From the desk of Principal Papes
Dear Alto Families,
It has been a great week here at Alto Elementary! The music concerts yesterday were outstanding and were an exciting way to help bring closure to the month of March before students and staff are off for Spring Break. As a reminder, there is no school on Friday, March 29th. School will resume on Monday, April 8th. Please be sure to read the important information below regarding the Solar Eclipse on Monday, April 8th when we return to school.
March is Reading Month
March is Reading Month was a huge success here at Camp Read-A-Lot! Thank you to parent lead, Melissa Casarez, and reading coordinator, Jill Kirkpatrick, for all the work and planning that helped make it a success. We hope your children enjoyed the various activities throughout the month. Student participation with the Read-A-Thon slips and Bingo Boards was excellent. Thank you for consistently encouraging and supporting reading at home!
Thank you to the following groups for coming in to read to our classes:
March 5th - LHS Beauty and The Beast cast members
March 19th - LHS Baseball Players
March 20th - Alto Fire Fighters
March 25th - LHS National Honor Society and Student Council student readers
Our Book Madness competition ended yesterday with our Championship Matchup. The Final Four included “The Book Monster” (Mrs. Schult), “We Don’t Eat Our Classmates” (Mrs. Millhisler), “Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive” (Mrs. Conlin), and “Elbow Grease” (Mrs. Railsback). The Championship Matchup today featured “The Book Monster” (Mrs. Schult) vs. “We Don’t Eat Our Classmates” (Mrs. Millhisler). Mrs. Schult’s class received the most votes from students throughout the school and “The Book Monster” was crowned Alto’s Favorite Book 2024! They had a pizza party this afternoon to celebrate!
Alto All Star Celebration
Today, we celebrated our Alto All Stars before they leave for spring break with an extra recess dance party and popsicles. They had a great time!
Solar Eclipse - Monday, April 8th
When we return to school on April 8th, a unique educational opportunity will occur with the solar eclipse that is set to take place that day. We have purchased solar eclipse glasses for all students and staff for safe viewing. The glasses we purchased meet the safety requirements of the ISO 12312-2 international standard and are from a vendor listed on the American Astronomical Society’s approved vendor list.
Eye Safety During a Total Solar Eclipse (NASA)
On April 8th, we will change our normal schedule due to the timeline for the solar eclipse. The eclipse timeline in West Michigan is from 1:55 PM-4:24 PM. Max coverage is at approximately 3:11 PM. Our plan for the day includes indoor recess in the afternoon with a recommended class viewing time between 2:55 PM and 3:25 PM. The viewing time will be supervised by the teachers, and our teachers may adjust the amount of time for the viewing based on the ages of their students and weather conditions that day. We will talk to students about safe viewing and emphasize the importance of keeping glasses on at all times when looking directly at the sun. If you would like to opt your child out of the afternoon viewing experience, please contact your child’s teacher.
*Please see the attached information and resources provided by the Kent ISD.
The following is a timeline of this event in our local area. This is a unique learning opportunity, and we are looking forward to sharing it with our students!
Eclipse Timeline in West Michigan:
1:55 pm - First Contact - the partial eclipse begins when the edge of the Moon touches the edge of the sun.
2:17 pm - 20% Coverage - about one-fifth of the Sun's disk is covered by the Moon.
2:25 pm - Temperature Changes - the amount of solar energy decreases so temperatures may begin to cool slightly.
2:40 pm - Sky Darkens - as the eclipse progresses, the sky begins to darken.
2:48 pm - Weather Changes - conditions continue to change.
2:55 pm - Colors Fade - surroundings start to darken; colors turn grayish.
3:04 pm - Nature Reacts - animal and plant behavior affected.
3:11 pm - Maximum Eclipse
3:17 pm - Nature Returns - animals and plants are returning to normal.
3:30 pm - 20% Coverage - about one-fifth of the Sun's disk is covered by the moon.
3:34 pm - Sky Brightens - the sky and surroundings returning to normal.
4:24 pm - Last Contact - the partial eclipse ends when the moon's edge leaves the sun's edge.
https://wakelet.com/wake/o0zbqvNCbpRb1a6RP2s0C
I hope you all have a wonderful spring break with your children!
With Appreciation,
Paul Papes, Principal
The beautiful world of ART!
Spring Clay:
This spring all grade-levels are in the process of making one last clay project for this school year. Each class is encouraged to use their own ideas and creativity within the requirements of the project as they practice basic clay skills (though 2nd-5th grade have the added requirement to add clay onto their project and to subtract/carve clay from their project).
Teaching your children is such a joy! Thank you again for sharing them with me!
Supplies to repurpose/Donate to the Art Room
If you have any of the following items that you would like to donate to the art room, we would put them to good use!
YARN
BUTTONS
beads
fabric
pillow stuffing
egg cartons
quilt thread
ribbons
Alto Public KDL Library- Alto Elementary ART: Please continue to check out the artwork on display at the Alto Public KDL Library as new student artwork is displayed every 2-3 weeks.
Week 1 of Math & Statistic Week
Dear Parents:
April is Mathematics and Statistics Awareness month. The theme for 2024 is Game On! Play Math! I have
developed a calendar of activities similar to March is Reading Month that your child can participate in. I’m
going to keep this very simple. I hope to provide some fun ideas for kids and parents to do together. After Spring Break, each of the remaining Fridays in April, I will attach a newsletter explaining the upcoming week’s events.
Mrs. Tawney
LAS Elementary Math Coordinator
