Out of the Office Message

As I do for every break, I am asking all staff members to “unplug” from work over Spring Break. I want you to use this as an opportunity to relax, unwind, and enjoy a well-deserved break with family and friends. Please set an out of office message (included below) at 3:45 pm on Friday and refrain from checking emails until Sunday night (at the earliest).

Out of Office Message:

Thank you for your email. I am out of the building beginning Friday, March 27 at 3:45 pm. During this time, all Keystone staff members have been encouraged to prioritize their personal time with family and friends by temporarily disconnecting from work. I will be more than happy to respond to your email when I return to work on Monday, April 6. Thank you for your understanding and partnership.

Set an Out of Office Message:

Open Outlook àSettingsà Accountà Automatic replies. I copied the message in both boxes for “within the company” and “outside of the company.”

ABCDE Goals-Attendance

 

Congratulations to Ms. Patton’s class for spelling the word, ATTENDANCE. 

Affirmations

 

Stacey Reed, Tameka, Sally, and Robyn for embracing my wild ideas and making them a reality.

Stephanie for being on top of everything that I need in the next couple of months.

Emma and Jessica S. for always amazing me with the progression and exposure our students have to the arts—from various musical modalities, including singing, recorders, ukuleles, xylophones, and bucket drumming, to the diverse visual art forms they explore, from painting and drawing to printmaking and collages.

Emma, Diane, Joelle, Tameka, and Yasmeen for staying past 8 PM both nights, giving their time and energy to support Arts, Beats, and Sweets. Your dedication helped make this event a success.

Emma for capturing all the wonderful moments of Arts, Beats, and Sweets through her photos. Your work helps us remember and celebrate this amazing event!

Sally for coordinating our literacy professional development—making countless phone calls and having many conversations to ensure we selected the best option.

Flo for washing all the dishes in the staff lounge, even though they weren’t hers. Thank you for “see a need, fill a need.”

Andria for volunteering to assist the leadership team with cleaning the staff lounge. We so appreciate you.

This Week

 

Friday, April 3

     ·       Sarah G’s Birthday

Monday, April 6:

     ·       Coin War-Humane Society (April 6-10)

     ·       Sarah M’s Birthday

     ·       Stacey Ramirez’s Birthday

     ·       Payday Breakfast-4^th Grade

Tuesday, April 7:

     ·       Spring Picture Day

     ·       SLT Meeting

Wednesday, April 8:

     ·       Perfect Attendance Awards

Thursday, April 9:

     ·       Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Volunteer Month)-Mason  

     ·       Purple Club

Friday, April 10:

     ·       Wellness Day

Happy Birthday

 

There is a special gift in the mailboxes of all the people who celebrate their birthdays in

Important Dates

April 12: Ellen’s Birthday

April 13: Reading Month Award

April 14: Staff Meeting

April 14: Staff Meeting Snacks-1^st Grade

April 14: Special Education Open House

April 15: PSAT

April 16: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Earth Day)-Roberts  

April 17: Laurie’s Birthday

April 17: Payday Breakfast-ABSS & EL

April 17: Spirit Day & Popcorn $1.00 each

April 20-24: Front Office Appreciation Week

April 22: Earth Day Spirit Day—solid green or blue shirt with jeans $1.00

April 23: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Asian Pacific American Heritage—Who and What?)-Walczak  

April 23: Pop Spirit Day

April 24: Half Day—dismissal at 11:15 AM

April 24: Social Media Post Due to Jorvonna-7^th Grade

April 24: Progress Reports

April 25: School Carnival

April 28-30: Free Book Fair

April 28: PLC Meeting

*If you have an event to add or something has been forgotten, please let me know!  

Schoolwide Fun-Family Feud

 

We will be playing our annual Keystone Family Feud game the week of April 6 and this year, it’s BIGGER and BETTER!

We’re keeping everything you love, with two exciting new additions: Traditional “Feud” Questions and Fast Money (lightning) rounds that allow students to participate alongside staff.

