Kentwood Public Schools

www.kentwoodps.org

April 2015

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Excellence and Equity in Education 5820 Eastern Avenue SE, Kentwood, MI 49508 Phone: 616 455-4400 Fax: 616 455-4476

Remember when dad going to school stirred negative thoughts and emotions. All too often, a father’s pres-ence implied trouble occurring or disciplinary action. At Kentwood Middle Schools over 550 dads and role models joined their children at school for a very differ-ent reason. Celebration and inspiration was at the heart of the “Fathers Bring Your Child to School” breakfast.

Over 550 dads and positive male role-models attended the program with their

middle school students. After sharing breakfast together, guest speakers at each school shared personal stories about the posi-tive impact of male role models in the lives of children.

Reggie Jordan, a former NBA player, shared about traveling as a player and the impact this had on his family. Focused on providing for his family ‘like a fa-ther is supposed to do,’ Reggie’s outlook changed however, when his son experienced trouble at home.

When Reggie made a phone call intending to set his son straight, it was he who received

a wakeup call. Learning of the problems, Reggie called home to set his son straight. But his son’s statement was the wake-up call: “Why do you care? You’re never around.”

Reggie pointed out that when he had been home, he often was not spending the time with his family. As a result, he realized it wasn’t the money that they need-ed, it was his time and presence. He had to change.

As a result, when he was home, he changed his priorities to spending time with his wife and children. He reminded the listening audience that spending quality time in a child’s life is time well-spent. “Strong schools create strong communities. Positive role models, both fathers and mothers, are critical to a child’s

success in school.” -Superintendent Michael Zoerhoff The annual breakfast gathering originally began in the Kent-wood elementary schools. However, word of the event’s impact quickly spread across the district.

“It was a great morning in Kentwood!” Superintendent Michael Zoerhoff said. “Aaron Bailey (Behavior Specialist at Pine-wood), Lawrence Young (Paraprofessional at Challenger), and all the staff involved deserve thanks for coordinating the event and proposing that we bring this successful program to the middle schools.”

Positive Relationships and Commitment Lead to Student Success Kentwood Students Continue to ExcelKentwood Students Continue to ExcelKentwood Students Continue to Excel

Red Storm Celebrates Success EK Robotics Team Earns Accolades

Congratulations to the East Kentwood Red Storm Robotics team on a good showing at the Full Lake FIRST Robotics competition! Their commitment earned them captainship of the third

alliance, 4th place ranking after the qualification matches, and the Entrepreneurship Award.

Because of their showings in recent tournaments, the EK Team is currently ranked 29th and may qualify for the State Championships! Go Falcons!

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Odyssey Of The Mind

Congratulations to the Odyssey of the Mind teams from Challenger and Discovery. Challenger sent two teams who took second place in their divi-sion and will continue on to the State competition.

They also received the prestigious OMER Award for their attitude and per-severance. Discovery sent four teams and they all did outstand-ing. The Silent Movie Crew “blew it out of the park” with their long term problem!

Discovery PEAKS Students visit Spectrum Health

Discovery’s 4th grade PEAKS class visited Spectrum Health Innova-tions, a local “think tank” associated with the Spec-trum Health organization. The class was lead through a simulation of a creative problem solving process designed to imagine new and innovative ideas for biotechnology.

Greater Grand Rapids Regional

Spelling Bee There could not have been two better ambassadors of Kentwood at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum for the Greater GR Regional Spelling Bee. Lawrence (Larry) Goto, eight grader at Pinewood and Aditiya Farud, fourth grader at Discovery, competed admirably against

20 other competitors. Aditiya was one of only four contest-ants in 4th grade to have earned his place at this level of the competition. Parents commented on Larry’s courtesy and helpfulness to those who he was competing against.

Larry Goto, Eric Closson, and Aditiya Garud

Jump Rope For Heart During the Month of February, Kent-wood elementary students participat-ed in the annual Jump Rope for Heart Fundraiser to benefit the Amer-ican Heart Association.

This year, elementary students raised $17,866. To date, Kentwood students have raised over a quarter of a million dollars to fight the battle against heart disease. On Saturday, February 21, under the direction of the elementary Physical Education staff, approximately 400 students and parents gave their time to jump rope for two hours to support this cause. We also thank our community for their support!!

National Engineer’s Week at Southwood Southwood’s fourth grade students celebrated National Engineer’s Week using math, science, and creativity to solve engineering problems.

