What's Inside?
- You're Invited to Off to the Races - Event in 8 Days - 20 Horses Left
- PTAs Celebrate Founders Day Together
- ATP Students Participate in Bike and Bus Education Program
- Rogers Kicks off March is Reading Month
- Tickets on Sale for BHS Spring Musical: Legally Blonde
- BHS Unified Basketball to Play at LCA - Tickets on Sale Now
- City of Oak Park Hosts Juneteenth Competition for Oak Park Residents
- Travel Opportunities for 2025: The South Pacific, Japan, France and Spain
- How to Subscribe to the District Calendar
- Join the Berkley Schools Family
- Sign Up for Text Messages
You’re Invited to Off to the Races - Event in 8 Days - 20 Horses Left!
You’re invited to the Berkley Education Foundation’s Off to the Races fundraiser on March 16, 2024, 7 pm at The Kingsley Hotel in Bloomfield Hills. The Berkley Education Foundation (BEF) is a non-profit organization that raises funds to support all students in the Berkley Schools. Their purpose is to maintain and enhance educational opportunities and programs for Berkley Schools students. Every dollar the BEF raises during Off to the Races supports teacher innovation-grants, free enrichment programs, student scholarships and the 8th grade college tour program.
How has the BEF impacted Berkley Schools students?
Enrichment Courses: The BEF has supported elementary and middle school students who have enrolled in 71 free enrichment courses since 2018, including: LEGO robotics, Creative Writing, Diversity, Chess Club, Chopped Art Club, Yoga, Planting Club, Art Club, Knitting Club, Taste of History, Religious Diversity Journeys, LEGO Club, Ally Club and Fueling Up Our Futures, to name a few.
Teacher Innovation-Grants: The BEF has funded 265 teacher innovation-grants since 2015, including: fine motor development kits for kindergarten, sensory materials, social emotional learning tools, digital microscope, sensory equipment, flexible seating, a solar powered weather station, cooking & crafting, sensory seats, a tinker lab, water and sand tables, outside play equipment, audio books to go, kitchen equipment for the foods classes, boomwackers, Vernier Labquest science equipment, visiting authors, field trips, and more.
8th Grade College Tours: The BEF sends all 8th graders on a free college tour each year. Students typically experience the college campus, dorm rooms, eating lunch in a residential hall and learning what they need to focus on in high school to achieve their goals. This year, the BEF is adding to this trip and making it a College + Career tour with stops at Oakland University and Oakland Schools Technical Campus.
Maxfield Science Symposium: Each year the BEF funds $4,000 in scholarships for students to excel at the annual Maxfield Science Symposium. Students design, complete and present an original science experiment to a panel of judges, who then award the scholarships.
Off to the Races Details
- Saturday, March 16, 2024
- 7-11 pm
- The Kingsley Hotel, A DoubleTree Hotel, Bloomfield Hills
- $50/ticket - $60 at the door
- The event includes simulated horse racing, owning & naming horses, a silent auction (powered by mobile bidding), a $2,500 vacation give-away, and most importantly, funding the #BerkleyDifference.
- Learn more and buy tickets on the Off to the Races website.
- If you can’t make it, consider buying and naming a horse to run in the races for $30. Horses can be purchased on the Buy Horses page of the Off to the Races website.
PTAs Celebrate Founders Day Together
On Friday, March 1, at Club Venetian in Madison Heights, hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the annual Berkley Area PTSA Council Founders Day.
Founders Day celebrates the founding of the PTA and the outstanding Berkley PTA members, teachers and staff persons of the year. The event included recognition for each PTA member, staff and teacher of the year, messages from Michigan PTA President-Elect Tonya Whitehead, Berkley Schools Superintendent Scott Francis and Berkley Area PTSA Council President Lindsay Gursky. Vince Gigliotti, Angell Principal, shared wonderful details about each honoree during the evening.
Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees!
