Apple Bites

We’re looking forward to a fun-filled day next Friday as we celebrate fall at Thornapple! 🎃

🍬 Fall Parties: 2:00–3:00 PM

Fall parties will take place next Friday from 2:00–3:00 p.m., with classroom setup beginning at approximately 1:45 p.m. Families must be signed up with their child’s classroom teacher to attend. All visitors and volunteers attending a fall party must have an approved volunteer form on file. We are getting down to the wire to have forms approved in time, so please complete and submit your form as soon as possible if you plan to attend. Thank you for helping us make sure everything is ready for a fun afternoon!

🎃 Fall Parade: 3:10 PM

Everyone is invited to join us for our fall parade, which will take place outdoors beginning at 3:10 p.m. We love having our Thornapple families join in the fun! Please be sure to read the letter below for important information about costumes and parade expectations.

📊 DIBELS Assessment:

• Our first benchmark home connection letter is hitting backpacks TODAY. Please remember that these scores are from September and serve as a baseline for the beginning of the year. Your students have done a lot of work since this data, and you will receive an updated report after our next benchmark in early January.

Thank you for the time: Last week, our staff engaged in professional learning around CKLA on both the early release and the Friday full day. Teachers engaged in professional learning focused on the mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition assessment, designed to help educators better understand student literacy development and make data-informed instructional decisions. Teachers explored how to use assessment results to identify individual student needs, monitor growth over time, and adjust instruction and interventions to support continued literacy development.

• You can learn more about mCLASS by visiting the mCLASS Caregiver Site.
• Special area groups met to discuss pacing, unit collaboration, and district-wide alignment.

Heather Fix

Thornapple Principal

• Oct. 30th: Fall party 2:00-3:00 PM with parade following at 3:10 PM.
• Nov. 6th: 9:30-10:45 Third grade belonging event
• Plumfield Book Fair - Week of November 9-11
• Donuts with Grown-ups - Wednesday, November 11 at 7:15-8:15am

The Plumfield Book Fair is Monday, Nov. 9 - Friday, Nov. 13 and volunteers are needed to make it a success! Tasks include: set-up/break-down, running registers or spinning the prize wheel.

Find a time that works with your schedule: https://signup.com/go/xyhBtpK

• Plumfield Book Fair - Week of November 9-11
• Donuts with Grown-ups - Wednesday, November 11 at 7:15-8:15am

KDL's 4th Grade Visit was a hit! KDL librarians Ms. Liz and Ms. Monica visited our 4th graders to share their love of reading and introduce students to some exciting new books! They also shared information about KDL's Legendary Readers Program, a fun 100-day reading challenge for students in kindergarten through 5th grade. The challenge is simple: read for 20 minutes or more each day and color in a feather on the reading log. Students who complete the challenge will earn a special prize and a vinyl sticker featuring this year's legendary creature, the Griffin! Completed forms can be turned into any KDL branch library.

All 4th graders went home with a reading log, but all K–5 students are encouraged to participate! Reading logs are attached for families who would like to join the fun.

Each week, our teachers and staff nominate students who go above and beyond in showing Ranger PRIDE—demonstrating Persistence, Respect, Inclusivity, Dependability, Everyday. These students earn a certificate, a small prize, and the honor of having their picture displayed on our entry bulletin board.

Help us celebrate this week’s amazing winners who help make Thornapple a better place every day! 🌟

Dear Ranger Families,

We are excited to kick off our Ranger community fundraiser and to continue our relationship with Family Promise of West Michigan next week! Central High has been partnering with Family Promise for over 25 years and helping support our community to end homelessness one family at a time. Our Ranger community has been the primary supporter of their holiday store event, which provides toys and gifts during the holiday season. With our fundraising efforts, we are able to help provide a holiday experience for over 120 kids and 80 adults each year. For over 15 years, families have been able to come and shop the holiday store to pick out gifts for their children. All is made possible by the efforts of our Ranger families.

Last year our Rangers raised $27,400 to support Family Promise of West Michigan. Family Promise is seeing a greater need this year and has more families to support. There are currently over 4000 homeless children in Grand Rapids, and on any given night, 40 to 50 kids and their families require emergency housing (shelters). This fantastic organization helps families get back on their feet by providing resources and aftercare support. Check out their website here and watch this video.

The collection will take place from October 23rd to November 1st. We know that not everyone can help, but if your family can give any small amount, it all adds up to help us reach our goal. Online donations can be made directly on their donation page or through their Venmo with this link or the QR code below. All donations with a check made out directly to Family Promise or digital donations through their website or Venmo are tax-deductible.

If you donate online on their website or through Venmo, please put Forest Hills and the name of your school. The winning elementary school will be joined by our Men’s and Women’s basketball teams during recess!

Venmo donations can be made through the QR code below or the link provided. https://venmo.com/u/Familypromisegr

Thank you for your generosity and support!

Jonathan Haga

Principal of Central High School

Join the PTO for the 2026-2027 school year! If you are interested in an open position, please email us at thornappleptoshare@gmail.com.

Click here to view our most recent newsletter: https://app.smore.com/n/bn2k4

Please remember to check our website for additional opportunities for youth. These range from athletics to the fine arts, additional educational programming, non-profit camps and organizations, and much more.

ODYSSEY OF THE MIND - it's not too late! Sign-ups are still being accepted for students who love to build cool stuff, perform, write stories, or otherwise use their limitless imagination. Click here for the form to sign up ASAP. Need more information? Contact your OM Coordinator, Marti Atwater, at matwater@fhps.net.