Hello Hayes Families,
Thank you!
We have so many people to thank this week!
- Our thoughtful PTO partnered with our families and stocked the staff lounge with drinks and snacks for the first week of school.They also provided popsicles for every student on one of the hottest days last week!
- The Hubbard family donated cleaning wipes to every teacher.
- Home Depot gave us a grant to build a greenhouse for our Gardening for Food and Fun enrichment class AND they donated the wood that the 6th grade students will be using to make their Future City models.
Thank you so very much to our families and our community! We appreciate your Support.
Picture Day: Picture day is scheduled for Thursday September 12th during the school day. Ordering information was sent home with students today. Retakes will be Tuesday October 15th.
NWEA: The Math and ELA NWEA testing window starts Monday September 9th. Your student's teacher will be providing you with more information on exact dates and times.
Hayes Cross Country: We are excited to announce the 5th and 6th grade Cross Country Club to Hayes Intermediate School; this is an opportunity to get introduced to the great sport of Cross Country! The club will run from September 17 to October 10th, with practice every Tuesday and Thursday after school, and opportunities to race 2 miles at the end of the season. The cost of the season is $40 (due by September 20-if cost is a concern, contact Coach Pyle) which will include a Team T-Shirt and a timed race. Sign up on this registration form, and if you have any questions please contact Coach Tony Pyle at pyle.tony@gmail.com.
Who: All 5th & 6th Graders
When: Tues & Thurs from 2:45 - 4:00
Dates: Sept 17 - Oct 10
Cost $40 (includes a team shirt)
Races:
10/8 Race at Hayes Intermediate
10/14 6th Graders can race in the Junior Greater Lansing Invitational at Dewitt High School
Questions? Contact Coach Tony Pyle at pyle.tony@gmail.com
Register here: https://forms.gle/sMAnMohpEaJBNMUSA
Grand Ledge Archery: Sign-up for Grand Ledge Archery will be on Thursday, September 12, in the high school archery range. Come see our archery range as well as meet your coaches and fellow teammates. Parents, this will be a great time for any questions you have. We are excited for the start of a great season. Our tentative start date is the week of September 23rd. We will have copies of the required paperwork at the range, or you can find the paperwork on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GrandLedgeArchery
Sign-up Schedule as follows on September 12...
- High schoolers (grades 9-12): Returning archers will be given precedence from 3-3:30, and from 3:30-4:30, there will be open sign-ups.
- Middle schoolers (grades 7-8) and Intermediate schoolers (grades 5-6): Returning archers will be given precedence from 6-6:30, and from 6:30-7:30, there will be open sign-ups.
Destination Imagination Lets Brains Have Fun! Learn More Sep. 16 or Sep. 19.
Be creative, study science, be artistic, and understand how things work – all while making friends and having fun by joining Destination Imagination (DI)! DI is a STEAM-based, competitive extracurricular activity that promotes creativity and teamwork for students in grades 3 through high school. Early learning opportunities are also available for K-2 students.
Interested parents and students from any Grand Ledge school can learn more about the program and this year’s challenges on Monday, Sept. 16, 6:15-7:15 p.m. in the Delta Center Elementary media room or Thursday, Sept. 19, 7-8 p.m. virtually via Google Meet. If you are unable to attend but are interested in the program, please contact Jennifer Pakkala, Clever Comets Coordinator, at pakkala@comcast.net. For more information, visit DestinationImagination.org and Facebook.com/CleverComets.
Growing Friendships and Second Step: One of the most exciting aspects of Hayes Intermediate is that 5th Grade is the first opportunity for all Grand Ledge students around the same age in the same school. To that end, one of the things important to us is that all students feel included and have the opportunity to make friends. To help with that, all of our 5th Grade homerooms and some of the 6th Grade homerooms are going through a book called Growing Friendships. For the next couple of weeks, teachers will be talking with students about how to Reach Out, Find Common Ground, and Take It Slow as students make new friends. Additionally, we are teaching a new program here at Hayes called Second Step. The program's goal is to help children develop skills that will help them succeed in school and become productive adults while also identifying and preventing bullying.
