North Godwin News
Week of May 8, 2023
Steve Minard, Principal
Kristi Bast, Secretary
Telephone (616) 252-2010 and Fax (616) 252-2011
Teacher Appreciation Week May 8 - 12, 2023
Teaching is one of the oldest professions – in 561BC, the first private teacher in history was one of the most learned men of all time, Confucius. In Ancient Greece, there was huge value placed on educating children, and in the 1600s the Pilgrims also placed a similar emphasis on the practice. By the 19th century, politicians began to believe that education was needed for political order, and elementary through college education was widespread and public, and the need for teachers has been growing ever since!
Though the origins of Teacher Appreciation Week are somewhat murky, it’s clear that in 1944 an Arkansas school teacher, Mattye White Woodridge, wrote to politicians and educational professionals about the demand for a day to appreciate teachers. However, it wasn’t for nearly a decade until the idea was introduced to Congress by none other than Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1953, she was successful in convincing lawmakers to adopt the day.
After the National Education Association (NEA) and Kansas and Indiana state affiliates lobbied Congress again to create National Teacher Day on March 7, 1980, they continued to observe it yearly even though Congress did not. They did this until 1985 when the Assembly transformed the single day into the first full week of May.
Teacher Appreciation Day is described by the National Education Association as “a day for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives.”
We love our North Godwin teaching staff. They are all hard-working, compassionate, and dedicated to their profession. In addition to the normal school day, our teachers spend countless hours of their own time preparing lesson plans, organizing centers, decorating, researching, and brainstorming ideas to engage students and increase learning potential. In short, our teachers love kids and they love what they do! Thank you North Godwin teachers!
FRANDALE SPRING FUNDRAISER ends MAY 9, 2023
We are having a Frandale spring fundraiser to raise much needed funds for our school. Students are selling delicious Frandale subs, garlic bread, and cinnamon rolls. The sale runs from Monday April 24th through Monday May 8th. All orders must be submitted to the classroom teachers with the money included by Tuesday May 9, 2023.
The orders will be available for pick-up at North Godwin on Wednesday May 17th from 2:30 PM until 5:30 PM.
REMAINING EARLY RELEASES and HALF DAYS for the 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR!
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Early Release; parent pick up at 1:30 PM --buses and final bell at 1:45 PM
Friday, May 26, 2023
Half Day of School; parent pick up 11:30 AM -- buses and final bell at 11:45 AM
Monday, May 29, 2023 (MEMORIAL DAY)
NO SCHOOL
Friday, June 2, 2023 (LAST DAY of SCHOOL)
Half Day of School; parent pick up 11:30 AM -- buses and final bell at 11:45 AM
Class of 2023 Senior Walk Through North Godwin on Wednesday, May 10, 2023
This is a meaningful (and sometime emotional) tradition where our graduating seniors walk the hallways of all buildings in the district while younger students cheer and high-five the graduates. This celebratory event not only allows our seniors to reflect on how far they have come, it encourages our younger students to keep going and meet the same goal.
We are excited to have the Godwin Heights Public Schools' graduating class of 2023 reminisce and celebrate their accomplishment here with us at North Godwin!
Godwin Heights Class of 2023 Graduation/Commencement Ceremony is being held on Wednesday, May 17, 2023!
Peace
3rd grade student
Mr. Jen's classroom
Love
5th grade students
Mrs. Hill's classroom
Happiness
James Landon (peeking in the background)
5th grade students
Mrs. Hill's classroom
Happy Friday Vibes!
ASD Teacher
North Godwin Lost & Found is Overflowing!
Kent County ISD Pre-School Programs are NOW ENROLLING!
Invitation to attend the City of Wyoming Public Works Open House
HOUSE TEAM FIRE is TAKING DONATIONS of NEW STUFFED ANIMALS!
Please consider donating a NEW stuffed animal to this cause . Team Fire has a goal of collecting 100 new stuffed animals for this service project!
OPPORTUNITY FOR A FREE STUDENT GOLF PROGRAM!
2023-2024 SCHOOLS OF CHOICE APPLICATIONS
Godwin Heights Public Schools is participating in the Kent County Schools of Choice Program for the 2023-2024 school year and can accept up to 400 applications for new Schools of Choice students in grades K-12.
Applications for students living outside the Godwin Heights School District and entering grades kindergarten through 12th grade will be accepted for buildings and grades where space is available. The application period begins April 10, 2023. Kent County SOC Application Kent Count SOC Application IMPORTANT INFORMATION Godwin Heights Public Schools participates in the Kent Intermediate School District Schools of Choice program. All students living within the Kent Intermediate School District may apply for enrollment in any Kent ISD school that has available openings during the S.O.C. enrollment window. FAMILIES, PLEASE NOTE The Kent ISD School of Choice plan is a lottery-oriented system, not a first-come, first-served one. Applications are accepted starting April 10, 2023. Only one application per student may be submitted. Families who submit more than one may be disqualified from the entire process. There is no advantage to submitting an application early since all applications are considered at the end of the application period. If the district has more applications than openings, a random drawing will take place the first week in June.
