Alward Action
A Message from Mrs. Mucha
Hello Alward Families,
Happy Friday! We understand that these snow days, while delightful, also brought unexpected schedule shifts, cabin fever, and maybe even a touch of snow fatigue. Saturday is looking to be quite a cold and cloudy day, however, Sunday will bring sunshine and warmer temperatures of up to 14 degrees! Looking for a few ideas for your weekend?
Reconnect with loved ones: Play board games, build forts, share stories, and laugh until your bellies ache.
Unleash your creativity: Bake snow-themed cookies, write a snowy adventure story, or paint a magical winter scene.
Embrace the sunshine: Go on a nature walk, have a picnic in the park, or simply soak up the sun's warmth on your face.
Recharge and relax: Read a good book, cuddle up with a movie, or simply enjoy the quiet moments of being together.
After the holiday break, we have noticed an increase in students bringing electronic devices to school. As we strive to create a focused and engaging learning environment for our students, we want to take this opportunity to reiterate our policy on cell phones and electronic devices at school. A link is also posted to our Alward website through HPS, all elementary schools follow the same guidelines and policies outlined in our district handbook.
Hudsonville Public Schools is a learning organization. We continuously review research and our own practices in order to improve the educational experience for our students. Reviewing research on the use of cell phones and other personal computer devices by school-aged children has allowed us to reflect on how to best support our students as they learn and grow. It has become clear that excessive exposure to cell phones has a negative effect on school-aged children. In view of the research findings, we have reflected on how we can modify district practices to support all students.
We are grateful to our community for their support of previous bond proposals which have allowed the district to purchase technology that provides all students with access to learning without using their personal computer devices during the school day. Students will not be allowed to use cell phones, smart watches, tablets or any other personal computer device during the school day. Phones are available in the office of each school should a student need to contact their parents or guardians. If families believe that their child needs access to a cell phone before or after school, it will be the student’s responsibility to ensure that their phone remains stored away and powered off while they are at school.
Policy Reminder:
Therefore, cell phones and electronic devices are not permitted for use during the school day. This includes classrooms, the cafeteria, hallways, and the playground. Students should store their devices safely in their backpacks or lockers for the duration of the school day.
Excerpt from our Elementary Student and Parent Handbook:
Cell Phones/Electronic devices are not permitted during the school day and may be confiscated.
**Refusal to give-up device to staff members may result in more severe consequences.
First offense, the student may pick up his/her device from an administrator at the end of the day.
Second offense will result in the confiscation of the property until claimed by a parent/guardian.
Third offense will result in additional consequences at the discretion of the principal.
At Alward, we will continue to remind our students and contact parents/guardians if/when we have concerns regarding cell phones and electronic devices such as smart watches. We have not confiscated any electronic devices at this time, we simply remind students that phones are required to be off and in their backpacks and all smart watches are required to be on school mode. This includes, before school on the playground, recess, lunch, hallway, classrooms and bathroom and walking to the bus or car at the end of the day. These reminders and your support at home will help our students for prepare for the transition to the ⅚ building and middle school where cell phone/personal electronics policies are enforced.
We believe in the importance of open communication and encourage you to discuss this policy with your child. Please emphasize the importance of respecting school rules and focusing on learning and socializing during the school day. Students are always able to come to the office in order to communicate with parents/guardians or you are able to call Alward at any time to speak with your child. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work together to create a positive and productive learning environment for all our students. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out directly to me for additional clarification as needed.
Take care and S.O.A.R. on!
Heidi Mucha
This week and next, students will be learning about Kids Heart Challenge and how to be a Heart Hero and Lifesaver! Our fundraising efforts for the American Heart Association begin now and go through February 16, 2024. Our goal as a school is to raise $16,000! Information packets and envelopes will be sent home with students, but online registration and donations are highly recommended. The heart hero keychains will be given to students during their PE class as they get to each level if donations are made online. Other thank you gifts like the jump rope, tshirt, playground ball, etc. will be ordered at the completion of our fundraising event and will be sent home with students when they arrive.
To register your student online, go to
PK / Kindergarten New Student Parent Meeting
Hello:
The Hudsonville Early Childhood Programs is preparing for the 2024-2025 school year, and we are sharing our upcoming open house and registration information below:
Open House: Tuesday, February 6, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Hudsonville Early Childhood Center, 5535 School Avenue (main entrance off Madison Avenue).
Registration: Begins Wednesday, February 7, at noon. Registration must be completed using our online link, which will be available on the ECC Website. A $100.00 fee per child is due at the time of registration, and you will receive a $50.00 credit towards future tuition.
Programs include: 3 and 4 year old preschool, before and after school care, and summer care. The 2024-2025 program information can be viewed on the ECC Website.
Feel free to reach out should you have any questions. Thank you!
--
Rebecca VanSomeren, Director - rvansome@hpseagles.net
Tricia Maday, Assistant Director - tmaday@hpseagles.net
Shellie Martinie, Administrative Assistant - smartini@hpseagles.net
616.797.0842 ext. 1
Registration Ends Thursday February 22!
