Lone Pine Elementary School

If your child will be 5-years-old by September 1, 2021, it's time to enroll for kindergarten.

The Lone Pine Star Reader program is a collaborative effort between the LP Library and the West Bloomfield Public Library to get students READING more! The WBTPL donates books to Lone Pine and also provides a special author visit for our school as a reward to students for being involved in the reading program. Students can keep track of and rate the books they read on a paper passport which they can keep. Books are available in the classrooms, for curbside pickup at the public library or some are in electronic format in the public library catalog and in the apps Hoopla or Overdrive. Here is a link to the public library catalog to see what formats are available.

Once again this year our teachers will be sharing a favorite selection from the Star Reader collection to read and record for families to enjoy at home. This week's reader is Mrs. Ellison, reading The Buddy Bench, by Patty Brozo. Having seen what being left out is like, children become agents of change, convincing their teacher to let them build a buddy bench. Patty Brozo’s cast of kids brings a playground to raucous life, and Mike Deas’s illustrations invest their games with imaginary planes to fly, dragons to tame, and elephants to ride. And these kids match their imaginations with empathy, identifying and swooping up the lonely among them. Enjoy!

It's time to order your 20-21 Lone Pine Yearbook! Follow this link for information on how to order. Note that yearbooks are not included in a picture packet and must be ordered separately. Books will be distributed next fall. 

All children are eligible to receive meals from BHS at this time. Curbside pickup is available:

Mondays and Thursdays
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Bloomfield Hills High School

Please join us on Friday, 3/12 at 9:15am for the PTO meeting with special guest, BHS Superintendent Pat Watson. Information to join this virtual meeting will be shared shortly before the meeting.

Bloomfield Hills Schools has Summer Camp opportunities for all ages, all abilities, and all interests! New this year, families have the option to select individual days, an entire week, and an option to pay for the entire summer. Camps include:

• Huck Finn (Grades K-3)
• Bloomfield Summer Fun (Grades 3-7)
• Sports and Adventure (Grades 3-7)
• Bowers Farm Summer Camps

Questions? Contact Recreation@bloomfield.org.

Our midday crossing guard reports that the only people she's helped cross Lone Pine Road this year have been adults out on walks--no students. At this point we're going to reallocate her to other duties. If you need the crossing guard on any given day for your child, please call us and let us know and we'll get someone out there to assist.

Let's Play Ball!  Register Now for the Bloomfield Baseball League 2021 Spring Season. The BBL offers baseball for boys and girls for grades pre-K through high school. Teams are generally organized by school and by age group, so your kids will have a chance to play with their friends and classmates.  Team placement is done by order of registration, so register soon for the best chance to play for your school team. If you have any interest in volunteering as a head or assistant coach we have a place for you as well.  

Games for the spring season start the week of April 26 and culminate with an All Star Game on June 5th and league championship on June 19th.  For more information or to register visit our website at www.bloomfield baseball.com or visit us on Facebook.  Please feel free to contact the league administrator Stephanie Chapa at 586-372-6299 or bblexecutive@gmail.com or your Lone Pine School Rep. James Sheridan at jamesasherida86@hotmail.com or 248-409-8484 with any questions.  

Looking for a fun and motivating reading opportunity to do with your children at home during March is Reading Month? Sign up for the 2021 USPBL Reading Program! The United Shore Professional Baseball League would like to offer your students the chance to earn a FREE ticket to a 2021 game at Jimmy John’s Field in Utica for completing reading goals at home. 

Follow this link to learn more about the program and how to sign up! 

The LP Star Reader program is a collaborative effort between the Lone Pine School Library and The West Bloomfield Township Public Library to get students reading more! The WBTPL donates books to LP and also provides a special author visit for our school as a reward to students for being involved in the reading program. Books are available in the classrooms, for curbside pickup at the public library or some are in electronic format in the public library catalog and in the apps Hoopla or Overdrive. It is an optional program and students can keep track of what books they have read on a paper passport (coming home soon!). Click the link to the public library catalog to see what formats are available. Information about this program can also be found on our library website.

3/12: Virtual PTO Meeting & Superintendent Dialogue, 9:15am (meeting link will be sent the day before)

3/22-26: Vision screening for 1st, 3rd, and ARP

3/26: Half day of school (remote)

3/27-4/4: Spring Break

4/5: School resumes - five full days with full cohorts

4/7 & 4/8: Oakland County Hearing Screening for kdg, 2nd, and ARP students (Covid protocols will be followed)

4/13: No school for students (teacher team planning AM and virtual parent conferences by appt PM)

4/20 & 4/21: Virtual parent conferences, by appointment with your child's teacher

4/23: Virtual PTO meeting, 9:15AM (meeting link will be sent the day before)

BHS families and staff are strongly encouraged to report ALL student or staff possible or positive COVID-19 cases using this form.