Click HERE for everything that you need to know. Please do not forget to submit your answers with your students and auxiliary staff member by the deadline! 

I will be sending calendar invites to assist you with keeping everything organized—allowing you to focus on participating and guiding your team to victory.

SAW Prizes

 

The leadership team has been working hard to plan another memorable Staff Appreciation Week. We’re so excited to celebrate each of you in May! To help us make it extra special, please take a moment to rank these prizes in order of importance on this survey. We want to be sure we’re providing rewards that you truly value and enjoy!

Reminders

Don’t forget that Professional Accountabilities and Peer Observations are due next Wednesday, March 25.

Please reach out to your dean if you have any questions. 

ABCDE Goal-Attendance

Congratulations to Mrs. Kaminski’s class for spelling the phrase, Show Up Strong, All Year Long. I look forward to seeing if they can spell our next phrase, Challenging Each Child to Achieve. 

Affirmations

Flo for supporting a colleague by helping complete a form multiple times—your willingness to step in is truly appreciated.

Stacey Reed for ensuring our leadership meeting included items to help us sustain our energy and stay grounded in our work.

Tameka for the extensive lesson planning and grading you’ve taken on. Thank you for carrying additional responsibilities for the benefit of our students and school.

Jane, Ellen, Cindy, Andria, and Stacey Reed for embracing a new initiative and bringing it to life in such a tight turnaround. Your teamwork and commitment will have a meaningful impact on our students.

Diane and Amanda for organizing the Sham “Rocks” activity—your creativity and effort helped make it a fun and engaging experience for our students.

Kathleen for volunteering to teach math to not only your homeroom, but another class while there was a sub to ensure our students receive a high-quality education.

Cayla, Jen R., Flo, Jen D., Ellen, Taylor, Andria, and Danielle D. for providing valuable feedback on our schoolwide Family Feud game! Your insights and contributions are the reason our game is bigger and better this year.

Stacey Ramirez for handling all the décor, voting slips, beverages, and tallies for March Madness! You are truly the driving force that keeps it all going.

Stephanie for taking the initiative and getting the SAW conversations started.

Jane for organizing three author visits and bringing these incredible experiences to our students! Your efforts make learning come alive. 

This Week

 

Sunday, March 22:

     ·       Tameka’s Birthday

Monday, March 23:

     ·       Megan R’s Birthday                                         

Tuesday, March 24:

     ·       Reading Month Spirit Day: “Blank Letter Tile Day!” Dress as a blank scrabble tile by wearing a black, tan, or white solid colored shirt and jeans for FREE.

     ·       Team PLC

Wednesday, March 25:

     ·       Leslie’s Birthday

     ·       Arts, Beats, & Sweets (K, 2, 4, & 6) 5:00-7:40 PM

     ·       Peer Observation Sign Up Due (for those participating)

     ·       Professional Accountabilities Due to Dean

Thursday, March 26:

     ·       Arts, Beats, & Sweets (1, 3 & 5) 5:00-7:00 PM

Friday, March 27:

     ·       Spirit Day and Popcorn $1.00 each

     ·       Social Media Post Due to Jorvonna-6^th Grade

Happy Birthday

 

Important Dates

 

March 30-April 3: No School-Spring Break

April 3: Sarah G’s Birthday

April 4-10: Coin War-Humane Society

April 6: Sarah M’s Birthday

April 6: Stacey Ramirez’s Birthday

April 6: Payday Breakfast-4^th Grade

April 7: Spring Picture Day

April 7: SLT Meeting

April 8: Perfect Attendance Awards

April 9: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Volunteer Month)-Mason  