Bus Cards: The bus garage issued all new bus riding students a bus card and they were handed out last week. All other students were supposed to use their bus cards from last year. If your student has misplaced their bus card you will need to reach out to the bus garage to order a new one. You can call transportation at 517-925-5300 or use the following link:
https://www.glcomets.net/family-and-student-resources/pupiltransportationbusgarage/
Attendance Policy: This month, our district adopted a universal, K-12, attendance policy. The universal attendance policy will be added to all handbooks across the district in the near future. The absence limit for the school year is five full days before attendance letters follow. Because we must follow State law and we are held accountable by the State for students being present in school on a regular basis, we will follow our county-wide protocol in notifying families of students that exceed the five absence limit, explained or unexplained, this school year via email with attendance letters that are sent in a progressive fashion. As parents, we understand that students become ill and they may miss multiple school days. If this is the case, please be sure to obtain a doctor’s note regarding your student’s illness/treatment plan and provide this note to our secretaries immediately following your student’s absence. Medically documented absences are coded differently than absences explained or unexplained.
Online Attendance Reporting: There are several ways to report an absence at Hayes. You can use the online portal at ps.glcomets.net. Once you have logged in, select “Attendance Monitor” from the left navigation menu. Then, click “Report New Attendance.” After you have entered the date, reason, and explanation, click Submit. For more detailed instructions, please use the Parent Attendance Portal Directions . Also, you may continue to email HAAttendance@glcomets.net or call the attendance line at 517-925-5333. Please note: online attendance reporting is not available in the app; it is only available on the website.
Parent Teacher Organization (PTO): We have an outstanding joint PTO with the Beagle Middle building! Our PTO has provided several incredible opportunities for our students, staff, and facilities over the past few years. This work is accomplished through the support of our community and family members. We always encourage our family members to attend our PTO meetings whether it's one time, intermittently, or consistently--all participation is helpful and impactful to our school culture and benefits our children. Here are some important updates from our PTO:
- The first meeting of the year will be Tuesday, September 10 at 6:30pm in the Beagle Media Center or you can attend the first meeting virtually at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82744686994.
- Stay connected with PTO news and events: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hayesbeaglepto
Big Brothers/Big Sisters Site Based Mentoring We are proud to announce that we are partnering with Big Brothers/Big Sisters to help mentor students at Hayes Intermediate this school year. Per parent request, students will be matched with an adult mentor from our local community. Students will meet with their “Big” during the school day one time per week during the school year. Students in the Site Based Mentoring Program are only permitted to see their Big at the school. If you would like to get your student started with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, please click here: https://bbbs.tfaforms.net/f/bbbsmcryouthapp
Picking up a student during school hours: Our staff will not call students to the office to leave for the day until the person picking them up has shown their ID and has signed them out. Please plan accordingly for appointments and give yourself a few extra minutes. Additionally please make sure your students' contact information is up to date. If someone comes to pick up your student but they are not on your student emergency contact list we will not allow your student to be signed out by that person.
Upcoming Events, District News, & Community Information
View flyers and more of what the school district shares in newsletters about events, news, and information by visiting GLcomets.net/Upcoming.
Hayes Happenings!
Here is a link to the first Hayes Happenings episode of the year! Episode 1
Looking Ahead:
September 9 - NWEA Testing Begins
September 10 - PTO Meeting
September 12 - Picture Day (During the school day)
September 12 - PTO Fundraiser Kickoff
September 12 - Archery Sign Up
September 16 - Destination Imagination In Person Meeting
September 17 - Cross Country Club Start
September 19 - Destination Imagination Virtual Option
October 15 - Picture Retakes
Take care,
Eric and Scott
Eric Leopold, Principal
Scott Millbrook, Assistant Principal
Hayes Intermediate School
