Allyson Smith, Principal at Wacousta Elementary
October 17, 2025
Important Upcoming Dates
October 31: Halloween Day Parade and Class Parties
November 4: PTIA Meeting 6:00 p.m.
November 6: Snack Shop
November 7: No School - Staff Professional Development
November 11, 13, and 14: Parent Teacher Conferences – See details in this newsletter
November 14: Half Day of School – Students Released at 12:10
November 26-28: Thanksgiving Break – No school
December 1: No School – Staff Professional Development
Highlights and Happenings from Ms. Smith
It’s been a wonderful week of learning at Wacousta! Our classrooms are filled with curiosity, hard work, and excitement. As I mentioned last week, the home and school partnership is really important to our Wacousta school community. To help keep parents engaged in what students are learning, teachers are sending home optional learning activities that connect to what students are learning in class. These are not required homework assignments, but rather fun opportunities to reinforce skills and make learning come alive at home. If you haven’t seen these already, be on the lookout for these activities, and enjoy finding ways to make learning fun together!
Specials Spotlight - Music with Mrs. Ries and Ms. Herson
(Each week, we will spotlight one of our special area classes and the learning activities happening around our school.)
In kindergarten, we’ve been working on finding patterns in music, playing instruments, finding our singing voice, and moving safely in the music room. Ask your student what farm animals we’ve sung about and what instruments we’ve played!
1st graders have been focusing on keeping the steady beat, using our singing voice, reading iconic notation (a precursor to reading rhythms), and exploring creative movement in music. Ask your student if they can sing “Funga Alafia” for you or write some “muffin rhythms.”
Our 2nd graders have been exploring reading rhythms with standard rhythmic notation and creating our own rhythms. Look for our rockin’ pumpkins in the hallways soon! We’ve also been playing games with songs. Ask your student to sing “Charlie Over the Ocean” or “Little Sally Walker,” or write you a 4-beat rhythm example.
Tagging on to the 3rd-grade social studies curriculum, our 3rd graders have been learning a ballad called “The Mackinaw Bridge.” We’ve also been working on our rhythm reading skills, and we’re really good at examining how a melody moves up and down or stays the same. We’ve enjoyed singing a variety of folk songs and moving to the beat in several traditional play parties. Ask your student what they’ve enjoyed the most!
Our 4th graders have been studying new complex rhythm ideas and have been using classroom instruments to accompany their efforts. We’ve also enjoyed exploring traditional play parties to incorporate movement into our class time. Ask your student if they can explain our new complex rhythm idea to you!
Lunch Volunteers
Thank you to everyone who volunteers for our lunchtime help at Wacousta! You are 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 your time. You can sign up using this link.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent and teacher meetings are a great opportunity for you to collaborate with your child’s teacher regarding academic development. Appointments to meet with your child’s teacher are spaced in 15-minute increments. The following are date options you can choose from:
Tuesday, November 11 - 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. in person
Thursday, November 13 - 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. in person
Friday, November 14 - 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. virtual
Here is the link to schedule a meeting with your student’s teacher:
https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Wacousta_Elementary_School
If you have difficulty scheduling an appointment, please call the school office at 517-925-5940. We'll be happy to assist you.
Book Fair
Our Literati FALL Book Fair is right around the corner, and you are invited to come and celebrate reading! The book fair will begin Monday, November 10th, and end Friday, November 14th. It will be open to everyone during regular School Hours, as well as the parent-teacher conference times listed above. Students will have an opportunity to preview books and be able to make purchases during school hours.
Books make great gifts! You can also access the online “Companion Book Fair” at: eFairs.Literati.com from Oct. 17 – Nov. 10. Once you reach the site, search for Wacousta Elementary to begin shopping.
Profits from the Book Fair are used to add books and supplies to our school's Media Center. Thank you for your support!
Halloween
Halloween is right around the corner, and we are excited to celebrate together at Wacousta! As you read through the details below, please know that a few things may look a little different this year. Any changes we’ve made come from our commitment to keeping all students safe and ensuring everyone can enjoy the day. We truly appreciate your understanding and partnership as we work together to create a fun, safe, and memorable celebration for our kids.
Costumes: Costumes should be school-friendly — not too scary, no weapons or blood of any kind, and no full-face makeup. Costumes should be easy for students to put on and take off independently, as it will be difficult for staff to assist every student. We also ask that costumes can fit over school clothes so students can easily change in the classroom.
Parties: Class parties will take place from 1:45 – 2:45 p.m. Your child’s teacher will share specific details about activities and treats for their classroom celebration. To ensure that classrooms have enough space for games and activities, and to help our front office staff check in visitors smoothly and safely, volunteer spots will be limited to four per classroom. All volunteers must have completed the “Volunteer Application” process to work with students. The application can be found on the district website under the “Family & Student Resources” tab.
Parade: Our all-school parade will begin at 2:45 p.m. Families are invited to join us outside to watch. In the case of inclement weather, the parade will take place in the gym. Only students and staff will be allowed to enter the building after the parade.
Parking: Please park vehicles in the old school lot, by the gym entrance.
Dismissal: If you plan to take your child home after the parade, you must indicate with the office that they will be parent pick-up. Students identified as pick-up will be dismissed from their classrooms at normal release time to go to parent pick-up. *Special Note: To ensure a safe and efficient end-of-day dismissal, no early releases will take place between the end of the parade and the all-school dismissal times.
In an effort to make pick-up go smoothly, please do not park in the pick-up line and get out of your car to get your student. Staff will bring your student to your vehicle. Please be sure to place your student(s) name(s) on an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper in your car window.
We’re looking forward to a fun and festive afternoon with our students and families!
Upcoming Events, District News, & Community Information
Please review what the school district shares in newsletters about events, news, and information, please visit http://GLcomets.net/Upcoming.
Allyson Smith
Principal, Wacousta Elementary School
9325 Herbison Rd., Eagle, MI 48822 (517) 925-5940 FAX (517) 925-5970
