the appleseed · the appleseed the hudsonville public schools board of education newsletter may...

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The Appleseed The Hudsonville Public Schools Board of Education Newsletter May 2019/June 2019 WWW.HUDSONVILLEPUBLICSCHOOLS.ORG 616-669-1740 Dear Community Members, As we enter the month of May, the weather has finally taken a turn, and it appears the cold, snowy weather is behind us. The flowers are beginning to bloom, and the smell of freshly cut grass is in the air. All signs that spring is here, with summer right around the corner. As the year winds down, we want to celebrate the wonderful school year we had, remind you to vote on May 7 on the annual non-homestead millage, and provide an update on where we stand with making up snow days. On May 23, we will celebrate the graduation of over 450 high school seniors and the mark they will leave on our school system. They have performed in the classroom, on the stage, in the field of play, and throughout our community. I want to congratulate all our seniors for how they have represented Hudsonville Public Schools. Thank you for allowing our staff to be a part of your educational career, and we wish you all the best life has to offer in your future. The first week of May has traditionally been earmarked as Teacher Appreciation Week. We are using the week to celebrate all the amazing staff that work with our students on a regular basis. From crossing guards to bus drivers, paraprofessionals on the playground to food service staff, teachers to administrators, we truly have some incredible staff that have dedicated their days to supporting the children in our schools. Please take some time this week to express your gratitude to those that care so deeply for your children. Hopefully, you are aware of our Non-Homestead election that will be taking place on May 7. Hudsonville School parents and community members will have the chance to vote on our annual Non-Homestead Millage renewal. This is an annual renewal request that voters have approved for the past 24 years and would generate approximately 4.8 million dollars of operating revenue for our school district. Please note, this is not a tax on primary residences and is not a new tax. Please get out and vote on May 7. Finally, there have been several questions about making up snow days, as most of you are attempting to finalize your summer plans. Late last week we were notified that the Michigan Department of Education would allow districts across the State to seek a waiver to forgive additional snow days if they so choose. There have been many discussions on making up days, and the impact that it has had on instruction. We also have discussed the impact making up time could adversely affect summer plans for parents, staff, and students. At this point, we have applied to waive the one (1) additional day that we needed to make up. With the approval of the waiver, we will maintain our calendar with the last day of school being June 7. This will still be a half-day of school, as previously scheduled. Thank you for your understanding, as the decision from the State took much longer than anticipated. The school calendar for this year, as well as next year, is posted on our website (hudsonvillepublicschools.org). I hope you all enjoy the last weeks of the school year and enjoy your summer. Thank you for making Hudsonville a fantastic place to live and grow! Best regards, Doug VanderJagt, Ph.D. Superintendent

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Page 1: The Appleseed · The Appleseed The Hudsonville Public Schools Board of Education Newsletter May 2019/June 2019  616-669-1740

The AppleseedThe Hudsonville Public Schools Board of Education Newsletter May 2019/June 2019

WWW.HUDSONVILLEPUBLICSCHOOLS.ORG 616-669-1740

Dear Community Members,

As we enter the month of May, the weather has finally taken a turn, and it appears the cold, snowy weather is behind us. The flowers are beginning to bloom, and the smell of freshly cut grass is in the air. All signs that spring is here, with summer right around the corner. As the year winds down, we want to celebrate the wonderful school year we had, remind you to vote on May 7 on the annual non-homestead millage, and provide an update on where we stand with making up snow days. On May 23, we will celebrate the graduation of over 450 high school seniors and the mark they will leave on our school system. They have performed in the classroom, on the stage, in the field of play, and throughout our community. I want to congratulate all our seniors for how they have represented Hudsonville Public Schools. Thank you for allowing our staff to be a part of your educational career, and we wish you all the best life has to offer in your future.

The first week of May has traditionally been earmarked as Teacher Appreciation Week. We are using the week to celebrate all the amazing staff that work with our students on a regular basis. From crossing guards to bus drivers, paraprofessionals on the playground to food service staff, teachers to administrators, we truly have some incredible staff that have dedicated their days to supporting the children in our schools. Please take some time this week to express your gratitude to those that care so deeply for your children.

