May 1, 2025
------------------------- TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENTS ----------------------------
--The softball game for today is cancelled.
--Tennis is also cancelled for today. All other sports are on as scheduled.
--The Cityside ELA teachers teamed up with Young Writers to offer students a chance to participate in a writing contest. The editor at Young Writers chose the following students to be recognized for their excellent creative writing. Congratulations to these amazing writers! Abigail Boileau, Anne Barbutti, Ariel Loomis, Ayla Macklin, Brooklyn VanDerHulst, Caitlin Swinkunas, Carina Driver, Ella Alderink, Gabryella Revels, Greta Barnes, Hannah Twiest, Jade Wedeven, Jatary McClendon, Josephine Franklin, Kendra DeVries, Lizzy Groenhout, Lucy Potgeter, Lydia Jeffries, Olivia McCammon, Olivia VanRandwyk, Sophie Gorsline, and Violet DeGroot.
--The Zeeland East Grey baseball team faced off against The Holland Christian Hoegen Electric team last night. The Righty Zane Roberts took the mound and amassed 6 strikeouts before Everett Hunsberger came in to relieve. Hunsberger would go on to throw 6 strikeouts himself. Both Righty’s pitched well. The Grey teams bats got going a little late in the 4th inning . Caleb Cheek and Zane Roberts both singled to get on. Landon Zinke and Chaz Windeler both cleared the Bases with 2 outs the pair drove 2 runners in to score With 2 RBI’s each. In the end, the 4 Runs drove in by Zinke and Windeler wouldn’t be enough and Holland Christian would win the game 8-4.
--The 8th grade boys volleyball team won an incredibly epic match yesterday at Riley Street Middle School in Hudsonville. In what is definitely the best best boys Cityside volleyball comeback, our boys were down 16-5 in the third set after having split the previous 2 sets. Jose Rodriguez went on a 15 point serving spree to win 21-16 and he was supported by the rest of the team who dug, set, and hit with incredible energy and precision. What an outstanding win! Come and watch us play Rockford at home at 5 pm on Monday.
--Golfers signed up for Monday, May 5: Our list of 12 golfers is posted outside Mr. Hann's room. Please double check to make sure you are on the list.
--Reminder - PLEASE come to school with your chromebook charged each day.
--7th Graders: The due date to turn in your Craig's Cruisers field trip form and payment is TOMORROW. If you have your forms and payments with you, please bring them to Mrs. Nelson in the CBC ASAP. Otherwise, bring them to school tomorrow. Thanks!
--The next meeting of our Tabletop RPG club is today from 2:45-4:30 in the media center. Sign up here or in the Google Classroom! Questions? See Mr. Pifer.
--The combined Cityside & Creekside Middle School Dance Program has been hard at work preparing for our annual spring dance concert. Our final show of the year, Inspirations & Requests, is on Wednesday, May 7 at 7:00PM. Tickets can be purchased online at zpsarts.ludus.com. Dances in the show are from Cityside, Creekside, and the upper levels of the high school dance program. Middle school dances include full group hip hop dances, full group contemporary dances, small group jazz dances, and a combined middle school finale. There are also a variety of high school dances. Please join us as we celebrate what we have learned this year in dance class!
--Please see the Athletics Announcements section below for information about signing up for EDGE this summer!
------------------------- REMINDERS FOR STUDENTS ----------------------------
--Students: Having good ATTENDANCE and being at school as much as possible is so important to a successful education. Please make every effort to arrive to school on time, to get to class on time, and to come every day. We love having you with us here at Cityside!
--If your Chromebook needs to be repaired, please bring it to Mrs. Nelson in the CBC by 9:00 in the morning so it can be sent off to the technology office the same day. Just a reminder: Mrs. Nelson does NOT have any loaner Chromebooks or charging cords for kids who forget them at home. Please make sure you are charging your Chromebook fully at night and make sure you take it to school every day. If you forget it, you will need to call home to have someone bring it to you. If you forgot to charge it, bring your cord from home. Please completely shut down your Chromebook at least once a week to install any updates that are out there and please remember to fully charge it at home each night.
--Students: You must use a crosswalk when crossing the road at any time because we care about your safety. State law requires you to ONLY cross at a crosswalk. It is illegal and unsafe to cross anywhere else. Please make sure to find the closest crosswalks and use those to get where you need to go before or after school. Thank you!
--If you leave school early for any reason, you MUST go through the office and let them know you are leaving. Thank you.
