October 15, 2026 | Volume 45, Issue 06

Deck the Halls and Support Steppingstone!

Order Your Holiday Wreath Today!

Looking for a festive way to give back this holiday season? Help support Steppingstone School for Gifted Education with our holiday wreath fundraiser!

This year, we're changing things up and bringing a little extra holiday cheer to our fundraising efforts by selling beautiful holiday wreaths. Your purchase helps support Steppingstone and our mission to nurture the academic, intellectual, social, physical, and emotional growth of gifted learners.

There are two easy ways to participate!

🎄 Option 1: Order Locally Through Steppingstone

Purchase a wreath directly from a Steppingstone student, staff member, or board member! We will be offering a limited selection of 25-inch wreaths, so be sure to get your order in while supplies last.

The best part? Ordering directly through Steppingstone helps us raise even more funds for our school! If you're local and able to order through one of our students, staff, or board members, this is the best way to maximize your support.

[Click here to view the wreath catalog!]

Locally purchased wreaths will be hand-delivered beginning the week of December 7, making it easy to bring some holiday spirit to your home while supporting our school.

🎁 Option 2: Order Online From Anywhere

Want a different size wreath or live outside the local area? No problem! You can browse the full selection and place your order online through giftitforward.com (fundraising code STEPPIMI001). You can also scan the following QR Code.

Every wreath purchased makes a difference and helps Steppingstone continue providing meaningful educational opportunities for gifted learners.



Help us spread holiday cheer while supporting a great cause! Order your wreath today, share this fundraiser with friends and family, and help Steppingstone make this holiday season a little brighter.

THANK YOU!

CANDY DONATIONS

For PUMPKIN PALOOZA

Sun., Oct. 18, 11:30 AM - 2:30PM

Thank you to the White and Nehme families for donating candy!

A reminder that the Plymouth Pumpkin Palooza is happening this Sunday between 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM. This year, our booth (#11) is located on Forest Ave. near Ann Arbor Trail. We hope to see you there!

SECURE YOUR AUCTION TICKETS

Early Bird Prices before Dec. 18

When & Where

• Early Bird Tickets (by Dec 18, 2026): $75 Individual | $750 Table
• After Dec 18: $85 Individual | $850 Table
• Dress code: Semi-Formal or Underwater-themed attire encouraged!

What’s in Store



• Exciting silent and live auction items
• Delectable dinner courses, dessert, coffee station, and bar

SECURE YOUR TICKETS NOW!

SUBMIT WINTERFEST

PERFORMANCE PROPOSALS

DUE by Mon., Nov. 2nd

The Winterfest is a Holiday Performance event. Students are invited to submit independent proposals for performance pieces, which will be followed by auditions demonstrating performance-ready acts. Gold proposal forms have already been sent home and are due by Monday, November 2nd.

TELL A FRIEND!

RSVP FOR SPARClers NOW!

Come Discover Steppingstone!

Schedule Your Private Tour Today!

Are you interested in learning more about Steppingstone School for Gifted Education? We’re excited to offer private 45-minute school tours on select dates and times, giving prospective families an opportunity to learn more about our unique educational approach, explore our learning environment, and discover how we support the academic, intellectual, social, physical, and emotional growth of gifted learners.

Whether you’re considering Steppingstone for your own child or know a family who might benefit from our program, we’d love to connect with you!

Ready to learn more? Sign up for a private tour using the link below and take the first step toward discovering what makes Steppingstone special.

👉 Schedule Your Tour Today!

Please feel free to share this opportunity with friends, family, and anyone who may be interested in joining the Steppingstone community!

LITERARY CHARACTER DAY

Fri., Oct. 30

Friday, October 30th, is Literary Character Day. This is a chance for students to dress up as the main character from their Power Reading book for this month’s genre. They will arrive at school in costume for a game of 20 Questions (guessing each other’s characters by asking yes or no questions).  When the characters are all revealed, they'll give presentations about their book while in costume (please help your child limit their retelling of the story to 3-4 minutes).

Not only is this a fun activity, but it also integrates some important skills into the curriculum. Students will hone their skills in oral presentation, creativity, performing arts, and problem-solving.

Please remember that costumes should be homemade as much as possible (we value creativity more than posh). Students should also have a simple prop to enhance their costume. No 3D printing and no weapons, please.

Students who do NOT want to bowl in their costumes should bring a change of clothes for the afternoon of bowling.

Parents, if you would like to chaperone during the afternoon bowling please inform Mr. Liou. More details will come as we are closer to the event date.

Thank you to the Styke and Pike families for volunteering to donate snacks on this day! Teachers would be grateful if you limit sugar and food dyes since several students are sensitive to those ingredients as well.

BOWLING AFTERNOON

After our lunch break in Kellogg Park, we will go bowling at Super Bowl Lanes. If you would like to help chaperone, please inform Mr. Liou.

SCARECROWS IN THE PARK

Since the weather was so beautiful on Tuesday this week, we took the opportunity to visit the scarecrows in Kellogg Park. Some of the students lent themselves to great poses, a few of which are here for your enjoyment. The kids were especially excited to visit "Gerald," our own skeleton contribution!

EARLY ELEMENTARY

Social Studies

US Northeastern Region

The Early Elementary class completed their virtual tour of the northeast region of the United States this week. We stopped at six locations and learned about landmarks, American history, and early industrialization. The culminating activity was to write a letter to someone describing at least three places we “visited” on our tour. We decided to write to Finley’s great-grandmother! 

Dear GG,

Our class just took a train tour of the Northeastern region of the United States. We visited six places, including big cities, smaller towns, a mountain, and even a chocolate factory! We ate a lot of chocolate!

Our first stop was West Quoddy Lighthouse in Maine. The native people living here say that they “live at the sunrise.” The sun rises here before anywhere else in the United States because this is the most northeastern point in the country.

We also visited Plymouth, Massachusetts. We saw the Mayflower II, which is a copy of the real Mayflower that sailed from England to Plymouth. The pilgrims were trying to get to Virginia, but the weather blew them off course.

In Boston, we walked along the Freedom Trail. This trail takes you to places where the fight for freedom from British rule began. There is another trail called the Black Heritage Trail. On this tour, you can learn about the history of African Americans in Boston.

Our favorite place to visit was Hershey, Pennsylvania. We visited a chocolate factory and wrapped Hershey Kisses the way they were made before there were machines to do the wrapping. Did you know the streetlights look like Hershey Kisses in this city?

Our last stop was New York City. We climbed 25 floors of the Empire State Building before we got too tired to go further. We think taking the elevator is a much better idea.

We also visited Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, the Erie Canal in New York, and Washington D.C.! It was a fun trip.  

Sincerely,

Aliya & Jacob

Aliya drew the Empire State Building.

Jacob drew the Mayflower II.

Both students want to visit Hershey, Pennsylvania and tour the chocolate factory in real life!

Annual Giving 2026-2027

We would like to thank everyone who made an Annual Giving donation in the 2025-2027 school year.

$5,000 to $9,999

$1,000 to $4,999

Fran Eldis

$500 to $999

$100 to $499

$50 to $99

Up to $50

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

We havn't adopted out any salmon yet, but when we do, you'll see them here.