The Shoreline Scoop

September 14th

• Homecoming Dress Up: Hat-Tastic Monday - Wear your favorite hat.
• PTO Meeting @ 4:00 p.m., Alamo Media Center
• XC Meet at OHS, 5:00 p.m.
• Board of Education Meeting @ & 7:00 p.m., Administration Office

September 15th

• Homecoming Dress Up: Wild About Alamo - Wear animal print or dress your best for picture day!
• Picture Day
• Mileage Club @ Lunch Recess

September 16th

• Homecoming Dress Up: Jungle Day - Wear green and dress like you're on an adventure.
• Delayed Start, School Starts @ 10:00 a.m.

• Book Fair

September 17th

• Homecoming Dress Up: Tropical Day - Dress in your tropical best.
• Book Fair

September 18th

• Homecoming Dress Up: Bulldog Day - Wear blue and gold.
• Mileage Club @ Lunch Recess

• Parade, Downtown Otsego, 5:45 p.m.
• Varsity Football Game, Bulldog Stadium, 7 p.m.

September 22nd

• Fall Festival @ 6:00-7:30 p.m., Alamo Elementary

September 25th

• Popcorn Friday

Positive Attitude

• Logan VanOosten
• Hannah Rudolph

Responsible Actions

• Henry Saunders
• Albie Hoff

Integrity Within

• Emmie Lambrechts
• Rowen Engbers

Determination To Succeed

• Phoebe Meshew
• Parker Mattis

Expect Excellence

• Amelia Steele
• Quinn Datema

Delayed starts began on Wednesday, September 9th. On delayed start Wednesdays, doors will open at 9:45 a.m., and school will begin at 10:00 a.m. Teachers and staff will be using this time to plan interventions, take part in Professional Development, and collaborate.

Please note that we DO NOT have delayed starts on 1/2 days.

Get ready to catch the wave of school spirit as we celebrate Homecoming from September 14th-18th! Join our island crew by dressing up for our tropical Spirit Days! Don't miss the fun ashore—our Homecoming parade sets sail at 5:45 PM in downtown Otsego followed by the home varsity football game. Let's make some waves and show off our Bulldog pride!

Picture forms will be sent home with students this week. Please bring the pre-printed form in to the photographer whether you are ordering pictures or not. It helps the photographer to associate child to name and teacher. If you ordered online you may mark that on the form to speed up that process. All students will have their photo taken for school purposes.

Order online by clicking on the link below and using the school code: 4853ODEYMJEAZM

Picture re-take day will be in October.

Mark your calendars! Mileage Club is every Tuesday and Friday, weather permitting, during lunch recess! Families are invited to join us during their child’s lunch recess.

Don’t forget to send your child in tennis shoes on Mileage Club days. Let’s get moving, AES! 💙💛🐾

Kindergarten @ 11:35-11:55 a.m.

1st Grade @ 11:45-12:05 p.m.

2nd Grade @ 12:05-12:15 p.m.

4th Grade @ 12:15-12:35 p.m.

3rd Grade @ 12:35-12:55 p.m.

5th Grade @ 12:45-1:05 p.m.

The Book Fair is back! Please be sure to stop by and do some shopping Sept. 16th-Sept. 23rd to buy your favorite little one or your favorite teacher a new book.

We hope you’re all settling into your school-year routines! The Alamo PTO is excited to kick off another great year, and we have some fun fall updates and volunteer opportunities to share with you.

Book Fair | September 16–23

The Book Fair is coming to Alamo! We’re looking for volunteers to help students shop and assist with checkout. If you’re available to lend a hand, please sign up below. There are different time slots available each day, so hopefully you can find one that works for you!

Book Fair Sign Up Genius

September PTO Meeting | Monday, September 14 at 4:00 PM

Our September PTO meeting will be held in the library, and we would love to have you join us! Childcare will be provided.

We’ll be discussing upcoming fall events and beginning to plan this year’s Halloween snack and Trick-or-Treat Trail. Bring your ideas—we’re always looking for new and creative ways to make these events special for our students!

A Quick Volunteer Reminder

If you plan to volunteer at school in any capacity, you’ll need to have a current background check on file. You can print the form directly from the OPS website or stop by the school office to pick one up.

If you have any questions about volunteering, please reach out to Annie at alamo.pto.volunteersignup@gmail.com.

Thank you for helping make Alamo such a wonderful place for our students! We’re looking forward to a fun and exciting school year together.

2026-27 PTO Meeting Dates

• September 14
• October 5
• November 2
• December 7
• January 4
• February 1
• March 1
• April 12
• May 17

Thanks,

Annie Pruis

Alamo PTO

Join us in wearing purple and supporting an amazing cause! All proceeds go directly to cancer and Parkinson’s disease research at Van Andel Institute. Let’s show our support and make this our most successful Purple Week yet!

You’re Invited!

Who: Alamo Students & Families

When: Tuesday, Sept. 22nd

Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Where: Alamo Elementary School

We are really excited for a fun night of activities on Tuesday, September 22nd. Please plan to join us for a hot dog dinner between 6-7 p.m. Weather permitting, we will be outside. So, be sure to bring your lawn chairs or blanket for a family picnic.

