Ada Family Connection

Dear Ada Families,

Fall is here, and it’s already flying by! We’ve had so much fun learning, growing, and making memories together at school. I want to give a huge shout-out to our PTO and all of our volunteers for making Ranger Rock Out such a success! Together with our community, we raised over $20,000, and those funds go directly toward enhancing our students’ experiences. From field trips and author visits to classroom projects, schoolwide T-shirts, and so much more. Your support makes a big difference!

Mr. Skinner and I also had a blast getting slimed. Although, now all the students want to see us get slimed every week!

Thank you for being such an incredible part of our Ada community.

The proudest principal in the world,
Gabbi Kokenakes

October 2: Ranger Rumble: K-4 students and staff leave for CHS at 9:00 and return at 10:45

October 5-9: Spirit Week (see days in the graphic below!)

October 9: FHC Homecoming

October 12th & 14th: Fall Conferences (sign up at the link below!)

October 13th: 3rd Grade Whales Tales

Mark your calendars! On Friday, November 6, 2026, all FHPS 3rd graders are invited to the Fine Arts Center from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. for the free "You Belong Here" Experience, hosted by the District Shared Voices Committee.

During this special event, 3rd graders will explore meaningful ways to strengthen their school community. Students will learn what impacts a sense of belonging, how to foster inclusion in their own school buildings, and how to bring these important lessons back to their peers.

Permission slips will be sent home on October 5th.

Please take a moment to read the attached letter at the link below with important information about upcoming Fall Family Conferences and how to sign up for a conference time. We look forward to connecting with you and partnering together to support your child’s learning and growth!

A Ranger shout-out to our 2nd grade team! The team went above and beyond to make their CKLA Unit 1 celebration an extra special day for our students. It was a royal day in 2nd grade, complete with crowns, top hats, and even a special royal princess reader! The teachers put so much thought, creativity, and joy into making the day memorable for their students.

One student even wrote a special message inside his top hat that said, “BEST. DAY. EVER!” And honestly, what more could you ask for?! These are the moments that make learning meaningful, memorable, and worth celebrating. Thank you, 2nd grade team, for making learning so much fun and creating a memory that will last years to come!

October 6th, Ranger Rainbow Day!

If your child is participating in Ranger Rainbow Day, please wear the color listed below for their grade level.

Preschool: (All Programs) Red

Junior Kinder & Kinder: Orange

1st grade: Yellow

2nd grade: Green

3rd grade: Blue

4th grade: Purple

We hope to see everyone at the parade! As a special treat, 4th Grade Students can sign up to participate in the Homecoming parade - our school's theme is "DALLAS". They can choose to dress in a western theme and/or their Ranger Rock Out homecoming shirts. The PTO will provide western accessories like cowboy hats and bandanas. More information to come next week!

4th Grade Parade Homecoming link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4EA8AF2FABFCC07-66095244-fhchomecoming

This is a great opportunity to build your child’s home library with new books that will get them excited

about reading, while also earning funds for our school. The easiest way to let your child shop the Fair independently is by creating a Book Fair eWallet through our school homepage. It’s easy to set up and easy for family and friends to add funds.

Preview the books coming to the Fair by taking a 360° virtual tour via our school’s Book Fair homepage

and explore the titles, watch video book trailers, and more.

We can’t wait to see you at the Fair and help every student discover a book they’ll love!

School Homepage: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/adaelementaryschool1

At the end of each month, we will be doing a raffle for 5-6 PBIS prizes for students who have earned PRIDE tickets throughout the month. It is a simple way to recognize all of the incredible things our students do each day!

Each one of these amazing Rangers have shown us all how to show PRIDE each and every day! We are so proud of all of their hard work and dedication to embodying what it means to be an Ada Ranger.

And the winners are...

Donuts with Mr. Culey - Quinn

Starbucks with Dr. Kokenakes - Ellie C.

Spin the Mystery Wheel - Parker

Ranger Apparel Item - Crosley

Extra Recess for the Whole Class - Lottie

FHC Cheerleader Visit - Amaya

Junior Kindergarten & Kindergarten:

We currently are focusing on the expressive opposites of fast/slow and loud/quiet. Soon we will begin to explore pitch (high/low) and continue to explore our singing voices. All of this will be done through songs, playing instruments, movement, and games.

1st Grade:

First Graders have been practicing reading and playing the rhythms of quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests. Next week they will learn how to draw these rhythms and draw a four-beat rhythm pattern. Melodically, we are exploring the pitches of mi, sol, and la through the song, “Snail, Snail” while trying to turn our class into a snail shell (a follow-the-leader activity).

2nd Grade:

Second Graders are adding half notes (2 beats of sound) and half rests (two beats of silence) to their bank of readable rhythms. We’re exploring the duration of a half note with the song, “Rocky Mountain.” Second Graders also have been reviewing reading mi, sol, and la on the music staff in preparation for learning new solfege pitches. One of these new pitches will be found in the game song, “Apple Tree.”

3rd Grade:

Third Graders are adding whole notes, whole rests, and dotted half notes to their knowledge bank of rhythm notation. They are working on reading longer, 8-beat patterns as well as some 32-beat groupings as a year-long challenge. Third Graders have been enjoying, “Sasha!” a mixer dance (think changing partners frequently) performed in several Slavic countries. They also are preparing to read notation for the C major scale with a song about autumn leaves.

