Stewart Family Star

The end of the first marking period is one week from today! Time really does fly when you're having fun!

Our students give us so many reasons to smile, laugh, and be happy on a daily basis! And our teachers are doing a great job giving our students lots to smile, laugh, and be happy about too! We have had apple orchard field trips, visits from the fire department, weekly visits by the Bark Angels, and on top of all that -- we started LIT this week! We are growing our brains and having fun in the process!

We've got some fun Halloween activities coming up soon and we hope to see you here!

As always, thanks for sharing your little Lancer with us!

Carole Fetke, Principal

• October 23rd Half Day (students are dismissed at 12 noon) -- End of first marking period
• Week of October 26th: 5th Grade Band rehearsals begin
• October 27th: Trunk or Treat at 5:30 pm (front parking lots at Stewart)
• October 30th: Halloween Activities in Classrooms (and report cards go home)
• November 3: Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences
• November 5: Half Day of School, Afternoon and Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences
• November 6: No School

To ensure a safe and inclusive Halloween experience, please encourage your child(ren) to choose costumes that are age-appropriate and steer clear of offensive or scary themes that may frighten some children. The goal of our school Halloween celebration is to promote a fun and respectful environment for all students and costumes should promote positivity and celebration rather than fear.

Key considerations for costume choices:

• Safety:

  Ensure costumes are not a safety hazard by being too long or obstructing vision, which can lead to accidents. (No full-face masks please.)
• Age-appropriateness: Select costumes that are suitable for elementary-aged children (costumes should not be overly frightening or contain mature or violent themes).

• Respectful themes: Costumes should not promote harmful stereotypes, celebrate violence, or be in poor taste. (Toy guns/weapons, fake blood, etc. are not allowed).
• Promotes Independence: Your child should be able to easily and independently put on the costume here at school -- please do not send your child dressed in their costume on the bus or send make up to be applied at school.

By adhering to these guidelines, families can help ensure that Halloween remains a fun and positive experience for everyone in the school community. Thank you!

As always, there are families who could use some extra help at Thanksgiving. We are partnering with the Caring Cupboard and collecting the following food items. If you are able to contribute, they are asking for items by Friday, November 6.

• Kindergarten - cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup
• First Grade - boxes of corn bread mix
• Second Grade - boxes of pudding
• 3rd Grade - cans/boxes of chicken or turkey broth
• 4th grade - bags of egg noodles
• 5th grade - canned corn
• Multi-grade classrooms - boxes of stuffing
• Bonus items, any grade/club/staff: cranberry jelly, fried onions, and shelf stable milk

The Lakeshore Public Schools' Elementary Family Handbook was approved at the September 2025 Board of Education meeting.

A friendly reminder from the Lakeshore Transportation Team:

Please help us keep our bus stops safe and traffic moving smoothly. If you must drive your student to the bus stop please:

● Respect neighbors’ property - avoid parking on lawns and in driveways.

● Keep the line of sight for traffic clear - avoid parking on the wrong side of the road

facing oncoming traffic.

● Please do not linger at the bus stop after your student has boarded or exited.

● Have students out of the vehicle and ready to board at least 5 minutes before the

bus arrives to prevent delays.

● Students should never approach the bus from behind. Students should remain

where the driver can see them and wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before

boarding.

Thank you for helping us keep our students, families, drivers, and community safe!

Please contact your child's teacher or:

• Dayna Galloway, Counselor, at dgalloway@lpslancer.net
• Carole Fetke, Principal, at cfetke@lpslancer.net

The Bark Angels is a non-profit animal-assisted therapy program in southwest Michigan that connects certified therapy dogs and trained handlers with individuals facing physical, emotional, and cognitive challenges. Operating in partnership with local facilities like The Petz Carlton, the organization deploys specialized volunteer teams to hospitals, schools, hospice centers, and youth organizations to provide comfort, emotional support, and sensory stimulation. Beyond offering basic companionship, the handlers work directly alongside medical professionals and physical therapists to integrate the dogs into structured rehabilitation plans, helping patients improve their mobility, communication, and social skills.

