Dear EGRMS Families,

Please click on the East logo for this week's personal video message from Mr. Dykhouse.

If you are unable to view the video, please see the slides posted HERE. 

Sincerely,
Jeff Dykhouse
Principal
Twitter: @EGRMSPrincipal

Please review a letter regarding fall testing, which begins this week, here.

Katie McIntosh
Assistant Principal

EGRHS Tutoring Club for EGRMS
Every Tuesday we will be offering free tutoring sessions at 3 p.m. for middle schoolers needing additional assistance in any subject. Our first session will be tomorrow, September 20th, in the High School Learning Commons.  Information regarding this opportunity may be found here.

• Please note, filling out the form is required every week to participate in the sessions. 
• Please use this link to sign up.

Current COVID-19 Guidance

If your child tests positive for COVID-19, 5 days of isolation is recommended. Individuals may return any time during days 6-10 if their symptoms are largely resolved and fever-free without the use of medication. It is also recommended that a mask be worn on days 6-10. Each school is required to report all communicable diseases to the Kent County Health Department (KCHD). If your child tests positive for COVID-19, please notify your building administrator. Thank you for helping keep everyone safe! 

Dear EGRPS Families,

With the expiration of the COVID “free lunch for all students” program, every family is encouraged to submit a free or reduced lunch application.  It has been reported by some families that the online application (http://egrps.mealapp.org) has not worked for certain birthdates.  The software vendor has acknowledged this problem and is working on a solution.  

Due to the uncertainty of how long a resolution will take, and the importance to families and the District that all eligible families complete an application, the attached paper application is being distributed.  Please consider completing this application and returning it in an envelope to your building secretary.

By completing this application, you are ensuring your family has access to all potential benefits available under a variety of state and federal programs, including the EGRPS Opportunity Grant program. In addition to individual benefits, many important school programs receive funding based on the number of students who qualify for free or reduced school lunch. Examples include elementary reading support, county special education funding, and various mental health and wellness programs. 

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact one of the following individuals:

1. Assistance with the attached application.
Contact: Your building principal or secretary who can identify the best support person for you.

2. Questions about a previously submitted online application or the attached application.
Contact: Steve Slabbekoorn at 616-819-1662 or slabbekoorns@grps.org

3. Questions about the EGRPS Opportunity Grant program.
Contact: Heather Krajewski, Grant Coordinator, at 616-752-7166 or grants@egrps.org

4. General questions about the food service program.
Contact: Carol Hoeksema, Head Cook, at choeksem@egrps.org

5. Questions about how state and federal funding relates to this application.
Contact: Anthony Morey, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations, at 616-235-3535 or amorey@egrps.org

Our Homecoming Parade will take place on Friday, October 7, 2022, beginning at 4:30 p.m. We would like to welcome all our groups who are interested to participate. Your group will need to be chaperoned along the route. All parade participants should gather on Beechwood at 3:45 p.m. Please RSVP to Heather McKinney (hmckinne@egrps.org) by Friday, September 23, 2022.

We invite you to visit Western Michigan University at the Confluence Festival in Grand Rapids on Saturday, September 24! Confluence is a free, public, and family-friendly multi-dimensional ideas festival that explores what’s possible when art, music, science and tech converge. 
 

Explore the Maker Expo from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. near Studio Park, along Oakes Street. A diverse showcase of enthusiasts, crafters, hobbyists, engineers and artists who create amazing things in celebration of the DIY spirit, the Maker Expo is equal parts science fair and tech meet-up. As presenting sponsor, the AMP Lab @ WMU will host a booth demonstrating robotics, STEM activities, and other ways to bring ideas to life for a range of age groups. Stop by our WMU booth to say hello!  
 

In addition to the Maker Expo, we also invite you to visit WMU Grand Rapids at 200 Ionia Avenue – one block away from the festival – for a Robotics Expo from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Take a tour of the AMP Lab and enjoy entertainment as the best middle and high school robotics teams from across the region show off their work! 

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!” 
 

Our winners this week are:
Amelia Fowler, 6th Grade
Will Wise, 7th Grade
Ace Bohlinger, 8th Grade
Rylee Anderson, 8th Grade

Over the next two months, students will be focusing on developing the social emotional competency of self-awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to notice and describe our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Being able to notice these internal experiences can help us better manage strong emotions and choose helpful behaviors.
 
This week, students will be learning about the following topic:  Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the skill of focusing attention on the present moment, and a key aspect of being mindful is noticing without judgment. We can all be quick to judge experiences as good, bad, fun, boring, etc., so students will work to cultivate their ability to just notice and describe an experience without labeling or judging it. Paying attention to an experience as it is, without judgment, can help us get more out of it and keep negative emotions in check.

Try this activity with your student at home!

Play music for your student from your childhood (or from your parents’ childhood) that they may not have heard before; encourage them to describe it without judgment (e.g. the music is fast tempo, I hear the piano, etc. NOT this music is bad, annoying, etc. which are opinions/interpretations) Switch roles! Encourage them to play music for you that they enjoy and that you have not heard. Then, describe the music without judgment, only facts. 

WE NEED REGATTA VOLUNTEERS!

We are short volunteers for Friday’s regatta! Please signing up here to participate in this exciting day! You do not need to be available for all grades or all day. 

Regatta is FRIDAY!

REGATTA, will take place this Friday, September 23 at John Collins Park. 

If you missed the donation deadline, please do so ASAP! Detailed information about Regatta and the sponsorship levels can be found by clicking here for the Regatta Donation Card. Payment can be made online via Schoolpay, please click on the Regatta donation link:  https://schoolpay.com/pay/for/EGRMS-Regatta/SejRUwY, or checks made payable to "EGRMS PTO" with "REGATTA" in the memo. 

EGRMS PTO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, your donation is tax deductible.


Lounge Snacks
Each week we'd like to show our appreciation to the teachers and staff at the Middle School by bringing in snacks/drinks to the teachers lounge. Below you'll find the sign-up with details on when/how to drop off your items. Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Sommer Dockery @ 773.329.1734. Thank you so much for your continued generosity and support!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044EAFA82BA2FF2-egrms2

Information related to middle school sports may be found by visiting the eastgr.org website and selecting the Parks & Recreation icon.

Thank You, Teachers!

Members of the East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation’s Board of Directors delivered snacks and drinks to all our schools to thank our teachers for getting the year off to such a great start! The treats were a small token of how much we all appreciate the incredible work our teachers do for our students every day. We’re so proud to live in a community that values education and has such remarkable schools and teachers. Thank you, Foundation donors, for making this possible!

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