April 15, 2020 AES Mid-week Updates

Good Evening Alward Families,

PTC Update

Next week, our PTC will be hosting its first virtual public board meeting on Wednesday, April 22nd at 7:00 p.m.  We will be using Zoom for this meeting.  The agenda will include a principal’s report, celebrating our fifth graders, a treasurer’s report, and elections for our PTC board for the 20-21 school year.  At 6:45, an email will come out with a link to the Zoom PTC Mtg and a google form for the PTC ballot.  Voting will end at 7:20 p.m. and the 20-21 board members will be announced at 7:30.

AES Heart Challenge-Bringing Smiles to Our Community

If you follow any forms of social media, you have probably seen the heart challenge where families across the world are cutting out hearts and taping them into their windows. Maybe you have joined in on the fun already. Today, I read, In My Heart: A Book of Feelings for a Facebook read aloud. This book does a great job of validating all of the feelings that your heart can have for our little people as well as our big people. On the last page, the book talks about how our heart can be proud. I am proud everyday to be a part of such a caring, supportive, and loving school community. This book has inspired me to join the heart challenge to help spread a little bit of happiness, joy, and love through our amazing community! I am challenging all of our families to take some time this week to cut out some hearts to put in your windows. The hearts can be a simple design or make an elaborate picture. If you don’t have paper, use different objects to make some hearts. Or, look around you and you may just find something heart shaped in your “world.” Email me pictures of your heart creations or found hearts! I will be putting them together in a fun video! Feel free to post them on our Facebook page or email them to me at mmcclure@hpseagles.net. Let’s send some love out to our community and maybe make a few more people smile this week than last.

Let’s SOAR Together: Alward Champions in Our School Community and Beyond

  • Let’s spread some good news!!  Please help us recognize students, staff, families, and community members that are Championing for our students, schools, and community! There are so many going above and beyond in creative ways that we would like to recognize them for their efforts. Please fill out the attached google form. We will recognize them on Fridays at 10 am during our Facebook Live event and in the next weeks school update. I will also send them a card of thanks from our school community!
  • This quote really exemplifies the times we are going through and where we need to turn our eyes to during these difficult times. “When I was a boy and saw scary things on the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’…I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” –Mr. Rogers

Stay safe and well Alward Families!

Mrs. McClure

AES Heart Challenge for the Week of April 13th

If you follow any forms of social media, you have probably seen the heart challenge where families across the world are cutting out hearts and taping them into their windows.  Maybe you have joined in on the fun already.  Today, I read, In My Heart: A Book of Feelings for a Facebook read aloud.  This book does a great job of validating all of the feelings that your heart can have for our little people as well as our big people.  On the last page, the book talks about how our heart can be proud.  I am proud everyday to be a part of such a caring, supportive, and loving school community.

This book has inspired me to join the heart challenge to help spread a little bit of happiness, joy, and love through our amazing community!  I am challenging all of our families to take some time this week  to cut out some hearts to put in your windows.  The hearts can be a simple design or make an elaborate picture.  If you don’t have paper, use different objects to make some hearts.  Or, look around you and you may just find something heart shaped in your “world.”  Email me pictures of your heart creations or found hearts!  I will be putting them together in a fun video!  Feel free to post them on our Facebook page or email them to me at mmcclure@hpseagles.net.  Let’s send some love out to our community and maybe make a few more people smile this week than last.

Missing all of your sweet faces and hoping you find a piece of joy today reconnecting with your class!  Air hugs to all!

Stay safe and well,

Mrs. McClure

Online Support for Parents: Check out these FREE Resources!

Please check out these amazing online parenting supports for the challenging times we are currently are facing!
Arbor Circle brings parent support to you! Join us for our new virtual parenting series. This series will focus on connections between parents and ideas for facing the new challenges we find ourselves in.

Resilience in Parenting
Monday 8:30pm to 9:30pm
We are living through unfamiliar times with a lot of uncertainty. This can bring about fear and intense emotions. Parenting is already challenging and adding the stress from the current crisis can make it even more difficult. Join the Arbor Circle team on Monday at 8:30 pm for a chance to talk to hear ideas for building resilience in our parenting, chat with other parents experiencing the same thing and connect as we all work to adjust to our current reality.
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/327542973
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3412Access Code: 327-542-973

Parenting and Brain States
Thursday 4:30pm to 5:30pm
Are your children a little less calm than normal? Are little frustrations causing huge chaos. Join us on Thursday to talk about how our the crisis is impacting our emotional state and how we can regulate ourselves as parents to help our kids better manage their emotions.
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/255183125

You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (224) 501-3412

Access Code: 255-183-125

 

Alward Caravan Parade-Monday, March 23rd at 9 AM

Good Evening Alward Families,

We have survived the first week and are missing all of you so much!  Something that we really want to focus on during our time off is to continue to make connections with our students and families.  Therefore, we are arranging an Alward Caravan Parade for tomorrow, Monday, March 23rd at 9 AM.  Thank you to Mrs. Walcott for helping create our route-see below.  We did the best we could to make it into every subdivision that is in the Alward attendance area.  We can’t wait to see our students, even if it is from our cars.  Hoping to see many of you tomorrow morning!!  Let’s kick-off week 2 with some smiles, laughter, and a few honks!

