September 11, 2025 | Volume 44, Issue 2

PARENTS, PREPARE FOR THE

FIELD DAY AND WELCOME PICNIC

Fri., Sep. 12th, 2025

ACTIVITIES & HOW THEY ENRICH THE CURRICULUM: Students will learn the rules and how to play group games in the morning. They will also have a chance to bike, hike, and fly kites, which will encourage a lifelong interest in recreational sports.

DATE: Friday, September 12, 2025

ARRIVAL TIME: 9 am (NO Extended Morning Program) at Maybury State Park, Walnut Shelter (same as last year)

DEPARTURE TIME: Students may stay at park until potluck at 6:00 pm when parents will join them without being charged for Extended Day services. Please make sure that you make time to come to the picnic by 6 pm (the students will be hungry). This is the first event of the year and an important social event for your child. When s/he misses these events, an important social and bonding experience is lost. This is also an opportunity for new parents to meet returning parents and to have some fun!

LOCATION: Walnut Shelter, Maybury State Park

ADDRESS: 8 Mile Road, west of Beck Road

DIRECTIONS from I-275: Exit at 8-Mile Rd and go WEST. Cross Beck Road, then turn left into park (on South side of 8 Mile Rd)

CONTACT & PHONE: School Office (248) 957-8200, or teacher's cell (see planner)

MEAL ARRANGEMENTS: Pack substantial lunches. Students get very hungry and thirsty.

• 2-3 sandwiches (5+ snacks)
• 3-4 bottles of water or juice (freeze the night before)
• Hand sanitizer (Will be washing hands at bathroom prior to lunch as well)

Please label all non-disposable items that you wish returned, especially water bottles. You'd be surprised how many water bottles go unclaimed after lunch.

APPAREL: Loose, weather-appropriate clothing.

• Waterproof shoes (grass will be wet in the morning)
• Socks (we will be hiking in the woods)
• Poncho/umbrella (if it looks like rain)
• Jacket/sweatshirt (if it is going to be cool)
• Bug Spray & Sunscreen--please apply prior to arrival.

ASSIGNMENTS: Unless otherwise noted in planner by teacher (have your child call his/her teacher if unsure), students must bring planner and assignments for check-in.

OTHER NEEDS:

• Picnic blanket or towel for laying down on grass for Power Reading time
• Power Reading books of your choice
• A pre-assembled kite (optional)
• Bikes (optional) & HELMETS (if biking)
• $11 for parking if you're chaperoning or your MICHIGAN RECREATIONAL PASSPORT sticker (there is no charge for drop-off)
• If it looks like rain, please feel free to pack a deck of cards or a board game (make sure each piece is labeled with your child's name or initials) since we will be under the shelter if this happens, and an extra set of clothes because biking after the rain is wet business.

POTLUCK:  

• Last Names A-P: Please bring a side dish/salad/veggies to share.  
• Last Names Q-Z: Please bring a main dish to share
• The school will provide hot dogs and marshmallows for roasting.

In addition to your Potluck contribution, be sure to pack:

• Serving utensils for your Potluck item
• Beverages for your family.



TRIP ACTIVITIES: Group games, kite flying, bike riding, and hiking

Join Our 2025-2026

Parent Support Forums!

Steppingstone School is excited to host another year of Parent Support Forums—a place where parents, educators, and experts come together to share insights, questions, and experiences about raising and supporting gifted children.

Each forum will be held in person at Steppingstone School (PARC, 650 Church St., Ste. 119, Plymouth, MI 48170) and led by Kristin Cotts, who will guide discussions on important topics for families of gifted learners.

📅 Upcoming Sessions:

• Thu., Sep. 18, 2025 – 7 PM “How to Build Grit”
• Thu., Oct. 23, 2025 – 7 PM “How to Emotionally Support Gifted Children”
• Thu., Jan. 22, 2026 – 7 PM “How to Address Perfectionism”
• Thu., Feb. 26, 2026 – 7 PM “Interpreting IQ Evaluations”

➡️ Register here to save your spot and join in these valuable conversations that help strengthen both parenting and learning experiences for gifted children.

SCIENCE FAIR PREP:

Proposals Due Mon., Sep. 15th

It's that time of year again: Science Fair preparation!  On Tuesday,  each student came home with a white Science Fair folder.  Please take time to read through it.  Email or call Mrs. Dudek if you have any questions.

Ideas for experiments were discussed this week.  Students expressed interest in something they'd like to test and a general outline of an experiment was written on the back of p. 2.  No one is obligated to use this idea, but modifications or alternate experiments should be at a similar difficulty level.  Remember that experiments must be designed by the student and should be fairly easy to perform at home with minimal need to purchase or build items.  

