Alward Action
March 13, 2026
Early Release Friday March 20
Snapshots from the Week
Skating Party Fun!
March is Reading Month Spirit Days!
March Is Madness… About BOOKS!
March is going to be full of fun, friendly competition, and lots of reading excitement! Here’s everything happening at school this month:
Dress-Up Days – Every Tuesday & Friday!
We’re adding extra fun to our weeks with Dress-Up Days every Tuesday and Friday in March!
Watch for weekly themes coming home and help your child join the fun. It’s a great way to build school spirit and smiles!
March Madness: Book Bracket Challenge
We’re hosting our very own March Madness–style Book Bracket!
Just like the big basketball tournament, our favorite books will “compete” against each other. Students will vote, cheer, and read their way to the championship round to crown our school’s ultimate favorite book!
Who will take the title? Stay tuned!
Coin Quest (March 9–13)
Get ready for Coin Quest, our friendly coin competition to help earn new books for classrooms!
From March 9–13, students can bring in spare change to help their class collect coins. The more coins collected, the more books we can add to classroom libraries!
It’s amazing what a few pennies, nickels, and dimes can do when we all work together.
Book Fair (March 16–20)
The Book Fair is coming to town from March 16–20!
Students will have the opportunity to browse and purchase exciting new books. It’s a wonderful way to:
Encourage reading
Build home libraries
Support our school
March 16 - 20 Book Fair Schedule
Sign up to help out at our Book Fair!!
Volunteers Needed
Cinderella & Bibbity Bobbity Bash!
If your family is looking for something fun to do March 19-22, check out the Hudsonville High School production of Cinderella.
We are also hosting a FABULOUS Cinderella-themed party called "Bibbity Bobbity Bash" on Saturday, March 14, at 2:00 pm at the high school.
Join us for live performances by the cast of Cinderella, desserts, magical potions, face painting, crafts, stories, and even pictures inside Cinderella's carriage! It will be a magical time!
We encourage you to wear your favorite royal ball gown, jewels, and crowns, of course!
When choosing events, look for "Bibbity Bobbity Bash" to attend the party and "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella" for show tickets.
Get you tickets here: https://hudsonvillepublicschools.ludus.com/index.php
Both events are rated G and will be fun for the entire family.
2026-2027 PreK/Kindergarten Registration
Registration for the 2026-2027 school year will open soon! Parents are invited to attend a PreK/Kindergarten informational meeting on Tuesday, January 27 at 6:00 p.m. held at all of our elementary buildings (Alward, Bauer, Forest Grove, Georgetown, Jamestown Lower, Park, South).
Find more information at this link.
If you are unsure of your attendance area building, please contact Robin at 616-669-1740.
ALWARD ELEMENTARY PARENT TEACHER CLUB
Alward PTC 2025/2026 Board Members
They can always be reached with any questions via email at alwardptc.hps@gmail.com
President - Audra Kotman
President - Stacey VanderBent
Treasurer - Anna Boglitsch
Secretary - MJ Hernandez
Teacher Representative - Rachel VanKoevering
Check out our PTC Website HERE!
Looking for a way to plug in at school? We are looking for Copy Room Volunteers on Tuesday & Thursday Morning 9am - Noon (or whenever you need to leave). A HUGE thank you to Ashley Brooks who will be heading up the Copy Room this school year!!
Please reach out if you have any questions!!
Betsy Emmert eemmert@hpseagles.net
or Ashley Brooks ashley.carder@gmail.com
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4BAAA72BA0FAC25-61390877-alward
RAISE RIGHT
A super simple way to raise funds for Alward PTC is by buying gift cards from RaiseRight to pay for your everyday shopping and spending year-round!
Create a free fundraising account on the RaiseRight mobile app or at RaiseRight.com.
Enroll Code: WWJZU5516X2B
https://www.raiseright.com/enroll?enrollCode=WWJZU5516X2B
Our hope with Raise Right is to utilize the funds directly to enrich and impact our children’s classrooms. Raise Right will help fund Class Cash, a program that enables teachers to request financial support to purchase various classroom items, like flexible seating, books and manipulatives to improve hands on learning!
Got Sneakers Recycling Fundraiser
GotSneakers has developed a unique sneaker recycling fundraiser that helps keep sneakers out of landfills and helps organizations like ours raise funds. The program is truly a win – win!
Bring in your used adult or kids’ athletic footwear in any condition: excellent, good, fair and poor/recyclable (no funds given for shoes in poor/recyclable condition but they will stay out of the landfill).
Not Accepted: Single athletic shoes or any non-athletic footwear including but not limited to dress shoes, heels, sandals, wedges, water socks, rain boots, crocs, and other non-athletic styles.
