June 5 - Last Day of School (Half Day) - Dismissal at 12:10
The Principal's Pen
The Annual Grand Ledge Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner was held last night. We want to recognize our four nominees for Educator of the Year - Melody Patterson, Marisa Rozycki, Colleen Price and Kate Wight.
Congratulations to our Dean of Students, Lauren Patrick, for being named the School Staff Person of the Year!
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 2025-2026 school year Third Graders will score >60% proficient in reading and >62% proficient in math as measured by the M-STEP. Fourth Graders will score > 62% proficient in reading and > 70% proficient in math as measured by the M-STEP. 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 2026 - 2027 school year, please Enroll Today!. Once your child is registered you will be invited to attend the parent meeting in August during our Kindergarten Launch. 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.
April PBIS News
The April PBIS drawing for 10 packs was a chance to play soccer with members of the Grand Ledge High School
boys and girls soccer teams. It was fun to see so many WR alumni back to share the sport they love!
Author Visit
We were pleased to welcome children’s author, Maria Dismondy, to Willow Ridge yesterday. Students heard how she became an author, learned about writing books, and enjoyed stories that teach kindness, courage, and standing up for others.
Ms. Dismondy is a children’s author who writes books that help children learn about friendship, kindness, confidence, and doing the right thing. She loves visiting schools to inspire students to read, write, and believe in themselves.
We want to THANK all the families and kids that helped make our Bills vs Coins such a success!! As you are reading this, we are finishing totaling up and finding out which 3 classes will win a pizza party!! Students will know the winning classes by the end of day Friday. We also have finished our inclusion lesson in each of the classrooms. It has been an exciting week!
As you know the money is going towards getting students Unified t-shirts. As we are organizing who is getting a t-shirt we need student sizes. There is a QR code and there was a paper copy sent home today with kindergarten and 4th grade students. Depending on pricing we will be opening it up to other grade levels. If your child is in another grade level please enter the information using the QR code.
Thank you for all your help with making Willow Ridge a place of INCLUSION!!
PTA News
Congratulations Heroes! As of Wednesday, you have run 1,530 miles in Mileage Club! Keep up the great work!
We are excited to invite all Willow Ridge families to our upcoming Block Party on Friday, May 8th from 6:00–8:00 PM! This special evening is a great opportunity to come together as a community and enjoy a night filled with food, music, games, and fun for all ages.
A highlight of the evening will be our Silent Auction, featuring a variety of unique items, including themed classroom baskets, classroom fingerprint plates, and special “Lunch with a Teacher/Staff” experiences. Be sure to stop by and place your bids!
We are still collecting donations for classroom baskets and appreciate your continued support in helping us create exciting auction items.
To make this event a success, we are also looking for volunteers and item donations (items are just borrowed for the evening). If you’re able to help, please sign up using the link below:
This week we read Dino-Earth Day and prepared for our visit from Author Maria Dismondy. Thanks to Mrs. Toomey and the reading team as well as the PTA for coordinating this opportunity for our students.
I have noticed an increase in the number of books being returned with damage, particularly water damage. This week alone I have had to discard several books which were beyond repair. Please help your student pick a safe pocket in their backpack, away from their water bottle, for transporting library books.
The last week to check out library books will be the week of May 11, with all books due back on or before May 21. Reminders and replacement requests will go home beginning May 26.
Thursday: Sweet, Weidenbach, Rozycki, Oetting, Nelson
Friday: Ford
“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.” - Dr. Seuss
~ 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 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.
Please RSVP for the final Community Forum. Thanks!
Superintendent Bill Barnes shared this earlier:
We have been able to provide significant upgrades through our current bond program, from a new Wacousta to the district restructuring to increased safety throughout the district, and we appreciate the support that our community has provided us through this process. We are now winding down the 2018 bond program, and as good stewards of the community’s resources, we need to look ahead at continued needs over the next five years. To those ends, we are currently partnering with architects TMP and construction managers Clark Construction to develop that plan, which could include a potential zero mill increase over our current rates bond proposal to enhance our instructional facilities. We spent the winter working with our partners and helping them get familiar with our needs, including those listed here from an October 2025 presentation. Now, we have reached a point where we would like to share our thoughts with you, our families, staff, and the community. To those ends, we are hosting two community forms, and would like to invite you to attend. Please see the flyer above for more details, and if you plan to attend, please RSVP at GLcomets.net/RSVP so we can maximize participant engagement.
The Impression 5 Summer L.A.B.S. program offers children hands-on experiences exploring scientific concepts through interactive experimentation, challenges, artistic expression, and play. The Summer L.A.B.S. program offers exciting sessions for ages 5 to 14. 5-year-olds who plan to attend Summer L.A.B.S. must have completed kindergarten by their first program date. Registration for Summer L.A.B.S. is open!
March 2026 - Food Resources
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.
