September 9, 2022: Berkley Beat
September 9, 2022: Berkley Beat
- Get to Know Rogers Principal
- New-to-Norup Middle School Lunch
- Pattengill PTA Kicks Off Fun Run Season with School Mascot
- Board of Education Recognizes Baseball Team this Summer
- You’re Invited to the BAAPN Kick-Off Celebration
- Galapagos Island Trip Open to Students Grades 6-12
- Federal Government Offers Discounted Internet Service Program
- Travel to Scotland in March 2023
- Food Service Alerts & Adding Funds to Your Child’s Account
- Join the Berkley Schools Family
- Sign Up for Text Alerts
Get to Know Rogers Principal
Rogers Elementary School has a new principal this year, Jack Gitler.
Mr. Gitler came to Berkley from the Byron Center Public Schools and is also a Berkley High School graduate. The District Communications Office sat down with Mr. Gitler to learn more about him and what he looks forward to during his first year at Rogers.
Watch the video below to learn more about Rogers' new principal.
New-to-Norup Middle School Lunch
Norup International middle school students who are new to Berkley Schools or transferred to Norup were invited to have lunch together on September 8, 2022. New students were treated to pizza & pop and got to know each other over yard games and picnic conversations.
Tim Folmar, Norup’s Middle School Counselor shared, “Being the "new kid" in school can feel isolating. It's frequently surprising for those students to discover that there are 24 peers who are also new this year! Learning you're not alone is a big deal for young adults and that is a big part of why this group in particular is invited to lunch.”
Mr. Folmar and Mrs. Bellmore, Norup’s School Social Worker, also had fun getting to know the students during lunch.
Pattengill PTA Kicks Off Fun Run Season with School Mascot
This week at Pattengill Elementary, PTA members Amy Phillps and Amy Guenther stopped in classrooms with a special guest and school mascot, Patty the Penguin. The goal of the tour was to drum up excitement for this year’s Fun Run and to inform students of the annual t-shirt design competition. PTA President Amy Philips encouraged students to submit a t-shirt design and challenged students to beat last year’s Fun Run earnings of over $30,000.
Board of Education Recognizes Baseball Team this Summer
During the July 2022 Board of Education meeting, the Berkley High School Boys Varsity Baseball Team was recognized by the Board for receiving a national Academic Excellence Award from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). The American Baseball Coaches Association’s Team Academic Excellence Award honors high school and college programs coached by ABCA members that post a cumulative Grade Point Average over 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the 2021-22 academic year.
In addition, four players were named Academic All-State for the Spring 2022 baseball season: Ben DeRosier, Davis O’Donnell, Landon Pugh and Jacob Dokho.
You’re Invited to the BAAPN Kick-Off Celebration
The Berkley African American Parent Network invites the Berkley Schools community to their Kick-Off Celebration on Thursday, September 22, from 6:30-8 pm in the Berkley High School Courtyard.
The event will include free food, entertainment, giveaways and fun!
The BAAPN is a parent run organization that works in partnership with the Berkley School District. The BAAPN is a way for parents with African American children in Berkley Schools to connect with each other.
Join the Network:
Email - baapninfo@gmail.com
Galapagos Island Trip Open to Students Grades 6-12
Anderson Middle School teacher Athena Troher is hosting a Berkley Schools trip to the Galapagos Islands during Spring Break 2024. Students in grades 6-12 are invited to join this educational travel experience.
Families can hear the trip details, including the itinerary, activities, academic opportunities, the cost of the trip and EF’s risk-free enrollment period at the upcoming informational meeting on September 19, 2022, at 6:30 pm, in the Anderson Middle School cafeteria.
Register for the informational meeting and to receive additional information about this trip.
Federal Government Offers Discounted Internet Service Program
Berkley Schools families can now access a new Federal program for discounted home internet service, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP was launched by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to help connect qualifying families and households struggling to afford broadband internet service.
The ACP program provides:
- A discount of up to $30 per month for home internet service
- A discount of up to $75 per month for home internet service for households on tribal lands
- A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet purchased through a participating provider
Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) using an online or mail in application.
You can learn more about the benefits, including eligibility and enrollment information, by visiting the ACP website, or by calling 877-384-2575.
Travel to Scotland in March 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.
Food Service Alerts & Adding Funds to Your Child’s Account
Now that meals are no longer free, many of the regular Food Service systems are back and running.
Through the MISTAR Parent Portal parents/guardians are able to add funds to their child’s food service account to pay for meals and apply for the Free/Reduced Meal Program. In addition, Berkley Schools started sending out negative balance and low balance notifications for food service accounts that are low.
Add Funds to Your Child’s Food Service Account
To add funds to your child’s Food Service Account, follow these steps.
- Login to the MISTAR Parent Portal
- Choose any of your children
- Open the Cafeteria link from the left navigation bar
- In the Cafeteria window, click the “Click Here to Access Online Food Service Payments” link
- Enter any amount in the Payment Amount column for one or all of your children, then click the Continue button
- Confirm the amount you added to your child’s account and then click Check Out
- You will be redirected to PayPal to complete the payment
To fill out the Free/Reduced Meal Application, follow these steps.
- Login to the MISTAR Parent Portal
- Choose any of your children
- In the School Links section, click ‘Click to Apply for Free or Reduced Meal Benefits’
- In the top section, choose from the top application options and follow the instructions to complete the application
Food Service Alerts
The District’s communications system is set up to send courtesy reminders for families whose balances have dipped under $5 per child as well as those who have dipped into the negative. Currently, a phone call and email for children who have a negative balance is sent out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6 pm. Unfortunately, there is not a way to streamline the calls to one per family because each child has their own food service account.
Low balance alert emails are sent on Monday, Wednesday and Friday if a child’s balance is less than $5.
If a child’s balance dips into the negative, each child will still receive a full meal, however the account will be charged for each meal provided.
As a reminder for secondary students, each student's pin number can be used to purchase food.
If you have trouble paying your balance, please reach out to the Food Service Department at 248-837-8122. If payments are a hardship for your family, you may qualify for free or reduced lunch. The application is online, through the MISTAR Parent Portal and available through the Food Service Department.
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
- School Psychologist
- 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!