Educators of the Year
- Kathy Milia, Math Teacher, Anderson Middle School
- Kezzie Chudler, School Counselor, Angell Elementary School
- John Cooper, English Teacher, Berkley High School
- Courtney Emery, Kindergarten Teacher, Burton Elementary School
- Heather Gitler, 3rd Grade Teacher, Norup International School - Elementary School
- Claire Townsend, English and World Language Teacher, Norup International School - Middle School
- Sarah Yallum, 3rd Grade Teacher, Pattengill Elementary School
- Rikki Kwas, 2nd Grade Teacher, Rogers Elementary School
Support staff of the year:
- Melissa Ng, School Counselor, Anderson Middle School
- Melissa Downey, Building Substitute Teacher, Angell Elementary School
- Kimberley Belton, Campus Monitor Paraeducator, Berkley High School
- Lauren Fragomeni, Principal, Burton Elementary School
- Jim Mora, Paraeducator, Norup International School
- Gary Chamberlain, Custodian, Pattengill Elementary School
- RayVaughn Tubbs, Paraeducator, Rogers Elementary School
PTA member of the year:
- Gale Tosto, Anderson Middle School
- Tara Samson, Angell Elementary School
- Brian Johnson, Berkley High School
- Leah Wallbillich, Burton Elementary School
- Dana Baer, Norup International School
- Charley Eaton, Pattengill Elementary School
- Joni Sabo, Rogers Elementary School
ATP Students Participate in Bike and Bus Education Program
Berkley Adult Transition Program (ATP) students are participating in transportation training through Programs to Educate all Cyclists (PEAC) this month.
PEAC is an independent nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities by championing cycling as transportation, integrated recreation, fitness, and therapy. In 2010, PEAC established the "School Active Transportation Program'' with SMART’s support. Their motto of "Everyone Can Ride" took on a broader meaning to include riding transit. Now, PEAC is teaching students with disabilities how to independently travel around their communities by biking, taking public transit and walking. So far, ATP students have engaged in an introduction day to learn about pedestrian skills and safety as well as learned how to use the SMART bus system. In addition to classroom education programs, students have practiced walking to SMART bus stops and rode the bus to locations in Southfield and Ferndale.
Rogers Kicks off March Reading Month
On Friday, March 1st, Rogers Elementary held its annual March is Reading Month kickoff assembly. This year’s Rogers Reading Month theme is Paws to Read. At the assembly, Rogers' staff surprised the students by performing a play that centered around the students’ profound love for reading with an animal theme. Narrated by a cat, who was a reading enthusiast, the play featured three villains scheming against Rogers while wondering what makes the children so joyful. Along the way, the villains discovered the students’ happiness stemmed from their passion for reading.
Students in the crowd participated in the play by singing along to the musical numbers. The Rogers’ student council added an action item to the March is Reading month theme, asking students and families to donate to animals in need. The Student Council is collecting items such as snacks, blankets and food to donate at the end of the month.
This reading month play kickoff sets the stage for a month filled with activities and events at Rogers Elementary, all in celebration of the joy of reading.
Tickets on Sale for the BHS Spring Musical: Legally Blonde
The Berkley High School Berkley Drama students are proud to present Legally Blonde, the Spring 2024 musical.
Musical Theatre International described the musical as follows:
Based on the movie, Legally Blonde The Musical, follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. Elle Woods appears to have it all. Her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend Warner dumps her so he can attend Harvard Law. Determined to get him back, Elle ingeniously charms her way into the prestigious law school. While there, she struggles with peers, professors and her ex. With the support of some new friends, though, Elle quickly realizes her potential and sets out to prove herself to the world.
The show will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 18-20 at 7 pm and Sunday, April 21 at 3 pm, in the Berkley High School Auditorium. Staff, seniors (60+), and students tickets are $10 and adults are $15.
- To buy tickets, and view photos and bios for the cast, crew and band, visit the Berkley Drama website.
- The show is two hours and 20 minutes with a 15 minute intermission
- "Legally Blonde: The Musical" is rated PG-13 due to some mature themes and language. The show is not recommended for students in elementary school or younger.
BHS Unified Basketball to Play at LCA - Tickets on Sale Now
The Berkley Unified Basketball team is excited to invite the community to come watch the team play at Little Caesars Arena on March 17. The BHS team will play after the Detroit Pistons play their game against the Miami Heat as part of the LCA Unified Night, where three Unified Games take place after the pros play. Tickets include access to both the Pistons and Unified Game, a Unified Showcase t-shirt and proceeds from each ticket will go back to the Berkley Unified Program.
Unified sports joins people with and without disabilities on the same team. It is dedicated to promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experience. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.
