Updated: Jun 21
WELCOME!
Hello parents! I hope you are having a wonderful week and looking forward to our first day on Monday, June 23rd!
This is an example of the weekly “newsletter” you will receive from me throughout the program. After this initial email blast, I will be converting to posting all weekly updates on our blog. Please subscribe if you haven’t already, and you will receive email notifications when new posts are made! https://www.slsummerenrichment.org/blog
The first newsletter is the longest! I apologize, but it includes a lot of key information to give you an idea of all upcoming activities and events this summer! Much of the information will be included at the bottom of every weekly newsletter to keep important reminders up to date!
Please note that this newsletter is separated into the following categories:
• Personnel
• First Day Protocol
• Volunteer Lunch (if applicable to your student)
• Scripts
• T-Shirts
• Fundraisers
• Theme Thursdays (Elementary)
• Important Notes
• Important Dates
• Important Links
• Important Names
Thank you very much!
PERSONNEL
Leadership
Jenny Cort – Program Consultant
Jenny took a step back from Leadership in 2025, but continues to be available to us in a consultant capacity. Her mother, Debbie Little, founded Summer Enrichment in 1988 (read more about our history here.) Jenny also assists with community outreach and serves on the Youth Assistance Board.
Marcie Kryka – Program Director
Marcie (that’s me!) is the direct supervisor and point person for both the Elementary and Mid-High sessions. I am present during program hours daily to oversee activities, make schedules, manage staff and student concerns, and communicate with parents. If you have any questions regarding the program’s day-to-day activities, I am the person you will reach out to.
Ben Machesky – Staff Lead
Ben acts as the direct supervisor for our volunteer program and oversees/delegates his fellow staff on the micro level, akin to a Team Captain. If a volunteer has questions or concerns about their roles and responsibilities, they should consult Ben for further guidance.
Abigail Smathers – Deputy Director
Abigail stepped up in 2025 after Jenny’s departure, assisting Marcie in handling all administrative tasks. She is present during program hours to help delegate tasks, manage scheduled activities, and communicate with parents/families.
Program Staff/Activity Leaders
Our staff is who keep the activities and fun rolling! These individuals will be in charge of running activities, writing scripts, and directing shows. They are the people your students will have the most interaction with this summer. There may be some names you recognize, and there may be some new faces! These are the folks you will talk to before/after your student’s session if you have questions about scripts, costumes, etc.
Joey Abate (Elementary & Mid-High)
Zac Desentz (Elementary & Mid-High)
Andie Iovan (Elementary & Mid-High)
Carter Ponsock (Elementary & Mid-High)
Cooper Schultz (Elementary & Mid-High)
Elliot Steger (Elementary & Mid-High)
Charlotte Thomas (Elementary & Mid-High)
You can find more information about our amazing staff on our website.
DAY 1 PROTOCOL
If you are new to the program (or need a memory refresher), this is how the first day works.
We are meeting at Centennial Middle School this summer! You can report to the staff parking lot and meet at Door 8 (near the bus loop). If you are just dropping off, you can drive through the bus loop. We will have staff outside and inside the building to direct you to where you need to go.
Elementary Students
Many parents opt to stay for the first few minutes to hear our introductions to the program. You may do that if you wish, but it is not required. After introductions, we will do a roll call of sorts to tell your student who their teachers will be for the summer. Then they will split up and go to their individual classrooms to get to know their teachers and hear about their classroom rules and plans!
Mid-High
This is much more informal. Mid-High is not split into individual classrooms, and we spend a lot of time together as a big group. Once students are cast to their plays, they will have smaller group time to work on their shows. But all other activities are done as one unit.
Both Groups
After getting acclimated to our routine, please be mindful of your student's timetable. Elementary runs from 10:00-12:00, and Mid-High from 1:00-4:00. Please be respectful about these times. Our staff has work to do both before and after your student's respective session. We humbly ask that you do not drop them off too early, or pick them up too late, as this disrupts our staff's other job responsibilities. Emergencies and accidents happen, and that is okay. But overall, please help us follow our schedules as closely as possible.
LUNCH PROTOCOL
Parents of middle- and high-school volunteers who eat lunch with us at noon:
In order to leave campus for lunch, Volunteers will need to fill out a Permission Slip (signed by you) for us to keep on file. In addition, they will be required to sign out and sign in when leaving/returning. If the volunteer is over the age of 18 or in college, they do not need this permission slip.
We will pass out paper permission slips during week 1, but if you would like to fill it out now so your student can go get lunch on the first day, please download the form from our website here; you can print and fill it out and have them bring it on Day 1 :-)
SCRIPTS
Due to our limited access to facility equipment such as printers and copiers, this year we will be administering all scripts via Google Docs. Please have your students print these at home and bring them in every day to practice! If you have any difficulties opening the documents or do not have access to a printer, please let us know and we will be more than happy to provide further guidance.
Scripts will be separated into two folders: one for Elementary, and one for Mid-High. Please keep in mind that volunteers should also print a copy of the script for the classroom they are a part of. They may have a small role in the show or need a script to help others practice lines.
If you are unsure of which scripts your child(ren) need(s) to download when the time comes, please feel free to email me and I will direct you to the correct shows.
As of now, we plan to have scripts available to download and print on the morning of Wednesday, July 9th. I will continue to keep you apprised if this estimate changes.
You can access the folder via this link.
T-SHIRTS
Staff have voted on our t-shirt colors for this year! Please note these colors will be dependent on our printing company’s inventory. I will update everyone if for any reason we are required to choose new colors.
