Schools

Superintendent's Corner: New Website, Late Start Reminder and More

Superintendent Shawn Lewis predicts 2013-2014 is going to be the best year ever for students.

The following information was provided by Royal Oak schools chief Shawn Lewis-Lakin.

Welcome to the new school year!  We had a great first week.  

New Website:  Our district website has been updated!   Please visitwww.royaloakschools.org.  Please note that the addresses for many sub-pages have changed.   If you are experiencing problems accessing pages you have bookmarked, please use the navigation from the homepage and update your bookmarks. 

Find out what's happening in Royal Oakwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

PTA Activities:  We are proud of the strong parent support of the PTA groups in each building.    As you explore our new district website, please note that links to each school’s PTA page are found on the right hand column of each school building’s home page under the heading “Resources.”   Our PTAs are eager to connect with you!

New Concussion Law:  A new Michigan law requires that “entities” that organize “youth athletic activities” provide educational materials on the signs/symptoms and consequences of concussions to each participant and their parents/guardians and that a signed statement from the parents/guardian acknowledging receipt of the information shall be kept on file.    Recent interpretations of the law suggest that such information should be shared with ALL school families, K-12, and that a signed parent acknowledgment needs to be collected by each school.    As a district, we learned of this interpretation of the law after our back-to-school booklets were printed.   As a result, we are now working to share information regarding concussions with ALL families and asking for signed acknowledgment forms to be returned.   To view the required information and form, please click here.   Hard copy versions of the form are available beginning today in all school offices.   Between now and the end of the month, we need all families to review the information and return one signed form per child.    You may do so by printing and returning this form or by completing one of the forms available at your child’s school.    Finally, the law also requires immediate removal of a student from physical participation in an athletic activity who is suspected of sustaining a concussion. The student must then receive written clearance from an appropriate health professional before he or she can return to physical activity.

Find out what's happening in Royal Oakwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Late Start Reminder:  This Wednesday, September 11, is our first late start day.   The first bell for elementary schools will be at 9:20 a.m. with the tardy bell at 9:25 a.m.   At Royal Oak Middle School, the first bell will be at 8:55 a.m. and the tardy bell will be at 9:00 a.m.  At Royal Oak High School the first bell is at8:50 a.m. with the tardy bell at 8:55 a.m.  Complete information regarding our 2013-2014 calendar, including the steps taken to accommodate families for whom the late start schedule presents challenges, is available here. 

Enrollment:  Enrollment for resident district students continues to be open for the 2013-2014 school year.    Families new to Royal Oak who have not yet enrolled in school are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.    Families who are discovering that for-profit educational offerings are not as they were advertised to be are welcome to return to our community-governed schools.    Enrollment information - including information about the documents you need to bring with you when you enroll a student - is available by clicking here

District Committees:  Our Board of Education welcomes citizens to serve with them as members of Board Committees.   Royal Oak Schools 2013-14 Board of Education Committees include: Arts & Preservation; Communications; Wellness; Health Advisory; Finance & Facilities; District School Improvement; and Readmission.   For additional information regarding the committees, as well as an application form, please click here.

Parenting Workshop Series:  Royal Oak Middle School and Royal Oak Youth Assistance are working together to offer a series of workshops for parents.  While the focus of the workshops will be on parenting children in the middle school years, all families are welcome to participate.   Registration and contact information are available by clicking here.  

Royal Oak SAFE (Suicide Awareness for Everyone):  Royal Oak SAFE is a Royal Oak Community task force.   The Mission of Royal Oak SAFE is to elevate awareness of mental health & wellness as it relates to suicide prevention and to provide an ongoing community dialogue about breaking the silence and erasing the stigma, while encouraging and empowering those who need help to seek help.    We are pleased to be a partner organization with Royal Oak SAFE.    OnWednesday, September 25, a community gathering organized and planned by Royal Oak SAFE will be held at Royal Oak Middle School.   For additional information and event details, please view the flier.  

November Election:   On November 5, 2013, voters in the Royal Oak School District will vote on an Operating Millage Renewal Proposal. The millages in the proposal have been in place since the approval of proposal A in 1994 and were last renewed in 2006. The proposal would authorize an18 mill levy on non-homestead properties; non-homestead property taxes are not levied on owner occupied primary residences. The proposal would also authorize a 3.4 mill hold-harmless levy on principal residences. The 3.4 mill authorization is a reduction from the 3.5030 hold-harmless authorization approved by voters in 2006.  For additional information, including a copy of the ballot language, click here.  

2013-2014 is going to be the best year ever for students and their learning in Royal Oak!



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