KROC CENTER FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS!
Feeding America Food Truck on Monday, May 8, 2023
Godwin Heights High School
Main Entrance
4:45 PM - 6:00 PM
Please bring your own bags, if you have them! Thank you!
National Speech Pathologist Day-- May 18, 2023!
Miss Rachel Fetterhoff serves as the Speech Pathologist for North Godwin Elementary. Her contribution to our school is multi-faceted ad highly valued. She is an integral part of our special education team, often advocating for the needs of students who cannot express themselves as well as their peers. She works in many areas of communication. In the school setting this includes:
- Helping students learn to pronounce sounds correctly (such as the R sound, or making sure the student says the final sounds in words)
- Increasing students’ vocabulary knowledge and usage
- Helping students learn what words to use in what order, and when to say them
- Helping students with limited verbal output find ways to communicate (such as by using a computerized device or a picture system)
- Helping students that stutter make their speech more fluent
- Helping students that have difficulty with comprehension or answering questions
- Helping students learn the unspoken social rules of communication
- Helping students that struggle with getting their thoughts out in a coherent fashion, whether verbally or in writing
- Helping students understand relationships between words and concepts (including such skills as comparing/contrasting, describing, defining, summarizing, etc.)
Thank you, Rachel for all of your hard work and dedication to our students!
North Godwin Elementary Field Trips
Thursday, May 18, 2023
5th Grade Field Trip to Celebration Cinemas South
Super Mario Brothers Movie
10:30 AM to 2:00 PM
$15.00 per student
Students travel by bus with their teachers and chaperones
Monday, May 22, 2023
North Godwin Elementary Track & Field Day (all grades; 3rd, 4th and 5th)
All day event with classrooms walking to Godwin's Carl P. Behr Track and Football field at scheduled times to participate in fun events.
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
5th Grade "Move Up Day"
Tour and Orientation of Godwin Middle School
8:45 AM to 11:45 AM
FREE
Students walk with their teachers to Godwin Middle School
3rd Grade Field Trip to John Ball Zoo
8:45 AM to 2:00 PM
$3.00 per student
Students travel by bus with their teachers and chaperones
Thursday, May 25, 2023
** Track and Field Rain Make Up Day**
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
3rd Grade Field Trip to Hillcroft Park
12:00 NOON to 2:30 PM
Students walk with their teachers to Hillcroft Park
End of Year Picnic and Just Write Celebration
The parents for each grade level will be invited to participate with their students on a gallery walk through the building reading all of the student writing projects.
The schedule will be:
3rd Grade:
10:30 - 11:00 Gallery Walk
11:00 - 11:35 Picnic Lunch with Students
4th Grade:
11:10 - 11:40 Gallery Walk
11:40 - 12:15 Picnic Lunch with Students
5th Grade:
11:45 - 12:15 Gallery Walk
12:20 - 1:00 Picnic Lunch with Students
We will have hotdogs, chips and drinks for students and families. Weather permitting, we'll eat outside and DJ Minard will be providing the tunes to make the event festive.
Did you know...
The birth countries represented by our students this year include:
Burma
Burundi, Republic of
Colombia, Republic of
Cuba, Republic of
Dominican Republic
El Salvador, Republic of
Guatemala, Republic of
Haiti, Republic of
Honduras, Republic of
Mexico
Nepal, Kingdom of
Puerto Rico
Rwanda, Republic of
Sierra Leone, Republic of
Sudan, Democratic Republic of
Thailand, Kingdom of
Uganda, Republic of
United States of America
Attendance Policy
The normal attendance expectations for any given child in the Kent County Intermediate School District are as follows:
> that a child miss not more than 10 days of Excused Absences for the entire school year,
> that a child have no Unexcused Absences for the entire school year
> that a child have not more than 5 Tardies combined with Leave Early check-outs per semester.
> that a child have no Suspensions for the entire school year.
Godwin Heights Public Schools are held by law to report tardies and absences in excess of the guidelines listed above to the Kent Intermediate School District Office of Truancy and School Attendance-State Law Enforcement Division.
The primary rationale for positive attendance is the strong relationship between student attendance and student achievement. Chronic student absences reduces even the best teacher's ability to provide learning opportunities. Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. This relationship between attendance and achievement may appear early in a child's school career. A recent study looking at young children found that absenteeism in kindergarten was associated with negative first grade outcomes such as greater absenteeism in subsequent years and lower achievement in reading, math, and general knowledge.
Poor attendance has serious implications for later outcomes. High school dropouts have been found to exhibit a history of negative behaviors, including high levels of absenteeism throughout their childhood, at higher rates than high school graduates. These differences in absentee rates were observed as early as kindergarten, and students who eventually dropped out of high school missed significantly more days of school in elementary school than their peers who graduated from high school.
North Godwin Elementary
Email: bast@godwinschools.org
Website: www.godwinschools.org
Location: 161 34th Street Southwest, Wyoming, MI, USA
Phone: 616-252-2010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthGodwin/