Lakeshore Waves Newsletter

We are so excited to begin another school year and welcome our students back to Lakeshore Elementary. There is always something special about the start of a new school year—the excitement of seeing familiar faces, meeting new friends, and beginning another year of learning together.

This year also marks the second year of our Outdoor Education focus at Lakeshore, and we are excited to continue growing this important part of our school experience. Our goal is to find meaningful ways to connect the learning happening in our classrooms with the outdoors and the natural world around us. Whether students are reading, writing, solving math problems, exploring science, or simply observing and wondering about their surroundings, we want to create more opportunities for students to learn with and through nature. We are fortunate to have wonderful outdoor spaces right here at Lakeshore, and we look forward to continuing to find creative ways to use them as extensions of our classrooms.

We are also excited to welcome several new members to our Lakeshore team this year!

Please join us in welcoming:

• Jazzmine Ashley – Kindergarten Teacher

• Debbi Williams – 1st Grade Teacher

• Elizabeth VanderWege – Resource Teacher

• Gloria Worley – GSRP Preschool Teacher

• Hanna – Our new Therapy Dog!

We are thrilled to have each of them joining our Lakeshore family, and we know they will bring wonderful energy, experience, and care to our students and staff.

As we begin the year, our focus remains simple: high-quality learning and making sure every student feels safe, known, supported, and excited to come to school each day. We are looking forward to partnering with you throughout the year and watching our students learn, grow, and discover all that they are capable of.

Thank you for trusting us with your children and for being such an important part of the Lakeshore community.

Here’s to a fantastic school year! We can't wait to see what this year brings.

Mr. Follett

🍎 SEPTEMBER IMPORTANT DATES 🍂

September 7
Labor Day

🚲 September 8–11
1st Grade Bike Camp
👟 September 9

Laps for Lakeshore Kick-Off Assembly
Time TBD

📸 September 14

Picture Day — Say Cheese!

🏫 September 16
Half Day — Students dismissed at 12:02

💚 September 25
Green Ticket Store

Click here to view the calendar.

We apologize for some confusion with the downloadable calendar. The district is working on fixing any errors. Please note that October 12 is a FULL DAY for students with parent/teacher conferences taking place in the evening.

Students will be coming home with packets next Tuesday!

We are off to a great start after our first week in Discovery! Students have been exploring, collecting, and building. This year, we will be learning about water, protecting our environment, physics, weather, and insects. I can't wait to see what discoveries your students will make!

Please make sure to know your student's discovery day. Close toed footwear is important, as we often walk the trails and go into the wood lots. Enjoy these photos of our first week!

Start - 8:45 AM

End - 3:48 PM

1/2 Day Dismissal - 12:02

Student drop off will stay similar to the past couple of years. Students cannot be dropped off prior to 8:40 AM. Parents dropping their students off are asked to use the south parking lot. If you are here prior to 8:40, please just pull all the way forward and wait for a school staff member to signal that it is time for the students to be let in or when you hear the first bell ring.

There is no supervision for children until 8:40 a.m.

If you need to pick up your child before the end of the school day, please plan to do so by 3:15 p.m. After 3:15, our parking lot begins to get busy as we prepare for dismissal, so we ask that you wait until our regular dismissal at 3:48 p.m.

Whenever possible, please notify the office of an early pick-up as soon as you can so we have time to call for your child and have them ready when you arrive.

Student pick-up works very similarly to drop-off. Please enter the pick-up line in the south lot, and we will have your child ready when you pull up. To help keep the line moving, please pull all the way forward to meet your child. 🔴See map/procedures above.🔴

You may also park in the south lot and meet your child on the sidewalk. For the safety of all students, we cannot send students to a parked vehicle without an adult escorting them.

Parents who wish to park and walk up will do so at a designated cross walk down by the gym. Please do NOT walk across the parking lot to and from "Shadow the Dinosaur."

✨✨Students must be picked up NO LATER than 3:48 p.m.

Once the dismissal bell rings, school staff are no longer able to provide supervision for students who have not been picked up. Please make arrangements to arrive on time.

Thank you for helping us keep dismissal running smoothly!😀

If your child needs to go home a different way other than what is normally scheduled, please notify the office by phone or email: dureyt@westottawa.net and/or corpebr@westottawa.net

You may also contact us through the TalkingPoints app/text thread!

