What's new

Now you can receive an automatic e-mail when your child's lunch account dips below $5. Zeeland Food Service is excited to offer this new service to parents, but it will require you to provide some basic information: 

• The first and last names of your children;
  
• The names of the schools your children attend;
  
• If you are interested in receiving this service, please e-mail the necessary information to Food Service Secretary Tami Bush at tbush@zps.org 
   
  

 "Currently, this service  is not available for parents to do on their own at the www.sendmoneytoschool.com  website," Food Service Director Sheryl Medendorp explained. "However, Meal Magic is exploring this option in the future.  Until that time it has to be set up through our office."   

Elementary parent conferences and the Michigan Merit Exam for juniors will require changes in the class schedule the week of March 8.  Here are the details:

A $20.275 million bond issue okayed February 22 by the Zeeland Board of Education is designed to handle growth needs without increasing the 6.63 millage levy. 

"This plan is community driven and handles continued growth during tough economic times," Superintendent Gary Feenstra said. "We feel it provides what's best for children."

The bond proposal is based on four key areas.  
1. Growth.  We’ve gained 600 students in the last five years alone.

2.  A clear path ahead. Our community told us they want to see kindergarten returned to our elementary buildings. and clearly defined path of how their children move through elementary, middle school, and high school. 

3. The need for instructional technology improvements.

4.  Safety and security for students and staff. 

For more details, visit our Facebook page, "Building Our Future Together"  HERE.

While a small army of students work after school to build this year's version of B.O.B. the robot, four of their classmates are tackling another project:  creating a 30-second animated commercial using the theme, "Change the World."  Both projects are part of the U.S. FIRST robotics competition. Students Aaron Baker, Jon Dargis, Thomas Talsma and Randy VanderPloeg are learning to use professional animation software to create their commercial, which will promote the need to bring clean water systems to parts of the world. 

"Working on the project teaches students teamwork, idea sharing, problem solving and new techniques in video animation," said Janet Schoettle, Zeeland robotics team co-sponsor and media specialist at Zeeland West High School.  For more details, click HERE.

For your planning purposes, here are the dates for next year's calendar:

• September 1.2 --- Teacher inservice
• September 7---First day of school
• November 22, 23---NO SCHOOL, K-12th; conferences
• November 24 --- NO SCHOOL, K-12TH; teacher inservice
• November 25, 26 --- NO SCHOOL, K-12TH; Thanksgiving
• Dec. 20 - Dec. 31--- NO SCHOOL, K-12TH; Christmas break
• January 3 ---- Students return
• January 18, 19, 20 --- DELAYED START, 6th-12th, exams;
• January 21 --- NO SCHOOL, K-12TH; records day
• February 21 --- NO SCHOOL, K-12TH; teacher inservice
• March 7 ---- Conferences for 6-12th grades; regular class schedule
• March 14 --- Conferences for K-5th grades; NO SCHOOL K-5th grades
• April 1 - 8  --- NO SCHOOL, K-12TH; spring break
• April 11 --- Students return
• May 11, 12 ---Half days, K-12th; Tulip Time
• May 30 ---- NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day
• June 1 --- DELAYED START for grades 6-12th . . . testing
• June 2 --- DELAYED START for grades 6-12th . . . testing; HALF DAY for grades K-5th
• June 3 --- HALF DAY, K-12th; last day of school.
  

Students and staff at all Zeeland Public Schools have raised thousands of dollars and shipped hundreds of pounds of clothes and shoes to the victims affected by the earthquake in Haiti. The response of the Zeeland community has been incredible, according to Amber Snyder of Glow Ministries, International. Here is her report:

The last week of the first semester is upon us. We delay the start of school January 19, 20, and 21 for secondary students.  The later start is designed to give high school students a fresh start on final exams. On Friday, January 22, there is NO SCHOOL, K-12th grades, because of Records Day.  Here's the schedule:

• Monday, January 18----Normal class day for all grades
• Tuesday, January 19---Delayed start for grades 6-12 (ZEHS, ZWHS and Creekside start at 9:45 a.m.; Cityside starts at 9:55 a.m.)
• Wednesday, January 20---Delayed start for grades 6-12 (ZEHS, ZWHS and Creekside start at 9:45 a.m.; Cityside starts at 9:55 a.m.)
• Thursday, January 21---Delayed start for grades 6-12 (ZEHS, ZWHS and Creekside start at 9:45 a.m.; Cityside starts at 9:55 a.m.)
• Friday, January 22---NO SCHOOL, K-12th grades. Records Day. 

Parents: Sign-up for our 2010-11 early childhood programs happens soon. 

Thursday, February 4---enroll your child for Zeeland Public Preschool. Sign-up is 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Lincoln Elementary, 60 E. Lincoln Avenue.  Depending on the program, your child must be 3 or 4 by December 1, 2010, and independent in the bathroom.  Call 616-748-3058 or click HERE.

Tuesday, February 9---enroll your child for Zeeland Public Schools' kindergarten and Young 5's. Sign-up is 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Early Childhood Center, 140 W. McKinley Avenue, or Quincy Elementary, 10155 Quincy Street. Your child must be 5 by December 1, 2010. 

Download more information about these meetings HERE.

Get more details January 28!

We encourage parents to attend an informational meeting about all of our early childhood programs on Thursday, January 28, 6 p.m., at Quincy Elementary.