Hello Wixom Families,

It is hard to believe I have been a part of the Wixom community for 30 school days! I continue to thoroughly enjoy my time with the students and staff and I feel like I have always been here! I also feel so fortunate to have met many of you too. The final 5 1/2 weeks of school are very busy. I hope this newsletter (along with the excellent communication from our teachers) help you to feel informed and up-to-date!

My reflection on the Anxious Generation this week focuses on Part 4 of the book titled: Collective Action for a Healthier Childhood. Chapter 11 includes some very thought provoking suggestions. I am highlight a biggie this week: Phone-Free Schools

At the elementary, this suggestion seems pretty simple! We have phones in each classroom and our office staff is always available to assist students if they need to call home for any reason. Despite that if a cell phone is brought to school and are expected to be turned off and placed in backpacks, student do occasionally have them out during the school day. Haidt suggests that schools go phone-free to the entire school day (at all levels). He goes on to say that smart phones, smart watches, and any other personal devices should be placed in a dedicated locker or lockable location. Haidt states this is the only way to free up students attention for each other and for their teachers. Haidt also reported the average teen who has full access to a smart phone, smart watch or other devices AND has multiple apps on those devices, receives an average of 192 alerts per day! Imagine how those alerts interfere with their ability to engage/focus during the school day! It is never too early for parents/caregivers to make a plan for the introduction and use of devices as well as access to apps. An important part of that plan is monitoring! We have many many students at Wixom, some as young as 2nd grade, who have YouTube channels, access to InstraGram, X, Tick Toc, etc.

Haidt reminds us that children learn though play to connect with others, work together (synchronizing) and take turns. When engaging with a screen, their experience is asynchronous. Children are not interacting with "real" people and therefore there experiences to grown socially are dramatically limited. I would encourage families to have "screen free" time in the evenings (this includes the TV), especially during meals! Instead of screen time, engage in "free time". Time to play games, read, draw, color, etc!

As we begin the new week, I want to remind all families that on Thursday, May 8 staff and students will participate in a school-wide ALICE drill. Each class will choose an option based on their location in the building. The scenario presented will NOT include a specific threat, but rather read, “…if there was something dangerous happening in the (a specific location in the school.)” During this upcoming week, teachers will be reviewing ALICE options. Although possible in a real emergency, at no time during the drill will any student(s) evacuate through a window, nor will they travel off school property. Student safety continues to be our first priority.

Helpful Links:

Talking to Children about Violence - Tips for Parents and Teachers

Is My School Safe: How to Ease Your Child’s Anxiety

Talking to your Child about Safety - K-2

Talking to your Child about Safety - 3-5

I wish you all a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Kristin Froning

Monday - Friday, May 5 - 9

• Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week

Tuesday, May 6

• 25 -26 Kindergarten Visit & Bus ride (10:00 - 11:30 am)
• PTA Meeting 6:00 pm

• Spring Flower Fundraiser Pick-Up

Tuesday, May 20

• 1/2 Day for Students: Dismissal @ 12:35 pm

Friday, May 23

• Wixom Field Day 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
• WLW Senior Clap Out 2:00 pm

Friday, May 30

• PTA Popcorn Day

We are getting excited to share what we have been learning and playing in music class this year! We will be rotating which grades are performing in person, and which ones will share a “virtual” video concert with you.

If you have a student in Junior Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st grade, or 3rd grade, we will be sharing some videos of our best songs from the school year! You will get to see students dance, sing, and play instruments together. Keep a look out for future communications about when we will send out these “virtual” performances.

If you have a student in 5th grade, they will be sharing some musical selections for you in person at their End-of-Year Celebration. Keep reading the Howler for the latest information about this special event!

If you have a student in 2nd or 4th grade, you are invited into our music room for a relaxed performance to share what we’ve been up to this year. The performances will last about 20-25 minutes and will be during your child’s regular music time. The times for each class are listed below.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Fox at shellyfox@wlcsd.org

Monday, May 19th - 4th Grade

• 9:20am Ms. Chalmers
• 9:50am Ms. Foster
• 10:20am Ms. Marchese

Wednesday, May 21st - 2nd Grade

• 9:45am Ms. Sadoway
• 10:15am Ms. Scheck
• 10:45am Ms. Mifsud

The following Wixom Artist will have work on display at WLCSD Visual Art Exhibit at the Educational Services Center (850 Ladd Road). This show opened on Wednesday April 30. Congratulations to our amazing artist!

Junior Kindergarten

Raashi K.

Abigail L.

Kindergarten

Jabou B.

