May 1, 2025 | Volume 43, Issue 32

ROUGE RIVER TESTING DAY

Wed., May 7, 2025 @ Hines Park

CLASSROOM and/or TEACHER: Whole school

ACTIVITIES & HOW THEY ENRICH THE CURRICULUM: Students will be participating in the testing of the Rouge River’s waters. They will test pH, temperature, current strength, and the number and availability of “critters” (a sign of healthy water).

DATE: Wednesday, May 7, 2025

ARRIVAL TIME: Arrive at Waterford Bend at 9 am (NO MORNING Extended Day)

DEPARTURE TIME: Pick-up at Waterford Bend at 4 pm, Extended Day students will be transported back to school.

ADDRESS: Hines Park Waterford Bend Recreation Area, at the intersection of 6 Mile Rd and Northville Rd., Northville MI 48168

CONTACT: Reef Morse

PHONE: 734-718-8952

APPAREL: Dress for the weather

MEAL ARRANGEMENTS: Brown Bag - please pack extra fluids and snacks as students are always hungry. Please label everything – especially water bottles.

OTHER NEEDS: Planner and assignments, sunscreen (apply prior to arrival), towel (optional) to sit on for Power Reading, raincoat (if rain is predicted), Power Reading books, sneakers (we will be hiking up and down the river), sweatshirt/coat. PHS should bring an extra set of clothes, shoes, socks if planning on entering water in waders. PLEASE LABEL EVERYTHING.

PRE-TRIP ACTIVITIES: Pre-survey for Friends of the Rouge

TRIP ACTIVITIES: Chemical tests and water tests to establish health of river

POST-TRIP ACTIVITIES: Review results and analyze health of river, post-test for Friends of the Rouge

SALMON RELEASE

Sat,. May 10th 12PM

@ Belanger Park

Thank you to everyone who has adopted salmon this year! Funds raised will go towards our three tanks' upkeep: tortoise, saltwater, and salmon! Salmon release this year will be happening next Saturday, May 10th, 12 PM at Belanger Park. If you are able to attend, please email Mr. Liou at dliou@steppingstoneschool.org.

MAY SPIRIT DAY

HIGH-STEPPING STUDENTS

Congratulations to our High Stepper Button designer, Vera (pictured left)! April lent itself to spring and Easter themes, and Vera incorporated both into her design. We loved her frolicking bunny, hopping toward two decorated eggs. The sun and clouds in the sky perfectly represented typical April weather.

Our High Stepper for the month of April was Finley (pictured right)! He was able to arrive at school on time each day with all of the previous day's assignments completed. This is not an easy feat, so Fin deserves this recognition.

RUNNER OF THE MONTH

During the soggy month of April, we generally run our laps on the tennis courts to avoid the mud on the track. Eight laps around the courts equals a mile. Students in K or 1st grade are only required to run 3/4 of a mile, but extra laps are always encouraged. In April, one student decided to run an extra lap one day, pushing her over the threshold to win this award! With an additional 1/8 of a mile beyond the requirement, Vera Engerer is our Runner of the Month! Congratulations!

FINE ARTS FEST: POLYNESIAN PARADISE

Thursday, May 15th at 7PM

To tie in with the Early Elementary's Social Studies unit on Tahiti, our students are hard at work to bring us an evening of ALOHA SPIRIT!  Get ready for Polynesian story-telling, singing, and dancing! Each student will have a short speaking part to practice. A few brave singers have volunteered to solo! We've got lots of fun in store for our audience, so be sure to invite your families!

As previously mentioned, students should wear a tropical top (Hawaiian shirt, Moana t-shirt, etc.) and plain pants or shorts. Parents and families, feel free to wear something tropical to add to the Polynesian atmosphere!

Please bring a finger food to share. Ethnic foods are always encouraged at our events. Tropical-themed snacks would also be fun this time around!

JOIN THE “SJ5K” RUN

w/ Alum Jaxson Woods

on SUNDAY, May 4th

Join Jaxson Woods, our most recent graduate, on the 5K fund-raising run to assist families w/ special needs children, like his younger sister Colette.

To learn more, go to SJ5K.org

CATERPILLAR CAPERS

This week, we received over fifty Painted Lady baby caterpillars! Each student prepared a small cup of food for a pair of larvae. We will make observations daily and record them in a school Observation Journal. Everyone is very excited to watch our caterpillars grow, shed skin, and make their pupas. While we know that a few may not survive, we anticipate a magical release of dozens of butterflies in a few weeks. Watch for more updates and photos to come!

Newest Donors

Yvette Koehler, Joan Raphael

For a full list of donors, see the Annual Giving page on our website.

Volunteers

Auction Chair

Chris Isberg

Auction Acquisitions

Michelle Belt, Chair

Dena Nehme

Brad Styke

SMART Center Chair

Robert Schiff

SPARC Chair

Michelle Tan

Marketing

Jorge Contreras

Yearbook & Keepsake Editor

Barbara Malnar-Styke