March 7 - Half Day for Students - Dismissal at 12:10
March 18 - PTA Meeting 6:00 pm
The Principal's Pen
As the weather has certainly gotten colder and snowier, I wanted to send out a friendly reminder that per our Elementary Student Handbook, students will be going outside to play during recess when the windchill is at zero degrees or warmer. In other words, students will stay in for recess only if the windchill is below zero degrees. With that said, it is very important for your child to come to school with all the appropriate winter attire to make recess enjoyable. If you are in a hardship regarding winter gear, please reach out to our school counselor, Annie Reik at reika@glcomets.net so that we can help.
When we have enough snow - at least 6 inches - we will look at opening up the sledding hill. To sled on the hill, students need to have snow boots, snow pants, winter coat, gloves, and hat. The school does have sleds for all to share, but if your child wants to bring his/her own, they can do that but it just needs to be the plastic sleds that roll up.
Part of the success that we have had at Willow Ridge is getting feedback and ideas from all of our stakeholders - parents, students, and staff. We value your input! Please take a few minutes to complete our Family School Climate Survey. Your feedback will directly inform our Michigan Integrated Continuous Improvement Process (MICIP), which guides our district’s efforts to create effective strategies for student success. Thank you for partnering with us to make our school even better!
Main Entrance / Office
Any parents that need to come into the building during school hours should plan to enter through the southwest entrance, not the main entrance. The door camera, buzzer, and fob have been moved to that door. That is now the closest door to the new office location.
Willow Ridge PBIS H.E.R.O. Headquarters!
Today we recognized our November Heroes of the Month!
These students were recognized for being a HERO by exhibiting Honesty, Encouragement, Respect and Ownership
Jace Adams
Abivarun Balaguru
Lewis Bedwell
Joshua Bond
Aaliyah Brown
Adeline Bryan
Aleeya Dalagan
Zhane Dalagan
Josephine Daskaluk
Chase Downey
Autumn Elenbaas
River Erickson
Violet Fredericks
Skyler Grantham
Analiyah Hidalgo
Chloe Hong
Luke Howard
Larissa Ibrahim
Emily Jacobsen
Tilde Jamesmantel
Ava Kahl
Steven Keller
Julian Kildee
Kora Krauss
Calvin Kuhlman
William Kuznicki
Remy LaCross
Lawrence Lahaie
Ethan Lee
Landyn Lee
Mason Lee
Owen Lee
Cruz Mazuca
Harper McMillan
Iris Meeder
Joshua Morehouse
Ella Nguyen
Hayden Nicholas
Megg Nkwayep
Zelda Rashid
Cameron Reynolds
Emma Rizzo
Antonella Rouphael
Viviana Ruvolo
Aria Saunders
Ruby Schupbach
John Senger
Laila Shaker
Zinnia Sheahan
Ashlyn Stowell
Cole Terranova
Evanna Thackthay
Theodore Trudeau
Hadley Walsh
Winter Waters
Jillian Williams
Charley Wohlscheid
Sophia Yang
Shriyan Yedulapuram
PTA News
Just a reminder that there is no December PTA meeting due to the holidays. We look forward to seeing you at the January 21st meeting.
Santa's Secret Shop
Santa’s Secret Shop is back this year headed again by Kelli Bohnet. This PTA event will be held in the Art Room on December 11 and 12 during the school day. Information on this event will be coming home in today's Friday Folders. This is a good opportunity for our students to purchase that special gift for their parents and other family members in a safe, controlled environment. All students will have a chance to visit the shop during these days. Volunteers are needed to work at the store. Please use this link to sign up. Make sure you are signed up and cleared through the volunteer registration process or you won’t be able to help out!
Do not turn left into the parking lot when coming south on Nixon. Please follow the traffic pattern shown below to get in the loop.
The only exception to this is for employees who have a laminated sign in their window. Please allow these staff members to turn into the parking lot. Thank you for your cooperation!!
Spare Clothes in Lockers
While our office is under construction for the remainder of the school year, there will not be any extra clothing to offer in case of accidents. Please send in clothes (socks, underwear, pants and shirt) to keep in their lockers. Thank you for your support and patience as we all navigate through this construction phase to make our school even better!!
