Willow Ridge Elementary School
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12840 Nixon Road, Grand Ledge, MI 48837
Phone: 517-925-5775 | Fax: 517-925-5811 | Attendance Line: 517-925-5812
Volume 30 | Issue 34 | May 15, 2026
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School Hours
8:55 am - 3:55 pm
Do not drop off
before 8:35 am
Pick up no later
than 4:05 pm
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May 19 - PTA Meeting / Election 6 pm
May 21 - All Library Books Due Back to School
May 22 - Teacher PD Day - No Students
May 25 - No School - Memorial Day
June 1 - Field Day
June 2 - Field Day Rain Date
June 5 - Last Day of School (Half Day) - Dismissal at 12:10
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The students have wrapped up M-STEP! They did a nice job taking their time and doing their best. Once again those scores come out in September and will be sent home to each parent at that time.
On Monday, Dr. Barnes will be sending out an opportunity for parents to give input about their child that we will use for class placement in a couple of weeks. To be clear, this is not a system of requesting a specific teacher for the next school year but to offer you the opportunity to give some input into who your child is as a person so that we can use that information to best balance classes for next year. Be on the lookout for that.
There was a huge outpouring of love and support for our Willow Ridge Staff Family this week. We received floral arrangements, cookies, coffee and meals. Thank you to the Delta Center PTO, Qdoba, Panera, Olive Garden and Applegate Home Comfort for supporting us through a difficult time. We appreciate it very much.
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Way to go Heroes! After Wednesday, you have run 3,029 miles. Only 2 more mileage clubs to go!
Keep up the great work and let's finish strong!!
To all of the volunteers ~ THANK YOU!!! We could not do this without you! We are sincerely appreciative of the time you have given us and the children this year!!
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Next School Year
We are planning for next year. If you know your student(s) will not be attending Willow Ridge next year, please contact our office at 925-5775.
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Medication Pick Up
Your child’s medication(s)
must be picked up at school
on or before June 5.
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PTA Election Announcement – All Positions Open
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We are excited to announce that our upcoming PTA election is approaching, and all officer positions are open for the next term. This includes:
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
If you would like to be added to the ballot, please send an email expressing your interest to ptawillowridge@gmail.com no later than May 11th. Voting will take place at the May 19th meeting.
Serving on the PTA is a great way to make a positive impact and stay connected with our school. We hope to hear from you!
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The library schedule may differ from normal for the last few weeks of school. Opportunities to check out books again before the final turn in date of May 21st will be offered if possible, and communicated to teachers and families in advance. If your student currently has books checked out, they may continue to read them with no need to renew or return until notified of a scheduled library visit or the due date of May 21st.
“We read to know we are not alone.” ~ William Nicholson
~ Mrs Garnaat
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Attendance / Absence Policy
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All absences from school conflict with the continuity of learning and need to be avoided when possible. Regular school attendance is necessary to academic success and continuous and consecutive attendance in school is required by State law; 10-undocumented absences limit per school year. The 10-absence limit per school year includes both Explained Absence (AE) and Unexplained Absence (AU).
In order to help provide supports for students and families, GLPS closely monitors explained and unexplained absences. We also work with families to ensure that as many absences as possible are documented, because undocumented absences can trigger truancy considerations.
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- Documented Absence (AD) - Absence that includes a note from a professional (ie. doctor, dentist, lawyer, etc.) to explain the absence. Absences are only considered documented for the days identified in the note. For example, if a doctor excuses a student for Monday and Tuesday, but the student is absent on Wednesday and Thursday as well, only Monday and Tuesday’s absences are considered documented. Any absence that does not include a note from a professional is considered undocumented.
- Explained Absence (AE) - Undocumented absence in which a parent/guardian calls the office or sends a note to alert the school their child will not be in attendance, but does not include a note from a professional (ie. doctor, dentist, lawyer, etc.). This is important because explained absences are necessary for schools to meet pupil accounting requirements.
- Unexplained Absence (AU) - Undocumented absence in which a parent/guardian does not call the office to alert the school their child will not be in attendance.
