Cannonburg Newsletter April 17

Classroom environment form

Occasionally, parents may wish to ask for a specific learning environment for their child due to particular circumstances.  This spring, your child’s current teacher will be working with their colleagues to select the best placement based on your child’s needs for the 2026-27 school year.  Forms are due by May 8 at noon and late requests will not be considered.

Please know that many factors contribute to the creation of class lists, and not all requests can be honored, including teacher assignments. Please do not request a particular teacher.

Use this link to complete the form: Classroom Environment Parent Request Form

Rockford Eats: Supporting our schools and community 

The Rockford Education Foundation (REF) is excited to announce the Rockford Eats Gift Card Fundraiser, running from April 20 to May 1, 2026! This unique opportunity supports Rockford students and lets you savor the best of our local dining scene. With each $100 donation to REF you’ll receive a $50 gift certificate to one of our fantastic restaurant partners of your choice!

Your generosity fuels local education initiatives and helps sustain the restaurants that make our community special. Gift cards will be mailed by REF the week of May 11, 2026.

Donate and select your restaurant gift card online!

Whitecaps family night

You're invited to support Rockford Public Schools and kick off your summer with the West Michigan Whitecaps!! Enjoy a fun night out and know that a portion of each ticket bought will be donated directly back to our schools.  Game information: Tuesday May 19th at 6:05pm. Gates open at 4:50pm. Ticket prices are $20.50 per ticket or $26.50 with a hotdog and soda included.  For more information or accessible seating needs, please contact Tyler Glave at TylerG@whitecapsbaseball.com or 616.. To purchase tickets which are part of the fundraiser, please visit Whitecaps Tickets For Sale

Kindergarten enrollment!

Kindergarten Enrollment is now open! Children who turn five on or before December 1, 2026 will be eligible to enroll in DK and Kindergarten for the 26-27 school year. Find more information here: Kindergarten Enrollment Link

Thank You!

The Cannonsburg staff would like to thank Stephanie Gallagher and family for this week's delivery of warm fuzzies. The donuts and coffee were delicious and so appreciated! 

sign up to be a carnival volunteer

Parents, grandparents, high school students, and Cannonsburg grads—we need your help! 

With just over two weeks until the carnival, we’re still short on volunteers to run games and activities. Without enough support, some games may have to be canceled—and we don’t want anyone to miss out on the fun.

Even signing up for one shift makes a big difference. Your time helps create a full, exciting experience for everyone attending!

Volunteer roles include:• Running games or activities• Handing out raffle tickets• Bringing energy and fun to the event

We’re planning to have most games set up in one outdoor area, so grab a friend and volunteer together!

 Click the Carnival Sign Up Linkto sign up or click here to register through Linktree

Volunteer Form and field trips

Spring is Field Trip Season!  If you are planning to attend or hope to attend a field trip with your student, please consider filling out the volunteer form linked below. Volunteers are asked to complete a volunteer form EVERY year when working with students individually or in small groups. This includes special events, game days, field trips, etc. Thank you!!

RPS Volunteer Form

April Character Trait: courage

Definition: The ability to do something that frightens you.

Challenge: Step out of your comfort zone and act with kindness even when you're scared. Sit with someone new or try a new activity!

Our staff works hard daily to support and inspire students and we like to celebrate them. We have put together a fun list of all staff favorites from favorite treats to places to eat. This is a great document to save on your phone for special events such as a staff birthday, holidays or appreciation week. 

DOWNLOAD STAFF FAVORITES

BAC - 2026/27 School Year

Before and After School Care (BAC) Program 

The BAC program is offered at all elementary schools in the RPS district, available Monday - Friday, 7:00 am until the start of school, and at the end of the school day until 6:00 pm. Our BAC programs provide parents with the security of knowing their children are in a safe, fun, and nurturing environment before and after school hours. DK students have the option of attending BAC at Cannonsburg or Crestwood where they attend DK. Transportation is provided between each elementary school and the DK locations. 

BAC is offered every day that school is in session and during Winter and Spring Break. Table games, crafts, gym time, outdoor play, and literacy time are planned each day. More information regarding BAC Registration for the 2026-27 school year will be available on our webpage in early May.

 https://www.rockfordschools.org/departments/school-agechildcare/

 Please call our office at 616.863.6560 with any questions. 

Attendance Procedures

If your student will be absent please call the office attendance line by 9:30am. Robo calls go out at 10:00am. 

If you choose to email attendance notifications please include office staff & your student's teacher.

