March 7 - Half Day for Students - Dismissal at 12:10
March 18 - PTA Meeting 6:00 pm
The Principal's Pen
The demolition phase of construction has been alive and well this week. The construction crew was able to demolish the eastern section of the building where the two new classrooms are going to be located, as well as the front office section. Student enjoyed watching the men demolish those sections, even going as far as to chant to the workers as they were taking the wall down with the excavator, "Pull it down! Pull it down!" The construction crew got a kick out of that.
Don't forget that next week will be our Holiday Spirit week for those who want to participate.
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.
PTA News
Thank you to everyone who ordered from the Charleston Wrap fundraiser. We raised $938 dollars!
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.
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!!
Counselor's Corner
We are working on getting into our new library routines, and our schedule has returned to normal (listed below). Beginning next week, I will visit each class for a short read aloud during the first half of library time, and then during the second half students will visit the library to check out their new books. In the event of a snow day, makeup check out times may be scheduled.
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
Snow Day Menu Changes
It's that time of year for possible snow days. In the event of a snow day, the menu for the day students return will be what was planned for the snow day. The scheduled menu will resume the day after we return. This is done to have the least amount of waste.
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. 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.
The Board of Education approved a letter of agreement between the school district and the teachers' union regarding the calendar for the next school year. Here is the 2025-2026 GLPS District Calendar. Our website now has two school calendars, one for this this year and one for the next year.
As required by state law, we are working closely with the Barry-Eaton District Health Department (BEDHD), and they recommended we provide all our school district families with some important information about pertussis / whooping cough so you can make informed decisions regarding your family’s health. The recommendation was made because multiple students in our school district have been officially tested and diagnosed with cases of pertussis / whooping cough (the increase in cases prompting this recommendation is currently limited to Hayes Intermediate School). District custodial staff continue to clean frequently, and the GLPS Health Team is coordinating with them to do additional, targeted deep cleanings.
Pertussis can be a very serious illness, especially in the very young who haven’t had the opportunity to be completely protected through immunization. Here is more information about pertussis:
The disease is caused by bacteria spread through sneezing and coughing. The time between exposure to the bacteria and disease symptoms is usually between 7-10 days, but in rare cases, it can take up to 3 weeks.
In the early stage of illness, pertussis can resemble a common cold. Symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, mild dry cough, and low-grade fever. The disease is most contagious at this time.
After about 1 to 2 weeks, more serious “coughing spells” develop that can last for more than a minute and result in difficulty breathing. At the end of a coughing spell, the child may make a high-pitched “whooping” sound as they try to catch their breath. Sometimes the coughing will cause vomiting. Coughing in this latter stage of pertussis tends to be worse at night. Between spells, the child usually feels well.
Vaccinations against pertussis have made it a rare disease. The majority of children have been protected against it through their routine childhood immunizations. However, protection from the vaccine tends to fade over time. If your child is older than 10, you might ask your healthcare provider whether a booster vaccine is appropriate.
Please inform the school of any updates in your child’s immunization record.
Pertussis can be treated or even prevented with antibiotics if detected early or before the disease has started. If your child has been exposed or is not fully protected against pertussis, please contact your healthcare provider for medical guidance.
If your child does develop any of the symptoms described above, keep them at home (do not send them to school) and contact your healthcare provider immediately. Please also inform the school of any illness.
If you have any questions about this issue, please contact your family’s healthcare provider or the Grand Ledge Public Schools Health Team at (517) 925-5725 or health@glcomets.net. More information is also available from the Barry-Eaton District Health Department at 517-541-2641. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has more information here: cdc.gov/pertussis.
Sincerely, Grand Ledge Public Schools Health Team Cindy Brummette, BSN, RN – District Nurse Lanta Winn, MSN, RN – School Nurse Richada Brown, BA - Health Resource Advocate BEDHD
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.
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