Endeavor’s ARCH is Awarded a Grant Endeavor’s ARCH program was awarded a $1,000 grant and the school as a whole was given thou-sands of dollars in supplies from the great people at Office Depot / Office Max as part of their “A Day Made Better” campaign. A recep-tion was held and among the dis-tinguished guests were Kentwood Mayor Kepley, an Office Depot executive who flew in from Florida, local store managers, and twenty of Endeavor’s ARCH students.

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March is

Reading Month

Superintendent Michael Zoerhoff shared his love of reading with several elementary buildings.

Discovery … State Senator Tonya Schuitmaker came to Discovery to read to first and second graders.

Endeavor … Students at Endeavor had a special guest Kevin Kammeraad, a local author. He met with each grade level and shared his poems, songs, and how he comes up with ideas for the work he creates. Students also participated in dress up days, and a Beatnik Café. Each child received a READ back-pack and could be stopped by the Poetry Patrol and asked to read a poem or book of their choice, kept inside the backpack.

Dr. Sawyer’s famous EK Jazz Band kicked off the Celebration of Reading at Endeavor.

Executive Director for Human Resources Donald Dahlquist visited Townline, Challenger, and Bowen to read his favorite story to various classrooms.

Mimi Madden, Board of Ed President, read to 2nd graders at Endeavor.

Townline … Over 150 students, staff, and parents participated in Townline’s “Parents and Pastries” event. Each student received a new book; then they shared donuts.

Southwood ... had the privilege of hosting a wonderful local children’s author and illustrator, Ruth McNally Barshaw for three engaging student workshops.

Reading is

FUNdamental!!

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to the EK Red Storm

Robotics team on the good showing at the Gull Lake FIRST Robotics competition. They ranked 4th after the qualifying matches, they were the captain of the third alli-cance, and they earned the Entrepreneurship Award. The EK team is currently ranked 29th and is in a good position to qualify for the State Championships.

Learning Leadership Through Volunteering

For East Kentwood High School seniors, community service is more that just com-pleting a class as-signment. Students in Melissa Trombley’s and Joe Pellerito’s leadership courses learned innovative thinking, service learning, teamwork leadership, and presentation skills.

Students volunteered at the Veterans Home, the Kentwood Fire Station, In the Image, Mel Trotter Ministries, Oak Crest Community Retirement Home, Kids’ Food Basket, Focus Kal-amazoo, and the GR Child Discovery Center Charter School. Several students were so impacted by this experience that they continued volunteering even after the assignment was completed.

The girls donated stuffed animals for firefighters to give to children.

16th Annual Latino Youth Conference On March 3, eighth grade students and their school counse-lors from Crestwood, Pinewood, and Valleywood, attended the 16th Annual Latino Youth Conference hosted by Grand Rapids Community College. The Conference brought togeth-er Latino youth and the community in a joint effort to encour-age academic success and higher education.

Leadership Students Present in Detroit Leadership teacher Melissa Trombley and six of her students presented to 50+ administrators, superintendents, and teach-ers from multiple school districts at a conference in Detroit. The students answered questions about Capturing Kids’ Hearts and the leadership skills that are grown in the students. Each student dressed professionally and spoke about the wel-coming and empowering culture embraced in Kent-wood. The audience continued to reference KPS and the students throughout their final day of Professional Development. One of the best affirmations was when the facilitator turned to one of the students and said, “If you were older, I’d hire you right now!”

Students: Ciara Brown, Kessia Graves, Ange Iradukunda, Annika Otzipitz, Kiana (Justice) Spencer, and Alex Thames. Teacher Melissa Trombley

Challenger’s Student Council Clothing Drive

Challenger’s Stu-dent Council has been focusing on different ways to help people. In February, they held a clothing drive to help those in need. Gently

used clothing was collected to give to organizations that help others. The Student Council researched three organizations in the Grand Rapids area and chose the Salvation Army. Challenger collected 2,742 pieces of clothing to donate.

GR Makers Donated Tools to Elementary Schools

GR Makers, a local MakerSpace, donat-ed six buckets full of tools that were shared with several elementary schools. Southwood, Bowen, Challenger, Dis-covery, and Brookwood each received a bucket full of tools to be used by stu-dents. Students used these tools to take apart computers as they studied com-puters, the brain, and electricity.

Casey DuBois donated the tools.