Staying connected,

Mrs. McClure

Route for the Alward Caravan Parade (I might have spelled some road names incorrectly.  Please forgive me!)
1) Alward Estates: Turn right onto Alward Drive to Maria to Chester and come back down to Alward drive back to Port Sheldon to 40th.
2) Georgetown Forest: Turn left on Sara Drive into Georgetown Forest.  Turn right onto Dale then continue onto Marian.  Turn right onto Cindy then follow the curve right onto Nancy.  Turn right onto Shaddy oak lane.  Turn right onto Blair. Left on Crest Lane.  Left on Gettysburg. RIght on Bridgeport and then right on crest lane.  Turn left on Lynne Anne. Turn right on Meadow Creek. Turn Left onto 40th.
3) Acadia: Turn right onto Acadia.  Left onto Yosemite.  Left on Glacier.  RIght onto Acadia.  RIght on Jasper.  Left on Zion.   Right on Bryce.  Right on Jasper.  RIght on Zion.  RIght on Bryce.  RIght on 36th.
4) Rosewood: Left onto Rosewood.  Go down to Rollinghills drive. Turn left onto Rollinghills Drive.  Turn right onto rollinghills court.  Turn right onto Michael Drive, curve to left.  Turn right onto Kevin Court.  Turn right onto Rosewood.  Turn left onto vintage drive.  Turn right onto Creekridge Drive. Right onto Rollingview Drive.  Right onto Port Sheldon.  Right onto Cityview Drive.  Left onto Rosewood.  Left onto High Meadow.  Right on Cityview.  Right onto Nobb Hill.  Left on Crown Point.  RIght on Meadow Glenn.  Take Meadow Glenn all the way to CLaymore.  Turn right onto Claymore.  Turn right on Stoneyridge.  Turn left onto 34th.  Left onto Nobb Hill.  RIght onto Goldenrod.  RIght on Timothy.  Left on Cityridge Drive.  Right on Longtail Drive.  Left onto Rosewood.  Left on 36th.
5) Beechgrove Subdivision.: Right onto Beechgrove.  Right onto North beech Court.  Turn around in culdesac.  Go straight to west beech court.  Turn around in culdesac.  Go back out to Beechgrove and turn right.  Turn right onto 36th.
6). Rush Creek: Go straight down 36th and turn left on Rush Creek.  Left on Rushview.  RIght on Harrison.  Left on 34th.  Left onto Port Sheldon.
7) Subdivision across from Alward: Turn left onto Brookefield Drive.  Turn left on Black Creek.  Follow the curve.  Turn right into Plainview Drive.  Curve left into Pebblefield Drive.  Left onto Brookefield Drive.  Follow the curve back to Port Sheldon.  Head back to Alward or head home!

Link to AES Daily Updates

Hi Everyone,

We are going to try to keep everyone posted with a Slide Show with Daily Updates that include resources and fun things for your kids to do while at home, similar to our morning announcements at school.  We love connecting with all of you so please continue to share pics on Facebook or email me with what you are doing at mmcclure@hpseagles.net!  We want to stay connected to help make the days go by faster until we can head back to school!  Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you are or your family need anything!  We have a great community with a lot of resources.  We miss you!

Staying connected,

Mrs. McClure

Links Wacky Wednesday STEAM/Science and More

Hi Everyone,

We love staying connected with all of you through social media, emails, read alouds, and sweaty workouts!  I have had a few requests to send links to things that we have done this week for people to view from our blog!  Take a look!  We are staying busy to help us stay connected to all of you!  We miss you!

Friday: Eagle Spirit-Share why you are proud to be a Hudsonville Eagle!

Thursday: Sports Day-Get up and move around!  Wear your favorite sports gear and share how you were active today!

Wacky Wednesday STEAM Challenge-Building a Parachute and Science Experiment-Growing Gummy Bears

  • Email me or post your pictures of your parachutes to our Facebook or Twitter page.  I will be updating Facebook with how our Gummy Bears are growing over the next 36 hours.  Try this experiment at home!  It is a fun one and a tasty treat (to eat the ones that you haven’t put into the liquids)!

Tuesday: Movement Tuesday!  We played the Dice Workout Game.  Here is the video!

Monday: Read Aloud with Mrs. McClure

Staying Connected,

Mrs. McClure

 

Wacky Science/STEAM Challenge Wednesday

Hi Everyone,

I hope your first two days at home have been going well!  I just wanted to reach out to see what activities our students may be interested in participating in tomorrow for our Wacky Science/STEAM Challenge.  Please ask your kids to pick their top 3 STEAM challenges and science experiments found on this Google Form Survey that they would like to see tomorrow!  I cannot wait…absolutely love all things science and STEAM!  Please vote by 7:00 tonight so I can announce tomorrow’s wacky challenge and experiment!  Continue enjoying the beautiful, sunny day!

Miss you all!

Mrs. McClure