The Appleseed
October/November 2022
Update from the Superintendent
The smell of fresh cut grass on a damp, cool night on the soccer 'pitch' defines this time of year. Hearing our high school band practice late into the evening and the smell of chlorine as you near the pool entrance paints the picture of what fall smells/sounds like as the school year is underway. The leaves are beginning to change, and the cool nights are settling in. It is only a matter of time before we get the shovels out and prepare for winter. The 22-23 school year is in full swing, and our students are busy learning new skills and connecting with their classmates as our outstanding educators walk alongside them. I feel so blessed to live in a community with high standards, dedicated staff, and genuinely positive community members. While we continue to strive for excellence, we face our challenges with open minds in an attempt to better our school community. With our kids fully engaged in our classrooms, there are several updates and celebrations as we continue our educational journey together.
We have so much to celebrate! You may have seen this recent report regarding Niche.com rankings – featuring Hudsonville Public Schools in the Top 25 in Michigan and Top 2 in Ottawa County. I know there are all types of rankings, so it's challenging to decide which ones to celebrate, but Niche.com has a long-standing reputation for recognizing successful schools. So, congratulations to our entire community on the high ranking. Our hard-working students, incredible staff, and supportive community drive our district to this special recognition.
As you may notice, construction is underway at many of our schools throughout the district. The 5/6 building is progressing and is on schedule to open next year (fall of 2023). This two-story building is located just north of the Baldwin Middle School/Georgetown campus. The structure connecting the high school main campus and the freshman campus is nearing completion as we anticipate occupying that space by the first of the year. The fieldhouse on the south end of the high school main campus is also coming together nicely and is scheduled to open in the early part of the 23-24 school year. Forest Grove Elementary's new gymnasium should be complete in early 2023, and the design of the new additions at Park Elementary and Bauer Elementary are well underway. The work at both Park and Bauer will begin in roughly a year. Thanks to the support of our community, these projects will positively impact our facilities and learning environments for years to come.
We continue to partner with our fantastic parents as they seek to be involved in supporting their child's academic journey. We value family engagement and invite and encourage families to take an active role in their children's education. Some families desired more transparency regarding materials available to their children in the school libraries. With that in mind, last week, our building principals sent an email detailing how parents could engage with our schools to better understand the library books that their students can obtain. Please get in touch with your building principal for assistance if you have any questions or need help accessing your child's school library.
This November 8, we hope you will all get a chance to get to the polls and vote. While many items are on the ballot, please note we have three Board of Education seats open. Please see our website for information regarding the candidates running for these seats.
With your support, we will continue providing our kids with the best educational opportunities. I hope the start of your child's school year has been rewarding, and we appreciate the partnership we have with you.
Dr. VanderJagt
Superintendent
SOARing at Hudsonville Public Schools
During the first weeks of school, students are taught and reminded of the behavioral expectations at school. Across the district, we use the SOAR acronym - which stands for: be Safe, Own it, Act responsibly, and be Respectful. These expectations are taught in a number of ways, and when we see students showing these behaviors, we hope to acknowledge them frequently. You might hear your student talk about SOAR tickets, SOAR dots, or SOAR awards. These are ways school personnel encourage and support students in demonstrating the school’s expected behaviors.
One of the tenets of SOAR is Respect. This is an attribute that we find incredibly important in our school culture and how we hope to treat one another, our students, and the community around us. Part of being respectful is using school-appropriate language when speaking to one another and demonstrating nonverbal communication (i.e., facial expressions, gestures, body language, etc.) that shows respect to one another. Our district has an anti-harassment policy that prohibits harassment, bullying, and discrimination at Hudsonville Public Schools. If your child observes or experiences bullying or harassment, we encourage all students and their parents to report this to a trusted adult at school. To read the full anti-harassment policy, please click on this link.
Who should attend?
Students with a disability in grades 9-12 and post-high school, parents and guardians with a child with a disability in middle school, high school or post-high school, family members, teachers, school staff, and others who are interested in helping students transition to life after school. Refreshments will be served. Childcare is not available.
For more information or questions, please contact Krista Krefeld-Freier, OAISD Transition Coordinator at kkrefeld@oaisd.org or 616-796-1517. Hosted by Ottawa Area ISD Transition Network Team.
English Learner Family Event
You're Invited!
