September 1, 2022: Berkley Beat

September 1, 2022: Berkley Beat 

• #BSD1stDay
• Welcome Back!
• BHS Freshman Qualifies for States at First Swim Meet
• Travel to Scotland in May 2023
• The Online Back to School Packet is Still Open - Fill Out Today
• Important Food Service Information
• Join the Berkley Schools Family

#BSD1stDay

Thank you to everyone who shared your first day of school photos with us and used #BSD1stDay in your social media posts. Here is an updated first day video filled with smiling faces from all the submissions! Welcome back to school, everyone!

Welcome Back!

The Communications Office visited buildings during the first week of school to capture everyone's excitement! We spent time with our students of all ages, from Building Blocks and beyond and we found smiling faces everywhere.

Have a great school year, Berkley Schools! 

BHS Freshman Qualifies for States at First Swim Meet

Congratulations to BHS Freshman Maddie Collins! In her first meet as a Berkley Bearacuda, while at the Wayne State Warrior Relays, Maddie qualified for the state meet in the 50 Freestyle.  Her time of 25.59 ties her for 4th on the BHS Top Six Record Board.

Travel to Scotland in Spring Break 2023

Norup MYP will be collaborating with EF Tours on a guided tour of Scotland for Spring Break 2023! Go beyond seeing Scottish landmarks and experience the kingdom of the north through the stories of the Scots. This trip is open to all Berkley middle schoolers, ages 11-15. View the slideshow for more information and RSVP to an informational meeting on September 8th at 6:30 pm in the Norup Media Center.

The Online Back to School Packet is Still Open - Fill Out Today

All TK-12 parents are required to complete the Online Back to School Packet - if you haven't done so, please log into the MISTAR Parent Portal and finish the packet today!

BBB parents - you do not have a packet to complete.

Important Food Service Information

There have been big changes to the food service program - please take the time to read this important information.

First, the free meal program that was in place for the last two years has not been reauthorized by Congress. That means that for this year, meals are no longer free for every student. However, there are opportunities for children to receive free or reduced price meals. Berkley School District participates in the National School Lunch Program. Families who qualify can receive free or reduced price meals for their children.

If you think you may qualify for free or reduced priced meals, fill out an application today to verify your eligibility! Visit the Berkley School District's Food Service webpage to view the paper application, Federal Income Guidelines, and Frequently Asked Questions.

• Online Application: The Free/Reduced Meals application is embedded in the MISTAR Parent Portal. To access the application, login to the MISTAR Parent Portal. Once there, select any child shown. In the “School Links” section, select the link named “Apply for Free or Reduced Meal Benefits.” Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the application.
• Last week in the MISTAR Parent Portal, the online Free/Reduced Meal application was not letting families login. This has now been fixed - please try again if you were not able to get through last week.
• Paper Applications: If you prefer to use a paper application to apply for the National School Lunch Program, contact the Food Service Department at 248-837-8122 or download the form from the Food Service website.

Family Benefits for Qualifying for Free/Reduced Price Meals

When families qualify for free/reduced price meals, they are also eligible for the following benefits:

• Reduced Summer School fees
• Reduced Athletics Resource Fees for students grades 6-12
• Reduced field trip fees
• Reduced AP testing fees
• Potential additional benefits for Bridge Cards/P-EBT

Second, the District is starting a breakfast program for all schools. Berkley High School and Norup International School will begin their established breakfast program on the first day of school. Angell, Burton, Pattengill, Rogers and Anderson will begin their breakfast program on Monday, September 12. Buildings will share their breakfast start times with their school communities before the program begins. The breakfast program is available for all students, and those who are eligible for free/reduced price meals will also receive a free/reduced price breakfast. Full price breakfast is $1.50 and reduced price breakfast is $0.30.

Third, Nutrislice, an online platform for school meals and menus, will be up and running by the first week of school. Nutrislice not only has all school menus loaded it also has nutritional information loaded in for all menu items. Menus are loaded five weeks at a time and are also printable. You can print the whole month, or days you’d like, with or without the nutritional values. Nutrislice can be accessed on the Berkley Schools website as well as through the Nutrislice app.

If you have any questions about the Food Service items in this email, please contact LaVon Larson, Food Service Director at 248-837-8122.

Join the Berkley Schools Family

The Berkley School District is hiring! We are looking for talented individuals to fill a variety of positions. Visit our website (https://bit.ly/3BVnZH1) to apply and share our postings with your networks!

Now Hiring:

• Business/Marketing Teacher
• Kids’ Zone Latchkey 
• Secretary 
• School Psychologist
• Speech & Language Pathologist
• Paraeducators
• Coaches
• Custodians
• Berkley Building Blocks Assistant Teachers 
• Lunch Aides

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!