Meadow Ridge Newsletter
Blake Bowman - Principal
bbowman@rockfordschools.org
Michelle Smyth - Administrative Assistant
msmyth@rockfordschools.org
Tania Gordon - Administrative Assistant
tgordon@rockfordschools.org
Address: 8100 Courtland, Rockford, MI 49341
Phone: (616) 863-6342
may character trait: Perseverance
Definition: the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did
Challenge: pick a positive phrase and repeat it to yourself. Examples: "I can do it", "it'll be okay", "it's no big deal", "I got this".
Reflection: I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday.
April Students of the Month
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Kindergarten - Millie Deuel
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1st Grade - Ronan Pyne
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2nd Grade - Millie Stoll
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3rd Grade - Aaron Olmstead
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4th Grade - Hunter Lamach
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5th Grade - Annie Sonneveldt
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Rockford Book Bus
The Rockford Book Bus returns this summer! See the schedule below and visit their website for more details!
Lemonade wars
Our 4th Graders will be hosting the “Lemonade War: a small business experiment” during our field day picnic on Thursday, May 22 from 11am- 1pm. All items are $2 or less and proceeds will be donated to a charity voted on by the 4th graders. Parents and siblings are welcome. Come grab a glass of cold lemonade and help support our hands-on economic event.
No school
- Friday, May 23rd & Monday, May 26th: No School - Memorial Day Weekend
Field Day
Thursday, May 22nd is field day! Please contact Mr. Kooiker kkooiker@rockfordschools.org with any questions.
3rd-5th grade: 9:30-11:10am
K-2nd grade: 1:00-2:40pm
Hopper's Happenings
Hop Shop is Back!
Hopper's Birthday is Thursday, May 1 and to celebrate his birthday, we like to do something special to celebrate! He will be running his annual "Hop Shop" where he will be selling different Hopper related and Hopper specific merch to students! With the money he raises, he is going to pour it back into our Meadow Ridge community and work towards supporting more of our students, staff, and families.
On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday May 19-21, the shop will be open and running during morning arrival (8:25-8:40) while supplies last. Hop's Shop location will be by the green chalkboard in the lobby.
office Reminders
Thank you!
Thank you to our PTO and parent volunteers/donations for absolutely spoiling us during staff appreciation week! We enjoyed the special treats each day and the fun week-long theme "Troop MDR".
Whitecaps Family Night
Tuesday, May 20th support Rockford Public Schools and kick off your summer with the West Michigan Whitecaps! A portion of each ticket bought will be donated directly back to the schools.
Playground Pals
Our “Playground Pals” Program is designed to support our playground staff with extra supervision during lunch recesses.
Playground Pals will take place every Tuesday & Thursday December 3rd – May 29th from 11:30am-1:00pm. As a volunteer your role will be to ensure safe play for all students on the playground, encourage positive interactions, and promote positive sportsmanship. You will receive a quick training of playground rules and procedures beforehand.
For this program, you MUST have an active Volunteer Consent Form on file for the 2024-2025 school year. Once you have completed it please email Michelle Smyth msmyth@rockfordschools.org.
This program allows for lots of parent volunteers so please sign up for a day or two!
Volunteer in our STEAM Classroom!
Kindergarten & 1st Grade with Mrs. Anderson (eanderson@rockfordschools.org)
2nd & 3rd Grade with Mrs. Brown (sbrown@rockfordschools.org)
4th & 5th Grade with Miss Fowler (tfowler@rockfordschools.org)
Summer Tutoring
There are several opportunities for summer tutoring! See the list below for more information.
SchoolStore
SchoolStore is a fundraising opportunity that Meadow Ridge was presented with for 2025. It is not through the PTO.
How does it work?
Families can choose to participate as much as they want. The first step is signing up at SchoolStore.net using our School ID: 309230 and then sending emails to family members and friends. This email allows participants to purchase gift cards that go directly to teachers to use on books and materials for their classroom. There is also a code friends and family can use when shopping online at hundreds of retailers and a percentage will come back to the school to use for student activities not funded by the PTO such as materials for classroom instructional experiences.
Every student will receive a "Book Buddy" for signing up and sending 6 emails. Students can earn additional prizes as they earn points (points are based on purchases, families do not need to participate).
Once we reach our participation goal (a percentage of students registered) Meadow Ridge will be entered into a weekly drawing to win a Book Vending Machine!
Information packets are available in the office. If you have any questions please contact Michelle Smyth msmyth@rockfordschools.org
Meadow ridge Elementary PTO Updates
Mileage Club
After 4 weeks 5th grade is still holding onto first place! Only two weeks left and we have multiple kids moving from the 5 Mile Club to 10 Mile and even one heading into the 15 Mile Club!
We have ran 1,476 miles as a school and have had over 96% participation! Look out for a special treat on May 30th!
Meet the Team!
- President: Lacey Jonassen
- Vice President, Fundraisers: Beth Zelski
- Vice President, Non-Fundraisers: Whitnie Snodgrass
- Treasurer: Samantha Huitema
- Secretary: Kristin Morrison
We are here for you!
Snack Pantry Donations
We are in need of donations for the student snack pantry. Individually wrapped crackers, granola bars, fruit snacks, raisins, pretzels, etc. (please be conscious of allergies). Snacks can be dropped off in the office with a note "snack pantry". Thank you!
Thank you to our 2024-2025 Walk-a-thon Platinum Sponsors!
Upcoming events
- Friday, May 16th: PTO Popcorn Friday
- Monday, May 19th - Wednesday, May 21st: Hopper's "Hop Shop" in the Lobby - 8:25-8:40am
- Thursday, May 22nd: Field Day
- 3rd-5th grade: 9:30-11:10am
- K-2nd grade: 1:00-2:40pm
- Thursday, May 22nd: Lemonade Wars (during lunches)
- Friday, May 23rd & Monday, May 26th: No School - Memorial Day Weekend
Kids night out
Students K-6th grade are invited to Kids Night Out at That STEAM Space on Fridays in May.
School assistance program (SAP)
Access support today!
Say “I have an SAP with Rockford Public Schools” when you call 800.442.0809 and press “1.” Every RPS family member in your household is eligible. The Rockford Education Foundation (REF) has proudly partnered with Rockford Public Schools to provide expert counseling, therapy, and resources through Pine Rest’s School Assistance Program (SAP).
From the steam team
A heartfelt thank you to all the families who volunteered their time and donated supplies to support STEAM this year. Your generosity and enthusiasm made so many hands-on learning opportunities possible for our students!
As we begin planning for next year’s STEAM Night, we are gauging interest from families who might like to help out. If you're interested in being involved, please take a moment to fill out our short interest survey:
STEAM Night Interest Survey
STEAM Wish List
Our STEAM classes are looking for shoe boxes, plastic containers, cereal boxes, and fabric. Clean & dry recycled items, left over party supplies, and paper towel/toilet paper rolls are always welcome!
