September 2, 2021: Berkley Beat
September 2, 2021: Berkley Beat
- #BSD1st Day
- Berkley Schools Staff Kick Off School Year with Inspirational Morning
- BHS Students Form Relationships at Freshmen Orientation
- Students Engage in Summer Enrichment at STEM Camp
- Norup PTA Designated as National PTA School of Excellence
- Angell Alumni Creates and Donates Outdoor Classroom
- Berkley Schools has a New Website Look
- New-to-Norup MYP Lunch
- Berkley High School athletics is excited to announce a new service to watch the Bears live!
- Sign Up for Text Alerts
- Oakland County Health Division Hosts Back to School Vaccine Clinics
- Educationally Speaking - an Oakland Schools Podcast
- Annual Notice to Parents: Surveillance
#BSD1st Day
It was a great first week of school! Thank you to all who submitted their #BSD1st Day photos. Please enjoy all of the smiling faces and we are wishing everyone a great school year.
Berkley Schools Staff Kick Off School Year with Inspirational Morning
On Tuesday, August 24, Berkley Schools staff gathered for the annual Opening Day meeting. It was the first time the staff had gathered together (although in two groups - elementary and secondary) since March 2020. The day began with breakfast, friendship and lawn games in the BHS courtyard for our elementary staff and moved into the Auditorium for a morning of learning. During the afternoon, secondary staff arrived for lunch, friendship and lawn games before hearing the opening day welcome messages in the Auditorium.
Before the presentations staff were entered into quite a few raffles to receive gift cards and District swag. Two staff members won the big prize - having the Director of Teaching, Learning and Technology as well as the Superintendent take over their job for the day. Employees who have been with the District for 25 years were also recognized with a small gift. Thank you to the following staff members for your 25 years of dedication to students in the Berkley School District!
- Theresa Cabalum, AMS English Teacher
- Melissa Watkins, Angell Kindergarten Teacher
- Vince Gigliotti, Angell Principal
- Jennifer Simone, BHS Social Studies Teacher
- Lenny Waldman, BHS Social Studies Teacher
- Rose Jacob, Burton Kindergarten Teacher
- Steve Lyskawa, Norup Social Studies Teacher
Superintendent Scott Francis spoke about his story, the District’s story and what story we’ll tell next to staff as part of the day’s keynote. He engaged staff in a history quiz, shared interesting facts about the District’s history and set tone and vision for the year to come.
Superintendent Francis ended with a clip from Ted Lasso, reminding our staff to always be curious - curious about their colleagues, their students and the community.
BHS Students Form Relationships at Freshmen Orientation
Incoming Berkley High School freshmen and new students participated in Freshmen Orientation on August 23. Students started the day by gathering in the Auditorium and were greeted by BHS Principal, Andy Meloche. As part of the orientation, students were taught, and practiced, the BHS fight song. After spending time in the Auditorium, students split up into small groups and went on a tour of BHS. These tours were led by Student Leadership students and various other club leaders.
This orientation style with small groups touring with experienced students is new this year. In the past, student leaders toured bigger groups of freshmen and they felt it was harder to connect with the new students. At the end of this year’s event, students were exchanging phone numbers so they could stay connected throughout the school year.
Students Engage in Summer Enrichment at STEM Camp
For two weeks over the summer, Berkley Schools students had the opportunity to explore, create and experiment at this year's elementary and middle school STEM Camps.
Students participated in student led experiments and activities such as rocket building and launching, robotics, Rube Goldberg machines and more! Summer camp Instructor and elementary school teacher Theresa Murphy said, “It is a nice way for students to have an ability to learn in a completely different way, they are learning through play and engagement.”
It was also an opportunity for students to be in the classroom again and form relationships with schoolmates of all ages. One student shared, “STEM camp is important because you learn and do things that you don't really do in school.”
Norup PTA Designated as National PTA School of Excellence
Congratulations to the Norup PTA!
The Norup PTA was recently named a 2020-2022 National PTA School of Excellence. National PTA’s School of Excellence program supports and celebrates partnerships between PTAs and schools that work to improve the educational experience and school environment for every child.
As a National PTA School of Excellence, Norup families feel welcomed and empowered to support student success, and PTA is a key partner for continuous school improvement.
The National PTA said, "Congratulations on earning this prestigious recognition, which symbolizes your incredible work as national leaders in developing strong family-school partnerships.”
Angell Alumni Creates and Donates Outdoor Classroom
Thanks to BHS student and Angell alum Joe Ozanich, Angell Elementary now has a new outdoor classroom space.
For his Eagle Scout project, Joe built eight benches and installed them on Angell’s grounds for teachers to use. Joe, along with three other Scouts and Angell alumni, built the benches at the Ozanich house and installed the benches before school began. If you are in the Angell area, swing by the building on Cummings and you’ll see the new benches just north of the playground.
Berkley Schools has a New Website Look
The Berkley Schools website went through a redesign process this summer. Take a look: www.berkleyschools.org
You will notice a new layout on both the school and District homepages, including upcoming events that are easy to find, news articles in a top position and spotlights with important information.
You'll also find quick access to information and frequently visited pages by clicking on the triple line (hamburger) icon in the top right corner and in the quick links listed at the bottom of every page.
The website is mobile responsive, so you should be able to easily navigate both on your phones and tablets as well as on a desktop computer.
Check it out today!
