Hi 56G Families!

As we head into October, our students and staff are getting into a rhythm and diving into curriculum! Our fifth grade students have learned the routines and procedures, are becoming more confident with their lockers, and meeting new friends! Our sixth grade students started the year out strong knowing the expectations, mastering their lockers quickly, and navigating the building with ease. They are now confident with navigating a secondary schedule and learning how to stay organized with multiple classes throughout the day. We are proud of our students for the way that they have transitioned into the 24-25 school year!

This past week was a busy one at 56G between drills, special guest speakers, and a school-wide popcorn day! Students participated in their first set of drills on Wednesday and will participate in additional safety drills over the next couple of weeks. We will continue to review expectations for each drill with students ahead of time so that they feel prepared and confident with following those expectations.

Mrs. Ernstes kicked off the fifth grade robotics unit with some special guest speakers. We were lucky to have two local companies, JR Automotive and MFP Automation and Engineering, come in to share how they design and use robots in their line of work and where they might see their work in action. During Friday's presentation, one of our SOAR drawing winners got a chance to control a robotic arm and shared, "At that moment, it sparked a little creativity in me. I think that when I grow up, I want to be an engineer." What a neat experience that allowed our students to think of what they might want to do when they grow up! Thank you to Mrs. Ernstes for all of her planning and preparation to get our students excited for their upcoming unit and providing them with real world connections to their learning!

We rounded out our week with a school-wide popcorn day planned by our PTC! They rocked the new popcorn machine and were able to pop over 650 bags for students and staff to enjoy. Now they are wrapping up final details on our upcoming Amazing Race Fundraiser that will kick-off this Friday during our Homecoming Assembly. We cannot thank our PTC enough for all that they do to support our school, students, and staff!

We are launching right into October with the 2024 Homecoming Spirit Week. Please take a look at the Spirit Days' calendar below. It is definitely a fun week for our students and staff to show school spirit and camaraderie with one another!

We are looking forward to another month of learning and celebrating the great things that our students are accomplishing everyday!

In partnership,

Melanie

Fifth Grade: Tutoring will begin at the start of the second semester (January) and will be invitation based. Your child’s teacher and the building academic specialist/counselor will work together to determine if they are eligible for tutoring and invitations will be shared at that time.

Sixth Grade: Sixth grade tutoring will start at the beginning of Quarter 2 and will be a homework support/drop in model. More details will be provided as we approach the end of the Quarter 1 and have plans solidified.

Interaction among students and staff, coupled with involvement within the total school

environment, are critical factors in the learning process. These interactions are dependent upon a student’s presence in school. Regular attendance (no more than nine absences per school year, 9/180 school days = 5% of school days) helps to develop lifelong attitudes necessary for success.

It is our goal to help provide support and resources so your child can be in school every day. If you are struggling to get your child to school on a daily basis, please let us know so we can collaborate and assist in any way possible.

CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM

Chronic absenteeism refers to students missing an extended period of school when both excused and unexcused absences are taken into account. Chronic absence is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year (an average of one day every two weeks) regardless of whether absences are excused or unexcused; OR, at any time during the school year, a student has tardies, (late arrivals or early dismissals) that have reached 20% of their school days.

If a student is absent 10% or more of school days at any point throughout the school year, parents/guardians may be notified via letter/email summarizing their student's attendance. These letters are for awareness and are to help maintain open lines of communication between school and home. If a student continues to be chronically absent throughout the school year, the school will send additional communication via letter/email and/or develop a support plan with the student and their parent(s)/guardian(s). Ongoing chronic absenteeism will indicate that additional support at the county level may be needed to address the matter of truancy.

EXCUSED ABSENCES

Students may be excused from school for one or more of the following reasons and will be provided an opportunity to make-up missed schoolwork and/or tests:

1. the student’s physical or mental illness (physician’s verification is required after 4 consecutive days of absence for illness);

2. severe weather;

3. medical appointments for the student;

4. death or serious illness of the student’s family member;

5. attendance at a funeral, wedding, or graduation;

6. appearance at court or for other legal matters;

7. observance of religious holidays of the student’s own faith;

8. family vacations (when family vacation procedures are followed)

• Students with a health condition that causes repeated absence are to provide the school office with an explanation of the condition from a registered physician.