Hopefully, you are aware of our Non-Homestead election that will be taking place on May 7. Hudsonville School parents and community members will have the chance to vote on our annual Non-Homestead Millage renewal. This is an annual renewal request that voters have approved for the past 24 years and would generate approximately 4.8 million dollars of operating revenue for our school district. Please note, this is not a tax on primary residences and is not a new tax. Please get out and vote on May 7. Finally, there have been several questions about making up snow days, as most of you are attempting to finalize your summer plans. Late last week we were notified that the Michigan Department of Education would allow districts across the State to seek a waiver to forgive additional snow days if they so choose. There have been many discussions on making up days, and the impact that it has had on instruction. We also have discussed the impact making up time could adversely affect summer plans for parents, staff, and students. At this point, we have applied to waive the one (1) additional day that we needed to make up. With the approval of the waiver, we will maintain our calendar with the last day of school being June 7. This will still be a half-day of school, as previously scheduled. Thank you for your understanding, as the decision from the State took much longer than anticipated. The school calendar for this year, as well as next year, is posted on our website (hudsonvillepublicschools.org).

I hope you all enjoy the last weeks of the school year and enjoy your summer. Thank you for making Hudsonville a fantastic place to live and grow!

Best regards,

Doug VanderJagt, Ph.D.Superintendent

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H U D S O N V I L L E P U B L I C S C H O O L S S E E K S N O N - H O M E S T E A D M I L L A G E

Please Vote on Tuesday, May 7

On May 7, Hudsonville School parents and community members will have the chance to vote on our annual Non-Homestead Millage renewal. This is an annual renewal request that voters have approved for the past 24 years and, if approved, would generate approximately 4.8 million dollars of operating revenue for our school district. Please note, this is not a tax on primary residences and is not a new tax. 

Please visit our website for official ballot language.

Congratulations to the Hudsonville/Jenison/Unity Future Prep'd Team of Winter 2019!

This dedicated group of high schoolers spent twelve weeks diving into real-world problems for two different businesses in the area. The team worked incredibly hard and struggled to find the best solution. However, this team took home a win for their presentation of their solutions and their journey. Each student earned $250 and three college credits! This team was lead by Ms. Lindsey O'Gorman and Mrs. Conrad. If you see any of the following people, wish them congratulations: Mia Bender, Allie Brown, Abby Dykstra, Anthony Jaime, Kaylee Manning, Caden Sieggreen, Taylor Sytsma, and JT Thonus. 

Stay Connected!Become a fan of Hudsonville Public Schools on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest news and updates.

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Do You Know Someone that Might Like to Receive The Appleseed?

With the dissolution of the Advance Newspaper, there may be residents that no longer get to read about the informative and exciting things taking place in our district. Please feel free to forward The Appleseed to them or ask them to submit their email address to us at [email protected] so we can add them to our distribution list.

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Madison Cook

Parents: Scott and Julie Helder GPA: 4.247 College: University of Michigan Major: Undecided

Julia Madalena

Parents: Patricia and Fernando Madalena GPA: 4.237 College: Cornerstone University Major: Biology

Winston Diep

Parents: Hong Duong and Vien Diep GPA: 4.216 College: Michigan State University Major: Biochemistry

Luke Ellermets

Parents: Mark and Anne Ellermets GPA: 4.204 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Geology

Highest Honor Graduates for the

Class of 2019

Esmee Kuiper

Parents: Rick & June Kuiper GPA: 4.424 College: University of Michigan Major: Chemistry & Spanish

Alaina Kwiatkowski

Parents: Leslie and Matt Kwiatkowski GPA: 4.377 College: Undecided (likely Calvin) Major: Political Science and Economics

Jennifer Williams

Parents: Mark and Rebecca Williams GPA: 4.368 College: Undecided Major: Psychology, Pre-Med

Chad Folkert

Parents: Clark and Donna Folkert GPA: 4.302 College: Western Michigan Major: Aerospace Engineering

Jacob Wilson

Parents: Mark and Lori Wilson GPA: 4.273 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Economics and Data Science

Benjamin Vander Ploeg

Parents: Jon and Kerri Vander Ploeg GPA: 4.252 College: Ferris State University Major: Applied Mathematics

The Hudsonville Public Schools Board of Education Newsletter May 2019/June 2019

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Highest honor grads continued…

Michael Meadows

Parents: Lee and Michelle Meadows GPA: 4.203 College: University of Michigan Major: Computer Science

Kyle Arends

Parents: Ken and Kelly Arends GPA: 4.119 College: University of Michigan Major: Computer Science

Megan VanDyke

Parents: John and Jackie VanDyke GPA: 4.192 College: Cedarville University Major: Nursing

Hayleigh Vermeer

Parents: Matthew and Kristi Vermeer GPA: 4.185 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Undecided

