Please view my message here if you need translation services.

 

March 1, 2024

 

GLPS Families

It is hard to believe, but here we are in March! That means spring is right around the corner, and we will begin to think about the end of the school year and looking ahead to next year. March is Women’s History Month, in which we recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of women in our country’s history. It is also Reading Month, and I know that some of you will be in our schools as guest readers over the next couple of weeks. For other March celebrations, don’t forget to check out our website for upcoming events and celebrations that are important to our families.

From a district perspective, March is the time when we begin planning for the fall, and to those ends, new resident student enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year starts today! For enrollment information, please click here. In February, the GLPS Board of Education also approved schools of choice for grades K, 4, 5, 7, and 9, and the school of choice enrollment window opens on April 8th and remains open until August 11th. Please note that this is different than in years past, in which we had schools of choice available for all grades, K-9. For this year’s window, we took a focused approach, looking at which grade levels have room for additional students, as well as the average number of schools of choice students we have had in those grade levels over the past five years. All grade levels also have openings for release students as space allows, and the release application window opens on April 8th as well. Grand Ledge Public Schools is a growing district, with our enrollment at or above pre-pandemic levels; this is not true of all districts in our region, which speaks to the outstanding educational programming, arts and athletic opportunities, other student programming, and amazing staff at GLPS.

The backbone of our work here, though, and all of those wonderful opportunities, is our strategic plan, rooted in our mission, vision, and beliefs, which are as follows:

MISSION STATEMENT:
"Growing Learners, Preparing Students (GLPS)"

VISION STATEMENT:
"Grand Ledge Public Schools will provide every student a high-quality education, critical thinking skills, and social development to reach their highest potential in a safe and inclusive environment."

 BELIEFS:
• "We believe all students can learn."
• "We believe it is the role of the school district to provide support and access for all students."
• "We believe in an inclusive learning environment where every person is valued."
• "We believe the GLPS staff are professionals who are vital to the health and future of the Grand Ledge community."
• "We believe in a safe, inclusive environment where students can explore their interests and learn the skills they need to thrive in their communities."
• "We believe in partnerships between the family, community, and education stakeholders for the success of GLPS."

It is important for us to continue to check to make sure that we are, indeed, living up to those values, and so we like to seek feedback on a regular basis. Last week, we had an outstanding conversation at our Caregiver School Improvement Team meeting about what makes our families proud to be Comets, as well as what needs to be fixed. We wrapped up that conversation with a survey which provided us some feedback on two questions: What would your child tell a student from another district about attending Grand Ledge Public Schools? and What would you tell a caregiver from another district about your experience with Grand Ledge Public Schools?. I would like to hear your opinion on those two questions as well, so I would greatly appreciate it if you would click here and provide your thoughts. The responses are anonymous, but your input tells us what is going well, what we need to work on, and how we can plan for the future.

Thank you for being a part of the GLPS family, and thank you for allowing us to work with your children every day. We are proud of the work we do here, and we look forward to continuing to improve. And, as always, I am #proudtobeacomet! 

Dr. Bill Barnes
Superintendent of Schools

3:47 p.m. Clarification on the Above Message

 

GLPS Families,

We have received a few follow up emails from my message regarding schools of choice. The window and grade levels for the 2024-2025 school year are for new schools of choice enrollees only. Students who are already enrolled as schools of choice for this year do not need to re-enroll; once you are here, you are always a Comet! I hope that helps clarify the process. Please reach out with any additional questions. 

Dr. Bill Barnes
Superintendent of Schools

A Couple of District Updates
Tuesday, Nov. 5th is Election Day
Students Learning at a High Level at GLPS