• School-related absences (ie. requirement for a particular class), and In-School or Out-of-School Suspensions, are considered authorized absences and do not count against attendance requirements. Students are responsible for making up missed assignments.

• Three class periods missed (6th grade) is considered a half-day absence for all reasons.

• Any student arriving late to school is to report to the school office before proceeding to class.

ABSENCE NOTIFICATION

If a student is going to be absent, we ask that parents contact the office no later than 8:15 AM the day of the absence by calling (616) 272-7100 or emailing 56gattendance@hpseagles.net. An explanation for the absence is necessary for the absence to be excused. An excused absence allows the student to make up all possible work. It is the responsibility of the student to obtain missed assignments. If an absence can be foreseen, the parent should make arrangements as many days as possible before the absence to assist the student in making up any missed school work. An absence from school for all or any part of the school day without a legitimate excuse from the parent/guardian shall be considered an “unexcused absence.

If you need to pick up your child early, or you need to change how your child will be getting him that day, please contact the office no later than 2:00pm. We cannot guarantee your child will be notified of last minute changes if you notify the office after 2:00 PM. No student will be allowed to leave school prior to dismissal time without a custodial parent(s) request. No student will be released to a person other than a custodial parent(s) without permission from the custodial parent(s) or guardian.

VACATIONS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR

All vacations must be pre-excused. Parents are discouraged from taking their child out of school for vacations. Each day of vacation counts as a one-day absence. Vacation absences do count against daily attendance requirements. When a family vacation must be scheduled during the school year, the parents should discuss the matter with the student’s teachers and the main office administrative assistants to make necessary arrangements. The Family Vacation Form is to be completed and submitted to the office at least five days prior to the trip.

We have a lost phone in the office. Please call the office if your student has lost their phone.

Thank you to everyone who attended the first 5/6G PTC meeting of the year. We shared a lot of information and had some great conversations. We appreciate everyone’s contributions!

We are excited to kick off The Amazing Race, the 5/6G PTC’s biggest fundraiser of the year! On Friday, October 18, students will meet in the gym to compete in a variety of activities with their fellow classmates. This event will have physical and mental activities, allowing the students to work together in teams to accomplish different tasks. The money raised from this event will help fund programs such as assemblies, field trips, school supply restocks, popcorn days, teacher appreciation week, staff conference meals, holiday luncheon, music equipment, playground and gym equipment, our end of the year celebration, and so much more. Please help us reach our goal of $25,000 by sharing your student's webpage with friends and family via social media, text message, and email. We truly appreciate your support!

A flier with more information will be coming home with your students today. Here is information for Parent Registration:

• Register for the fundraiser or login to your parent dashboard here

• On the parent dashboard, make sure your child has been successfully added to our fundraising event

• Share, easily send at least 10 text messages and/or E-mails, plus post on social media

Save the date for the following events:

October 8 - 6:15-8:15pm - Skating Party at Tarry Hall

October 18 - The Amazing Race - 12-2:45pm Volunteer Signs Ups Coming

October 22 - 4-8pm - Restaurant Night at Qdoba

If you have questions throughout the year, feel free to email us at 56gptc@gmail.com. Also make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on events, signups and more!

• Click the link above for the 24-25 HPS Student Calendar. Here you will find vacation days, early release dates and parent-teacher conference dates. Please note: 56G will follow the middle school schedule for Parent-Teacher Conferences.

• You can find all 56G events linked here.

Change in Transportation Home At the End of the School Day

If your child is going to have a change in transportation home at the end of the school day, please contact the main office to let them know of the change prior to 2:00 p.m. We want to ensure that the classroom teachers are notified in a timely fashion prior to end of day dismissal procedures.

Student drop-off and pick-up are very busy times in the school driveway and hallways. If you are dropping your child off in the carline, please remain in your vehicle and follow the procedures below.

Car Line Drop-off Procedures

7:15 a.m.

1. Use the car loop at the main entrance of the building.

2. Stay in the right lane and drop off your child in the drop-off zone. Staff wearing yellow vests will be directing traffic. Please pull all the way up to either the stop sign for the unloading zone or to the car in front of you.

3. Students will exit the cars on the passenger side of the car in the unloading zone. Do not allow students to exit the car on the driver’s side for safety reasons. Staff will direct them to the door that they will go in.

