Royal Oak Superintendent's Update: Election, Parent U, Free Preschool, eLibrary, and Kids and Pot

Dear Royal Oak Families:

Election Day! November 4, 2014, is a General Election date. Because our schools are used as polling places, classes for students are not in session tomorrow. Teachers will be working, participating in professional development and completing other professional duties. In addition to state-wide races, the ballot tomorrow includes the election of candidates to the Royal Oak Schools Board of Education. At the Michigan Voter Information Center you can view a sample ballot, identify your polling place, and view a list of frequently asked questions and answers.

Parent U: Our Royal Oak Council PTA Parenting Fair – Parent U - offers a keynote speaker, plus a variety of helpful workshops and relevant services for parents of all aged children. From early brain development to college preparation, parenting is a life-long learning process. The Parent U speakers & vendors will provide valuable resources for parents, families, and caregivers. Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 8, 2014; for more information, including how you can register to attend this FREE event, click here.

Free Preschool Opportunity: Royal Oak Schools offers a variety of preschool options, one of those being GSRP (Great Start Readiness Program). Three GSRP classes are currently offered at the Addams Early Childhood Center, and we were recently approved for the addition of a fourth class to begin in December. For more information regarding this opportunity that is free for families who meet state defined eligibility criteria, please click here.

2014-2015 District Calendar Reminders: I encourage you to view and print the complete Royal Oak Schools 2014-2015 School Year Calendar. District calendar information is available in different formats, either a calendar format or table format. Additional calendars, including information specific to individual school buildings and programs (for example, athletics) can be found by clicking on the calendar tab available at the district website, www.royaloakschools.org. With Thanksgiving and the Winter Holidays approaching, please note when our school breaks are scheduled to begin and end. For Thanksgiving, Wednesday, November 26, 2014, is a half day of school. There is no school on November 27 or 28. The Winter Holiday break begins at the end of the day on December 23rd and runs through January 2, with school resuming on Monday, January 5, 2015.

Michigan eLibrary: The Library of Michigan recently announced the debut of the new and improved MeL – Michigan eLibrary – now available at http://mel.org. With an amazing new “look and feel” for the website, MeL now incorporates a discovery service, a search box that allows access to MeLCat, selected MeL subscription eResources (databases), curricular content/websites from the Michigan Online Resources for Educators (M.O.R.E.), MeL gateway websites, and selected digital Michigan history projects. Included in this redesign are updates to both MeL Kids and Teens Gateways. These updated resources are designed to help users be successful in school and have fun too. I encourage families to explore the many resources available for free at http://mel.org.

Young People and Marijuana: A recent New Your Times Article provides an overview of new studies into the effects of marijuana on young people. This new research suggests that marijuana use by young people may impact brain development in ways that are not yet fully understood. Regardless of one’s position regarding the decriminalization of marijuana for adult use, this information raises new concerns regarding marijuana use among youth and young adults.

Boys will be Boys? Beaumont Hospital and HAVEN are joining together to host a panel discussion about raising boys. This special event will be held on November 13, 2014, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at Beaumont. For more information, click here.

Sincerely,

Shawn Lewis-Lakin, Superintendent of Schools