April 9: Purple Club

April 10: Wellness Day

April 12: Ellen’s Birthday

April 13: Reading Month Award

April 14: Staff Meeting

April 14: Staff Meeting Snacks-1^st Grade

April 15: PSAT

April 16: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Earth Day)-Roberts  

April 17: Laurie’s Birthday

April 17: Payday Breakfast-ABSS & EL

April 17: Spirit Day & Popcorn $1.00 each

April 20-24: Front Office Appreciation Week

April 22: Earth Day Spirit Day—solid green or blue shirt with jeans $1.00

April 23: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Asian Pacific American Heritage—Who and What?)-Walczak  

April 23: Pop Spirit Day

April 24: Half Day—dismissal at 11:15 AM

April 24: Social Media Post Due to Jorvonna-7^th Grade

April 24: Progress Reports

April 25: School Carnival

April 28-30: Free Book Fair

April 28: PLC Meeting

*If you have an event to add or something has been forgotten, please let me know!  

ABCDE Goals

As you know I attended NHA’s Principal Meeting this past Wednesday and Thursday. I’m excited to share that Keystone has been recognized again for our outstanding work! This year, we ranked #3 out of 102 schools for reducing chronic absenteeism and #4 for student attrition.

Two years ago, attrition was our non-academic schoolwide goal, and last year we shifted our focus to attendance—yet we’ve continued to make incredible progress in both areas. This recognition reflects the amazing school culture we’ve built of high expectations and care, where students are excited to come to school and families are proud to be part of the Keystone community!

Family Feud Feedback

 

It’s almost time to play the FEUD!

This will be our third year playing Family Feud as a schoolwide game. Last year, we enhanced the experience by extending it from one day to three days and adding lightning rounds in the gym. I would love to make this year’s event the best one yet and would truly appreciate your feedback. 

Please take a moment to complete this survey by Wednesday, March 18 and share any ideas or suggestions that could help make our schoolwide game even better.

Please focus your feedback on ideas that will enhance and strengthen the event. As this activity supports the positive school culture we strive to maintain, feedback outside of enhancements is not applicable.😊

Affirmations

 

Christina for consistently supporting the leadership team and front office by helping transition late students to our after-school care. Your reliability and dedication help things go smoothly.

Amanda for thinking of me with a birthday gift. I really appreciate the Starbucks gift card—it made my day!

Nikki for treating me to lunch in celebration of my birthday. That was so thoughtful!

Jen R for my birthday gift that perfectly brings in the spring spirit. I love it!

Stephanie, Stefanie, Stacey Ramirez, Deb, Gary, Kim J, and Taylor for my fabulous birthday gift. I felt so fancy receiving a Kindle cover, electronic page turner, and screen protector for my new Kindle—you all made it so special! I also truly appreciated how you celebrated me throughout the week by treating me to breakfast and lunch. Your thoughtfulness meant so much!

Stacey Ramirez for purchasing and setting up all the March Madness items. Your effort made it a huge success!

Sally for updating the professional accountabilities. I really appreciate your hard work and attention to detail.

Stacey and Tameka for serving as acting principals. Your leadership ensured everything ran smoothly, and I truly appreciate all that you did in my absence.

Linsey for surprising the leadership team with a thoughtful gift as an appreciation for a late night.

Stacey Reed for bringing a smile to a student’s day.

Tameka for stepping in at morning assembly to recognize our K-2 students.

Robyn for thinking creatively about ways to improve student proficiency—even when it means taking on extra work.

Teri and Cayla for organizing and leading our 3rd & 4th grade Spelling Bee. Your efforts made the event run smoothly and ensured students had a positive, memorable experience.

Mandy and Stacey for taking the time to deliver our care package to Jen.

This Week

 

Tuesday, March 17:

     ·       Reading Month Spirit Day: “Double Word Score” Twin Day Find someone to double up with and dress alike as twins for $1.00

Wednesday, March 18:

     ·       6-8 Author Visit-Mark Crilley

Thursday, March 19:

     ·       March 19: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Autism Awareness Month)-Jordan  

     ·       Y5-2^nd Author Visit-Susan Wade

     ·       3-5 Author Visit-Suzanne Lipshaw

Friday, March 20:

     ·       Payday Breakfast-Specials

     ·       MTSS/IAT Meetings K-8

Important Dates

 

March 22: Tameka’s Birthday

March 23: Megan’s Birthday                                          

March 24: Reading Month Spirit Day: “Blank Letter Tile Day!” Dress as a blank scrabble tile by wearing a black, tan, or white solid colored shirt and jeans for FREE.

