Bur's Banter

It's February - Snow? Where are you?

2012-02-01T10:05:00.005-05:00

Dear Kerby Families and Friends,

Thursday, February 16th is the 100th Day of School. Take time that day (and every day) to use one of these 100 ways to praise a child, a significant other, and give yourself a big pat on the back, too!

Wow/Way to Go/Super/You’re Special/Outstanding/Excellent Great/Good/Neat/Well Done/ Remarkable/I knew you could do it/I’m proud of you/Fantastic/Super star/Nice work/ Looking good/You’re on top of it/Beautiful/Now you’re flying/You’re catching on/ Now you’ve got it/You’re incredible/Bravo/You’re fantastic/Hurray for you/You’re on target/You’re on your way/How nice/How smart Good job/That’s incredible/Hot dog/ Dynamite/You’re beautiful/You’re unique/Nothing can stop you now/Good for you/I like you/You’re a winner/Remarkable job/Beautiful work/Spectacular/You’re darling/ You’re precious/Great discovery/You’ve discovered the secret/You figured it out/ Fantastic job/Hip, hip hurray/Bingo/Magnificent/Marvelous/Terrific/You’re important/ Phenomenal/You’re sensational/Super work/Creative job/Super job/Fantastic job/ Exceptional performance/You’re a real trooper/You are responsible/You are exciting/ You learned it right/What an imagination/What a good listener/You are fun/You’re growing up/You tried hard/You care/Beautiful sharing/Outstanding performance/ You’re a good friend/I trust you/Super de duper/You mean a lot to me/You make me happy/You belong/You’ve got a friend in me/You make me laugh/You brighten my day/I respect you/You mean the world to me/That’s correct/You’re a joy/You’re a treasure/ You’re wonderful/You’re perfect/Awesome/A+ Job/You’re A-ok/My buddy/You made my day/ That’s the best/A big hug/A big kiss/Say I love you!

Remember, a smile is worth 1000 words!!! (By Cynthia Bissell)

Thank you for partnering with us as we praise our students and instill the belief that hard work, practice and perseverance are the keys to success. It is through these beliefs that kids will continue to try when the ‘going gets tough’.

Have a Great Week!

Maureen G. Bur

Wishing Everyone a Happy & Heathly 2012!

2012-01-04T13:37:00.002-05:00

Dear Kerby Families and Friends,

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.

The year 2012 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!

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything,
they just make the best of everything they have.”

~Anonymous~

Have a Great Month!

Maureen G. Bur

November - A time to be Thankful!

2011-11-02T09:03:00.001-04:00

Dear Kerby Families and Friends,

“Building a Community of Learners—A successful learner is a child who enters school emotionally and physically healthy; feels safe and is ready to learn; is connected to the school and the community; and has access to challenging and engaging academic programs. A successful learner is prepared for further education, work, and civic life”. The above statement is an excerpt from the NAESP. The Kerby community is lucky to have educators that are inspiring and nurturing at the same time who are willing to partner with parents to create a community feeling along with a sense of caring and family. It is through this work that we are helping our students develop habits that will allow them to be life-long learners!

As you may 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. This gives parents an opportunity to attend the conferences based on what works best for their schedules. 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 December Parent-Teacher Conferences is:

Wednesday, December 7th School for Students 8:25 a.m. 3:38 p.m.
Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences 5:00-8:00 p.m. No Homework Club
Thursday, December 8th NO School for Students
Parent-Teacher Conferences 8:30-11:30 a.m., 1:00-3:30 p.m. & 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Most parents signed up for conferences at Back to School Night and conference invitations were sent home Friday, October 21st. 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 engages in a school year filled with challenge and lessons learned.

Our annual Thanksgiving Sing is Friday, November 18th, at 2:15 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room @ Brownell. The doors will open to parents and other family members at 2:00 p.m. All students/staff will walk to Brownell for the sing. Please make sure your child is wearing comfortable shoes. Please be mindful of all parking signs around Brownell as we continue to be good neighbors. After the performance students will return to Kerby and be dismissed at the 3:38 p.m. bell. 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!

