Yake Elementary School

Good afternoon, There is such a buzz of joy and happiness throughout the building today. I love all of the memories that our Gators are making as they prepare for the winter break. I know it seems odd to share our newsletter when we will be off for the next two weeks, but I wanted to share a few pictures, remind families of upcoming dates and wish all of our Gators and their families a warm, safe and joyful winter break. https://secure.smore.com/n/rd6sv Have a great weekend and a wonderful Holiday break! Tim Podlewski

Good afternoon, I hope that you are enjoying your day. Please click on the link below to to learn more about the week leading up to the Winter Break. A week often referenced by kindergarten teachers as being filled with "Good Times!" In the Gator Bites you will see the dates for Winter Break, MLK Day and more. You will also have a chance to book one of the last 20 rooms that are still available. https://secure.smore.com/n/972jf I want to give a huge "Thank you!" to our PTO and the volunteers who made our Santa's Secret Shop possible this past week. The amount of time and effort that goes into preparing for this event and buying up, sorting and storing items for Santa's Secret Shop 2025 is significant. I appreciate all of the hard work that goes into making this event possible every year. Please review our Gator Bites for the upcoming week and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I will look forward to seeing many of our Gators and their families for Breakfast with Santa tomorrow morning. Have a great day! Tim Podlewski

Good afternoon, After spending most of the week at the MEMSPA Conference (Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association), I am excited to see my Gators again on Monday. I am extra excited as the conference usually falls on Santa's Secret Shop week. This year I will be at Yake demonstrating my gift wrapping skills ;-) (I was kicked out of gift wrapping years ago for being too slow). Please click on the link below to learn more about Santa's Secret Shop, Breakfast with Santa, our upcoming Winter Break and more. https://secure.smore.com/n/23t4z Big "Thank you!" to our PTO and volunteers for helping to make these big holiday events possible.  The smiles on the faces of our Gators and their families make all of the time and effort worth it. I hope that you have a great weekend! I look forward to seeing our Gators on Monday. Tim Podlewski

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful But the fire is so delightful And since we've no place to go Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!" We know students love "snow days," but did you ever wonder how the decision is made? Listen to the new episode of the Warrior Way Podcast HERE - Weathering the Storm: Inside WBSD’s School Closure Process to learn more. https://rss.com/podcasts/thewarriorway/1782681

Good afternoon, I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! For those brave enough to go out shopping this morning, I hope that you found some great deals. Please click on the link below to take a peek at our Gator Bites as we move into the month of December. With three weeks to go before our Winter Break, the month will just fly by. Take a peek at our Gator Bites to learn more about Santa's Secret Shop, Breakfast with Santa and more. https://secure.smore.com/n/dpwr3 I have to give a huge "Shout out!" to our PTO and parent volunteers who put in a significant amount of time to make our big events like Santa's Secret Shop and Breakfast with Santa take place. I hope that you have a warm, safe and restful Thanksgiving weekend. Tim Podlewski

Happy Thanksgiving to our WBSD Families!

The WBSD has a great safety system, Zonar, for our bus transportation system that can be a great tool to be used by parents. - Watch a demo video for the new Zonar MyView app here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IPVdnZPnSs - Download the Zonar MyView app in your device’s app store. WBSD’s Code is: WOO9929 (This is letters “W” and “OO” not numbers) - Login to your Parent Connect and find your child’s bus route information under the Transportation tab. If you would like to use the additional feature, the Z-Pass, you may request one by scanning the QR code or filling out this document - https://tinyurl.com/ydkj6s2p For more information, check out your school's weekly principal communication for more on Zonar.

Good Evening, Yake Families, This is Mr. Podlewski writing to remind all of our families that our Thanksgiving Break begins following a half-day of school tomorrow. Students will be dismissed from school at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon to begin their break. I hope that all of our Gators and their families have a warm and safe Thanksgiving Break. I will look forward to seeing all of my Gators when school resumes again on Monday. Thank you, and good night.