Boiken P.

1st Grade

Calen V.

Julia S.

2nd Grade

Hadley K.

Isla H.

Lucy P.

Luella K.

3rd Grade

Alaina L.

Khushi K.

4th Grade

Anika B.

Amelia H.

5th Grade

Dilorom N.

Henry Ki.

The following Wixom Artist will have work on display at WLCSD Annual K -12 Spring Art Show at the Commerce Township Library, opening on Wednesday May 14th. Congratulations to our amazing artist!

Junior Kindergarten

Abigail L.

Kindergarten

Avery N.

1st Grade

Andrey H.

2nd Grade

Elliott W.

Hadley K.

Jackson M.

3rd Grade

Elayia M.

Janice W.

4th Grade

Michael S.

Shanaya P.

5th Grade

Macy W.

Friday, May 23rd

9:30 - 12:00pm

*Rain date: Friday, May 30th

Our PTA will be providing a hot dog lunch for all students!

We will also celebrate reading the March is Reading Month goal as each student will enjoy a Kona Ice treat too!

The Wixom PTA Google Calendar can be found here: https://shorturl.at/QyTie

You can also add them all to your own Google Calendar with one click!

Upcoming PTA Sponsored Events:
May 5-9: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 6: PTA Meeting 6 PM

May 14: Spring Flower Fundraiser Pick-Up (Please note this is a Wednesday)

May 30: Popcorn Day

NEXT PTA MEETING

Our next PTA Meeting will be Tuesday, May 6th at 6:00 PM. All members of the PTA are welcome to attend. The meeting will be held in person in the Media Center. Childcare will be available. You can join the meeting virtually at the following link: meet.google.com/ecj-uwre-ppp

As Teacher Appreciation Week approaches we are looking for donations to help make it a success! Each year we shower the staff of Wixom Elementary school with a much deserved week of thanks. We have a variety of surprises planned for the Wixom Staff during the week of May 5th. Instead of asking for food items, we are requesting cash donations to fund the week's treats. All the names of donors will be displayed for the teachers and staff to see. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Cash donations can be sent in with your child in an envelope labeled Teacher Appreciation Week. Donations can be made on memberhub by clicking HERE.

Are you looking for the perfect gift for Teacher Appreciation Week? You can find your teacher’s favorite things in this folder and tailor your gift to their tastes and classroom needs. Click here for Wixom Teachers’ Favorite Things

We will wrapping up MStep testing this week! Students who were absent on designated testing days will make-up those tests by the end of next week.

Love LEGO? Into robots? Join Wixom’s Lego Robotics Team!

We’re putting together a FIRST LEGO League team for next school year—and we want YOU to be a part of it! If you like building with LEGO, solving cool challenges, and working with a team, this is your chance to dive into robotics, coding, and real-world problem solving (and have a lot of fun doing it).

No experience? No problem! We’re just looking for curious, creative students who are excited to learn.

We’re also looking for parent volunteers to help coach, mentor, or support the team. Whether you can help weekly or just occasionally, we’d love to have you involved!

Interested? Fill out this quick form to let us know!

REMINDER: Possession of look-alike weapons, including toy guns, dart guns, and BB guns, is strictly prohibited on all school grounds and properties. This applies not only during school hours but also after school hours and on weekends. As the weather warms and families may be accessing playgrounds, these items are not permitted. For the safety of our school community, we want everyone to be aware that these devices are not allowed at any time on school property.

Looking for an easy way to support our school? Shop for groceries at Kroger and they will contribute money to our PTA. It’s easy to sign up in the Kroger App:

1. Click the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner

2. Choose “Rewards”

3. Choose “Community Rewards”

4. Search for “Wixom Elementary PTA” and enroll

In addition to receiving phone calls and email notifications from the school district in the event of a school closing or emergency, parents can also sign up to receive SMS Text messages.

Find the helpful step-by-step instructions linked below as well as the video tutorial on signing up for SMS messages.

Signing Up for SMS Messages via Skylert

Principal: Mrs. Kristin Froning (kristinfroning@wlcsd.org)

Principal Secretary: Mrs. Michele Abele (MicheleAbele@wlcsd.org)

Building Secretary: Mrs. Tamara Baker (TamaraBaker@wlcsd.org)

Office: 248-956-3400

FAX: 248-956-3405

Absence Line: 248-956-3490

Late Bus Hotline: 248-956-5199 - All late buses will be listed on the hotline if the driver is running TEN OR MORE minutes late.

Address:

301 North Wixom Road
Wixom, MI 48393