THE CAR LINE ~ DROP OFF & PICK UP
STUDENT DROP OFF AND PICK UP PROCEDURES
Student drop-off and pick-up are very busy times during a normal school year in the school driveway and hallways. If you are dropping your child off in the carline, please remain in your vehicle and follow the procedures below.
Students can be dropped off anywhere between 8:30 AM - 8:50 AM. Students may not go on the playground until 8:30 when our staff arrives for supervision. If you are running late you will need to Sign your child into the office after 8:50AM.
Car Line Drop-off Procedures:
1. Please place the placard sign, pictured below, in your passenger side window of your car with your child/ren's names and teacher's name listed. You will receive two car signs at open house. Additional signs can be picked up in the office if needed. If you can, please put a name tag on your child along with his/her classroom teacher's name to help us get students to their correct classroom.
2. Use the car loop on the west side (office side) of the building.
3. Stay in the right lane and drop off your child in the drop-off zone. Zone will be marked with cones. Please pull all the way to either the stop sign for the unloading zone or to the car in front of you.
4. Students will exit the cars on the passenger side of the car in the unloading zone. (Do not allow students to exit the car on the driver’s side for safety reasons!) Staff will help child/children get out of the car and direct them to the door that they will go in.
5. Parents remain in their vehicles.
6. Do not pass cars in the car line. Stay in a single file line until the cars move in front of you.
7. If you want to walk your PK/K child to their line up spot, you must park in the parking lot and cross at the crosswalk. Parents will need to say their goodbyes at the line up spot.
To Keep Our Line Moving Tips:
Follow the procedures noted above.
Say your goodbyes and give kisses prior to dropping off in the car line. :)
Have backpacks/supplies ready to exit car with students.
Parents need to remain in their vehicles.
Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding with our system and procedures. Safety is our number one concern for our students and their families.
Car Line Pick-up Procedures
1. Please put the placard sign, pictured below in your passenger side window of your car with your child/ren's names and teacher's names listed. You will receive two car signs at open house. Additional signs can be picked up in the office if needed.
2. Use the car loop on the west-side (office side) of the building.
3. Stay in the right lane and pull up to the orange cone on the far west side of the parking lot or behind the cars in front of you.
4. Students will be walked out in groups to the car line and must enter cars on the passenger side of the vehicle.
5. If you need to help your child buckle his/her car seat, please pull forward with the flow of traffic, park in a parking spot, and help your child buckle his/her car seat.
To Keep Our Line Moving Tips:
Follow the procedures noted above.
Parents need to remain in their vehicles.
Please be patient with this system for the first few weeks of school. Once students, staff, and families get used to the process, the line moves efficiently and is safe for all of our students!
Based on last year’s car line data, the car line takes 4-5 minutes to load 60 cars!
STUDENT DROP OFF
PICK UP MAP
CAR TAGS
At Open House, you will receive 2 car tags for the arrival and dismissal car line. Please write your child’s/children’s names and classroom teacher's names as well.
If you need additional car tags, you can get them from our office staff.
TRANSPORTATION HOME
Change in Transportation Home At the End of the School Day
Birthday Treats
Due to the number of food allergies in the school, we ask that you please bring in non food items for birthday treats. Please see examples below.
NO FOOD/CANDY BIRTHDAY TREATS WILL BE ALLOWED.
bouncy balls, fidgets, putty
crayons, markers, pencils
bubbles, slime, balloons
HPS Elementary Personal Electronic Device Policy
Jenison & Hudsonville Food Service
BREAKFAST
Breakfast will be served starting at 8:35.
Breakfast consists of cereal, milk, juice, fresh fruit, and a cookie/cracker bar.
Students that eat breakfast at school will eat breakfast in the cafeteria. Once students are done eating, they will be sent back to class.
If your child will be eating breakfast at school, please contact your classroom teacher so that we know to send them down to the cafeteria the first week of school.
HOT LUNCH
2025-26 School Year:
**FREE MEALS (Breakfast and Lunch) THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2025.
**We will not know if meals are free for the reminder of the 2025-26 School Year until the State of Michigan completes the State School Aid Budget.
New! Family Portal: https://hudsonville.familyportal.cloud/
- Apply for Free and Reduced Price Meal benefits! Free and Reduced Meal Benefits are based on household size, income amount (gross), and income frequency. GOOD NEWS: any family that qualifies for Reduced Price Meal benefits will receive breakfast and lunch at NO COST.
- You will need to register a new account to monitor accounts or deposit online; Send Money to School accounts no longer exist. You will need your students ID to create an account. You will receive your students ID on their student profile sheet at the open house. Please make a note of it!