Please contact the office by 2:45 pm if at all possible. We send notes to each classroom for any changes made throughout the day.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE SENT IN DONATIONS FOR OUR STAFF & STUDENT "ENCOURAGE-MINT!"

We will gladly continue accepting donations throughout the year, but you have set us up well for the beginning of the year! 🥰

For anyone who would still like to donate to our "School Encouragemint" supply (little treats to be distributed, especially to teachers but sometimes students as the need for encouragement arises - often daily 😉) Click here to view our Amazon Wishlist. Donations are completely optional, but may be turned in to the main office. Items also do not have to come from Amazon. Similar items purchased even in smaller quantities are also welcome! Thank you for considering!

West Ottawa Public Schools is committed to parent and community involvement. Participation is strongly encouraged and appreciated. There are several ways to be involved, from tutoring to supervising fun days to chaperoning a field trip.

If you plan to be in the school or volunteering in any way please fill out the form at your earliest convenience. Yearly updates are required.

Thank you! We look forward to partnering with you!

Visitor or Volunteer?

If you are attending a school event as a spectator, you are a visitor and a form is not required.

If you are volunteering in a classroom, going on a field trip, tutoring students or having lunch with students we consider you a volunteer - A FORM IS REQUIRED. It may take up to 2 weeks to get results, so make sure to fill it out ASAP.

🚩🚩 NEW(ish) this year: We are tightening up security and will require ALL Visitors and Volunteers to sign in at the office. If you are new to Lakeshore, we may ask to see your ID as the safety of your children is our #1 priority. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

According to the MDE School Code 1178, school staff is only allowed to dispense medication to students with a signed form by both a parent and physician. This includes both prescription and over-the-counter medication.

Mrs. Durey and Mrs. Corpe will not be able to provide cough drops or medication to students without the proper signed form on file. Forms will be available at the open house and linked below.

All medication will still be run through the office. Medication can be brought to the office with the proper form, in its original container, marked with the student's name. Students should not have any type of OTC in their backpack or locker.

Med forms need to be filled out every year, so please update for the 26-27 School year :)

Here is what Mrs. Durey and Mrs. Corpe can provide:

• Magical Ice & Water
• Bandages
• Lots of Love, Encouragement & Comfort!
  
  

Medication Form is linked below.

If your child will be absent from school, please make sure to call or email the school office as soon as possible to report the absence.

📞 Call: 616-786-1400
📧 Email: corpebr@westottawa.net or tracy.durey@gmail.com

When Should Your Child Stay Home?

We know that children get sick, and we want students to stay home when they truly need to. Please keep your child home if they have a fever over 100°F, vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours, pink eye/crusty eyes, or an infectious or contagious illness. Students should also stay home as directed by a health care provider.

At the same time, every day of school matters. Missing just 1 day every 2 weeks adds up to about 20 missed days in a school year. Missing 1 day per week adds up to 40 days, and missing 2 days per week adds up to 80 days. Those missed days can have a significant impact on learning and school success.

Thank you for partnering with us to help your child grow, learn, and succeed!

Click on the photo to access the form.

Holland Hospital is hosting our 14th Annual School Nurse Fun Run on Thu, Oct 1 to benefit the School Nurse Program and we would appreciate any promotion from our school districts. Students run/walk for FREE which makes it an affordable family activity for a good cause. Holland Hospital invites all students, families, friends and faculty to join us for the 14th annual School Nurse Fun Run at Kollen Park (new location) on Thu, Oct 1, at 6 PM.

This non-competitive event is for everyone, at any fitness level, offering both a 5K run route and 1.5 mile walk/run route. It’s a perfect way to embody the Fun Run’s motto: “Healthy Families Stay Active” and enjoy an evening outdoors.

More than just a fun event, the School Nurse Fun Run directly supports Holland Hospital's School Nurse Program. Thanks to community support, this event has raised over $432,400 since 2013.

Students can enter the Fun Run for FREE by making a goal to improve their health. This could be a physical challenge, a change in eating habits, or starting a new wellness activity. Use code at checkout: funrun26
Register by Sep 7 to vote for the 2026 Fun Run shirt color & guarantee a shirt!

Click on the photo to access the form.

Neighbors Plus, a Christian Community Development Organization, is a non-profit organization partnered with Harderwyk Ministries on the north side of Holland.

They have a market stocked with food and household items that is available to the community as needed.

The $10 fee is suggested, but if that is a hardship, they would still love to help you.

The market is located in Harderwyk's lower level