Principal Ponderings

Two and two. Two full weeks and two shortened weeks remain. Eek! We are doing our level best to continue to provide routine and structure here at school knowing that the end of the year calendar is full of fun (field trips, basketball games, celebrations) and not so fun (testing) events that disrupt our schedule. On the home front, we recognize that personal calendars are filling up, too! Take a deep breath and find the good!

On another note, thank you to those that took time to send a staff member a SHOUT OUT! We had 30 responses during the two-week span from April 27- May 8. Of course, you can fill one out at anytime! Link is below.

#ShineBrightTogether

Give an Eastern Staff Member a Shoutout! Share the good stuff!

Upcoming Events

May 18, 3:15-3:30: Eastern Alumni Graduating Seniors Clap Out
May 19, 6:00-7:00: PTO Meeting
May 20: 3:20-3:40: TBA SRCU Deposit Day
May 22: Popcorn Friday
May 27, 11:00-12:30: All School Picnic (Information below)
May 29, 2:00-3:00: Upper Elementary Talent Show at CHS Auditorium
June 1: Field Day; Class schedule shared in late May
TCAPS 25-26 Calendar

New Information

We earned the Michigan Emerald School designation!

We are so proud of our students and staff at Eastern for going above and beyond this year. By completing over 15 environmental projects, our school helped TCAPS become one of only two districts in the state to reach 100% participation! 🏆

This milestone is a huge win for our students and ensures they are taking an active role in protecting the Traverse City community we all love. 🌲

Read more about the Michigan Green Schools program here: https://greenschools-michigan.hub.arcgis.com/.

Dropoff/Pickup

First, a couple shoutouts...

Silver Chevy suburban for pulling allll the way up at drop off Wednesday morning to drop off your kiddos
Fam with new red escalade for consistently having your yellow sign visible and your student always listening for their name at pick up. You all help keep things consistently moving!

Continued reminders regarding dropoff and pickup:

Morning Dropoff:

Carline pull all the way up to reduce the bottleneck when dropping off. Students should be self-sufficient in getting out (and in) of your vehicle.
Park in designated spots only, avoid pulling into handicap spots to drop off
Parking in the north and south parking lot are great options for parking and walking your child to the door.

Pickup:

Carline: have your name sign visible (remind alternate pick up people as well) and encourage your student to be attentive
Park and walk up: park in north or south parking lot or on street
Pulling into the staff lot entry is prohibited

Traverse City Music Boosters Benefit Concert

Experience an evening of community music at the Traverse City Music Boosters Benefit Concert. This fundraiser supports student scholarships and music classroom mini-grants.

When: May 21, 2026, at 7:00 P.M.
Where: Traverse City Central High School Gym
Donation: Suggested $5 per person or $20 per family

Stop by to enjoy the performance and support local music education!

Elementary Robotics Open House

TC West Robotics Boosters welcome parents and caregivers to the TC West High School Innovation and Manufacturing Center to learn about elementary school robotics. Meet with coaches, ask questions and see demonstrations of the middle and high school robots, too! Geared toward 4th through 6th graders, robotics is a great introduction to engineering, building, and coding and provides an opportunity for cerebral competition with a focus on building skills in collaboration and teamwork.

Date: Wednesday, May 20
Time: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: TC West High School Innovation and Manufacturing Center

Give an Eastern Staff Member a Shoutout! Share the good stuff!

Previous Information

Cell Phones

More cell phones are popping up at school,thankfully, mostly after school hours which is in line with the district's policy. I am providing some great reminders from Common Sense Media on safety and responsibility when it comes to personal communication devices.

My largest concern is the invasion of privacy that cell phones can contribute to. At no time should an individual be taking photos or video of another individual without permission (and I would hesitate even if permission is provided). During my six years as admin in the middle school world when cell phones became the norm, 75% of my cell phone related issues were individuals sharing video/images of others and once kids hit send, you can't take it back.

For those still considering a cell phone, Wait Til 8th is a great resource that offers terrific information and cell phone alternatives.

TCAPS Cell Phone policy can be reviewed here.

Playground After School Hours

Eastern is proud to offer an Extended Day program for our families. To maintain our childcare licensing and ensure the safety of all children, we must strictly adhere to specific student-to-staff ratios and capacity limits within our designated play areas. We kindly ask all students and families remaining on the playground after school to exit the area once the Extended Day program moves outdoors.

Our ability to provide this service depends on meeting these regulatory requirements. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us keep our programs compliant and our students safe.

All School Picnic: May 27

Eastern's All School Picnic will be Wednesday, May 27, from 11:00-12:30. Order forms for the picnic were sent home this week. If you can't find yours, you can print one here: Eastern All School Picnic Lunch Order Form.

Here is the lunch schedule for the day.

