Park Newsletter
August 18, 2023
A Note from Mrs. Stefanich
Hello Park Families,
I am so excited to welcome all of our returning and new families and staff to Park Elementary School. This email will give you ALL the details you need for a successful first day, and many more after that. I work hard to keep my parent updates brief and concise, with only the most important information. I honor your time, and appreciate that you read my parent updates when they come. This update will be the exception, as there is a lot of information to share.
Our first day of school is on Monday, August 21. School starts at 8:45am and students may not be dropped off more than 10 minutes before that because there will be no outside supervision until then. Our first week of school will have early release days on Monday through Thursday, and no school on Friday. We will dismiss at 12:15 on early release days.
SCHOOL HOURS
School begins at 8:45 a.m.
School ends at 3:45 p.m. and at 12:15 on Early Release days.
ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL
Students will go to their playground when they arrive at school. Please have your Kindergarten child wear a name tag for the first day of school that has their first and last name along with their teacher's name. This will help us get your child to the correct classroom in the morning.
One thing you will notice is that I am quite passionate about our pick up and drop off routine. Our teachers and staff have an incredible routine that both keeps kids safe, and keeps the line moving along smoothly.
When you drop off your child, give hugs and kisses from the car and send them on their way. This sets up a great routine for them every day at school. There will be adults outside greeting students and directing them to their playground. There will be so many less tears if you keep this goodbye positive and upbeat. If you want to park and walk your child to the gate, please park in a parking spot, not in the loop. It is normal for your child to be a little worried on the first day of school, and we sometimes see tears from our little ones. Let me assure you that we are ready to welcome them in, wipe their tears, and get them started with an amazing day. Tears don’t last long once our day starts, and your child will come home with stories of their first day adventures before you know it! The less worried you are as a parent, the less worried your kindergartener will be. It can be so hard to send your little one to their first day of elementary school, but keep your smile on for them at drop off. (Speaking from experience! ;) I was a teary mess for my littles, but saved it until they were out of sight.)
Please see the map to familiarize yourself with the carline loop.
Please pull up to the orange cone in the loop or behind the cars in front of you. You will be tempted to stop sooner, but pull all the way up to the cone or the car in front of you.
Put a car tag in the window with your student’s name written in bold letters. (A car tag from school will be in your open house packet - and we'll replace that with a colored sheet on the first day.) Staff will walk through the car line and read off the names.
Students will come out to your car. It is best if they can enter cars on the passenger side of the vehicle. Quickly load up and pull around with the flow of traffic. We like to keep our line moving so there is less waiting for parents and children.
If you need to help your child buckle his/her car seat, please pull forward with the flow of traffic, park in a spot beyond the loop, and help your child buckle his/her car seat before leaving the parking lot.
TRANSPORTATION HOME
Transportation Changes: Please keep open communication with your child’s teacher and office about how they get home. They are the adult that puts them on the bus or the carline, so make sure they know how your child get’s home. Our little ones can be very convincing about the bus or pickup, and can often be confused or wrong about their parents’ plan. Our staff will only make changes to a routine if we hear from the parents. Otherwise, we will follow the planned schedule.
If there is a change to your child’s typical transportation schedule during the day, please contact our main office by 3:00 p.m. on the day of the change to let them know. The office will contact your child’s teacher to let her/her know of the change.
BUS TRANSPORTATION
Because it takes some time to create efficiencies with students loading/unloading the bus, please make note, the first few weeks of school, your child may return home later than their normal drop off time. If you have not received your bus information yet, please call the transportation office at 669-7757.
EARLY RELEASE DATES
We will have Early Release days periodically this school year. On early release dates, students will be dismissed at 12:15 p.m. The purpose of early release is to provide quality collaborative time for our staff to review assessment data and discuss best practices with the goal of improving student achievement. Please check the HPS District Calendar for early release dates and breaks for the school year.
Lunch will not be served at school on early release days, but for students who would like to order a sack lunch to take home on that day, they can do so in the morning. Please communicate with your child’s teacher if you’d like them to order a sack lunch for your child. Sometimes our students are unsure whether they should order or not, so an email from mom and dad is really helpful!
I am so excited to greet your child on the first day of school. The teachers and I have been looking forward to this day, as I know many of your children have. It’s going to be a great day! If you are on Instagram, please follow along with us at @hps_park.
Can't wait to see you Monday!
Mrs. Stefanich
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.
Important Dates
Important Dates
Please check the HPS Student Calendar for early release dates and breaks for the 23-24 school year!
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.
School Lunch Information
Breakfast & Lunch
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.
Community News and Education
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)
Fall Session - week of 9/11/23 through week 10/23/23
Winter Session - week of 1/8/24 through week 2/19/24 (indoors)
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/