Ada Family Connection

Dear Ada Families:

Even though it was a short week, it was full of learning, connection, and plenty of opportunities to enjoy the beautiful fall weather! We love seeing our Rangers learning and growing both inside and outside the classroom. We hope all of our families enjoyed the long weekend, found some time to relax and recharge, and soaked up a little of this beautiful Michigan fall weather.

The proudest principal in the world,
Gabbi Kokenakes

Nov. 6th: 3rd Grade Belonging Event at Fine Arts Center

Nov. 25-27th: No School- Thanksgiving Break

Mrs. Stout is the definition of calm, cool, and collected, no matter what the day brings! She is always ready to jump in and help anyone who needs it. She has such a special way of making every staff member and student feel seen, valued, and important. We are so lucky to have her as the heart of our building and such a steady, caring presence at Ada! We are grateful for you, Mrs. Stout.

Our STEAMers are continuing to explore their Project Lead The Way (PLTW) modules through hands-on activities and investigations. Students are building on what they've learned by making observations, testing ideas, and deepening their understanding of science concepts as they work through the Project Phase. Check out our STEAMers in action below!

For more information about each unit, see the linked PLTW Family Letters for each grade level.

Dr. K can't decide what to wear for a costume party. She needs your ideas and creativity. Complete this page and turn it into the office or email to gkokenakes@fhps.net by Wednesday, October 28th. Most creative idea will get a prize! There will be a student winner and staff winner!

Click the photo to get a copy of the activity.

Dear Ada Families,

If you would prefer that your child not participate in the Halloween parade, we are happy to provide alternative activities for them on Friday, October 30th. Students who choose this option will not wear costumes and will participate in alternative fall-themed activities in a separate location. If your child will be wearing a costume and participating in the parade, no response is needed. If you would like your child to participate in this alternative option, please complete this form by Monday, October 26th. Request for Activity Instead of Costume Parade Form

Thank you!

All 1st graders in Mrs. Bocian, Mrs. Schanski, & Mr. Skinner's classes participated in an End-of-Unit Celebration to celebrate all the learning they did in Unit 2: The Human Body! 1st graders gathered in the gym for a fun-filled morning moving their bodies in a variety of ways. They went through an obstacle course, built the skeletal system, challenged themselves to try new exercise moves, and more! A big thank you to Michelle Gallery (Physical Therapist from KISD) for partnering with the 1st grade team and sharing your expertise as a PT with students and a big thank you to our instructional para team at Ada for making the day possible.

Kinders in Mrs. Long/Berkobien's class wrapped up our Knowledge Senses Unit, and for our “Culminating Activity Day”, they brought everything together! They explored all five senses while even incorporating math and some familiar social studies vocabulary into our lesson.

What better way to wrap up our learning than with a little apple tasting, voting, graphing, sharing opinions, and discussion! Kinders loved exploring how they used all five senses during the tasting, and it was such a fun, hands-on way to connect everything they've been learning!

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. 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 link provided. https://venmo.com/u/Familypromisegr

Thank you for your generosity and support!

Jonathan Haga, Principal of Central High School

Earlier this week the district sent out to families the announcement of a new Visitor Management System that will be in all the school buildings. The announcement outlines what to expect, things to remember, and how to check-in. The complete announcement will also be posted in the Focus for your reference. Please reach out if you have any questions. Start looking for Ada's new process in November!

If you have questions regarding your student's photos, order, or yearbook, please email: customerservice@geskusphoto.com. They are happy to help. Thank you.

Get ready to celebrate 20 years of Disney's High School Musical! Forest Hills Northern's talented students are bringing this fan-favorite musical to life November 19–21 at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center! Don't miss this high-energy show filled with music, dancing, and Wildcat spirit!

Tickets are on sale NOW at FHFAC.Ludus.com or at the FAC Box Office, Monday–Friday, 9 AM–4:30 PM.

GO WILDCATS!

Thursday, November 19 – 7:00 PM

Friday, November 20 – 7:00 PM

Saturday, November 21 – 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM

• Daisy Girl Scouts serving Pine Ridge and Meadow Brook: Daisy Troop 9604 invites Jr. kindergarten and kindergarten girls to join their new troop. Once registered, the troop leader will reach out with meeting details. Troop helpers are welcome to register as well. Register online. Questions? Contact Barb Gatchel, bgatchel@gsmists.org.
  
