Month: May 2023

May 29th – June 2nd

Emily Sickler

A Note from Ms. Sickler

I hope all Harvest families were able to take time to rest and relax during this long weekend and reflect on what matters most to you and your family, whatever that may be.  As we enjoy time with family, let us also take the opportunity to remember and express our gratitude to all who have served and sacrificed for our country.

A few notes as we are wrapping up the final weeks of the 22- 23 school year…

  • Join us this Thursday at 4:30pm in the Harvest Media Center to hear about a few *NEW* parking lot design options with our Kingscott Architects and share your thoughts.  Students are able to come and sit in a different part of the Media Center during the presentation.  If you are unable to attend but are interested in learning more about the design options and sharing your thoughts, please email Emily Sickler (sicklere@salineschools.org) and she can reach out to you personally.
  • One of our favorite Harvest traditions is to “clap out” our third graders on the last day of school.  Our students and staff line the halls to allow our third graders a final chance to walk the halls and wave goodbye to their teachers from previous years.

  • The June main entrees have changed from the school menus that are published.  In addition, please make sure to pay any outstanding balances by the end of the school year.  You can check your account HERE.
    • June 1  Sloppy Joe
    • June 2  Bosco Sticks
    • June 5  Nuggets
    • June 6 Cheeseburger
    • June 7 Taco
  • Please be on the lookout for Acadience data, which will be sent home the week of June 5th
  • We have a few extra yearbooks.  If you did not order a yearbook, you can order one using THIS LINK.

Emily

May/June Specials Calendar

PTA Points

District Notes

  • Join the 1st Annual Saline Alumni Golf Outing

  • The deadline for the Sex Ed Advisory Board has been extended to June 2nd.  Information and application are linked HERE.
  • EL Summer Camp will not be held this summer; however, there are several free options for summer programs through Saline Community Education and free private and/or small group EL tutoring. Our EL Families have been updated and we will be in contact with them to support them with registration.  Saline Community Education is excited to offer a wide array of Summer Programming, from Enrichment to Recreation.  You can access all of our programs by visiting our website at https://salineonline.reg.eleyo.com/. Please fill out the Google form to register for programs. COVID Summer Grant Registration Form. For questions, contact EL coordinator Katie O’Keeffe (okeeffek@salineschools.org)

Family Input For the 23-24 School Year

This is your opportunity to share your thoughts regarding your child as we start gathering information to begin the placement process for the 2023-20234 school year.  These input forms will be open throughout the remainder of the current school year.

Quick Links

District

Harvest

Did You Know?

Did you know that on May 13th, the Saline Heritage Science Olympiad team (which includes some Harvest Hornets) competed in the 2023 Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad?

Sweet Tweets

 

Week of May 22nd – May 26th

Emily Sickler

A Note from Ms. Sickler

This Friday is our Harvest Field Day!

 

All adults must go through the raptor process prior to helping or being a field day cheerleader. The more we know in advance, the more prepared we can be to get stickers printed ahead of time.  If you have not gone through the raptor system yet this year, you will need to come into the office with your license sometime this week or prior to your volunteer shift on Friday to be screened.  The process only takes about 2 minutes!

Field Day Schedule 

  • 9:00-11:00am
    • Y5-1st Grade – Field Activities on the playground
    • 2nd-3rd Grade – Bounce Houses
  • 11:15-11:45 – Y5-1st Grade Lunch
    • We will only be serving one hot lunch option (cheese pizza, fruit, vegetable, BBQ chips, and a juice box)
  • 12:00-12:30 – 2nd & 3rd Grade Lunch
    • We will only be serving one hot lunch option (cheese pizza, fruit, vegetable, BBQ chips, and a juice box)
  • 1:00-3:00pm
    • Y5-1st Grade – Bounce Houses
    • 2nd-3rd Grade – Field Activities on the playground

What to bring:

  • Reusable water bottles clearly labeled with your child’s name

  • Tennis shoes/ closed toed

  • SOCKS

  • Dress in layers

  • Towel for picnic-style lunch

  • Sunscreen (should be pre-applied at home)

Signing out your child after field day?

Families that choose to sign out their child after field day will sign out with their child’s teacher by the classroom once all classrooms have been dismissed back into the building at the conclusion of field day.

Emily

PTA Points

District Notes

Safety & Security – Superintendent’s Message (UPDATED May 19th)

SAS Families,

Over the past two weeks, Saline Area Schools and the Saline community has been impacted by actions and events that have created concern and fear. Saline Schools officials have worked diligently to respond to and address incidents that have occurred in multiple schools.

We appreciate that families, when encountering such circumstances, handle the transparency and related discussions in their homes in a variety of ways.

We have witnessed unsubstantiated / non-credible threats in multiple buildings. As a result, our staff in these buildings are putting in place measures to help curtail this behavior. This includes:

  • Even greater visibility by all our staff in the hallways during transitions and lunches

  • More frequent bathroom checks to make sure that these spaces are remaining free of graffiti and/or threatening comments

Here are ways that all of you can help the District and support your students in the process:

  • Assuring them that their principals and teachers are committed to their safety and would not open a building if there were reason for concern.

  • Encouraging them to express thoughts and feelings to a trusted adult.

  • Reporting concerning comments, actions, or images to a trusted adult immediately (NOTE: students have been historically very good at this and we greatly appreciate their proactive voices)

Additionally, please refer to my message earlier this year regarding the seriousness of these types of threats and related District response measures.  The District will continue to prioritize the safety and security of our students.

