Berkley Beat: March 24, 2023

Berkley Beat: March 24, 2023

What’s inside:

• Congratulations to the Berkley Schools Teachers of the Year
• Anderson Middle School Raises $11,000 to Benefit Camp Casey
• Board of Education Honors School Nurse
• ATP Students Enjoy Best Buddies Party
• Rogers Students Parade as Favorite Book Characters
• Burton Students Celebrate March is Reading Month with Virtual Author Visit 
• Rogers Students Compete in Battle of the Books
• No One Eats Alone at AMS
• Pattengill Celebrates March is Reading Month
• Local Author Visits Rogers Elementary
• March is Women’s History Month
• Travel Opportunity for Students
• Join the Berkley Schools Family - Now Hiring!
• Sign Up for Text Alerts

Congratulations to the Berkley Schools Teachers of the Year

During the week of March 22, BeNews Heading 3rkley Schools administrators surprised District teachers of the year. With flowers, chocolate, certificates and signs in hand, teachers were visited while they were teaching. Principals and colleagues joined in on the fun, too. During the surprises, Superintendent Francis asked students to share one word they would use to describe their teachers. Students were eager to share their love for their teachers sharing words like: caring, loving, funny, kind, and smart.

Congratulations to the following Berkley Schools building teachers of the year!

Berkley Building Blocks: Jodi Miller, Early Interventionist, Birth-Age 3

On the nomination form, a parent shared this about Ms. Jodi: She is always attentive and sits and listens to everything that is going on with our family. Jodi provides resources and helps us to find information that can help our family as a whole. It is so helpful to have someone come into our home twice a week who is there to not only support our child but our entire family. She is truly amazing!

Angell: Michelle Hoerner, Kindergarten

On the nomination form, a parent shared this about Ms. Hoerner: Ms. Hoerner has done a tremendous job as our son's Kindergarten teacher. She is kind, patient, and communicative. She is consistently going above and beyond the call of duty and seems to be a superhero in her classroom. We were amazed from the first day with Ms. Hoerner's grasp on curriculum, her ability to build relationships, and the amazing connection she makes with her students and community. Personally, I was blown away on curriculum night during the first week of school. Ms. Hoerner not only knew every student's name by this event but also knew every parent...most of whom she had never met!

Burton: Pam Koretz, 5th Grade

On the nomination form, four students shared the following about Ms. Koretz: Ms. Koretz is the greatest teacher. She isn’t too hard on anybody and when anything gets tough, she will talk you through it and help you find a good solution. She won’t ever give up on you no matter who you are, what you need or when you need it. Ms. Koretz is amazingly understanding. Nobody ever feels like they are in a different place. They always feel welcome and safe.

Norup Elementary: Kristi Metz, English Language Development

On the nomination form, Principal Paul Yowchuang shared the following about Ms. Metz: Kristi is warm and relentlessly positive. She cares deeply about the families and creates strong bonds with them, which in turn makes students and families feel like they are part of our overall community. She creates opportunities for families to connect to school and culture, running events such as Language Learner Family Night, our elementary Thanksgiving parade, and our elementary LEGO Club. Parents, teachers, students, and administrators all love and respect Kristi.

In addition to being the Norup elementary teacher of the year, Kristi is also the Berkley Schools Elementary Teacher of the Year and will be honored at an Oakland Schools event in May.

Pattengill: Amy Girvan, 1st Grade

On the nomination form, Principal Shamika Womble shared the following about Ms. Girvan: Amy is a model teacher and serves as an example to our staff. Amy is vested in each of her student's success and works hard to ensure each reaches their full potential. Amy has the ability to inspire students to explore their gifts. She strives to design learning experiences that respond to her student's interests and preferences. Meeting the varied needs of students is demanding, but Amy's commitment to adapting instruction comes from her belief that children learn better  through the use of different modes and methods of learning. Amy achieves this by understanding that all of her students have specific strengths that contribute to the classroom.

Rogers: Jen Rogers, 2nd Grade

On the nomination form, Principal Jack Gitler shared the following about Ms. Rogers: The families in Ms. Rogers’s classroom are made to feel that they are part of the room. Ms. Rogers

communicates with all families regularly and meets with them when needed. I have personally seen Ms. Rogers connect with families and show the same care and compassion to each family she encounters. It is evident that she believes in a strong home to school relationship. Ms. Rogers believes in a strong bond between the teacher and families at Rogers.

Anderson: Nell Bielecki, Science

On the nomination form, a student shared the following about Ms. Bielecki: Ms. Bielecki is a fantastic teacher, and I can honestly say that I look forward to her Science class every day! By presenting interesting topics, facilitating great discussions, conducting hands-on experiments, encouraging students to try new things, and welcoming all opinions, Ms. Bielecki does a great job not only teaching Science, but also making the learning process interesting and exciting. I also really appreciate Ms. Bielecki’s kindness and her willingness to go the extra mile to answer all of my questions and to help me in any way that she can to make sure that I succeed in her class.

