Holly Academy News & Views

It was so gratifying to see our families yesterday for Open House! If you are a new family to Holly Academy, the administrators will be conducting a welcome Coffee & Conversation session in the auditorium at 8:00am on Tuesday.

We have heard rumors circulating regarding staff. As always, a new school year always brings about changes. Those changes normally include some staffing adjustments, technology upgrades, and facility improvements. The 22/23 school year at Holly Academy will involve change, yet we are excited about the opportunities provided through transformation.

The educational environment nationwide is fraught with challenges. There simply are not
enough college graduates going into the teaching profession for the number of jobs available.
Thus, the market for teachers is very competitive. To put it bluntly, teachers can write their own
tickets for positions, and districts are outbidding each other to get quality teachers. At HA we
are committed to being as competitive as possible. However, we can only be as competitive as our
budget allows. Unlike traditional districts, we cannot levy taxes in the form of millages to
provide capital for improvements. All our improvements (i.e., renovations of student restrooms)
comes from our “savings” in fund equity. Even so, eighty percent of our revenue goes to
salaries and benefits. We simply can’t be the heavy hitters in terms of salary that traditional
districts can.

What we can do is, provide a working culture in which teachers have the opportunity to work
alongside the best in the field and support staff through the family atmosphere that we have
grown here at HA. While we have lost some outstanding teachers over the summer, we are
most confident that our new staff members have the enthusiasm, drive, and love for students
that will bring an added level of excitement to our school days. We ask that you trust us to
provide the excellent educational environment that you have come to expect over the years. As always, we “dare to be remarkable” to support our Huskies.

Chris Kidd - Curriculum Director

Amy Deloney - 3rd grade

Marie Sawade - Middle school math

Beth Economou - Speech/Language Therapist

Congratulations to the following staff members who are in new positions:

Danielle Mison - Math Coach

Kristin Shore - 2nd grade

Linda Andrada - 3rd grade

Matt Mison - 2nd-5th Computers

Sara Toole - Interventionist

Nicole Scheich - Kindergarten paraprofessional

Parents, please be aware that Fish Lake Road, from Grange Hall Road to Academy Road is closed. The project completion is expected in late October. Please find an alternate route to school.

We anticipate that we will invite volunteers into the school this year. As protocol indicates, all volunteers will check-in through the Raptor system in the vestibule and wear a badge while inside the school. First-time Raptor users will be entered into the system by Mrs. Melton and Mrs. Munerance. We will set aside a timeframe for initial user input at the beginning of the school year. Dare to be remarkable!

I am so excited to announce that our new Curriculum Director, Mr. Chris Kidd, has joined our pack! Chris comes to us from Powers Catholic where he has served as the Director of Social Emotional Learning and has over 20 years within education. Chris has taught science, served as principal, university supervisor, and teacher, and was an interim superintendent. He brings a great deal of knowledge and expertise to Holly Academy. Please give Mr. Kidd a big Husky welcome when you see him at drop-off and dismissal. It's great to be a Husky!

My name is Christopher Kidd and I am the new Curriculum Director and Middle School Administrator for Holly Academy. This is day four for me and it has been both exciting and fun so far. I am excited to have this opportunity and look forward to meeting the families and students of Holly Academy. As the Curriculum Director, I will be working directly with staff to provide the best educational opportunities for your students. My office will be in the middle school building. This will allow me to work with the middle school staff and students on a daily basis. I look forward to working with our newly hired staff and providing guidance and support to them throughout the year.

A little background about me: I graduated from Michigan Technological University with a bachelor's degree in Science and have a 6-12 grade teaching certificate in Biology (DA) and Science (DX). I also have a master's degree from Eastern Michigan University in educational leadership for k-12 and a central office endorsement for superintendents. I have 20 years of experience as a classroom teacher in Science, Math, and PE. I also have 5 years of experience as an administrator and have served as a principal, SEL coordinator, and intern superintendent.

I am excited to be a Husky and look forward to meeting all of you. If you have any questions you can contact me at kiddc@hollyacademy.org or call 248-634-5554 ext 221.

September 19th from 5:30-7:30pm

This school year we will be allowing parents in the building for drop-off in the morning only. Parents are welcome to walk their children to their lockers however your child must enter the classroom without a parent. This will foster the independence of the students.

