The Weekly Update #4

It is hard to believe we are already wrapping up September. The weather may still be hanging on to summer, but we all know those cooler fall temps are just around the corner. As we celebrate finishing our first month of the school year, I wanted to take a moment to share some exciting updates and express my gratitude for the fantastic start we've had.

First up, our construction projects are making significant strides! Park Elementary's new gym is now a reality, and half of the interior classrooms are already complete, with the other half well on their way. Most of our 2019 bond projects are also nearing completion, and we are overjoyed that our students are benefiting from these beautiful facilities. This progress is a testament to your unwavering support and the hard work of our team. These upgrades will provide our students with exceptional spaces to learn and grow, and we couldn't have done it without you.

Speaking of students, I'm so happy to report that they've settled back into their routines like pros. The smiles, the friendships, and the excitement of learning are all in full swing. And it's not just happening in the classrooms—our sports teams have hit the ground running with great energy and sportsmanship. Whether on the field, court, pool, or course, our student-athletes proudly represent our district. And let's not forget our fine arts students, who are making significant strides in the classroom and their competitions. I encourage everyone to come out and cheer on our kids—whether it's a game or a performance, they're giving it their all!

Our staff is outstanding, as always. They've been fully engaged in professional development and continuously work to bring their best to the classroom. Their dedication is truly what helps set our students up for success.

As we delve deeper into the school year, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to you—our incredible community. Your unwavering support and active involvement in our schools make a world of difference. Whether attending a parent-teacher conference, volunteering, or attending school events, your presence creates the nurturing environment our students need to thrive. Thank you for being such an integral part of our school community.

I am genuinely thrilled about the promising year ahead. Together, we are shaping a year filled with learning, growth, and success for all our students. The possibilities are endless, and I can't wait to see what we will achieve together.

Thank you for trusting us with your children's education and being a vital part of this fantastic community.

Dr. VanderJagt

Superintendent

During the first few days of school, Park’s principal, Mrs. Stefanich, visited each classroom to share a favorite read-aloud. This led to the introduction of an exciting school wide activity, which would set the tone for the entire school year.

The activity is called (S)PARK JOY. Each student has been challenged to identify something that (S)Parks JOY, paste a picture of the activity on the (S)Park JOY card, and caption it.

Pictures are starting to fill up our hallway, brightening up the school while it’s under construction, and spreading some joy to the whole school community!

See the pictures below highlighting some things that (S)PARK Joy for our students! These students chose Mackinac Island, his dog Ruby, softball, and family hikes.

The district has been utilizing a model called Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to guide staff in working together and supporting all students. This article provides more details about what they are and how they work.

At Hudsonville Public Schools, we are a Professional Learning Community (PLC). When a district functions as a PLC, educators work collaboratively to create a culture with a focus on learning for all students. The four guiding questions of a PLC are as follows:
1) What do we want students to know and be able to do? (What are the essential standards?)

2) How will we know if they learn it? (Common Assessments)

3) How will we respond when some students do not learn? (Interventions)

4) How will we respond when students are already proficient? (Extensions)

There are a variety of teaming structures in place in Hudsonville to help us grow as a Professional Learning Community. Some of these teams are described below.

Continuous Improvement (Building and District)

Continuous improvement is vital to the success of any school district, as it ensures that we are constantly evolving to meet the needs of our students, staff, and community. At the building level, continuous improvement teams are called Guiding Coalitions and consist of building principals, classroom teachers, and other specialists. This team comes together monthly and works diligently to identify barriers at the building level and work towards eliminating those barriers. At the district level, a team of administrators and teachers collaborate 3 times per year to analyze data collected at the building level to process any supports or changes that need to be addressed. Ultimately, continuous improvement allows us to ensure that every student has the support they need to succeed.

Teacher Team Time

This year, secondary teachers are meeting twice monthly to work with their Collaborative Teams to focus on the 4 guiding questions of a Professional Learning Community. These Collaborative Teams consist of small groups of educators who teach the same subject or are in the same department. During these Teacher Team Times, teachers analyze their students’ data, create common assessments, problem-solve around how to support students’ learning, and adjust their lesson plans to meet the needs of their students. This time is incredibly valuable to our dedicated teams of teachers who are striving to meet the needs of every student in their classrooms.

