56G News

Good Evening 56G Families,

Thank you so much for your partnership and participation during our fall Parent-Teacher Conferences! Your engagement and support mean the world to our school community and make a significant difference in your child's success. We look forward to watching our students continue to grow and excel throughout this school year.

Earlier today, a few of our fifth and sixth grade classes kicked off a pilot program for The Amazing Shake during a short assembly with their homerooms. The Amazing Shake is designed to help students build confidence, strong communication skills, and professional etiquette. We are thrilled to see our students develop these essential life skills both at 56G and in the broader community. Stay tuned for more details as we prepare to roll out this fantastic program school-wide!

Looking ahead to next week, we have several exciting events planned as we wrap up October:

• Red Ribbon Week: We will celebrate Red Ribbon Week with daily spirit days focused on making healthy decisions, positive choices, and standing up to peer pressure. As part of our annual tradition, Hudsonville high school students from SLIC (Student Leaders Initiating Change) usually visit 56G during lunch to play interactive trivia games with our students. While SLIC is unable to join us next week, we look forward to continuing this valued partnership when they visit on Wednesday, November 4th!

• Amazing Race Fundraiser Assembly: Next Friday, October 30th, we are holding our school-wide Amazing Race Fundraiser Assembly! Classes are in a heated competition to raise funds for PTC events, classroom initiatives, field trips, and more. If every student raises $50, we will reach our $24,000 school goal! To keep things fun, Mr. Arnoys, Ms. Murphy, and I have promised to wear silly costumes and dye our hair if we reach our $12,000 and $18,000 milestones! We can do this! PTC volunteers will be on site on October 28th and November 11th during lunch to hand out individual student prizes. For next Friday's assembly, students should wear their team's color detailed below in the Amazing Race Flyer. Thank you again for your continued support of our PTC and 56G school-wide initiatives.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership. We hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

Warm regards,

Melanie McClure

56G Principal

P.E. Apparel Sale

Hudsonville P.E. Apparel Sale is Now Live!

https://onitink.com/collections/hudsonville-pe

Get ready to show off your Eagles spirit! The Hudsonville P.E. Apparel sale is open, featuring 3 awesome designs across 4 great color options. Whether you're looking for t-shirts, crewneck sweatshirts, or hoodies, there’s something for everyone.

Great for the Holidays! All orders will be delivered directly to the 5/6 building before winter break, making these gear items fantastic holiday gifts for your student.

Deadline: Ordering ends Monday, November 9th. Don’t miss out—scan the QR code on the flyer or click the order link today to grab your Hudsonville Eagles gear!

SOAR Awards

Every week, students who show our SOAR behaviors - Be Safe, Own It, Act Responsibly, and Be Respectful - have a chance to be recognized in our SOAR Drawing and win a fun prize!

Want to help us celebrate our SOAR students? Families can donate prizes or contribute money toward prizes. Check out our SignUpGenius to see how you can help. Cash donations can be dropped off in the main office. Thanks for helping our students SOAR!

Lunch Menu for October 26-30

Lunch Menu for November 2-6

Mark Your Calendars

26-27 HPS Student Calendar. Here you will find vacation days, early release Fridays early dismissal Wednesdays (TTT), and parent-teacher conference dates. Please note: 56G will follow the Intermediate Schedule for Parent-Teacher Conferences.

You can find all 56G events linked here.

NEW THIS YEAR: Teacher Team Time - Early Dismissal Wednesdays

Teacher Team Time

For the 26 - 27 school year, 56G will join HHS, BMS and RMS by having Teacher Team Time on two Wednesdays a month. This will provide teachers with time to collaborate with their colleagues at the intermediate level to support learning and instruction of our students. This means that our students will be dismissed from school early on these designated Wednesdays. The HPS Student calendar designates these Wednesdays with TTT. Students will be dismissed at 2:20 p.m.

TTT: Early Dismissal Wednesdays - NEW TO 56G for the 26 - 27 School Year!