Maureen G. Bur

Fall into October

2011-10-05T09:18:00.003-04:00

Dear Kerby Families and Friends,

Where has the first month of school gone? As we continue on the path towards another successful, enriching and rewarding school year, I believe we need to maintain our focus on the 3 ‘C’s’: Communication, Curriculum, and Community.

Open and honest communication is a vital ingredient in nurturing the environment which encourages all students to strive to be the best they can be. Throughout the school year on the first Wednesday of each month, the Kerby Cougar Newsletter is sent home (electronically or as a requested hard copy with the youngest only). ‘Bur’s Banter’, which can be accessed from the Kerby webpage by clicking on the ‘blog’ link under my name, also contains information parents may find helpful. To move forward with our “Green” school certification we are encouraging everyone to use e-mail and not paper to receive important parent information, including newsletters. Parents can sign-up for an “e-Alert” which will help provide the best communication between Kerby and your household. In order to do this, please visit http://gpschools.schoolwires.net click on the register button (top right of page) enter your birthday and submit. Once signed-in you’ll be able to receive email alerts and subscriptions via the “access my info” button on the top right of the homepage. Kerby staff sends home classroom newsletters and also have Web pages that help maintain the link between home and school.

The Kerby community of students, staff and parents is second to none with their commitment to academic excellence. We are fortunate to have a dedicated and talented professional staff working with our students. Each day students are encouraged and challenged to apply the Kerby Mindset as they gain new insights and skills that will be used throughout their academic careers. In order to provide these engaging academic experiences we are fortunate to have the unconditional support of our Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO). Families at Kerby who volunteer their time and talents, donate materials, attend PTO and/or school events or participate in fundraisers are key players in this organization.

As we’ve all heard before: “It takes a village to raise a child,” so allow me to say THANK YOU for being part of the Kerby Village as we partner in the education and development of 345 children!!

Have a GREAT week!

Maureen G. Bur

The 2011 - 2012 School Year Is Here!

2011-09-07T16:11:00.001-04:00

Welcome Back… to what promises to be a great school year! September is a time for new beginnings, when the proverbial slate is wiped clean and filled with high expectations. We look forward to partnering with you as we launch another successful school year!

Kerby is committed to providing every child an environment in which they feel a safe sense of belonging while they work to meet the academic challenges throughout the year. This year we are excited to introduce the ‘KERBY’ MINDSET: Intelligence CAN be developed!

The ‘KERBY’ MINDSET:

I AM smart when… …I ask questions
…I correct my mistakes
…I work hard

EMBRACES challenges

“I love a good challenge – learning new things is fun.”

PERSISTS in the face of setbacks

“This is challenging, so I’ll need to work hard.”

BELIEVES effort is the path to mastery

“I’ll keep trying until I find the way that works for me.”

LEARNS from criticism

“Now I know what didn’t work, I’ll try something different.”

INSPIRED by and learns from the success of others

“I bet I can be as successful, if I work hard.”

As a result learning is LIMITLESS!

Thank you for partnering with us as we engage our students to challenge themselves in all that they do as they develop a love of learning and an understanding that success is a journey not a destination!

Have a GREAT week!

Maureen G. Bur

School is out for Summer!

2011-05-27T13:03:00.002-04:00

Dear Kerby Families and Friends,

It is unbelievable that this is the last newsletter for the 2011-12 school year! I'd like to say thank you to 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 4,650 hours volunteering to help make the experiences students receive at Kerby the best they can possibly be.

