Woodbridge News

We had a great Bonanza Day! Thank you to everyone that donated to our school fundraiser and to those that helped out on Bonanza Day! The kids had so much fun!

See the pictures below for a snapshot of the fun!

STAY CONNECTED Visit our website and Facebook for updates, volunteer opportunities, and the PTO calendar. Questions? Email the PTO at pto.woodbridge@gmail.com.

Our Annual Fall Book Fair is scheduled for the week of Oct 19th. Your student will have the opportunity to visit the book fair and make purchases during their Media Maker special. You may send money on that day, or you may pre-purchase a gift certificate here- https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/woodbridgeelementaryschool3

Your student's teacher should communicate with you what day and time that will be.

Parent/Teacher Conferences are the week of November 2nd. All conferences are scheduled online using a sign up link that will be emailed to you on Friday, October 23rd.

You will need to click on the link to register your email address. Once you register your email address you will be sent an email to sign up for the conference time that works best for you. We recommend you schedule your conference as soon as possible.

For the benefit of your child, if they belong to more than one household, we ask that you schedule only one conference, with all parents/guardians welcome to attend. The office ladies are happy to help if you need us (616-748-3400).

October 19-22

Book Fair

October 22

Popcorn Day - sponsored by Zero Gravity Ministries

October 29

Half Day of School - 11:55am Dismissal

October 30

No School for students

Nov 2 & 4

Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4-6:30pm

Regular School Day

Nov 5

Half Day - 11:55am Dismissal

Parent/Teacher Conferences, 1-7

Nov 6

No School

Nov 19

Popcorn Day - sponsored by Zero Gravity Ministries

Nov 25-27

No School - Thanksgiving Break

Dec 11

Half Day of School - 11:55am Dismissal

Dec 21-Jan 1

Christmas Break

Zero Gravity provides an after school program for Woodbridge students (3rd - 5th grade) on Wednesdays. If you were planning for your student to attend, please go here for information and to sign up.

Zero Gravity generously provides free, fresh popped, popcorn for all students throughout the school year.

What are we doing at Woodbridge and ZPS for reading & writing? Do you ever hear your child speak of WIN or DI? Over the next couple of weeks, we will be sharing letters from our curriculum office to explain what these mean.

Please take a moment to read this week's letter about WIN

Please join us on Friday, October 23rd for YOUTH NIGHT at the Zeeland East vs. Hamilton football game. All elementary and middle school students will get into the game for FREE with a paying adult. Tickets will be passed out at schools the morning of October 23rd.

Elementary students will be asked to gather in the north end zone with their elementary school following the end of the first quarter of the football game. Students will then be welcomed and introduced to the crowd during halftime.

A quick reminder that students entering into the game need to be accompanied by an adult.

Don’t miss out on a great night showcasing our CHIX pride and students in our district!

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We would like to offer your student the opportunity to participate in a program called "Hand2Hand". This program helps provide a student with food for the weekends and is intended for families who currently may be experiencing a financial burden.

Here's how it works: At the end of each week, students who are signed up for Hand2Hand will receive a minimum of 10 food items in a bag. These food items will be a combination of breakfast, snacks, and lunch or dinner items. There is no cost to participate! If you sign your student up to receive Hand2Hand, they will continue to receive the weekend bag of food each week throughout the school year. Bags will be discreetly delivered to your child at school.

If you feel like your child would benefit from this opportunity, please complete this form. (You will need to complete one form for each of your children.) If there comes a point when you no longer need the assistance, alert your school office. It will take at least two weeks to receive your first bag. If you do not receive a bag, please contact your school office.

(Please note: if your student or another family member has food allergies, it will be the responsibility of the parent/guardian to check the contents of the bag each week to ensure the food doesn't contain ingredients which could cause an allergic reaction).

We are looking for volunteers to help our friends from Zero Gravity to pop popcorn for our students. We have popcorn days 6 or so times a year and volunteers are needed from 8-9:30am.

Please use this link to sign up.

Thank you!

Absences

If your child is not going to be in school, please call the attendance line (616-748-3410). Be sure to clearly speak your child’s name, grade, teacher, and the reason for the absence. If your child is sick please leave a description of their symptoms. We must track every student who is not in school. This is very important for the safety of our students. Often we spend a lot of time on the phone trying to reach a parent whose child is absent.

Late Arrivals

If your child will be arriving late, please call the attendance line (616-748-3410) to let us know that they will be arriving late. If your student needs a lunch, please let us know their lunch choice (A or B or bringing from home) on the attendance line. The menu is linked in every Newsletter for your benefit. We are unable to order lunch for your child unless you request one before 9am. If we do not hear from you, we plan that you are providing lunch from home.

