Steve Minard, Principal

Kristi Bast, Secretary

Telephone (616) 252-2010 and Fax (616) 252-2011

North Godwin Elementary's Fall Fundraiser started on Friday, Spetmber 6, 2024. All students received an order form for Frandale's DELICIOUS subs, garlic bread and cinnamon rolls! We really need the support of all of our student families to make this fundraiser a success!

There are many, many things throughout the school year that we want to provide for our students that are not covered in the general school budget, such as field trips, treats for special events, House Team t-shirts, and much more. The money generated from the sale of the Frandale's subs will be a long way to help us provide these "extras" for our students.

ALL ORDERS and MONEY MUST BE TURNED IN BY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2024.

CHECKS SHOULD BE MADE PAYABLE TO NORTH GODWIN ELEMENTARY

ALL ORDERS MUST BE PICKED UP on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2024. Times to be announced!

Our annual Title I Informational Family Night -- Popsicles on the Playground -- will be held at North Godwin Elementary on Thursday, September 19, 2024 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. This event is "pop in", open house style. Simply stop by our playground anytime between 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM for a popsicle. There will be some informational tables set up on the playground for parents to visit.

Students who attend MUST be accompanied by a parent or guardian!

This is a TITLE I INFORMATIONAL night. Families will join us on the playgroud for popsicles. There will be informational tables for parents to gather information about awareness of resources that are available at school for bullying, academics, and through KSSN (Kent School Services Network).

What is Title I?

The Title I program gives federal funding to school districts for supplemental instruction for students who qualify. Title I funding is used to offer support services to students who need extra time and instruction to master grade level curriculum. Title I schools are identified through a state formula each year that is based on the number of students from economically disadvantaged homes. North Godwin has a Title I program.

The purpose of Title I is to:

• help every child receive a high-quality education
• increase academic achievement
• build capacity for parent involvement
• provide professional development for building staff

Title I services provided by federal funds are based on the academic needs of students. Students who qualify for academic support may be served in language arts, mathematics or both. Eligibility is determined by standardized tests, classroom assessments and performance and teacher recommendation.

Title I services may be short term or long term, depending on the needs of each individual student. We are pleased to offer these services to help all of our students be successful.

Parent-Home Connection

Parents and guardians of students receiving Title I support services are encouraged to be actively involved in their child's education.

Conferences are one of the most important ways parents and teachers work together as a team, as parents and guardians may share information about their child’s special interests. It is also a good time for discussing the child’s academic progress and for gaining ideas on how parents can best help their children at home. A translator is available upon request.

Parents and guardians influence their children’s education more than anyone else. Parental involvement can boost children’s achievement. By taking an active role in our school, parents show their children that they are valued and that education is important. Children learn that parents and the school are a team, working together to help them succeed.

Parents can participate in their child's learning in several ways:

• Read to your child daily
• Listen to your child read daily
• Attend your school's annual open house
• Attend parent-teacher conferences
• Participate in class field trips and class projects
• Come to school meetings and events

We hope to see you at Popsicles on the Playground, September 19, 2024! 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

At North Godwin Elementary, our entire school, staff included, is part of one of our 5 HOUSE TEAMS, Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Space! Students are assigned to a team in 3rd grade and stay on that team for their entire 3 years at North Godwin. New students in all grades are assigned to teams after they enroll.

House teams in schools are a fun, positive way to build stronger relationships among students, faculty, and staff. By setting up houses that include students from all grade levels, we enable students and staff to make investments in each other and share powerful moments together. House teams in schools also:

• Make large schools feel smaller
• Create stronger peer connections
• Cultivate a sense of belonging
• Improve school culture and climate
• Enable organic character education
• Foster faculty, staff, and student ownership
• Promote positive relationships
• Instill a sense of school pride
• Help reduce behavior issues
• Increase academic achievement

Our next EARLY DISMISSAL will be on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. Parent pick-up begins at 1:30 PM. Buses depart and the final bell rings at 1:45 PM. Please plan accordingly to arrive on time.

Please join us for our Godwin Heights Homecoming Football game on Friday, October 4, 2024 at 7:00 PM. The Godwin Heights Wolverines will be playing Fruitport High School at 7:00 PM on the

Carl P. Bahre Football Field , located at 3501 Hillcrift Avenue SW.

The homecoming parade will be held before the game -- details to follow!

Show your GODWIN PRIDE! #wearegodwin

Hope to see you there!

North Godwin Elementary fall Parent and Teacher Conferences will held this week; October 14 -- October 18, 2024.

