL Cafeteria). Please be sure to attend to review chaperone expectations for camp.
5. Volunteer Registration Form- If you are volunteering, be sure to have your form on file!
6. Sign up to Volunteer- You can find the SignUp Geniuses here.
1. 4th Grade Sign Up Genius Link
2. 5th Grade Sign Up Genius Link
7. Dietary Forms- Only fill out if you DO have dietary restrictions
1. 4th Grade- Tamarack Dietary Form
2. 5th Grade- Copneconic Dietary Form
8. Other questions? Reach out to Katie Jeffrey and/or Sylvia Oatley sylvia.oatley@gmail.com

For drop-off in the morning, please be sure to pull ALL the way up in the school driveway in the drop-off line. We will help students walk towards the entrance. This will help us to keep the line moving. Doors do not open until 8:20 am - there is no student supervision until 8:20 am. Also, please note that if students are not eating breakfast, they do not need to arrive at school until 8:28 pm. Students who arrive at 8:28 a.m. can head directly to their lockers and classrooms. Otherwise, students should report to the cafeteria for breakfast or to the gym. Car Line Safety Reminders HERE.

Please remember that the BUS driveway is ONLY for buses. This is a safety issue. Please only use the car line in the front of the building on Rosewood.

For pickup, please be sure to have your yellow identification card with student name and grade available and easy to see.

Please call the attendance line each day your child will be absent from school. Any absence will remain unexcused until the office has been notified. The teachers appreciate an email reminder, but you must still call the office. Please call the attendance line at 248.547.0880, press the #1 option & leave a message with a reason for the absence.

Thank you for helping to keep all of our students SAFE at FUEL by following our safe snack guidelines. This is a reminder that FUEL is a nut-, tree-nut, and sesame-restricted building - please double-check all ingredients before sending in a lunch or snack to school to ensure the safety of all students. Sample safe snack lists can be found ​here​. ​Reminder: NO food birthday treats this year due to our allergy policy.

If your student has a medical need, it is vitally important that our office staff and teachers are aware. Please complete the medical forms available in the main office (or in the link below) and return to school ASAP.

Medical Authorization Form & Medical Treatment Form

All adults interested in volunteering during the 2025-2026 school year must have a Volunteer Form on file. This form should be submitted at a minimum of two weeks prior to the event in order to accommodate processing times. No adult will be allowed to volunteer or chaperone unless they have an approved form on file. Forms are available at the link below. Please note: all volunteer forms must be turned into the main office. In addition, you only need to fill out a volunteer form for one school - it will then cover all FPS campuses.

Volunteer Form

Breakfast and Lunch are free again this year as part of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Please return this form to school ASAP in place of the normal Free and Reduced Lunch application.

Household Information Form