Dear EGRMS Families,

Our 3^rd Annual Regatta is scheduled for this Friday, September 20^th and the weather forecast is currently very favorable for a great day (high of 84 & sunny).  All necessary details have been reviewed with students during BRIDGES, however, an email with final reminders will go out Thursday afternoon to support a successful day.  We are deeply appreciative of all who have supported the PTO as they work to secure resources for enhancements to our programs.  The PTO has established a goal of 100% family participation and is two-thirds towards its overall of $37,500 ($24,500 raised to date).  Those wishing to support as an individual, family, or corporate sponsor can do so either by check or click here to donate online.   

Print a donation card here.   


Vaping Class Meetings
Last week Tuesday, all students had class meetings to discuss the dangers of vaping with local experts Dr. Shelley Schmidt and Dave Stults.  Parents are invited to a similar presentation this Wednesday, September 18^th starting at 6:00 p.m. at the HS PAC.  I would encourage every parent to discuss the dangers of vaping with their children.  Research indicates pro-active discussions with parents is one of the most effective deterrents to protect against unhealthy and risky youth behavior.
 
Thank you for supporting our school.  

Sincerely,
Anthony Morey
Principal

Shelly Schram
Assistant Principal

• Please consider sponsoring at any level, you may contact Stacey or Molly at Regattasponsors19@gmail.com.
• Please contact Kim at kbardeggia@icloud.com if you are interested in volunteering on Friday.
• Students are encouraged to bring their own life jacket if they will be rowing.

   

We aim to maximize instructional time each school day.  Ideally, students will come to school prepared with all the necessary materials, lunch money or sack lunches, and knowledge of plans for after school.  Each delivery to a student disrupts a class and often creates a late arrival to the next class period. 

We ask parents to keep such requests for a delivery to true family emergencies only.  Forgotten school work, technology, or musical instruments may be stressful to a student, but the small lessons of keeping these matters in perspective, namely that they do not require a special parent delivery, is what we strive for all students to understand.  As such, parent requests for deliveries will be handled consistent with the urgency of the situation and all non-emergency deliveries communicated to students at the end of the school day.

Please consider the following when dropping an item off in the main office:

• Label the item prior to arriving at the middle school.

• Place the item on the student Drop-Off table.

• Instruct your child to check the Drop-Off table throughout the day as students will not be called out of class.  Be in touch with your child using the same means of the original communication.

With the amazing array of talent on the faculty of our schools, it’s nearly impossible to single out individual teachers for the Foundation’s annual Excellence in Teaching awards and the James and Georgia Nicholas Endowed Award for Math, Science or Technology.

The purpose of the awards, which were presented at the all-staff Opening Day meeting, is to recognize and encourage superior professional effort, to improve instruction and to cultivate the continuance of educational excellence. 

This year, the selection was even more difficult, as we had a tie for the Excellence in Teaching award at the secondary level, with both Steven Brinks and Kevin Vance being honored. At the elementary level, Breton Downs teacher Bridget Rieth won the award. Michael Arthur was the winner of the Nicholas Award.

Congratulations to all these worthy recipients. Nominations for the awards are accepted throughout the year. Thank you to all our teachers for all you do for our students and our schools!

Students are issued “Way to Go” cards for demonstrating Respect, Responsibility or Personal Best by doing the right thing!  As students receive these cards, they are placed in the container located in the Main Office. Every Friday, names are drawn and announced during the afternoon announcements.  Each student selected, has the opportunity to pick a prize from the prize basket simply as a way to say “Thanks, we appreciate and recognize you!” 

Last week's winners include: 

Sadie Devlaeminck, 6th Grade

Josie Huver, 6th Grade

Carl Jefferson, 6th Grade

The Hearts of Gold committee is excited to announce the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan as our 2019 partner! The Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan leads the fight to overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy and to accelerate therapies to stop seizures, find cures, and save lives. Awareness activities and fundraising will kick off in September. The Hearts of Gold events will culminate on Friday, October 18, 2019 at the East Grand Rapids High School home varsity football game against Grand Rapids Christian. Hearts of Gold is an annual EGR community-wide effort to raise funds and awareness for a non-profit organization, focusing on the physical and mental health of children while teaching our kids about philanthropy. Since 2009, Hearts of Gold has raised $663,000 for non-profit organizations throughout the state. 2019 will be extra special as it marks our tenth anniversary! For additional information about Hearts of Gold, go to the Hearts of Gold website or find Hearts of Gold on Facebook by searching @egrheartsofgold.

We need your help! The Hearts of Gold Committee is looking for volunteers to help sell t-shirts and Dippin Dots at all lunches leading up the the Hearts of Gold Football Game on October 18th. This is one easy way to contribute to the success of the campaign and our community.  2019 Hearts of Gold T Shirt and ice cream sales - Middle School

• EGRMS Daily Announcements may be found here.
• For more upcoming events, please be sure to check with your child and reference the MS Calendar which may be found here.