June 2 - Field Day (details to come; Rain Date June 3)
June 4 - Bring a Special Person to Lunch (details to come)
June 6 - Last Half Day of School - Dismissal at 12:10
The Principal's Pen
We had a great turn out for the second and third grade math night! It was great seeing all of the families playing the games with their children and enjoying the event. Fourth grade's math night will be in May, so fourth grade parents, be on the lookout from your child's teacher on the specific date and time.
Next week the third and fourth grade students will begin taking M-STEP. This is a state mandated test to measure literacy and numeracy proficiency. Here is our building goal around M-STEP: During the 2024-2025 school year we will increase in overall reading and math proficiency by 10% from the 2021-2022 school year M-STEP results. This requires the following scores: 3rd & 4th Grade Reading >65%, 3rd & 4th Grade Math >60%. I am excited for the students to show what they know and meet or even surpass this goal. Good rest, healthy breakfast, and encouragement from you will help the students do their best on their testing days. Thank you for your support!
If you have a new student to enroll in BK or Kindergarten for the 2025 - 2026 school year, please Enroll Today!. Once your child is registered you will be invited to attend ONE parent meeting. During the parent meeting, we will discuss our BK and K programs, kindergarten curriculum, expectations, preferred school supplies, and other important information to help you and your child prepare for their kindergarten year. Your child must be registered before attending a parent meeting; we ask that you attend only ONE parent meeting.
Three of our Willow Ridge teachers were among 44 nominees for the Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year award:
Melody Patterson
Stacy Nelson
Chris Terranova
CONGRATULATIONS to Stacy Nelson who won the Grand Ledge Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year! Stacy is a devoted, hard-working, and topnotch teacher not only for our building, but for the district. This is a well-deserved award!
Great job students! We are 3 weeks in and you’ve ran 1952 miles so far! Keep up the great work!!
PTA News
*Please remember that Mother Son bowling forms are due Monday, April 28th.*
Mother Son Bowling is Friday May 16th from 6-8pm at Royal Scot.
Please see the signup genius link below to help with Mother Son Bowling.
Get ready for a fun-filled evening with the Willow Ridge community! Join us on Thursday, May 2nd from 6–8 PM for an exciting night of food, music, games, and great company.
A Silent Auction featuring themed baskets, classroom fingerprint plates, and special "Lunch with a Teacher/Staff" experiences.
Classroom basket donations are still being collected, so please continue to send in your contributions.
We need your help to make this event a success! Please check out our sign up genius to volunteer or donate materials (some just to borrow for the event).
Teacher Appreciation Week is Coming – May 5th-9th!
Let’s show the amazing staff at Willow Ridge Elementary just how much we appreciate them! During Teacher Appreciation Week, we celebrate ALL staff members for their hard work and dedication. The PTA is planning a special treat each day for our incredible team. We can’t do it without your help! We’re asking our wonderful community to consider donating drinks, snacks, or raffle items to help make this week extra special. See sign up genius below to donate.
Thank you for your support and for helping us show the Willow Ridge staff how truly valued they are!
Let’s show our amazing educators and staff how much they mean to us. Scan the QR code below to write a heartfelt note of appreciation! All notes will beprinted and shared during Staff Appreciation Week, May 5–9.
Your words can make a big difference—thank you for helping us celebrate the staff!
PTA Officer Candidates
Voting for next year’s PTA officers will take place at the May PTA meeting. If you are unable to attend and are interested in running for a position, please email Julie Douglas at douglasj@glcomets.net.
This week, kindergarten and first grade read Dino-Earth Day.
Second grade finished their chapter book, Big Foot and Little Foot. It was such a fun read that the second graders have requested we read book 2 in the series to finish out the school year.
Third and fourth grades continued with their chapter books and should be done with those in time to finish out the year with some special picture books.
LAST WEEK TO CHECK OUT BOOKS: MAY 5-9
ALL BOOKS DUE BACK: MAY 16
As we near the end of the school year, library notices will continue to be sent weekly.
Library Schedule:
Monday - BK and Kindergarten
Tuesday - First and Second grades
Wednesday - Third Grade
Thursday - Fourth Grade
~ Mrs Garnaat
Morning Drop Off Line
A couple of drop off notes:
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!!
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. The approval is good for one calendar year. After that year is up, you will need to reapply.
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, stickers, 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!
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.
Beagle art teacher Erin Fredericks was presented with an Education Excellence Award at the March 11, 2024 Board of Education meeting, and she shared about the Beagle STEAM Showcase. Watch the video of her speaking to the Board.
Wacousta Community Block Party's KIDS MARKET » 1-hour time slots are available for kids to showcase and sell their handmade crafts, artwork, toys, jewelry, and more! Whether it’s their first time or they’re already seasoned creators, this is their moment to shine! Sign up HERE.
Summer Learning 2025 is happening! This year's program will be 4 weeks long, July 7 - 31, and it will take place at Holbrook Elementary School. Summer Learning is open to current GLPS students who are currently in grades K-6. Registration is scheduled to begin before the end of May.