Students will have an altered schedule this week as follows:

Monday, October 14 (normal school day)

Tuesday, October 15 (normal school day)

Wednesday, October 16 (normal school day)

Thursday, October 17 (EARLY DISMISSAL with parent pick up beginning at 1:30 PM; final bell at 1:45 PM)

Friday, October 18 (HALF DAY OF SCHOOL with parent pick up beginning at 11:30 AM; final bell at 11:45 AM)

Please be sure to arrive on time for your scheduled conference/s. It is important to keep your scheduled time, as our teachers and translators have very full schedules to accommodate every student family. Thank you for your understanding!

ALL STUDENT ABSENCES MUST BE REPORTED TO THE NORTH GODWIN OFFICE!

IMPORTANT PARENT REMINDER!

All absences must be called in to the school office each day at 616-252-2010! OR, emailed to Mrs. Bast: bast@godwinschools.org.

Absences not reported to the office will be recorded as UNexcused.

The Literacy Center of West Michigan is offering FREE classes for North Godwin Elementary parents who wish to learn English as a second language. Classes are held from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays. Free childcare is available. Please call McKenna at 616-551-4553 to register.

Our Feeding America truck distributions will be once a month on WEDNESDAYS! Food trucks start at 4:45 pm in front of the high school. If you have your own bags, you are encouraged to bring them!

Here is the schedule for the rest of the year:

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Wednesday, December 11. 2024

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g8jzgNQfqROOPszZhYNwk0miwI-4m9JS/view?usp=drive_link

September 25 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

October 9 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

October 17 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM -- P/T Conferences

October 18 ~ 1/2 day of School @ 11:45 AM -- P/T Conferences

October 30 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

November 13 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

November 20 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

November 27, 28 & 29 ~ No School THANKSGIVING BREAK

December 18 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

December 20 ~ 1/2 day of school Dismissal at @ 11:45 AM

December 23 - December 31 ~ No School HOLIDAY BREAK

January 1 - 3 ~ No School HOLIDAY BREAK

January 6 -- FIRST DAY BACK TO SCHOOL AFTER HOLIDAY BREAK

January 15 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

January 20 ~ No School

January 29 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

February 18 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM Spring P/T Conferences

February 19 ~ 1/2 day of school -- Dismissal at 11:45 AM for MID-WINTER BREAK

February 20 ~ No School MID WINTER BREAK

February 21 ~ No School MID WINTER BREAK

February 26 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

March 12 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

March 26 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

April 3 ~ 1/2 day of school -- Dismissal at 11:45 AM

April 4 ~ No School SPRING BREAK

April 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11 ~ No School SPRING BREAK

April 23 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

May 7 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

May 21 ~ Early Release @ 1:45 PM

May 23 ~ 1/2 day of school -- Dismissal at 11:45 AM MEMORIAL WEEKEND

May 26 ~ No School -- MEMORIAL DAY

May 30 ~ 1/2 DAY OF SCHOOL -- DISMISSAL AT 11:45 AM -- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

Parents and Guardians,

By now you should have received your student's initial photograph packet or proof. If you are unsatisfied with the photo, you can send it to school with your student on RE-TAKE DAY. They will present it to the Geskus Photographers, which will signal that you want a RE-TAKE.

If your child was absent on our original picture day, they will be photographed on October 24. We will also photograph any NEW students who have enrolled since September 6, the date of our original photo day.

If you need a new order form for RE-TAKE Day, simple let your student's teacher know, or call Mrs. Bast in the office. We do have a few extra ordering forms. Parents can also order their students's photos online at: https://www.geskusphoto.com/

Who We Are:

TEAM 21 is a collaborative after school and summer program serving students in both Godfrey-Lee Public Schools and Godwin Heights Public Schools under a collective grant. Mr. Eric Mockerman supervises the program for both Godwin Heights and Godfrey-Lee Public Schools.

What We Do:

We are working to improve the lives of youth and their families in our community. TEAM 21’s mission is to foster academic, social, and emotional growth among students through mentorship and activities, working together with the schools where programming takes place.

Activities:

TEAM 21 is a multi-faceted program that strives to provide enrichment and meet the dynamic needs of the students we serve. The program aims to expose our students to new experiences, broadening their horizons and allowing them to develop and cultivate new interests in many areas, including the following:

• Academic Enrichment
• Arts of All Kinds
• Career Readiness
• Community Service
• Family and Community Events
• Health and Wellness
• Sports & Fitness
• STEM

Staff:

Our staff, who come from a variety of backgrounds and have varying interests, are united by a single mission: to make a positive impact on youth in our community, serving as mentors and caring, consistent adults ready to make a difference in the lives of our students.

