Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm

Front Office Email: susie.yoder@godwinschools.org

Location: 100 Wexford St SE, Wyoming, MI, USA
Phone: 616-252-2070

Website: https://ms.godwinschools.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GodwinMiddle

Student Handbook / Manual del Estudiante

Student Code of Conduct / Código de Conducta

School Menu

Principal's Email: urbanski@godwinschools.org

Phone: 616-252-2070 x3008

Welcome back from spring break, everyone!

As we gear up for the final stretch of the school year, it's important to remember that along with the warmer weather comes a busy time of testing. State testing may bring some nerves, but it's also an opportunity for each and every one of our students to showcase the incredible progress they've made this year.

To ensure success, we encourage all students to prioritize their well-being by getting a good night's sleep, charging their Chromebooks, and starting the day with a nutritious breakfast (remember, we serve a hot breakfast daily at 7:00am). Arriving to school on time and with a positive attitude can make all the difference.

We've witnessed outstanding growth and dedication from our students throughout the year, and now is their moment to shine brightly. Let's approach testing with confidence and enthusiasm, knowing that each student has the capability to excel. Together, we'll celebrate their achievements and continue to support one another every step of the way.

Here's to a successful testing season and a fantastic end to the school year!

April

4/10: Feeding America Food Truck

4/15: 6th Grade MSTEP ELA; Track Away Meet @ Sparta Middle

4/16: 6th Grade MSTEP Math; Boys Baseball Away Game vs. Lee Middle

4/17: Early Release - 1:10 PM; 8th Grade PSAT; Girls Soccer Home Game vs. GRPS 1; Track Away Meet @ Hopkins Middle

4/18: Boys Baseball Home Game vs. Zion Christian

4/19: Girls Soccer Away Game vs. Kent City

4/22: 7th Grade MSTEP ELA; Boys Baseball Away Game vs Potter's House; Girls Soccer Home Game vs. GRPS 3; Track Away Meet vs/ Sparta Middle; Special Board of Education Meeting 6PM

4/23: 7th Grade MSTEP Math; Boys Baseball Away Game vs Tri-Unity Christian; GHPS Health & Wellness Committee Meeting - 3:45 PM - 4:45 PM

4/24: 8th Grade MSTEP Science; Girls Soccer Home Game vs. Kelloggsville Middle

4/25: 8th Grade MSTEP Social Studies; District Art Show 6-7:30pm

4/29: Girls Soccer Away Game vs. GRPS 2; Track Home Meet vs. Belding Middle

4/30: Boys Baseball Away Game vs. NorthPointe Christian

May

5/1: Early Release - 1:10 PM; Guskus Spring Athletic Pictures; Girls Soccer Home Game vs. NorthPointe Christian

5/2: 6th Grade MAP Math Test; 7th Grade Field Trip to 3 Mile Project; Boys Baseball Home Game vs. Lee Middle

5/3: 6th Grade MAP Reading Test

5/4: Softball Home Game vs Lee Middle

5/6: 7th Grade MAP Math; Girls Soccer Away Game vs. Hopkins Middle; Track Home Meet vs. Comstock Park; Board of Education Meeting 6PM

5/7: 7th Grade MAP Reading; Boys Baseball Away Game vs. Zion Christian

5/8: Feeding America Food Truck; 8th Grade MAP Math; Girls Soccer Away Game vs. GRPS 1

5/9: 8th Grade MAP Reading; 6th Grade Pinery Park Groundswell Project; Boys Baseball Home Game vs. Tri-Unity Christian

5/10: Youth Summit

5/11: Softball Home Game vs. Lee Middle

5/13: Girls Soccer Home Game vs. Kent City

5/14: Boys Baseball Home Game vs. Potter's House

5/15 Girls Soccer Away Game vs. GRPS 3

5/16: 6th Grade Field Trip to Yankee Springs Rec Area; Boys Baseball Home Game vs. NorthPointe Christian; Softball Away Game vs. Lee Middle