Addison Irish

Parents: Jeff and Kelly Irish GPA: 4.184 College: Calvin College Major: Business & Entrepreneurship

Nate Aust

Parents: Steve and Kim Aust GPA: 4.182 College: Cedarville University Major: Mechanical Engineering

Lauren DeHaan

Parents: Don and Becky DeHaan GPA: 4.177 College: Western Michigan University Major: Psychology

Will Haverkamp

Parents: Pete and Beth Haverkamp GPA: 4.15 College: Ferris State University Major: Architecture/Engineering

Claire TenBrock

Parents: Kelly and Mike TenBrock GPA: 4.15 College: Ferris State University Major: Nursing

Cora Bradley

Parents: John and Melissa Bradley GPA: 4.145

College: Cedarville University Major: Spanish Education

Andrew Atkins

Parents: Ryan and Lois Atkins GPA: 4.144 College: Colorado School of Mines Major: Geological Engineering

Ezra Roerig

Parents: Jason and Cindy Roerig GPA: 4.14 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Environmental Engineering

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Highest honor grads continued…

Tom Stutz

Parents: Jeffery and Jennifer Stutz GPA: 4.134 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Saxophone Performance

Ryan Lenoir

Parents: Miriam Dibble and Edward Lenoir GPA: 4.128 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Electrical Engineering

Skylar Brouwer

Parents: Troy and Amy Brouwer GPA: 4.121 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Behavioral Neuroscience or Cell and Molecular Biology

Cheyenne Sage

Parents: Shawn and Christine Sage GPA: 4.121 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Nursing

Katelyn Ellis

Parents: Amy and Anthony Ellis GPA: 4.117 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Biology

Zach Moore

Parents: James and Carolyn Moore GPA: 4.113 College: Hope College Major: Biology

Kinnon Kurtycz

Parents: Mark and Melinda Volk GPA: 4.11 College: Northern Michigan University Major: Secondary Education

Kalel Faber

Parents: Kris and Larry Faber GPA: 4.108 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Theater Performance

Dilyn Heslinga

Parents: Melissa VanHill (Mother), Jeremy Heslinga (Father), Adam VanHill (Step-Father), Amber Heslinga (Step-Mother) GPA: 4.108 College: Michigan State University Major: Biochemistry

Devin Elenbaas

Parents: Mellisa and Joseph Fica, Brian and Rebecca Elenbaas GPA: 4.107 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Geology or Engineering

Halle Blauwkamp

Parents: Marc and Kara Blauwkamp GPA: 4.105 College: Undecided Major: Art History

Austin Brandt

Parents: Mike and Shawna Brandt GPA: 4.1 College: Davenport Major: Sports Management

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Highest honor grads continued…

Sydney Burns

Parents: Mark and Kerri Burns GPA: 4.096 College: Hope College Major: Public Accounting

Ryan Brody

Parent: Sarah Brody GPA: 4.095 College: Calvin College Major: Astrophysics

Jada Murphy

Parents: George and Julie Murphy GPA: 4.091 College: Valparaiso or University of Michigan Major: Nursing

Cate Mandryk

Parent: Jen Mandryk GPA: 4.089 College: Michigan State University Major: Education

Cierra Nieboer

Parents: Jeff and Staci Nieboer GPA: 4.089 College: Ferris State University Major: Elementary Education

Emily Bergstrom

Parents: Jeff and Amy Bergstrom GPA: 4.083 College: Michigan Tech Major: Environmental Science

Ryan Mahoney

Parents: Dan and Michelle Mahoney GPA: 4.079 College: Michigan Technological University Major: Engineering

Gage Elenbaas

Parents: Mellisa and Joseph Fica, Brian and Rebecca Elenbaas GPA: 4.076 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Computer Engineering

Alexa Hartman

Parents: Lisa and Ryan Clark and Todd Hartman GPA: 4.073 College: Aquinas Major: Nursing

Melina Kozachik

Parents: David and Kym Kozachik GPA: 4.072 College: Purdue University Fort Wayne Major: Mechanical Engineering

Liam Orndorff

Parents: Ian and Tamara Orndorff GPA: 4.071 College: Hope College Major: Physics

Madison Hower

Parents: Carrie and Scott Hower GPA: 4.07 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Biomedical Sciences

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Highest honor grads continued…

Anna Mettler

Parents: Corey and Beth Mettler GPA: 4.058 College: Olivet Nazarene University Major: Nursing

