Alward Action
October 8, 2021
P.E. NEWS
PE is well underway for this school year. All classes started the year by working on Teamwork and Sportsmanship by participating in teamwork challenges. Then 2nd graders through 5th graders began Fitness Testing. The tests are "personal challenges" for each student where goal setting and improvement from fall to spring is the main focus. The tests students perform are the Mile Run (which tests cardiovascular endurance), Shuttle Run (tests quickness and agility), Sit-ups and Pushups (tests muscular endurance) and the Sit and Reach (tests flexibility). PreK, Kindergarten and 1st graders have been practicing some of those same types of exercises along with doing Mileage Club where they earn a shoelace and foot tokens for each mile they run on our track around the playground. They are so proud of their hard work each time they do a lap!
For the month of October, all classes are bowling! They have so much fun working together and learning a lifelong sport. A special shout out of thanks goes to Hudsonville Lanes for providing us the use of the in-school bowling equipment!
Turkey Trot Update: If you registered for this year's Turkey Trot, the shirts and virtual race info will be sent home with students on October 26, so be on the lookout!
Positiv-Tee Tuesday
Tuesday, Oct 12, 2021, 08:30 AM
3811 Port Sheldon Street, Hudsonville, MI, USA
Halloween Party Information
Please prepare ahead of time and be mindful of school appropriate costumes (specifically, no weapons, blood, gore or anything scary). Thank you so much!
Book Fair
We need several volunteers to help students make book wish lists on their look days and shop on their buy days! Please sign up here if you are able to help! All volunteers must have a completed background check on file every year! Background checks can be completed online here.
Monday, Oct 18, 2021, 08:30 AM
3811 Port Sheldon Street, Hudsonville, MI, USA
School Picture Retakes
Wednesday, Oct 20, 2021, 08:30 AM
3811 Port Sheldon Street, Hudsonville, MI, USA
Early Release
Friday, Oct 22, 2021, 12:15 PM
3811 Port Sheldon Street, Hudsonville, MI, USA
PTC Meeting
Save the date for our next PTC public meeting at 7:00pm on Tuesday, November 9. We will have some fun updates about upcoming events, and our PBIS specialist will be with us to do a small presentation about Social Emotional Learning and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports and answer any questions you may have.
Tuesday, Nov 9, 2021, 07:00 PM
3811 Port Sheldon Street, Hudsonville, MI, USA
Miss Miller's 2nd grade class doing a digital escape room with partners to practice word problems
PTC Corner
The PTC is looking for a parent to co-chair parent/teacher conference dinners and shadow teacher appreciation week (help this year and learn the ropes to take over with a co-chair next year). We are also looking for someone to run our Girls on the Run program. Please contact Andi Butler at andi6543@att.net for more information.
The PTC and Walkathon committee would like to thank all of our Alward families for such an amazing year with Walkathon! We had a record year with donations which will do amazing things for the school this year! It was so great seeing all the parents that were able to come and have fun walking with the kids! Thank you again Alward families for being so amazing to our school- Alward PTC Board
PTC BOARD for 2021/22
President - Andi Butler - andi6543@att.net
Vice President - Christie Troup - troupch@gmail.com
Co-Treasurer - Kelly Clough - kelly.clough645@gmail.com
Co-Treasurer - Tim Smit - timothy_smit@yahoo.com
Secretary - Michelle Nienhuis - nienhuis1015@gmail.com
Teacher Representative - Heather LaLonde - hlalond@hpseagles.net
Amazon Smile - Use this link to do all of your Amazon shopping and our school will earn money!
Family Fare Receipts - Turn in your Family Fare receipts and our school will earn $1,000 for every $150,000 in receipts that we collect. We just earned a $1,000 check for our school and are on our way to the next $1,000! Keep sending those receipts in!
BoxTops - Collecting Box Tops is another way we earn money for our school! We collect Box Tops all year!
We want to shower our teachers with some treats for the lounge. Please feel free to sign up here for one or two spots. Thanks so much with your help!
Volunteer and Visitor Policy
All volunteers and visitors are also required to complete a background check every year. Please complete the background check form here.
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. COVID has added a new layer, so please make sure to read all of these drop off procedures so that we can ensure the safety of our students and staff and efficiency of our car line. If you are dropping your child off in the carline, please remain in your vehicle and follow the procedures below.
Staggered Drop-off: We will have a staggered drop off due to the expected increase in car riders this year. We will have numerous staff helping students get into the building safely and to their classrooms.
- Grades 2-5: Please drop your child off between 8:35-8:45 a.m. Please do not come early as we will not be able to allow students into the building until 8:35 a.m. If you have children in grades PK-1, you can drop off all children during this time slot. We will have your oldest child help walk your younger child/ren to their assigned classes. Students in grades 2-5 will enter Door U unless they are walking a younger sibling to their class.
- Grades PK-1: Please drop your child off between 8:40-8:50 a.m. Students in KDG will enter door A. Students in PK and 1st grade will enter door W.
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.
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 help child/children get out of the car and 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 until the cars move in front of you.
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-Fifth 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 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!
Walkers
- Walkers are dismissed once our car line is out of our parking lot to ensure their safety in the parking lot and crossing Port Sheldon, if needed.
- Walkers will be dismissed out of Door T (at the end of our fourth and fifth grade hallway).
- If you or a sibling will be typically walking your child home, please notify your child's teacher.
- If the person designated to walk your child home changes, please contact the main office to let them know of the change.
Drop-off Map
Pick-Up Map
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.
Breakfast
Breakfast will be served starting at 8:35. Once students are done eating, they will be sent back to class.
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. They will be spaced out 3 feet apart at our cafeteria tables.
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.
Lunch-Update
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 students' teacher. 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.PK students will be eating lunch in the cafeteria, while our K-5th grade students will be eating lunch in the classrooms again this year. Students will travel down to the cafeteria to get hot lunch or milk, if they ordered it, and then go back into the classroom to eat. Teachers will be with the students while they are eating their lunches. We will have noon hour aides that will be assisting students getting their lunches and helping sanitize the classrooms after lunch is done.
Medications at School
Please do not send medications to school with your child. Please come into the office to drop off medications. Thank you!
Transportation Home
Change in Transportation Home At the End of the School Day
Attendance
If your student will not be attending school due to illness or other reasons, please call 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 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.
Forgotten Items
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. We will no longer have an Alward Blog as we are looking to consolidate and simply communication to our families.
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 on...
Facebook: Like us on Facebook-facebook.com/AESEaglePride
Twitter: Like us on Twitter @AlwardElem
Google Classrooms: We will no longer have individual blogs for teachers. 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
Twitter: @AlwardElem