End of the Year Picnics at Pier Park

June 3rd Mrs. Maddalena’s Kdg 11:00-3:30 June 9th Mrs. Cronovich Kdg
Mrs. Brock’s 2nd Grade 11:00-2:30 11:00—2:30 held at Kerby
June 7th Service/Safety Pizza Lunch
and Warren City Pool 11:30-3:15
Ms. Briggs 1st Grade 11:00-3:00
Mr. Restum’s 3rd Grade 10:00-3:00
June 9th Mrs. Kern’s 2nd Grade 11:00-2:30
June 10th Mrs. Bergeron’s 2nd Grade 11:00-3:00
Ms. Corio’s 1st Grade 11:30-3:30
June 14th Mrs. Sullivan’s 3rd Grade 11:30-2:30
Mr. Brown’s 3rd Grade 11:30-2:30
Mrs. Blazinski’s 5th Grade 10:15-3:30
Mrs. Corbett’s 5th Grade 10:15-3:30
Mr. Esze’s 5th Grade 10:15-3:30
Mr. Pfeuffer’s 4th Grade 11:30-3:15
Mrs. Schrade’s 4th Grade 11:30-3:15
June 15th Mr. Sattelmeier’s 1st Grade 9:00-11:30

September 6th is the first day of school for the 2011-12 school year. Please make sure to check out our web calendar during the summer. We will continue to update it with new events after this school year is over.

April Showers bring May Flowers :)

2011-05-03T13:02:00.001-04:00

Dear Kerby Families and Friends,

Kerby teachers and I are making plans for classroom assignments for the 2011-12 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.

Maureen G. Bur

Spring is in the air!

2011-04-06T09:29:00.002-04:00

Dear Kerby Families and Friends,

Lately, many of my parent conversations at the end of the day revolve around traffic congestion during drop-off and pick-up times. The reality is that we live busy lives. Just 20 minutes a day in our pick-up/drop off area increases our stress level, which unfortunately could result in an unsafe situation for our students. A few suggestions to alleviate congestion would be car pooling, walking/riding bikes to school (hopefully the weather is starting to change), driving to a designated spot in the neighborhood then park and walk to school from there, etc. There are many ways to alleviate congestion however, we still need to practice safe driving no matter the amount of cars arriving and departing from Kerby. On the rare occasion that you need to accompany your child into school, please park on Beaupre (north of Kerby), on Kerby (West of Beaupre), or on Kerby (east of the driveway). Students continue to hold signs on Kerby and Beaupre reminding us to “follow the rules”.

Recently, I came across a letter that was sent out last year regarding our drop-off/pick-up areas and believe that it truly puts things into perspective. It stated the following:

Today. 99.9% of our children were dropped-off and picked-up without the possibility of a potentially
serious incident.

Today, 99.9% of our drivers did not park and leave their vehicles in the No Parking Areas.

Today, 99.9% of our students were not dangerously dropped-off or picked-up in the designated areas.

Today, 99.9% of our drivers were outstandingly kind, understanding, and very courteous to one another.

Fortunately, there will be plenty of tomorrows. If we remember to follow the system and exercise our greatest care, we can earn the remaining tenth of a percent.

I believe this to be true, if we continue to practice patience during drop-off/pick-up and be Respectful,
Responsible, and Safe, we all will have a better experience.

Have a GREAT week!

Maureen G. Bur

Spring into March Reading

2011-03-14T13:56:00.007-04:00

Dear Kerby Families and Friends,

It’s hard to believe that Spring is just around the corner, but after the cold and windy days we’ve had, I know the warming winds of Spring will be a welcome change! Since we celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday today, I thought you might enjoy the following quote:

“There’s no limit to how much you’ll know, depending how far beyond Zebra you go.”
~ Dr. Seuss ~

As we celebrate March is Reading Month please consider 10 great ways to Promote Reading in Your Family:

Give books as gifts
Sing songs, say nursery rhymes and poems together
Follow a recipe with your child
Exchange refrigerator messages with your child
Make reading together a happy time :)
Take your child to the Library at least once a week
Encourage your child to write and make books
Read a book or listen to a tape in the car (instead of watching a movie). Read while waiting for extracurricular activities to begin
Look at the book cover. Encourage your child to make predictions about the book
Read, Read, Read, Read, and then Read some more!!