• Nicole Curtis - ncurtis@rockfordschools.org
• Anne Joles - ajoles@rockfordschools.org

Traffic Safety

Traffic safety during arrival and dismissal is a shared responsibility. We have noticed cars not yielding to traffic on Sturgis Avenue when leaving the drop-off/pick-up loop at school. Please remember you must stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear if you are turning right or crossing over Sturgis when leaving the school drop-off/pick-up loop. If turning, please also use your signal to indicate your direction.  Our school buses frequently travel on Sturgis, so please help us ensure safety for all by yielding and using your signal before traveling onto/across Sturgis. Thank you!

Birthday treats and celebrations

• We look forward to celebrating our students’ birthdays and will honor each student with a shout-out on the announcement birthday board, as well as special moments throughout the day with the classroom teacher and peers.
• RPS school policy is no food birthday treats. You are welcome to send in a book for the class or a non-food item, such as indoor recess game.  We promise to make our birthday students feel special on their big days.  Unfortunately, if food items are sent in they will not be able to be distributed.  
• If your student is celebrating with classmates outside of school, please only send invitations to school when all classmates are included. This helps to avoid hurt feelings.  

Thank you for your support with our Birthday Celebration Procedures.

Standard Response Protocol (SRP)

HB 4096, the Revised School Safety Code, has been introduced to provide common language for schools during emergencies.  Here is an overview of the FIVE actions schools may take when addressing emergencies.

LOCKDOWN - The term "lockdown" should be used when there is an existing threat in or at a school building or a threat is expected to arrive in or at a school building imminently. Secure in a room, confirm the door is locked, and move to a place of cover away from the door and any windows. 

SECURE MODE - Determined when a LOCKDOWN, as described, is not necessary, but heightened security and awareness are needed due to a potential EXTERNAL threat. Instruction continues in a normal manner, but access to the school building and movement within the building is highly restricted. 

SHELTER - This is used when it is safer to be inside the building than outside. Common situations where this is used would be severe weather approaching or some type of hazardous materials incident in proximity to the school. 

EVACUATION - Deals with the need to evacuate the building as it is no longer deemed safe to occupy for any variety of reasons, like fire, chemical spill, gas leak, etc.

HOLD - Hold is utilized when there is a need to have students and staff remain in their classrooms as staff address a concern or issue (medical, student in crisis) in a hallway or common area. Students are released when the office announces all clear.

For more information about our SRP resource, please visit the I Love You Guys website.  

Transportation and busing

Transportation is encouraging RPS families to get the My Ride app on their phones.  For more information on this, please click on this link to our Transportation Department: Transportation

My Ride K-12 App

My Ride K-12 capabilities include the following:

• Stop location, assigned route, and scheduled pick up time.

• GPS geo-location push notifications, giving estimated time of bus arrival and information concerning bus status changes.

• Real time communication and messaging.

• Secure and confidential log in.

• Android/iOS app and web version available.
  
  

Download the app today!

Medication Drop-off

If your student(s) will need medication during the school day, please follow these instructions:

The medication forms can be found on the RPS website and are linked below. Please remember these documents must be signed by a parent AND their physician. Medication should be dropped off in its original container. 

Nursing Services Documents

RPS Student Device Management

Students in RPS are afforded the opportunity to access and enhance some learning activities through district provided Chromebooks. Thanks to the support of the 2019 school bond proposal, RPS has been able to support the scheduled purchases of instructional technology for student use. Last year, elementary students received new devices, and this year all secondary Chromebooks are new. Thank you! 

To preserve the quality of student devices as long as possible, we educate students about proper care and charge for repair when avoidable damage occurs. Like a textbook, each student is assigned a Chromebook and responsible for proper care. If a device is damaged or lost, a charge will be issued against the student's Family Access account. The charge will reflect Rockford Public Schools' cost to repair or replace the device. It is our hope that the layered approach of informing parents/guardians, educating students, and assigning fees when necessary, will assist to promote a decrease in the amount of overall damage to student devices and increased consistency of student accessibility to learning activities. 

Should a student device be damaged, the initial fees are as follows: 

Chromebook: 

• Broken Screen $30 

• Broken Keyboard (missing keys, etc.) $30 

• Damaged Chassis/Lost Device $200 

• Power Supply (Lost or Not Returned) $15 

iPads:

• Screen Repair $110 

• Broken/Lost Device $299 

During the summer of 2025 all devices were inspected to ensure that they are ready for distribution. School personnel will be diligent about communicating device care expectations to students and we ask that parents and guardians reinforce proper care expectations as well. 

During the year if a device requires repair, a district technician will review the damage and decide if a charge is necessary. Normal scratches and wear are expected and will not incur a charge. Any fees assigned will generate an email notification to parents/guardians. 

We appreciate your support in assisting your child(ren) to participate in the proper care of devices and if you have any questions or need further clarification, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's school.