PBIS, or Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, is a framework used in schools to create positive, predictable, and safe learning environments for all students. It focuses on teaching and reinforcing positive behaviors rather than solely reacting to negative ones. PBIS emphasizes proactive strategies, including teaching specific behavioral expectations, providing positive reinforcement, and using data to make informed decisions about student support.

For those planning to volunteer or chaperone field trips during the 2026-2027 school year, please ensure that you have completed the required background check. Some guidelines:

• Michigan Residents ONLY
• Please complete this form only if you plan to volunteer within the current school year
• Valid for the current school year only

We kindly encourage you to submit your application at your earliest convenience -- click the link below:

Lakeshore Public Schools is excited to begin a year-long pilot of Bridges Edition 3 with a group of elementary teachers this fall! Thirty-one teachers will participate in professional learning with The Math Learning Center and will have the opportunity to explore the new edition, including updated resources, Number Corner materials, Student Books, and Home Connections. This process is an important part of our commitment to making thoughtful, informed decisions about the instructional resources we use with our students. We are grateful to the teachers who volunteered to take on this opportunity and look forward to learning together as we explore what Bridges Edition 3 has to offer our students and teachers this year.

Want to be more involved?

Email us at hello@stewart-pto.com

We are always looking for board members, chairs, and coordinators!

Welcome back Stewart Stars! Stewie Steppers will begin next week. Sign up today to help our Stars get their steps in on lunch recess! Stewie Steppers will run Tuesday and Thursday September 8th through October 29th. Please make sure you fill out the background check!

Sign up for Stewie Steppers - Fall 2026 ( https://signup.com/go/McwsVxT ) on @SignUpdotcom today!

BAND INFORMATION!

Important Dates for All Families with Students Interested in 5th Grade Band: Band Information Night & Instrument Rental High School Cafeteria October 13 at 7pm Bi-Weekly Rehearsals Begin LMS or LHS Band Room (depends on instrument) Week of October 26 Spring Concert Lakeshore Community Auditorium May 18th at 7 pm All questions related to 5th Grade Band should be emailed to Christopher Grapis at cgrapis@lpslancer.net

Wednesday Sessions:

October Canvas Painting
Grades Y5–5th | All Schools Welcome

Stewart Elementary – Room 9- From 4-5:15 PM

https://forms.gle/Y1bWZtirb9dXkjb2

Oct. 21: Halloween bucket with candy or advanced: Zombie head

Oct. 28: Halloween Party! Wear your costume and draw yourself in your costume!

*Like us on Facebook for updates on all the fun!

269-428-1418 Extension 6109. Any questions? Contact Mrs. Lee at tlee@lpslancer.net

SPIRIT WEAR IS HERE!

BRING THOSE POP TABS IN !! We will COLLECT ALL YEAR! Keep on collecting those pop tabs! Let's support the Ronald McDonald House Charities! Drop off pop tops in the office to Mrs. McGovern. The Ronald McDonald House provides care, comfort, and a free place to stay for families to heal together while their child receives medical care. We provide essential amenities at no cost so families can focus on the health of their child.

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Just a quick heads-up about attendance and early pickups! Please send one email to both Mrs. McGovern at jmcgovern@lpslancer.net and your child’s teacher whenever your student will be absent or needs to leave early. It really helps the team stay in the loop and makes things run a lot smoother. Thanks so much for your help!

We have a Restorative Practices Paraprofessional job opening at Stewart Elementary! All interested candidates can apply via RedRover. Please see the attached document for a full scope of the work and qualifications.

We’re hiring a Special Education Paraprofessional at Stewart Elementary, and we’d love your help spreading the word!

Do you know someone who is patient, caring, dependable, and loves working with kids? Someone who would be a great addition to our Stewart team? Send them our way!