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2015 Kentwood Sports Camps - Register By Grade In Fall 2015

Boys Basketball Sec # When Place Grade Time Cost 100 June 8 – 11 EKHS West Wing Gym 3, 4, 5 2:15 pm – 4:00 pm $55 101 June 8 – 11 EKHS Field House 6, 7, 8 2:15 pm – 4:00 pm $55

Girls Basketball 200 June 8, 9, 15, 16 EKHS Field House 3, 4, 5, 6 10:30 am – 12:00 pm $30 201 June 8, 9, 15, 16 EKHS Field House 7th thru 12th 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm $30

Bowling 1100 June 16, 17, 18 Room 99 of 10-12 Building 9th and 10th 9:00 am – 12:00 pm $20

Football 300 June 13 - 14 Falcon Stadium 3rd thru 8th 9:00 am – 3:00 pm $20

Register before June 3 and receive a t-shirt.

Golf Learn about and improve your Golf game by working with Scott Dowling in the Grand Rapids Golf Academy at the Pine Golf Course.

For more information, call 616-538-8380 or e-mail pinesgolfcourse@gmail.com

Gymnastics - Tumbling 400 June 15 - 18 EKFC Aux. Gym K, 1, 2 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm $30 401 June 15 - 18 EKFC Aux. Gym 3, 4, 5 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm $30 402 June 15 - 18 EKFC Aux. Gym 6, 7, 8 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm $30

Pole Vaulting 500 July 14 Falcon Stadium 7th thru 12th 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm July 15 Falcon Stadium 7th thru 12th 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Cost: $55.00 for Kentwood students, $120.00 for non-Kentwood students, this is a two day camp.

Co-ed Soccer 600 June 8 - 11 Pat Patterson Field K thru 5th 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm $65 601 July 27 - 30 Pat Patterson Field 6th thru 12th 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm $70

Co-ed Tennis 701 June 15 - 25 (Mon. - Thur.) EKHS Tennis Courts Intermediate - Advanced 7th thru 12th 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm $60

Co-ed Track 800 July 23 - 25 Falcon Stadium 3rd thru 8th 9:00 am – 12:00 pm $30

Volleyball 900 June 8 - 11 EKHS West Wing Gym 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 8:30 am - 10:00 am $55 901 June 8 - 11 EKHS West Wing Gym 8, 9 10:15 am - 12:15 pm $55

Wrestling 1000 June 8 – July 30 (M-Thur.) EKHS Wrestling Room - 1000 Rep Club 6th thru 12th 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm $55

** Will not meet June 29 – July 2.

CAMPS WILL BE CANCELED IF THERE IS A TORNADO WATCH/WARNING DURING CAMP TIME

2015 East Kentwood Sports Camp Registration Form CASH, MONEY ORDER, OR CREDIT CARD ONLY – NO CHECKS ACCEPTED

Camper’s Name____________________________________________________________________________Grade (Next Fall 2015)_________

Address____________________________________________________City_________________________________________Zip____________

MALE or FEMALE___ ______ Home Phone__________________ _ _ Parent’s Work Phone____________________ __

e-mail

Please request camp by section number listed beside each specific camp. Fees are payable in the East Kentwood High School Athletic Department, 6230 Kalamazoo Avenue, SE, Kentwood, Michigan, 49508.

Camp#/Sport____________________________________________Camp#/Sport__________________________________________________

I hereby voluntarily release and hold harmless Kentwood Public Schools from all liability for all types of damages or injuries, whether foreseeable or not, sus-tained by myself, my child and other family members while participating, watching/traveling to or from this activity.

Parent or Guardian Signature_______________________________________________________Date_____________________

School Bus Drivers Needed Kentwood Schools is hiring part time, substitute bus drivers. Flexible hours, good pay, and summers off. Must be 21 years of age, have a good driving record, and be able to satisfy State mandates for bus drivers. Necessary training for the CDL licenses is paid for by Kentwood Schools. Apply at Kentwoodps.org.

EK Soccer Players

Excel in Futsal Eleven EK Soccer players represented EKHS in the US Futsal finals in Kansas City.

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Why a Nursing Home May Not be the Only Option for Mom or Dad