Doors open at 7:15 a.m.
School begins at 7:50 a.m.
School ends at 2:20 p.m.
Office hours: 7:15 a.m.-3:15 p.m.

🍏 The next Early Dismissal is October 28! 🍎

5/6G Renaissance Club

Renaissance is an after-school club that meets every other Tuesday most months of the school year. The motto “Creating a place to belong, not just to go” sets the stage for students to work together, building culture and community here at 56G. Fifth- and sixth-grade students may join, and meetings run from 2:55 - 3:30 pm. Transportation home is the responsibility of each family. Please join Mrs. Solomonson, Miss Nixon, and Mrs. Weberg for Renaissance.

Order Pictures online here!

5/6G PTC

The Amazing Race - 5/6 Fundraiser!

Volunteer Background Check

The HPS criminal background check is required for all school volunteers. In order to complete this request, we ask that you fill out this volunteer form at least 48 hours prior to volunteering. Once your request is submitted, all Volunteer status updates (Approval, Denial or Limited Access Approval) will be sent directly to the building you have selected to volunteer in.

The Hudsonville Public School District has the right to approve or deny your request if your background check does not meet the standards of HPS Board Policy.

If you have any questions regarding the Volunteer Background Check process, please contact Dan Hoffman dhoffman@hpseagles.net.

We greatly appreciate your support and willingness to volunteer for Hudsonville Public Schools. Go Eagles!

For up-to-date information, be sure to follow the 5/6G PTC on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1ByvFxheP6/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/56g_ptc/)!

HPS Events

Wesco Popcorn Buckets 🍿

The 2026-27 Wesco Popcorn Buckets have arrived! Please fill out the form to place your order and submit your payment via Zeffy. All paid orders will be delivered within 2 weeks to the school for your student to bring home. Be sure to include your student's school, name, and homeroom teacher in your Zeffy payment. These buckets are refillable at any of the 55 Wesco locations in Michigan from now until 12/31/2027. Buckets are currently $15 as the early ordering price, and will go up to $20 (the suggested retail value) on November 1. There are limited quantities, so order yours before the buckets sell out or the pricing increases! Thank you for your support!

Order Form: https://forms.gle/aTPFrn6JrkQxGXJLA
Payment Link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/wesco-popcorn-buckets

Looking to get your popcorn immediately? Stop by Wesco from 4-7pm on Friday, October 9 before the Homecoming football game and purchase one from the table right outside the store!

Community Resources

Holiday Support Resources - see attachment below

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Community Holiday Support Options (2026).pdf

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Be Present, Be Powerful! Attendance Matters!

Research shows that half of the students who miss just 2-4 days of school in September go on to miss a month or more of school cumulatively over the entire year.

Your efforts to get your child to school on time each day make a big difference. Every day your student is at school counts. Let’s start strong and stay strong all year long!

Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4iSz0By

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REMINDERS

Sixth Grade One-to-One Chromebook Device Updates

Our sixth grade students have received their Chromebooks. Chromebooks are stored in a fabric case. Students need to make sure that their Chromebooks stay in these cases as they bring them back and forth to school. Here are some important reminders:

Students need to ensure that their Chromebooks are charged every night. We have a few chargers in each classroom at school in case students forget; however, we don't have enough chargers and outlets for all students to charge their Chromebooks.
NEW this Year: Students' Chromebooks will be shut down nightly from 10 PM - 7 AM daily.

