615 Jones St., Grand Ledge, MI  48837  |  Phone: 517-925-5480  |  Fax: 517-925-5523  | COVID Line: 517-925-5725

School hours are 9am-3:55pm.  Please do not drop students off before 8:40am.  Students must be picked up by 4:05pm.

September 8, 2023

Welcome to the Holbrook Herald Newsletter! For those of you new to our building, I will generally use this weekly column each Friday throughout the school year to inform Holbrook families about our school and our programs. I encourage you to read this message each week to stay up-to-speed with all things Holbrook. 

Holbrook as a High-Performing & Improving School
High performing and improving schools have clear and specific student achievement goals, including goals to reduce achievement gaps linked to poverty and minority status. The goals are typically specified in terms of performance on state assessments.

In an effort to become a high performing and improving school, Holbrook organizes teachers into collaborative teams (grade level teams). Teacher teams work with student data—usually short-cycle or formative assessment data - to:
*Plan standards-based curriculum units;
*Teach those units simultaneously;
*Debrief on how successful the units were; and 
*Make changes when student performance does not meet expectations.

This collaborative teamwork makes instruction “public” over time by identifying a set of instructional strategies that work. Over time all teachers are expected to use the instructional strategies that have been demonstrated to improve student learning and achievement.

Holbrook will exhibit multiple forms of leadership. Teachers lead by coordinating collaborative teams and through instructional coaching. The principal leads by structuring the school to foster instructional improvement. The district leads by ensuring that Holbrook has the resources to deploy the strategies outlined above with a focus on aggressive student performance goals, improving instructional practice, and taking responsibility for student achievement results.

IXL Parent Overview Video

Please click here to watch this short video to learn more about an important instructional tool that our teachers and students will be using throughout this year to improve our ELA and Math proficiencies.  

Dr. Bill Albrecht, Principal

Hello Holbrook families! I wanted to create a space in our Holbrook newsletter each week to highlight some activities happening in school counseling, and also make this space helpful to our families as we begin the school year. In order to do so, I need your input. Please help me by completing a very short parent/guardian needs assessment survey which can be found here. Your answers will help me to know how I can best support you and your child this school year. 

This week I would like to share some resources with families. I have created a school counseling website for the purpose of sharing resources with Holbrook families specific to Social-Emotional Learning. You can find a link to my website here. You will find some great activities to do with your child at home along with local resources for parents.

If your family is in need of local resources for food, housing, healthcare, etc. please check out a list of resources here. 

If you or a loved one is in need of mental health resources, please find a listing of resources here.

Lastly, I wanted to share my youcanbook.me link with Holbrook families. You can use this if you would like to set up a time on my calendar for me to call you directly or if you would like me to check in with your student. You can find my youcanbook.me link here.

FREE COMMUNITY MEAL
The Grand Ledge United Methodist Church is providing a free meal the first Wednesday of each month from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm. Rides are available for families as needed.  Location:   Grand Ledge First United Methodist Church, 411 Harrison Street, Grand Ledge, Michigan 48837.  Call June for more information at 517.627.3256.  If you family would need a ride to the event please email: sara.holding86@gmail.com

Student Drop Off/Pick Up
When dropping off your child in the drop off line, please make sure your student is able to exit the vehicle themselves with their belongings, otherwise please park and walk them to the crosswalk.

Medication Drop Off
If your student will require medication during the school day, you will need to provide the proper paperwork.  All medications must be turned into the office by an adult.  This includes over the counter medications, any ointments, and cough drops.  Medical paperwork can be found on the district website under Parent Resources Medical Paperwork

Blessings in a Backpack
If your student needs additional food at home, the Grand Ledge Blessings in a Backpack program is here. For over a decade, this program has provided bags of food for weekend meals at no cost to hundreds of students in the Grand Ledge area. For students attending school in-person, a bag of nourishing, kid-friendly food will be placed discretely in their backpack or locker at the end of each week during the school year (except during school breaks). Examples of some of the food items distributed are: macaroni and cheese, canned vegetables, soup, oatmeal, granola bars, fruit cups, and beef ravioli. If you would like your student to participate in the program, please fill out the permission form that went home or request one from the office. Return the form to the school office by Wednesday, September 13th, for your student to receive the first bag on September 21st.

Picture Day and Yearbooks
Picture day will be September 19th. Your student will bring home an order form this Friday. If you are ordering a package please check if it includes a yearbook or not. Pictures can be ordered at the following link:  Geskus Picture Order Form

Lost and Found
The lost and found is located near the gym in playground vestibule. If your student is missing something, please have them check the lost and found. Labeling clothing/items will also help us to return things to students.

Late Arrivals
If your student is going to be late and needs SCHOOL LUNCH, you must call the office by 9:15am to order lunch for them.

Illness Reminders
We ask that your child be 24 hours free of fever (without fever reducing medications), vomiting or diarrhea before you send them back to school after they have been out sick.  We appreciate your cooperation with this!

Change of Clothes
Please send in a change of clothing with your student to be left in their locker. Students have spills during lunch or get muddy/wet on the playground. The office supply of clothing is very limited and students are often more comfortable in their own clothing.

Student Birthday Treat Policy
Student birthday treat policy will be up to each individual classroom teacher. Communicate clearly and often with your student’s families regarding your specific policy so they know your expectations. Keep in mind that not all students celebrate birthdays, and not all birthdays are positive for students. Also be sure to be mindful of allergies. Food must be store bought & prepackaged. Encourage healthy snacks at all times.

Raptor Visitor Management System Starting
Grand Ledge Public Schools will continue using the Raptor Visitor Management System to enhance the safety of our school buildings. The Raptor system will better allow us to screen school visitors, providing a safer environment for our students and staff.  School visitors will be screened during the school day before being allowed to leave the main office and enter the school building. School visitors will be asked to present a valid, government-issued photo ID (such as a driver's license), and it will be scanned or manually entered into the Raptor system. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of the visit. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary to drop off an item in the main office or to pick up paperwork from there.