Our library will be open for our annual Book Fair. The Book Fair will be open from 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Fall festival games will be held outside between 6:30-7:30 p.m. The games this year will have a "Tropical Beach" theme. Prizes will be available for current Alamo students and siblings. Other activities include slushies, cotton candy, popcorn and bounce houses.

We hope you are able to make this fun event!

Students at Alamo can purchase popcorn on the last Friday of the month beginning on September 25th. Popcorn can again this year be purchased for the entire year by sending $4 per student (discounted, as well as the "easy button" for parents!) on or before the first popcorn date of September 25th, or it can be purchased each individual time for $0.50.

Below are the dates for popcorn Friday this year.

• September 25
• October 23
• November 20
• December 18
• January 29
• February 26
• March 26
• April 30
• May 28

We all need reminders now and then of best practices in parenting. I know I do. Here are some good ones to keep in the forefront as we go through a new school year.

1. Attention - Put the phone down. Look them in the eyes. Listen without fixing. We don’t have to solve all their problems; sometimes we just need to listen and encourage them to find their own solutions.

2. Affection - Hugs, high fives, hand on the back. Sometimes we overlook the opportunities to point out all the positives because we are busy and get stuck on correcting the negative behaviors. Focus on the good.

3. Acceptance - Love them when they mess up. “I don’t like what you did (the behavior), but I will always love and support you.”

4. Appreciation - Praise effort, not just the outcome. Celebrate the small wins. Say “thank you” when they help you. “Even though you didn’t get an A on your assignment, I am proud of you for working hard on it and giving it your best effort.”

**Adapted from an article by Lamar Andrews.

Regina Ambs

Alamo Elementary School Counselor

Please reach out for any communication by email at: rambs@otsegops.org or phone: 269-694-7619.

New to Standards-Based Grading or want to learn more about how it’s being used at the elementary level in Otsego? Click below to watch a quick, informative video! 🎥

We know that your dog, or any pet, can be a member of the family and a best friend; however, it is important to know that pets are not allowed on school property, even if they are on a leash. A number of children, and some adults, are not comfortable around all pets and may be allergic so for the health, safety and comfort of all of our visitors, they are not permitted in school buildings or on school district property. (Exceptions are made for service animals, animals under the control of public safety officers and for instructional purposes with prior approval from the district.) Thank you for your understanding of this policy.

New this year: A copy of your driver’s license must be included with all background check forms.

If you already submitted a form without a copy, please provide one to the AES office. You may bring in a copy or take a picture and email it to:

Robbin Carter: rcarter@otsegops.org

Terry Webber: twebber@otsegops.org

In accordance with Michigan’s statewide law taking effect for the 2026–2027 school year, all public school districts are required to maintain policies restricting student cell phone and personal electronic device use during instructional time to minimize distractions and promote engaged learning. At the elementary level, all personal electronic communication devices (including cell phones and smartwatches) must remain powered off and stored inside student backpacks/lockers throughout the school day. Exceptions are made for approved medical needs, IEP/504 accommodations, or district-owned instructional technology. We appreciate your support in helping our students stay focused, present, and ready to learn!

Sharp Shooters Basketball is for 5th - 8th grade girls. This is a competitive basketball program - advanced skills and prior experience recommended.

Practices will be held in the OPS gyms each week starting in October. Games will be held at the Byron Center Court House; 5th and 6th grade games will be on Saturdays and 7th and 8th grade games will be held on Sundays. Games will start the weekend of Oct. 31/Nov. 1 and run through Dec. 19/20. Register by September 30th!

https://www.otsegops.org/departments/communityed/youthsports

Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year! We are looking forward to another great year for the Bulldogs. With the start of the Fall 2026 sports season,

We will again offer 2026-2027 OPS home event passes/punch cards, which are good for regular-season home athletic events. We will also have student-only Wolverine Conference passes available.

Please see the attached flyers for additional details. You can use the direct links below to purchase your passes:

• Wolverine Conference Student Pass: (you must use your Student ID # as your passcode) - https://tinyurl.com/26-27WolverineConferencepass
• OPS Home Event Pass/Punch Card: - https://www.otsegops.org/athletics/tickets

Tickets may also be purchased at the gate using POS with a debit or credit card or online for each athletic event. Please note that cash will NOT be accepted at the gate.

Thank you for your continued support.

We are excited for another great year of Bulldog Athletics.

Go Dawgs!

Get your Wolverine Conference Student ONLY Pass today, good for all Otsego HOME games and all Wolverine Conference AWAY games (regular season). The first purchase window is now open and closes on September 16th. You will need your student ID number as a passcode to buy tickets.

https://www.otsegops.org/athletics/tickets - select Wolverine Conference Student pass.

If your child is absent and the absence is unexcused, you will receive an automated phone call reminding you to report the absence. Please remember to report your child’s absence, before 9am, by calling our attendance line at (269) 694-7680.

Email: nknight-lucas@otsegops.org
Website: https://alamo.otsegops.org/
Location: 8184 North 6th Street, Kalamazoo, MI, United States
Phone: (269) 694-7600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/415538888654020
Twitter: @otsegoschools