Alward Action
September 25, 2020
SOAR: Being Safe at Alward
Art at Alward
We have been busy in the Art room here at Alward, working on a collaborative
mural for the school. Every student at Alward spent their first art class of the new school
year creating paper balloon masterpieces! It is amazing to see each child creatively
expressing themselves in unique ways! Students did a wonderful job coming up with
creative designs for their balloons.
For the past two weeks, 5th grade volunteers have been helping put the mural
together, and it now hangs in one of our hallways. Below are photos of a few 5th
graders helping put together the mural, along with photos of the finished product!
Students had a hand in every part of this mural, the balloons, the words, the birds and
assemblage were all completed by our fabulous artists here at Alward!
Since the start of the year, each grade has been able to complete multiple
projects. This week, students are finishing up their Square One Art project, which will be
shipped out by the end of next week!
PTC Meeting
Tuesday, Oct 13, 2020, 07:00 PM
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Ongoing PTC Fundraisers
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 are less than $10,000 in Family Fare receipts from hitting our goal and receiving our check. Just send your receipts to school. It’s one of the easiest ways for our school to earn money!
BoxTops - Collecting Box Tops is another way we earn money for our school! Stay tuned for details on a classroom box top competition coming soon!
Meet the PTC Board
The PTC is excited to work with the Alward families and staff to plan fun events for our school this year. We look forward to meeting our new Alward families and reconnecting with our current families at future PTC meetings. As a new PTC team this year, we are excited to invite more parents to become involved and help with the fun family events and supporting our staff! This year will definitely be different than years past, but our goal is to help our teachers make school as normal as possible for the kids this year. We hope you will join us at our next PTC meeting on Oct. 13 and 7pm.
Andi Butler / Co-President
My husband Steve and I have a Kindergartener, 2nd
grader, and 5th grader at Alward. We love spending our free time on our boat on Lake Michigan and enjoying the
outdoors. I have co-chaired our Walkathon, Carnival/Raffle, restaurant fundraisers, and Teacher Appreciation for the last
several years. I am excited to work with our families to enhance our kids’ school experience. We have an amazing staff at Alward and I love being able to support them however I can.
Melissa Hodge / Co-President
I’ve been a part of the PTC at Alward for the last three years. I have three kids, two are 5th graders this year, and my oldest is in 9th grade at Hudsonville High School. When I’m not busy
with my kids, I can be found reading, hanging outside, or part-time Shipt shopping. I also love spending time with my
husband and kids, as well as friends and family. I am excited to help make 2020-2021 the best school year yet!
Stephanie Rowe / Vice President
I am a wife and mother of five. My twins are in 1st
grade at Alward. I also have a daughter heading into her Junior year at HHS and two young adults that are grown and
flown! I spend a good part of my days working in the Alward office and supervising the playground! This is my 1st year
on the PTC and I look forward to meeting our parents and planning events for our students and families.
Kelly Clough / Co-Treasurer
I have 3 kids at Alward - 5th, 3rd, and Kindergarten. This will
be my 3rd year on the PTC board. I work full time as an accounting manager at a big Insurance broker, Acrisure. In my
spare time I enjoy reading, doing puzzles, and hiking!
Tim Smit / Co-Treasurer
I have been married to my wife Janessa for 10 years, and we have a 4th grader and a 2nd grader at Alward. I work in sales for a large protective packaging manufacturer. I also serve on the Georgetown Township planning commission, which I have done for 5 years. I enjoy camping, hunting, gardening and
spending time with my family! My wife and I are also co-chairs for the Secret Santa shop.
Michelle Nienhuis / Secretary
I look forward to working with our board and our school for this year. My husband John and I have four children. We have a 7th and 8th grader who go to school at Baldwin Street Middle School and a 3rd and 1st grader here at Alward. I am co-chair of the Popcorn Committee and work at the school as a lunch and recess aide.
Heather LaLonde / Teacher Rep.
I currently teach second grade, and have taught kindergarten for 12 years. My husband Aaron and I have been married for 12 years. We have a 2 year old, kindergartener, and a third grader. I love baking, listening to music, and relaxing! I look forward to
working with you this year!
PTC Contact Info
Walkathon
Friday, Oct 23, 2020, 09:00 AM
3811 Port Sheldon Street, Hudsonville, MI, USA
Early Release
Friday, Oct 23, 2020, 12:15 PM
3811 Port Sheldon Street, Hudsonville, MI, USA
NO SCHOOL
Monday, Oct 26, 2020, 08:00 AM
3811 Port Sheldon Street, Hudsonville, MI, USA
Lost and Found
FREE Breakfast and Lunch
On Monday, August 31, the USDA announced that they would be extending the Summer Food Service Program’s free meals for all students at all schools through December 31, or until funding runs out. This program is called the Extended Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and is authorized to run until December 31, 2020, OR until the USDA tells us to stop. This extended SFSP is a continuation of the operating rules that were in place during the spring/summer closure from March-August. During the Extended Summer
Food Service Program, all meals (breakfast and lunch) will be served at NO COST to children 18 and under (or up through age 26 for individuals with special needs). We strongly emphasize that Free and Reduced Applications must still be filled out.
As this applies to meals that were provided this week, we will begin to remove applicable charges for qualified individuals. This may take us a few weeks to accomplish. Please know that single items or extra item purchases (such as milk only, secondary combos, second entrees, etc.) will not be free of charge. They will be charged as usual. Again, the USDA scheduled this program to end on December 31, but they could decide at
any point to end the program if funding runs out. When that happens, we revert back to charging for meals.
Breakfast is served everyday from 8:35am-8:50am. Please email classroom teachers to let them know if your child will be eating breakfast at school on a normal basis so they can send them down to the cafeteria.
COVID-19 Policies and Procedures
Medications at School
Please do not send medications to school with your child. Please come into the office to drop off medications. Thank you!
Change in Transportation Home
Please contact the main office to let them know if there will be a change in transportation for your child going home that differs from the google doc for a normal dismissal by 3:00!
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. This year adds 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. Parents will not be permitted to walk their child/ren to their classrooms due to the no visitor mandate. Therefore, 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 8:40-8:50a.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. 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.
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 additional cart tags in your child's take-home folder on the first day of school. If you need more, please contact the main office, and we will be happy to print some for you!
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
Here is a link for you to print a placard car tag for the first day of school-arrival and dismissal. Please put your child's first and last name on the card as well as your child's teacher's name. If you do not have a printer, please write this information on a piece of paper to put in the passenger side window.
In your child's take home folder, 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. 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