The First Days of School @ 56G

Fifth Grade Open House Details

5:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Please come at any time between 5:30 and 8:00 p.m. to meet your child's teachers, explore the school, practice opening your locker, and play on the playground. This is a leisurely evening to help you and your child feel more at ease with the first day of school! Come and go as you please during the assigned time above.
5th grade students can locate their homeroom teachers name in Powerschool under SCHEDULE. The teacher listed next to AM Attendance is the homeroom teacher.

Sixth Grade Open House Details

5:30-8:00 p.m.
Please come anytime between 5:30 and 8:00pm and head straight to your child's THIRD HOUR CLASS. All sixth grade classrooms are located on the upper level of the building in the academic wing.
Students will pick up their full schedule, locker information and login/password sheet from their third hour homeroom teacher. From there, students can travel from class to class like they would on a traditional school day so that they can meet all of their teachers. Students can practice opening their lockers, play on the playground, and explore the school at their own pace.

Students Receiving Special Education Services

5:00 - 7:30 p.m.
From 5:00 - 5:30, the building will be open for any students receiving special education services to meet their special education teachers (resource and ASD/CI categorical teachers) with fewer students and families in the building.
Your child's general education teachers will be available from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Meet our Student Support Specialist and Counselor

Mr. Arnoys, our Student Support Specialist, and Mrs. Teal, our Counselor, will be seated at a table at the entrance to our school. They will be able to help direct you to your child's homeroom classes, answer questions about the upcoming year, and more! Please stop to meet them!

What to Bring to Open House

Fifth Grade Homeroom Teacher's Name
Sixth Grade Student's Third Hour Homeroom Teacher's Name
School Supplies: Open House Night is a great time to drop off school supplies in your child's locker so they do not have to bring all of these items to school on the bus or in the car drop-off line the first day of school.
Medications: If your child will be taking medications at school, you can drop these medications off in the front office. The medication forms for taking medications at school are linked below in the Medication section near the end of this newsletter. Medication forms will also be available in the main office.
SIXTH GRADE ONLY--$25 Tech Fee: See the Technology section below for more information. You can pay online or pay cash/check on the night of Open House in the office.

Where to Park

The 5/6 building has quite a bit of parking, but there is a chance that our lots could fill up quickly. We have two parking lots where families can park on the night of our Open House.

If you have a fifth grade child, you can utilize our staff parking lot located in the back of the building. Doors C and D will take you right to the fifth grade classrooms from this parking lot.
If you have a sixth grade child, you can utilize our main parking lot at the front entrance to the school. The main entrance will lead you right to the sixth grade academic wing.
If both lots are full, you can park at Baldwin Street Middle School by the Eagles' Stadium and use the service drive to walk to the 5/6 building.

Feel free to bring your school supplies to the Open House so you can put the items in your locker. Then you won't have to bring as many things to school on the first day!

Re-enrollment required for every student!

Each year, every student must have re-enrollment forms completed in Powerschool. These forms provide us with important up to date information for each student. Please follow the attached instructions on how to complete the forms. If you do not have a Powerschool account set up yet, please follow these instructions. Please call the office for your students Access ID and password.

Additionally, there is a section on the forms that will provide you with your students NEW password. If you recall, all student passwords were compromised this summer. ALL students will be receiving a new password. Please share this information with your student. They will also receive their new password at the open house.

Things to note:

1. For split family households - please list both addresses for each parent.

2. Only 6th grade students need to pay the tech fee - $25. You can pay this online when completing the forms or make the payment in the office on the night of Open House.

3. The forms can be completed in the Powerschool App, but the tech fees cannot be paid through the App.

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Full Day

Doors open at 7:15 a.m.
School begins at 7:50 a.m.
School ends at 2:45 p.m.
Office hours: 7:15 a.m.-3:15 p.m.

Early Release

Drop-off begins at 7:15 a.m.
School begins at 7:50 a.m.
School ends at 11:15 a.m.
Office hours: 7:15 a.m.-3:15 p.m.

Teacher Team Time

BMS, RMS and HHS will have teacher team time every other Wednesday changing their dismissal time on Wednesdays. Buses will still run their normal schedules starting at 2:45.
56G will NOT have a change in dismissal time. Therefore, we will still dismiss students at 2:45.