Over the next few weeks at Kerby, we will have a “Read In”, “Assembly with Celtic & Wee Folktales”, “Get Caught Reading”, Dr. Seuss Read-A-Round, and time to “Read Together”. Many thanks to Anne Maurer, Kerby’s Media Specialist, for all of the time and effort she has put into organizing these special activities.

Have a GREAT week!

Maureen G. Bur

100th Day of School

2011-02-04T07:41:00.001-05:00

Dear Kerby Families and Friends,

Where has the time gone? Tuesday, February 15th is the 100th day of school; it seems like yesterday that the students were showing off their new school supplies and talking about the fun at the park or the places they traveled to on their summer vacations. This would be a great time for you to review the goals your child has set with their teachers and make a plan to accomplish them between now and June. Our students do such a great job each day that it is important to take the time to celebrate their hard work and, no matter the challenge, remind them that hard work always pays off.

The following is an excerpt from Dr. Charles Fay that I thought you might enjoy: “There are few things that bring us more joy than seeing our youngsters succeed! Unfortunately, too many of us make the mistake of responding to their success in ways that gradually condition them to give up when the going gets tough.” Let’s see how this happens:
Little Roger just tied his shoes. Because this warms his Mother’s heart, she says “Oh Roger, you’re so smart!” Roxanne got an “A” on her spelling test. Beaming with pride her father praises, “Roxanne, you’re so bright.” Roger says his ABC’s. Grandma replies, “You’re the smartest kid in town!” Roxanne constructs a wonderful science fair project. Her Mom responds with “Sweetie you are so intelligent.”

If this continues, Roger and Roxanne will eventually be conditioned to believe that they are successful because they are smart. Why is this a problem? Kids who believe that smartness is the key to success give up whenever they encounter things that leave them feeling not so smart. Fortunate kids are conditioned to believe that hard work, practice, and perseverance are the keys to success. Kids who believe this are more likely to keep trying when things get tough. One strategy that has been effective in helping kids is asking them “Why did you do that so well?” When they shrug their shoulders, ask: “Did you work hard? Have you been practicing? Or did you keep trying?” When kids verbalize any one of the three, they begin to believe that they have what it takes to keep going when the going gets tough.

Happy New Year

2011-01-10T11:30:00.006-05:00

Dear Kerby Families and Friends,

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 I am excited to announce that the “SMART Boards” are up and running in just about every room. These interactive whiteboards will become an integral part of the Kerby learning environment. Also, a BIG THANK YOU to the Grosse Pointe Foundation for Public Education and the John A. and Marlene L. Boll Foundation matching technology grant which raised funds to provide this wonderful classroom technology and teacher training on these new “SMART Boards”.

The year 2011 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!

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything,
they just make the best of everything they have.”

~Anonymous~

Giving Thanks for the Kerby Community!!!

2010-11-03T14:48:00.002-04:00

Our annual Thanksgiving Sing is Friday, November 19th at 2:15 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room @ Brownell. The doors will open to parents and other family members at 2:00 p.m. All students/staff will walk to Brownell for the sing. Please make sure your child is wearing comfortable shoes. After the performance students will return to Kerby and be dismissed at the 3:38 p.m. bell. 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 you may 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. This gives parents an opportunity to attend the conferences based on what works best for their schedules. 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 December Parent-Teacher Conferences is:

Wednesday, December 1st School for Students 8:25 a.m. -3:38 p.m.
Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 2nd NO School for Students
Parent-Teacher Conferences 8:30-11:30 a.m., 1:00-3:30 p.m. & 5:00-8:00 p.m.

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 engages in a school year filled with challenge and lessons learned.

Focusing On The 3 "C's"...

2010-10-04T15:15:00.003-04:00

Where has the first month of school gone? As we continue on the path towards another successful, enriching and rewarding school year I believe we need to maintain our focus on the 3 ‘C’s’: Communication, Curriculum, and Community.

