The Tiger Tribune
August/September 2021
Principal's Message
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! We cannot wait to start the year, and look forward to meeting and getting to know our new families, as well as seeing our returning families this year.
West Ward Elementary strives to create a welcoming and safe environment. Parents and guardians, please be sure to involve yourselves in the goings on of the school by actively communicating with your children's teachers throughout the year. We wholly believe in healthy and positive partnerships between families and the school when working towards a common goal: the success of our students. I encourage you to call, e-mail, or set up appointments if you would like to share successes or concerns.
In working towards the academic and social success of your child, there are several ways in which you can help at home:
- Communicate to your child that school is very important
- Read a book that your child finds interesting for at least 20 minutes per evening--practice improves ability in this area
- Prepare a specified spot in your house for your child to complete their schooling
- Follow a specified schedule when it comes to sleep patterns and other household routines
- Place focus on good attendance
- Join the PTO
Learning takes place in all areas of life; you entrust your children to us so that they can further their education in a safe environment. In order to continue ensuring our students' safety and protect our instructional time, we will continue to implement our procedures during the upcoming year. Please read the entirety of this newsletter so that you are aware of these procedures.
Once again, I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.
With Excitement,
Melanie Cassar
Principal, West Ward Elementary
West Ward Elementary Vision and Mission
VISION
Ensuring high levels of learning for ALL students!
MISSION
West Ward Elementary, in partnership with families, staff, and the community nurtures:
- continued academic growth based on student needs
- character development that cultivates well-rounded individuals
- a safe learning environment respectful of individual differences
Procedures
Arrival
- School begins at 8:00a.m.
- Students can be dropped off between 7:40a.m. and 7:55a.m. There is no outside supervision until 7:40a.m.
- Playground and recess fields will be off limits in the morning in order to ensure safety.
- Students who eat breakfast at school may enter through the doors located on the Northwest side of the building.
- Students who do not eat breakfast will report to their teacher's line outside (marked with cones for the first 2 weeks) and wait for their teachers to allow them inside of the building. Kindergarten through 2nd grade students will be in the back of the school, while 3rd through 5th grade students will line up at the front of the school!
Parents of Kindergarten students will be able to take a few minutes and spend them outside before the children say, "See you later!"
Lunch and Recess
- Some grade levels will have recess before lunch, and others will have recess after lunch.
- Lunches will once again be free to everyone this year, HOWEVER, families must still fill out the free/reduced lunch form (see below section: Michigan Household Information Request).
Dismissal
- End of day messages / Early pick-up: If there is an end of the day message that you would like delivered to your child (eg. "Don't ride the bus! I will pick you up today!"), please contact the West Ward office before 2:00p.m. Remember that students are not able to ride any other bus but their own. Students who need to be picked early, must be picked up prior to 2:40p.m. unless earlier arrangements have been made with the principal or secretary.
- Students who walk home or get picked up will walk out with their teacher to specific spots located on this dismissal map. Students in 3rd through 5th grade only may ride their bikes.
- Parents are to park in the parking lots and in a parking space (not alongside the building). We have two parking lots: the main one on the West side of the school, and the smaller one on the East side of the school. If there are no parking spaces available in the parking lots, cars may also park across the street. Per the Police Department, ALL cars parked on the street MUST park across the street from the school, and line that side of the road. While that may mean a bit more walking, it also means a lot more safety.
- If you have multiple children in the family, the older siblings will go to the youngest sibling's location. For example, if a family consists of a 5th, 3rd, and 1st grader, all the children will be collected at the 1st grader's teacher location.
- Parents must get out of their vehicle and walk to the designated classroom spot in order to retrieve their child. For their safety, students are not permitted to cross the street or the parking lot by themselves.
- It is so important that we protect our instructional time to the last possible minute. In an effort to do this and make sure that dismissal goes smoothly (as you can see, there will be many moving parts during this time), we ask that parents/guardians go directly to the designated classroom spots outside of the building, unless they have an appointment with a teacher or administrator.
West Ward Tiger Traits
West Ward Elementary prides itself on developing the whole child! We want our students to be well-rounded individuals who achieve the skills to be lifelong learners and productive members of society. In order to do so, we focus on a character trait each month:
- September - RESPECT
- October - RESPONSIBILITY
- November - GRATITUDE
- December - COMPASSION
- January - WISDOM
- February - SELF-CONTROL
- March - EMPATHY
- April - COURAGE
- May - PERSEVERANCE
Please have conversations with your children about how they can showcase these traits throughout the school year. At the end of every month, one student from each classroom is recognized for going above and beyond in exhibiting that month's trait. Nominated students will receive an award and get to have Donuts with the Principal!