Good afternoon, Please take a peek at our Gator Bites as we move into our shortened week for Thanksgiving Break. Though the week is short for our Gators, they will have fun on Wednesday morning for Pie Day. Big "Thank you!" to all of our families who bought and sold pies. Please click on the link below to learn more about next week and the exciting events and activities taking place during the month of December, including Santa's Secret Shop and Breakfast with Santa. https://secure.smore.com/n/2n94g Please take a moment to review our newsletter and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I hope that you have a great weekend and a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Tim Podlewski

Good morning, I can hardly believe Santa's Secret Shop is right around the corner.  For families new to Yake Elementary School, we have the best Santa's Secret Shop that you will find at any elementary school.  The only way that we can keep the shop running and have a special week for our Gators every year is with the help of volunteers to help sort and set-up the shop.  If you are available in the evenings during the week of December 2nd, please click on the link below to sign-up and volunteer. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A48A4AA23A6FF2-53079181-santa#/ Your help in putting together another wonderful Santa's Secret Shop is greatly appreciated! Tim Podlewski

Good Evening, Yake Families, As you are aware, Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled to take place tomorrow afternoon and evening. Conferences will run from 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. As a result of Parent-Teacher Conferences, our students will have a half-day of school tomorrow with a 12:00 p.m. dismissal. During Parent-Teacher Conferences, your child’s teacher will share fall assessment data, information pertaining to your child’s progress in the classroom, i-Ready diagnostic data and observations of your child’s social interactions with their peers. If your student has been identified as being below grade level benchmark in reading, the teacher will also share your child’s Individualized Reading Intervention Plan (IRIP). Each conference will be limited to ten minutes. If, after that time, you feel you need additional time, we may arrange an appointment for another conference. Our goal is to have 100% parent attendance at conferences. Following your conferences, please take a moment to complete a Parent-Teacher Conference Evaluation Survey. These surveys can be completed in an online version using the link below. Your feedback will be very valuable to our ongoing school improvement efforts. https://forms.gle/GsPGpYFWa31fqKpr7 I hope that all of our families enjoy having a positive parent-teacher conference experience. Take care and have a great night!

Rooms for the Yake Family Night at Kalahari on President's Day (February 17, 2025) ate filling up fast! Remember, for the discount rate of $154, your family can enjoy a 2 queen bed room with waterpark passes. You can't get a room at this rate at any other time of the year and on the 17th, the park will be extra fun as it will be filled with Gators! My room is booked and I am excited to see many of our families there. Click on the link below to join me for a day (or two as you can use the park on the 18th as well) at Kalahari on President's Day 2025! https://book.passkey.com/e/50882668 I'll see you there! Tim Podlewski

Good afternoon, Please click on the link below to take a peek at our Gator Bites for the upcoming week.  In the newsletter, you will find information about our our Scholastic Book Fair, including a link to preview the sale and set up an eWallet for your Gator(s), information about our Grandparent's Social, parent-teacher conferences, Thanksgiving Break, Pie Day and more.    https://secure.smore.com/n/d0npz    Please take a moment to review and let me know if you have any questions or concerns as we move closer to Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. Have a great weekend! Tim Podlewski

Hi Everyone, This Thursday our Achatz Pie Fundraiser pick ups can begin at 3:15pm (we will post on facebook if we're done sorting earlier). A volunteer will go over your order will you to make everything is accurate. We will be doing pick ups until 6pm, please make sure you send someone in your place if you are unable to pick up that day as we don't have access to a freezer to store any orders left. You can enter the gym doors behind the dumpsters for pick up. If you have any availability, PTO would greatly appreciate any help as this is a big undertaking. Please check out our sign up genius to help with sorting or distribution- Yake PTO: Achatz Pie Sorting https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A48A4AA23A6FF2-45290641-achatz#/ Thanks, Angie Lukas Yake PTO President

Good afternoon, I hope that you are enjoying this beautiful day. Please click on the link below to take a peek at our Gator Bites for the upcoming week. You will find information about our Grandparents Social, Parent-Teacher Conferences, a book study opportunity, half-days and days off, including Thanksgiving Break and more. https://secure.smore.com/n/m7g325 Please enjoy peeking at our newsletter and let us know if you have any questions or concerns. For all of the Veterans within the Yake family, I hope that you have a wonderful weekend and feel love and appreciation on Monday and every day. Your service to our country is greatly appreciated. Have a great weekend! Tim Podlewski