In addition to being the Anderson teacher of the year, Nell is also the Berkley Schools Middle School Teacher of the Year and will be honored at an Oakland Schools event in May.

Norup Middle School: Carole Hoste, Band

On the nomination form, a parent shared the following about Ms. Hoste: My son has been a student in Carole’s middle school band program for three years. His technical musical growth and enthusiasm for playing can be attributed to the passion and dedication that she shares in her classroom every day. Jackson was in sixth grade at the height of the pandemic and band class was taught via Zoom. Online teaching was difficult enough; trying to help students develop their technique and produce a cohesive sound seemed near impossible, yet Carole made class engaging and encouraging. Her students grew, worked through the struggle, and deepened their eagerness to learn.

BHS: Jessica Sandtveit, Math

On the nomination form, a student shared the following about Ms. Sandtveit: She was awesome through the whole year. She was constantly engaged with her students and I was definitely one of them. I struggled a lot with focusing at the beginning of the year and she was constantly helping me and putting in the extra effort to make sure I could understand everything we learned. She was very good at adapting to every student's needs in an especially rambunctious hour.

In addition to being the BHS teacher of the year, Jessica is also the Berkley Schools High School Teacher of the Year and will be honored at an Oakland Schools event in May.

Anderson Middle School Raises $11,000 to Benefit Camp Casey

Anderson Middle School hosted its annual March Miracles 3-on-3 basketball tournament with the championship finals on March 23, 2023. March Miracles is a building-wide fundraising initiative in support of a charity chosen by the Anderson community. Students can enter the tournament with their teams of three and compete in a March Madness bracket style competition that began with the preliminary round on March 17, 2023. Two teams from the AMS Peer to Peer program, Dunkin’ Dragons and Hoops I Did It Again, also competed during the preliminary round. 

This year’s event raised $11,000 in support of Camp Casey, a non-profit organization that provides horseback riding programs to children with cancer, rare blood disorders, and other life-threatening illnesses. The money was raised through a tournament entry fee, sponsorships from local businesses, concession sales, and team sponsorships from AMS staff. 

The AMS 7th & 8th grade orchestra kicked off the assembly with a performance of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Students enjoyed cheering on peers in skill competitions and in the basketball championships. Students also heard from Ethan Gardulski, a local teen who competed on American Ninja Warrior. Ethan spoke about his middle school experience and his journey on the show. The assembly closed with AMS Social Studies teacher Karen Saltsman presenting the check to Camp Casey and awarding medals to the winning teams from each grade. 

Congratulations to the winning teams from each grade: 

• 6th Grade Girls Winning Team: Riley Casetta, Sophia Francisco, Mayka Lyko, Lola Sacco, and Niqco Shoulders
• 6th Grade Boys Winning Team: Grayson Aardema, Emitt Allen, Landon Lutz, Isaac Rogers, and Luke Smith 
• 7th Grade Girls Winning Team: Grace Burnham, Brooke DeBell, Audrey Duggan, Kaylin Evans, and Samantha Kacin
• 7th Grade Boys Winning Team: Avery Allen, Lucan Eyler, Caden Kobernick, and Evan Weber
• 8th Grade Girls Winning Team: Lilley Chapman, Sadie Dajenais, Madeline Kramer, and Addison Southwick
• 8th Grade Boys Winning Team: Henry Herron, John Hannosh, Ethan Musgrove, and Cayden Phillips

Board of Education Honors School Nurse

At the March 8 regular Board Meeting, the Board of Education honored the Berkley School District School Nurse, Rose Guglielmetti.

Nurse Rose was honored for her service to the District. Rose has implemented many wellness initiatives in the Berkley Schools including Wellness Wednesdays, the Nurse’s Corner in the staffHUB eNewsletter, handwashing lessons with elementary students, attending 5th grade camp, cardiac team training for all schools, and is the District’s COVID-19 contact for families. In addition, Rose visits schools often, offering training to secretaries, support to parents, and gives health and nutrition lessons to students.

ATP Students Enjoy Best Buddies Party

The Berkley Adult Transition program (BAT) had a best buddies party this past Friday, March 17th. The BAT has partnered with Best Buddies of Wayne State University for several years. Together, the students and buddies participate in monthly events such as bowling, putt-putt, zoo visits, dance parties, etc. At the March 17th party, students had a great time dancing and doing activities. Students participated in glow in the dark face painting, scratch art, and build your own glow in the dark accessories.

Watch a video of the dance party in action, below: https://youtu.be/j0lml92eEQU

Rogers Students Parade as Favorite Book Characters

Rogers Elementary continued its celebration of March is Reading Month with its annual character parade on March 21, 2023. Students decorated paper bags as their favorite book character and held them up, bringing the characters to life as they paraded down Rogers’ halls. Some of the characters included The Pigeon, Harry Potter, Coraline Jones and Lyle the Crocodile.

