KRAFT MEADOWS NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 2020
A Letter from the Principal
Dear KMMS Parents & Guardians:
I hope this newsletter finds everyone doing well and enjoying the fall season! Great things are happening at Kraft each and every day and we are very appreciative of the support we receive from our parents. As the Principal of Kraft, I would like to give a special thank-you to my staff, students, and to you as parents, for approaching this school year with understanding and patience. There are days that can be very challenging, but I am honored to work with such an amazing group of students, teachers, staff, parents, and community! It has been a great 12 weeks of school and I am excited to see the academic and social growth of our students as we progress throughout the year.
Thanks for your continued support!
Go Scots!
Steve Uyl
Principal
IMPORTANT SUPPORT ROOM INFORMATION
Covid 19 + Absence + Info
CONCERNING SYMPTOMS
These are symptoms that are concerning for CV19.
• Fever (measured or subjective) • Chills • Headache • Extreme Tiredness/Fatigue • Sore Throat • Congestion or Runny nose • Body aches • Nausea/vomiting or Diarrhea • Shortness of breath.
Typically we are watching for at least TWO out of these symptoms.
However, if someone is ONLY displaying a new “weird” cough or a loss of taste or smell, these by themselves are very concerning for CV19.
If anyone in the home has symptoms or is getting tested, all family members should remain home until the test results come back. DO NOT send your child to school if you are waiting on a test!
Please let the office know if your child is home due to someone being tested. You may also indicate this info by answering YES to the question on the on line Health Screening Form.
Covid related absences will not be held against your student.
Anyone who has had a positive case of COVID-19 is considered exempt from quarantine for 90 days after their positive test.
Testing for CV19 is not required unless symptoms develop. If Close Contacts or Household Members choose to get tested, it is recommended to wait towards the end of the actual Quarantine period (day 10 - 14).
For more detailed information and the requirements from the Kent County Health Department, please see the district website.
Please take a minute to listen to the video from Dr. Martin
FROM FOOD SERVICE
FOOD SERVICE NEWS – UPDATED DATES FOR FREE MEALS
We have exciting news to share with you regarding the free school meals served in the district to our students. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced all schools will be able to serve free breakfast and lunch to ALL children through June 30, 2021.
This unprecedented move will help ensure no matter what the situation is on the ground, children will have access to nutritious food as the country recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.
It remains critical our children continue to receive safe, healthy, and nutritious food. This will also ensure meals are reaching all children, whether they are learning in the classroom or virtually, so they are fed and ready to learn, even in new and ever changing environments.
If your child is participating in virtual learning, Caledonia Food Service offers Curbside Meal pick up every Monday from 9:15 to 10:15 am in the rear of Duncan Lake Middle School. Pull up and pick up 5 breakfasts and 5 lunches for each student doing virtual learning. If this time does not work for you, please contact Food Service at 616-891-0227 to schedule a time that works for you. This service will also be available until June 2021.
We hope this helps our Caledonia Families!
Emily Stoner
Caledonia Food Service District Office
616-891-0227 Ext. 7117
Fax: 616-528-3653
ATHLETICS
ATHLETICS: Director: Fred Townsend: townsendf@calschools.org
Asst. Director: Phil Miedema: miedemap@calschoools.org
Phone: 891-8129 ext 1332
Coordinator: Karen Sundberg: sundbergk@calschools.org
Phone: 891-8649 ext. 2316
LOOKING AHEAD: (all dates subject to change)
Winter II Season:
Girls Basketball (7th/8th grades): January 11, 2021 – March 12, 2021
Wrestling (6th/7th/8th grades): January 11, 2021 – March 12, 2021
Spring Season:
Track (7th/8th grades): March 15, 2021 – May 14, 2021
Tennis (6th/7th/8th grades): March 15, 2021 – May 14, 2021
All student-athletes are required to be registered in our online athletic registration program. We are partnered with FinalForms, an online forms and data management service. FinalForms allows you to complete and sign athletic participation forms for your students online. The most exciting news is that FinalForms saves data from season-to-season and year-to-year, meaning that you will never need to enter the same information twice! You will review your information once per school year to verify the information is correct and sign the forms. Please take a moment and sign up your athlete for the upcoming 2020-21 Sports seasons. Using FinalForms is a one stop shop for the entire registration process. Please use the Athlete Registration link that is provided on the Athletics Homepage and create a new account under the "Parent Login" portion. On the Athletics homepage, you will also see a link for the "Parent Playbook" which gives you step by step instructions through the registration process. You do not need to pay the athletic fee until the season you are registering your athletic for begins. The registration link is: https://caledonia-mi.finalforms.com
There is an Athletic fee of $75.00 per athlete per season, with a $250.00 limit collected per family, per academic year. (Middle School participation fees are separate from high school fees.)
Bittersweet Ski Area Discount Cards
Don’t pay the full price for your lift tickets this year. Discount cards are now on sale for the 20-21 season. The cards are valid Monday through Friday and after 3:00 pm on Holidays and weekends. Here is this year’s pricing information.
Everyone that turns in their paperwork and money before Thanksgiving will have their cards before December 1st (Bittersweet traditionally opens the first week of December).