Eagles of Excellence Gala
Tuesday, November 1, 2022
5:30pm – 7:30pm
Pinnacle Center
$30 per person
The 5th annual Eagles of Excellence Gala hosted by the Hudsonville Education Foundation recognizes and celebrates extraordinary Hudsonville Public Schools students, both past and present, during a formal awards program and dinner.
Join us as the following distinguished alumni are inducted into the Hall of Fame for their career achievements and community contributions.
Larry Byle - Honorary and Posthumous
Co-Founder - HPS Summer Science Program
Service to HPS/Community
Ken Sikkema - Class of 1969
Former MI Senate Majority Leader and MI Speaker of the House of Representatives
Career Achievements
Matt Smith - Class of 2009
Founder/Owner - B2 Outlets
Career Achievements
In addition, twenty-four current students from the graduating classes of 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028 will be recognized for demonstrating what it means to be an “Eagle of Excellence.”
This prestigious event brings together over 300 educators, students, parents, alumni, community representatives, and business leaders for an evening of celebration.
Learn more and register online at www.hudsedfound.org/gala
Thank You Sponsors!
Platinum Sponsor: Action Water Sports
Diamond Sponsors: Coldbrook Insurance Group, The Derby Tavern, West Michigan Fleet Parts
Gold Sponsors: GMB Architecture + Engineering, J&H Family Stores, Owen Ames Kimball Co.
View the complete list of sponsors online at www.hudsedfound.org/gala.
Library Transparency
We are grateful to be part of a community that cares deeply for children. One of our core beliefs at Hudsonville Public Schools is that students are most successful when there is a cooperative partnership between schools and families. We value family engagement, and we invite and encourage families to take an active role in their children’s education. Some families wished for more transparency around materials available to their children in their school libraries. With that in mind, we are taking steps to increase transparency around books that are available in our school library collections and to allow parents or guardians to monitor what their child checks out.
At all grade levels, literacy is a central focus in our classrooms. One of our highest priorities is to provide a solid foundation upon which our students can grow and develop as lifelong readers. We make every effort to provide all students with opportunities for the practice they need to establish and maintain reading lives. To that end, we work to develop school library collections that contain a wide variety of texts to support all readers. School library collections include a broad range of books regarding issues, topics, styles, genres, and readability. We strive to have interesting, relevant, challenging texts for all readers in order to provide students at varying levels the ability to scaffold their skills.
While library staff may recommend books based on your student's interest, rest assured that students are allowed free choice concerning their independent reading selections. We respect and honor that each family has a unique set of standards regarding what is considered acceptable reading material. As a parent or guardian, you set standards to help your child decide which movies, TV shows, music, apps, and video games are acceptable for them. In the same manner, we encourage you to talk with your child about your family’s standards for selecting reading materials, to remain aware of the books your child is selecting throughout the year, and to assist them in determining a book’s appropriateness for them.
How are books selected for our school libraries?
In developing our school library collections, our library staff seeks out a variety of resources to engage students in their reading journeys as well as to support the curriculum. In identifying a multitude of books for the many readers in our school libraries, we seek out recommendations from many sources, including libraries, literacy leaders, and the recommendations of student readers and our colleagues. These selections include both popular current books and classic works. Sources of recommendations and reviews may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Recommended Reading Lists from Literacy Organizations like American LibraryAssociation Recommended Reading for Children, American Library Association Recommended Reading for Young Adults/Teens or Tome (specializing in clean reads).
Book Award Winners like the John Newbery Award, Caldecott Medal, Michael L. Printz Award, Pulitzer Prize, Hugo or Nebula Awards, Man Booker, Carnegie Medal for Excellence.
Recommendations from teacher literacy leaders like Colby Sharp, John Schu, Penny Kittle or Kelly Gallagher on high-interest books for students.
Professional reviews from sources such as School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Horn Book, or Booklist or through Common Sense Media, Goodreads, etc.
How can I see which books are available in my child's school library collection?
- Families can access the catalog for their child’s school library by visiting their school's website.
Are classroom libraries part of the school library?
Classroom libraries are not part of the school library. Classroom libraries are curated and managed by classroom teachers following a set of guidelines provided by the curriculum office. Questions regarding classroom libraries should be directed to individual teachers.
As a parent or guardian, how can I monitor which books my child is reading from the school library?
Parents/guardians can log in to their child’s Alexandria account at any time to see which books are currently checked out as well as their child’s checkout history for the time they have been in their current building. Instructions for finding login credentials and for navigating in Alexandria Researcher can be found here.
If I would like to prohibit my child from checking out a specific library book, what should I do?