5/17: Move-Up Day

5/20: Girls Soccer Away Game vs. Kelloggsville Middle; Special Board of Education Meeting 6PM

5/22: Early Release - 1:10 PM; Girls Soccer Home Game vs. GRPS 2; 8th Gd Farewell Night

5/24: Half Day - 11:15 AM

5/27: No School

5/29: 8th Gd Michigan Adventure Trip

5/31: Half Day, Last Day of School - 11:15 AM

June

6/10: Board of Education Meeting 6 PM

6/12: Feeding America Food Truck

6/24: Budget Hearing Board of Education Meeting 5:30PM & Special Meeting @ 6PM

July

7/10: Feeding America Food Truck

August

8/7: Feeding America Food Truck

Each year, GHPS students must be re-enrolled for the upcoming school year. This is now a quick and easy process that can be completed online beginning Monday, March 25, using ParentVue. All returning families need to be re-registered by May 3, 2024. You will be verifying your student information and electronically signing consent forms for the 2024-2025 school year. If your address has changed, you will need to upload two (2) new proofs of residency.

If you reside out of Godwin's district, you will need to fill out a School of Choice (SOC) application. The SOC application period will be open April 8 through May 10, 2024.

The first day of school for the 2024-2025 school year has not yet been confirmed.

Wednesday, April 17 will be an early release at 1:10 for all students in grades 6-12. On that day, our 8th-grade students will be taking the PSAT. The PSAT is a state-wide assessment that measures skills that students have mastered over time and that connect to future success in college and career. If you would like to know more about the test, visit https://tinyurl.com/yk398dea

Beginning in April, all students in grades 6-8 will be participating in State Testing, as well as District Level Assessments. The PSAT and MSTEP are both tests designed to measure where students are in their academic progress and based on Michigan State Academic Standards. The MAP test is our district-level assessment that we use 3 times per year to monitor student growth throughout the year.

The specific testing days are listed below. Please do your best to get your student to school on time, well-rested, and with their charged chromebook.

6th Grade Testing

Monday, April 15- MSTEP ELA

Tuesday, April 16- MSTEP Math

Thursday, May 2- MAP Math

Friday, May 3- MAP Reading

7th Grade Testing

Monday, April 22- MSTEP ELA

Tuesday, April 23- MSTEP Math

Monday, May 6- MAP Math

Tuesday, May 7- MAP Reading

8th Grade Testing

Wednesday, April 17- PSAT

Wednesday, April 24- MSTEP Science

Thursday, April 25- MSTEP Social Studies

Wednesday, May 8- MAP Math

Thursday, May 9- MAP Reading

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR!

We hope you will save the evening of April 25th open to come join us to celebrate the tremendous artists across our district at our art show! We are so excited to showcase over 400 pieces of art, dazzle you with some senior spotlight displays, entertain you with interactive art and - new this year - celebrate some of our cultural diversity with a Global Gathering performance! We can't wait to see you there!

Time: 6-7:30pm

Location: GHHS Auxiliary Gym Upper Track

Free admission!

Click here to place your order or scan the QR code below. Don't miss out on the memories!

Click the link for all athletic information: https://ghathletics.com/

Click here for a map of athletic locations.

Please note that participation in any sports requires a completed physical to be turned in.

• TRACK: Practice is every day 3-4pm at the field located at 35th and Hilcroft. For any questions, reach out to Coach Mathews at 616-272-2829, coachdog54@gmail.com or Coach B at nick.blaskowski@godwinschools.org.

• GIRL'S SOCCER: Practice is every day 3-4:30pm on the turf of the football field. For any questions, contact Coach Hai at braima.hai@godwinschools.org.

• BASEBALL: Practice is every day right after school until 5pm at Hillcroft Park, which is right next to the football field (340 32nd St SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49548). For any questions, contact Coach Andrew Underhill Phone: (616)-970-1523, Email: andrewunderhill48@gmail.com

• SOFTBALL: A sign-up link should be sent to students via email this week.