$22 Student Cards ($22 lift ticket & $22 rentals)
$22 Adult Cards ($26 lift ticket & $26 rentals)
Print your forms (using the link below) and return with a cash or a check made out to Bittersweet Ski Area to the office at Kraft or Duncan Lake.
http://mrpetrosky.weebly.com/bittersweet-discount-cards.html
(If you have any questions please contact Mr. Petrosky at petroskyd@calschools.org )
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Fall pictures taken on October 13th will be sent home with students this week. If you would like a retake, or your student missed picture day, retakes will be Tuesday, December 1st. The online order information and code will be emailed home and posted on our website when it is available. Students planning for a retake will need to return their original pictures to the photographer on December 1st.
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ENRICHMENT
Nov. 3 Student Council Meeting
Nov. 10 NJHS Meeting (Nice Notes Group)
Nov. 16 Food Drive and Giving Tree Start
Nov. 17 Builders Club Meeting
Nov. 24 NJHS Meeting (Nice Notes Group)
Kraft Giving Tree – each year the NJHS holds a giving tree to help the families in need here at Kraft Meadows Middle School have a happy holiday season. The giving tags will be available starting November 16th during lunch in the Commons. The unwrapped gifts are due back by December 7th. Please consider donating a gift. For more information contact Mrs. Maas at maasj@calschools.org
STUDENT COUNCIL
The Student Council will meet on November 3rd . We will begin planning our annual Food Drive which will begin Nov 16th and go through December 9th. We ask that kids bring in food, snacks and toiletries for families in need here at Kraft Meadows.
Check out the Kraft Meadows Library Website!
There are quick links to reserving books, eBooks, and the KDL library! There are book trailers and author talks and so much more! Just click on the link below:
https://sites.google.com/calschools.org/kmmslibrarylinks/home
Book eFair ends Thurs., November 5th!
Did you know that students who read 20 minutes a day will hear 1.8 million words per year and will likely score in the 90% percentile on standardized tests?
Just a reminder that there is only a few days left for our VIRTUAL Book Fair with Follett Book eFairs! The link to the Book eFair is below.
https://efairs.follettbookfairs.com/guest/home?classCode=Z6DE3
Last day to purchase books will be Thursday, November 5th! They make great gifts from grandparents and family members too, so feel free to pass this info along!
Books will be delivered to students after they are shipped to the school at the end of the Book eFair. If the books are going to be gifts, we can make different delivery arrangements!
If you have any questions or requests, just email Mrs. Alexander in the library. (alexandere@calschools.org)
COUNSELORS CORNER
Students were introduced to or reviewed the Be Nice Action Plan during the month of October. Ask your child what it means to Notice, Invite, Challenge, and Empower. See the Be Nice website for more information.
Have you tried the Kent ISD Talk and Tour Series with your child? They are getting good reviews! Here’s the latest:
Talk & Tour Career Series - Virtual!
Our Talk & Tours allow students to get a brief insight into different job clusters allowing them to explore employers, talk to professionals and take a virtual tour.
Upcoming Dates:
Information Technology: Atomic Object
Thursday, December 3 - 11:00am - 12:00pm
Health Sciences: Mary Free Bed
Tuesday, December 15 - 3:30 - 4:30pm
For the full schedule and to register, click here!
Is your child thinking of being Entrepreneurial in the future? GVSU is hosting a speaker series directed toward our young Entrepreneurs! See below:
Entrepreneur Speaker Series
GVSU is sponsoring an Entrepreneur Speaker Series from now through December 8th!
Click here for more information or to register for these free session
Your child may also be practicing some Mindfulness opportunities in focus class once a week. Last week students used the peaceful practice of “adult coloring” and made bookmarks to donate to the library at both the middle school and elementary schools, this week they noticed their 5 senses and next week they will try a breathing relaxation. If your child is liking these experiences, or you as a parent would like a resource for mindful parenting practices, check out the GR Center for Mindfulness-- they have FREE Monday meditation that you and your child could try together;-)
As always, please let me know if you have any concerns for your child that I could be of help with.
~Kelly Green, Counselor, greenk@calschools.org, 891-8649 Ext. 2101
~Emily Herro, Counseling Intern, herroe@calschools.org, 891-8649
CAL CARES
Covid 19 has created increased budgetary demands for our district. The Caledonia Education Foundation is asking you to show that you care by helping us fill in the gap. CAL CARES is a campaign to bring together organizations like the Caledonia Education Foundation, PTOs, teams, local businesses, families, alumni, and other groups to raise $300,000 for the most pressing needs of the Caledonia district.
We are asking the Caledonia community to rally together to support our students, teachers and administrators. We want to be known as a community that stood by our district when the need was great. The future is uncertain, but you can come alongside our families, teachers, and students to help navigate learning for today. Show you care with a gift today! Thank-you!
text CALCARES to 77948 to donate
mail: check made out to Caledonia Education Foundation, P.O. Box 353, Caledonia, MI 49316. Gifts are tax-deductible.
Check these out as well: CAL CARE FAQ'S
CAL CARES merchandise is for sale through Nov.5th CAL CARES SHOP
KRAFT MEADOWS MIDDLE SCHOOL
Mrs. Near - Registrar
Mr. Uyl - Principal
Email: Neard@calschools.org
Website: https://www.calschools.org/kraft-meadows-ms/
Location: 9230 Kraft Avenue Southeast, Caledonia, MI, USA
Phone: 616.891.8649
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kraft-Meadows-Middle-School-105079304635505