9/3/26 Message from the Principal

Dear Hawk Families,

I am in awe of the strength and love in our FHE community. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding in navigating Monday’s half-day. I know many staff members, students, and community members appreciated the opportunity to attend Luke Kooistra’s memorial service. It was a beautiful testament to his life and the legacy he leaves behind in our community!

We have several upcoming events and new details we want you to know as we wrap up the second week of school. Please read on for details!

Gratitude and Celebrations

Congratulations to the 2026 Homecoming Court! Wren Baker, Ainsley Sullivan, Kate Kersjes, Pearline Talukder, Maya Siemens, Hayden Deckrow, Liam Ahmad, Simon Vanderground, Steve Zawacki, and Garrett Johns were chosen by their peers to represent the class of 2027 as the Homecoming Court. These are fantastic kids, and we are excited that they have this opportunity and honor. The Queen and King will be crowned at the Homecoming football game on Friday, October 2nd.

We are so excited to welcome 31 new students to Forest Hills Eastern HS! This includes six exchange students coming from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Spain, and South Korea. Our new students come to us from in-state, out-of-state, and from other countries. We love adding new faces to our EHS hallways!

Policies and Procedures

Daily Bell Schedule: Our students are definitely enjoying the 7:45 AM start time and the accompanying extra 5 minutes of sleep. Our daily bell schedule can be found here: Eastern HS Daily Bell Schedule

Beginning on Tuesday, September 8th, we will offer our students the opportunity to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day, during our scheduled ETV announcements. Michigan law requires students to be provided the opportunity to participate daily.

Parking Permits: Any student intending to drive to school must register their car by completing the application and paying the $25 parking fee. Driving to EHS is a privilege. All drivers must follow campus and driving expectations. Students who do not follow expectations are subject to loss of driving privileges and/or disciplinary action. The deadline to purchase is Wednesday, September 9th. Parking Permit Application. Mr. Starling will provide the parking permit once the application and payment are both received.

Attendance: Regular school attendance is critical for student success. We completely understand that there are factors that require a student to miss school, and as long as we communicate, we can work together to support a student when he/she is absent. If your child is absent, please contact Mrs. Susan Noom at ehsattendance@fhps.net or call 616-493-8836. Any student who arrives after 7:45 AM must check in with Mrs. Noom prior to going to class. All students must check out with her when leaving early. In addition to calling or emailing our attendance office, parents can now report student absences using the PowerSchool Parent Portal. This feature can be used to report an absence for the current day or to schedule future planned absences. Check out this brief “how-to” guide to report a student absence! Also, EHS is a closed campus which means students are not allowed to leave for lunch. If there are extenuating circumstances that may impact your child’s attendance, please contact your child’s counselor.

News and Notes

9th Grade Vision Screening: The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services requires local health departments to conduct vision screenings for 5th, 7th, and 9th grade students in Michigan. Our freshmen will be screened on Tuesday, September 8th. If a concern is noted, the Health Department will reach out to families.

The FHE Academic Boosters Club is hosting a set of SAT/ACT Test Preparation Classes starting September 29. These 3-day classes equip students with content area information, test taking skills, strategies, and tips on what to expect on the SAT/ACT. For more information and registration, visit fheabc.com/sat-act.

From the Counseling Office: FHE counselors invite students and families to check our website for weekly news and other helpful information! Even though the school year has just started, there are already several opportunities for students posted. Our website, particularly the Counseling Office News, is a great place to learn more about college fairs, career readiness events, scholarships, and much more. We also will promote various activities for students and other time-sensitive information on our FHE Counseling Facebook page. Feel free to join!

UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS: Great news! Students and families needing an unofficial copy of the current transcript can download one through PowerSchool at any time! In the PowerSchool portal, select "Student Reports" from the vertical menu, and then click on "Unofficial Transcript Pre-Graduate." This is a quick and easy way for students and families to get an up-to-date report for things like auto insurance discounts, or athletic recruiting events. All students received this information in their school email this week as well. NOTE: current seniors who will be applying to colleges will not use this method for requesting transcripts. Counselors will be visiting seniors in English classes soon to go over the steps for using SchooLinks to request transcripts for college admissions.

Drama Department Update: This year's Fall Play is a Murder Mystery, called Murder is in the Heir by Billy St. John. This is a comedy with alternate endings chosen by the audience!!! Show dates are Nov. 5-7 @ 7 p.m. in the EHS Auditorium. Auditions will be held on Sept. 16 in the Auditorium and all are welcome grades 9-12! Rehearsals will be held M-TH from 3:00 - 5:30. Sign up to audition using the following link: Audition Signup. Sign up to be a part of the backstage crew by using this link: Backstage Crew Signup

Concessions: The Forest Hills Eastern Athletic Boosters is in need of volunteer concessions help for the fall 2026 season! The FHE Athletic Boosters approved over $75,000 in grants last school year and rely heavily on the revenue generated from concessions. Please consider signing up to help. It is a ton of fun and a great way to give back to the school community!

Go Fan Athletic Passes: Hawk Fans have the option to purchase electronic athletic/game passes for 2026-2027 school year via the GoFan app. Fans can purchase a Family Pass, Adult Individual Pass, or a Student Athletic Pass. The pass will get you into all home FHPS high school athletic events. The value is really quite great! Click here for pricing and purchase details.

Senior Portrait Details: The Class of 2027 senior portraits are due by Friday, November 20, 2026; yearbook publisher’s deadline! The publisher cannot guarantee late photos will be in the yearbook. Please click here for more information.

Upcoming Events

• Senior Retreat: Sunday, September 13th - Monday, September 14th

• 9th Grade John Ball Zoo field trip: Tuesday, September 22nd

• Homecoming Game: Friday, October 2nd.

• Homecoming Dance: Saturday, October 3rd.

• PSAT/NMSQT (juniors only): Thursday, October 15th.

• Fall Break (students): Friday, October 16th & Monday, October 19th

• Teacher Conferences: Tuesday, October 20th & Thursday, October 22nd

We do not have school on Friday, September 4th or Monday, September 7th. I hope you can disconnect and enjoy the last bits of Michigan summer with the long Labor Day weekend. Have a wonderful weekend and Go Hawks!

Dan