The 2024-2025 school year begins

ROSEVILLE/EASTPOINTE — New curriculum and new classes helped kick off the 2024-2025 school year when students and staff returned to school in Eastpointe Community Schools and Roseville Community Schools.

The Eastsider emailed local school officials to find out how the new school year started, tips for getting back into a learning routine, and what educators look forward to in the new school year. Fall enrollment count day will be Oct. 2.

 

Eastpointe Community Schools
First day: Aug. 26.
“We are absolutely ready and excited for the new school year. It’s wonderful to be able to give our students and staff the facilities and the curriculum they deserve, and we’re excited to see how that impacts their learning,” Superintendent Christina Gibson said. “We are really looking forward to seeing how much our students learn and grow this year, especially with the investments we’ve been able to make in their curriculum and their learning environments.”

Over the summer, construction was completed at the district’s four elementary schools, the schools were cleaned and prepared for learning, and brand-new student and teacher furniture was set up at all the K-12 buildings.

“We are very excited to be fully implementing our new math and English language arts curriculum across all grades K-12,” Gibson said. “Last year was our first year with the new K-8 math curriculum, and we were already seeing growth in our elementary students at the end of the school year. Our K-12 special education students also have a brand new curriculum that can be easily adapted to their individual needs.”

ECS officials were still taking enrollment last week. Educators noticed an increase in enrollment at the elementary schools, as well as at the Early Learning Center, which houses preschool.

The district welcomed 19 new teachers, one new counselor and four new social workers. Stephanie Morang is the new principal at Crescentwood Elementary, and Rebecca Gaedcke is the new interim principal at Forest Park.

Staff underwent three days of professional learning before students returned to the classroom. It helped prepare the staff to teach the new curriculum and to learn additional classroom strategies designed to support students. New teachers also attended a three-day New Teacher Academy in August.

In July, building principals attended a week of professional learning at the University of Virginia as part of the district’s ongoing arrangement with the UVA Partnership for Leaders in Education program.

“We know that successful school leaders drive achievement in their buildings, and it is really important to us that we make these investments in our staff,” Gibson said.

Gibson offered tips for getting back into a school routine. For starters, sleep is essential.

“We encourage parents to help their children keep a consistent bedtime and 9-12 hours of sleep a night. Preparing backpacks and clothes the night before can make mornings go more smoothly and help students get to school on time every day,” she said. “For students who are old enough to have homework, dedicate a time after school and a quiet space where they can work. It’s also important to set aside screen-free time for healthy meals and play.”

 

Roseville Community Schools
First day: Sept. 4.
This year, Roseville Community Schools is celebrating its 100th year of educating students.

“We look forward to spending this year celebrating our accomplishments with our alumni, staff, students, and community,” Superintendent Mark Blaszkowski said.

The district welcomed approximately 30 certified staff members, including teachers, social workers and speech pathologists. To help prepare for the new school year, teaching staff participated in professional learning on Aug. 29 and Sept 3.

“We have been fortunate to find many of our new staff have some experience in their field. Roseville Community Schools is a great place to work, and we support our staff to ensure success,” Blaszkowski said. “We look forward to working with them and seeing the impact they will have on our students.”

Roseville High School students interested in learning about drones or acoustic guitar now have the opportunity through two new courses: “Introductions to Drones” and “Guitar.”

The drones class will introduce students to unmanned aerial vehicles. The course will cover design and maintenance, common flying strategies, and how to read and understand preflight weather reports. Students will learn how to fly, navigate courses and obstacles, take images and video, along with safely following all Federal Aviation Administration protocols.

The guitar class will teach students how to read standard musical notation. They’ll also learn the fundamentals of acoustic guitar performance so that they can apply learned skills to a variety of musical styles.

School officials added a Great Start Readiness Program classroom at Kment Elementary. GSRP is Michigan’s state-funded preschool for 4-year-old children. Families qualify for the free preschool program based on annual income guidelines. The district now has 10 GSRP classes at three elementary schools: Kment, Fountain and Green.

It’s not always easy for parents to get their children back into the groove of waking up early for school and finding time for homework. Students need at least eight hours of sleep.

“To get students ready for school it is essential to return to a normal school sleep schedule,” Blaszkowski said.

Another suggestion: reducing screen time on the phone, computer or television.

“I always suggest parents cut off the screen time one hour before they go to bed. For example, the adrenaline produced by video games can delay the child from falling asleep and reduce the amount of sleep each night,” Blaszkowski said. “I suggest some time practicing simple math facts like multiplication flash cards or reading each day prior to school. Being rested and prepped for school will build confidence and your child will enjoy school more.”

 

Staying safe on the roads
On Sept. 3, AAA issued a safety alert for Michigan drivers now that students are back in session. In a press release, Adrienne Woodland, spokeswoman, AAA — The Auto Club Group, reminded drivers to “get ready for heavier traffic than normal, especially at first, since a lot of parents like to drive their kids to campus during the first few days back.”

According to a recent AAA survey, more than half of Michiganders typically drive through a school zone (57%) or pass a school bus stop (53%) on their normal driving route.

“These school zones and bus stops have not been active for the past couple of months. So, drivers will need to adjust their morning habits,” Woodland said. “Slow down and watch for young students near traffic lanes, because they may not be watching for you. When driving through an active school zone, it’s extremely important to lower your speed and raise your awareness.”

AAA offered the following safety tips.

Pedestrians: avoid texting or wearing headphones. Use sidewalks where available. If not, walk against the direction of traffic so you can see oncoming vehicles. Make yourself easier to be seen by wearing reflective, bright colored clothing. Before crossing the street, make sure approaching vehicles have stopped. Make eye contact with the driver to ensure they see you before walking ahead.

Bicyclists: wear a helmet and neon or bright colored clothes. Ride in the same direction as traffic and stay as far to the right as possible. Use bike lanes when you can. Do not wear headphones so you can detect approaching traffic. Cross the street at intersections. Do not pull into the roadway from between parked cars.

Students at the bus stop: Arrive at least 5 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. Stay five steps away from the curb. Wait until the bus comes to a complete stop and the bus driver signals for you to board.

Michigan law requires motorists to stop when approaching a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing and STOP arms extended. The only exception is on a divided highway with a raised divider.