Madelyn Lichti

Parents: Sarah and Scott Lichti GPA: 4.055 College: Davenport University Major: Nursing

Kamryn Borton

Parents: Daniel and Sarena Borton GPA: 4.049 College: Michigan State University Major: Social Relations and Policy

Matt Dow

Parents: Jason and Lisa Dow GPA: 4.039 College: Michigan or Michigan State Major: Medicine

Anna Haseley

Parents: Christine Adams, Doug Haseley, Todd Adams GPA: 4.036 College: Hope College Major: Pre-med

Liley Tafelsky

Parents: Steve and Holley Tafelsky GPA: 4.036 College: Cedarville University Major: Elementary Education

Nate Vruggink

Parents: Derek and Gretchen Vruggink GPA: 4.033 College: Cornerstone University Major: Pre-Med

Tony Lirio

Parents: Dr. Ruel & Nicole Lirio GPA: 4.031 College: Calvin Major: Pre-dentistry

Alisah Nelson

Parents: Don & Sheri Nelson GPA: 4.024 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Education

Samantha Thomure

Parents: Michael and Nina Thomure GPA: 4.023 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Respiratory Therapist

Spencer Phoon

Parents: Cheng & Su Phoon GPA: 4.022 College: University of Michigan Major: Neuroscience

Josh Fitch

Parents: Brad and Sue Fitch GPA: 4.021 College: Grand Valley State University Major: Engineering

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Highest honor grads continued…

Brandon McEachern

Parents: Brian and Teddi McEachern GPA: 4.02 College: Aquinas Major: Pre-medicine (Biology)

Jessica Walker

Parents: Richard and Patricia Walker GPA: 4.018 College: Grace Christian University Major: Youth Ministry

Trey Zichterman

Parents: Bryan and Lynda Zichterman GPA: 4.018 College: Spring Arbor Major: Undecided

Jo Burrell

Parents: Karin and Patrick Burrell GPA: 4.003 College: Tulip City Beauty College Major: Cosmetology

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports at the Early Childhood Center The Early Childhood Center rolled out PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) in January.  Our three building expectations are: Be Kind, Be Safe, Be Your Best.

Our PBIS team has created specific expectations for all common areas of the building such as lockers, bathrooms, buses, hallway, playground, and the cafeteria.  Because we mainly work with 3-5-year-olds, all of our expectations have lots of visuals too. Some of the main ideas of PBIS include teaching behavioral expectations (just like we teach reading, writing, and math), using common language throughout the building, and recognizing kids for doing the right thing.  Students can earn “brag tags” for making good choices. We even have a “class brag tag” that is awarded to the best-behaved class in the cafeteria each day! Additionally, we have several trees painted throughout the building and students are awarded with their name and picture on a leaf to place on the tree when they are “caught being good.”

We are excited about all of the positive changes we have seen already and look forward to implementing more PBIS activities in the 2019-2020 school year!

The Parents' Club at Park Elementary surprised the students and staff this week with encouraging messages in the restrooms. With the money raised from our annual Color the Park fundraiser, our Parents' Club is able to support students and staff with supplies for the classroom and playground equipment. They also support the school by encouraging students to be and do their very best. Park school appreciates the support from their Parents' Club!

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Hudsonville Early Childhood Preschool ~ Space Available

Do you have a four-year-old who would love to come to learn and play two afternoons a week starting in the fall?

We have a few half day openings in our preschool programs: M/W-12:15-2:45 p.m. or M-Th 12:40-3:40 p.m.

The days are full of play-based learning, to help them be ready for Kindergarten! As your child spends time in the classroom, they will gain skills such as writing their name, identifying letters and numbers, and progress in fine motor skills. They will also continue to work on social skills and begin exploring other subjects such as math and science! Your child will have the opportunity to participate in gym, outdoor play, time on the nature playground, and go on field trips throughout the year! 

To sign up or receive more information, please contact the Early Childhood office at 797-0842 ext. #1 or visit hudsonvillepublicschools.org 

West Michigan Symphony Trombonist visits Georgetown

Georgetown fourth graders were treated to a special visit by the principal trombonist from the West Michigan Symphony.  Mr. Kipman was one of the music mentors with the LINK UP Symphony program that all fourth graders in Hudsonville participate in.  He met twice with students at Georgetown to help prepare for our interactive symphony trip that took place in April.  At the concert, students play recorders, sing and move along with the orchestra.  Mr. Kipman helped students practice the repertoire, learn about brass instruments, and showed them different types of trombones.  He explained what it's like to be in a professional orchestra and how much fun it is to play

music for your job!  The students were thrilled when he played multiple pieces on his trombone for them!  What a special treat for the kids to get up and personal with this amazing musician!