Did you know that Woodbridge has an online store for Chix gear? All items are custom made and produced in scheduled batches. Orders are delivered directly to the school office twice per month, on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday. Once your order arrives, a school representative will reach out with

pickup details so you know when it’s ready.

Orders are processed based on this delivery schedule, with a typical production timeline of approximately 2 weeks from the order date. If any unexpected delays come up, updates will be communicated.

Click here for our store.

This video is an oldie but goodie! We ask that you review this video to help keep our drop-off and pick-up lines moving safely and swiftly.

If you are dropping off or picking up students, please pull all the way forward. This allows for more vehicles.

Do not allow your student to exit or enter your vehicle until you are next to the sidewalk. Students should only enter or exit your vehicle from the sidewalk. If you are in the parent pick up line, please DO NOT leave your vehicle unattended or park in the pick-up line.

Please DO NOT drop off or park in the bus loop!

If your student needs help getting in and out of your vehicle, please park in the parking lot and walk them to the sidewalk.

ZPS is committed to providing a safe environment for our children to learn. This year, we will continue to use a visitor/volunteer sign-in program called Raptor. This system will help us accurately and efficiently screen all visitors and volunteers in our schools, providing us with a safer environment for our students and staff.

Below is the information regarding our new security system, including what is needed from you to complete a background check and what to look forward to when coming to volunteer in a classroom or chaperone a field trip! We are excited about the new system and the updated level of security. Please note that if you do not complete the background check form (linked below) at least 3 business days before an event at Woodbridge, you will be turned away. In addition, if you do not have your state issued ID upon arrival for the event, you will be turned away. We do not have the capacity to run emergency background checks like we have done in previous years, and the only way to sign into the system is with your state issued ID. We do not want any sad kids because mom, dad, grandma, uncle, etc. could not attend the event they were hoping to, so PLEASE fill the form out IMMEDIATELY, do not wait! Please read ALL of the information below before clicking on the background check link!

Complete the form from the link below (this will be a ONE TIME A YEAR form to fill out; no username and no password needed!). The information you enter on the application must match your government-issued identification card including your full legal name.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1pA5N5xzvUL7QweO1C_kceWP2kCrsEZaC4-jrW_PWE3s/viewform?ts=66c75165&edit_requested=true

On the day of your volunteer opportunity, you will need to bring a government-issued ID and scan it into the Raptor Visitor system prior to entry (this is EVERY TIME YOU come to volunteer).

Thank you for your willingness to support the students in our schools and help maintain a safe learning environment.

On November 11, at 9:45 AM, Zeeland Public Schools' senior classes will come together to learn more about Veterans Day and honor those who have served. We are proud to welcome staff, parents, grandparents, and other veteran family members to join us in person, and the assembly will also be livestreamed. In-person guests must register in advance. Registration Link

The City of Zeeland is launching a new community event this fall called Zeeland’s Pumpkin Path, and we wanted to pass it along and encourage ALL our students & families to participate.

Here's how it works: families and community members pick up a free pumpkin, carve it at home, and return it to help create a glowing nighttime pumpkin path at Vandeluyster Square.

The City’s goal is to have all 500 pumpkins picked up, carved, and returned, which sounds like a pretty awesome community challenge.

Z Catalyst is a local organization that exists to collect donations of unused, pre-owned or new items with a goal to reduce waste. These items are then shared with educators and used in our schools.

Please see the below picture for a list of pressing needs. Donations may be dropped off in the Z Catalyst bins in the Woodbridge lobby or at any school location.

School breakfast and lunch is free for all students. A student must take a complete meal in order for it to be free. Any student taking just a milk will be charged $0.60.

We are asking every family to complete the Education Benefits Form:

https://zeeland.familyportal.cloud/benefits/onlyapplying. Your child or family might qualify for some extra services, including reduced cost Zeeland Recreation activities or classes. Thanks for your help!

Zeeland Public Schools is committed to ensuring all students have access to nutritious meals through the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs.

To learn more, please visit this link - email questions to Director of Nutritional Services, Sarah Stone at sstone@zps.org

My Ride K-12 is our tracking system for ZPS busing.

Please download the My Ride K-12 app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store to stay informed about your children's transportation schedule.

You will need the unique 8-digit student number that begins your child's email account (#201...). Most students have that memorized.

The information is also available in the Parent Portal. You may contact the school or transportation office to obtain that number too.

If you have not yet signed up for busing, please know that it may take up to a month to assign a bus route to your student.

Sign up using this form for busing - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeN8yTMiCvV85JYRmy7ydKb8CpO0SD1U5it2h1CfBlVVR5FtQ/viewform

As you may be aware - ZPS, along with several surrounding school districts is experiencing a shortage of school bus drivers. Please see the graphic on the steps to become one of our drivers. We love our school drivers and appreciate the ways they care for our students as they transport them to and from school each day!

Apply for open positions HERE