Allyson Smith, Principal at Wacousta Elementary
August 28, 2026
Important Upcoming Dates
September 1: PTIA Meeting - 6:30 PM in the library
September 4 and 7: No School - Labor Day Weekend
September 15: Picture Retake Day
October 6: PTIA Meeting - 6:30 PM in the library
October 7: Student Count Day
October 9: No School - Staff Professional Development
Highlights and Happenings from Ms. Smith
What a wonderful first week at Wacousta! It was so much fun seeing our hallways full of smiles, our lunchroom full of laughter, and our classrooms buzzing with learning. Our Comets are starting to settle into their routines, and we are already seeing so many wonderful moments of connection. Things are running so smoothly that it almost feels like we never left for the summer.
Arrival & Dismissal: Help Us Keep Everyone Safe
Thank you for your continued patience and partnership as we work through our arrival and dismissal routines. With the increased traffic around Wacousta Commons, we need everyone's help to keep our students, families, and staff safe. We understand that mornings can be busy and that you may be trying to get to Wacousta Commons quickly, but safety has to come first. Please help us by following these important expectations:
No passing on the driveway into Wacousta off of Herbison. This is a no-passing lane for everyone's safety. Please remain in the traffic line, even when you are in a hurry.
Cars should remain on the blacktop and stay to the left of the red line in the parking lot. Please do not drive on the sidewalk.
Pedestrian traffic should remain on the sidewalks. If you must park and walk in, please use the Wacousta Commons sidewalks, walk along Wacousta Commons to the sidewalk by the Dream Depot, and then enter through the gym entrance. Please do not walk through or around the carpool line. We have a significant amount of foot traffic moving around vehicles, and students and families are having to dodge cars. This creates an unsafe situation.
DIBELS - Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills
Students will begin taking the DIBELS assessment next week. DIBELS stands for Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. It represents a system of assessments that allows us to determine how students are performing on important reading skills. The assessment takes approximately 2-6 minutes to complete.
A student’s scores on the DIBELS measures provide information about whether or not students are on track for grade-level reading success. The scores show areas where students are doing well, and areas where they may need additional support.
The DIBELS assessments provide immediate and accurate information about your child’s learning, allowing teachers to identify students with similar scores, in similar skills and topics, and then plan instruction accordingly.
Results will be sent home when the district assessment window closes in a few weeks. In the meantime, we are truly excited to use this information to focus on your child’s individual growth and achievement.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
This week, our teachers spent time teaching, modeling, and practicing our schoolwide expectations through Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). PBIS is a proactive approach that helps schools create a positive, predictable environment by clearly teaching students what behaviors are expected.
Throughout this week, students are learning and practicing expectations in all of our common areas, including the hallways, cafeteria, playground, and other shared spaces. As part of this work, we have updated our schoolwide motto from OPEN to Be Safe. Be Respectful. Be Responsible. We made this change to provide clearer, more consistent language that is easy for both students and adults to understand and use.
Along with this change, we have updated our recognition system from OPEN Tickets to Comet Cash! We are excited about these changes and believe they will provide greater clarity and consistency across our school. Most importantly, we want our students to know exactly what it means to be a Wacousta Comet and to feel proud when they demonstrate these expectations each day!
Title I & Our Parent Compact
Wacousta Elementary is proud to partner with families through Title I. This federal program provides additional resources and support to help ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed academically. An important part of Title I is our Parent and Family Engagement Compact, which outlines the shared responsibilities of the school, families, and students in supporting learning and student success. We believe the strongest partnerships happen when we work together, communicate openly, and share a commitment to helping every child grow.
Picture Retakes
Picture retakes are scheduled for September 15. Geskus, our school photographer, anticipates that pictures taken at Open House will be available for viewing in the next 7-10 days. All students who would like a retake, or who didn’t have an opportunity to have their picture taken at Open House, will have their picture taken on the 15th.
ParentSquare Notifications
If you choose to use ParentSquare Messenger to send notifications to the office, please be sure to create a "group" message (in the message drop-down options) to both Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Nichols so we can be sure one of us receives your communication.
You may also continue to send notifications via email. Again, please be sure to include both Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Nichols.
If you call in a notification for your student and we are unable to pick up the line, please leave a message when directed to our voicemail.
As a reminder, the deadline for end-of-day transportation changes is 2:30 p.m.
Mrs. Johnson: johnsont@glcomets.net
Mrs. Nichols: nicholsd@glcomets.net
Wacousta Spirit Wear
Looking for some Wacousta Spirit Wear? Check out our Wacousta Spirit Wear page for some new gear!
August Lunch Menu
Please check out the monthly lunch menu at grandledge.nutrislice.com. The website includes breakfast and lunch menus for all district buildings. You can check for nutritional information, filter allergens, and translate the menu into 50+ languages! We currently provide free breakfast and lunch.
Allyson Smith, Principal
Wacousta Elementary School
9325 Herbison Rd., Eagle, MI 48822 (517) 925-5940 FAX (517) 925-5970
