West Ottawa Public Schools Preparing Students to Be College, Career and Life Ready!

Macatawa Bay Newsletter 3700 140th Ave., Holland, MI 49424

Phone: 616-786-2000 / Fax: 616-786-2091 January 30, 2015

Calendar of Events

February

3—BBYA @ MB Library

6—Function Night

10—Regional Spelling Bee Competition

11—Student Count Day

18—BBYA @ HL Library

20 & 23—NO SCHOOL— Mid-Winter Recess

25—7/8th gr Band Festival

26—Orchestra Festival

Follow Mac Bay on

Twitter @MacBayMS

All Students Present

On Wednesday, February 11, West Ottawa

will have Pupil Accounting Day. This day is a

very important day for schools. The state

determines the amount of operational funds

our district receives based upon the number

of students present. Operational funds pay

for almost all aspects of running our school

system including: personnel, teaching mate-

rials and supplies, lights, heat, maintenance,

busses, fuel, assemblies, books and athletic

teams, as well as clubs and organizations. If

at all possible, please reschedule any

appointments your child my have.

Save the Date!

Macatawa Bay Showcase

“Passport to Success”

Tuesday, March 3 from 6:30 – 8:00 pm

The faculty and staff at Macatawa Bay Middle School are excited to share with our families and community the tremendous offerings available to all middle school students. Our goal is to feature programs and services that will interest parents and students that are new to our school as well as parents of students already attending. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend. We will have prizes, entertainment and exhibits throughout the school. There will be something for everyone! The Passport to Success Showcase will highlight: 5th – 6th Transition Planning: A special postcard will be mailed to our elementary feeder schools that will designate a specific time to learn how to prepare your 5th grade student for transition to the middle school. This will also be an opportunity to meet the outstanding 6th grade staff of Macatawa Bay. Technology in the Classroom: See how our teachers are embed-ding technology in instruction and learn more about the tools that are available to our students. What Makes Us Shine: We offer a wide range of programming to meet student needs. This includes Accelerated Courses, Foreign Language Courses, Support for students with special needs and courses to support our English Language Learners. Extra-Curricular Opportunities: Want to join a club or get involved in sports? Learn more about our athletic programs, clubs, music opportunities and how your student can stay connected. How To Stay Connected and Support Your Student: We will show you how to navigate Parent Portal, keep in touch with teachers and find the assistance you may need if there is a problem. Also, we will share with you the many ways you can volunteer. Please join us and experience your “Passport to Success!”

R.O.C.K.S.

The R.O.C.K.S. winners for the week of 1/26 were:

6th grade - Zxavian Slater

7th grade - Savannah Gostlin

8th grade - Mario Orta

The R.O.C.K.S. winners for the semester were:

6th grade—Angelica Espinosa

7th grade—Kaylyn Ripley

8th grade—Austin Schipper

Congratulations to all the students who received R.O.C.K.S. tickets!

“Save The Date!”

“BLAST AT THE BAY”

The Blast at the Bay is coming! This all Mac Bay school

event for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will be held at Macatawa

Bay on Tuesday, March 10 from 6 pm - 8 pm. There will be

a DJ, dancing, black lights, pizza dinner, inflatables, candy

bar BINGO, staff vs. student activities, games and more!

Attention: If you would like to volunteer at this event,

please contact Lois Yonker at yonkerl@westottawa.net or

786-2001. If you can donate any of the following items,

please drop them off at the main office or send them in

with your student: 2-liters of beverages (pop, lemonade, etc)

and big candy bars for Bingo prizes. We need about 100

2-liters. Thanks so much!

For More information please contact:

Head Coach: Merri VanDykeEmail: mlvrotties@att.net

Phone: (616)886-2995Assistant Coach: Maddie Smith

Email: madsmith2005@sbcglobal.netPhone: (616)283-3293

*This club is not sponsored by West Ottawa Schools

Must have your own horse and transportation

Meeting for 6-8 graders on March 18, 2015 at

6:00 p.m. at Mapleview Animal Hospital, 185

Panther Drive.

Geography Bee Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the National

Geography Bee.

1st place—Ben Hoey in 8th grade

2nd place—Jacob Stonick in 8th grade

3rd place—Nikita Nel in 7th grade

Ben will go on to take the qualifying test for the State

Geography Bee.

Congratulations to all the students who participated.

Congratulations Mrs. Ledet and Mrs. Pierson

Our very own Choir Director, Mrs. Ledet, was voted

upon by the membership of MSVMA (Michigan School

Vocal Music Association) to be the 6-9th grade Women’s

Honors Choir Director for 2016.

Mrs. Pierson, Choir Director for the high school, was

voted the MSVMA Teacher of the Year.

These are VERY prestigious awards and are very well-

deserved.

Congratulations to Maddy Eppard!

Maddy’s Identity Collage received an Honorable

Mention award in the Scholastic Art Awards

Competition. Her award winning work will be on

display at Kendall College of Art & Design in

Grand Rapids from February 16—February 28,

2015.

School Closing and Delay Information

Inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances may cause us to close school or delay the start of school. We will make

every effort to make an announcement by 6 a.m., whenever possible.

As soon as the decision to close or delay schools is made . . .

1. Parents will receive an automated phone call at the primary number they have provided their child’s school for morning

announcements of school closings or delays (unless they have opted out of this type of notification),

2. TV and radio stations will be informed, and

3. The information will be put on the District Information Hotline, the District website, and on Charter Communications chan-

nel 188. Please note that this is a new Charter channel and T2 Communications is no longer carrying the West Ottawa TV

channel and is, therefore, no longer a resource for information regarding closings and delays.

Television Stations WWMT - CBS (Channel 3) WOOD - NBC (Channel 8) WZZM - ABC (Channel 13) Local Radio Station WHTC (1450 AM) District Information Hotline (786-1100) 5510 for school closing information 5511 for district cancellations 5527 for high school athletic cancellations 5529 for middle school athletic cancellations

Except in extreme emergencies where there is no doubt about the ability to hold school, announcement of closings and de-

lays shall be made the morning of the day of closing/delay.