FUEL School Newsletter

Dear FUEL Families,

As I spent the weekend schlepping my two teenagers around Ohio, Michigan & Indiana, I started reflecting on the different roles in my life - principal, spouse, parent, taxi driver. In reflecting, I kept coming back to this quote I read this week from Andreas Schleicher - “Parents don’t need to know all the answers. They need to show that the questions children are working on matter to them.” I think this is really important, particularly in this time of year, when things are so busy, and school is in full swing, and everyone is so tired and stressed. We, as parents, or educators, do not need to know all the answers or fix all of the things. What our kids do need to know, especially in these early weeks of a new school year, is that what they are doing, or thinking, or wanting to show us, matters to us. Can you give them a couple of minutes of your time to ask about what they read today or what their favorite recess game was or what they ate for lunch? Or to start doing a few math facts as a regular routine in the car every day (believe me - they ALL are working on math facts). What small moments can we give - both in school and at home - to show that what they are working on and thinking about matters to the adults in their lives. I'm going to keep working on this, both at FUEL and at home.

This week, we have our Fall Picture Day on Tuesday - come dressed to the nines and ready to smile! We also have our Ferndale Public Schools Homecoming Parade at 4:30 p.m. on Friday - we stage at 9 Mile & Planavon and then walk together to the football game! I hope to see many of you there.

A special shout out to our 4th grade families for making our first field trip of the year to the Detroit Zoo last week a wonderful experience for our kids! We are grateful for your support and volunteerism. Please remember that if you want to volunteer in our schools, you MUST have a volunteer form on file at least one week ahead of time. Scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter for the link again. Also, if your student is in need of a field trip scholarship, please always just contact your child's homeroom teacher directly. We want ALL students to attend trips throughout the year.

Finally, check out the PTA box for all the major need-to-knows for the next few weeks, including our big K-5 event on October 7th and the back-again PTA Reflections Contest! More info to come in the next few weeks.

With gratitude,

- Mrs. Jeffrey

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 1: Building Our School/Class Family. Our focus this week:

Responsibility & Friendship/Kindness

This week in our SEL lessons, students will be learning about the importance of responsibility and building strong friendships. Here's a quick read on teaching responsibility at home.

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

• Mon. 9/21 - 5th Grade Band/Orchestra instruments due; YMCA Sportport, 3:45-5:15 pm
• Tues. 9/22 - FALL PICTURE DAY; Girls on the Run/PACE/Playlabs begin
• Wed. 9/23 - Early Release Wednesday, 2:38 p.m. dismissal
• Fri. 9/25 - FPS Homecoming Parade & Football Game, 4:30 pm @ Planavon & 9 Mile

Save the Date:

• Tues. 9/22 - Fall Picture Day
• Wed. 9/30 - Last Day to submit volunteer forms to work at the K-5 Walk-A-Thon event
• Wed. 10/7 - K-5 Walk-A-Thon & Field Day

Elks Hoop Shoot Registration - Hoop Shoot Flyer

Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/FerndaleElksHoopshoot

Event Highlights:
- Mascots & Photos: Elroy the Elk and the Giggle Pickle Man mascot will be available for parent photos.
- Prize Packages Include: T-shirt, Certificate of Participation, Pizza or McDonald's coupons, and medals or a water bottle.

Girl Scouts Program

Please see this flyer for information about the Girl Scouts Family Information Meeting on Mon. 9/28 at 6 pm at Ferndale Lower!

Please check out these informational letters regarding our emotional support dog, Kiddo! Paper copies were sent home in backpacks last week.

FUEL Emotional Support Dog School Letter

FUEL Emotional Support Dog FAQ

Additionally, for immediate assistance with food and other essential community resources, you can call the State of Michigan Helpline directly at 1-888-544-8773 or 211 . Let’s make it a great year!

Ms. Pettway

denazia.pettway@ferndaleschools.org

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

To become a FE PTA member: ferndaleelementarypta.givebacks.com/store

Upcoming FE PTA Events - Everyone is welcome!

FE PTA Meetings

If you missed the September meeting, here's the slide deck: https://tinyurl.com/FEPTASeptember2026

Our next meeting is October 13 at FUEL. Join us at 6PM to learn more about the Reflections program and create some art together as a family! The business part of the meeting will start at 6:45PM.

Field Day and Walk-A-Thon

October 7, 2026

A Ferndale tradition returns! This fun-filled morning brings our two elementary schools together for games, physical fitness challenges, and a picnic lunch.

This is also the FE PTA’s fall fundraiser. Students will participate in our Walk-A-Thon – how many laps can they complete? We have a goal of raising $10,000, which provides every student with a school t-shirt for field trips and spirit days and supports our programming throughout the year. Every student will participate and receive a t-shirt, regardless of the amount pledged.

Flyers and pledge forms will be in student folders this week. You can also donate online: https://app.givebacks.gives/feptawalk-a-thon2026. Please share the donation link with family, friends, and local businesses!

Volunteers needed! We need volunteers to make this day a success – from set up, overseeing stations, snack donations, and chaperones – there are so many ways to help! Sign up here to be a part of this fun event: https://tinyurl.com/FEPTAFieldDayVolunteers2026 Volunteer forms must be on file: https://www.ferndaleschools.org/forms/8271

Save the Date - More information coming soon!

October 15, 5-8PM: Skate Night at Skate World of Troy

October 22, 7-8:30PM: Board of Education Candidate Forum at FLower

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