JULY 2023
In This Issue
- Message From Our Superintendent
- Congratulations Grads
- Summer Opportunities
- New To Band?
- Around The District
- Dr. Kim's Corner
- Did You See It On Social?
- July Calendar
- ETC.
- Job Postings In The District
SUPERINTENDENT'S SPOT
This is the end of my sixth year in the district, and each year has been unique, rewarding and challenging.
Our progress toward creating a strategic plan for Royal Oak Schools is ongoing. A summary to our Board of Education was presented on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Over the summer months, we will continue to define additional plan details. We will share the plans with the community at the State of the Schools Address in September 2023.
Take some time this summer to rest and relax. For our retirees, we wish you the best of luck. Thank you for your service and dedication to our district’s students, families, and each other. And to our PTAs, Royal Oak Schools Foundation, and many other groups that assist our families, thank you for all you do.
See you in August as we return to school for 2023-24. Next year’s calendar can be found on our website.
- Mary Beth Fitzpatrick, Superintendent Royal Oak Schools
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR GRADUATES!
ROYAL OAK HIGH SCHOOL
Over 300 Ravens graduated from Royal Oak High School in 2023. Over 40 students graduated with distinction, 39 received scholarships from over a dozen organizations, and 64 were members of the National Honor Society.
- 51 Summa Cum Laude: graduating with a GPA of 3.95-4+
- 15 Magna Cum Laude: graduating with a GPA of 3.85-3.94
- 15 Cum Laude: graduating with a GPA of 3.75-3.84
"Royal Oak High School successfully graduated over 300 graduating seniors on June 4, 2023. The commencement exercises for the graduating class of 2023 celebrated an amazing class of seniors. These young adults are ready and prepared to be exemplary young adults that will undoubtedly be amazing leaders and citizens in the Royal Oak community and beyond. A grand thank you to the staff of teachers and support staff at Royal Oak High School that helped educate and nurture our students to be amazing future leaders. Congratulations, Class of 2023!" - Principal Sharida Lewis
CHURCHILL COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL
Roxanne Paquette was awarded the Pam Eaves Koziel Art Scholarship. This scholarship was established in loving memory of Pam by members of the Dondero High School Class of 1970, family, and friends. Her love of the arts is her legacy. This scholarship helps fund the students' artistic passion.
Roxanne plans to attend Oakland Community College in the fall with a focus on the Arts. She hopes to then transfer to the College of Creative Studies. Roxanne was involved in the 2022 College of Creative Studies student show for pre-college classes. As well as engaged in two Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit teen art shows in 2022 and 2023. Roxanne also received a Youth Recognition Award from Royal Oak Youth Assistance this spring.
CCHS graduated 46 students. Adult Education graduated 12, and three received certificates for high school equivalency.
Karen Powell thanked the families and staff that supported the many graduates at Churchill Community High School and Continuing Education. "It takes all of the people in our lives to support us and help us achieve our goals. So thank you to all of you who have been here throughout this journey with our students."
OUR EIGHTH GRADERS ARE READY FOR HIGH SCHOOL
The scene was set, the band and choir performed, and the families of our Royal Oak Middle School students waited patiently to hear their child's name get called. And now, over 360 students may walk the halls as Ravens at Royal Oak High School.
"It was a beautiful day to celebrate our 8th-grade graduates. Thank you to all who helped make it happen," said ROMS Principal Kristin Meldrum.
OVER THE SUMMER REMINDERS
MEET UP AND EAT UP
We offer breakfast and lunch to anyone 18 years or younger in the community all summer. The summer meal program happens at Oakland Elementary School and does not require registration or identification. You do have to eat on-site; there is no grab-n-go option. Meals are available Monday - Thursday until August 3. Breakfast will be served from 8 AM - 8:30 AM, and lunch will be served from 11:30 AM-Noon. All meals are free!
Here's a list of other possible options for putting food on the table this summer:
SUMMER CAMPS
Summer camps are underway in Royal Oak, but there is time to register for activities happening this month. Registration is accepted up to two business days before the start of the camp through the Royal Oak Schools Athletic Department. This link will take you to the brochure for this summer's offerings. No walk-in registrations will be allowed.
Camps offered are tennis, volleyball, soccer, T-ball, baseball, and Future Ravens Football camp. Feel free to contact Pamela Moore by phone (248)435-8500, ext 1148, or by email pam.moore@royaloakschools.org, if you have any questions about registering your child and/or paying for camp.
LEGO STEAM CAMP THIS AUGUST
Back by popular demand...! You can sign your child up for Lego STEAM camp this August. Space is limited to the first 200 students! Registration will close when spots are filled.
Camp details:
- Dates/Times: August 7th-11th from 8:30 AM -12:00 PM
- Location: Northwood Elementary School
- Students: Must be entering grades K-8 for the 2023-2024 school year and must be a registered Royal Oak Schools student.
Use this link to register.
INCOMING 6TH GRADE BAND & ORCHESTRA STUDENTS...
Students entering Band or Orchestra this fall will need both their instruments and supplies on the first-day of school, Monday, August 28th, 2023. For information on where to obtain these instruments and/or what supplies are needed please check out these links:
Read more in the Performing Arts Newsletter.
SNAPSHOTS AROUND THE DISTRICT
'OAK RIDGE HAS TALENT'
Check out this photo gallery from the 'Oak Ridge Has Talent' show on June 1, sponsored by the Oak Ridge Student Senate.