• NEW - Central High School’s Community Club is hosting its second annual Trunk or Treat event, Wednesday, Oct. 28 (rain date is Oct. 29) from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Forest Hills Central High School’s parking lot in front of the school (the lot off of Hall St.). FHC’s Community Club’s advisor is Rebecca Lipke, a mathematics teacher at FHC. For questions, please contact her at rlipke@fhps.net.
• NEW - Cornerstone University Athletics and Cornerstone Women’s Basketball presents Trunk or Treat, Oct. 29 from 7-8 p.m. at Cornerstone University Hansen Parking Lot. Games, candy, bounce house, fire trucks, face painting, and more. Questions? Email kylie.heck@cornerstone.edu.
• NEW - Forest Hills Presbyterian Church Trunk or Treat event, Oct. 24, from 6-7:30 p.m. You can register your children to participate or register to be a volunteer. There will be candy, s’mores, and a movie. Please bring 1-2 canned goods to donate to our local food pantry for those in need. More information is available online: https://www.fhpcusa.org/trunkortreat.html

• FHC Pom & Dance Clinic: Saturday, Oct. 24, FHC gym. The clinic is for grades JK-6th grade; registration is $55 per student. Students will learn dance techniques, receive a t-shirt, create a craft project, and more. All proceeds benefit FHC’s Pom & Dance team to travel to the national competition in Orlando. The morning session runs from 9:45 a.m.-1 p.m. and the afternoon session runs from 1:45-5 p.m. For more information and to register, go to fhcdanceteam.ludus.com/200540380. Questions? fhcdanceteam@gmail.com

• Odyssey of the Mind teams now forming. Calling all creative students in grades Jr.K-12 to join an Odyssey of the Mind team. What is Odyssey of the Mind? Check out their video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZbm0jGZd4k Join a team today; it’s not too late. If you love to tell stories, build cool stuff, perform or direct, create art, work with power tools, engineer treasures out of trash, or otherwise use your limitless imagination, then you’ll love OM. No specific or prior skills required, just an open mind and willingness to try new things. Follow this link to the FHPS OM website to learn more or use this link to register your student. We can’t wait to see you in OM!
  

• Cub Scouts Pack 3634: For boys and girls in grades JK-5th grade. The pack meets on Monday nights at 6:30 p.m. at Cascade Christian Church.

• JOIN Girl Scouts of Michigan (Shore to Shore): Find what’s within, from curiosity to confidence. Be a Girl Scout! Join Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore for an informational meeting to get connected and learn more. Girl Scouts welcomes girls in grades Jr.K-12. Questions? Email Barb Gatchel at bgatchel@gsmists.org, or call 616-690-0173. Register for an upcoming meeting.

• Our Forest Hills Fine Arts Center has three professional touring shows this season. Don’t let them pass you by. To put people in the winter spirit, they have Frost, a Cirque Holiday Extravaganza on Dec. 20. To close out their profession season, the Peking Acrobats will perform at the FAC on Feb. 21. Tickets are available at the Fine Arts Center box office and online.

• Please visit the FHPS website for additional opportunities, information about other nonprofit organizations, and community flyers. The school district does not sponsor/endorse or otherwise take a position on non-profit entities that exist separately from FHPS. We simply provide this service to our community in an effort to inform them of events/activities that may be of interest to school-aged children.

Thank you for your patience and support as we introduce our new carline number system! We are always looking for ways to make dismissal safer, smoother, and more efficient for everyone.

Each student will have a bag tag with their assigned carline number. That number will correspond with a cone featuring the same color as the tag. Please help your child keep their bag tag safe and attached near the top of their backpack so it is easy for staff to see and identify at dismissal. This system will help our staff quickly identify student numbers while we continue getting familiar with them and will help us stay organized as students are called and dismissed.

We appreciate your partnership as we work through this new system and make adjustments along the way. Thank you for helping us Build Together and for doing your part to keep our Rangers safe!

As we head into cold and flu season, we appreciate your help keeping our school community healthy! If your child is sick, please keep them home to rest and recover and help prevent the spread of illness. If your child has a fever or has vomited, they must be fever-free and free from vomiting for 24 hours before returning to school. Thank you for helping us keep our students and staff healthy and safe!

Drop-off begins at 8:35 a.m. Please wait for an Ada staff member to be outside before letting your child out of the car.

For both drop-off and pick-up, please use the car line. The other area is reserved for buses. Below, you’ll find a map showing Ada’s traffic flow. When we all follow the same procedures, our car line runs smoothly!

Thank you for practicing patience and kindness while in line.

1. Please remain in your car during drop-off and pick-up.
2. Students should exit the vehicle from the passenger side, curbside for their safety.
3. Please make sure your child(ren) remain safely seated in the car until it is time to exit.
4. In the morning, pull all the way forward when dropping off. This helps keep the line moving continuously.
5. Please be patient and never jump ahead of another vehicle in line.
6. The only exceptions to these arrival and dismissal procedures are those approved by Gabbi Kokenakes for specific needs, such as health concerns or students with casts.

Thank you for doing your part to keep our students and staff safe and to help make arrival and dismissal run smoothly!

Email: gkokenakes@fhps.net
Website: https://www.fhps.net/elementary-schools/ada/
Location: 731 Ada Drive Southeast, Ada, MI, USA
Phone: 616-493-8940

Ada Elementary Website: www.fhps.net/ada

Ada Elementary PTO Website: http://www.adaelementarypto.com/

Ada Elementary PTO Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adaelementarypto

Forest Hills Public Schools Website: www.fhps.net

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