November 11 - Parent Teacher Conferences 5:00-8:00 pm (In Person)
November 13 - Parent Teacher Conferences 5:00-8:00 pm (In Person)
November 14 - Half Day for Students - Dismissal at 12:10 pm
November 14 - Parent Teacher Conferences 1:00-3:00 pm (Virtual)
November 18 - PTA Meeting 6:00 pm
November 26-28 - No School - Thanksgiving Break
December 1 - No School - Staff PD Day
** IMPORTANT NOTE **
When reading through the newsletter, you may see a notice at the bottom that says
"[Message clipped] View entire message."
Please click on this link to view the rest of the information in the newsletter. This area of the
newsletter provides information on community happenings such as art shows, sports camps,
learning opportunities, and a lot more! The monthly lunch menu is the final item in the newsletter.
The Principal's Pen
This week is a heavy one for our country. With the violence that took place in Colorado and Utah on Wednesday, and the 24th anniversary of 9-11 yesterday, it is hard not to feel a sense of oppression in the air.
Given what has occurred, I feel I would be remiss not to mention what our protocols are regarding potential threats to the school. We are required by law to hold 3 lock-down drills each year. I work closely with our Student Safety Supervisor, Chris Chester, on ensuring we are practicing the best techniques for these drills, equipping all of the classrooms with Nightlocks, blackout shades, and equipping the staff with ways to communicate with necessary first responders. Chris works with local law enforcement, which he then relays to our staff, on best practices for where to go while inside the building, where we should go if kids are at recess, and so on. I am grateful for his support and help as those strategies are not in my educational wheelhouse.
How We Teach Literacy in GLPS
Grand Ledge Public Schools has added a new resource to our Academic Services webpage that explains recent changes to how we are teaching literacy. This page
is designed to help caregivers better understand our approach, why we are making
these shifts, and what it means for student learning. We encourage all families to
Students will visit the library next week on either Monday, Thursday or Friday for a lesson on library procedures and expectations. We will begin following our regular library schedule and checking out books the following week.
Thursday: Sweet, Weidenbach, Rozycki, Oetting, Nelson
Friday: Ford
“Reading is a passport to countless adventures.”
Mary Pope Osborne, author of The Magic Treehouse series
~ Mrs Garnaat
Attendance / Absence Policy
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 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
Illness Reminders
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.
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!
Sep. 30 » National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Canada)
Oct. is National Bullying Prevention Month
Oct. is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month
Oct. is National Principals Month
Oct. is Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Oct. is National ADHD Awareness Month
Oct. is Crime Prevention Month
Oct. is Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Oct. 1 » Choose Respect Day
Oct. 1-2 » Yom Kippur
Oct. 2 » National Custodial Workers Recognition Day
Oct. 5-11 » National Metric Week
Oct. 5-12 » Fire Prevention Week
Oct. 6 » Child Health Day
Oct. 9 » Leif Erikson Day
Oct. 11 » International Day of the Girl
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.
Destination Imagination lets brains have fun! Learn more Sep. 16!
Be creative, study science, be artistic, and understand how things work – all while making friends and having fun by joining Destination Imagination!
DI is a STEAM-based, competitive extracurricular activity that promotes creativity and teamwork for students in grades 3 through high school. Early learning opportunities are also available for K-2 students.
Each year, teams pick a challenge to tackle, work on it at weekly practices, try their hand at instant challenges and then showcase their teamwork and solutions at a regional tournament. Challenges are in the technical, scientific, fine arts, improvisational, engineering and service learning categories. Click this link for a brief video overview of the challenges.
Interested parents and students from any Grand Ledge school can learn more about the program and this year’s challenges on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 6-7 p.m. at Hayes Intermediate, Room 201 (enter through door 19 outside of the parent parking lot on the south side of the building) to learn about this year’s challenges and how the program works.
If you are unable to attend but interested in the program, please contact Jennifer Pakkala, Clever Comets Coordinator, at pakkala@comcast.net.
Click HERE or the image above to read about the challenges.
The Fledge Foundation in Lansing is hosting another FREE 9-week Youth Entrepreneur Program for students in grades 5-12. The program includes 8 weeks of learning how to apply the Business Model Canvas to their idea, working one-on-one with a coach/mentor, pitch writing and presenting, free dinner weekly, and at Week 9, an opportunity to pitch their idea to a panel of local leaders for a $1,000 prize.