Burton Students Celebrate March is Reading Month with Virtual Author Visit 

Connecticut based children’s author Susan Hood zoomed into Burton for March is Reading month. The author visited with students on March 23, 2023. During the Kindergarten-3rd grade presentation, Ms. Hood shared a few of her stories with games, songs and activities. During her conversation with 4th and 5th graders, Ms. Hood shared “the stories behind the stories,” how she researches real life events and turns them into nonfiction. For example, her debut middle grade novel, Lifeboat 12, tells the story of a boy’s harrowing experience on a lifeboat after surviving the Nazi torpedo attack of the SS City of Benares.

She also discussed life as an author, the business of publishing, and took questions from the students. 

Rogers Students Compete in Battle of the Books

Rogers Elementary held their annual Battle of the Books competition on March 22, 2023. Battle of the Books is a reading challenge for 4th and 5th grade students in which participants are placed on a team, read from a selected list of books, and then compete against other teams by answering questions about those books. Rogers Media Specialist Daniel Duffey shared, “The Battle is an enriching and challenging opportunity for students to take their reading beyond their normal duties.”

Rogers students read the following books:

• The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan
• Exploring the White House by Kate Andersen Brower
• Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston
• Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Gabriela Epstein
• Ancestor Approved by Cynthia L. Smith
• A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

Congratulations to Roger’s winning team, Reading Speeding Cheetahs.

No One Eats Alone at AMS

On Monday March 13, Anderson Middle School students and staff participated in school -wide activities for National No One Eats Alone Day. Like the other initiatives AMS has engaged with this year, the goal of No One Eats Alone Day was to decrease social isolation and ensure all students feel a sense of belonging at AMS.

To start the day, each first hour class engaged in a lesson focused on self-reflection. The lesson called for students to engage in self reflective practices and share those reflections with others. From this, students were able to see that they are rarely alone in their thoughts and feelings. Self reflection is a great tool to bring about clarity. At lunch, students gathered together at lunch tables to engage in various group activities with the goal of increasing socialization and decreasing social isolation.

Pattengill Celebrates March is Reading Month

Pattengill Elementary celebrated March is Reading Month the week of March 20-24, 2023, with themed days. Students and staff were encouraged to participate in the fun days, including Penguin Pride and Dress as Your Favorite Book Character Day. Principal Shamika Womble shared, “Our students and staff have a great time celebrating March is Reading Month. It's a great time to promote literacy.”

Local Author Visits Rogers Elementary

Local children’s author Bryan Chick spent time with Rogers students on March 23, 2023. Bryan’s idea for his series, The Secret Zoo, came to him while visiting the Detroit Zoo with his family when he was nine years old. He would wonder what it would be like if zoo exhibits had secret passages that allowed kids to get in and animals to get out. Mr. Chick shared, “For over twenty years, this idea matured in complexity and length until it had become an epic story, to be told in several full-length novels.”

During the presentation, Mr. Chick explained the drafting, editing and illustration process of creating his books and answered questions from the students. 

March is Women’s History Month

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history.

Wednesday, March 8 was International Women’s Day. International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality. Learn more about International Women’s Day on their website.

Here are some resources to learn more about Women’s History Month

• American Women: A guide to Women's History Resources at the Library of Congress A major new online research guide highlights hundreds of sources that tell the stories of women through a wide variety of perspectives and media in the Library of Congress collections.
• Her Story: How Women and Girls Transformed the World! Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative for virtual workshops for children ages 3-6 and their adult companions. Learn about art, history, and more!
• Women Suffrage: Women Fight for the Vote.
• Celebrate Women’s History at The Henry Ford

Join the Berkley Schools Family - Now Hiring!

The Berkley School District is hiring! We are looking for talented individuals to fill a variety of positions. Visit our website to apply and share our postings with your networks!

Now Hiring:

• Berkley Building Blocks Assistant Teachers
• Custodians
• Early Intervention Teacher or Speech Pathologist - Berkley Building Blocks
• Early Childhood Education Lead Teacher (GSRP/Headstart)
• GSRP/Head Start Associate Teacher - Berkley Building Blocks 
• Intervention Specialist 
• Lunch Aides
• Long Term Substitute Teacher - 8th Grade Algebra - Norup International School
• Special Education Paraeducator - Adult Transition Program 
• Special Education Paraeducator - Pattengill Elementary School 
• Special Education Teacher of Students with Autism - Pattengill Elementary School
• Special Education School Social Worker - Burton Elementary School
• Varsity Volleyball Head Coach - Berkley High School
• Middle School Football Coach
• 8th Grade Girls Basketball Head Coach - Norup International School 
• 8th Grade Boys Basketball Head Coach - Norup International School 
• Varsity Girls Swim and Dive Head Coach -  Berkley High School
• Girls Varsity Basketball Coach -  Berkley High School
• Varsity Cheer Coach (Sideline and Competitive) - Berkley High School
• Middle School Girls Tennis Coach - Anderson Middle School
• Swim Instructor - Berkley High School Kids' Zone Program

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!