đź“– Learn More
Family Handbook: 2025-2026 Clear Lake Family Handbook
(Details about Clear Lake daily operations & expectations)
🏫 First Day of School
Thursday, August 21:
Developmental Kindergarten (DK) & Kindergarten Staggered Start:
To help your child transition smoothly, DK and Kindergarten students will have a staggered start:
Thursday, August 21: Only students with last names A–K attend.
Friday, August 22: Only students with last names L–Z attend.
Monday, August 25: All DK and Kindergarten students attend together.
This approach allows teachers to connect with students in smaller groups and introduce routines in a supportive environment.
All 1st–5th Graders: Begin school Thursday, August 21
✉️ Class Placement & Supply Lists
Classroom placement letters and classroom-specific suggested supply lists will be sent via email on Thursday, August 14. Suggested school supplies may be brought to Meet & Greet or on the first day of school.
đź“… Key Dates
Meet & Greet: Monday, August 18, 1:30–3:00 p.m.
We are excited to see everyone soon at our Clear Lake Meet & Greet event on Monday, August 18th from 1:30-3:00 p.m. Meet & Greet is the time for students and their families to visit their new teacher and classroom, drop off school supplies, and tour the school. Make sure to also stop in and visit the cafeteria to get a treat from the Clear Lake PTO!
Bus Info:
Available in PowerSchool Parent Portal by August 20
Grade Level Curriculum Nights:
* DK-2nd grades: Monday, 8/18/25, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
* 3rd–5th grades: Tuesday, 8/19/25, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Curriculum night is a time for parents and guardians to meet with the classroom teacher and learn more about the grade level curriculum, routines, and procedures. Curriculum night is an in-person event.
Picture Day:
Friday, September 5. All students in attendance the morning of Friday, 9/5/25 will have their picture taken. Any student that needs a retake or was absent will have the opportunity during Picture Retake Day. The date for Picture Retake Day will be communicated at a later date.
⚠️ Important Reminders
Update PowerSchool Info:
The annual PowerSchool Information Update email from the district went out today Monday, 8/11/25. ALL students need to have their information reviewed and updated on a yearly basis. This is so our school has the most updated email(s), phone number(s), and emergency contacts for this school year. This information is used to send out important updates, weekly building communication, and in the case of an emergency or illness, when the office is not able to contact the parent(s)/guardian(s) first we then move on to contacts listed.
If you’ve done the annual update before, just log in to your PowerSchool Parent account and update your information. Families with students new to Oxford will need the code that was emailed to you.
🎵 Elementary Specials Update
We are excited to share updates to our elementary specials schedule. These changes are designed to provide your child with even more well-rounded educational experiences, supporting their academic, creative, mental, emotional, and physical development.
Each specials class offers unique benefits—nurturing creativity, boosting cognitive skills, and fostering essential life skills. We believe these enhancements will help every student thrive both in and out of the classroom.
To create a more well-rounded experience, changes in the schedule include increased art and music minutes and reduced Spanish minutes.
Art- 60 minutes weekly (formally 60 minutes every two weeks)
PE- 60 minutes weekly (no change)
Music- 60 minutes weekly (formally 30 minutes weekly)
Spanish- 90 minutes weekly (formally 150 minutes weekly)
Thank you for your continued support as we work to provide the best possible learning environment for your child.
đź’›Elementary Staffing Update
Kindergarten: Due to current enrollment numbers in kindergarten (only), we will be running only two classrooms for the 2025-2026 school year. We hope to have our enrollment grow so that it can reopen for the 2026-2027 school year.
2nd grade: We welcome, Mrs. Gina Lenhart to 2nd grade this school year. Mrs. Lenhart has been with Oxford Schools for many years, and prior to this school year has taught DK and kindergarten. This opening in 2nd grade is due to Ms. MacDonald taking a year leave of absence.
3rd grade: With the movement of Mrs. McDonough to OVA, Mrs. (Senora) Ebeling will be moving to teach 3rd grade this school year. Mrs. Ebeling comes with years of classroom teaching experience and we are excited to have her join the 3rd grade team.
Music: Mrs. Sydnee Hararuc is joining the Clear Lake specials team and comes with experience, having taught the last several years at both Oxford Middle School and Leonard Elementary. Once the day/time and other Super Singers information is confirmed it will be communicated to families.
Spanish DK-1st grade, EI: Senora Paola Herrero will be joining us from DA this school year to teach our Spanish learners in DK, kindergarten, 1st grade, and our EI classroom.
We also welcome the following Center Base ASD classroom staff to Clear Lake: -Center Based Special Education Director-Jessica Taylor
-Center Base Special Education Teacher-Emma Abad
-Center Base Special Education Paraprofessionals-Destiny Jones, Zach Hineman
📱Cell Phones and Smart Watches Update
Board Policy 5209 authorizes the superintendent, building principals, and teachers to develop building-level and classroom rules for students’ use of cell phones and other electronic devices.
At the elementary level, cell phones and smart watches are not allowed in order to limit distractions and promote safety in the learning environment. If students have cellphones or smart watches, they must be kept in backpacks at all times.
We ask that if there is a change in dismissal procedures for your child that you know ahead of time to please send in a note to their classroom teacher. If you need to contact your child during the school day please call the main office at 248-969-5200. Students are also able to come to the office to call home as needed.
🥗 Free Breakfast and Lunch Update
Michigan School Meals funding will continue to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students, regardless of household income, through September 30, 2025.
Funding beyond this date has not been determined, as the state budget is not yet finalized for the 2025-2026 school year.
Families will be informed of any changes; updates will be posted on the Nutrition Services page of the district website.
Menus and Account Info:
Find breakfast/lunch menus and directions for depositing money into your student’s account (Meal Magic Family Portal) at:
www.oxfordschools.org → Departments → Nutrition Services
Free & Reduced Meals:
Qualifying families may receive additional benefits such as discounted internet, SAT fee waivers, and (if issued) P-EBT cards. Click here for the online application for Free & Reduced meals.
đź’¬ Stay Connected
The Clear Lake Connector is just one way to stay in the loop with all our Clear Lake building news and events. Information is also always posted on our Clear Lake website.
