Martell Monitor

A heartfelt thank you to our PTO and Room Parents for coming together to support our classroom teachers and begin planning the many fun events and opportunities our Martell community will enjoy throughout the school year! We are especially grateful to our PTO Board for their leadership, planning, and organization in bringing everyone together for an informative and welcoming meeting. Your partnership makes such a difference at Martell!

We look forward to our first PTO meeting of the school year next Wednesday, September 16, from 6:30–7:30 p.m. in the Martell Library. All families are welcome, and we hope you can join us!

At Curriculum Night, we shared that one of our schoolwide goals this year is the implementation of BIST (Behavior Intervention Support Team) at Martell. Throughout the year, we will share more about BIST and simple ways families can reinforce these same skills at home.

This week, we would like to introduce the Three Goals for My Life that we teach and reinforce with our students:

1. I can make good choices even if I am mad.
2. I can be okay even if others are not okay.
3. I can do something even if I don’t want to (or if it’s hard).

These three simple statements help students build self-regulation, independence, perseverance, and responsibility. You can support us at home by using this same language when your child encounters a challenging moment. When we use consistent language between school and home, we help our Mustangs develop skills that extend far beyond the classroom.

Have a great weekend.

Colette

Martell FUN RUN!!

Message from the Martell PTO

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our first PTO meeting of the year. There’s a lot of excitement about what’s ahead this school year! Meeting Minutes will be posted on the Martell PTO website soon!

Highlight of the week:

The Fun Run - our biggest fundraiser of the year - is coming up next Wednesday, September 23. See the attached flyer for how to donate, rewards as we hit various monetary tiers, and the times each grade level will be participating. All families are welcome - and a big thank you to those who have donated and/or volunteered! We need more parent volunteers to help set up, please take a look at the signupgenius and consider signing up to help us: Martell Elementary PTO: 2026 Fun Run Parent Volunteers

Stay Connected!

Email us anytime: martellpto.contact@gmail.com

Our Facebook Page

must have a Facebook account and be a member of the page - request access now!

Martell Elementary PTO website

Thanks for your support and see you next week at the Fun Run!

Career Readiness, Grades K-5

Dear Troy School District Families,

Career readiness begins much earlier than most families realize. Research shows that children start forming ideas about “what people like me can be” by age seven — and without intentional, positive exposure to a wide range of careers, those ideas can be shaped by stereotypes rather than possibility. That’s why Troy School District begins career readiness in kindergarten, not high school. Our goal in the elementary years is simple: help every child discover the incredible range of careers available to them, build the vocabulary to talk about their interests and strengths, and see the connection between what they are learning in the classroom today and the opportunities available to them tomorrow.

What Career Readiness Looks Like in Grades K–5

At the elementary level, career readiness is not about choosing a job — it’s about awareness. Students learn career-related vocabulary, explore how core subjects like reading, math, and science connect to real careers, and are introduced to people and professions they may not otherwise encounter. This early foundation sets the stage for the more in-depth career exploration and planning students will do in middle and high school.

Introducing Michigan’s Six Career Zones

To make the world of work easier for young learners to understand, Troy elementary students are introduced to Michigan’s Six Career Zones — broad groupings of careers that share similar interests, strengths, and skills. Thinking in terms of “zones” rather than hundreds of individual job titles helps children recognize patterns in what excites them and gives teachers and families a shared language for talking about careers at any age.

Arts & Communication

Careers in the visual and performing arts, literature, journalism, and media — from graphic designers and musicians to authors and broadcasters.

Business, Management, Marketing & Technology

Careers in accounting, business administration, finance, information technology, and marketing — the people who help organizations run and grow.

Engineering/Manufacturing & Industrial Technology

Careers that design, build, install, and maintain the products, machines, and systems we use every day, from bridges to robotics.

Health Sciences

Careers focused on promoting wellness and treating illness and injury — doctors, nurses, therapists, technicians, and many more.

Human Services

Careers that help people and communities thrive, including early childhood education, teaching, social work, public safety, and hospitality.

Natural Resources & Agriscience

Careers connected to agriculture, the environment, and natural resources — from farmers and veterinarians to conservation scientists.

Exploring the Career Zones with Pathful Junior

Troy School District uses Pathful Junior, an online career-awareness platform built specifically for K–5 students, to bring the Six Career Zones to life. Pathful Junior is colorful, interactive, and designed to be developmentally appropriate at every grade band. In it, students can:

Visit Career Central to independently browse careers that interest them

Watch short, kid-friendly cluster videos introducing different careers and career zones

Complete teacher-assigned lessons that combine videos, games, and familiar characters

Take a first interest survey that begins to connect their personal interests to career zones

Earn badges and track their exploration on a student dashboard

The platform is fully accessible and available in more than 50 languages, so every student — regardless of learning style or home language — can take part.

How You Can Support Career Readiness at Home

Families are one of the most powerful influences on how children see their future. A few simple ways to keep the conversation going at home:

Ask your child what career zone(s) they explored in Pathful Junior as the school year progresses

Talk about your own job or the jobs of family members, and how they connect to a career zone.

Point out careers you encounter together in everyday life — at the grocery store, the doctor’s office, or on a walk around the neighborhood

Encourage curiosity rather than a single “right answer” — at this age, the goal is exposure, not decision-making

Thank you for partnering with us to help every Troy student build a strong foundation for their future.

Girls on the Run – Fall 2026

Registration is now open for Girls on the Run (GOTR) at Martell Elementary! This fun, empowering program encourages girls to build confidence, develop strong friendships, and make healthy choices while working toward a 5K.

Families can register online through the YMCA registration page or contact their local YMCA to register by phone. Families interested in financial assistance or payment plans can reach out for more information and support.

Fall Enrichment Classes

End of Day Pick-up

To help keep dismissal safe, efficient, and moving smoothly, we highly encourage families picking up by vehicle to use the designated pick-up lanes and avoid the side parking lot. Cars entering and exiting the side lot create an additional layer of congestion during an already busy dismissal time.

A few reminders to help keep traffic flowing:

Pull forward as far as possible behind the vehicle in front of you so we can accommodate as many cars as possible.
If using the left lane, please continue all the way to the front before merging.
Please do not attempt to merge two or three cars back from the front of the line, as this can slow the flow of traffic for everyone.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work together to keep our Martell Mustangs safe at dismissal!

Changes to Your Child's Dismissal Plan

If your child's pick up will be different than normal, please ALWAYS send a note to your child’s teacher Red Communication Folder.

Please do NOT rely on email to a teacher. Teachers are teaching during the day, and sometimes cannot get back to their computer if it's a late message! We do not want to miss a dismissal message.

We will not vary your child’s end of the day routine unless we have a note from you.

Should you have same day changes and need to modify your child's dismissal plan, please call the office before 2:30 p.m.

Volunteer Guidelines

The Troy School District values those who volunteer in our classrooms and schools. If a volunteer will be with students for a significant length of time without a TSD employee being present, or will be with students on a regular basis, that volunteer is required to have a Michigan State Police Internet Criminal History Access Tool (I-CHAT) screening annually. All results will remain confidential and will only be used by the TSD administration to determine if you have been convicted of an offense that would otherwise prohibit you from working in our schools.

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2025 New Volunteer Background Check Form 6 11 24 (1).pdf

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Medication

If your child requires any kind of medication either over the counter or prescribed, you will need to fill out a medical form and have it signed by your physician.

If your child has a severe medical condition, please turn in this form and the medication prior to the first day of school.

All medication must be brought into school by an adult.

Below is a link to the forms you will need.

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TSDMedicationAuthorizationForm52222 (1).pdf