Wacousta Elementary Weekly Newsletter

December 1, 2023

9135 Herbison Rd, Eagle, MI 48822 | glcomets.net | Phone: 925-5940 | Fax: 925-5970 | Attendance: 925-5971

Upcoming Dates

 

2023/2024 School Year
Dec. 7-8  Holiday Shop
Dec. 22-Jan.5  Winter Break - No School
Jan. 8  School Resumes
Jan. 12  Snack Shop
Jan. 15  Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
Feb. 2  Snack Shop
Feb. 14  Student Count Day
Feb. 16 Half-Day w/dismissal at 12:10
Feb. 19 Presidents' Day - No School
Mar. 1  Snack Shop
Mar. 8  Snack Shop
Mar. 12 Parent Teacher Conferences 5:00 - 8:00
Mar. 13  Parent Teacher Conferences 5:00 - 8:00
Mar. 15 Parent Teacher Conferences 1:00 - 4:00
Mar. 15 Half-Day w/dismissal at 12:10
Mar. 22 - 29 Spring Break - No School
Apr. 1 School Resumes

Lunch Info

Week of Dec. 4 - Dec. 8
Mon - Chicken Patty Sandwich

Tues - Pizza Bites Cheese Crunchers

Wed - Beef & Cheese Taco

Thurs - Popcorn Chicken

Fri - Macaroni & Cheese Breadstick

Daily- Cereal Fun Lunch

You can find the Lunch Menus at https://www.glcomets.net/parentcommunityresources/lunchmenus/

Notes From the Office

Lunch Time Volunteers

Thank you to everyone who volunteers for our lunch time help!  You are so greatly appreciated during this busy time of the day.  If you haven't had a chance to volunteer previously, we are still in great need of support each day.  Please consider donating a few hours of time.  You can sign-up using this link.  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E084DAEA629A4F85-lunch#/

Please be Aware - SchoolPay Notification

Our GLPS Business Office reached out to SchoolPay recently and was told, "Thank you for contacting SchoolPay.  Our team is aware of the fee notification emails being sent to both parents and admins. We are working diligently to correct this issue. In the meantime, please advise staff and parents to disregard and/or delete any of these emails they receive. Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused."

Tis the Season

Wacousta Families, we need YOUR help! 

The Wacousta Student body has adopted a family-in-need from the greater Grand Ledge community.  They are in need of support for a holiday dinner and gifts for their children. Please be on the lookout for this signup genius to be updated in the next week or so, as they will continue to send us their gift wish lists. 

*If your family is able to donate one of the items, please use the link below to select the item, purchase the item, and then send it with your student to the office before December 15th. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4EAFA82CA31-46220438-wacousta

Thank you for your generosity! 

-Mrs. Detmers and The Wacousta Student Council

Parent Volunteers Needed for Holiday Shop

We are in need of volunteers to help students shop and wrap their gifts. The Wacousta Holiday shop will be happening on December 7th and 8th. Volunteers are needed to help students shop and wrap the gifts they buy for their family and friends. All volunteers need to have submitted a "Volunteer Application" with the district before their shift. Use this link: https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NDIzNDplbi1VUw==

If you are interested please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094CAAAE2DAAF49-46030331-holiday

If you have any questions, please reach out to Megan Weber: mweber07@hotmail.com

I'm an image
I'm an image

These students were chosen for their outstanding observant behaviors in the classroom and around the school building.

Alina Villarreal, Parker Myers, Sydney McDaniels, Leland Wood, Rowan Gonser, Quinn Jacobs, Jacob Fabiano, Giana Garcia, Natalee Barnes, Eli Roth, Lincoln Ladd, Aaden Holly, Lylla Meckstroth, Nova Plunkett, William MacDonald, Emerson Dufresne

GLHS Holiday Music Celebration

It’s that time of year again! The GLHS bands and choirs will be presenting the 15th Annual Collage Concert on Wednesday, December 13, and Thursday, December 14, 2023. The concert will start at 7:30 pm in the GLHS Auditorium. This concert will feature the Symphony Band, Wind Symphony, Vocal Ensemble, Concert Choir, Bel Canto, and Madrigals, along with many featured soloists and small ensembles. Tickets are $5 each and will be available for purchase online at www.glmba.org

Grand Ledge Shopping Tour

The Shopping Tour gifting barrel has arrived in the office!!  The Grand Ledge Shopping Tour supports families that can use extra support over the holiday season of gifting.  There are several ways that you can assist in this endeavor. 1. If you would like to make a monetary donation, please make your checks payable to the Grand Ledge Shopping Tour and drop it off, or send it, to Fifth Third Bank at 900 Charlevoix Dr., Grand Ledge. 2. If you would like to donate a new, unwrapped toy, there is a drop off barrel located in the school office.

  • Officers:
  • Jessica Ladd, President
  • Liz Bliesener, Vice President
  • Melissa Graeser, Treasurer
  • Tracy Johnson, Secretary

Box Tops for Education

Please continue to collect Box Tops for Education! This program is completely online now. To get the app please go to www.Boxtops4education.com

You can follow the Wacousta Elementary School PTIA on Facebook and email us at ptiawacousta@gmail.com

Arrival and Dismissal

When calling in for any of the following reasons please identify your student by first and last name, grade, and teacher.

