Dear Eastover Eagle Families,
The Eastover staff and I hope you had a wonderful and restful vacation break. We are happy to see all the eager and smiling faces back.
New App for your Phone regarding buses -
The transportation department is rolling out a new app for your phone called “Safestop.” The app offers real time bus updates. Please check out this link to find out more https://www.bloomfield.org/departments/transportation
The following update includes some important rules that were sent at the beginning of the year. I am resending these as a reminder about safety expectations around the building.
Important Update about Safety:
The safety of our students is a non-negotiable priority. We have the following expectations for our school arrival and dismissal to ensure a safe experience for all students:
- Students are not permitted to enter the building before 8:50 a.m. unless they are enrolled in the Latchkey program. Students are permitted to enter the building at 8:50 a.m.and should line up in their designated area. We have wonderful designated staff in hallways and in carpool to get them where they need to go. Children line up in the main hallway nearest their classroom. Families are to drop off their children and not enter the building at this time. You can drop off children at the carpool door or the main door, but we ask you say your good-bye at the door. Students who arrive after 9:05 a.m. must be signed in by a family member in the office. Once the student is signed in, the family member must exit the building and the student can go to their class. If your child is in school prior to 8:50 a.m. for a special event like running club or math pentathlon, the same rules need to be followed. Kids are to line up in their location spots and families are guardians are to exit the building.
Locations for morning line up are: Colby, Shaya, and Melymuka line up on the ramp in the main hallway nearest their classrooms. Snyder, Roeper, Schindler, Connors, Hale and Schare line up in their hallway just outside of their classrooms. Tocco, Manion, Shuk, Vista, Scherer line up in the main hallway just outside of the main office. El-Zoghby, Broderick, Kurtycz, Turfe, Dorko, Keenan, Jakubiak line up in the main hallway just outside of the gym and the media center.
· We maintain a secure school environment with locked school doors during the instructional day. We also value and utilize every instructional minute we have with your child. That said, if your child has a rare reason to leave school before the end of the school day (ie. a doctor appointment) please buzz into the building and sign your child out at the office. You will need to wait in the office until your child is called down.
· Students will only be released from the main office (not from the classroom) after being signed out by a parent, guardian, or emergency contact on the student's record. This ensures we have a proper accounting of all students at all times. For the safety of our students, we will not release a student to an adult not listed on the student record. If you need to add/modify the adults who may pick up your child, please visit and modify your registration preferences.
· Entry and exit to the building must take place through the front doors only, after the start of the school day.
· As stated above, but not to be taken lightly, students must be signed out at the main office. Do not pull your child from the bus line or school bus, as it quickly causes the perception of a lost child. In the event a child is removed from the bus or bus line and cannot accounted for, we will hold all student departures from school until we have accounted for the missing child.
· Please submit any changes to dismissal plans by 3:00 p.m. At 3:00 p.m., our office team begins the careful preparation for dismissal and will utilize whatever the last known plan was for your child. Send in dismissal notes to the office.
· When you enter the Eastover parking lot in your vehicle, please remember there are small children all around. Please move slowly in our lot, make only legal maneuvers with your vehicle, park in legal parking spots, stay off your cell phone, and abide by the planned traffic flow of the lot.
· We recognize that young children sometimes forget belongings at home. If this happens during the school day, please park in a legal parking spot in our parking lot, buzz into the building, and make your way to the main office. Visiting adults (which includes parents and legal guardians) may not make their way to a classroom. We will get items to the classroom or call the child down to pick the items up in the office. Visitors are not allowed down to the classroom until the office has made confirmation with the classroom teacher.
- Our classrooms have important instruction taking place every moment. When you are in the building to volunteer, you are to stay with your assigned duty and then sign out and exit the building. You may not go to any other classroom or area besides the one you are assigned to for that specific time frame. This includes before and after school times.
· Please do not congregate in our lobby at any time and please do not allow others to come in the door behind you if they have not buzzed in themselves. We cannot have groups of individuals in our lobby and ask that you please wait outside for your child.
I acknowledge that some of the rules above may seem "unfriendly", but we have an unwavering commitment to student safety in Bloomfield Hills Schools and this is one item on which I will not compromise. You have entrusted us with your children and that is a responsibility I take seriously.
In addition to maintaining a safe school environment, these rules help establish routines so kids learn how to move about their day independently. These routines also help kids feel safe. As the adults, it is our job to model safe and respectful behavior for them. To that end, I thank you in advance for following the above rules all year and packing your patience while in our parking lot.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to connect with me.
Save the Date -
Pancake Dash date - March 23, 2019 more to come on this soon.
Save the Date (2) -
March 18th is the district wide multicultural event at Bloomfield Hills High School. Please see the whole newsletter for more information, including the registration packet.
Here is a one page sign up sheet.
FREE Science Fair Help
Get going on your project and/or art exhibit piece now with help from the Bloomfield Township Public Library (BTPL).
FREE Workshops at BTPL:
Weds. Jan. 23 @ 5:30-8:30 pm
Thurs. Feb. 7 @ 5:30-8:30 pm
Sat. Feb. 16 @ 2:00-5:00 pm
Weds. Feb. 27 @ 5:30-8:30 pm
No reservation necessary, just drop in. Come to as many as you want.
• Librarians will help students with ideas, topic selection, researching, and so much more!!
• Create your art exhibition piece right there — supplies & inspiration provided free of charge!
The fair is open to grades K-8 and will be held on Tues Mar 12, 2019.
Learn more, watch the trailer, and sign up at the EO/EH Science Fair website:
http://www.tinyurl.com/eoehscience
Visible Thinking-
One of the ways we try to nurture student growth at Eastover is through “Visible Thinking Routines,” which is one of our school initiatives. Families frequently ask how they might partner with us at home on what we are doing in school. Using thinking routines is a great way to do this. Here is a link which explains one of the routines we use at school called, “What Makes You Say That? ” This routine is great as it provides students with the opportunity to build explanations and provide evidential reasoning.
Important Upcoming Dates:
Monday, January 21st - No School in observance of the M. L. King Jr. Holiday
Friday, January 25th - ½ day dismissal is at 12:20 p.m. (this is also an Eagles Nest day and popcorn day for the kids)
Have a safe and warm weekend.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Crocker (Proud Principal of Eastover)
Eastover Elementary Earns 2015 National Blue Ribbon School Recognition! 
