Dear EGRMS Families,

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

Sincerely,
Jeff Dykhouse
Principal

COVID-19- Update 

To keep you informed and be as transparent as possible, the district developed two EGRPS COVID-19 summary tables that list weekly and cumulative positive cases.  The summaries can be found here.  These tables are updated weekly.  Please reach out to Jeff Dykhouse if you have any additional questions.

If your family travels outside of the State of Michigan, please consider the following guidelines from the Kent County Health Department: 
 

There are no current restrictions for students who travel domestically or internationally. However, it would be advisable that anyone travelling to areas of the United States or the world that have high rates of COVID-19 consider a 10-day quarantine upon return. Please use the link below for a map which is updated regularly to show COVID hotspots around the world. 
        • COVID Risk Levels Dashboard, Brown School of Public Health

Clarification & Reminder: 2020-2021 Snow Day Procedures

EGRPS will continue with the same snow day procedures as we have in the past which are listed below.  These procedures apply to both our in-person and virtual students.

• If the district makes the decision to call a snow day, our district will make every effort to communicate this information by 6:00 a.m.  Parents will receive a district alert through email, phone, and/or text message. If you have not signed up for District alerts, please follow these instructions through Skylert Emergency Information System.

• If a snow day is called, schools will be closed and no virtual instruction will occur.  Students are encouraged to spend some time during the day reading.  

• If school is closed, normally elementary after school activities are cancelled as well. (MS & HS will be notified if after school activities may occur, weather depending.)

Please reach out to Mr. Dykhouse if you have any questions regarding these snow day procedures.

The middle school yearbook staff is hosting a drive for your photos!
Our goal is to feature all EGRMS students this year.  This is your chance to be in the yearbook! 

Between now and February 14, send your favorite pictures from the 2020-2021 school year to msyearbook@egrps.org for a chance to see yourself in this year’s book.  There will be individual drawings for king-size candy bars.  Check out the flyers around the school to see how to send in your pictures! We can accept .jpg, .jpeg, or .HEIC files. No screenshots will be accepted as they are too small.  

Please see Mrs. D. Smith about any questions you may have.

A few things to remember for lunch:

• To limit the traffic in and out of the main office, we kindly ask families NOT to arrange delivery of Jimmy John's or similar fast food meals.  Lunch may be dropped off by a parent/guardian if a student forgets to bring a lunch.
• Previously ordered sack lunches are available while traditional hot lunch service is NOT available.  Please use this link to order both food & milk: online form 
• Students may request a lunch available for pick up on days not present for in-person learning.  Please use the online order form included above and make arrangements for pick up with Erin Nausieda via email: enausieda@egrps.org.
• Microwaves are currently NOT available for student use.
• Please view the announcement from the Department of Agriculture concerning EGRPS food service here.

Students are encouraged to bring water bottles as the office is not able to provide cups to students.   Drinking fountains are NOT accessible due to COVID protocol, however, the water bottle filling station is available for student use as it is a touch free system.  

Mask Update

Please encourage your student to be mindful of bringing a mask to school each day.  As we get further into the year, more and more students are forgetting and stopping by the office to request a new mask.  While we understand masks break, it is the expectation that each family will regularly provide masks for their children. 

Parents/guardians must conduct a daily health screener on each of their children prior to them attending school or a school-related event. The student screener is a simple checklist helping parents screen their child for COVID-19 symptoms and close contact. The form (which may be found here) also provides direction for next steps if symptoms or close contact concerns exist.

Thank you for keeping our school a safe place!

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!” 
 

This week's winners are: 
 
Rylee Anderson, 6th Grade
Chen Dodge, 6th Grade
Thomas Fisher, 6th Grade

EGRMS PTO is seeking nominations and submissions of interest for PTO Board 2021 - 2022 positions. There are seven board positions, four of which need to be filled annually:

Past President- advisory member
President- filled by VP
Vice President- Open (3 year commitment)
Treasurer- filled by Assistant Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer- Open (2 year commitment)
Recording Secretary- Open 
Corresponding Secretary- Open

Generally speaking, the time commitment required for EGRMS PTO is far less than what is required in Elementary.  EGRMS Executive Board meets once per month in August-May.  There are five General PTO Meetings each school year.  EGRMS supports one fundraiser and oversees just a few events in a normal year. Job descriptions are available to anyone interested in exploring the opportunity to become involved.  

Layla Kuhl, President: Laylakuhl@gmail.com
Beth Chappus, Vice President: bchappus@yahoo.com
Kim Bardeggia, Past President: kbardeggia@icloud.com

Our most recent general meeting minutes can be found here. 

• Please click here for information related to Yule Ball 2021.

2021-2022 Intent-to-Enroll Information
If you intend to enroll a kindergartener for the Fall 2021/2022 school year, as of January 29, 2021, you can click here for more information. Please complete the required documentation outlined on the website on or before March 2, 2021. Thank you!

Do you love your children’s teachers and want to reward them in a meaningful way this Valentine’s Day? Consider giving them Star Awards from the Foundation. Star Awards honor outstanding teachers for going above and beyond for our students. For a $20 donation to the Foundation, we’ll produce a Star Award for your favorite teacher and either present it to the teacher or give it to you to present it yourself. Best of all, your donation will go toward funding enhancement grants that enable our teachers to offer our kids educational opportunities that are second to none. To honor a teacher quickly and easily, visit the Star awards page on our website. You can also nominate teachers for the Foundation’s annual Excellence in Teaching Awards. Nominations are due by May 1st.

• 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.