School Arrival:  Students may not be dropped off prior to 8:40 a.m. since we do not have supervision available. If your student will be getting breakfast it is important that they arrive at the drop off time and go directly to the cafeteria.  Arriving late, makes them late for class start time at 9:00.

School Dismissal:  School ends at 3:55 p.m.  All students should be picked up no later than 4:05 p.m. If you are picking up your child at the end of the day and want to meet them at parent pick up, please do not get in the parent pick up line.  We ask that you park in a parking spot and walk to meet your child.  ALSO, PLEASE DO NOT GO PAST THE CONES TO COLLECT YOUR CHILD.  WE HAVE ADULT SUPERVISION TO ENSURE THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF THE STUDENTS.  If you remain in your vehicle, please continue to move up in line and we'll get your student(s) to you. ~Thank you very much for your cooperation!

Half-day dismissal:  Is at 12:10 p.m.

Late Arrivals:  If you know your child is going to be arriving late, please call or email the school office to let us know.  It is also helpful to let us know if they need a school lunch and which option they'd prefer.  We'll make sure to get that ordered for them.

Parent Pick-Up:  If you are planning to  pick-up your child after school, or change from parent pick-up to riding the bus, please call the school office no later than 2:30 p.m.  We distribute the pick-up list to teachers and staff at this time and are unable to accommodate last minute changes.

Absences:  If your student will be absent or becomes ill and cannot attend school, please call the office and let us know your students name, teacher, reason for absence and symptoms if ill.  Thank you for your cooperation.

Illness Reminder: 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!

COVID Reporting

To report a positive Covid case, please complete the Covid Reporting Form.

Medication

All medication needs to be brought to school by a parent/guardian.  This includes all over the counter medication (cough drops, Tylenol, etc).  Prescription and over the counter medications require a doctors order for the school to administer them, that includes creams or lotions. You will find medication documents at this link: medication and health information Click on School Health Information and Forms.

Birthday Celebrations

Due to the number of life-threatening allergies we have in our building, we respectfully request that you do not send in any type of food for birthday treats.  Mr. Groves celebrates each child by announcing their name during the morning announcements and he personally presents them with a birthday pencil.

If you so choose, you are welcome to bring in a non-edible treat for your child's classmates but they may not include any type of gum or candy.  Some parents choose to send in something small like a pencil or stickers, but that is up to each family.  It is definitely your choice and we understand that not all families are able to do something like this.

We also request that you do not send birthday invitations to school.  If you would like an address list, we will have School Directories available in the near future for $1.00.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

Lost and Found

Is your student missing their jacket, hat, gloves, water bottle, lunch box?  Our lost and found table and coat rack are beginning to fill up again.  Please stop in before the Thanksgiving break to reclaim items your student may have misplaced.

Extra Clothing/Clothing Closet

Future forecast? COLD and SNOW.  Please make sure your student wears a jacket, has a hat, gloves, boots, snow pants, so they are prepared for the changing weather. Please also check your students backpack for appropriate extra clothing.  Shorts and short sleeved shirt days have expired. 

Clothing Closet: Our clothing closet has gotten very low on supplies and could use a freshening up.  When our students find themselves in a mishap (falls in the mud) it's good to have some back up clothing on hand for those in need of a change.  If you would like to contribute to the restocking of the closet the following used items would be appreciated:  elastic waisted pants, long sleeve shirts/sweatshirts, socks, underwear, snow pants, jackets, hats, gloves, boots, that are in good, clean, condition with no holes, tears, stains.  Please send the cleaned items in to the office.  No jeans please.

If we send your student home with borrowed clothing, pants, shirt, jackets, from the closet, please clean and return them.  Someone else will likely be needing their use.  If you are in need of assistance with clothing and outwear please contact the office.

Thanks for your support and cooperation in keeping our kiddos warm and dry with the changing weather.

District and Community News

Recognitions and Acknowledgements in the Upcoming Days
  • Dec. 1 » World AIDS Day
  • Dec. 7 » Pearl Harbor Day
  • Dec. 7-15 » Hanukkah (Festival of Lights)
  • Dec. 8 » Feast of the Immaculate Conception
  • Dec. 10 » Human Rights Day
  • Dec. 15 » Bill of Rights Day
  • Dec. 15 » Bill of Rights Day
  • Dec. 21 » Winter Solstice, Yule
  • Dec. 25 » Christmas
  • Dec. 26 - Jan. 1 » Kwanzaa
  • Dec. 31 » New Year’s Eve

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.

See Your Art on a Team T-Shirt!

Love to draw? See your design on a Grand Ledge team t-shirt!

Grand Ledge’s Destination Imagination program, the Clever Comets, is seeking designs for its team shirts that they wear at competition. DI promotes students using their creativity in science, technology, art, engineering and math, so we want a shirt that reflects exactly that.

Send us a drawing that YOU designed! If your design is selected, you will receive a $25 gift card AND a t-shirt with your design for you to wear!

Here are the requirements for the design: • A clean, simple, bold design – get creative! • Include the name Clever Comets • Can be in electronic or hard copy format • Use maximum THREE colors – two for ink, one would be the t-shirt color • Do NOT use the words Destination Imagination anywhere in the shirt design.

Adults - We want this to be a student design, so please refrain from “helping.” Once the design is selected, Clever Comets members and organizers will work with the artist to finalize the design.

Submit designs to Pakkala@comcast.net by Friday, January 5. Include the student’s name and their contact adult’s name, phone number, and email address.