4. Parents remain in their vehicles.

5. Do not pass cars in the car line. Stay in a single file line in the right lane until the cars move in front of you.

To Keep Our Line Moving Tips:

1. Follow the procedures noted above.

2. Say your goodbyes and give kisses prior to dropping off in the car line. :)

3. Have backpacks/supplies ready to exit car with students.

4. Parents need to remain in their vehicles.

5. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding with our system and procedures. Safety is our number one concern for our students and their families.

Car Line Pick-up Procedures

2:45 p.m.

1. Pull into the parking lot and park.

2. Students will be walked out to the cross walk and then will go directly to their cars.

• Breakfast will be served starting at 7:15.

• Breakfast consists of cereal, milk, juice, fresh fruit, and a cookie/cracker bar.

• Breakfast is free for any student.

• Students that eat breakfast at school will eat breakfast in the cafeteria.

Sack Lunches on Early Release Days

• Students will let their first hour teachers know if they would like to order a sack lunch

Lunch Schedule

1st Lunch-10:40-11:10

• Sixth Grade Homeroom Teachers-Bowen, Nixon, Riley, and Sneller
• Sixth Grade Homeroom Teachers-Cardinal, Richardson, Teal, and Weberg

2nd Lunch-11:15-11:45

• 6th Grade Homeroom Teachers-Brower, Schwartz, Schwerin, and VanNoord

3rd Lunch-11:45-12:20

• 5th Grade Homeroom Teachers-Burmeister and Wiebenga
• 5th Grade Homeroom Teachers-ELA teacher, King, and Cho

4th Lunch-12:20-12:55

• 5th Grade Homeroom Teachers-Fischer and Karel
• 5th Grade Homeroom Teachers-Baas and Wysocki
• 5th Grade Homeroom Teachers-Higgs and Standish
• 5th Grade Homeroom Teachers-Gamble and Willmore

Hot Lunch

Hot Lunch is FREE for all students again this year. If your student chooses to take milk only, you will need to pay for that. Milk is .50. Menu's, Free and Reduced Information, Nutrition information and lunch account info can all be found on the Jenison/Hudsonville Food Service Home page. You received your students ID# with your student's teacher's name. You will need this ID# to set up an account with food service for making online deposits. Please call the office at 616-669-6700 if you have any questions.

• If your student will not be attending school due to illness or other reasons, please call the office before 8:15 am. Students who are not called in by a parent/guardian will be marked with an unexcused absence.

• If your student will be late, arriving after 7:50 am, please call the office in the morning. Any students arriving after 7:50 am must be signed in by a parent/guardian.

• Planned absences of more than 3 days require a vacation request form to be filled out. Forms can be picked up in the office or emailed to you. Please turn in vacation request forms at least 5 days prior to the planned absence.

Please complete the Medication Administration Authorization form for any medication to be administered for your student in the school setting.

A new Medication Authorization form must be completed for each medication and each time there is a change in dosage/instructions.

Non-prescription medication must be in the original container with the factory label and must not expire during the school year. For Non-prescription medications, please complete the top two sections of the Medication Administration Authorization form. Non-prescription medications will be stored and administered by school staff in the office.

Prescription medication must be in the original container with a pharmacy label. Prescription medications require BOTH the physician and parent authorization sections of the Medication Administration Authorization form to be completed.

ALL medication must be delivered to the office by a parent/guardian. Medication cannot be sent to school with a student.

No medication is to be carried by a student UNLESS both the physician and parent provide authorization for self-carry/administration of certain emergency medications including asthma inhalers and Epinephrine. Please complete the first and last sections of the Medication Administration Authorization form to authorize Self-Administration.

If your child has any of the following health conditions listed below (severe allergy, asthma, diabetes, seizures) that require treatment and/or a medication at school, please provide the required form(s) listed on the HPS health website from your child’s specialist.

Hudsonville Public Schools prohibits the possession or use of personal electronic devices (PED) within the school building during the school day. For purposes of this Policy, “personal electronic device” means a privately owned device that is used, or can be used, for audio, video, or text communications (ie. cell phone, smart watch, fitness tracker, tablet, gaming device, laptop or computer that is not school-issued, wireless earbuds, etc.).