If you wish to stay in your car and drop off, please follow the guidelines below:

Morning drop-off:

• Y5, Kindergarten, and 1st-grade students will enter the building through the main canopied entrance (M1). Parents may park in the parking lot and walk their student(s) inside.

• If students need assistance exiting the vehicle please use lane 1 so as not to hold up other lanes, otherwise, parents need to remain in their vehicle. If your child is young 5 or kindergarten please use Lane 1 unless there is an older sibling to help them.

• Students may not be dropped off along the sidewalk in front of the main entrance (M1).
• 2nd and 3rd grade students will enter the building through the west doors (M13) in the front of the building.
• 4th and 5th grade students will enter the building through the east doors (M12) in the front of the building.
• Middle school students may be dropped off at the middle school or in the front drop off lanes.

The following list is a brief overview of Holly Academy's dismissal procedures.

• The lane closest to the building will be designated for Y5/K families or carpool families. For all other families, please filter into lanes 2, 3, 4, or 5.
• Be sure your sign (student's last name, grade, and the teacher) is clearly displayed.
• For the safety of our students, please turn off your cell phone.
• Please stay in your lane unless directed by an HA staff member.
• Turn on your right blinker when your car is loaded.
• Staff will direct you to move forward or exit the parking lot.
• Students may not exit vehicles once they have loaded. If your child forgets something inside the building, please pull around to the main entrance for re-entry into the building.
• Please make sure anyone authorized to pick up your child is listed as an emergency contact in Skyward. You may add emergency contacts by calling the office.
• If someone different will be picking up your child, please email Mrs. Craven (craventina@hollyacademy.org) and Mrs. Price (prices@hollyacademy.org) or if it is within a few hours of dismissal, please call the office. They will need to provide a photo ID in order for your child to be released.

To ensure that we are providing the healthiest environment for our Huskies, our expectation is that staff and families will use good judgment and stay home when they are sick. Should your child have a fever, our school protocol is that they may not return to school until they are fever free, without medication, for 24 hours. Should your Husky be exposed to a positive case, we will follow the Oakland County Health Department’s guidelines.

HA will continue our daily cleaning protocols using products approved by the CDC to be effective against the COVID-19 virus.

Attached below are the most recent Oakland County Health Department COVID-19 guidelines as of March 1, 2022.

It’s great to be a Husky!

We are participating in the Holly Days Parade and Community Play Day on Saturday, September 10th (parade begins at 11:00am). Please mark your calendars to join us to walk in the parade wearing your Holly Academy "swag". We are also looking for a family or two to kindly drive their pick-up truck in the parade. Please contact Mrs. Vana and/or Mrs. Horton if you can provide a truck: vanat@hollyacademy.org, hortone@hollyacademy.org. It's great to be a Husky!

The PTO will offer the annual payment option for the 2022-2023 school year for dress-down days and popcorn. Please see the attached form which needs to be returned by September 8th.

Every year the Holly Academy PTO offers apparel that can be purchased an worn by students. Look for more information to come regarding how to order on October 3rd.

Please join us on September 14th at 8:00am in the auditorium for our first PTO meeting of the 2022-23 school year.

• Aug. 29 - First day of school for 1st-8th grades
• Aug. 30 - First day of school for Y5 and kindergarten
• Aug. 30 - New family Coffee & Conversation at 8:00am
• Sept. 2 - No school
• Sept. 5 - Labor Day
• Sept. 9 - Patriot Day (observed) free dress down day if students wear red, white, & blue
• Sept. 10 - Holly Days Parade, 11:00am
• Sept. 14 - PTO meeting at 8:00am in the auditorium
• Sept. 16 - Citizenship Day (observed) free dress down day if students wear red, white, & blue
• Sept. 19 - Virtual Curriculum Night, 5:30-7:30pm
• Sept. 21 - Picture day
• Sept. 23 - PTO dress down day, $1.00
• Sept. 30 - PTO dress down day, $1.00

Email: info@hollyacademy.org
Website: www.hollyacademy.org
Location: 820 Academy Road, Holly, MI, USA
Phone: 248-634-5554
Facebook: facebook.com/hollyacademymi
Twitter: @hollyacademymi