Monday, January 4, 2010
Happy New Year!!!!
I hope everyone had a safe, restful, fun-filled Holiday season. It was great to see the smiles on the boys and girls faces and hear the laughter fill the hallways and classrooms as they shared their vacation memories with one another. Their energy and enthusiasm are truly contagious and are shining examples of why our school is the wonderful place that it is.
As we look forward there is much to be excited about as our students and staff continue to build on the work they have already done. Technology plays a key role in students' day to day activities and coming soon to Kerby classrooms are "Smart Airliner Remote Slate Boards". These interactive, wireless tablets will become an integral part of the Kerby learning environment. Also, a big THANK YOU to the Kerby PTO for purchasing a classroom set of "Smart Senteo Clickers". These clickers are a classroom response system and thanks to our supportive PTO we will now have two complete sets for teachers to use.
2010 provides the opportunity to start 'anew' and I look forward to the Kerby community focusing on putting our best efforts forth and continuing to strive to be the best we can be!
"Desire is the starting point of all achievement,not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desirewhich transcends everything."
~ Napoleon Hill~
As we look forward there is much to be excited about as our students and staff continue to build on the work they have already done. Technology plays a key role in students' day to day activities and coming soon to Kerby classrooms are "Smart Airliner Remote Slate Boards". These interactive, wireless tablets will become an integral part of the Kerby learning environment. Also, a big THANK YOU to the Kerby PTO for purchasing a classroom set of "Smart Senteo Clickers". These clickers are a classroom response system and thanks to our supportive PTO we will now have two complete sets for teachers to use.
2010 provides the opportunity to start 'anew' and I look forward to the Kerby community focusing on putting our best efforts forth and continuing to strive to be the best we can be!
"Desire is the starting point of all achievement,not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desirewhich transcends everything."
~ Napoleon Hill~
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Working together..... to keep everyone safe!
Kerby students recently participated in the annual Thanksgiving Sing. It was a wonderful way to celebrate as a community ALL that we are thankful for. As we begin this busy time of year, it is important that we work together to keep everyone healthy, happy and SAFE!
Last month, we began our distribution of Kerby 'parking tickets' which contain reminders for drop-off/pick-up parking procedures:
Beaupre parking is for Kindergarten parents with a current parking pass ONLY. These passes are to be used only during the session their child attends (i.e. AM or PM). This area is a NO PARKING ZONE for parents that do NOT have a Kindergarten student.

Please note for the safety of our students there is no parking in the drop off/pick up lane or parking lot during the hours of 8-9 AM and 3-4 PM.
Do not under any circumstances encourage or allow your children to walk throughout the parking lot.
The entire Kerby Student Body and Staff THANKS YOU for continuing to practice patience during drop off/pick up times and remembering to Be Respectful, Responsible, and Safe.
For those of you who have not received one, thank you for making 'safety first' decisions!
Last month, we began our distribution of Kerby 'parking tickets' which contain reminders for drop-off/pick-up parking procedures:
Beaupre parking is for Kindergarten parents with a current parking pass ONLY. These passes are to be used only during the session their child attends (i.e. AM or PM). This area is a NO PARKING ZONE for parents that do NOT have a Kindergarten student.
Please note for the safety of our students there is no parking in the drop off/pick up lane or parking lot during the hours of 8-9 AM and 3-4 PM.
Do not under any circumstances encourage or allow your children to walk throughout the parking lot.
The entire Kerby Student Body and Staff THANKS YOU for continuing to practice patience during drop off/pick up times and remembering to Be Respectful, Responsible, and Safe.
For those of you who have not received one, thank you for making 'safety first' decisions!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
A Time to Reflect...
Our annual Thanksgiving Sing is Friday, November 20th at 2:45 in the gym. The doors will open to parents and other family members at 2:30. This is a wonderful way to start the holiday season and is one more example of the many things we have to be thankful for.... The Kerby Community!