25-26 HPS Student Calendar. Here you will find vacation days, early release dates and parent-teacher conference dates. Please note: 56G will follow the middle school schedule for Parent-Teacher Conferences.

You can find all 56G events linked here.

Student drop-off and pick-up are very busy times in the school driveway and hallways. If you are dropping your child off in the carline, please remain in your vehicle and follow the procedures below.

Car Line Drop-off Procedures

7:15 a.m.

1. Use the car loop at the main entrance of the building.

2. Stay in the right lane and drop off your child in the drop-off zone. Staff wearing yellow vests will be directing traffic. Please pull all the way up to either the stop sign for the unloading zone or to the car in front of you.

3. Students will exit the cars on the passenger side of the car in the unloading zone. Do not allow students to exit the car on the driver’s side for safety reasons. Staff will direct them to the door that they will go in.

4. Parents remain in their vehicles.

5. Do not pass cars in the car line. Stay in a single file line until the cars move in front of you.

To Keep Our Line Moving Tips:

Follow the procedures noted above.
Say your goodbyes and give kisses prior to dropping off in the car line. :)
Have backpacks/supplies ready to exit car with students.
Parents need to remain in their vehicles.
Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding with our system and procedures. Safety is our number one concern for our students and their families.

Car Line Pick-up Procedures

2:45 p.m.

1. Pull into the parking lot and park.

2. Students will be walked out to the cross walk and then will go directly to their cars.

5th Grade Students: Head to the cafeteria.

Car Riders: Enter the building through Door A (main entrance), go down the main stair case and hang out in the cafeteria.
Bus Riders: Enter the building through Door G (gym doors) and head into the cafeteria.
Teachers will come to the cafeteria to pick up their classes at 7:40 a.m.

Sixth Grade Students: Head to the gym.

Car Riders: Enter the building through Door A (main entrance), go down the main stair case and head out to the gym.
Bus Riders: Enter the building through Door G (gym doors) and head into the gym.
Teachers will come to the gym to pick up students at 7:43 a.m.

Breakfast: Breakfast will be served at 7:15 a.m. for any student needing breakfast.

Car Riders:

Car riders will be walked out by staff to the parking lot. Please park in a parking spot and wait for your child in your vehicle.

Bus Riders:

Bus information will be coming from the Transportation office no later than August 16. Please contact the transportation office with any questions.

Walkers:

To ensure the safety of our students, we have designated buses to transport 56G students to BMS if they plan on walking home. We do have a service drive that connects 56G to BMS, but that drive is for buses only. Students should not be walking or riding their bikes on this drive during arrival and dismissal times. Walker Bus #'s will be communicated once we have them from the Transportation office.

Change in Transportation Home At the End of the School Day

If your child is going to have a change in transportation home at the end of the school day, please contact the main office to let them know of the change prior to 2:00 p.m. We want to ensure that the classroom teachers are notified in a timely fashion prior to end of day dismissal procedures.

Chromebooks

Fifth Grade: Students will have access to their own Chromebook which will be kept at school.

Sixth Grade: All 6th graders will receive a Chromebook that they will use in school and get to take home. Please see below for important details:

Action needed:

Pay the $25 tech fee ($75 max per family). Follow these instructions (desktop / mobile), You can also bring cash or check to the office.
Review device details on use, fees, and care on this guide doc.

Cell Phones, Smart Watches and other personal technology not allowed during the school day

Our policy for cell phones, smart watches and other personal devices is detailed below. In our SOAR expectations, we will talk with students about putting their own personal devices in their backpacks upon entering the school building and keeping them locked in their locker. They can take their devices out once they leave the school building at the end of the school day. This includes Smart watches, tablets, and other personal devices.

Hudsonville Public Schools is a learning organization. We continuously review research and our own practices in order to improve the educational experience for our students. Reviewing research on the use of cell phones and other personal computer devices by school-aged children has allowed us to reflect on how to best support our students as they learn and grow. It has become clear that excessive exposure to cell phones has a negative effect on school-aged children. In view of the research findings, we have reflected on how we can modify district practices to support all students.