Spring Athletics Photos will be held May 1st @ 1:30pm.

Girls who will be in 7th and 8th grade next year who are interested in attending cheer camp, click here and fill out the form. For any questions, feel free to contact Coach Lani: Phone: 616-856-5144; Email: ailanimata6@gmail.com

School is students’ first and most important job. They’re learning how to show up for school on time every day so that when they graduate and get a job, they’ll have built that discipline. Students who attend school regularly are more likely to graduate and find good jobs. High school graduate makes, on average, a million dollars more than a dropout over a lifetime.

A 24-hour answering machine has been installed for your convenience in the office, to report the day that your student will be absent. If no call is received before Noon the day after your student is absent, the absence will be recorded as unexcused.

Families should avoid extended vacations that require their children to miss school. Try to line up vacations with the school’s schedule. Chronic absence not only affects the absentee students; it disrupts learning for an entire classroom when teachers have to repeat lessons for students returning to class.

When notified in advance, the office can provide a pre-arranged absence form to the student that must be signed by each teacher, administration, and parent/guardian. It is the family’s responsibility to get all missing assignments. Classwork should be completed before the absence unless other arrangements have been made with the teacher.

All vacation days may accumulate toward the attendance policy.

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,

An excused absence is one that is excused by both the parent and the attendance office. Any excused absence entitles the student to make up the work missed and receive full credit upon completion of academic requirements. Examples of excused absence falls into one of the following categories: illness, death in the family, approved family vacation, family emergencies, or required court appearance.

> 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.

When your child is sick, it’s important to know when they should stay home from school. If they have a contagious virus or disease, keep them home. This will help them get better faster and keep their teachers and classmates from getting sick.

Talk to your child’s doctor or health care provider if you are unsure if they should stay home from school. As a general rule, your child should not go to school if they have:

• A fever over 100.4° Fahrenheit (F) or 38° Celsius (C) – Your child can return to school after they’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without antipyretics. Antipyretics are medicines that treat or prevent fever.
• Signs they are weak and tired. This is common with the flu.
• Diarrhea – Having loose poop (stool) more often that isn’t caused by a change in diet.
• Throwing up (vomiting) – More than 2 times in a 24-hour period.
• Coughing that disrupts normal activity.
• Wheezing or get short of breath.
• Pain from earache, headache, sore throat, or recent injury.
• Yellow or green drainage from the eye(s).
• A new rash – Not all rashes mean your child must stay home from school. Check with their doctor or health care provider.

If your child has a fever, they must stay home from school until they have been FEVER-FREE for 24 hours WITHOUT medication! Thank you!

Sickness is rampant this time of year. Please be aware that for the safety of our students, all medications must be stored in the main office. This includes medicated cough drops, pain relivers, etc.

For over-the-counter medications to be kept and administered at school, we require a parent signature. Prescribed medications must have both a physician's signature and a parent's signature for administration. Thank you for your cooperation.

Quick Facts:

• If students have a fever, vomiting or diarrhea, they are asked to go home.

• If students or staff are COVID positive and asymptomatic or well enough to return to school (No fever for 24 hours), a well-fitting mask is encouraged. Nothing is required.

• If your child tests positive, please notify the building office. We are still required by health code to report positive cases as a communicable disease.

We have free COVID tests in the office, available for all interested staff and parents.

Cherry Street Dental have been on site at GHMS. Cherry Street Dental is performing dental cleanings on students who have opted in for services. If you have any questions, please contact the office.

This year, the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) was expanded from 6% to 30% of the Federal EITC - This saves families an additional $603 on average*

The EITC is a tax credit for working individuals with income below a certain level. The EITC reduced the taxes you owe, putting more money in your pocket. Even if you do not owe taxes, it could result in a refund!

Who is eligible?