ACT Meetings

K-8 Principals, Academic Specialists, and grade level/content teams gather together each fall, winter, and spring for Academic Collaborative Team data driven dialogues. In these important meetings, discussion and reflection revolves around grade level/content achievement data in order to inform instructional and intervention decisions for students across the year. These collaborative meetings are essential to student growth as well as our growing MTSS system.

We’re excited to introduce a few new faces in our Student Services Department! With evolving grant dollars, the district hired three Mental Health Therapists to expand our reach of social-emotional support for students across the District. This role will allow us to provide additional services within the Positive Behavior Supports and Interventions framework to those students who may require this support. Please check out the Mental Health Therapist section of the website to learn more about this role!

Our Special Education Department wishes to continue to share resources for families with children with disabilities. To do so, a special page has been created on our website with a variety of links to valuable information. One of these resources includes Michigan’s Office of Special Education Letter to Parents as well as the OAISD’s Parent Binder for Special Education Documents. To view these and other online resources, please visit our Family Resources tab on our website.

Interest in robotics and automation is rapidly growing in Hudsonville, thanks to the efforts of local engineers and community members. This week, fifth graders at the 5/6 Building at Georgetown kicked off their Robotics and Automation unit in STEAM with special events featuring guest engineers from MFP Automation Engineering and JR Automation.

During lunch, students engaged in exciting activities, including a virtual tour presented by JR Automation, showcasing cutting-edge technologies in the field. MFP Automation Engineering brought a robotic arm that captivated students' attention. Those who won this week’s SOAR drawing had the unique opportunity to control a robotic arm and pick out their prizes, making for an unforgettable experience. After the visit with JR Automation, fifth grader Caleb shared, “It made me feel like I want to be an engineer,” and Kenzie agreed saying, “It was cool seeing how all of the robots worked.” Camden said, “Their jobs are awesome with how they all have to work together to do different things.”

This year, STEAM teachers will challenge students to design robots aimed at combating pollution in Michigan. After completing their designs, students will collaborate to automate these creations. The guest engineers played a crucial role in highlighting the significance of automation in improving efficiency and addressing complex challenges. A heartfelt thank you to JR Automation and MFP Automation Engineering for their contributions. Luke B (shown below) won 56G’s SOAR drawing and got a chance to control the robot today. He shared “At that moment it sparked a little bit of creativity in me. I think that when I grow up I want to be an engineer.”

Our community partners have inspired the next generation of innovators in Hudsonville.

If you walk through the halls of an elementary school during math time, you will hear the voices of eager, young mathematicians discussing numbers, strategies, and patterns. If you peek into the classrooms, you will see students with manipulatives in their hands, posters highlighting new strategies for solving problems, and Number Corner displays that showcase student thinking. You will notice collaboration between students who are playing a math game or working together to investigate a mathematical situation. This lively, student centered atmosphere has become the norm in our elementary math classes with the adoption and rollout of the Bridges in Mathematics curriculum this year.

As teachers prepare to wrap up their first Bridges unit, they are already noticing a shift in student engagement. “The amount of hands-on learning is incredible. Students are able to use manipulatives to understand and conceptualize more difficult math concepts,” fourth grade teacher Emmalene Scheffler said. Bridges promotes a variety of tangible and visual models students can use to express their ideas. This approach encourages creative thinking and promotes participation from all students. The pictures below showcase Bridges in action!

Hudsonville Public Schools is proud to witness an increase in the number of multilingual students joining our community. In just a few years, our multilingual student population has soared from 67 students in 2018-2019 to a current count of 159. Similarly, our immigrant student enrollment has grown exponentially, rising from 20 students in 2020-2021 to a current total of 84. Our multilingual students enrich our learning environment by sharing their unique experiences, languages, and cultural insights. Their presence fosters a more global understanding and prepares our students to become citizens in an increasingly interconnected world.