Things to Know
Staffing Updates
- Kindergarten - Mrs. Heeres and Mrs. Zimmer
- Kindergarten IAs - Mrs. Borst and Mrs. Miling
- 1st Grade - Mrs. Badder
- 2nd Grade - Mrs. Hammon and Mr. Nash
- 3rd Grade - Ms. Trabucchi and Mrs. Sternberg
- 4th Grade - Mrs. Criger and Mrs. Fales
- 5th Grade - Mrs. DeLaet and TBD
- Resource Room Teacher - Mrs. Bishop
- Occupational Therapy - Mrs. Dekkinga
- Social Work - Ms. VanRavenswaay
- Speech - Mrs. Millmier
- P.E. & Health - Mr. Pommer (All Year)
- Art - Mrs. Burnett (1st Trimester)
- Technology - Mrs. Wilson (2nd Trimester)
- Music - Ms. Doody (3rd Trimester)
- Title Teacher - Mrs. Zapata
- Secretary - Mrs. Visser
- Kitchen - Mrs. Wedge
- Custodial - Mr. Shuck
- Principal - Mrs. Cassar
Foodservice Information
Allegan Public Schools will provide nutritious free meals for the 2021-22 school year to all students. Application forms will still need to be filled out. Applications and instructions will be sent home with all students. Please fill out this form and return it to your child’s school. This information is also available on our district website at www.alleganps.org, click on Departments >Food Service for more information. Applications may be submitted online at
Michigan Household Information Request
Because ALL students will once again be provided school meals at no cost, we're asking our families to complete the form whether you use the school lunch program or not. By completing the form, schools are provided additional funding. There is an online option as well as paper version and we will provide both options.
If you're not sure whether or not you qualify, please err on the side of caution and fill out the form.
Flyers
APS is continuing the electronic flyer distribution tool called “Peachjar.” To view school-approved digital flyers, you simply click on the “Peachjar Eflyers: Student Activity Postings” on your school’s website homepage. No more flyers being lost in backpacks or misplaced. They are just one click away. Flyers are always posted in the APS app and on our webpage at alleganps.org. No action is required on your part. If you signed up last year, your account is still active. If you are new to APS, you will receive a welcome email from our service provider (Peachjar) that includes a username and password. This is provided to give you the opportunity to manage your account and flyer delivery preferences. Or you can sign up at peachjar.com/parents.html. You do not need to login to receive or view school digital flyers. This system is used exclusively for distribution of school-approved flyers. Your email address will not be shared or used for any other purpose. Thank you for supporting our efforts to ensure parents/families are well informed about school programs, activities, and events.
COVID-19 Screening
Each parent/guardian have signed a form committing to screening their child each day for symptoms of COVID-19. The screening form and questions can be found at this link:
Birthday Celebrations
Positive Behavior Rewards
Snow Days & SchoolMessenger
School cancellations or delays due to inclement weather will be announced on several local television and radio stations. Every effort will be made to make the decision to close or delay the start of school by 6:00 am. Some of the television stations we report to include: WWMT (TV3), WOOD (TV8) and WZZM (TV13) and radio stations WQXC, WKZO, WRKR. Families are strongly encouraged to sign up for free “instant alerts” via text or email from https://wwmt.com/weather/closings or https://www.woodtv.com/weather/closings-and-delays/ by visiting those websites and signing up. We will also send notifications via Facebook. You may also opt-in to SchoolMessenger by texting 67587, text Y.
The district and principal will utilize SchoolMessenger to send updates and alerts, so please be diligent in signing up for text messages.
Technology Devices
All students/parents are required to sign a "Technology Acceptable Use Policy" permission form, in order to use school-provided technology devices. These policies outline expectations regarding the care of the device, as well as Internet safety protocol.
Medicine Summary
Whenever possible, student medications should be administered at home. When it becomes necessary for medicines to be administered at school, all APS schools will abide by the district’s policy on administering of medicines (#8600). Medicines (prescriptions and non-prescriptions) will be stored in the office and must be transported to school by the parent in their original container (any exceptions will be defined in detail under Policy #8600-R4). Student self-administration of medicines is only allowed under certain specific circumstances. To see a copy of the complete district policy, please contact your child’s school, or locate it on the district website under Board of Education policies.
Optional Student Insurance
C.O.D.E. Orange
C.O.D.E. Orange stands for “Community On Deck for Education”. With the purchase of a C.O.D.E Orange t-shirt ($10) the entire Allegan community is invited to attend the C.O.D.E. Orange football game and the winter C.O.D.E. Orange “Most Valuable Educator” night. MVE night is where senior athletes on the boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams will honor their Most Valuable Educator. The purchase of the t-shirt will serve as admittance to both games. The football game is scheduled for September 10 and the basketball game, MVE night, on January 14. You may purchase your t-shirt now at ACE Hardware, Allegan True Value Hardware or any of our schools!
All proceeds from this fundraiser go toward providing teacher mini-grants and scholarships for Allegan students.
Sponsored by the Educational Foundation of Allegan Public Schools and Hartman-Ellis, this event is a chance for the community to become involved in supporting their schools.
Healthy Kids Dental Information
Little Tigers Learning Center
Upcoming Events
August 24:
- Informational Presentation for NEW to West Ward Families: (5:30p.m. - 6:00p.m.) - Enter through doors on the NW side of the building
- Open House for all West Ward Families (6:00p.m.-7:00p.m.)
August 30:
- First Day of School
September 3-6:
- Labor Day Weekend: NO SCHOOL
September 20:
- School Board Meeting
West Ward Elementary School
Website: https://alleganps.org/ww/
Location: 630 Vernon Street, Allegan, MI, USA
Phone: (269)673-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westwardelementaryschool