To qualify for the Michigan EITC, you must first qualify for the federal EITC. The basic qualifying rules for the Federal EITC are as follows:

• Have worked and earned income under $63,398 (total household income)

• Have investment income below $11,000 in tax year 2023

• Have a valid Social Security Number (SSN) by the due date of your 2023 return

• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident

• Not file Form 2555 (Foreign Earned Income)

• Meet certain rules if you are separated from your spouse and not filing a joint return

How to get the Michigan EITC:

• Anyone who received the original 6% credit in tax year 2022 will automatically get a supplemental check mailed to them for the retroactive increase. These checks began mailing on Feb. 13th, 2024
  
  

• Individuals should file by April 15th, 2024 to claim both the Federal and Michigan EITC for tax year 2023

Visit Michigan.gov/taxes/iit/eitc for more information. For free tax help: Call (800) 906-9887 or visit IRS.gov/vita to find IRS-trained volunteers for free tax return preparation.

*Estimate of families and average savings is based on 2019 data from the Michigan League for Public Policy.

Exciting news! Hand2Hand signup is back for the 2nd semester at Godwin Heights Middle School. If your family could benefit from weekend food assistance, CLICK HERE to sign up.

How it works:

• Free and confidential participation.
• At the end of the week students who are signed up for the program will receive a minimum of 10 food items from the Hand2Hand pantry located on the school campus. These food items will be a combination of breakfast, snacks, lunch and/or dinner items. While the food items are meant for the student, they can be shared among the family as well. (Please note: if your student or another family member has food allergies it will be the responsibility of the parent/guardian to check the food your student brings home each week to ensure the food doesn’t contain ingredients which could cause an allergic reaction).

To learn more about Hand2Hand, please visit their website: http://h2hkids.org.

Godwin Heights Public Schools has a proud partnership with Feeding America West Michigan. They provide mobile food truck pantries to our school district once a month.

Our Godwin Heights Feeding America truck distributions are at 4:45 pm in front of the high school, Here are the dates the truck will be present:

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

If you have your own bags, please bring them!

Jenison Wild invites 3rd-8th grade students from all local schools to participate in their 2nd annual 3v3 tournament Saturday, April 20 at Jenison High School.

REGISTER HERE: https://forms.gle/7yMAfboP6HvSK7rPA

Girls and boys in grades 3-8 are invited to form 4-person teams and compete.

• Girls brackets begin at 9am with boys starting after they are completed. (Exact times will be available after registration closes)
  
• Open to players from any school or team
  
• Cost is $120/team, payable through Venmo
  
• Register by March 20 to receive a t-shirt. Registration will remain open until April 13.
  
• Trophies are presented to winning teams in each bracket. Prizes for toilet bowl champions will also be provided.
  

Please see the attached flyer with details about the American Red Cross of West Michigan's Home Fire Campaign for those in need of free smoke alarms. Those that request smoke alarms will have them installed by a Red Cross volunteer based on the client's availability. Smoke alarms and an emergency evacuation plan for the residents of the household will be provided. The installation is scheduled for Saturday April 20 and it’s for residents of Wyoming and preregistration is required. Home Fire Safety | Michigan Region | American Red Cross

The Literacy Center of West Michigan offers free English classes for parents. While the current semester is closed, registration for the Fall semester is just around the corner. Call the number on the flyer for more information and to secure your spot!

As a Title One school, our building receives funding from the federal government to support instruction. In order to receive that funding, we must communicate specific information with our families. Linked below is a letter letting you know that, at any time, you may request information about the qualifications of the staff working in our building. If you have any questions regarding this process, please do not hesitate to reach out to our State and Federal Programs Director, Mary Lang. She can be reached via email at lang@godwinschools.org or by phone at 616-252-2030.

The middle school team works hard to ensure your child is safe, learning, and a valued member of our building. If you'd like to commend a staff member for their exceptional work, please click here to complete this form. We look forward to sharing your positive messages with staff and our families alike.