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Attendance Policy - Undocumented Absences
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- A student's school will send a letter after 6 undocumented absences and after 10 undocumented absences in a school year, providing you with notice of the absences and outlining steps to help your child attend school regularly.
- A student's school will communicate with families if the student has undocumented absences on more than 10% of the first 30 days.
- Ten (10) or more days of undocumented absences in a school year can be sent to court. However, GLPS will make every effort to work with you and your student before it gets to that point.
- Please note that school related absences, such as field trips or athletic events, are not factored into any truancy related processes.
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PLEASE send your child to school with an extra set of clothes to keep in their locker for emergencies. This could mean they wet their pants, fell in the mud, spilled their lunch, etc. If they use those clothes, please send in another set to keep in their locker.
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BREAKFAST IS ONLY SERVED UNTIL 8:55
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If students arrive after
8:55, they will not be
able to get breakfast
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Background Checks
If you are interested in working with students during the school day or chaperoning field trips, you need to complete the volunteer application here. This process will run a thorough criminal background check. Once approved, you will need to check in at the office using our Raptor system that will run your state issued ID and print you out a badge to wear. You will need to check in at the office and run your ID each time you volunteer.
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Birthday Treats
Our classes do not have students bring in birthday treats. We have a number of food related allergies across the building so that is a practice we have not done for quite a number of years now. If your child wants to bring something for the class, it can be non-edible items like bookmarks, pencils, etc.
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The office needs to be notified if your child will be absent or tardy. You can leave a voice message on the attendance line at 517-925-5812. In that message, please leave the following information:
* Student Name
* Teacher
* Reason for Absence (out of town, funeral, car trouble, sick, etc. If your child is sick, please leave the nature of the illness – fever, vomiting, pink eye, cough, respiratory trouble, head lice, etc.
* Lunch choice, if arriving later than 9:30
If you email the teacher, please copy douglasj@glcomets.net and leel@glcomets.net.
PLEASE NOTE: Teachers can only mark students unexcused. The office has to change those to excused absences after you call in or bring your child to school. This can take some time to get all the absences updated. If your child is still marked unexcused after 11:00, please feel free to contact the office.
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We ask that your child be 24 hours free of fever, vomiting or diarrhea before you send them back to school after they have been out sick. We appreciate your cooperation with this!
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Is something missing? Please share with John Ellsworth, GLPS Director of Communications, any additional Recognitions & Acknowledgments you think we should include on this list or upcoming lists – email him at EllsworthJ@GLcomets.net.
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Grand Ledge Emergency Assistance Program (GLEAP) - The GLEAP Food pantry serves the GLPS district. ID & proof of residency required. Call ahead to place an order at least 1 hour before the pantry closes. Open Tue. 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Thu. 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. 4980 Burt Ave. 517-627-4348
MI Capital Cares - Resource for finding the services and supports you need within your community. Select one of the service areas listed to search for the resources you need or call 2-1-1 or 866-561-2500 for additional assistance.
Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton Counties - This charity has an active community kitchen, food pantry, & bread rack. Hot breakfast (9:00 - 10:30 AM) and lunch (11:30 AM - 1:00 PM) provided Mon. - Fri. at the Cristo Rey Campus. Make an appointment to access food pantry: 517-372-4700.
Helping Hands Food Pantry Charlotte - Clients are subject to low-income guidelines and residency requirements and are required to sign a statement attesting to their need and the accuracy of the information. Open Tuesday (11:00 AM - 5:30 PM), Wednesday (10:00 AM - 4:30 PM), and Thursday (9:00 AM - 4:00 PM). 621 Jefferson St, Charlotte. 517-543-8737
The Salvation Army - This location has a food / personal needs pantry and hot meals available. The food pantry is open Monday thru Friday (9:00 AM -12:00 PM and 1:00 - 4:00 PM). Walk-In only. Hot meals are served Tuesday - Friday (12:00 -1:00 PM). 525 N. Pennsylvania Ave. 517-484-4424
517 Living - A list of the area food-focused nonprofits.
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