Hudsonville Public Schools need YOU… If you love working with children, would like having time off with your children and grandchildren, have an excellent driving record and a good sense of direction, driving a school bus could be for you! We offer excellent pay and

training to obtain proper licensing. Please go to our website, hudsonvillepublicschools.org, or stop into the transportation department (3550 Allen) today to find out more and to apply to become a professional school bus driver.

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For two consecutive weekends in March, Hudsonville High School had their musical performance of Les Misérables. Each performance received standing ovations from those in attendance. Thank you to the cast, crew, teachers, and auditorium director. A production of this magnitude would not be possible without you!

Les Misérables - School Edition

English Learner Students Visit GRCC

Thirty English Learners and former English Learners from Baldwin and Riley Street Middle Schools, and HHS went on a college visit to Grand Rapids Community College on April 11. The students enjoyed a presentation, campus tour, and a delicious trip to the on-campus food court. They learned about classes and programs offered at the college as well as other activities and organizations in which they might like to participate in. The students now know what a college campus looks like and have an idea of what university life might be like for them. Thank you GRCC for hosting us! For more information about our English Learner program, please visit our blog.

Owl Pellet Plunder!

The anticipation for the fourth graders at Georgetown Elementary had been building for weeks!  “What tools will we be using?” some questioned. “May we wear rubber gloves?” others pleaded. The mention of dissecting owl pellets definitely got everyone’s attention. Well, the time finally arrived, and it didn’t take long before everyone was up to their elbows in exploration.  We applied the Scientific Method to the important question, “What do owls eat?”

Purpose- What do you want to know?Research- What can you find out?Hypothesis- What do you predict?Experiment- How are you going to test it?Analysis- What happened during your experiment?Conclusion- What did you find out?

The pellets provided an excellent opportunity for discovering more about food chains and food webs.

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HHS German Students Compete at U of M

For the past few months our German level three and four students have been working hard to prepare for the annual German Day competition held at U of M. This year the theme was "Wanderlust" which means a desire to travel. Students competed in the areas of art, reading, poetry, speaking, creating a comic, creating karaoke videos, and even a spelling bee all in the target language. We had five students place in the top three of their specific genre and level. Luke Balstad (South/RMS/current sophomore) and Isabella Tillotson (South/RMS/current sophomore) placed for their karaoke video translation of "Country Road" complete with drone footage! Luke Balstad also placed for his level two

sight reading piece. Genevieve Balivet (Alward/BMS/current sophomore) placed in level three poetry by memorizing and reciting "Lebensfahrt" by German poet Heinrich Heine. Makenzie Miller (Jamestown/RMS/current junior) placed for memorizing and reciting her level four poem, "Die Welt ist Weit," by Ingeborg Bachmann. Ryan VanderMarkt (Bauer/BMS/current sophomore) placed in his speaking personal interview. It was an amazing experience to see the level of study, and the amount of students that take German as a world language across the state. This was our second year attending the competition and look forward to making this an annual trip for our German language students.

Makerspace Becomes Reality

Jamestown Upper Elementary is in the process of renovating two spaces in the building to enhance learning opportunities for students.  The first of those is a Makerspace which opened on Monday, April 29th, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A Makerspace is a collaborative workspace for making, learning, exploring, and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools.

The funding for the room came directly from the PTA.  Staff members visited Makerspaces in Rockford, talked with staff members there, and met to design a room for Jamestown.  A teaching team of Mrs. Oldebekking, Ms. Nauta, Mrs. VanMaastricht, and Mrs. Reed were responsible for ordering, organizing, communicating, and getting the room up and running.

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Congratulations to Baldwin and Riley Street Middle School Choirs!

In March, Riley Street and Baldwin Street Middle School choirs performed at the District Choral Festival.  They sang two songs for a panel of 4 judges.  Three judges gave the choir a score on their performance, and the fourth judge gave a clinic.  After the initial performance, the choirs went to a separate room to sightread for another judge who gave them a score.  Scoring includes a very detailed rubric and then a final rating based on the number of points earned.  The highest number of points possible to receive is 30 per judge (30 x 3 for performance and 30 for sight reading = highest possible score of 120). The BMS Choirs (pictured above), led by Diane Scott, earned 120 points total.  Earning a perfect score very rare accomplishment!  The overall rating was an Excellent or Division 1.  