As many of you know, Parent-Teacher Conferences will follow a schedule similar to last school year, consisting of a morning session, an afternoon session, and two evening sessions. The purpose for this is two-fold: to provide an opportunity for parents to attend conferences based on what works best for their schedules, and to better balance the number of instructional days between the AM and PM Kindergarten sections. The challenge lies in the schedule- we only have 20 minutes per conference allotted due to the number of conferences that each teacher must accommodate in the 4 sessions. We truly appreciate your cooperation with being on time and respecting the time that the teacher has available for your child's conference. Our goal is to work with you as a team in meeting your child's educational needs. We know that this can only be accomplished through open and frequent two-way communication. The schedule for the December PT conferences is:
Wednesday, December 2nd: School for students (8:25 to 3:38)
PT conferences (5:00 to 8:00)
Thursday, December 3rd: No School for Students
PT conferences (8:30 am to 11:30 am)
(12:30 pm to 3:30 pm)
(5:00 pm to 8:00 pm)
Most parents signed up for conferences at Back to School Night and conference invitations were sent home in October. If you have not yet received your conference invitation, please contact your child's teacher. Please leave younger siblings home so that you can devote your full attention to your child's conference. We look forward to partnering with you as your child continues to engage in a school year filled with challenge and lessons learned.
Our annual Thanksgiving Sing is Friday, November 20th at 2:45 in the gym. The doors will open to parents and other family members at 2:30. This is a wonderful way to start the holiday season and is one more example of the many things we have to be thankful for.... The Kerby Community!
As many of you know, Parent-Teacher Conferences will follow a schedule similar to last school year, consisting of a morning session, an afternoon session, and two evening sessions. The purpose for this is two-fold: to provide an opportunity for parents to attend conferences based on what works best for their schedules, and to better balance the number of instructional days between the AM and PM Kindergarten sections. The challenge lies in the schedule- we only have 20 minutes per conference allotted due to the number of conferences that each teacher must accommodate in the 4 sessions. We truly appreciate your cooperation with being on time and respecting the time that the teacher has available for your child's conference. Our goal is to work with you as a team in meeting your child's educational needs. We know that this can only be accomplished through open and frequent two-way communication. The schedule for the December PT conferences is:
Wednesday, December 2nd: School for students (8:25 to 3:38)
PT conferences (5:00 to 8:00)
Thursday, December 3rd: No School for Students
PT conferences (8:30 am to 11:30 am)
(12:30 pm to 3:30 pm)
(5:00 pm to 8:00 pm)
Most parents signed up for conferences at Back to School Night and conference invitations were sent home in October. If you have not yet received your conference invitation, please contact your child's teacher. Please leave younger siblings home so that you can devote your full attention to your child's conference. We look forward to partnering with you as your child continues to engage in a school year filled with challenge and lessons learned.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
It Takes a Village!
Teamwork and cooperation are such an important part of the learning process. Although we still pay attention to individual progress and academic achievement, we emphasize the importance of working together to accomplish great things. Research shows the importance of empathy and social skills in the workplace, school and in relationships with family and friends. We all have strengths to share with others and we need to recognize the strengths and talents of others. Throughout our school day in our classrooms we make our best efforts to help teach students skills that will help them work together productively and take responsibility for their own learning. These are valuable life-long skills.
In order to promote team-building and build a stronger school community, we are going to meet monthy to have a whole school 'Go Green' assembly for students and teachers. Although the assemblies will be relatively brief, we will provide time to recognize outstanding behaviors, celebrate successes, share skills and talents, and strengthen our school community across the grade levels and throughout the years. We are looking forward to spending this time together, getting to know each other and creating lasting memories at Kerby.
In order to promote team-building and build a stronger school community, we are going to meet monthy to have a whole school 'Go Green' assembly for students and teachers. Although the assemblies will be relatively brief, we will provide time to recognize outstanding behaviors, celebrate successes, share skills and talents, and strengthen our school community across the grade levels and throughout the years. We are looking forward to spending this time together, getting to know each other and creating lasting memories at Kerby.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Looking forward to another GREAT year!!
Welcome Back!
