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
December 10 & 11 - Santa's Secret Shop (more info to come)
December 22-January 2 - No School - Winter Break
January 5 - No School - Staff PD Day
January 6 - Classes Resume
The Principal's Pen
Thank you to all who helped make our first Trunk-or-Treat a great success! A special shout out goes to Marraiya Black and Krista Dayton for all of their work getting it organized!
During your upcoming conference, your child's teachers will discuss your child's strengths, areas for growth, and any concerns you may have. This meeting will be a valuable opportunity to review your child's overall development and celebrate their progress.
If you have not already done so, please take time to sign-up for your child's conference.
Just a friendly reminder that we provide only one conference per child during conferences. If the parents of a student are not together, please take it upon yourselves to coordinate an amicable time for conferences. Any doubling of conferences on the online sign-up will result in one of the appointments being cancelled to make room for other parents. Thank you for your cooperation. The conference dates are Tuesday, November 11th and Thursday, November 13th from 5:00 - 8:00 pm at Willow Ridge. On Friday, November 14th, conferences will be from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm virtually.
I hope those that are planning on Trick-or-Treating tonight have a wonderful time!
PTA News
Thanks to everyone that has registered and donated for the Fun Run. There is still time to register and donate. Get your child registered today. Our school will be raising money to help our PTA continue to make Willow Ridge the best school we can be. The PTA uses our funds to help support assemblies, classroom supplies, staff appreciation, school t-shirts, fun events, and more. Sign up your student today, then share their personalized webpage through Facebook or email. Donations will be accepted until November 7th. Thanks for your support!!
The Book Fair will be here in the Willow Ridge Library November 10-14! Students will have the opportunity to preview the fair with their classes next week.
You can now visit our Scholastic Book Fair homepage to preview the fair, create an e-wallet for your child to shop without cash, or donate to Share the Fair. Share the Fair donations are used to help provide books to students who might otherwise be unable to shop the book fair. Check out our home page at https://www.scholastic.com/bf/willowridgeelemschool
We are looking for volunteers to help with the book fair both during school hours and during evening conferences. To help during school hours, you must have completed the volunteer application here and show your identification in the office.
If you would like to volunteer at the book fair, use this link to sign up
Due to the delivery and set up of the Book Fair, there will be no regular library classes next week or during the Book Fair November 10-14. All students were able to check out a book this week regardless of their account status. Reminder emails are being suspended until Friday, November 14.
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!
Oct. 31 » Halloween
Nov. is Child Safety and Protection Month
Nov. is Native American Heritage Month
Nov. is Youth Homeless Awareness Month
Nov. 1 » All Saints’ Day
Nov. 1-2 » Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos)
Nov. 2 » Standard Time begins; Daylight Savings Time ends
Nov. 3-7 » National School Psychologist Week
Nov. 4 » Election Day
Nov. 5 » Guru Nanak Dev Sahib’s Birthday Festival
Nov. 5 » National Redhead Day
Nov. 11 » Veterans Day
Nov. 13 » World Kindness Day
Nov. 15 » America Recycles Day
Nov. 17-21 » American Education Week
Nov. 17-21 » Geography Awareness Week
Nov. 19 » Education Support Professionals Day
Nov. 20 » Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution
Nov. 20 » Parental Involvement Day
Nov. 21 » Substitute Educators Day
Nov. 23-29 » National Family Week
Nov. 26 » Sojourner Truth Day
Nov. 27 » Thanksgiving Day
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 Public Schools wants to support every student, and regular attendance plays a big role in your child’s learning. We closely monitor explained and unexplained absences to keep records accurate and to offer help when needed. Here is a one-page summary of the district-wide, consistent attendance policy.
How absences are counted • Documented (AD): A note from a doctor or other professional covers only the dates on the note. • Explained (AE): You call or send a note, but there is no professional note. • Unexplained (AU): No call or note.
Important thresholds • After six full-day undocumented absences in a year, the school will send a truancy letter. • After ten full-day undocumented absences in a year, a mandatory meeting with a school official will be required. • School-related activities such as field trips or athletics do not count toward truancy.
Families can check PowerSchool to review attendance. If you have professional documentation, send it to the school so we can correct the record. If your family needs assistance with attendance or other things, please contact your child’s school to talk to a counselor, dean of students, or the administration. The Tri-County Community Health Guide has additional information to support families, and anyone can call 211 when they are unsure where to turn when looking for assistance with a problem.
Keep Everyone Healthy!
Please use the Symptom Screener daily. Children and staff should stay home when appropriate to keep everyone healthy.
BE A BUS DRIVER – join the GLPS transportation team! Probationary pay begins at $21.50 per hour, then regular driver pay starts at $25.50/hour. GLPS bus drivers have access to SET-SEG Plum Health Center, and many health services are provided at no cost (or minimal cost if you have an HSA). $500 signing bonus distributed as follows: $250 disbursement once all hiring and training has been completed, then the remaining $250 disbursement 6 months from the date of hire or end of school year, whichever comes first. Paid Training is provided to obtain a Class B CDL with Passenger and School Bus endorsements. Must have a 10-year clean driving record. Apply today or contact Pete Bucholtz, Transportation Supervisor, and Nicole Freels, Assistant Transportation Supervisor / Dispatcher. Call them at 517-925-5300 or email them at bucholtzp@glcomets.net and freelsn@glcomets.net.
