Pack Parent Newsletter

Hello Woodward families! Welcome to the new school year. I hope everyone had a nice summer and got some time to relax and refresh. We are all excited to kick off another school year.

I will be communicating with you throughout the school year via this newsletter, through our school Facebook page (you should definitely follow that page. The link is at the bottom of this newsletter), as well as through robo-calls and emails. It will be very important that we have a good working phone number as well as a working email for every family.

Please be sure to read all these items carefully. There is quite a bit of information this year. We want to be able to support our students and families the best we can and work together with you in order to provide the best education possible for your student(s).

I look forward to seeing you throughout the school year!

#teamwoodward

#bepartofthepack

We have some new faces and some familiar faces have moved on.

Our Home Support Specialist, Cheryl Wesselhoff, has accepted a new position at Maple Street. She will no longer be at Woodward. We are very sad to see her go.

Our DHHS position, filled by Ms. Diana Walker, is in limbo. We are waiting for the legislature to pass a state budget to see whether we will still have that support in our building. This will be another huge loss to the building.

Ms. Ronda retired at the end of the year BUT we are hoping for her to return in a part-time role.

We have 2 new para professionals at Woodward. Alonja Wilson and KC Robertson.

Lastly, we have 2 new music teachers joining our Pack. Mr. Jeremy Hanson-McIntyre and Ms. Chelsea Funk.

Our instructional day is from 8:08 am - 3:14pm. We will be opening the building at 7:50 am. We will start our dismissal process at 3:10 pm.

NEW CHANGE: Arrival AND dismissal will take part in front of the school on Stuart Avenue.

We are moving dismissal BACK to Stuart Avenue.

Arrival: Will take place in the building this year. Students will have designated areas in the school to wait for their teachers to pick them up at 8:04 am. Parents will drop the students off OUT front and we will greet them outside direct them to their indoor spots. Parents will not walk their students into the building unless they have business in the main office.

Woodward has 10 or 11 buses come and go everyday. It is imperative that the front of the school is clear for bus traffic. Parents can NOT park or stop in front of the school during arrival and dismissal.

The parent drop-off AND pick-up in on North Street by the garden. Students can walk to the front of the school for arrival.

After school all teachers will walk their classes, starting at 3:10 to the buses and to North Street and get your student to you. Please do not park in the bus lane OR across the street in our neighbor's driveways.

If you need to pick-up your student early please have any dismissal changes to the office prior to 2:30 pm. The end of the school day gets very busy and it is very challenging to get students and teachers information at the last minute.

**We will not take your student's word on what their plan is each day. We need to hear from an adult that is listed on the student's registration to make changes.**

Call the office, 269.337.0810 by 2:30 pm with any changes to your child's normal dismissal plan.

No changes will be made to a student's dismissal plan AFTER 2:45 pm.

We appreciate your cooperation with this. We want to make sure we keep every student safe and get them where they need to be everyday.

Thursday August 21st, we will host a "Meet and Greet" out in back of the school from 4-5 pm.

We will have a few activities and goodies for the kids.

We will also have some paperwork for parents to complete. You will be able to meet your teacher and visit with them to get to know them.

We will not be going inside the building as it is still getting painted and having work done. There will be an Open House in mid-September to visit inside the school.

Hopw to see everyone there!

Monday August 25th will be a 1/2 day of school. Dismissal will be at 11:15 am. We will start the day at our normal time.

The drop off and dismissal on Monday will be busy.

We will be collecting all the students out front and placing them in the lines for the teachers to pick up and bring them to their classes at 8:04. Parents will NOT be walking their students into the school or to their classes. School staff only in the building to lessen the busyness of the morning. It is very important we have your cooperation during the drop off, especially the first week of school.

This will be the process for week 1.

*If it is raining, students will be brought into the school and separated into their classes inside the school.

**Please make sure the office staff know how your student will be getting home Monday if it is different than their plan on normal school days.

You will receive a "Back to School" packet later in the first week of school. It is very important for you to go through all of them and sign and return them signed.

EVERY FAMILY REGARDLESS OF STATUS MUST RETURN THE EDUCATION BENEFIT FORM. This form directly effects the amount of money that comes into the school and the district.

This is another reminder that we will need a working phone number and email address in order to communicate important information to you throughout the year.

All families should be connected to the PowerSchool App. You can call th eoffice for directions to download the app.

Please be on the lookout for that packet and have your student return it to their teacher when completed.

Students may bring cell phones to school. Cell phones are not allowed to be out at any point during the school day. Students are to check their phone in with their teacher, where they will be locked in a secure place for the day. Then they will be given back at the end of the day.

As soon as students enter the building phones are to be turned off and put away until given to their teacher.

Any misuse of a cell phone will result in it being taken away until a parent picks it up.

We have phones in every classroom if a student needs to reach you during the day. There are no exceptions to the district policy.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Hats are not allowed to be worn inside the school building during the school day.

Hoodies may be worn but the hood MUST stay down during the school day.

These are district policies that will be enforced.

Thank you for your cooperation around these matters.

Download the KPS app!

Contact and Follow us!

We use our Instagram and Facebook page to deliver a lot of information to families. Please be sure to follow us!

Instagram: @wstarkzoo

Email: roccofa@kalamazoopublicschools.net
Location: 606 Stuart Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
Phone: 2693370810
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WoodwardSTaR