Park Newsletter
Feb. 9, 2024
A Note from Mrs. Stefanich
Hello Park Families,
We have had such a gift of beautiful weather this week! I hope you have enjoyed some outdoor time with your families, and have a wonderful Winter Break! As a reminder, we do not have school on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Hopefully you spend some time reading books, taking walks, and playing games together over this break.
Our Growth Mindset Statement for February is When I Don't Know, I Keep Trying! This goal is all about perseverance - which was one of our Words of the Week, too! This is a great time of year to remind your child that they aren't expected to know and be able to do everything YET. There is so much value in the process of learning and growing. The next time your child struggles to do something challenging, remind them that when things are hard, it is evidence of our brain growing! That is worth celebrating, so don't be discouraged when something feels tricky.
An example of this in my professional life is the way we've worked hard at Park Elementary to continue to improve upon our dismissal process. Our carline is running safer and smoother, and our walkers are getting the hang of our new dismissal process too! Our families have been so gracious as we've navigated the safest ways to send our students out our doors at the end of the day. Thank you for helping us ensure our young learners are leaving with their trusted adults each day. Your partnership is so appreciated!
My best,
Mrs. Stefanich
Bits and Pieces.....
Lunch Menu
Last week the Feb. 2024 menu was sent home. It didn't have a few of our dates on it. Linked is the updated version for February.
Pick -up
Walkers:
I wanted to reach out with a quick update for our families that walk home with their children at the end of the school day. If you are meeting your child outside of the building, and they exit from Door P rather than using the carline, I would like to ask that you walk up to Door P to meet your child.
Why the change?
Walking up to the door ensures that our staff sees you, makes eye contact with you, and can dismiss your child to you rather than sending them out the door and not seeing caregivers at all. This will heighten safety and help us feel more comfortable with our walkers leaving school, especially our youngest walkers.
Once you hear the Dismissal Bell at 3:45, please enter the gate to walk up to the door. You will not enter the building. Rather, our staff will dismiss your child when they see you outside the glass door labeled P.
**We do have some upper elementary students that walk all the way home without meeting a grown up. They will still be allowed to leave the building without an adult if that is their parent approved way home. However, if you park on Curtis instead of using the carline, please plan on walking to the building to meet your child.
Thank you for your help as we continually reassess and try to make our dismissal as safe as possible.
From Art
.
Recent Words of the Week
Optimistic - hopeful and confident about the future
Integrity - the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles
Important Dates
- Feb. 14 - Parent Club meeting 9AM
- Feb. 23 - Early Release 12:15
Feb. 24 - 11:30am-1:15pm or 1:30-3:15pm Boys VIP bowling
Feb. 26 & 28 - Parent Teacher Conferences ~ link to sign up
Mar. 9 -11:30am-1:15pm or 1:30-3:15pm Girl VIP bowling
March 13 Parent club meeting 9AM
Mar. 15 - Early Release
Mar. 28-April 7 - Spring Break
Parent Club Info
Scholastic Book Fair is coming up from February 26-February 29. We need more volunteers to help during the school day. If you can help, please click the link below to sign up!
Boys VIP bowling is February 24 from 11:30am-1:15pm or 1:30-3:15pm. Flyers are coming home today to sign up. You are able to pay via cash or check with the flyer or you can sign up online! Visit this link to sign up and pay online https://hudsonville.recdesk.com/Community/Program and search Park Elementary VIP Bowling. You will have the time slot you sign up for. Deadline is February 15.
Girl VIP bowling March 9 from 11:30am-1:15pm or 1:30-3:15pm. More information will be coming home soon!
Conference Dinner Donations- PPC is providing dinner for staff both nights of conferences this spring and we are looking for both monetary donations and food donations. If you would like to sponsor a teacher for $10 or help us by purchasing a food item and bringing it in to school, please use the link below. Any help is greatly appreciated!
https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/1241616766014/true#/invitation
Our next Park Parents’ Club meeting is February 14th at 9am in the staff lounge. We hope to see you there! Dr. VanderJagt will be looking us at our March PPC meeting on March 13th at 9am in the staff lounge.
Check out our Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/ParkParentsClub?mibextid=LQQJ4d
HPS Early Childhood Programs
Open House/Registration Night for the 2024-2025 School Year and the 2024 Summer Program
Tuesday, Febuary 6, 2024, at the Early Childhood Center from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Early Childhood Center is located at 5535 School Ave. (main entrance off Madison Ave.)
Programs include 3-year-old & 4-year-old Preschool, Before/After School Care, and Summer Care.
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.
*This is a chance to gather information about the programs, meet staff, and visit preschool classrooms. There will be NO registration this night. Registration will take place online only, with the link active on Wed. Feb 7, at noon.
The link to register for all programs can be found on the Hudsonville Public Schools website, under the Early Childhood Programs tab. Please note that enrollment fills quickly.
For more information, please call the Early Childhood office at 616-797-0842, ext. 1.
HPS Community Education
While it might be dreary outside, we have plenty of engaging activities to keep your kids entertained until the weather warms up. Make sure to register early so your child doesn't miss out on the fun!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
New Winter Activities for Kids - Check Out Our Electronic Flyer!