The first due date is this Monday, September 15th. On this date, students should arrive at school with the Proposal Form (on p. 3) completed.  Turning it in early is encouraged!  The sooner the experiment is approved, the sooner you can get started.  One objective of this type of event is to teach our students time-management skills for long-term projects.  Staying ahead of deadlines is a valuable habit to learn.

More information about the event itself will be shared in future newsletters.

HEALTHY EATING

What to Bring for Snacks/Lunch?

Our custom is for kids to be able to have snacks any time in the morning since some eat breakfast as early as 6 am. We ask only that they start with a serving of fresh fruit or veggie and then they can eat what they want. If they eat it all before lunch, we’ll probably alert you so you can begin to assess whether it’s a one-time thing or a prelude to a growth spurt. Students aren’t very productive in the afternoons if they haven’t had an adequate lunch so we’ll probably alert you if they eat it all before lunch.

An important policy of ours during lunchtime, is that protein needs to be eaten first! If a child brings lunch and does not eat it all, s/he will be bringing the leftovers home so parents know what the child will or won’t eat. There’s not much sense in providing a lunch that the child won’t eat, no matter how hearty or healthy.

We’d also like to alert you parents of adolescent boys — when they start to grow, they are often hungry all day and might suddenly need to double the amount of food they bring to eat. Try to provide non-perishables for part of it.

For some nutrition-related information and activities, you can refer to the Nutrition Handouts prepared by Melanie Hutchings, PhD Candidate, from the Wayne State University Department of Nutrition and Food Science.

WONDERFUL WIGWAMS

Early El. Social Studies

This week marked the beginning of our afternoon enrichment classes.  On Monday, the Early Elementary class began their unit on the Ojibwe people.  We learned where native people likely came from, where they settled, and how their environments dictated how they lived.  

The Ojibwe people settled in the eastern forests of North America, some right here in what is now Michigan.  They were hunters and gatherers as well as excellent fishermen.  Birch bark was used to make canoes and even the walls to their wigwams!  These homes could be dismantled, rolled up, and taken to a new location as the Ojibwe followed their game.  Frames for the homes that were left behind were often re-used when returning to that location the following year.

Our class built their own wigwams using popsicle sticks and torn construction paper to mimic the frame and birch bark walls.  Some even included a dark brown doorway to represent the skins that were used as a door covering.

Pictured above: Cassie, Aliya, and Jacob tear pieces of "birch bark" to cover their frames.

FOLLOW US on

SOCIAL MEDIA

Please follow and share our social media with your family, friends, and colleagues. This will be the easiest way to stay up to date on what we are doing and our upcoming events.

Facebook.com/SteppingstoneSchoolPARC

Instagram.com/steppingstone_school

ALUMNI NEWS:

READ the LATEST for BLU OWENS

Blu Owens attended Steppingstone School for about 3 yrs when we first returned to Plymouth. She withdrew a few years ago to pursue her career as a child actress, but she and her mom have stayed in touch.

If you have a chance, you can see Blu in a recent movie, “Harsens Island Revenge.” While it's no longer playing in theatres, it is still available via Netflix and Amazon Prime video.

David Liou, Donna Coffin, Dr. Morse, Shari Dudek and I (Kiyo Morse) had a night out a few weeks ago to see Blu in this movie. More information about it follows:

Waiting for Kiyo's comments.

Annual Giving 2025-2026

We would like to thank everyone who made an Annual Giving donation in the 2024-2025 school year.

$5,000 to $9,999

Clifton Ruppel

Fran Eldis

Shuh Yuan Liou

$1,000 to $4,999

Chris Isberg

Donna Coffin

Stepping Stones Wellness Center

Yong Pan

Yvette Koehler

$500 to $999

Hedy Zablocki

Jill Engerer

Katherine Jacobs

Michelle Belt

Richard Houdek

$100 to $499

Bert Nisbet

Chi Wang

Chi Hao Shen

Christina Hauncher

Guannan Ye

Joan Raphael

Kui Wang

Maechi Chue

Mark Mondrusov

Mike Sun

Minghung Hsu

Reef Morse

Susan Mero

Theresa Min

Walter Wang

Yungsen Shen

$50 to $99

Anne Sweeney

Grace Keng

James & Alicia Phillips

Joyce Li

Richard Niemisto

Up to $50

Busch's

Liqun Yang

Lori Warner

In-Kind

Eric Stempien

Volunteers

Auction Chair

Barbara Malnar-Styke

Auction Acquisitions

Michelle Belt

Dena Nehme

Brad Styke

SMART Center Chair

Dr. Reef Morse

Marketing

Jorge Contreras

Yearbook Editor

Emma Grindon