4th Grade:

Fourth Graders are focusing heavily on treble clef pitch notation as readiness for recorder playing (coming soon!). They are building fluency in pitch identification with written work and, soon, some games. They also are reviewing rhythm reading and exploring simple folk dances. They have enjoyed, “Sasha” (a dance from several Slavic countries) and are exploring an adaptation of the folk dance, “Los Machetes” from Mexico with rhythm sticks substituting for machetes.

Follow this link to the FHPS OM website to learn more or follow this link directly to the registration form.

We can’t wait to see you in OM!

• Odyssey of the Mind teams now forming. What is Odyssey of the Mind? Check out their video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZbm0jGZd4k To learn how to get involved and join a team, visit the FHPS OM Website! Join a team by Oct. 2, 2026. Calling all creative students, the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) season is here! If you love to tell stories, build cool stuff, perform or direct, create art, work with power tools, engineer treasures out of trash, or otherwise use your limitless imagination, then you’ll love OM. No specific or prior skills required, just an open mind and willingness to try new things. Follow this link to the FHPS OM website to learn more or use this link to register your student. We can’t wait to see you in OM!

• FHC Cheerleading Clinic: Sunday, Oct. 4, from 2-5 p.m. for students in grades Jr.K.-4th organized by the FHC High School Varsity and JV cheerleaders. $53/attendeed. Please bring a water bottle, wear athletic shoes and clothing, hair in a ponytail and please remove all jewelry. Questions? Email the Varsity/JV cheerleading coach, Allison Pearson, allisonmpearson@googlemail.com. Register to attend through their online site.

• FHC Pom & Dance Clinic: Saturday, Oct. 24, FHC gym. The clinic is for grades JK-6th grade; registration is $55 per student. Students will learn dance techniques, receive a t-shirt, create a craft project, and more. All proceeds benefit FHC’s Pom & Dance team to travel to the national competition in Orlando. The morning session runs from 9:45 a.m.-1 p.m. and the afternoon session runs from 1:45-5 p.m. For more information and to register, go to fhcdanceteam.ludus.com/200540380. Questions? fhcdanceteam@gmail.com

• Cub Scouts Pack 3634: For boys and girls in grades JK-5th grade. The pack meets on Monday nights at 6:30 p.m. at Cascade Christian Church.

• JOIN Girl Scouts of Michigan (Shore to Shore): Find what’s within, from curiosity to confidence. Be a Girl Scout! Join Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore for an informational meeting to get connected and learn more. Girl Scouts welcomes girls in grades Jr.K-12. Questions? Email Barb Gatchel at bgatchel@gsmists.org, or call 616-690-0173. Register for an upcoming meeting.

• Our Forest Hills Fine Arts Center has three professional touring shows this season. Don’t let them pass you by. To put people in the winter spirit, they have Frost, a Cirque Holiday Extravaganze on Dec. 20. To close out their profession season, the Peking Acrobats will perform at the FAC on Feb. 21. Tickets are available at the Fine Arts Center box office and online.

• Please visit the FHPS website for additional opportunities, information about other nonprofit organizations, and community flyers. The school district does not sponsor/endorse or otherwise take a position on non-profit entities that exist separately from FHPS. We simply provide this service to our community in an effort to inform them of events/activities that may be of interest to school-aged children.

Thank you for your patience and support as we introduce our new carline number system! We are always looking for ways to make dismissal safer, smoother, and more efficient for everyone.

Each student will have a bag tag with their assigned carline number. That number will correspond with a cone featuring the same color as the tag. Please help your child keep their bag tag safe and attached near the top of their backpack so it is easy for staff to see and identify at dismissal. This system will help our staff quickly identify student numbers while we continue getting familiar with them and will help us stay organized as students are called and dismissed.

We appreciate your partnership as we work through this new system and make adjustments along the way. Thank you for helping us Build Together and for doing your part to keep our Rangers safe!

As we head into cold and flu season, we appreciate your help keeping our school community healthy! If your child is sick, please keep them home to rest and recover and help prevent the spread of illness. If your child has a fever or has vomited, they must be fever-free and free from vomiting for 24 hours before returning to school. Thank you for helping us keep our students and staff healthy and safe!

Drop-off begins at 8:35 a.m. Please wait for an Ada staff member to be outside before letting your child out of the car.

For both drop-off and pick-up, please use the car line. The other area is reserved for buses. Below, you’ll find a map showing Ada’s traffic flow. When we all follow the same procedures, our car line runs smoothly!

Thank you for practicing patience and kindness while in line.

1. Please remain in your car during drop-off and pick-up.
2. Students should exit the vehicle from the passenger side, curbside for their safety.
3. Please make sure your child(ren) remain safely seated in the car until it is time to exit.
4. In the morning, pull all the way forward when dropping off. This helps keep the line moving continuously.
5. Please be patient and never jump ahead of another vehicle in line.
6. The only exceptions to these arrival and dismissal procedures are those approved by Gabbi Kokenakes for specific needs, such as health concerns or students with casts.

Thank you for doing your part to keep our students and staff safe and to help make arrival and dismissal run smoothly!

Email: gkokenakes@fhps.net
Website: https://www.fhps.net/elementary-schools/ada/
Location: 731 Ada Drive Southeast, Ada, MI, USA
Phone: 616-493-8940

Ada Elementary Website: www.fhps.net/ada

Ada Elementary PTO Website: http://www.adaelementarypto.com/

Ada Elementary PTO Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adaelementarypto

Forest Hills Public Schools Website: www.fhps.net

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