11:00-11:45: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, ½ of 5th
11:30-12:00: Preschool
11:45-12:30: JK, K, 1, ½ of 5th

We are encouraging families to prepay for the picnic IF you are planning to buy lunch as a parent OR for a child that does not attend Eastern. Current Eastern students do not have to pay for lunch. They will order lunch as they always do each morning.

Parents and non-Eastern students will pay $5.50 per person for the lunch. This includes hot dogs, cole slaw, chips, fruit, etc. Please turn in this form with payment if you want to prepay for your meal. Cash and checks are accepted. All checks should be made payable to TCAPS. Pre-orders are due May 20. You must pay in exact change.

You are able to pay at the door. We are anticipating a large turnout, though, so you may want to pre-order to avoid waiting in the payment line. Again, you must pay in exact change.

Reminder: Parents/Adults are not allowed on the playground.

If you are planning to pull one of your children from class to attend a different lunch time, please fill out this form: Eastern Picnic Survey.

Volunteer Needs: May

Thank you to everyone who signed up to be an Eastern volunteer through DOGS/MOMS. We are changing the way we coordinate volunteers through this program. Each Friday we will include sign ups for classrooms/school areas that need extra support.

We will also reach out to those who have signed up with DOGS/MOMS. If you would like to be on that list, please fill out the Watch DOGS/MOMS Volunteer Form.

Volunteer Areas:

Ms. Ross: 1st Grade Volunteers

Mrs. Fak: 2nd Grade Volunteers

May Recess Volunteers

May Lunchroom Volunteers

Notes from the Eastern Office

PTO

Spring Auction Information

We are so grateful to our incredible school community for making last Saturday’s fundraiser such a tremendous success! Whether you joined us in person or placed your bids from the comfort of home, your generosity and support made all the difference!

Additional PTO Information

Join us for the last PTO Meeting of the School Year: Tuesday, May 19th at 6p in the Art Room.

Video Game Club

Eastern's Video Game Club is on the hunt for some new games!

We're looking for:

- 2x Nintendo Switch consoles

- Nintendo Switch games

Do you have a Switch collecting dust at home? Why not give it life where it'll bring joy to our community of gamers?

PTO Links:

BUDGET: 25/26 PTO approved budget.

PENDING / GRANTED PROPOSALS: Log of what has been submitted or accepted for the 25/26 school year

Weekly Breakfast & Lunch Menu

BREAKFAST

MONDAY

donuts

fruit and milk

TUESDAY

cereal

fruit and milk

WEDNESDAY

mini pancakes

fruit & milk

THURSDAY

Cereal

fruit & milk

FRIDAY

sweet breads

LUNCH

MONDAY

1st choice: Hamburger with fries

2nd choice: Sunbutter & Jelly with cheese stick and Crackers

TUESDAY

1st choice: walking tacos (Regular chips, NO DORITOS THIS TIME)

2nd choice: meatless walking tacos

3rd choice: sunbutter & jelly with crackers & cheese stick

WEDNESDAY

1st choice:Grilled Cheese

2nd choice: mini pepperoni calzones

3rd choice:sunbutter & jelly with yogurt and crackers

THURSDAY

1st choice: chicken tender basket with emoji fries

2nd choice sunbutter & jelly with cheese stick and crackers

3rd choice:no 3rd option

FRIDAY 5/22

1st choice: cheese pizza

2nd:choice: pepperoni pizza

3rd choice: sunbutter & jelly with cheese stick and crackers

District News and Notes

Eastern Elementary Useful Links

TCAPS Volunteer Standards of Conduct

WATCH D.O.G.S. Sign Up

WATCH D.O.G.S. Calendar (see where D.O.G.S. have already signed up)

The Eastern Star Family Newsletter

May 15, 2026

Principal Ponderings

Upcoming Events

New Information

We earned the Michigan Emerald School designation!

Dropoff/Pickup

Traverse City Music Boosters Benefit Concert

Elementary Robotics Open House

Previous Information

Cell Phones

Playground After School Hours

All School Picnic: May 27

Volunteer Needs: May

Notes from the Eastern Office

PTO

Spring Auction Information

Additional PTO Information

Weekly Breakfast & Lunch Menu

District News and Notes

Eastern Elementary Useful Links

Principal Ponderings Principal Ponderings

Upcoming Events Upcoming Events

New Information New Information

We earned the Michigan Emerald School designation!

Dropoff/Pickup

Traverse City Music Boosters Benefit Concert

Elementary Robotics Open House

Previous Information Previous Information

Cell Phones

Playground After School Hours

All School Picnic: May 27

Volunteer Needs: May

Notes from the Eastern Office Notes from the Eastern Office

PTO PTO

Spring Auction Information

Additional PTO Information

Weekly Breakfast & Lunch Menu

District News and Notes District News and Notes

Eastern Elementary Useful Links Eastern Elementary Useful Links

Principal Ponderings

Upcoming Events

New Information

Previous Information

Notes from the Eastern Office

PTO

District News and Notes

Eastern Elementary Useful Links