June 4 - Beach Day at Lunch - Bring a Beach Towel!
June 5 - Last Day of School (Half Day) - Dismissal at 12:10
~ SUMMER BREAK~
August 17 - Kindergarten Launch
August 19 - Kindergarten Open House 4:30 - 6:00
August 19 - First-Fourth Grade Open House 5:30 - 7:00
August 25 - First Day of School - Half Day
September 4-7 - No School - Labor Day Weekend
The Principal's Pen
We are almost there! Only one week left of school. In my nearly twenty years of education, I know that sometimes behaviors can spike during this time. Please remind your children to follow our school expectations so that they can have a fun and positive end to this school year!
We conducted a lockdown drill yesterday. This was only a drill. Even knowing that it is a drill, some students understand the underlying need for these drills and are aware of the deadly shootings that have occurred nationally and in the state of Michigan. This awareness can be unsettling, and some students may be impacted differently by the drill/practice experience. It is understandable for students to feel that way, and we will encourage them to speak with their families, our counselors, or other support personnel at the school if needed. I want to thank our Student Safety Supervisor, Chris Chester, for his work on updating our practices and providing feedback.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
We are having Beach Day during our last school lunch on June 4. There will only be one school lunch option - hot dog, baby carrots, juice slushies and chips. No tables will be set up in the lunch room. Students will need to bring a beach towel to eat on. They can wear sunglasses, flip flops, hats, etc., but no swimsuits please!
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 517-925-5775.
Medication Pick Up
Your child’s medication(s)
must be picked up at school
on or before June 5.
PTA News
The PTA would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our outgoing officers: President Ashley Gilmour, Vice President Colleen Lee, and Secretary Jessica Buckman, for their dedication and hard work the past several years as officers. We are so grateful for all they have done for our school community!
Congratulations to our 2026–2027 PTA officers: President Jamie Lyons, Vice President Krista Dayton, Secretary Spencer Austin, and returning Treasurer Megan Sowash. We are excited to welcome new leadership while also continuing to benefit from Megan’s experience and support. We look forward to another great year ahead and continuing to support our school community together.
As we begin planning for next year, we would love your feedback. Please take a moment to complete our Google Form survey here:
We started this week with over 200 books still checked out, and as I am writing we are now under 100. Great work HEROs! Please bring back any remaining library books as soon as possible.
We had a fantastic year in the library. Here are some of the highlights:
Remember to visit your local public library this summer for books, activities and programming. Many libraries also have passes to local attractions, “library of things” from which you can borrow tools, baking equipment and more, seed libraries and little free pantries.
I hope everyone has a safe, relaxing, fun, creative summer.
“I like to travel in the summer, which is why I read.” - Unknown
~ Mrs Garnaat
Special Ed News
Hello Willow Ridge Families!
Thanks to your generosity from the Bills Vs. Coins war, we were able to provide shirts for the whole kindergarten and 4th grade class. We plan on providing shirts to kindergarten and 4th grade next year as well (with a new design).
Many parents and family members saw the shirts this year and asked if they could order one. Due to the limited time left in the school year, we will be selling them in the fall. Be sure to keep an eye out if you are interested in ordering one for siblings or parents to match! Thank you for all your support, and have a wonderful break!
~ The Willow Ridge SPED Team
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 students arrive after
8:55, they 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!
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.
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.