We are grateful to our community for their support of previous bond proposals which have allowed the district to purchase technology that provides all students with access to learning without using their personal computer devices during the school day. Students will not be allowed to use cell phones, smart watches, tablets or any other personal computer device during the school day. Phones are available in the office of each school should a student need to contact their parents or guardians. If families believe that their child needs access to a cell phone before or after school, it will be the student’s responsibility to ensure that their phone remains stored away and powered off while they are at school.

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.

Eating lunch in the cafeteria at 56G is a highlight for many students that have come through our building the past two years. Students enjoy having more entree choices, sides, and slushies! Some of our new and incoming fifth grade students can experience some anxiety and apprehension when it comes to some of the changes in the lunch room. A big part of that is using an ID or a PIN pad with their student number. Here is a diagram that you can print to help them practice their Student ID and entering it into a PIN pad. We hope that this will ease some of their anxiety around lunch and to support them with this transition. If you do not know your students ID, they will receive it with their password at the open house.

School Meals: Breakfast will be served each day that school is in session, beginning on August 20. Sack Lunches will be available for students to take home August 20 and 21 and on Early Release Days. Breakfasts and Lunches will be FREE to all students through September 30, 2025. We encourage any family to apply for Free & Reduced Meals and other additional Child Nutrition and Educational Benefits. Click here to complete the application. There is important student support funding that HPS receives that is tied to approved applications. Approved applications also ensure that families receive any and all discounts related to Athletics, Technology, Testing, Summer School, Home Internet, etc. To receive any potential discounts, you MUST return THIS FORM to Food Service. You can visit our website at www.jenhudfood.org to find links to menus and more information about School Meals. Contact Food Service at foodservice@hpseagles.net or at (616) 457-2400 if you need assistance with anything related to meal service.

Breakfast

Breakfast will be served starting at 7:15.
Breakfast consists of cereal, milk, juice, fresh fruit, and a cookie/cracker bar.
Students that eat breakfast at school will eat breakfast in the cafeteria.

Lunch

Sack Lunches on Early Release Days

Students will let their first hour teachers know if they would like to order a sack lunch

Lunch Schedule

1st Lunch-10:40-11:10

Sixth Grade Homeroom Teachers-Bowen, Nixon, Willmore, Scholten (Sneller), A. Wiebenga
Sixth Grade Homeroom Teachers-Cardinal, Richardson, Teal, and Weberg

2nd Lunch-11:15-11:45

6th Grade Homeroom Teachers-Brower, Schwartz, Schwerin, and VanNoord

3rd Lunch-11:45-12:20

5th Grade Homeroom Teachers-Burmeister and J.Wiebenga
5th Grade Homeroom Teachers-King and Reed

4th Lunch-12:20-12:55

5th Grade Homeroom Teachers-Fischer and Karel
5th Grade Homeroom Teachers-Baas and Wysocki
5th Grade Homeroom Teachers-Higgs and Standish
5th Grade Homeroom Teachers-Gamble and Cho

As a staff, we take food allergies very seriously and do all that we can to create a safe environment at school. If your child requires an EPI pen for this, please fill out the required PRESCRIPTION MED FORM which is located on the website or in the main office.

Peanut and Nut Free Classrooms

All of our classrooms are peanut and nut free. Please see the approved peanut and nut free snacks letter. Thank you for your support as we work to be proactive in protecting and keeping all of our students safe!

Approved Peanut and Nut Free Snacks

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.

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 Dwight Sneden dhoffman@hpseagles.net.

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

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.

The 5/6G PTC is looking forward to another fun year! We are searching for members to fill all positions of the board and hope to have them filled as soon as possible. Please email 56GPTC@gmail.com if you are interested in the positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary.

Be sure to stop by the table in the cafeteria during the Open House to pick up a flier with the 5/6G PTC meeting dates and a QR code for interest in volunteering at events throughout the year. There will also be a photo booth for a fun back-to-school photo for your student!

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/)!

PTC Meeting Dates:

Monday, 9/15
Wednesday, 11/12
Tuesday 1/13
Wednesday 3/11
Monday 5/11

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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

The First Days of School @ 56G