Everyone receives a t-shirt at no additional cost for their registered session. Volunteers will also receive t-shirts for their sessions as well.
Elementary will be Red. Mid-High will be Royal Blue.
FUNDRAISERS
We are a nonprofit organization, which means all profits go directly back into the program to fund our activities from one summer to the next. Your participation is important and appreciated!
Car Wash
Our Car Wash is taking place Friday, July 11th, 10:00-1:00 in the Dairy Queen parking lot. If your student is an 8th or 9th grader, they will be invited to volunteer to work with staff that day. All high school and college volunteers are welcome to join as well. I will send permission slips home later in the summer.
I am also including the flyer. Feel free to post to social media and share with family and friends!
Aubree’s
Our Aubree’s fundraiser will take place on Tuesday, July
22nd, 11:00AM-10:00PM. The format has changed from previous years! You can now order anything on the menu and have 20% of your bill donated directly to Summer Enrichment as long as you bring a paper copy of the red and white Dine to Donate Flyer.
The management and wait staff at the restaurant require families to provide at least one paper copy of the flyer per bill to assist them in record-keeping. I am attaching the official restaurant flyer. Please note that we are not allowed to pass out flyers at the restaurant, so be sure to share with family and friends in advance!
Penny Drive
For those who need a refresher, the Penny Drive works as follows:
We will have one collection for Elementary, and one collection for Mid-High. Donated pennies will be counted as "positive" points towards the session in which they are enrolled. However, any silver (nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars, etc.) or cash can be used to put into the opposing session's collection to make their points NEGATIVE!
For example, if 2nd grader Bobby brings in 50 pennies for his Elementary collection, but 7th grader Molly brings in two quarters (50 cents) to put into the Elementary collection, the Elementary points go back to "0". This is a fun and competitive way to raise money that goes right back into the program. The winning team will win a prize at the end of the summer, the plans for which are still underway!
The final day of the Penny Drive will be Tuesday, 7/22. The winning team will receive their prize on Thursday, 7/24.
Tricky Tray
Our annual Tricky Tray fundraiser will take place on performance nights. We collect various donated items between $5 and $10 from families to raffle at the end of each performance night.
You can begin sending your students with these items at any time! We will collect through the final week.
We will be searching for parents to help with asking for donations from local businesses (most businesses have worked with us in the past and look forward to participating) and selling tickets before and after the performances. Please let us know if you’d be interested in lending a hand in this task.
THEME THURSDAYS
ELEMENTARY SESSION ONLY
Thursday, June 26th: Class Color Day
*Tuesday, July 1st: Pajama Day
Thursday, July 10th: Favorite Fictional Character Day
Thursday, July 17th: Career Day
Thursday, July 24th: Dapper Day
* We will do Week 2’s theme on a Tuesday,
as we will not be meeting on the 2nd or 3rd of July
IMPORTANT NOTES
Please remind your students to adhere to standard school dress code. We also ask that all students wear close-toed shoes. We will be having games and activities that involve extensive movement (cardio and dance, for example), and close-toed shoes are the safest option to avoid any potential injuries.
Please also note that it is important to let your student’s teachers know about scheduled absences. If they need to miss some time due to illness or emergency, this is no problem! (And there is no need to “call them in” absent in these cases.) But if they will be absent for an extended period of time for camp, vacation, etc., having advance notice helps our staff prepare activities accordingly. If you included these dates in your registration already, I have those records and you do not need to inform us again.
If you would like to volunteer in any way, please let us know! We are asking for parents to help visit businesses in the South Lyon area, and sell Tricky Tray tickets on performance nights. We would love and appreciate any help you are able to provide, and your dedication contributes to the longevity of our program!
If you know of any additional fundraising opportunities, please let us know!
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, June 23rd: Our first day!
Tuesday, June 24th: We will be starting our Penny Drive fundraiser! More details to follow, but if you are familiar, feel free to have your student start bringing in coins whenever you wish :-)
Wednesday, July 2nd & Thursday, July 3rd: No Program. Enjoy your holiday!
Wednesday, July 9th: Elementary and Mid-High Scripts go live to download/print on our Google Drive folder, which you can access here.
Friday, July 11th: Car Wash Fundraiser in the Dairy Queen parking lot (10:00AM-1:00PM)
Tuesday, July 22nd: Last day for Penny Drive!
Tuesday, July 22nd: Aubree’s Fundraiser (11AM-10PM)
Thursday, July 24th: Penny Drive winner prize day!
Thursday, July 31st - Elementary Performance: No program for Middle School. Elementary dress rehearsal will take place 10:00AM-12:00PM, and our final performance will be held at 7:00PM in the Centennial Cafetorium. Please note that students will be asked to arrive early in order to prepare for their shows. This typically means between 6:30-6:45. We will keep you apprised with an exact time as we get closer. Please note: there is no admission fee for the shows! Coming to watch is completely free. Please invite friends and family to join the fun!
Friday, August 1st - Mid-High Performance: Mid-High dress rehearsal will be held from 9:30AM-1:00PM, and our final performance will be held at 7:00PM in the Centennial Cafetorium. Please note that students will be asked to arrive early in order to prepare for their shows. This typically means between 6:30-6:45. We will keep you apprised with an exact time as we get closer. Please note: there is no admission fee for the shows! Coming to watch is completely free. Please invite friends and family to join the fun!
IMPORTANT LINKS
Pay Your Program Registration Fee
IMPORTANT NAMES
You can read full staff bios on our website.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me (Marcie):
(734) 730-4441 (text preferred)
Thank you for your cooperation! We will see you Monday!