To ensure that each student has a high-quality experience in the program, TEAM 21 works to maintain staffing levels of 1 staff member for every 12 - 14 students. Staff participate in many on-going professional development trainings, from classroom management techniques and large group management trainings to content area trainings. Our staff participate in a minimum of 16 hours of on-going training each year.

Additionally, TEAM 21 staff undergo a rigorous state and federal background check process prior to their employment.

The first day of T.E.A.M. 21 programming at North Godwin Elementary is Tuesday, September 3, 2024. The T.E.A.M. 21 program is held Mondays through Thursdays only (no Friday programing) from 3:15 PM to 6:00 PM. On most early release school days, the program still runs, but with altered program hours of 1:45 PM to 4:30 PM.

At this time, North Godwin Elementary only has 1 group leader. Therefore, only 14 students have been accepted into the program. There is a long wait list. As group leaders are hired and more spots become available in the program, those students who are on a wait list will be contacted. Preference is given to students who are most in need of support academically (behind grade level), as well as those who turned applications in early.

Appications are accepted in hard copy only -- applications can be obtained from our informational table in the main lobby at North Godwin Elementary. If you would like an application to be sent home with your student, simply call the office and we will arrange to have one sent home in their backpack.

TEAM 21 is HIRING adult group leaders and Program Coordinators!

If you would like to become a part of the TEAM 21 staff, please email Emma Colon, our TEAM 21 Coordinator, at: emma.colon@godwinschools.org

ALL student medications must be cleared through the school office with appropriate medical paperwork on file. Parents may not send students to school with prescription or non-prescription medications unless the appropriate paperwork has been submitted to the school office.

Emergency Medications

It is necessary to have the proper Godwin Heights Public Schools paperwork completed for any emergency medication housed at school. Links to the forms that must be completed by a physician and signed by a parent are listed below. All completed forms must be accompanied by an emergency action plan (obtained by a physician), as well as the medication in the original pharmacy packaging with the student name on pharmacy label

Daily Rx Medications

In those circumstances where a student must take prescribed medication at lunch during the school day, the following guidelines are to be observed:

1. Parents should, with their physician’s counsel, determine whether the medication schedule can be adjusted to avoid administering medication during school hours.
2. The Godwin Heights Public Schools "Authorization to Administer Medication and/or Treatment" form must be completed and submitted by a physician and signed by a parent before the student will be allowed to begin taking any medication during school hours.
   
3. Parents will be required to bring the medication to school in the original pharmacy packaging with the student name on the bottle. A two to four week supply of medication is recommended. Medication may not be sent to school in a student’s lunch box, pocket or other means on or about his/her person. Together, the parent and the school office secretary will count the pills and log what is being dropped off. Both the parent and the school representative will sign the log verifying what is being dropped off each time.
4. Medication that is brought to the office will be properly secured.
5. Parents will be asked to sigh out and pick-up any unused medications. Any unused medication unclaimed by the parent will be destroyed by school personnel in conjunction with our Corewell Health Nurse Liaison when a prescription is no longer to be administered, or at the end of a school year.

Non-Prescription / Over-the-Counter Medications

Non-prescription / Over-the-Counter student medications must be housed in the school office. In the interest of safety for all students are not allowed to self-carry any medications while at school. A parent or guardian must complete the NON-PRESCRIPTION portion of the form below, sign it, and return it to the school office, along with the medication in the original packaging. Examples include: cough drops, Tylenol, Motrin, allergy pills, and the like.

Link to District Medication Administration Form (Rx, non-prescription, and emergency medications):

Administer Medication English

Administer Medication Spanish

If you need assistance, please call the school office at 616-252-2010.

Baton Twirling classes are being offered by Athletic Sensations here in the Grand Rapids area. Please visit their website, linked above for more information!

Parents and Guardians,

If you have MOVED since registering your student for the 2024-2025 school year, it is VERY IMPORTANT to call the school office and update your address!

RESIDENTS

If your student was a RESIDENT of the Godwin Heights Public School district, but you have since moved out of the district and wish for your student/s to return to Godwin Heights for the 2024-2025 school year, you MUST COMPLETE a SCHOOL OF CHOICE APPLICATION no later than 3:00 PM on Monday, August 19, 2024 in order for your child to continue at Godwin Heights. You will also need to provide (1) new proof of residency.

If you are RESIDENT of the district and MOVED to a different address within the district, you will need to contact the school office and provide (2) new proofs of residency.

SCHOOL OF CHOICE

If you are an established School of Choice family and have moved, you will simply need to notify the school office and provide (1) new proof of residency.

Bus transportation is limited to those students who reside within the Godwin Heights Public Schools district boundaries.

