From the Principal
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Hello United Oaks Families!
Welcome back to another fabulous and amazing school year! The excitement is in the air and I have been able to see some returning students at our enrollment nights. Please remember that every student needs to enroll for the 23-24 school year. Our next Hazel Park enrollment night is on Thursday, August 24 from 4 to 8 pm at the Ford Administration Building, 1620 E. Elza Dr., Hazel Park.
All elementary class lists have been finalized and families have access to this information through MiStar beginning on Thursday, August 24. Please be sure to check the site regularly as class lists may have to be adjusted to accommodate enrollment changes.
Wednesday, August 23
Kindergarten and Y5’s Open House from Noon to 6 pm. This open house will help our kindergarten students feel more comfortable on the first day of school. You can come and meet your child’s teacher, check out the lockers, and ask important questions. On Wednesday, Aug. 30 our Kindergarten and Y5 students will be following the procedure below.
Wednesday, August 30
We will welcome our students back to school on Wednesday afternoon at 12:30 pm. Parents will drop off their child in the driveway and along the school side of E. Harry (it is a one-way street). Staff members and volunteers will be at the drop-off areas with teacher assignments and will escort your child to the correct line. All students will be lined up outside on the playground behind their teacher’s sign. Parents should stay in their cars to ensure that traffic will continue to flow. Please do not park in our drop-off areas and walk your child up. Teachers will not have an opportunity to converse before school so please allow them to concentrate on their students.
After school on Wednesday, Aug. 30, we are having a “Back to School Picnic”. This event will be a wonderful opportunity for you to meet your child’s teacher. We will provide picnic food and families will be able to meet their teacher, or principal, sign up for PTA or volunteer, and find out about our community school events. We will have ICHAT forms available for parents as well. Parking is always an issue for school events so please be mindful to park legally along the street and drive. There is a parking lot on the corner of Jarvis and Russell. DO NOT park in the Marinco’s parking lot! School is dismissed at 3:10 pm.
Thursday, August 31
Arrival
We will begin our usual arrival/drop-off procedure. Our door opens at 7:40 am (promptly). You will pull up in the driveway and your child will exit your car when it is time to come into school. DO NOT allow your child to exit your vehicle until it is 7:40 am or after. We have some students who walk to school and wait outside the door. If your child walks to school, please do not have them arrive prior to 7:40 am. Walkers should not be at school prior to 7:40 am and may line up outside the front door. Those students not eating school breakfast, may be dropped off at 8 am.
Dismissal
On August 30, your child will bring home a dismissal number for the 2023-2024 school year. If you have a dismissal number from last year, please get rid of it. You will get a new one. This dismissal number should be given to anyone who will be picking your child up. Place the dismissal number on the dash on the passenger side of the car. Pink dismissal numbers pick up students on the E. Harry side of the school. This includes students in Kindergarten, 4th and 5th. Green dismissal numbers pick up students on the Jarvis side of the school. This includes students in 1st, 2nd & 3rd. Siblings will be exiting the door that matches the youngest child’s grade level. Cars should pull as far forward as they can to make room for other cars. Please stay in a single-file line behind the car in front of you. Staff will enter the dismissal numbers in a Google doc which alerts the teachers that you are at school and ready to pick up your child. Your child will exit out of the appropriate door and climb into your car. At that time, please look over your shoulder to make sure there are no cars leaving, pull out, and head home.
Do not park in the street and walk over to have staff put your number in OR park at Marinco’s parking lot and walk over to pick up your child. All adults should remain in their cars. If everyone adheres to the procedures, we get through the line pretty quickly.
There is no school on Friday, September 1, and Monday, September 4 due to the Labor Day holiday.
Please feel free to call if you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office at 248/658-2400.
With students in mind,
Karla Joy Graessley, Principal
United Oaks Elementary