- Regardless of benefits status, Milk-only purchases remain at $0.60 per carton. Milk is included as part of the whole MEAL benefit. If your child(ren) qualify for free or reduced price meals and all they want is a carton of milk, their account will be charged 60 cents.
Our website www.jenhudfood.org is loaded with information. Please click on any of these links for more information:
- Digital Menus by Nutrislice (look for updates in August to Nutrislice)
- How Meal Service Works and Depositing Money
- Meal Charge Policy
- Follow us on Social Media!!
Contact us:
Email: foodservice@hpseagles.net
Phone: (616) 457-2400
HUDSONVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS HEALTH PROGRAM
Please check out our website for important information on Health Services.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND MEDICATION TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR CHILD!
MEDICATION CAN BE DROPPED OFF BY PARENTS FOR AN OFFICE STAFF MEMBER TO ADMINISTER.
Medication Form for 2025/2026
Alward Elementary Attendance
Please send us an email if your child will be late or absent aesattendance@hpseagles.net.
You are still welcome to call our office 616-669-6700 option 1 if you would like to speak with one of our Administrative Assistance or have any questions.
Email address aesattendance@hpseagles.net to report your student absent or late.
If your student will not be attending school due to illness or other reasons, please call or email the office before 9:15 am. Students who are not called in by a parent/guardian will be marked with an unexcused absence.
If your student will be late, arriving after 8:50 am, please call or email the office in the morning. Any students arriving after 8:50 am must be signed in by a parent/guardian.
If your student will be late and needs a hot lunch, please let us know when you call. Hot lunch needs to be ordered by 10 am.
Planned absences of more than 3 days require a vacation request form to be filled out. Forms can be picked up in the office or emailed to you. Please turn in vacation request forms at least 5 days prior to the planned absence.
VISITOR POLICY
Communication
- Visit Our Website: Our school website will be updated on a regular basis as it will be the main source of information for our parents and community members. Past newsletters will be linked under NEWS.
School Messenger: Regular communication from school messenger will be sent out via email, phone calls, or text messages to keep you in the loop on what is taking place at Alward!
Social Media: Follow our story by liking us Facebook
facebook.com/AESEaglePride
Google Classrooms: Teacher google sites are linked under staff members. Teachers will be updating their Google Classroom Sites on a weekly basis.
Website: https://www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org/alward/index
Location: 3811 Port Sheldon Street, Hudsonville, MI, USA
Phone: 616-669-6700
Facebook: facebook.com/AESEaglePride
Be sure to follow, like, and share videos, event news, and updates on HEF's Facebook and LinkedIn pages. NEW: Follow the new "HEF -Hudsonville Education Foundation" and alert friends to the update. HEF continues to fuel transformative learning experiences district-wide. If you are interested in joining a committee to further this work and lend your expertise and energy, please email HEF Executive Director Lacey Dixon at ldixon@hpseagles.net.
5/6/26 SPRING SOAREE AT FARMHAUS CIDER
Registration is officially open for the Spring SOARee. This event raises support for our classroom grant initiative while gathering our wonderful community for food, fun, and a great silent auction. Individual tickets are $50. More information and the ticket registration link are available at Spring SOARée : Events & Fundraisers : Get Involved : Hudsonville Education Foundation.
Estate Planning made Easy
We have just announced this NEW educational opportunity for those curious about wills, trusts, and more. More information and registration is available at Community Education and Networking : Engage Alumni and Community : What We Do : Hudsonville Education Foundation. There is a flyer to share (attached), and a form for registration on the website.
Hudsonville Band Boosters Spring Craft Show
April 25, 2026
Save the Date & Vendors Wanted.
Vendors can apply HERE
Pancakes & PJ's | Fair Haven
Join us for a fun-filled morning on Saturday, March 28, from 10-11:30am! Come in your pajamas and enjoy pancakes, crafts, an Easter Story Trail, bounce house, and more fun activities to celebrate Easter! We are excited to see you at this free event that is perfect for the entire family!
Please RSVP by Wednesday, March 25. Register here.
Fair Haven
Sibshops
Sibshops are peer support groups for children and youth who have siblings with disabilities and higher support needs. Sibshops provide the opportunity for children to meet other sibs, have fun, talk about both the good and the sometimes hard parts of having a sib with disabilities, learn about their siblings’ support needs and the services they receive, learn new ways to cope with the challenges of having a sibling with disabilities, and more. Sibshops take place each month in communities around the country and the world, and we are honored to host them in both Grand Rapids and Zeeland. Every month, we offer a safe and engaging space for siblings to be seen, heard, and supported by other children who understand the sibling experience.