February 26 2026 | Volume 44, Issue 23

NO SCHOOL TOMORROW

Teacher Workday

Fri., Feb. 27th

This is a day teachers dedicate to scoring and assessing IOWA Achievement tests for students in anticipation of Parent Conferences, which will occur at the end of next week all day and evening Mar 6/F. There will be NO SCHOOL on Friday.

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Our Auction Social Media Pages

Exciting news! Our dedicated auction pages on Facebook & Instagram are now live. Stay up to date with exclusive item previews, weekly features, and auction highlights leading up to the big event!

📲 Follow, Like, & Share to support our school and never miss a bidding opportunity!

🔗 Facebook: facebook.com/SteppingstoneSchoolAuction

🔗 Instagram: instagram.com/SteppingstoneSchoolAuction

Get ready to bid, win, and make a difference—follow us today! 🎯

DIVE IN: Adopt-a-Salmon Today

& Make a Splash!

Salmon in the Classroom Adopt-a-Salmon Program is your chance to bring extra excitement and hands-on learning into your life. For just $10, you can adopt and name your very own baby salmon! As an adopter, you'll receive a personalized adoption certificate and a memorable photo with your salmon on “release” day.

Ready to Make Waves?

If you're interested in adopting, please contact Jason at jroder@steppingstoneschool.org or call 248-957-8200.

Take the plunge and start your aquatic adventure today!

JOIN US to CELEBRATE

Feb. Achievements

Thu., March 5th

We are excited to announce that our next Spirit Day is just around the corner! Join us on Thursday, March 5th as we come together to celebrate the achievements of our students during the month of February.

Lunch Invitation for Parents and Special Guests

Parents, we warmly welcome you and any special guests to join us for lunch on this special day. Sharing a meal together adds to the sense of community and makes the celebration even more meaningful. If you plan to attend, please inform Mr. Liou or Mrs. Dudek.

PLAN AHEAD to EXPERIENCE

“TINY TUNES” at PARC’S 

JACK WILCOX THEATRE with the

MICHIGAN PHILHARMONIC

Mark your calendars for:

10 am

SAT

May 9th

Events will be held here at the PARC, in the Jack Wilcox Theater. For more information or for tickets, please visit:

https://michiganphil.networkforgood.com/events/89640-tiny-tunes-music-for-little-ears-2025-2026?hid=MTIwNTA1MjU=&utm_campaign=dms_email_blast_4505076

Buy Your Tickets Now to

Bid on Artifacts of Power & Prestige!

Auction Item of the Week

The area known as Mesopotamia was first settled by humans from 4,500 to 4,000 B.C. and was notable for the development of civilization. Amazingly, these people created the development of farming, raising cattle, weaving, carpentry and pottery and even enjoying beer. These figures are often found as bronze-clad resin reproductions, popular as desk items or functional art.

Pictured below is a copy of the head of the ruler Gudea of Lagash, a city-state of Mesopotamia. Gudea focused on trade and building temples and infrastructure more than on conquest, and his kingdom enjoyed prosperity. Gudea's reign is believed to have run from 2144 BCE to 2124 BCE.

Moving on to Egypt, this historical figure was Imhotep, an architect of the Step Pyramid of Saqqara, and later worshiped as the god of medicine. He was considered one of the earliest engineers and physicians in history. It’s amazing that this knowledge was developed over 4,000 years ago. The figure is seated, wearing a close-fitting cap and holding a papyrus scroll on his lap.

King Amasis was an officer in the Egyptian army where he took part in a revolt and was proclaimed king by the rebels. He cultivated friendship with the Greek world and brought Egypt closer in touch with their ideas. See? It’s who you know that helps one along. The population of cities reached 20,000 under his rule.

Egyptian scribes were more than writers--they were guardians of ideas, memory, and record-keepers of kingdoms. They were highly respected, literate professionals, essential to the functioning of the state. Scribes trained for years to master complex hieroglyphic and hieratic scripts. They enjoyed high status, tax exemption, and immunity from manual labor. This sounds good to me!

Cats were mysterious and social beings to the ancient Egyptians. They roamed the temples and were protectors and symbols of divine power. Cats were trained to protect their grain supplies from rodents 10,000 years ago.

👉 Buy Your Auction Tickets Now for Your Chance to Bid on This and Other Items!👈

FROGGY FRIENDS

Early Elementary Science

The Early Elementary class began their new science unit last week - Animal Studies.  First, students discussed characteristics of the three animals we will observe and study.  Next, the habitats of the animals were compared and contrasted.  We also determined what we would need for each animal's classroom habitat so that it would feel comfortable for our critters.

Our first friends arrived last week.  We welcomed five African Dwarf Frogs!  Students prepared two tanks with aquarium gravel and de-chlorinated water.  Then the frogs were carefully netted from their shipment boxes to their new homes.  Each student made a realistic drawing of the frog in their Science folders, just like real scientists do!

Several times a week, students will observe the movements and behaviors of the frogs and record their findings on their log sheets.

Our next critter is the fiddler crab, followed by millipedes in the spring.

DID YOU KNOW?

A long-standing tradition at Steppingstone School is Blair Bear the Traveling Bear!  When students (or staff!) go on a trip, Blair is their companion!  Students journal during their trip, writing from Blair's perspective.  This helps keep their writing, spelling, and penmanship sharp while they travel.

Blair comes ready to hit the road.  He's got his own bag and various outfits so that he's prepared for any type of weather.  A special THANK YOU to Jenny Schiff (mom to Cassie and Finnley), who crocheted a new sweater for Blair and repaired some other clothing.

Blair is certainly one well-traveled bear!  Among other places and countries, he has been to the Caribbean, England, Germany, Mexico, Japan, and several US states.  Blair has a few journals filled with written memories and photos of his adventures.  Some are from the 1990s!  Just this school year, he has traveled to Germany, Mexico, and Florida!

Where will Blair go next???

SIGN UP FOR

KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS

TO HELP STEPPINGSTONE

Kroger has a Community Rewards program where they donate to specific organizations (mostly schools) based on purchases made by participating customers. If you're interested in helping out without actually spending any extra yourself, here are the steps you'll need to follow:

1. First, you'll need a digital account which you can register for at Kroger's website (link goes directly to the signup page), if you don't have one already.
2. Next, you need to make sure your shopper's card (the same card you use to get discounts) is associated with your digital account. This can be done on their website after signing up, at www.kroger.com/rewards.
3. Next, you'll need to select Steppingstone as your Community Rewards beneficiary from their list on the website.

You'll have to renew your participation in the program once a year.

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-Kind

In Memory of Max Roder

Fran Eldis

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