March 24: Team PLC  

March 25: Leslie’s Birthday

March 25: Arts, Beats, & Sweets (K, 2, 4, & 6) 5:00-7:40 PM

March 26: Arts, Beats, & Sweets (1, 3 & 5) 5:00-7:00 PM

March 27: Spirit Day $1.00

March 27: Social Media Post Due to Jorvonna-6^th Grade

March 30-April 3: No School-Spring Break

 

*If you have an event to add or something has been forgotten, please let me know!  

Staff Meeting

 

Starting at 3:45 on Tuesday, please go to the staff lounge to sign in, pick up documents, and grab some snacks. Our staff meeting will begin promptly at 4:00 pm in the gym.

You may click HERE for the agenda.

March Madness

Are you ready to POP into Keystone’s Annual March Madness? This year, it’s all about Faygo!

On Wednesday, you’ll receive your official Faygo March Madness tournament bracket in your mailbox. Before you make your picks, you’ll have the chance to taste all of the flavors to make an informed decision.

To participate, complete your entire bracket by choosing the flavor you believe will reign supreme. Once you’ve crowned your champion, make a copy of your completed bracket and turn it in to Jorvonna no later than noon on Friday, March 13.

Beginning Thursday, March 19, two competing Faygo flavors will face off daily in the lounge. Grab one of each, cast your vote, and help decide who advances. Daily winners will be announced based on staff votes.

Over the course of a week and a half, we’ll battle it out to determine Keystone’s ultimate Faygo champion. The final winner will be revealed on Monday, March 30.

If you select the winning flavor, you win! If multiple brackets correctly predict the champion, the tiebreaker will go to the person who accurately predicted the most daily winners throughout the tournament.

Brackets ready. Flavors chilled. Let the battle fizz on!

Out of the Building

 

I will be out of the building on Tuesday and Wednesday attending NHA’s Annual March Principal Meeting. Stacey will serve as Acting Principal on Tuesday, and Tameka will serve as Acting Principal on Wednesday.

Affirmations

 

Robyn for stepping in as acting principal in my absence and keeping everything running smoothly.

Tameka, Teri, and Kathleen for creating sub plans over multiple weeks to cover a colleague’s absence to ensure our students’ learning continued without interruption.

Sally for supporting the growth and development of principals by allowing NHA to videotape your O3 with me. Your leadership makes a difference.

Linsey, Cayla, Jen D, Ellen, and Kathleen for providing creative assembly ideas.

Teri, Kathleen, Ellen, Andria, Jane, Jen D, and Jen R for taking on additional parent-teacher conferences for a colleague. I love your collaborative approach to support YOUR students, even when they are in someone else’s homeroom.

Tameka for all the parent-teacher communication and preparation work you handled with care and professionalism.

Tameka for coming up with the Sound Bath idea that provided our staff with relaxation techniques.

Tracy for completing the Green School application and earning us Evergreen Certification — the highest level recognized by the Michigan Department of Education — in just two years. Your hard work and dedication are truly remarkable!

Robyn for handling a sensitive parent issue with professionalism, thorough documentation, and care.

Sally for contacting several vendors to ensure we provide our staff with high-quality literacy professional development.

Stacey Reed for making sure our school looked its best for our visitor. Thank you for channeling your inner Jorvonna!

Stacey Ramirez for creating our March Madness flyer. I love your creativity!

Kim J for once again bringing her creativity and energy to enhance our school culture! I’m looking forward to our green-themed potluck, where we’ll get to enjoy delicious food while celebrating the holiday.