Thank you for your continued partnership,

Dr. Stephen Laatsch
laatschs@salineschools.org
(734) 401-4001

Family Input For the 23-24 School Year

This is your opportunity to share your thoughts regarding your child as we start gathering information to begin the placement process for the 2023-20234 school year.  These input forms will be open throughout the remainder of the current school year.

Quick Links

District

Harvest

Did You Know?

Did you know the WISD is launching a new program called My Future Fund?

Sweet Tweets

 

Week of May 15th – May 19th

Emily Sickler

A Note from Ms. Sickler

First, to all of our mothers and mother figures that support our Harvest Hornets daily with love, encouragement, and care, I wish you a very happy Mother’s Day!  I hope you are able to celebrate the special day that you deserve.

Secondly, I would be remiss if I did not reflect on the stress of this past week.  Superintendent Laatsch shared in his safety update on May 11th about supporting students with conversations.  I wanted to layer on some additional information that to support adults who are navigating these challenging times here at Harvest.

  • Harvest only has its main doors open in the morning until 8:51am and many adults are present during our “arrival time”.  After this time, every door is locked.  To enter Harvest, an individual would need to come to the vestibule and share their reason for entry via the intercom before being “buzzed in” to the main office.
  • All visitors are asked to wear a visitor badge during their time at Harvest.
  • Staff members and students complete safety drills that go through scenarios if we would need to quickly lock down the building, including if students were in large spaces like in the cafeteria.
  • Regardless of the age of students, we take all threats seriously and go through due process to ensure the safety and security of all our Harvest Hornets.
  • If you ever have any questions or concerns at any time, please do not hesitate to reach out to me personally.  I can be reached at sicklere@salineschools.org or 734.401.4501.

Emily

PTA Points

  • Harvest Field Day is in just two weeks. Students will be outside on the playground from 9-11AM and 1-3PM. All family members are welcome but will need to pre-signup.  Sign up HERE to volunteer to run a station or HERE to be a cheerleader.

  • Lunch Help (through 5/26)

  • Harvest PTA Website

District Notes

Superintendent Laatsch’s Safety Update

May 11, 2023

Dear SAS Families,

This week, Saline Area Schools and the Saline community has been impacted by actions and events that have created concern and fear. Saline Schools officials have worked diligently to respond to and address incidents that have occurred at Saline High School, Saline Middle School and Harvest Elementary.  Saline High School will be closed again tomorrow (click HERE for the message announcing the closure from Principal Stager) as Pittsfield Township Officers and Detectives continue the investigation.

Our families share students across several buildings and that opens up our younger learners to an awareness of district events this week.  There are numerous rumors floating around regarding these incidents, and as can be expected, a variety of emotions and reactions.  We appreciate that families, when encountering such circumstances, handle the transparency and related discussions in their homes in a variety of ways.

As you navigate conversations at home, please consider supporting your student(s) by:

  • Assuring them that their principals and teachers are committed to their safety and would not open a building if there were reason for concern.

  • Encouraging them to express thoughts and feelings to a trusted adult.

  • Reporting concerning comments, actions, or images to a trusted adult immediately.

We understand that everyone responds to this type of information differently. If you/your student needs additional support, please know that our social workers and counselors are available to help.

Additionally, please refer to my message earlier this year regarding the seriousness of these types of threats and related District response measures.  The District will continue to prioritize the safety and security of our students.

Thank you for your continued partnership,

Dr. Stephen Laatsch

laatschs@salineschools.org

(734) 401-4001

Family Input For the 23-24 School Year

This is your opportunity to share your thoughts regarding your child as we start gathering information to begin the placement process for the 2023-20234 school year.  These input forms will be open throughout the remainder of the current school year.

Quick Links

District

Harvest

Did You Know?

Did you know that Headstart/GSRP applications are now open?  Are you interested in free preschool for a child who is 3 to 5 years old?  Many children qualify!  If you think your child might qualify, complete the form HERE or call (855) 644-PreK and someone will be in touch with you about the free preschool opportunities that are available.  Visit About Us to learn what makes a child eligible for free preschool.

Sweet Tweets

Week of May 8th – May 12th

Emily Sickler

A Note from Ms. Sickler

 

Emily

PTA Points

Thank you all for helping make our amazing Harvest staff feel appreciated last week!

  • Harvest Field Day is Friday, May 26th. 

    • Students will be outside on the playground from 9-11AM and 1-3PM. All family members are welcome but will need to pre-signup.  Sign up HERE to volunteer to run a station or HERE to be a cheerleader.

  • Lunch Help (through 5/19)

  • Harvest PTA Website

District Notes

  • You should have started to receive email notices to participate in the annual end of year school/district quality survey. We want to hear your thoughts on critical school issues, including academic support, student support, family involvement, school/district leadership, safety and behavior.  The survey closes on May 12th.  I encourage all of you to take this survey as we do carefully look over all of this data on an annual basis. We are looking for ways to continue to offer great support for our students’ educational program AND look for ways to improve the educational program.

 

  • The Operating Millage Renewal has PASSED. Thank you Saline for supporting our students and staff.

Image

Family Input For the 23-24 School Year

This is your opportunity to share your thoughts regarding your child as we start gathering information to begin the placement process for the 2023-20234 school year.  These input forms will be open throughout the remainder of the current school year.

Quick Links

District

Harvest

Did You Know?

Did you know the EL Department invites all ELs, Y5-12th Grade, to attend the free all-day field trip to the Toledo Zoo?

 

 

Sweet Tweets