In-home care can meet needs while maintaining independence

It’s a common scenario, mom has a fall and suddenly the adult children are researching nursing home placements. The family doctor says dad needs 24 hour supervision so they start getting ready to move. During a friendly visit the adult grandkids see that grandma is a little more forgetful so they start touring different facilities. While the intentions are well meaning, they may be unnecessary as many older adults can live in their own home, with some help. In-home care can help prolong independence or prevent a nursing home placement while also allowing mom or dad to remain at home; a choice most prefer. In-home care provides different services that are necessary to help an individual re-main independent. This may include homemaking, medica-tion management, home delivered meals, bathing assistance, laundry, grocery shopping, and more. The benefits of in-home care are not just to those receiving assistance, but also to family caregivers. The support from an agency with daily, or weekly tasks can reduce stress on the caregiver and allow them to take some much needed time for themselves. In fact, in many cases in-home respite may also be an option to allow the caregiver a break. This may enable them to return to the role of daughter, son, or spouse as op-posed to that of caregiver. Some people believe that just because they have a limited income, they can’t benefit from in-home care, but Area Agen-cy on Aging of Western Michigan (AAAWM) may be able to help. AAAWM has programs available to individuals with low incomes as well as a program to help those with resources explore available options. “We have a number of programs that can help make in-home care a reality,” says Suzanne Filby-Clark, Care Management Services Director at Area Agency on Aging of Western Michi-gan. “All someone has to do is contact our Information and Assistance staff to discuss different options and to see if they qualify for our programs.” After determining program eligibility, AAAWM provides an in-home assessment and assigns each participant a Registered Nurse and Social Worker. During the assessment, recommen-dations for care will be made, based on the participant’s indi-vidual needs. Once the recommendations have been made, services will be scheduled. The Nurse and Social Worker will remain assigned to the participant and will review information and connect with them regularly to make sure everything is going well. For more information on in-home care programs provided by AAAWM, including program eligibility for older adults and adults with a disability, contact (616) 456-5664, visit www.aaawm.org, or join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AreaAgencyOnAging

Rotary Students of the MonthRotary Students of the Month Tristen Frey - I hope to serve as an officer in the Army and then as a police officer. I have been involved in Track and Field, am an All-American hurdler, and a manager at a Subway store. I am a KIDS track coach and play guitar and a little bit of piano. I feel that to be a good leader you must be a good team mem-ber. I moved from North Car-olina to join my adopted fam-ily two years ago.

Linh-Nhu Hoang - I plan to study business and psy-chology and pursue a future as a counseling psycholo-gist. I gained leadership skills while participating in a youth group at my parish. There, I communicated with my peers, as well as younger and older generations, and I am a mem-ber of the National Honor Society.

Sommer Parks - I discovered a love of fashion in my freshman year. My goal is to work in a clothing store and attend Kalamazoo Community College. I hope to move to California and be involved in the fashion industry. I am part of the Literacy for Life and volunteer at a nursing home. I am a good leader because I am self-aware. This allows me to know when to listen and when to lead.

Mykiala Beeler - I plan to attend college and double ma-jor in neuroscience and psychology. I also plan to take pre-med classes so that I can eventually become a neurosur-geon. I have a part time job at Denny’s which has taught me how to better communicate and how to be part of a cohesive team. I am a good leader because I do what needs to be

done and I do what I can to make everyone feel welcome. Because I have a disability, I am driven to excel in school and in life.

Earnest Willoughby - I plan to study to be a pediatrician and to be an Olympian. The later is a bit unrealistic so I am pur-

suing my love of helping others. I am very involved in sports and church. I spend a lot of time training during track season. My confidence and ability to take constructive criticism make me a great leader.

Ben Nguyen - I aspire to study neuroscience or psychol-ogy which I hope will help to make me a “thinker” - a person beyond worksheets and quizzes. I’ve been involved in plays and musicals and I am a member of the National Honor Art Society and Varsity Voices.

Dau’je Brazil - I am a senior at Crossroads. I plan to at-tend GRCC and then transfer to a university out of state. I’d like to attend a nursing school to become a registered nurse. I have volunteered with my great grandmother delivering meals to the elderly. It was a great experience.

Kentwood Community Education

Crossroads Alternative High School 28—60th Street, Grand Rapids 261-6166

Principal: Rick Hatfield

Early Childhood and School Age Child Care 3303 Breton Road SE, Kentwood 49512 (616) 493-5693 Director: Lori Eaton

Enrolling Now for Preschool 2015-2016 School Year Early Childhood Program Office, 3303 Breton Road, (Hamilton Elementary, Door A).

Open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m., on a first come first serve basis. Phone 616-493-5693

Tuition Based - Preschool Preschool programs are available for three and four year olds. The pre-school programs will be available at Endeavor, Explorer and Hamilton. A $150.00 NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT (applied to tuition) is required at the time of registration. An activity fee of $50.00 is also due. 3 year old program – children must be three years old on or before Septem-ber 1, 2015. Children must be fully potty trained. 4-year old program – children must be four years old on/before Sept 1, 15. 3’s (2 day) - $675.00 4’s (3 day) - $975.00 4’s (4 day) $1275.00

FREE - Preschool Readiness Program Run by the Kent Intermediate School District

FREE Preschool programs are available for four year olds only. Call 616-447-2409 for more information.