----Students: Chix Tutor Time runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school from 2:40-3:40 in Mrs. Sluiter's room, #135. Chix Tutor Time is a drop-in homework help where you can get help with homework from certified teachers. You do not have to attend every week or certain days; you can come as needed. However, you do need to stay the whole hour if you attend. Remember ~ this will only run on Tuesday & Thursday afternoons (not Wednesdays like last year). We hope to see you there!
----A quick reminder about Success Time: If you have been assigned success time or lunch detention, first drop off your assignments and Chromebook (if needed to complete your assignment)to the LGI room and then grab your lunch so you're ready to get to work right away. If you've turned your assignments in and have a signed slip, you have 3 options:
1. Hand your signed slip to Mrs. DenBoer in the LGI on your way to lunch.
2. Put your signed slip in the folder on Mrs. DenBoer's office door in the Media Center.
3. Put your signed slip in the Success Time Folder on the front desk in the Main Office.
--Students: There is now a donation bin/box beside the Lost and Found table outside of the office. The bin/box is for clothing donations that will go to the organization City on the Hill to help clothe homeless people. Feel free to donate old used clothes by simply putting them in the box. Thank you for your help!
--Current 8th grade Students ONLY: If you are interested in taking the High School PE/Health class in June - fill out the form linked below by April 30, 2025. For a fee, students can take a full semester of PE/Health in a 3 week program in June. If interested, fill out THIS FORM.
-------------------------------- FOR PARENTS ----------------------------------
--Parents - If you need your child out of school early for an appt, etc. please call the office ahead of time and we will try to have your student waiting for you. We will then send them outside when they see you pull up. Teachers normally will not let a student leave class early unless they are called down by the office. Thank you!
--On half days, if your student plans to visit the Howard Miller library after dismissal, please remind them to follow the library's rules to ensure a safe and enjoyable space for all:
- Respect the space and rules: Use chairs, not aisles or hallways, for seating. Keep backpacks and instruments out of walkways.
- Keep it quiet: Speak in low voices to maintain a calm atmosphere.
- Computer use: Public computers are limited to one person per station.
- Snacks only: While snacks and covered drinks are allowed, full meals (like pizza) should be enjoyed outside.
The Howard Miller library looks forward to welcoming our students and appreciate their cooperation in making the library a welcoming place for everyone! Thank you for your support.
--Foodservice Newsletter Note: Zeeland Public Schools is committed to ensuring all students have access to nutritious meals through the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs. Through the 2024-2025 school year, every Michigan student can get FREE breakfast and lunch at their school. No qualifications are necessary. The purpose of posting this regulation is to comply with federal reporting requirements for the USDA Child Nutrition Program and to provide oversight for collecting outstanding student account balances. To learn more, please visit this link. Have questions? Email questions to Food Service Director Sarah Stone at sstone@zps.org.
--Sign Up to Receive the 'Z for Me,' our ZPS district email newsletter- Stay informed about the latest ZPS news, events, and updates, including important district announcements (school closings, etc.), upcoming events, and more. See this FLYER and visit www.zps.org to sign up.
--Parents, please make sure you have an Infinite Campus Parent Portal account set up. You will be able to check your student's bus schedule, grades, attendance, etc. with the Parent Portal. If you have any questions, please contact Heidi Wolters at hwolters@zps.org.
--If your child will not be in school, for any reason, you MUST call the attendance line at 748-3205. Thank you!
--If you are picking your child up from school for any reason you must call the office before we will let them go. You may also call their cell phone in addition to the office, but the office must hear from you. 616-748-3250. Thank you!
--ZPS utilizes the School Messenger system to deliver text messages straight to your mobile phone with important information, including school
closings, safety alerts, and more. You can participate in this free service just by sending a text message of "Y" to our school's short code, 67587. See this informational FLYER for more details.
--Any message needing to get to a student must be received by 1:20 pm. We call students down at the beginning of their last hour during announcements so we are not disturbing classroom instruction time.
--We need your help to ensure our schools receive important state and federal funding by completing the Education Benefits Form,which collects information for educational program grants. Even though all students get free breakfast and lunch this year, filling out this form can also provide your child with additional services like summer food support, help with school fees, and potential household support for internet and cable. Questions? Please see your building principal. Scan the code on this Informational Flyer for more details.
--We would like to offer your student the opportunity to participate in a program at Cityside Middle School called “Hand2Hand”. This program helps provide a student with food for the weekends and is intended for families who currently may be experiencing a financial burden. Please contact the front office if you would like to participate. Please see the attached Hand2Hand Registration Flyer which is in both English and Spanish. Print it off and return it to the Cityside front office.
