Principal's Message 

February 13, 2023

Dear Wealthy Elementary Families,

Last week our school community was thrilled to go under the sea with this year’s PTO musical, The Little Mermaid, Jr.! It was truly wonderful to see 225 of our students shine in so many different ways. The cast, crew, lights, and sound are all composed of or managed by third, fourth, and fifth grade students. Even our first and second graders had the chance to be a part of the show as jellyfish, sailors, and more. To view the first grade video stars performance, please click here. I am grateful to our PTO for their sponsorship of this incredible opportunity each year. Congrats to the cast and crew of this year’s show!

A huge thank you goes to Mrs. Siegel for directing our musical! Her passion for our school and love of children is evident in all the work she does. Thank you, also, to the many parents, staff, and volunteers who participated by helping with the set, costumes, props, playbill, publicity, microphones, decorations, photography, cast party, and so much more. I am thankful for how the school musical brings our community together and provides valuable opportunities for students. 

To view our Flickr album for the The Little Mermaid, Jr., which will continue to be updated, please click here. If you have additional pictures, please share them with us by sending photos to wizardyearbookpics@gmail.com. (Subject: “Little Mermaid, Jr.” and Message: leave blank).   

Conference Scheduling
As we look forward to spring, it is, once again, time to schedule conferences. Conferences will take place on Thursday, March 9 and Tuesday, March 14.  Information on conference scheduling was sent earlier this morning.  

Valentine’s Day Reminder
Tomorrow classes will hold Valentine’s Day activities. To remain consistent with our policy regarding food in the classroom, we strongly recommend non-food based treats be considered if your child chooses to give valentines to his or her classmates. If Valentines are sent that include candy or pre-packaged treats, those items will be placed in backpacks to be enjoyed at home. Please refer to the Parent Handbook, linked here, for additional information regarding food in the classroom and thank you for helping keep all students safe.

Code Red Drill
Consistent with our commitment to communicate and to serve the best interest of our students, I am writing to provide you with information regarding a very important safety drill that will be conducted this Thursday, February 16.  Wealthy Elementary School will have a Full Sheltering/Lockdown drill in cooperation with East Grand Rapids Public Safety. This drill is conducted at least three times annually in compliance with legislation adopted in 2006 (as amended by Public Act 12 of 2014).  This will be our third Code Red drill of this year. 

During this drill, teachers and school staff implement procedures designed to maximize student safety in the unlikely event that a threatening situation were to unfold in or near our school.  These procedures have been designed in collaboration with the East Grand Rapids Public Safety Department and a public safety officer will be present during our drill to observe and provide feedback about performance.  The public safety department will not practice their response procedures during our drill.  The most noticeable components to these procedures that your child will experience are hearing the term “Code Red” as a signal to take shelter, statements they might hear over the Public Address system if a real danger were present, the verification that doors are locked and closed, lights being turned off, and the repositioning of students within each classroom to maximize safety. 

In preparation for this drill, your child’s classroom teacher will have an age-appropriate class discussion about the drill and about appropriate student behavior and responses during the drill. Teachers emphasize that this drill is just practice for a highly unlikely situation with the goal of avoiding or reducing student anxiety during the drill.  Since each grade level is unique regarding what depth of information or what types of student questions are age-appropriate, teachers moderate these discussions carefully and may direct students to talk with parents about those questions deemed by the teacher to be best addressed by parents.  While these classroom conversations and the remarks over the Public Address system prior to the drill have been adequate at creating an anxiety-free experience for the vast majority of students in the past, please feel free to talk with your child to help them make meaning of why such a drill is necessary and to understand its importance.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this safety drill, please do not hesitate to contact me or the classroom teacher.

Yule Ball- February 25 for students in grades 3-8
Calling all witches and wizards in grades 3-8: The 10th annual EGRPS Interscholastic Yule Ball is coming up on Saturday, February 25. Festivities will run from 6:00-9:00 pm at EGR High School. Look forward to a magical night of Harry Potter fun including returning favorites and new surprises. Please register your EGRPS students in grades 3-8 here: Yule Ball 2023 Registration.  All students must be registered to attend the Yule Ball and unfortunately, we cannot accommodate walk-ins. Registration will be open from February 6-20.  Students are encouraged to eat BEFORE they attend this event.  Refreshments will not be provided. Many Gaslight Village businesses are offering special Yule Ball fare the weekend of the event. 

Please also plan to free a house elf with SPEW by bringing a new pair of socks (any size) to the Yule Ball on February 25. Sock donations will be given to Family Promise of Grand Rapids to help warm local toes. Thank you!

This event is made possible through generous contributions from all EGRPS Parent Teacher Organizations and local business interests. Volunteers are needed to conjure up an amazing night. Please sign up here Yule Ball Signup if you are able to help us on Saturday, February 25. 

Calendar
Please click here to view upcoming events on the Wealthy Elementary School calendar. Please mark your calendars for the following events:

• Board of Education Meeting - Monday, February 13 at 6:00 p.m. in the EGRMS Learning Commons

• Mid-Winter Break: No Students K-12 on Friday, February 17 and Monday, February 20

If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at callen@egrps.org. 

Warm regards,

Carlye Allen
Wealthy Elementary Principal

**The Wealthy Elementary Parent and Teacher Organization (PTO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit group run by parent volunteers whose purpose is to support the education of children at Wealthy Elementary.**

Chess Club for Grades 2-5
Wealthy Elementary is excited to again be hosting Chess Club for students in grades 2-5! Chess Club will run on Mondays from February 27-March 27 in the Learning Commons from 3:30-4:15 p.m. To register your child(ren), please click here. Registration closes on Friday, February 24. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Grin at egrin@egrps.org. 

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