Counselor's Corner
I would like to say a BIG Thank You to all of our students and staff for their flexibility and positivity as we navigated Book Fair and the construction moves. Mr. T’s class has started settling in and the library is back in business!
All classes had a short visit this week to get familiar with the new layout and check out books. Next week, we will try to have “normal library,” with classes coming in for story time, book checkout and read to self.
There is one schedule change for next week. I will be out of the building on Monday, so kindergarten classes will have the opportunity to visit on Wednesday, December 11. Our regular library times are listed below.
Library Schedule:
Monday - BK and Kindergarten (except the week of 12/9/24)
Tuesday - First and Second grades
Wednesday - Third Grade
Thursday - Fourth Grade
~ Mrs Garnaat
Possession of Cell Phones, Smart Watches, and Other Electronic/Recording Communication Devices
The use of cell phones, smart watches, or any other ECD are prohibited to be used during the school day. It is recognized that some students may need access to these devices for transportation purposes after school and are therefore permitted after dismissal. During school, however, cell phones, smart watches, and other ECDs shall be turned off and stored away out of sight. If you are concerned that an electronic device might be stolen, broken or inappropriately used, please do not allow your student to bring it to school.
Attendance / Absence Policy Update
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.
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.
Attendance Policy - Undocumented Absences
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.
Extra Clothes
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.
BREAKFAST IS ONLY SERVED UNTIL 8:55
If you arrive after 8:55, you will not be able to get breakfast
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 new 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.
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.
Absent Students
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.
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.
Illness Reminders
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!
Dec. 7 » Pearl Harbor Day
Dec. 9 » Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Dec. 9 » International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime
Dec. 10 » Human Rights Day
Dec. 15 » Bill of Rights Day
Dec. 20 » International Human Solidarity Day
Dec. 21 » First Day of Winter, Winter Solstice, Yule
Dec. 25 » Christmas
Dec. 25-Jan. 2 » Hanukkah (Festival of Lights)
Dec. 26 - Jan. 1 » Kwanzaa
Dec. 27 » International Day of Epidemic Preparedness
Dec. 31 » New Year’s Eve
Jan. 1 » New Year’s Day
Jan. 6 » Epiphany
Jan. 7 » Orthodox Christmas
Jan. 15 » Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 15 » Sankranti
Jan. 15-18 » Pongal
Jan. 21 » World Religion Day
Jan. 24 » International Day of Education
Jan. 27 » International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
Jan. 28 » Christa McAuliffe Day
Jan. 31 » International Day of the Zebra
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.
This year, we will communicate about school closings using our SchoolMessenger system and by placing a District Alert on our website's homepage: GLcomets.net. For school closings, we create an automated phone call, a text message, and an email that is sent using SchoolMessenger. We also post a District Alert on our website (see example below). Finally, we will reach out to local TV stations, but we encourage you to rely on the school district's communications – GLPS is the best source for closing information and details.
Please be sure your phone number and email address are accurately recorded in SchoolMessenger so you get communications about school closings. You can use the "SchoolMessenger Settings Guide" and follow the instructions to view the contact information in our system. If you want to get text messages from the schools, be sure to opt in by texting “Y” or “Yes” to 67587. If changes are needed to the contact information, legal parents and guardians can communicate with the main office of the school or use this Contact Information Update form.
If you have grandparents, daycare providers, etc., who need to be kept in the loop, please let them know they can sign up for school district communications about school closings, and more, by following the instructions at GLcomets.net/Connect.
An example of what the District Alert looks like on our website is below.
GLPS International Night is January 24, 2025, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Sign up to participate: share a cultural display or exhibit, to walk in the fasion show, or to do a cultural performance
Volunteers are needed to make International Night go well, so please sign up to volunteer.
Stay Safe in December!
Chris Chester, the GLPS Student Safety Supervisor, wants you and your family to stay safe this December. Here are some outdoor safety tips for this holiday season:
988 offers 24/7 judgment-free support for mental health, substance use, and more.