Hudsonville Public Schools staff received almost $25,000 in teacher grants from the Hudsonville Education Foundation to kick off the new academic school year thanks to the generosity of donors and supporters!

Dozens of educators in almost every building across the district welcomed students back into their buildings and classrooms to exciting new resources this fall. Foundation grants funded resources in various academic areas such as phonics, literacy, astronomy, earth science, STEM, art history, digital art, music and the performing arts. From high-tech solar binoculars to bilingual texts and coding robots to orff instruments, students benefit from passionate educators working to create a dynamic and engaging learning environment for all learners.

In addition, the youngest learners in the district will benefit from the creation of the Early Childhood Center Learning Lab, thanks to a $5,000 grant to provide an indoor space for students to build the skills necessary for learning through the art of play.

“There is no greater feeling than witnessing students get excited about a subject and grow in their learning because their teacher was able to provide something extra to reinforce concepts and enrich the curriculum,” said Janessa Smit, Hudsonville Education Foundation Executive Director. "This is the best investment we could ever make for our future."

To follow this year’s grants in action and learn how the Hudsonville Education Foundation positively impacts the education of students by engaging the entire community in philanthropic support, visit www.hudsedfound.org.

You’re invited to the Eagles of Excellence 20th Anniversary Gala on Monday, November 4, 2024, from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm at The Pinnacle Center. Whether you graduated with one of the inductees, know an award recipient or simply support the positive impact of a strong public education system, this event is for you.

This highly anticipated annual event brings together almost three hundred community members to honor the extraordinary achievements of distinguished alumni and lifetime legacy award recipients, recognize current students and educators, and celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hudsonville Education Foundation’s philanthropic support for Hudsonville Public Schools students.

Joining us this year as the honorary Master of Ceremonies is Hudsonville’s class of 2017 graduate and Wood TV 8 Meteorologist, Blake Harms.

Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Inductees

Sandra VanDam Anderson, Ph.D., MS, BSN, RN, Class of 1961

Career Achievements

Author, Educator and Advocate; Global Program on AIDS, World Health Organization

Col. Peter J. Gryzen, Class of 1993

Career Achievements

Vice Commandant of Cadets, U.S. Air Force Academy

Roger D. Miller, M.D., Class of 1958

Career Achievements

Pioneering Cardiologist, Grand Rapids, MI

Jesse Reimink, Ph.D., Class of 2005

Career Achievements

Assistant Professor of Geoscience, Penn State University

Lifetime Legacy Award Recipients

Marvin H. Patmos and June (Serum) Patmos, Class of 1938

Posthumous

Founders, Sunrise Acres Egg Farm; Education Advocates and Literacy Philanthropists

Donald Van Doeselaar

Former Mayor, City of Hudsonville; Former Superintendent, Hudsonville Public Schools and Founding Chairman, Hudsonville Education Foundation

Eagles of Excellence Student and Educator Recognition

We are pleased to introduce the following students as 2024 Eagles of Excellence. These students were chosen for demonstrating quality character traits inside and outside of the classroom and for their academic efforts. Each student will be accompanied by a mentor of their choosing that has positively impacted them on their educational journey.

Class of 2025

Logan Leddy, Katelyn Rigterink, Macabe Scholtens, Ella Terpstra

Class of 2026

Ryan Aukeman, Caeden Kennedy, Charlotte Spaniolo, Maggie Szlachcic

Class of 2027

Aiden Bayle, Elizabeth Huizinga, Ryan King, Callie Naber

Class of 2028

Charlotte Baker, Dylan Levandoski, Donovan Nelson, Jorja Straub

Class of 2029

Lainey Alward, Ella Harmer, Reese Langendorfer, Nolan Williams

Class of 2030

Ginny Beaudoin, Zack Bolhuis, Tierney Brechting, Jillian LaSorsa

Please visit www.hudsedfound.org/gala to purchase tickets, read inductee biographies and view the generous sponsors who make this event and the work of the Hudsonville Education Foundation possible.