Alto All Star Gazette
October 7, 2022
SCHOOL BEGINS AT 8:50 AM
1/2 Day Dismissal: 12:00 PM
24-hour attendance line: 616-987-2625
Notes from the desk of Principal Papes
Dear Alto Families,
It was an exciting week at Alto Elementary! The Day of Awesomeness was a ton of fun and the Lion Heart assembly had a great message, and the experience was engaging and entertaining. “We are always painting with our actions and how we treat each other and in the end, we are either making people feel like a mess or a masterpiece.” Thank you for your support in helping us provide these kinds of experiences for our students
Homecoming Spirit Week
Next week is Homecoming Week at LHS. The homecoming parade is Friday at 6:00 PM on Main Street and the homecoming football game is at 7:30 PM. We will have a Spirit Week next week to recognize this special week.
Monday - Beach Day (think sunglasses, beach towels, Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts, lays, flower print, etc.)
Tuesday - Comfy Day (think sweatpants/sweatshirts or PJs)
Wednesday - Wacky Wednesday (think crazy hair and wacky, mismatching clothes)
Thursday - Hat Day (Wear your favorite sports team or any other school appropriate hat)
Friday - Red Arrow Day! (Wear Lowell apparel or Lowell Red Arrow colors)
Parent/Teacher Conferences
We highly encourage in person conferences for the fall parent/teacher conferences as an opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher face-to-face to discuss your child’s progress in school. Conferences will be held October 17th and October 19th from 4:00-8:00 PM. Signupgenius links will be e-mailed out today for parents with multiple students attending Alto to provide an opportunity to coordinate multiple conference times. Links will be sent to all other parents on Monday, October 10th. While we highly encourage in person conferences this fall, we can also accommodate with virtual or phone conferences, if needed. Please indicate this request in the comments sections when signing up using signupgenius.
Parent/Teacher Conference Meals
Thank you to the parents who signed up to contribute to the P/T Conference meals for staff on October 17th and 19th. We do have one more slot for a crockpot soup on Wednesday, October 19th if interested. Thank you! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E44AFA728A4FEC70-conference
LAS Library Media Services Important Information
A Message From Our District Library Media Director:
There has recently been a great deal of information out in the community, through social media and news media about libraries and library books. At Lowell Area Schools, all parents have the ability to review and/or restrict the access their children have to literature through our libraries. We do not limit the right of a parent to restrict access for their children in any way and we have effective procedures in place to support parents who wish to exercise this right.
We are very fortunate to have a well-developed, high quality and extremely well run media center program providing our students access to an outstanding library and a wide variety of high-interest materials to support literacy and learning for all students. This is not an easy task as we serve nearly 4,000 families all having varying views about what should and should not be available through our libraries. There are a number of safeguards in place that allow parents to be as involved as they would like to be in the selection of materials for their student.
If a parent has concerns about what their student has access to through the library media center, the parent can simply email the school librarian, Christine Beachler, and request that a restriction be placed on their student’s account. Mrs. Beachler’s email address is cbeachler@lowellschools.com. Restrictions can be applied by book title, topic, genre or even theme. You can find more information regarding our library media center program at the Library Media Services page (click here) of our website. There is also a Frequently Asked Questions document with lots of specific information linked here.
Have a great weekend!
Paul Papes, Principal
It's time for GYM!!!
Physical education has been a joy to start the year. The students always amaze me with their effort and enthusiasm towards being physically active. We haven’t been in school for a ton of time, but we have already accomplished a lot.
We started the year with a lot of cooperation and team building activities. This helps in creating an environment where kids are willing to push themselves and aren’t afraid to occasionally fail in front of their peers. A couple of weeks back, all of our students completed our first round of fitness testing. Stamina was assessed via the pacer test, flexibility via the sit and reach, and core strength via the timed plank. I’m anxious to see what kind of improvement we will see as we move through the school year.
Students learned and perfected their underhand throwing and catching skills the past couple of weeks. Kindergarten and first grade students worked a lot with throwing and catching bean bags. All grade levels got a taste of playing corn hole. We got the rugby balls out for our second through fifth grade students. Students participated in drills and games that required both throwing and catching the rugby ball. We are currently in the middle of our frisbee throwing and catching unit. Lower elementary students are learning the basics of the backhand throw as well as how to catch a frisbee. Upper elementary students have put their frisbee skills to the test with some disc golf and ultimate frisbee.
Please make sure to send your student with appropriate athletic shoes on physical education days. Stay healthy, keep active, and go blue!
Logan McLeod
Physical Education Teacher
Alto Elementary
Mark your calendar!
10/12: 4M/4Bo to recycling center
10/13: 2S/2M to WWC
10/13: K to Heidi's farmstand
10/17: Parent/Teacher Conferences
10/18: 2W to WWC
10/19: Parent/Teacher Conferences
Homecoming is next Friday so it's time to celebrate! Below is the schedule for the week.
T: Comfy Day
W: Wacky Wednesday
Th: Crazy Hat Day
F: Red Arrow Day
Looking forward to a fun, spirit-filled week! Go ARROWS!
Student Activities:
Alto Elementary School
Website: lowellschools.com
Location: 6150 Bancroft Avenue Southeast, Alto, MI, USA
Phone: 616-987-2600
Facebook: facebook.com/altoelementary