Dear Lakeside Elementary Families,
Thank you to our Lakeside parents/guardians who joined us for spring conferences. It is always a wonderful time to sit and discuss each student’s progress. Please reach out to your child(ren)’s teacher(s) if you have any additional questions.
Last week was full of excitement with the performances of Mary Poppins, Jr.! It was truly wonderful to see over 180 of our students shine in so many different ways. The cast, crew, and lights are all composed of or managed by our students. Even our kindergarten, first, and second graders had the chance to be a part of the show.
A huge thank you goes to Mr. Andrew Schneider for directing our musical! His passion for creating an amazing performance showcasing our students is evident in all the work he does. Thank you to the play committees and the many parents, staff, and volunteers who participated by helping with the set, costumes, props, playbill, publicity, microphones, decorations, photography, and so much more. I am thankful for how the school musical brings our community together and provides valuable opportunities for students.
On Friday morning, Lakeside staff and students got into the Irish spirit by watching a performance by the Scoil Rince Ni Bhraonain Irish dancers. Seeing some of our Lakeside Lions on stage was a great way to kick off the day!
Each fall the Lakeside PTO hosts their annual fundraiser, ROAR, in the fall. During the auction, Lunch with the Principal is awarded and last week I enjoyed this experience with two Lakeside third grade students. Thank you to the Kaczanowski and Serou families for giving me this wonderful opportunity to have lunch with their daughters!
Upcoming Spring Scholastic Book Fair
The Lakeside PTO will be hosting a Spring Scholastic Book Fair the week of April 24th! More details to come, please see the PTO section below for more information.
Kids Food Basket (KFB) Week: March 20-24
This week Lakeside Elementary is partnering with Kids Food Basket here in Grand Rapids to raise awareness around childhood hunger. This video explains more of what Kids Food Basket (KFB) does here in our community. Please see an informational video here that explains the history of KFB.
KFB Week is a time when we come together with other local area schools to support the work of this organization in various ways. Please see information on KFB Week here. Throughout the school year, many of our classrooms visit or decorate food bags for this amazing cause, and we will continue that next week. We will be collecting items through a food drive that will be given to children in need. Families may also make a donation to KFB if they wish to do so by accessing the QR code in the flyer above. Since there are six desired food donation items, each grade level should bring in the following items if choosing to participate:
-
Kindergarten: Goldfish crackers
-
1st grade: Cheez-It crackers
-
2nd grade: .28 oz or .5 oz meat sticks
-
3rd grade: Raisin boxes
-
4th grade: Pudding cups
-
5th grade: Fruit cups
Students and families should drop off their donated food items between March 20 and 24 in the boxes located in the main entryway near the Lakeside main office.
In addition to the food drive, Lakeside is raising funds for KFB though the QR code below. Our school goal for the week is $500 and all proceeds to go providing meals to children in need.
If you have any questions, please contact me at sthelen@egrps.org. Students are encouraged to wear orange throughout the week in support of combating childhood hunger.
Lakeside Elementary Playground Information
As many of you know, the passing of the November 2022 parks millage results in the exciting news that the three elementary school playgrounds in East Grand Rapids will be completely renovated in 2023. Since the vote, tremendous amounts of collaborative planning has taken place between the school district, the city of East Grand Rapids, and the EGR Parks and Recreation Department. The result of these efforts is a beautiful new playground project that will break ground very soon. Please see this communication from Dr. Kattula sent earlier today regarding the Playground Improvements and view the Lakeside Elementary Equipment and Site Plan here. Construction at Lakeside Elementary is intended to begin on May 15 and communication will be sent on April 21.
Directory Information Reminder
As a friendly reminder, the Lakeside Elementary Directory is solely to foster communication and connections amongst families in our school community and is not to be used for other reasons. This information shall not be disclosed to businesses or organizations that plan to use the information for commercial purposes. For more information on Board of Education Policy related to the Directory, please reference policy #8940.
State Assessments
The M-STEP state assessment for third through fifth grade students begins after Spring Break based on windows of time determined by the state. Our M-STEP testing schedule is found here. Please try to schedule appointments around these dates and times to prevent your child(ren) from missing class time to complete make-up test sessions.
March is Reading Month
It’s hard to believe that March is Reading Month is almost over. Classrooms will continue to host special guest readers and reading-centered events throughout the month. Students are invited to participate in our last Spirit Day on Friday, March 24 for “Camp Out with a Good Book” (bring a flashlight and wear pajamas).
Thank you to our PTO for providing us the opportunity to participate in March Book Madness again this year. All classrooms will read picture books from March Book Madness 2023 and vote on their favorite titles.
Calendar
Please click here for upcoming events at Lakeside Elementary. Listed below are some upcoming calendar events.
-
Monday, March 20- Melodies in March at 7:00 p.m.
-
Friday, March 24: Spirit Day- Camp Out with a Good Book (bring a flashlight and wear pjs)
-
Friday, March 31- Sunday, April 9- Spring Break, No school for students K-12
Warm Regards,
Stephanie Thelen
Lakeside Elementary Principal
https://twitter.com/ThelenPrincipal
Please click 
2022-2023 Running Club
