Alward Action
Friday December 1, 2023
Mrs. Mucha's Holiday Update
Dear Alward Families,
Deck the halls, jingle the bells, and get ready to spread some cheer, because next week at Alward is Holiday Fun Week! We've packed the days with joyful learning and festive activities that will be sure to keep our students busy as they get ready for the holiday break.
Class Parties:
Each class will be hosting their own festive party throughout the week. Expect crafts, games, yummy treats, and plenty of holiday spirit!
Polar Express Movie Day (Friday, 12/22):
Wrap up the week in cozy comfort with a special Polar Express movie day on Friday afternoon! We'll dim the lights in the gym, grab some popcorn and settle in for a magical journey to the North Pole with the conductor and his trusty elves. Students will join 2 other grade levels either in the morning or afternoon and enjoy this fun activity in the gym with our specials teachers and staff.
Get Your Sparkle On with Spirit Days:
Monday: Flannel and Winter Hat day
Tuesday: Candy Cane day (wear red and white)
Wednesday: Christmas Sweater day
Thursday: Red and Green day
Friday: PJ day (students may bring a small stuff animal and/or blanket that can be used during our Polar Express movie time, must fit in their backpack)
We can't wait to celebrate the season with you and your family! Wishing you a week filled with holiday magic, laughter, and joy! Keep an eye out on our social media for daily travel from our Alward Elf!
Take care and S.O.A.R. on!
Heidi Mucha
Cold Weather Gear!!!
Please send students to school with coat, gloves, hats, boots and even snow pants! Students will continue to go out for recess as long as the temp/wind chill is above 0 degrees.
Remember to include a pair of shoes to wear indoors. Keeping a pair of Gym shoes at school through the winter is a GREAT idea!
Christmas Program Rehersal Information!
Please take note that students will be transported by bus during the school day December 19 to Fair Haven Church to practice for our Holiday Program. Please see the schedule below. If you have any questions please reach out to the office.
Holiday Program Information
December 19, 2023
Fair Haven Church
Kindergarten and First Grade - 6:30pm (6:15 call time)
Second, Third and Fourth Grades - 7:45 (7:30 call time)
** Reminder that HPS PreK students do not participate in the Holiday Program**
Alward Staff Favorite Things List
Many have started their Holiday shopping and have requested an updated Staff Favorite things list. If you are looking for a special treat for a staff member check out what their favorite items are!! Gifts are NOT required but always appreciated :-)
Lost & Found
Lost and Found Items will be donated over Holiday Break. We will have teachers bring their classes by the table a few times before break. If you would like to take peek the table is right by the office. Please check in at the office.
Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run provides POWER, PURPOSE and POTENTIAL!
For 3rd & 4th Grade Girls at AES two days a week after school.
Flyers were sent home 12/8!
Starts: Week of March 18
Ends: Celebration 5K is June 1, 2024
Registration: December 1-January 18
Registation Fee: $130
Scholarships available!
For more information go to www.gotrwm.org
Coaches are still NEEDED!!
Visit www.gotrwm.org/coach for more information and to get involved
or you can contact Mrs. Louis at AES slouis@hpseagles.net
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
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
facebook.com/AESEaglePride
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
Hudsonville 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
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!
Hudsonville Little League 2024 Spring Registration is now open!
The deadline is January 14 for most divisions (available space only following).
Eligibility is based on home address, school address, or having played in the league prior.
All students from Forest Grove, Jamestown Upper & Lower, South, Park Elementary Schools, Riley St. Middle School, Early Childhood Center, and Hudsonville High School are eligible. For more information and to register, please visit: www.HudsonvilleLittleLeague.com