September is such an exciting time..... filled with new beginnings in which every student and staff make a fresh start and build upon the lessons learned in previous years. There has been much activity over the summer and we are looking forward to a year filled with many successes. We were able to obtain a document camera (purchased through the 'Gaffney demonstration grant" for every classroom. The Kerby library also has new computers, a 'SMART' board and a portable computer lab which allows our students and staff to use these instructional tools to support teaching and learning in every classroom.
We are also adopting PLC Mondays for teacher collaboration. These meetings will be scheduled with late-start and early dismissal on Mondays for elementary students, consistent with Grosse Pointe secondary schools' current practice. The common time will allow teachers at all grade levels the opportunity to examine school improvement initiatives focused on best practice and student achievement.
There are many great things happening at Kerby and we are ready for another great year!!
September is such an exciting time..... filled with new beginnings in which every student and staff make a fresh start and build upon the lessons learned in previous years. There has been much activity over the summer and we are looking forward to a year filled with many successes. We were able to obtain a document camera (purchased through the 'Gaffney demonstration grant" for every classroom. The Kerby library also has new computers, a 'SMART' board and a portable computer lab which allows our students and staff to use these instructional tools to support teaching and learning in every classroom.
We are also adopting PLC Mondays for teacher collaboration. These meetings will be scheduled with late-start and early dismissal on Mondays for elementary students, consistent with Grosse Pointe secondary schools' current practice. The common time will allow teachers at all grade levels the opportunity to examine school improvement initiatives focused on best practice and student achievement.
There are many great things happening at Kerby and we are ready for another great year!!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Time flies......
It is unbelievable that this is the last post of the 2008-09 school year! I'd like to thank the entire Kerby Community for all that you've done to make it a successful, engaging, fun-filled school year for all our students. This year, parents, grandparents, older brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles and community members have spent approximately 3,751 hours volunteering to help make the experiences students receive at Kerby the best they possibly can be.
I sincerely hope that each of you have a relaxing, safe and fun-filled summer!!
See everyone in September!
I sincerely hope that each of you have a relaxing, safe and fun-filled summer!!
See everyone in September!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Looking Ahead...
Kerby teachers and I will soon be making plans for classroom assignments for the 2009-10 school year. We will work as grade level teams to assign students to a particular classroom group. Our teachers have worked with your children throughout the school year and have gained valuable insight regarding the social, academic, and emotional needs of your children. We will consider the following factors as we prepare classroom assignments for the next school year:
Academic abilities
Cluster groupings
Gender balance
Student personality and interaction
Student behavior
Class size
Social mixture
Individual learning styles (auditory, visual, hands on)
Students benefiting from being together or separated
Student social/emotional needs
Information provided from parents on the student information form.
Our main objective is to produce the most positive classroom environment that enables students to achieve their greatest potential!
At this time of the year we are trying to firm up our Kerby enrollment so we can plan for the number of sections in each grade level and the number of teachers we will need to teach these students. With this in mind, we really need your help. If you plan on moving before the start of the school year, it is very important that you let us know by calling the Kerby Office.
You can help us out by approaching neighborhood parents, whose children may be of kindergarten age or first grade and new neighbors who may move in over the summer. Please have them give us a call or contact the Office of Residency and Enrollment at 313-432-3083.
Academic abilities
Cluster groupings
Gender balance
Student personality and interaction
Student behavior
Class size
Social mixture
Individual learning styles (auditory, visual, hands on)
Students benefiting from being together or separated
Student social/emotional needs
Information provided from parents on the student information form.
Our main objective is to produce the most positive classroom environment that enables students to achieve their greatest potential!
At this time of the year we are trying to firm up our Kerby enrollment so we can plan for the number of sections in each grade level and the number of teachers we will need to teach these students. With this in mind, we really need your help. If you plan on moving before the start of the school year, it is very important that you let us know by calling the Kerby Office.
You can help us out by approaching neighborhood parents, whose children may be of kindergarten age or first grade and new neighbors who may move in over the summer. Please have them give us a call or contact the Office of Residency and Enrollment at 313-432-3083.
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