**Our Miles of Smiles (MOS) mobile dental unit is scheduled to be in Ottawa County Schools during the 2024-2025 school year. Our mobile dental unit provides no cost, preventive and restorative dental services for financially-qualifying children. Unfortunately, MOS will not be visiting your school this year. However, we want parents to know that they can schedule their child to be seen on our mobile unit when we locate at another Ottawa County School. Miles of Smiles can be accessed by using the following informational application link: MILES OF SMILES
--Please do not have lunch food delivered from area restaurants to our students for lunch. We aren't allowed to sign your credit card receipts, and often the order only comes with a student's first name on it making it very difficult for us to know who it is for. Students often don't know a lunch is being delivered for them, so they don't come to pick it up and the food goes uneaten. Thanks for understanding!
--Cityside Parents: YOU are in luck! Our hardworking Inventions and Innovations class has Garden Boxes ready for purchase just in time for your spring planting! I'm so proud of our students for their ingenuity! And, the garden boxes are high quality! Please see the attached FLYER for the sizes available and the cost, and let me know how many you'd like! shuizeng@zps.org Thank you for supporting Cityside students!
------------------------- ATHLETICS ANNOUNCEMENTS ----------------------------
--SPORT SIGN-UPS: FINAL FORMS REGISTRATION WILL SOON BE OPEN FOR THE 2025/2026 SCHOOL YEAR! Please see the CITYSIDE ATHLETICS WEB PAGE for information on signing up student athletes. All registration and sports sign ups will be done online in the Final Forms website for the 2025/2026 school year. Drop in locations for sports physicals are also listed on the athletic web page. If your student is planning to participate in any sports during the 2025/2026 school year, please remember that they must have a new sports physical that is dated AFTER April 15, 2025. Please bring sports physicals to Mrs. Nelson in the CBC or upload a PDF (Preferred format) into your student's Final Forms record.
--Hey Chix Families! Have you heard the big news in athletics? For the first time ever, the Zeeland Athletic Boosters are allowing you to directly support our Cityside athletics the next time you volunteer! New to Cityside or new to our Athletic Boosters? No problem! Everyone is encouraged to volunteer! The Zeeland Athletic Boosters are our biggest partner when it comes to supporting our athletes. From purchasing equipment or jerseys, to providing scholarships to our Senior Athletes, our Boosters help support athletic excellence at Zeeland Public Schools. The next time you volunteer, just write “Cityside” for the team/program you would like to sponsor. By doing this, the funds you raise will go directly to our Cityside Athletics account. Workers earn $10/hour at any ZPS athletic event! Sign up here! Go Chix!
--We are pleased to announce that we will once again be offering EDGE Training for student-athletes in 6th-12th grades. This five week speed/strength and agility program will utilize the new training facility at Zeeland East High School and be led by Chris Heald, Ralph Neal, Joe Woodruff and Brent Brock. Dates: June 9th-June 26th and July 7th-17th (no EDGE during Dead Week).
Days: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
Ages & Times: Boys/girls high school students: 8am-10am; Boys/girls middle school students: 10am-noon
To sign up for EDGE, please turn in this attached form to Cityside Main Office or the Zeeland East Athletic Office. The cost is $100. All checks should be made payable to: Zeeland East EDGE. We want the EDGE to be an affordable option for all of Zeeland East athletes and their families. If you or your family are interested in participating in the program, but are struggling financially, please send Mr. Heald an email at cheald@zps.org to discuss what options are available. Last summer we had over 220 student-athletes participating in EDGE! We look forward to seeing our student-athletes working out together this summer.
--Cityside Sideline Cheer Tryouts will be held on Wednesday, June 4th & Thursday, June 5th from 5:30-7:30pm in the Chix Coop at the Middle School.
**Please wear cheer shoes, shorts & a t-shirt. Remove all jewelry and piercings ahead of time. Hair must be up and pulled out of your face! No experience is required, we will teach you everything you need to know! The Chix Coop will be open 15 minutes early to stretch and warm up PRIOR to the start of tryouts. A parent meeting will take place directly following day two of tryouts, from approximately 7:30-8:00pm on June 5th in the Chix Coop. Coach Baker will also be at the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade lunches on May 21st to meet potential cheerleaders. **Please Note: A current physical is REQUIRED to be on file in the athletic office prior to tryouts! Please make sure you are also registered on Final Forms.!** Contact Coach Baker with any questions: coachrebaker@gmail.com