Kids’ Food Basket exists to increase access to healthy food for children and families. Their core belief is that food is a right, not a privilege. Because that is not yet a reality, they mobilize human and financial resources to break down barriers that cause food insecurity. Their services include a flagship "Sack Supper" program, community-driven farming, family food provision and educational programming. Collectively, they are working toward realizing a hunger-free West Michigan for all.

Each school day (unless otherwise noted), your student/s are eligible to take home a FREE sack supper at dismissal. An "opt-out" letter will go home with your student/s during the first week of school. If you do NOT wish for your child to receive a sack supper, you can opt-out. Otherwise, all students will be offered a take home sack supper. No sign up is necessary.

Every Sack Supper contains:
One serving of fruit
One serving of vegetables
One serving of protein
A healthy snack

Please encourage your student/s to be respectful of these sack suppers. They are not meant to be opened on school buses, or improperly discarded on school property or neighboring lawns. Kids Food Basket research estimates that 1.1 million Michigan residents are food insecure. A great community effort goes into funding and operating the non-profit Kids Food Basket program and we expect our students to respect the impact that it makes in the lives of so many families. In partnership with Kids Food Basket, we can ensure that local students have access to healthy, life-affirming food to help them thrive and foster their limitless potential.

Godwin Heights Public Schools will again be partnering with Cherry Health to offer dental and vision services for our students during the 2024 -2025 school year. These services will include a dental exam, x-rays, cleaning, fluoride, and sealants if needed as well as a comprehensive dilated eye exam. If glasses are prescribed, they will be ordered and delivered to your school after a discussion with a parent or guardian. This is a wonderful opportunity to have these preventative services completed at school if you do not have a dentist or vision provider or are already a patient with Cherry Health. If you would like these services and are unsure if you registered, please call Cherry Health School Linked Health programs at 616-776-2345.

We are excited to announce that construction is complete on the new Cherry Health School Based Health Center located independently at Godwin Heights High School. The entrance to the clinic is on 36th Street near the main doors to Godwin's PEB sports complex. Anyone wishing to receive services at the clinic must enter through the Cherry Street School-Based Health Center doors, as the public will not be able to access the clinic through the high school.

This is a WONDERFUL addition to our Godwin community. All Godwin Heights students ages 5-21, enrolled in the district, are able to receive health services, regardless of their ability to pay. The clinic will also take appointments for any members of the Godwin community by appointment, or walk-in (as available).

The medical services being offered at the Cherry Health School-Based Clinic incude:

Sports Physicals

Wellness Exams

Vaccinations

Injuries

Illness

Prescribed medications, like antibiotics

Test for common viruses and bacterial infections like strep throat, ear infections, and COVID-19

Mental Health Services

Confidential testing for sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, and more!

If you have further questions about utilizing these services being offered in our Godwin Heights community, call 616-965-0435.

The clinic is open from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM every TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY!

As a public school, we are held accountable to public school laws that govern attendance. The Kent Intermediate School District oversees all public schools in Kent County to be sure that all are operating under the laws and of the Michigan Department of Education.

The normal attendance expectations for any given child in the Kent County Intermediate School District are as follows:

> that a child miss not more than 10 days of Excused Absences for the entire school year,

> that a child have no Unexcused Absences for the entire school year

> that a child have not more than 5 Tardies combined with Leave Early check-outs per semester.

> that a child have no Suspensions for the entire school year.

Godwin Heights Public Schools are held by law to report tardies and absences in excess of the guidelines listed above to the Kent Intermediate School District Office of Truancy and School Attendance-State Law Enforcement Division.

The primary rationale for positive attendance is the strong relationship between student attendance and student achievement. Chronic student absences reduces even the best teacher's ability to provide learning opportunities. Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. This relationship between attendance and achievement may appear early in a child's school career. A recent study looking at young children found that absenteeism in kindergarten was associated with negative first grade outcomes such as greater absenteeism in subsequent years and lower achievement in reading, math, and general knowledge.

Poor attendance has serious implications for later outcomes. High school dropouts have been found to exhibit a history of negative behaviors, including high levels of absenteeism throughout their childhood, at higher rates than high school graduates. These differences in absentee rates were observed as early as kindergarten, and students who eventually dropped out of high school missed significantly more days of school in elementary school than their peers who graduated from high school.

North Godwin Elementary is home to Godwin Heights Public Schools’ 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders!

Email: bast@godwinschools.org
Website: www.godwinschools.org
Location: 161 34th Street Southwest, Wyoming, MI, USA
Phone: 616-252-2010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthGodwin/