Allyson Smith, Principal at Wacousta Elementary
May 8, 2026
Important Upcoming Dates
May 12-13: DIBELS Testing
May 15: Fine Arts Night, 6-8 p.m.
May 22: No School - Teacher Professional Development
May 25: No School - Memorial Day Recognition
June 2: Field Day
June 5: Last Day - 1/2 Day - Dismissal at 12:10 p.m.
End of Year Grade Level Upcoming Events: Please check HERE
Highlights and Happenings from Ms. Smith
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Family Fun Night last week! We had a wonderful turnout, and it was so much fun connecting with families outside of the regular school day.
As we wrap up Teacher Appreciation Week, I want to send a special thank you to our PTIA, and families who donated items, for the treats and surprises provided throughout the week. The Galaxy theme was so fun, the meals were delicious, and the kind notes meant a lot to our staff.
We were excited to see Wacousta featured on the news for our Skylab experience! Opportunities like this are a wonderful reminder of how fortunate we are to provide our students with hands-on experiences that spark curiosity, inspire big dreams, and help them begin exploring future career possibilities.
As we move into the final weeks of the school year, please note that due to our closure on Thursday, some M-STEP make-up and NWEA assessments will shift into next week. Thank you for your continued flexibility and support as we finish the year strong together.
Our GLPS community continues to wrap our arms around Willow Ridge and all those affected by our recent loss. We deeply appreciate the support, understanding, and kindness shown as we grieve together as a school community.
Wacousta Fine Arts Night
On Friday, May 15, from 6-8 pm, Wacousta will be holding a Fine Arts Night. We invite all Wacousta families to join us and walk through the halls of Wacousta admiring art from over 430 Wacousta artists! Time your visit so that you can also hear our students sharing some special music throughout the evening.
Students should meet in the gym at their performance time listed below.
6:15 pm - 4th Grade
6:40 pm - Kindergarten
7:00 pm - 1st Grade
7:20 pm - 2nd Grade
7:40 pm - 3rd Grade
If you have questions, please let us know! Kelly Parsons parsonsk@glcomets.net
Shirley Ries riess@glcomets.net
Specials Highlight - Music
All grades are preparing for the Fine Arts Night performances on May 15. We’ll be performing between 6:15 & 8:00 p.m. in the gym.
Highlights of the Year:
Begindergarten friends are gaining more and more independence in using their singing voices. They can play a lot of percussion instruments, and they’re really good at moving to the beat in our songs.
Kindergarten kiddos are finding their singing voices, and WOW, can they sing!! I’m impressed with their ability to move in their own space, and they are doing great at moving to the beat.
1st Graders are reading music. They know how to find la, sol, and mi on our simplified musical staff. They’re also learning to be strong rhythm readers.
2nd Graders are expanding on their music reading skills to know Do, Re, Mi, Sol and La on their musical staffs. They have experimented with more intricate rhythms, and they are currently rocking our ukulele unit!!
3rd Graders continue to impress me with their rhythm reading. They are just about to start our “naming notes with letter names on a staff” unit. This will help us prepare for recorders next fall!
4th Graders are sounding amazing on recorders. They currently know 12 songs and 7 notes. I’ve promised them recorders can go home when they know 20 songs and 8 notes, so parents have about 3 more weeks of peace before the “plastic monsters” go home!
I am deeply grateful for the amazing support of the Wacousta parents. Thank you for supporting your young musicians!
Shirley Ries
4th Grade - Future Hayes Intermediate School Families
Earlier in the week, Eric Leopold, principal at Hayes Middle School, and Scott Millbrook, assistant principal, sent out a letter of introduction to families of 4th grade students who will be entering Hayes for the 26/27 school year as 5th graders. This is such an exciting time for your students! Eric and Scott are a great and caring administrative team directing the path of education at Hayes. Please read their message located HERE to help familiarize yourselves and your students with this next step in their education.
National Speech Language Hearing Month
May is National Speech Language Hearing Month! This month, we engage in learning about and celebrating speech language pathologists and audiologists! You may see these professionals working in hospitals, private clinics, and even schools! School services could look like supporting young children with learning how to produce speech sounds, assisting a student in getting appropriate hearing support, collaborating with a team to help a student increase their comprehension of grade level texts, providing and incorporating the use of visuals for a student who has limited verbal communication, and so much more!
Check out the link for more information: https://www.asha.org/siteassets/uploadedfiles/what-slps-do.pdf
Enrollment for the 2026-2027 School Year
Enrollment for next year has begun. If you know a new family or an incoming kindergartener, please tell them to check the district’s website for enrollment information. www.glcomets.net
Information regarding Kindergarten Launch can be found HERE. Current Begindergarten families do not need to enroll, but they are encouraged to attend Kindergarten Launch.
Currently enrolled families: If you need to update your current information, address, phone number, email, or emergency contacts, you can do so by visiting the "Update Contact Information" section on our school's webpage at GLcomets.net/Wacousta. Clicking on the "Update Contact Information" banner provides some instructions and will take you to our Express Update Gateway to make your changes.
Wacousta Spirit Wear
Looking for some Wacousta Spirit Wear? Check out our Wacousta Spirit Wear page for some new gear!
Sprout & Spruce – May 16
Join the Looking Glass Garden Club for Sprout & Spruce on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wacousta Elementary. The event includes a guest panel on native plants, pollinators, and sustainable gardening, plus native plants for sale. Community members are also invited to help install flower boxes on local bridges later in the day. More info at the Looking Glass Garden Club website and its event flyer.”
May Lunch Menu
The March school lunch menu can be viewed at: grandledge.nutrislice.com. This website is helpful to check the breakfast and lunch menus of any building in the district. You can check for nutritional information, filter allergens, and translate the menu into 50+ languages! It's a very helpful tool for parents and staff members.
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
