March 15, 2024

Wacousta families!
If you are planning to move and not return to Wacousta for the 2024-25 school year, please contact the school office to let us know.  Also, if you know of any families new to our area or families with incoming kindergarten students, please encourage them to enroll their students at their earliest convenience.  Thank you!

This is the view from the parking lot by the dream depot play area.  Classrooms on the left, back entrance in the middle, and cafeteria on the right.  There is another whole wing behind this that includes more classrooms, the library, main entrance and office.  Windows, siding, and brick....we're getting closer and closer to completion. 

We are having so much fun celebrating reading this month.  Our final four books will be announced on Monday! Make sure you ask your child about our March Book Madness tournament.  The students have voted, and we are getting closer to choosing our Wacousta March Book Madness Book Champion!

Thank you to everyone who visited our book fair this week!  The money raised goes toward purchasing books for our library, and we’re excited to see all those new books in our new school library!

You can view the March Book Madness bracket here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rnPaPd_U4B4iVbOasWvE-M6FAC4r6SZM/view.

Community members who register for the 5K and Virtual 5k events before March 18 will receive a $10.00 St. Patrick's Day Discount by entering the coupon code Lucky at checkout. *Please be sure and choose Wacousta Elementary as your building when registering.  The Comet Chase 5K is an annual event that benefits the Grand Ledge Education Foundation; it will be held on Saturday, June 22nd, beginning at 8:45 am.  In addition to the 5K, there is a one-mile youth race along with a 400 meter kids’ race.  Here is the link to register: https://runsignup.com/Race/MI/GrandLedge/JoshSpalsburyMemorialCometChase5K

The March 5th PTIA meeting has been rescheduled for March 19th.  Please make a note on your calendars.

Wacousta Families....
Yearbooks are typically handed out the last week of school.  If you did not order a yearbook on Picture Day, here is a link that you may use to order one:  https://store.geskusphoto.com/search/YB718.  Yearbooks are included in some packages and if you are unsure if you have ordered one for your child(ren), please call the school and we'll be happy to let you know.  If you choose not to order a yearbook for your child(ren), we do give them an autograph sheet for their friends to sign at the time yearbooks are distributed.

In preparation to begin packing for the move to the new building, we are seeking volunteers to come in and build boxes for our staff.  There is no set time to volunteer; just come in anytime the week you sign up for, and we will have boxes ready for assembly!  If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Taylor at taylors@glcomet.net or Mrs. McKennon at mckennonj@glcomets.net.  

Please sign-up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E054DAFAC2EA64-48141872-building#/

Please mark your calendars.  Only two more Snack Shop dates left for this school year.  One in April and one in May.

It is imperative that you call the school to identify your student's absence whether it is for illness, vacation, or personal reasons.  Please identify the student by name and teacher. Identify the reason for the absence and if the student is ill include the symptoms, i.e. fever, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, cough, congestion, pink eye, etc.  Student's must be 24 hours fever, vomiting or diarrhea free before returning to school.  If they have been diagnosed with a contagious illness such as pink eye they must be on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school.  Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

We are asking that you include both Mrs. Nichols (nicholsd@glcomets.net) and Mrs. Zerbe (zerbec@glcomets.net) on all email communications.  It is very helpful in case one of them are out of the office.  Thank you for helping us keep the lines of communication open!

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 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

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.

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.

School Dismissal:  School ends at 3:55 p.m.   All students should be picked up no later than 4:05 p.m.

Half-day Dismissal:  Is at 12:10 p.m.

Bus Riders: Will be escorted to their busses. 

Parent Pick Up Drive Thru Lane: If you are using the parent pick up drive thru to pick up your student(s), please continue to move up in the drive thru line and we'll get your student(s) to you.

Pick Up: If you are picking up your child and want to walk up to the parent pick up line to get them, please do not get in the parent pick up drive thru lane.  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.

Parent Pick-Up/Bus Changes:  If your student is an everyday bus rider and 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.

 ~Thank you very much for your cooperation!

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. 

Absence Due to Dr. Visit:  If your student is absent due to a dr. visit, or illness that involved a dr. visit, please send in a copy of the dr. note indicating the dr. excused absence with included dates. Dr. excused absences do not go against the students attendance record. Thank you for your cooperation.

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!

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

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.

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!

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.  Stop in to reclaim items your student may have misplaced.

Future forecast? It's Spring in Michigan. Please make sure your student has appropriate outerwear so they are prepared for the weather. Please also check your students backpack for appropriate extra clothing.

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 prepared for the seasons.