As a reminder, please be sure your child’s mask follows the Bloomfield Hills Schools mask guidelines. Face masks can be either reusable or disposable. They should fit tightly over your entire nose and mouth. Masks must have school-appropriate graphics. Masks should NOT have valves. Masks with valves are not permitted in Bloomfield Hills Schools. Students and staff are welcome to wear face shields brought from home, but they are not required. They may be worn in addition to a face mask. Neck gaiters and bandannas are not sufficient face coverings. They may be worn in addition to a face mask. Neck gaiters must have school-appropriate graphics.

Please use this Dismissal Change Form for any last minute (day of) dismissal changes. You may want to bookmark this form or save it to the home screen on your phone for your convenience.

Please take some time over the weekend to revisit proper (i.e. thorough) handwashing with your children. While this is a topic our staff will also address regularly, hearing it from home and school will reinforce the messaging. 

Note that we have received updated guidance from our district Health and Wellness Director that masks must be worn by students even at recess. Additionally, note that neck gaiters and masks with valves are not acceptable. While visors are welcome, they do not take the place of a mask and should only be worn in addition to a mask. We also suggest you send a spare mask with your child in the event they sneeze, etc. into the mask they wear to school. We do have disposable masks here at school for children who need them.

Please send a full water bottle to school with your child (labeled with their name). Drinking fountains are off limits (bagged and taped). While our water bottle refilling station will still be open, students will not be permitted in the hallways unless there is an urgent need.

AM:

• Student drop off will begin at 8:55AM for the AM cohort and 1PM for the PM cohort. Do not let your child out of your vehicle until you see a staff member on duty in the car drop off line. Note that our goal is to prevent students from congregating in lines or crowds and expedite movement directly to classrooms.
• Students arriving by bus or by car will circle around the back of the building to directly enter their classrooms from the playground. First and second graders will go around the preschool side, kindergarten and 3rd graders will go around the fine arts wing side. Parents may park and walk their children to the classroom door, but will not be allowed to enter the building. Please be sure to mask up and practice social distancing should you pursue this option. And much as I'd love to see everyone's new puppy, please leave your furry friends at home if you plan to walk your child to their classroom. Classrooms will be marked, teachers will be waiting in the doorways, and staff will be on hand to assist students in finding the correct door. It would not be a bad idea to practice this routine with your child over the weekend if you have a few minutes to do so.
• Students will wash hands immediately upon entering the classroom. 

PM:

• This year we're changing the order of dismissal--bus riders will be dismissed first. Please make your best effort NOT to block the buses from exiting the parking lot as you wait in line. Leave a gap and do not block the driveway.
• Students riding the bus will exit their classrooms through the door to the playground, and walk around the school to the front of the building to board the bus. Staff will be on hand to supervise and assist. Again this year we'll be providing colored bracelets and back-pack tags to help students remember their assigned bus. Please do not remove the colored tag from the backpack. Note that there are no "guests" (i.e. playdates) allowed on our buses this year. 
• Once bus riders have departed, classroom teachers will escort remaining students out through their classroom doors to the playground and walk them to the parking area behind the preschool (this will be blocked off--no parking) where they will wait until they are called to their family vehicle. If you choose to park and walk to greet your child, please wait for them in this area. Be sure to wear a mask and keep adequate social distance between yourself and others. Again, we ask that you do not bring a dog with you to greet your child.

We anticipate long waits in the pick-up line this year, please pack your patience and give yourself ample time, or if possible consider walking up to school to pick up your child. 

The AM cohort begins at 9:05am and dismisses at 11:50am.

The PM cohort begins at 1:10pm and dismisses at 3:55pm.

Parents whose children will utilize bus transportation may check in ParentConnect for bus stop location and drop-off/pick-up times. 

When students return to in-person learning, please be sure to send them each day with their Chromebook or iPad. 

Families are automatically signed up to receive communication from their child's school, teachers, and Bloomfield Hills Schools through Remind and My Bloomfield. Instructions for updating this information are available at www.bloomfield.org/notifications. Here you can manage your contact preferences as they pertain to text, email, and phone call notifications.