UPTON 5TH GRADERS VISIT OSTC
Upton 5th graders had a chance to visit Oakland Schools Tech Campus last month! The students enjoyed the hands-on experiences they had led by OSTC students, who did a wonderful job giving tours around the building. Many of the OSTC programs were explored, and students experienced:
- auto body shop where they sanded a quarter panel and learned about welding,
- saving a choking baby in health sciences,
- programming a robot,
- operating a remote control robot to lift a ball,
- using hammers
- and working with wires in construction sciences.
THIS IS HOW WE ROLL AT ROMS
The Unified Bocce Ball team at Royal Oak Middle School had a great year. The season was a success, and students participated in several tournaments. This year they attended a local game against Berkley, participated in a regional tournament at United Wholesale Mortgage, and then traveled to Central Michigan University for the Unified State Games for Special Olympics. All partners and athletes showed dedication, great sportsmanship, and competitiveness while learning an inclusive sport. All students from ROMS either medaled in Gold, Silver, or Bronze. Congratulations team!
THIS MONTH IN THE CORNER
It’s July, and it's time for me to go on break. Reflecting over the year, here is what some refer to as the DEI months.
- January - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- February - Black History Month
- March - Women's History Month and Cesar Chavez Day
- April - Celebrate Diversity Month
- May- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month
- June - LGBTQ+ Pride Month and Juneteenth, also Caribbean Heritage Month
- July - Disability Independence Day
- August - Women's Equality Day
- September - Hispanic Heritage Month
- October - Disability Employment Awareness Month and LGBT History Month
- November - Indigenous Heritage Month and Veterans Day
- December - Kwanzaa
We will dive right in when school starts up in the fall! In the meantime, you can check out Dr. Kim's Corner on the web for resources.
Have a safe summer.
Dr. Kim
DID YOU SEE IT ON SOCIAL?
Follow us on:
(SOME FUN) DATES FOR JULY
National Ice Cream Month
July 1 Play Outside Day
July 4: American Independence Day
July 5 Mechanical Pencil Day
July 7 Father-Daughter Take a Walk Together Day
July 13 School Board Meeting
July 15 Pet Fire Safety Day
July 16 Lake Superior Day
July 17 Global Hug Your Kid Day
July 22 World Brain Day
July 23 National Parents' Day
July 26 Aunt and Uncles Day
July 28 Buffalo Soldiers Day
July 28 System Administrators Day
July 28 One Month Until School Starts!
July 30 National Support Public Education Day
July 30 Paperback Book Day
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR UPCOMING DATES:
August 28 - First Day Of School 2023-24 School Year
FUN IN ROYAL OAK
Use this link to find out more about summer happenings in downtown Royal Oak.
There is summer concert series, fun planned at the Farmer's Market, and more.
SIGN UP FOR SUMMER CAMPS
Use this link to sign up for summer sports camps: https://bit.ly/3zrU9dZ.
JOB OPENINGS
We would love to invite you to join our team. You can use this link for applying for most jobs with Royal Oak Schools: https://www.applitrack.com/oaklandschools/onlineapp/default.aspx?choosedistrict=true&applitrackclient=46169.
Food service workers and cashiers: Chartwells Food Service hires substitute food service workers. The cashier position is from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and pays $14/hr. The cook position is at the elementary schools from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and pays $16.15/hr. After training, you would be "as needed" fill-in for sick calls, working on average 1-2 days per week. It could also become regular part-time when openings exist. Includes free lunch.
Substitute teachers: EDUStaff is our partner for substitute teachers. Please apply through their website at: edustaff.org.
Paraprofessionals: A paraprofessional works with a team of teachers to help qualified students be successful at school. These patient and caring individuals may implement academic, physical, behavioral, and self-care supports that empower students to engage with their education as independently as possible. All applicants should apply through the Oakland Schools Human Resources Consortium website at: https://bit.ly/2PrEckt.
Individuals interested in working with and caring for school-age children before and after school for our Young Oaks (Latchkey) Program should contact the Addams Early Childhood Center at (248) 288-3220.
Bus Drivers: Durham School Services is hiring for our transportation department. A minimum of 20 hours is guaranteed, with options for more. Contact James Hollis at Durham to apply: jholls@durhamschoolservices.com.
Instructional and administrative positions: Check the Oakland Schools Consortium portal at https://bit.ly/2PrEcktROSJOBS. Employment opportunities with Royal Oak Schools are on our website under Employment/HR. If you have any more questions, please contact Beth Caverly at the District Offices: elizabeth.caverly@royaloakschools.org or (248) 435-8400 x1210.
COMMENTS? STORY IDEAS?
Send them to: communications@royaloakschools.org
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The District Dispatch Mission: To inform all interested in the Royal Oak Schools community and deliver information straight to them through stories of our people, our successes, and our future.
Credits:
Created with images by ArtBackground - "USA flag with firework on white background for 4 july independence day" • makistock - "Slices of watermelon on blue wooden desk." • LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - "bottom view of positive multicultural children looking at camera" • peter - "Mix of Colourful Pieces of Lego sitting on mat indoors" • Song_about_summer - "music band playing on concert stage, silhouettes of musicians unrecognizable, group of people singing together in rock festival" • chathuporn - "photographer take pictures Snapshot with camera. man hand holding with camera looking through lens.Concept for photographing articles Professionally." • STOATPHOTO - "Social Media Concept. The meeting at the white office table." • jd-photodesign - "Happy 4th of July - Independence Day" • bankrx - "Alphabet letter in word etc (abbreviation of et cetera) on wood background" • geralt - "job job offer workplace" • geralt - "board show hand"