Welcome to West Elementary

March is National Nutrition Month, and it’s the perfect time to focus on healthy eating habits that support growing minds and active bodies! Balanced nutrition is essential for your child’s energy, focus, and overall well-being. 

Here are some tips and ideas to help your family make healthy choices this month and beyond.

Read-A-Thon | Launch Into a Universe of Stories!

Reading Minutes for K-5 Schools as of March 18!

1. Jefferson - 7,340 minutes 
2. HLA - 11,895
3. West - 7,805
4. Heights - 5,625

Keep up the great work - and keep reading!

This week Superintendent Nick Cassidy met with HPS staff members to share HPS' 5-year Facility Plan. This plan will:

• Ensure Every Student and Staff Member at HPS benefits from upgraded, 21st-century facilities
• Provide equitable access to programming
• Right-size our district to reduce operational costs
• Allow us to invest in our students, staff, and programs

During National School Breakfast Week HPS saw a 16.75% increase in the number of students eating breakfast!!

• Heights 27%
• High School 15%
• HLA 23%
• Jefferson 10%
• Middle School 13%
• VRTech 15%
• West 17%

A special thank-you to our Kitchen Leads: Stacey, Sandy, Julie, Lori, Heather, Melissa & Linda for making it all come together!

Keep up the good work and keep encouraging your students to start their day with a nutritious school breakfast! 

• Breakfast & Lunch is no-cost to all HPS students.

This week on the HPSPodcast, we're talking with Kayla Gearring and Rionna Garino about Inclusion Week and The Game.

Listen Now!

This week, we introduce you to the Power H Award Building Finalists:

• West: Joy Kooyer, Kamille Barajas, Sarah Groenheide
• HHS:Carl VanFaasen, Kristen Slotman, Jason Siersma
• District Support: Julie Mokma

Listen Now!

For the remainder of the academic calendar, if it is safe to do so, Superintendent Nick Cassidy will consider calling a 2-hour delay rather than a full snow day!  This will help ensure students are in school when it is safe for them to be and that we don't have to extend the school calendar beyond June 4.

The Michigan Art Education Region 9 Art Show will include:

• Charlie Kraus Girl Looking out the WIndow - drawing  (2nd grade | Mrs. Kuiper)
• Marian Reynolds Shmal Behind the Fence - drawing in (4th grade | Mrs. Chamness)
•  Vincent Vereeke Basketball - drawing (5th grade | Mrs. Witters)

The show runs February 10-26  at the downtown Grand Rapids Western Michigan University Campus -  200 Ionia Ave SW | Mon-Fri 8:30a-5:30p.

February is our Give Back Month for the Power H Shop. Instead of shopping this month you can: 

• drop of donations during the event (Thursday, February 6 at Maplewood) 
• drop them off at any school (there's a box in the office!)
• send them from our Amazon Wishlist.

Thursday, February 6, 5-7pm. 

Check out all the great opportunities available for students at Holland Middle School.  You’ll love it here!

• We will have academic information meetings in the cafeteria at 5:15pm and 6:15pm
• An interactive tour with stations around the school for families to visit and learn more about HMS
• See classrooms and meet teachers!

Any Holland families interested in attending HMS are invited. All HPS 5th-grade Parents and Students are encouraged to attend.