Rebecca Fabiano
Community Education Director
616-669-1740
Community News - Not sponsored by Hudsonville Public Schools
Gary Byker Library of Hudsonville Upcoming Events for Kids
To register or for more details, see our event calendar @ https://hudsonville.librarycalendar.com/
Storytime: Mondays & Tuesdays, 10:15am: Ages PreK & under
Stay & Play: Thurs., Feb. 8 & 22, 10:15am: Ages PreK & under
Maker Monday: Friendship & Fun: Mon. Feb. 12, 4:30pm: Ages 9+
Used Book Sale: Feb. 15-17; Books for children - adults, DVDs, puzzles & more
Kids Winter Reading Program: Ages 8+; Log your reading & earn prizes along the way! January 8 – March 30
Check out how to get a free National Park Pass for your Fourth Grader!
AYSO Epic Program
The mission of the AYSO EPIC Program is to provide a quality soccer experience for individuals whose physical or mental disabilities make it difficult for them to successfully participate on mainstream soccer teams.
Our EPIC program is open to players ages 4 and above. Players will meet once a week during the fall, winter, and spring seasons for a weekly practice & game session. EPIC Buddies and their EPIC Coach will assist our EPIC players as they practice soccer drills and play in a weekly game. Anyone in or outside of the Hudsonville/Jenison area is eligible to participate.
EPIC Registration for 2023 Fall, Winter, Spring (7 weeks each session)
Spring Session - week of 4/8/24 through week 5/20/24
By registering for EPIC, you are registering for all sessions at once. Players will have the opportunity to provide session availability. Volunteers are requested for all sessions for player familiarity and consistency.
Each week, we will meet on one day. The day, time, and location are being determined so that information will be provided after registration.
AYSO EPIC: https://ayso.org/epic/
EPIC Register: https://www.ayso676.org/
School Breakfast and Lunch Information
In 2022, federal legislation created a new program to fill hunger gaps during summer break, called Summer EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer). The program is being administered by Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Education (MDE). A household can receive $40 per month per child in June, July, and August 2024 (for a total of $120 per child). Benefits will come in the form of preloaded cards that families can use to purchase groceries.
Summer EBT benefits will be issued to students who have a completed and approved Application for Meal Benefits on file as of February 14, 2024.
If you already have an approved application, automatically receive Free or Reduced Meal Benefits, or already receive EBT Benefits, you do NOT need to re-apply.
Completion of the form does not automatically qualify your student for the summer benefits. These benefits will be based on annual incomes and household size as noted by you on the form.
If your address has changed this year, be sure to update it with your school to ensure your benefit card is sent to the right address.
This WILL NOT impact your student receiving free breakfast and lunch at school.
Click HERE for Income Guidelines to see if you might qualify.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR BENEFITS!
If you have any questions, please contact Food Service at foodservice@hpseagles.net or 616-457-2400.
Breakfast and Hot Lunch are available everyday to all students. This year, school lunches are once again free to our students! This is such wonderful news and we look forward to feeding your children each day! Of course, you can still pack a lunch for your child if you prefer. (As a reminder, hot lunch is only free if your child takes a fruit or vegetable on their tray. Please remind them they have to *at least* put it on their tray for the lunch to be free.)
New! Family Portal: https://familyportal.cloud
- Apply for Free and Reduced Price Meal benefits! If you are wondering if you would qualify, here are the Income Guidelines. Free and Reduced Meal Benefits are based on household size, income amount (gross), and income frequency. We encourage all families to apply, even though school lunches are free. Applying is confidential, and provides our school with additional supports for students.
- You will need to register a new account to monitor accounts or deposit online; Send Money to School accounts no longer exist.
- Regardless of benefits status, Milk-only purchases remain at $0.50 per carton. Milk is included as part of the whole MEAL benefit. However, if all your child wants 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
2140 Bauer Road
Jenison, MI 49428
Menu's, Free and Reduced Information, nutrition information and lunch account info can all be found on the Jenison/Hudsonville Food Service Home page.
Parents, please review our district wide Student/Parent Elementary Handbook. This is new this year and is full of great information that may answer many questions. Please take a look and let me know if you have any specific questions regarding this handbook. Some notable items are listed below:
- Student dress code prohibits clothing promoting alcohol, violence, etc. Additionally, dress code prohibits bare midriffs, sides, or backs.
- Cell phones and smart watches are not allowed at school. They need to be powered down and in backpacks during school hours.
School begins at 8:45 a.m.
Parent drop off: no earlier than 8:35 a.m.
School ends at 3:45 p.m.
Office hours: 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Opt-In for Text Messages
In order to receive text messages from Park and HPS, you will need to Opt-in. Please see this link to Opt-in to text messages so you don't miss any important information.
How do recipients opt-in to receive text messages?
- Text “YES” to 68453 from each phone or device from which they wish to receive texts.
- Confirm that your phone is on file at your school
How do recipients opt-out of receiving text messages?
Recipients not wishing to receive text messages to a particular number can simply do one of the following:
- Don’t opt-in, and don’t reply to the opt-in invitation message.
- Text “STOP” to 68453 at any time.
- Opt out online at http://schoolmessenger.com/txtmsg
- Request that the SchoolMessenger system administrator adds the number to the account’s phone number block list.