Children must be four years old on or before September 1, 2015

This program is available FREE to qualifying residents. It is available to 4 year old children who meet certain finan-cial and/or other eligibility criteria.

Crossroads Arch students have been working on producing their 2nd Hip Hop and R&B album with March Forth Productions. This is an amazing op-portunity for our students to show their artist and creative abilities. Also, the students have been working very hard on their basketball skills with the weekly training from UTSIncSports with Marcus Lancaster. Pictured to the left are a few of our students displaying their “hooping” skills. ARCH students took a visit to the Grand Rapids Museum to take-in the Pirates exhibit. History came to life through these amazing historical artifacts. Thank you to Ms. Monica Petriuc and Ms. Alex Bowers for these ARCH experiences.

Students at Crossroads Alternative High School had the honor of attending and showing off some work at the Kentwood Multicultural Event. Students attended the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology in Grand Rapids, where they created some amazing prints that honored many African Americans. Some of the people honored at this “Black History Month” celebration were: Jackie Robinson, Eartha Kitt, Ella Baker, Jack Johnson, Maya Angelou, Lewis Howard Latimer, Doris Miller and Ruby Bridges. Cross-roads students pictured are: Brakezia Sylvester-Bell, Jimel Davis and Jehron Chaney. A special “Thank You” to Mrs. Deb O’Brien for overseeing the WMCAT opportunity and Ms. Carletta Love for assisting at this event. Thank you to all who participated in this event! Your work was amazing!

Kentwood Board of Education KENTWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

5820 EASTERN AVENUE SE KENTWOOD, MI 49508

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID GRAND RAPIDS, MI

PERMIT NO.278

Excellence in all that we do is at the heart of Kentwood Public Schools. From good facility stewardship to educating students in a safe environment, the district is committed to being a responsible community partner. To support this mission, the Board of Education is asking the Kentwood community to consider two proposals on Tuesday, May 5, 2015: The Bond Issue and Building & Site Sinking Fund.

Because of the District’s fiscal responsibility, the proposals being requested DO NOT increase taxes.

Both proposals are based on months of preparation and research, including an independent facility analysis, surveys, community forums and updates to the District’s five year strategic plan. The proposals focus on three important areas: Technology and Global Competitiveness, Safety and Accountability, and Building Upgrades that Ensure Good Stewardship of our Facilities. 1. Technology and Global Competitiveness 2. Safety and Accountability 3. Stewardship of our Facilities with Building Upgrades To be competitive in today’s world, access to technology is essential. These proposals allow the district to implement a long term technology plan and offer students and staff the tools needed to succeed in a global society. KPS is committed to excellence regarding safety and securi-ty. The district is committed to enhancing safety systems, including remodeled, secure school entryways, pedestrian and vehicle traffic improvements, and updated building-wide communications systems.

Good stewardship means staying current rather than just building new. These proposals provide the resources needed to purchase structural and mechanical components vital to the efficiency and longevity of current school facilities.

Our partnership with the community means that these improvements will continue to foster safe and secure

learning environments for years to come. In addition, doors, windows, boilers, plumbing equipment, all need attention over time. Outdated building finishes must be refreshed with new carpet, ceilings and other interior improve-ments. “We continuously seek to be to good stewards. Part of that commitment is responding to the basic, but critical needs of the school system.” - Supt. Michael Zoerhoff

“If approved, the pro-posal will provide the Dis-trict with $64,860,000 to be spent gradually over the next eight years. We continuously seek to be to good stewards. Part of that commitment is re-sponding to the basic, but critical needs of the school system.”

- Superintendent Mike Zoerhoff For an overview of the bond proposal, please visit the district web site at kentwoodps.org. If you have further questions, contact Michael Zoerhoff, Superintendent, at (616) 455-4400 or by e-mail at michael.zoerhoff@kentwoodps.org

Responding to the Basic, but Critical Needs Bond Issue and Building & Site Sinking FundBond Issue and Building & Site Sinking FundBond Issue and Building & Site Sinking Fund

Information forums open to the public will be held: * Tuesday, April 14, 7:00 p.m. at the Administration Office Board Room * Wednesday, April 22, 6:00 p.m. at the East Kentwood High School Cafeteria * Thursday, April 30, 9:00 a.m. at the Administration Office Board Room

Building specific project listings and renderings will be displayed at each school and online at kentwoodps.org