$20pp Cash or check in the office (Please send in an envelope with your name on it and how many tickets needed)
or $21pp if you choose to pay online (cc fees) :
Alward PTC
PTC News............
Meet our 2023/2024 Alward PTC Board!
They can always be reached with any questions via email at alwardptc.hps@gmail.com
Co-President: Audra Kotman
Co-President: Stacey VanderBent
Co-Vice President: Allie Gonzalez
Co-Vice President: Ali Westhuis
Treasurer: Marissa Zylstra
Assistant Treasurer: Tom Holmes
Secretary: Heather Kleinjans
Teacher Representative: Rachel VanKoevering, 1st Grade
RAISE RIGHT
A super simple way to raise funds for Alward PTC is by buying gift cards from RaiseRight to pay for your everyday shopping and spending year-round!
Create a free fundraising account on the RaiseRight mobile app or at RaiseRight.com.
Enroll Code: WWJZU5516X2B
https://www.raiseright.com/enroll?enrollCode=WWJZU5516X2B
Our hope with Raise Right is to utilize the funds directly to enrich and impact our children’s classrooms. Raise Right will help fund Class Cash, a program that enables teachers to request financial support to purchase various classroom items, like flexible seating, books and manipulatives to improve hands on learning!
Birthday Treats
Due to the number of food allergies in the school, we ask that you please bring in non food items for birthday treats. Please see examples below.
bouncy balls, fidgets, putty
crayons, markers, pencils
bubbles, slime, balloons
BREAKFAST
Breakfast will be served starting at 8:35.
Breakfast consists of cereal, milk, juice, fresh fruit, and a cookie/cracker bar.
Students that eat breakfast at school will eat breakfast in the cafeteria. Once students are done eating, they will be sent back to class.
If your child will be eating breakfast at school, please contact your classroom teacher so that we know to send them down to the cafeteria the first week of school.
HOT LUNCH
2023-24 School Year: Michigan Public School Students Prek-12 will receive Breakfast and Lunch at NO CHARGE.
Michigan approved Healthy School Meals for All. The budget will fund FREE school meals for all public K-12 students in Michigan for the 2023-24 School Year.
**** Districts MUST still collect Free/Reduced Meal Applications. We still need to verify eligibility levels for proper accounting of meals. ****
New! Family Portal: https://hudsonville.familyportal.cloud/
- Apply for Free and Reduced Price Meal benefits! Free and Reduced Meal Benefits are based on household size, income amount (gross), and income frequency. GOOD NEWS: any family that qualifies for Reduced Price Meal benefits will receive breakfast and lunch at NO COST.
- You will need to register a new account to monitor accounts or deposit online; Send Money to School accounts no longer exist. You will need your students ID to create an account. You will receive your students ID on their student profile sheet at the open house. Please make a note of it!
- Regardless of benefits status, Milk-only purchases remain at $0.50 per carton. Milk is included as part of the whole MEAL benefit. If your child(ren) qualify for free or reduced price meals and all they want is a carton of milk, their account will be charged 50 cents.
Our website www.jenhudfood.org is loaded with information. Please click on any of these links for more information:
- Digital Menus by Nutrislice (look for updates in August to Nutrislice)
- How Meal Service Works and Depositing Money
- Meal Charge Policy
- Follow us on Social Media!!
Contact us:
Email: foodservice@hpseagles.net
Phone: (616) 457-2400
January 2024 Hot Lunch Menu
HUDSONVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS HEALTH PROGRAM
Please check out our website for important information on Health Services.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND MEDICATION TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR CHILD! MEDICATION CAN BE DROPPED OFF BY PARENTS FOR AN OFFICE STAFF MEMBER TO ADMINISTER.
Alward Elementary Attendance
Please send us an email if your child will be late or absent aesattendance@hpseagles.net.
You are still welcome to call our office 616-669-6700 option 1 if you would like to speak with one of our Administrative Assistance or have any questions.
NEW email address aesattendance@hpseagles.net to report your student absent or late.
If your student will not be attending school due to illness or other reasons, please call or email the office before 9:15 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 8:50 am, please call or email the office in the morning. Any students arriving after 8:50 am must be signed in by a parent/guardian.
If your student will be late and needs a hot lunch, please let us know when you call. Hot lunch needs to be ordered by 10 am.
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.
VISITOR POLICY
All volunteers and visitors are required to have a background check on file. Background Checks must be completed every school year. Please complete the background check now so you are all set for the school year!
TRANSPORTATION HOME
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 3:00 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 PROCEDURES
Student drop-off and pick-up are very busy times during a normal school year 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:
1. Please place the placard sign, pictured below, in your passenger side window of your car with your child/ren's names and teacher's name listed. You will receive two car signs at open house. Additional signs can be picked up in the office if needed. If you can, please put a name tag on your child along with his/her classroom teacher's name to help us get students to their correct classroom.
2. Use the car loop on the west side (office side) of the building.
3. Stay in the right lane and drop off your child in the drop-off zone. Zone will be marked with cones. Please pull all the way to either the stop sign for the unloading zone or to the car in front of you.
4. 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 help child/children get out of the car and direct them to the door that they will go in.