If a parent or guardian would like to restrict their child from checking out a specific book from their school’s library, they must complete this form, which will be submitted to the district’s library media integration specialist. Please note the following:
A separate form must be completed for each child.
Individual titles can be restricted, not general topics or genres.
Only titles available in the library of the building your child attends can be restricted.
Each form response is limited to five (5) titles. If you wish to restrict access to more than five (5) titles, additional form(s) must be completed.
Please allow five (5) business days for restrictions to be in place in your child's account.
Any titles you restrict for your child will be visible to any staff member who might be checking out books to students in the library.
Who should I contact if I have questions?
If you are unable to login to PowerSchool (middle or high school), contact the HPS Help Desk.
Phone: (616) 669-4877
Email: helpdesk@hpseagles.net
If you are unable to log in to Alexandria or have other questions about your building’s library collection, contact your child's school building or our district library media integration specialist, Nicole Ball.
Phone: (616)669-1510, ext 2361
Email: nball@hpseagles.net
ABC Bootcamp at Jamestown Lower Elementary
PreK started off the year with ABC Bootcamp! ABC Bootcamp is a fun and interactive way to introduce letters and sounds while building vocabulary and a strong phonological foundation. All of our play-based activities reinforce letters and sounds throughout the week. We also emphasize beginning sounds in words and rhyming while singing and dancing along to songs, nursery rhymes, and fingerplays.
At the conclusion of all 26 letters, we have a big celebration for all of their hard work. This is a chance for each child to use their letter and letter sound knowledge, fine motor skills, and imagination as they create their own letter vest to walk in our Alphabet fashion show. Our PreK students love showing off their hard work as they walk the hallways at Jamestown Lower Elementary!
The Power of Yet at Park Elementary
The students at Park Elementary School are working together to develop a growth mindset. Students discovered how adding a simple word can dramatically change the way they think. Adding the word yet to the end of a sentence suggests something may be difficult but worth working hard to accomplish. Instead of giving up, students are more willing to try challenging things. It has been fun to see what students are achieving in and out of the classroom because of the power of yet!
5/6 Building Update from Mrs. McClure
I am super excited to continue to get to know the students and families that will be joining the 5/6 Building at Georgetown family!
Gummy Bear Science at Riley Street Middle
The 8th-grade science students completed a Gummy Bear Lab as an inquiry-based investigation, exploring how gummy bears change when soaked in various liquids. To achieve this, students wrote detailed lab procedures and utilized a variety of measurements to collect quantitative data and apply the new measurement concept of precision. Finally, they used the data they collected to make an argument about why certain liquids have a larger impact on the change in the size of the gummy bears than others.
The Green Team Beach Clean Up
Photo Credit: Nate Foster
Orchestra Students Accepted in Youth Orchestra
The Hudsonville Orchestras are off to an exciting start this year! Twenty-three students, the most in the history of the orchestra program, auditioned and were accepted into the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony and the St. Cecilia Youth Orchestras. These students include Kaitlyn Addis, Annie Akers, Maria Biggar, Drew Boersma, Anna Bush, Eden Davidson, Willow Davidson, Levi Davis, Alexis Deemter, Nora Elenbaas, Natalie Guyot, Maria Hindelah, Yousef Hindelah, Ronnie Jingles, Brayden Jost, Liam Kleinsmith, Roxanne Perez, Emma, Parker Tockstein, Hattteras Woodring, Kiahn Yarnal, and Lily Zielinski.
Congratulations to these orchestra musicians!
Mr. Rob moves on from Georgetown Elementary
Mr. Rob has been an institution at Georgetown Elementary School, having worked in the building since it opened in 2006. If you’ve had students go through Georgetown, you know that it’s always clean and well maintained. That is because of Mr. Rob and his tireless work ethic and attention to detail. Mr. Rob will be moving into a new position within the district and saying goodbye to his daily duties at Georgetown. He will be missed dearly. Not only does he do an amazing job taking care of the building, but his responsiveness to staff needs and most importantly, his interactions with students are what sets him apart and makes him truly special! If you see him at Georgetown or around the district as he transitions into his new role, please thank him for all his hard work. Thank you, Mr. Rob!
Fire Safety Open House Tomorrow
Hudsonville Public Schools
Email: eagles@hpseagles.net
Website: https://www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org/
Location: 3886 Van Buren Street, Hudsonville, MI, USA
Phone: 616-690-1740
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hudsonvilleps