Open and honest communication is a vital ingredient in nurturing the environment which encourages all students to strive to be the best they can be. Throughout the school year on the first Wednesday of each month, the Kerby Cougar Newsletter is sent home (electronically or as a requested hard copy with the youngest only). ‘Bur’s Banter’, which can be accessed from the Kerby webpage by clicking on the ‘blog’ link under my name, also contains information parents may find helpful. To move forward with our “Green” school certification we are encouraging everyone to use e-mail and not paper to receive important parent information, including newsletters. Parents can sign-up for an “e-Alert” which will help provide the best communication between Kerby and your household. In order to do this, please visit http://gpschools.schoolwires.net click on the register button (top right of page) enter your birthday and submit. Once signed-in you’ll be able to receive email alerts and subscriptions via the “access my info” button on the top right of the homepage. Kerby staff sends home classroom newsletters and also have Web pages that help maintain the link between home and school. For those of you who’ve signed up for e-alerts, you hopefully received a message letting you know when our webpage was updated with the change of our Halloween Haunted House information.

The Kerby community of students, staff and parents is second to none with their commitment to academic excellence. We are fortunate to have a dedicated and talented professional staff working with our students. Each day students are
encouraged and challenged as they gain new insights and skills that will be use throughout their academic careers. In order to provide these engaging academic experiences we are fortunate to have the unconditional support of our Parent-Teacher
Organization (PTO). Families at Kerby who volunteer their time and talents, donate materials, attend PTO and/or school events or participate in fundraisers are key players in this organization.

As we’ve all heard before: “It takes a village to raise a child,” so allow me to say THANK YOU for being part of the Kerby Village as we partner in the education and development of 350 children!!

A Journey Towards Healthier Living!

2010-09-07T21:48:00.003-04:00

Welcome back… to what promises to be a great school year. September is a time for new beginnings, when the proverbial slate is wiped clean and filled with high expectations. We look forward to partnering with you as we launch another successful school year!

Kerby is committed to providing every child an environment in which they feel a safe sense of belonging while they work to meet the academic challenges throughout the year. In my seven years at Kerby, we’ve welcomed an increasing number of students with life-threatening allergies (food, pet,
environmental, etc.) into our community. In this same timeframe there have been numerous studies and national reports on the importance of proper nutrition and teaching kids how to make healthy
decisions with respect to food. As I reflect on both of these issues, I realize it will take a concerted effort from students, parents and staff to ensure the safety, well being and academic success of our students.

The following quote from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution provides an excellent summary of Kerby’s health and nutrition goal: “Basically, as long as we all recognize that treats should be treats, not a daily occurrence, we'll be in a good place. So when I talk about having a 'healthy' approach to food, and eating better I'm talking about achieving that sense of balance: lots of the good stuff, loads of variety, and the odd indulgence every now and then.”

Starting with the 2010-2011 school year, the Kerby staff will partner with students and parents as we make healthy choices that hopefully will develop into life-long habits. In order to do this, we will do the following:
• Students will pack a ‘healthy’ snack each day (see school approved choices on website)
• Students will be a good friend by only eating the food provided to them (This is one of the few times when sharing is Not recommended)!
• Students may bring in a bookmark, pencil, eraser, sticker etc. to share with their classmates when they are celebrating a birthday (or are the ‘star student’ Cougar, etc). Food should NOT be brought in and shared.
• Students will be a good friend as they remember some students are allergic to dogs, cats and other pets by keeping Kerby School a ‘pet free zone’.
• Students will enjoy the food at classroom parties and end of year picnics. Parents will choose items in moderation found on the healthy snack list on our website. Parents should work with staff to meet the needs of students with special dietary needs.

Throughout the year, students will have the option to participate in a variety of events such as the PTO Ice Cream Social, Ice Cream or Bagel Sales and Sullivan’s Class Bake Sale (part of economics unit) to name a few. I am confident that the Kerby Community will join together to do everything possible as we work to ensure every student at Kerby is healthy and in the safest environment possible.
Thank you for partnering with us as we begin this journey towards a healthier lifestyle!