Lakeshore Waves Newsletter

It's been another busy and exciting stretch at Lakeshore! We've had some great opportunities for our students to learn outside the classroom, make connections to what they're learning each day, and try some new things along the way.

Our 2nd graders enjoyed swim lessons this week at the high school pool. We are so thankful for this opportunity, which is made possible through the district and the Panther Fund. It's a great experience for our students, and we appreciate the support that makes it possible.

Our 4th graders took their annual trip to Lansing to visit the State Capitol and the Michigan History Museum. Both stops connect directly to the social studies curriculum they've been working on in the classroom and give students a chance to bring their learning to life.

Our 5th graders headed to the IMAX Theater to enjoy two shows, one featuring the Great Bear Rainforest and the other exploring the Coral Sea. Both experiences tied in nicely with their science curriculum and our outdoor education focus at Lakeshore. These field trips are made possible in large part through the support of our PTO and the funds raised during Laps for Lakeshore. We are grateful for the many ways our families and PTO help provide these meaningful experiences for our students!

We also have a new season of Panther Pathways getting underway! This session includes girls basketball and a fitness club for our 4th and 5th graders, along with a 3rd grade math enrichment opportunity. More than 50 students are participating this season! Our girls basketball team kicks off its first games this coming week, and we're excited to see our Panthers in action.

It's always fun to see the different ways our students are learning, growing, and getting involved at Lakeshore. Thanks to our families, staff, PTO, district, and community partners for helping make these opportunities possible!

Starting November 9, bring your donations to your classroom or to any of the collection bins in the hallways.

Click here to view the calendar.

We knew it was coming eventually and now the time has come - the time to BUNDLE UP! It's time to pull out the storage bins and send your kids to school with all the things you so gladly put away last spring.

All students participate in approximately 25 minutes of outdoor recess each day, so please send your children to school with as much "winter wear" as you can.

Even if there is no snow on the ground it helps if everyone has the following to stay as warm and dry as possible when they go out for recess:

Snow Pants

Boots

A Warm Coat

Gloves or mittens

Snug hood or hat

We are learning so much about taking care of our Earth in discovery!

Kindergarteners and first graders built a "happy Earth picnic" and a "sad Earth picnic" and learned about the benefits of using reusable materials in place of disposable ones.

Second and third graders observed greenhouses made from reused materials. It's been fun to watch the plants grow and see which greenhouse is working most effectively!

Fourth and fifth graders learned about how much energy is saved when we recycle aluminum. They tested different metals around the schoolyard to see which objects might be made from aluminum.

The whole school also earned a reward day! Second through fifth graders played paper airplane golf, and kindergarten and first graders got to make straw rockets. We had a blast!

🔗Click on the image to visit Mrs. O'Brien's website.

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.

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.

We are starting to run low on some of our "loot" from the beginning of the year. 🤭 Your donations have provided A LOT of encourage"mint" so far!

We will gladly continue accepting donations throughout the year! 🥰

👉 We could especially benefit from more 🛟life savers, 🍬peppermints,

and 🍫chocolate (for the staff 😉)

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.

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!

Dear WO Families,

Just a quick reminder: registration for our Winter Wonderland School’s Out Care opens November 2nd. Please note that spots are limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. We are capped at 16 spots this year.

You must be registered in order to attend Winter Wonderland Camp.

To register, you will need to visit this link: Program Search.

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