Go Guardian Parent App Instructions

A mobile app designed to provide parents/guardians insight and control over their student's online activity when on school-managed devices and accounts

NeeDoh/Fidget Policy Reminder

As we navigate the busy 5th and 6th grade years, we recognize that many students benefit from "brain tools" to help them stay focused during lessons. When used correctly, fidgets can help channel extra energy. To ensure these items remain tools for focus, rather than toys for distraction, we have aligned our fidget expectations with our SOAR acronym. We will be discussing these items with students next week at school.

be Safe: Fidgets must fit in a student's palm, stay in the student's hands, out of sight, and under the desk. They are never to be thrown, tossed, or used to invade someone else's personal space. They are not to be shared or borrowed.
Own It: Students are responsible for their own items. If a teacher or staff member determines a fidget has become a distraction and asks for it to be put away, we expect students to "own it" and put the item away immediately.
Act responsibly: Fidgets are for focusing on learning. If a student is focused on the fidget instead of their work, it is no longer being used responsibly.
be Respectful: Fidgets must be silent to avoid distracting the learning environment.

A Note on "NeeDohs" and Gel-Filled Fidgets

While we appreciate the sensory benefits of many items, we are officially asking that "NeeDohs," "Globbles," "Dumplins," and any other gel-filled or flour-filled stress balls stay at home. While they are fun to squeeze, they pose significant challenges in the school environment:

The "Pop" Factor: These items are prone to rupturing. A "popped" gel fidget creates a major mess on carpets, desks, and clothing that is difficult (and sometimes impossible) to clean.
The Distraction: Because they are tactilely "high-interest," they often become the primary focus of the student, and their peers, rather than a background tool.

Rule of Thumb: If it can pop, leak, or leave a sticky residue, please leave it at home. Thank you for your help with this matter.

Transportation Home

Change in Transportation Home At the End of the School Day

Please communicate with your students before school about how they will be going home at the end of the day. What we have from the Transportation Department may not necessarily be how they go home everyday. ie) many students are assigned to a bus, but may chose to be picked up on certain days. If your child is going to have a change in transportation home at the end of the school day that you DID NOT already communicate with them, please contact the main office to let them know of the change prior to 12:00 p.m. We want to ensure that the classroom teachers are notified in a timely fashion prior to end of day dismissal procedures. If your student already knows of the change, NO NEED to contact the office!

Attendance

If your student will not be attending school due to illness or other reasons, please call the office before 8:15 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 7:50 am, please call the office in the morning. Any students arriving after 7:50 am must be signed in by a parent/guardian.
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.

Medications at School

Please complete the Medication Administration Authorization form for any medication to be administered for your student in the school setting.

A new Medication Authorization form must be completed for each medication and each time there is a change in dosage/instructions.

Non-prescription medication must be in the original container with the factory label and must not expire during the school year. For Non-prescription medications, please complete the top two sections of the Medication Administration Authorization form. Non-prescription medications will be stored and administered by school staff in the office.

Prescription medication must be in the original container with a pharmacy label. Prescription medications require BOTH the physician and parent authorization sections of the Medication Administration Authorization form to be completed.

ALL medication must be delivered to the office by a parent/guardian. Medication cannot be sent to school with a student.

No medication is to be carried by a student UNLESS both the physician and parent provide authorization for self-carry/administration of certain emergency medications including asthma inhalers and Epinephrine. Please complete the first and last sections of the Medication Administration Authorization form to authorize Self-Administration.

If your child has any of the following health conditions listed below (severe allergy, asthma, diabetes, seizures) that require treatment and/or a medication at school, please provide the required form(s) listed on the HPS health website from your child’s specialist.

If your child forgets to bring something to school, we will have a table set up in our front vestibule for "forgotten" items. Place the item/s on the table, fill out a slip of paper with your child's name and grade, and leave the items on the table. Our office staff will make sure that students get their items as quickly as possible.

26 - 27 56G Student Handbook

Policies and procedures at the Intermediate Level Buildings (56G, BMS, and RMS)

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.
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 56G!
Social Media: Follow our story by liking us on...

Facebook: Like us on Facebook-facebook.com/56Georgetown
Instagram: Like us on Instagram @56georgetown.

Website: https://www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org/5-6-building-georgetown/index
Location: 8175 36th Avenue, Hudsonville, MI, USA
Phone: 616-272-7100
Facebook: facebook.com/56Georgetown

56G News