The RMS Combined 7th & 8th Choirs, led by Victoria McClure, also had an outstanding performance at District Choral Festival and earned 118 points and a Division 1 rating (Excellent) this year.  Ensembles who score over 112 points are acknowledged in MSVMA (Michigan School Vocal Music Association) for a superior performance. Both groups from RMS and BMS performed at the State Choral Festival at Hope College on May 3.

Elementary Running Clubs Have Another Successful Year! Each spring, the Elementary PE teachers from all seven elementary schools coach a Running Club in their buildings for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Students train both on their own and together as a team in each school. Topics such as healthy eating, personal goal setting, cardiovascular endurance, core strength, pace, running safety, and proper breathing techniques are taught during group practices. This year, over 350 students participated! The culmination of the running club is the Hudsonville Eagle 5K, which was held on March 23. The Eagle 5K starts and finishes at Hudsonville High School and is supported by many local businesses. The money from entry fees goes directly back to our Hudsonville Athletic Boosters! Our Boosters support all of our athletic teams and also provide scholarships to ten HHS seniors heading to college. This year, over 550 people participated in the Eagle 5K, most of which were student members of our elementary running clubs. Congratulations to all who participated!

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Alward Elementary fourth grade students and their first grade buddies were finally able to see their flowers emerging from the bulbs they planted in the fall! They also worked together to pick up trash around the playground. It was a beautiful day for us here at Alward!

Jamestown Lower Elementary Celebrates Earth Day

Jamestown Lower Elementary's playground is looking a lot cleaner thanks to the second graders there! Second graders celebrated Earth Day by reading a variety of texts with the theme of caring for our Earth. They learned from the book The

Lorax, by Dr. Seuss that "UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." To show that we care about our Earth, students put this learning into action by picking up trash on the playground. Students worked together to gather trash, and the kids were surprised by how much litter they found. Students were challenged to continue caring for our Earth every day, not just Earth Day. The smiles and full bags of trash showed us that it feels good to do our part and that we can make a difference to make our world a better place!

Holocaust Survivor Shares Her Harrowing Story

On April 25, Irene Miller, a Holocaust survivor, visited Hudsonville High School. She spoke about the extraordinary things she had to do to survive. Our students were very engaged when listening to her. Irene Miller is a true testament that you can overcome adversity and we thank her for sharing her incredible journey. If you would like to learn more about Irene Miller, please visit her website.

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Innovation in Education Award ~ Nominations Being Accepted

Do you know an outstanding teacher in HPS? Do you know of a staff member who goes above and beyond every day to make HPS a better place? We need your help! The Hudsonville Education Foundation’s annual Innovation in Education Award is open now thru May 15.  The award began in 2012 through a generous donation by a local couple. This couple had the vision of honoring, each year, a Hudsonville teacher or staff member or volunteer who has shown true innovation in their teaching methods and classroom activities. There are four criteria listed on the application for this award. They are: 1.      Reaches students in an innovative way2.      Demonstration of student results3.      The impact of the nominee’s unique techniques4.      The possibility of replicating the innovation If you know of an HPS staff member worthy of this award, please nominate them on our website.

Riley Street Science Olympiad Team Has Another Record-Breaking Year!

Riley Street Middle School’s Science Olympiad has had another successful year! The team set a district record by placing 4th in the region overall. Nine individual events placed in the top five in the region and 17 event groups medaled!

The team earned an invitation to the Michigan State Science Olympiad tournament on Saturday, April 27, and placed 20th overall out of 60 of the best teams in Michigan. The Roller Coaster team placed 7th overall at state, earning medals for Carson England and Madisyn Leyendecker.

Science Olympiad is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving student involvement in science, technology, engineering, and math. Students compete as a team in several exciting invitationals and tournaments to showcase their knowledge and skill. If your child is interested in joining the Science Olympiad team at Riley, contact Mrs. Crosby or Mr. Sall. Next year’s sign-ups will begin in the fall.

The Hudsonville Public Schools Board of Education Newsletter May 2019/June 2019

Hudsonville Public Schools does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, height, weight, marital status, handicap, disability, or limited English proficiency in any of its programs or activities. The following office has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Hudsonville Public Schools, 3886 Van Buren, Hudsonville, MI 49426, (616) 669-1740