Thank you so much for attending Trunk or Treat last night. It was so fun to see all of the students dressed up in their costumes and enjoying a cool fall evening. I huge thanks to all of the families who donated candy to make this event possible. It was truly amazing and I had a blast dressing up as my favorite superhero....Batman!

Next week we have a half day on Thursday (the 24th). This half day is because of parent teacher conferences. It is very important that you attend conferences as this is an opportunity for you to partner with your child's teacher to ensure that they have a successful year at Great Lakes. Below are some great questions you might want to pose to your child's teacher in order to make the most out of your time together.

What is my child expected to learn this year?

How will this be evaluated?

What are my child's strongest subject areas?

What are some areas of growth for my child?

How can I help that growth at home?

What are some books that are of interest to my child?

What have you noticed about my child in social settings like the lunchroom or playground?

You may have noticed that your child brought home a paper for you to fill out and return to school. The paper is called "Household Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals." Our goal at Great Lakes is to have 100% of our families fill out this form and return it to school. The why behind this is because we want any families who qualify for free or reduced price school meals to get these meals at the appropriate rate.

Another reason we want 100% of families to turn these forms in is due to the fact that some of our school funding (Title 1) is tied to the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals. This is important because at Great Lakes we use Title 1 money to support students who have fallen behind in reading.

The last reason we want 100% turn in rate is because I (Mr. Stefanich) am competitive and I have been challenged to get all families to turn in these forms. However, the ultimate reason to get these forms in is because we want to support our students and families to the fullest. If you do not want to fill out this form, you may simply write "no thanks" on the form and have your child return it to school.

Than you in advance for helping us reach out lofty goal!

Email: stefanichd@westottawa.net
Website: https://www.westottawa.net/schools/great-lakes-elementary/
Location: 3200 152nd Avenue, Holland, MI, USA
Phone: 616.786.1200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Great-Lakes-Elementary-198059067032619/
Twitter: @GreatLakesW0