Details
- Sunday, March 17, 2024
- Detroit Pistons Game: 3-5 pm
- Unified Night at LCA: 6-8:30 pm
- Berkley Unified (Game #3) - 8 pm
- Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
- Guests can attend the Unified Game only, if they choose
Tickets
$34/person
Buy tickets to the March 17 activities today - tickets are limited!
For any questions please contact Andy Myers at amyers@pistons.com or (313) 771-7588.
Tickets are mobile tickets and details will be emailed to you immediately after purchase. To access mobile tickets you must login to the Pistons App. Details can be found here: www.Pistons.com/mobileticket
The Fine Print
This offer cannot be redeemed at LCA Box Office. All tickets are subject to availability and handled on a first-come, first-served basis. All prices on orders received after the indicated deadline are subject to change. Refunds or exchanges will not be issued. Please provide an accurate cell phone number and email address in order to access your tickets. All tickets purchased will be available on your Pistons Account. You will receive an email once they are available.
City of Oak Park Hosts Juneteenth Competition for Oak Park Residents
The City of Oak Park is sponsoring a student self-expression contest to recognize the Juneteenth holiday. This year, the City of Oak Park Juneteenth Sub-Committee has increased the number of scholarships being offered to seven $500 scholarships. The contest welcomes various forms of expression, including music, poems, paintings and more. The City encourages all K-12 students who either live in Oak Park and/or attend schools in Oak Park to submit a piece of self-expression to highlight what Juneteenth means to them.
Submissions are due by March 31 and can be made electronically or turned in at Oak Park City Hall. Along with submissions, students must also submit a contact form. The Juneteenth Sub-Committee will serve as the judging body and students selected as winners will be notified in advance of the Sunday, June 16 event.
Additional information is available on the City of Oak Park’s website.
Travel Opportunities for 2025
Travel to France & Spain in Spring 2025
Students in grades 6-12 (during the time of travel) are invited to travel to France and Spain during Spring Break 2025. This trip will explore cultural experiences, local immersion, and iconic sights.
If you have any questions, contact Athena Troher at athena.troher@berkleyschools.org
Travel to The South Pacific & Fiji in June 2025
Students in grades 6-12 (during the time of travel) and family members are invited to join an educational travel experience to The South Pacific and Fiji in June 2025! The trip includes visits to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. View the itinerary on the EF Tours website.
If you have any questions, contact Athena Troher at athena.troher@berkleyschools.org
Travel to Japan in Summer 2025
Students in grades 9-12 (during the time of travel) are invited to travel to Japan during the Summer of 2025. This trip will explore cultural experiences, local immersion and iconic sights of the country.
If you have any questions, contact Saundra Rathburn at saundra.rathburn@berkleyschools.org or Tracy Burroughs at tracy.burroughs@berkleyschools.org
Did you know you can subscribe to our school and District online calendars?
Sync the online calendar to your personal device to ensure you won’t miss a thing!
The District’s online calendar system uses iCal Feeds. To access all the iCal links, visit the District’s Calendar page, and click on the red and white calendar link to the top right of the calendar that’s displayed on the page.
Use this Foxbright tutorial to walk you through connecting our calendars to yours.
Be sure to subscribe to both the District AND your school calendar to ensure you have all important dates in your device.
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:
- School Social Worker - AMS (2024-25 school year)
- Permanent Building Substitute Teacher - Rogers
- Family & Community Liaison for English Language Development
- Special Education Paraeducator - BHS
- Early Childhood Special Education Paraeducator - Berkley Building Blocks
- Lead Teacher: GSRP/Head Start Blend - Berkley Building Blocks
- Assistant Teacher(s) - 6 Open Positions - Berkley Building Blocks
- Kids’ Zone Assistant Teacher - Pattengill
- Lunch Aides - Pattengill
- Permanent Substitute Custodian - District
- Afternoon Custodian Split Position - Norup & Pattengill
- Food Service Worker - 5 Positions
- High School Girls Swim and Dive Program Head Coach
- High School Boys Tennis Program Assistant
- Middle School Softball Coach - Anderson
- Middle School Baseball Head Coach - Anderson
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!
District News Online
Want to keep up with the latest District news stories? Visit our new News page to see stories, messages from principals, weekly reminders and more. News articles posted on the District News page will also populate each respective school’s News page. Articles that don’t make it into the Beat will also be posted on our News pages, Facebook and Twitter.