Students may keep personal electronic devices in their backpacks, but the devices must be powered off and kept out of sight. Students at The 5/6 Building @ Georgetown are expected to have devices turned off and stowed in their backpacks at all times while on school grounds. This policy has exceptions for students whose Individualized Education Plan (IEP), 504 plan, or healthcare plan requires the use of an electronic telecommunications device.

If a student is found in possession of a personal electronic device, the following protocol will apply:

• First Offense: Staff member will confiscate the PED and deliver it to the main office. The student can pick it up at the end of the school day.

• Second Offense: Staff member will confiscate the PED and deliver it to the main office. The student's parent/guardian will be notified by administration of the second offense and the need for the device to be picked up at school if there are subsequent PED violations.

• Third+ Offense(s): Staff member will confiscate the PED and deliver it to the main office. The student’s parent/guardian will be contacted, and the PED will need to be picked up by the parent/guardian. Further disciplinary action may be taken.

Recognizing that many parents/guardians rely on PEDs as convenient communication and coordination tools, parents may call the main office to deliver urgent messages to their child. Students are also permitted to use the main office phone to contact parents/guardians.

The school assumes no responsibility for theft, loss, damage to, misuse, or unauthorized use of electronic devices brought onto its property. Students and parents are strongly encouraged to take appropriate precautions. If students possess personal electronic devices at school, it is important that their devices are not left unsecured.

Electronic devices, including cameras and cell phones with camera capabilities, are prohibited in restrooms, locker rooms, or other locations where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy. In all cases, any photos or videos, taken or posted, must be done so only with permission from those in the photos or videos.

The HPS criminal background check is required for all school volunteers. In order to complete this request, we ask that you fill out this volunteer form at least 48 hours prior to volunteering. Once your request is submitted, all Volunteer status updates (Approval, Denial or Limited Access Approval) will be sent directly to the building you have selected to volunteer in.

The Hudsonville Public School District has the right to approve or deny your request if your background check does not meet the standards of HPS Board Policy.

If you have any questions regarding the Volunteer Background Check process, please contact Dwight Sneden dsneden1@hpseagles.net.

We greatly appreciate your support and willingness to volunteer for Hudsonville Public Schools. Go Eagles!

If your child forgets to bring something to school, we will have a table set up in our front vestibule for "forgotten" items. Place the item/s on the table, fill out a slip of paper with your child's name and grade, and leave the items on the table. Our office staff will make sure that students get their items as quickly as possible.

Monday, September 30, at Riley St. Middle School, from 6-7:30 pm in the cafeteria.
Making friends, discovering your strengths, exploring new possibilities—it's all waiting for you in Girl Scouts! Join us to organize troops and learn what Girl Scouts is all about during our Parent Information / Girl Scout sign-up meeting. We also need Troop Leaders and Assistant leaders to start and lead troops. Be part of a great organization that will empower your daughter and give her a community she can call her own.

The annual membership fee is $25 for girls and adults. Financial aid is available if needed.
If you cannot attend one of the meetings, have questions, or want to sign up your daughter, don't hesitate to contact Barb Gatchel, Community Membership Manager, Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore. Email: bgatchel@gsmists.org, Call: 616-888-3858

Have you been looking for a place where your child can make new friends, learn new skills, and have fun while doing it?

We’ve got the perfect solution!

Pack 3149 invites you to check out our Cub Scout Pack, open to all kids in grades K - 5.

#AdventureOn with us on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Thursday evenings from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM throughout the school year at Jenison Christian Church.

Meetings begin September 5.

Contact Alison Freas at cubscoutpack3149@gmail.com, (616) 566-9332 or check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552387915964

• Visit Our Website: Our school website will be updated on a regular basis as it will be the main source of information for our parents and community members.

• School Messenger: Regular communication from school messenger will be sent out via email, phone calls, or text messages to keep you in the loop on what is taking place at 56G!
  

• Social Media: Follow our story by liking us on...

• Facebook: Like us on Facebook-facebook.com/56Georgetown

• Instagram: Like us on Instagram @56georgetown.

Website: https://www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org/5-6-building-georgetown/index
Location: 8175 36th Avenue, Hudsonville, MI, USA
Phone: 616-272-7100
Facebook: facebook.com/56Georgetown

Hudsonville Public Schools prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to the Title IX Coordinator. The

notice of nondiscrimination is located at https://www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org/about/civil-rights-compliance