April 23 2026 | Volume 44, Issue 30

🚀Get Ready for the Galactic Gala!

— 1 Week To Liftoff 🌌

The countdown is on—our 33rd Annual Benefit Auction is next week! We’re excited to welcome our community for an unforgettable evening of fun, fundraising, and flair at this year’s sci-fi themed “Galactic Gala.”

🎟️ Don’t Wait — Secure Your Spot Today!

Join us for an incredible evening of community, entertainment, and purpose as we support Steppingstone’s mission to serve gifted learners.

Register now and get ready to blast off into a night to remember!

NO SCHOOL - TEACHER WORKDAY

Fri., April 24, 2026

ROUGE RIVER TESTING DAY

Wed., May 6th, 2026 @ 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 6, 2026

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

LAST SPIRIT DAY

Thu., May 7th

This will be the last Spirit Day of the school year! The May achievements will be acknowledged at our Year-End Potluck!

SALMON RELEASE

Sat., May 9th 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 Saturday, May 9th, 12 PM at Belanger Park. If you are able to attend, please inform Mr. Liou.

FINE ARTS FEST

Thu., May 14th

Our last school event, Fine Arts Fest, is coming up on Thursday, May 14th! More information will come as we are closer to the date.

EARTH DAY ECO-WARRIORS

Wednesday, April 22 was Earth Day!  It is our tradition at Steppingstone to put on gloves and pick up litter on the outdoor track and our play area at PARC.  This year we filled several bags!

Cassie came up with a little rhyme to encourage herself and others:

Do not care what other people think

Just pick up trash without a blink

FANTASTIC FIDDLER CRABS

The Early Elementary class is studying animal habitats in science class this semester.  We have studied and observed our African Dwarf Frogs for a few weeks.  They live a fully aquatic life in freshwater. 

This past week, our fiddler crabs arrived!  These animals live both on land and in the water, but they need saltwater.  Students built habitats that included a sand hill, fake plants (for a hiding place) and a small pool for saltwater.  We have found that our fiddler crabs are very shy.  They prefer to dig small holes for themselves and hide under the sand. They are quite skittish; if they are out and about, they scurry to their holes when we come near.  We have assured them that we are not herons looking for our lunch!

In a couple of weeks, we will add millipedes to our menagerie.

Annual Giving 2025-2026

We would like to thank everyone who made an Annual Giving donation in the 2025-2026 school year.

$5,000 to $9,999

$1,000 to $4,999

Chong & Yong Son

Dorothea Coffin

Fran Eldis

Shuh Yuan Liou & Shau Ching Tang

Yong Pan

$500 to $999

David Liou

Hedy Zablocki

Michelle Belt

Stepping Stones Wellness Center

$100 to $499

Chris Isberg

Joanne Chang

Joyce Li

Liqun Yang

Minghung Hsu

Simon Margules

$50 to $99

James & Alicia Phillips

Kroger's

Up to $50

Jason Roder

In Memoriam of Max Roder, from Fran Eldis

In-Kind

Volunteers

Auction Chair

Barbara Malnar-Styke

Auction Acquisitions

Michelle Belt

Dena Nehme

Brad Styke

SMART Center Chair

Dr. Reef Morse

Marketing

Jorge Contreras

WISHLIST



A subscription to Highlights Children's Magazine

https://shop.highlights.com/

Donated by Barbara Malnar-Styke

OMAX 1.3MP USB 2.0 C-Mount Microscope Camrea for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux

https://omaxmicroscope.com/products/a3513u

Donated by the Schiff family



ADOPT-A-SALMON

Thank you to our Adopt-A-Salmon donors ($10 per adopted salmon):

Dorothy Linzell -- adopted Fin & Barb

Aliya -- adopted Summer & Aggro

Mrs. Coffin -- adopted Angela, Ray, Nick & George

Dr. & Mrs. Morse -- adopted Isabella, Harrison, Sawyer, Rory, Oliver, Jax, Colette, Nadia & Sophie

Jacob - adopted Waffles, Pom Pom, Blanket and Major Meowser

Francis - Delta, Ay Mi Gato, Captain Rex

Aurelia & Elijah - Amethyst & Emerald

Mr. Roder - Louis, Moses, Jerome, & Samuel

Fran Eldis - Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa

Hedy Zablocki - Thateusz, Grazyna, Jeronym, Jadzia, Zbigniew