5. Parents remain in their vehicles.
6. Do not pass cars in the car line. Stay in a single file line until the cars move in front of you.
7. If you want to walk your PK/K child to their line up spot, you must park in the parking lot and cross at the crosswalk. Parents will need to say their goodbyes at the line up spot.
To Keep Our Line Moving Tips:
Follow the procedures noted above.
Say your goodbyes and give kisses prior to dropping off in the car line. :)
Have backpacks/supplies ready to exit car with students.
Parents need to remain in their vehicles.
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
PK-4th Grade Students
3:45 p.m.
1. Please put the placard sign, pictured below in your passenger side window of your car with your child/ren's names and teacher's names listed. You will receive two car signs at open house. Additional signs can be picked up in the office if needed.
2. Use the car loop on the west-side (office side) of the building.
3. Stay in the right lane and pull up to the orange cone on the far west side of the parking lot or behind the cars in front of you.
4. Students will be walked out in groups to the car line and must enter cars on the passenger side of the vehicle.
5. If you need to help your child buckle his/her car seat, please pull forward with the flow of traffic, park in a parking spot, and help your child buckle his/her car seat.
To Keep Our Line Moving Tips:
Follow the procedures noted above.
Parents need to remain in their vehicles.
Please be patient with this system for the first few weeks of school. Once students, staff, and families get used to the process, the line moves efficiently and is safe for all of our students!
Based on last year’s car line data, the car line takes 4-5 minutes to load 60 cars!
AM DROP OFF MAP
PM PICK UP MAP
AES CAR TAGS
At Open House, you will receive a car tag for the arrival and dismissal car line. Please write your child’s/children’s names and classroom teacher's names as well.
If you need additional car tags, you can get them from our office staff.
Communication
- 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. Past newsletters will be linked under NEWS.
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 Alward!
Social Media: Follow our story by liking us Facebook
Google Classrooms: Teacher google sites are linked under staff members. Teachers will be updating their Google Classroom Sites on a weekly basis.
Website: https://www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org/alward/index
Location: 3811 Port Sheldon Street, Hudsonville, MI, USA
Phone: 616-669-6700
Facebook: facebook.com/AESEaglePride
Being a parent is one of the most important jobs you can have, and raising kids is arguably more difficult than ever.
Despite the many outside influences in today’s world, you, as a parent, still have the biggest impact on your children’s lives.
The Parenting Conference will be hosted at Fair Haven Church on Saturday, January 27, 2024. This fun and dynamic conference is designed to be a huge encouragement to parents and other caregivers of children birth-18 and will also leave you equipped with new tools in your “parenting toolbox” as you care for the most important relationships in your life.
This conference is for any person who holds a parenting position and is hoping to invest well, lead by example and celebrate their kids at every turn. This is for someone who wants to capitalize on every moment and make intentional decisions to set their kids up the best they can for a life filled with joy, fun, and success.
What to Expect
Encouragement and practical tools for raising and caring for our children, children of all ages.
Breakout sessions that address some of the most prevalent parenting topics.
Opportunities to learn, have fun, and connect with other parents.
Breakout Sessions
- Kaleidoscope: How to talk to kids about friends with special needs. (Emma Hekhuis)
- Nurtured Heart Approach (Lisa Dykstra)
- Christ-Centered Parenting (Lori McCrum)
- Preparing to Launch: Setting up your middle/high schoolers beyond high school. (Todd Tulgetske)
- How to navigate anxiety experienced by our kids (Kristyn Sterk)
- How to keep your mind when your kids are losing theirs. (Greg Vandermeer)
Conference Schedule & Registration
Saturday, January 27, 2024 | 8:30am – 12:30pm
Doors open at 8:00am with complimentary drinks from the cafe available.
8:30-10:00 – Main Session 1
10:10-10:45 – Breakout #1
10:50-11:25 – Breakout #2
11:40-12:30 – Main Session 2
Cost of the conference is $15.
REGISTRATION FOR PARENTING CONFERENCEHudsonville YOUTH LACROSSE
Hudsonville Youth Lacrosse parent meeting is set for December 5th at Baldwin Middle School from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Registration will open on December 1st, and late fees will start on January 1st.
For more information, please visit: hudslax.com
Cub Scout - Pack 3149
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 at our next meetings on January 18 and 25 at Jenison Christian Church from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM.
Those dates don’t work for you? We meet on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Thursday evenings from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM throughout the school year at Jenison Christian Church.
Contact Alison Freas at cubscoutpack3149@gmail.com, (616) 566-9332, or check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HudsonvillePack3149
The Girl Scouts are in Hudsonville
Become a part of an empowering program that gives girls opportunities to learn, grow, discover, and soar to new heights.
January 9th, 5:30-6:30 pm
Baldwin St. Middle School Media Center
3835 Baldwin Street, Hudsonville, MI
If you or your girl are interested in becoming apart of the Girl Scout movement, come join us for our informational meeting!
Registration is $25 per year; financial aid is also available
Please call 231-220-0508 or email Taylor at Tzenobia@gmail.com if you have any questions!