New-to-Norup MYP Lunch
Students who are new to Berkley Schools or transferred to Norup were invited to have lunch together on September 2, 2021. New students were treated to pizza & pop and got to know each other over yard games and picnic conversations.
Tim Folmar, Norup Counselor shared, “While these students will certainly make friends and build relationships with Norup veteran students, it's important for them to know that they have a large group of peers who all share at least one thing in common - the experience of being the new kid this year!”
Mr. Folmar, MYP Counselor, and Mrs. Bellmore, Norup Social Worker, also had a ton of fun getting to know the students during lunch!
Berkley High School athletics is excited to announce a new service to watch the Bears live!
The NFHS Network is your home for LIVE Berkley High athletics.
Full access to ALL content on the Network:
- All Berkley Bears sports that compete on Hurley Field or in the BHS West Gym
- At this time the only locations at BHS that have this service are Hurley Field and the West Gym.
- All Bears away games if that school has the NFHS pixellot system
- All other sporting events from around the Nation
A percentage of each purchase goes back to Berkley Athletics.
Friends and family members who can’t make the game will never miss a play again!
Subscription Options for Berkley Bears Fans
- Annual Pass- $69.99
- Month Pass- $10.99/month
Visit www.NFHSnetwork.com – Search for Berkley High School and subscribe
Sign Up for Text Alerts
Quick Steps to Receive Text Alerts from Berkley Schools
In order to receive text messages from the District or your school, you must opt in. Text messages will be sent out when the District closes or there is an emergency situation. Texts may also be sent from the District and schools for reminder messages during the day that are not urgent.
In order to receive text messages, every parent/guardian must opt-in each cell phone listed in MISTAR.
Steps to Opt-In
Text the word YES (in the message field) to the phone number 67587 (in the To field). Then you are all set!
Oakland County Health Division Hosts Back to School Vaccine Clinics
Oakland County is holding school-based COVID-19 vaccine clinics as students return to classes this month. The Oakland County Health Division will also administer COVID-19 vaccine at the Arts, Beats and Eats Festival in Royal Oak Labor Day weekend. Public health nurses will be on hand at 301 W. 4th St. from noon – 5:00 p.m. Friday, September 3 - Monday, September 6 to vaccinate individuals on a walk-in basis. For more information, go to OaklandCountyVaccine.com.
The Health Division is offering school-based clinics to school-age and college students because there are 51,000 Oakland County residents from the ages of 12 to 19 years old who have not received their COVID-19 vaccination. In addition, there are about 66,000 residents 20-29 years old who are not immunized. Greater than one in three new COVID-19 cases in Oakland County from August 16-29 were residents 29 years and younger.
Educationally Speaking - an Oakland Schools Podcast
Season 3 - Episode 1: Returning to School
For our first episode of Season 3, we will be talking about what parents and students can expect for the 2021-2022 school year. Admittedly, this is a moving target because the pandemic is ongoing and things could quickly change, but, as of right now, it is looking like school districts are going to resume in-person learning.
So what will that look like? With guidance from local education experts, we will be discussing some of the key areas that parents and students may be examining upon returning to school this year.
Guests:
- Lori Adkins, Child Nutrition Consultant for Oakland Schools
- Dayna Bennett, Public Health Nurse Consultant for Oakland Schools
- Lisa Hansknecht, Director of Government Relations and Community Services for Oakland Schools
- Dr. Julie McDaniel, Safety and Well-Being Consultant for Oakland Schools
- Dr. Amy Kruppe, Superintendent of Hazel Park Schools
Listen to the Podcast on the Oakland Schools website.
Annual Notice to Parents: Surveillance
Board Policy 7440.01 - VIDEO SURVEILLANCE AND ELECTRONIC MONITORING
The Board of Education has adopted policy 7440.01, and the detail below is an annual notification to the school community regarding video surveillance and electronic monitoring.
Details of the Policy
In order to protect District property, promote security and protect the health, welfare and safety of students, staff and visitors, the Board of Education authorizes the use of video surveillance and electronic monitoring equipment on school property, and in school buildings and school buses. Information obtained through video surveillance/electronic monitoring may be used to identify intruders and persons breaking the law, Board policy, or the Student Code of Conduct (i.e., it may be used as evidence in disciplinary actions and criminal proceedings).
The Board of Education authorizes the use of video surveillance and electronic monitoring equipment at various school sites throughout the District and on school buses. The video surveillance/electronic monitoring equipment shall be used to protect Board property and assets from theft and vandalism, through deterrence and video documentation. The system is not designed nor intended to protect individuals from being victims of violent or property crimes, nor to detect other potentially illegal and undesirable activities that may occur, although information may be used as evidence in such cases.
The monitoring of actions and behavior of individuals who come onto school property is a significant factor in maintaining order and discipline and protecting students, staff, visitors, and school and student property. Video surveillance/electronic monitoring systems serve to complement other means being employed in the District to promote and foster a safe and secure teaching and learning environment for students and staff. The Board recognizes that the use of a video surveillance/electronic monitoring system does not replace the need for the ongoing vigilance of the school staff assigned by the building principal to monitor and supervise the school building. Rather, the video surveillance/electronic monitoring system serves as an appropriate and useful tool with which to augment or support the in-person supervision provided by staff. The building principal is responsible for verifying that due diligence is observed in maintaining general campus security.
To read the complete policy language, please visit the Berkley Schools Board Docs page for policy 7440.01.