Good morning, At a time when our phones, social media feeds and TVs are filled with negative campaign ads, please take a moment to watch a very heartwarming video that highlights 1st grade Gator, Mia Sayen and her act of kindness on Halloween. I love that Mia and so many Woodhaven children helped to make this young man's Halloween special. Way to go, Mia! That's Gator Warrior Strong! Tim Podlewski ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Andrea Prus Date: Sun, Nov 3, 2024 at 9:05 PM Subject: Mia Sayen’s Tremendous Act of Kindness To: Timothy Podlewski Please share this tremendous story with our Yake students and families!!! 🥲 Mia Sayen is a true light in this world, as much as her parents are for instilling love and kindness in her heart!!! 90.png 'It's overwhelming.' Kids leave candy for family on Halloween after noticing sign about son's hospitalization wxyz.com Andrea Prus First Grade Teacher Yake Elementary 734-692-2230 ext. 2606

Good Evening, This is Mr. Podlewski writing to remind all of my Yake families that we will not have school tomorrow due to Election Day. Children learn the importance of voting by observing their parents, so make sure that they see you vote or see your “I voted” sticker when you get home. Or, if you are like me and already voted, make sure that they know. Let them know just how important it is to exercise the right to vote. I hope that you enjoy your day off with your Gators and have a safe, patient and hopefully positive voting experience. Don’t forget that we have Yake Family Days taking place at Game-On and Kudos tomorrow. Click on the link below or check the text on your phone for a link to order your wristbands. For Gators planning on going to Game-On or Kudos tomorrow, I hope that they have a great time! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdB2GTA84XA3gvLrFdJJ6VcTDh1SkhP6Uql2zOn0diVQe2m3g/viewform Thank you for and have a great evening.

Good afternoon, We have some sleepy Gators here today. Big "Thank you!" to the families who did not let their children fill their lunch boxes with Halloween candy today! Please click on the link below to learn more about the activities, days off and half-days of school during the month of November. IN the newsletter, you will learn more about our Family Fun Day at Kudos and Game-On on Election Day, Parent-Teacher Conferences, our Grandparents' Social, Thanksgiving Break, and more. We have some great pictures in the newsletter, as well. https://secure.smore.com/n/4t03e Please take a moment to review and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great weekend and enjoy the extra hour of sleep and/or extra cup of coffee on Sunday morning. Tim Podlewski

Good Evening, This is Mr. Podlewski with a message to remind all of my Gators that our Halloween Parade is scheduled to take place tomorrow morning. Our parade will begin with our Young Fives class starting at 9:20 a.m. near room 1. The route will weave around our building, the media center, the group room, the cafeteria, and the haunted gymnasium. We will have seating for parents and grandparents to watch the parade in our cafeteria, in the media center, the group room or in the gym. Please be sure to not block the hallways as we need a route for the parade. At the conclusion of the parade, parents will be asked to head home unless they have pre-determined plans to volunteer in a classroom. Please note that only parent volunteers will be allowed in the classrooms before, during or after the parade. Please be kind and courteous as we know parking will be packed tomorrow morning. Please be sure to not block entrances and exits with vehicles as that makes departure even more challenging. Please also note that we have a half-day of school on Halloween with a 12:00 p.m. dismissal. Thank you, and have a great evening.

Good afternoon, Fingers crossed that the rain stops for our Trunk or Treat tonight. Though, I know that our Gators will have a blast at Trunk or Treat and inside for the Monster Mash Bash even if there is some lingering drizzle. Big "Thank you!" to our PTO, our Student Council and Mr. Crane for decorating our main entrance and our cafeteria for tonight and as we look forward to our halloween Parade next Thursday morning. Please click on the link below to learn more about our Halloween Parade (our first indoor parade with families welcome to join us since 2019), all of the events and half-days during the month of November and more. https://secure.smore.com/n/uh8bm4 Pictures will be added to our Gator Bites with the Pumpkin Raffle winners and our Trunk or Treat and MMB as they become available. We will also have additional pictures posted on the Yake Elementary School Facebook page as the day and evening goes on. Another big "Thank you!" to our staff members and PTO who designed 34 awesome pumpkins this year. The smiles were from ear to ear for our winners this morning. As always, please enjoy staying informed by peeking at our Gator Bites every week. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a good Friday and a great weekend! Tim Podlewski