March 8 at 7:30PM
Administration Building
2325 Four Mile Rd.

A special PTO meeting will be held on March 8 to select the 2010-11 elementary PTO officers for the new elementary located at 4252 Three Mile Rd. NW. If you are interested in becoming involved in the new elementary Parent Teacher Organization - please plan to attend this important meeting.

DID YOU KNOW... that you may apply for the Free and Reduced Meals Program at any time during the school year?
When incomes change due to reduced working hours, lay offs or unemployment, we encourage you to apply for the meal program. Families that are presently on our reduced meal program are also encouraged to reapply as you may now qualify for free meals. Applications are available at each of our school offices or at www.lunchapp.com. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Marilyn Chambers, Free and Reduced Priced Meals Coordinator at 616-784-0175.

Kenowa Hills Day Care and Learning Center is having a Scrapbooking Fundraiser!

When: Saturday, March 6, 1PM - 10PM
Where: Kenowa Hills Intermediate School 4252 Three Mile
Cost: $20.00 per person if paid by 3/1/10, $25.00 per person if paid after 3/1/10

Cost includes dinner, pop, nine hours of scrapbooking and prizes. Proceeds will go toward new learning tools for the Day Care and Learning Center. Please bring your own supplies and a snack to pass. Consultants from Close to My Heart and Creative Memories will be available.

KHPS now uses the Honeywell Instant Alert system as a primary way to communicate information to families. The instant alert system will notify families of school closings, event times, schedule changes, conferences, and much more. The system sends a single clear message to students’ parents or guardians by telephone, cell phone or email in any combination!

Instant Alert is internet based, allowing each family to maintain a secure, password protected online profile. The instant alert system offers families 5 different alert categories to choose from:

1. School Closings/Delays
2. High Importance (urgent messages)
3. Transportation (i.e. bus delays due to traffic or weather)
4. Building Events (i.e. teacher conferences, field trip reminders)
5. District Announcements (i.e. Community Events, Student Count Day and election reminders).

Each family must UPDATE THEIR PROFILE in order to receive accurate instant alerts. By creating a profile users will be able to select which type of information they would like to receive on each of contact device (i.e. email, cell phone, etc.). Currently, only staff or families with students enrolled in KHPS can create a profile. In mid-January instructions on how to access the system were mailed to families with students enrolled in KHPS. If you have a child enrolled in KHPS and did not receive instructions, please contact your child's school office.

February Filing Deadline for Board of Education Candidates

Those seeking a position on the Kenowa Hills Board of Education must file a Nominating Petition and an Affidavit of Identity no later than 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9, 2010. A nonrefundable $100 filing fee may be submitted in lieu of a petition. The School Board Election will be held Tuesday, May 4, 2010. One four-year term will be filled.

Petitions and affidavit forms can be obtained at the following offices:  

The office of Sarah Bydalek          Kent County Clerk’s Office
City of Walker Clerk                     County Administration Building
4243 Remembrance Road            300 Monroe Avenue NW

Petitions must be filed at the Kent County Clerk’s Office. For more information, please contact Sarah Bydalek at 791-6865. The last day to register for the May Election is April 5, 2010.

This fall, the Kenowa Hills Education Foundation (KHEF) awarded $9,887 in grants to support twelve innovative classroom projects. Almost $2,000 will assist the orchestra program with instrument restoration, a portable projector and electronic equipment. Counselor Jeff Poelstra received $1,650 for an expanded "Making the Peace" mentoring and bullying awareness program, connecting Kenowa Hills High School and Kenowa Hills Middle School students. The KHEF awards grants twice a year, with another round slated for spring. See attachment for the complete list of grant recipients.

 
Share your concerns about school funding with legislators.

 
Representatives: http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp
Senators: http://senate.michigan.gov/FindYourSenator/michiganfys.asp?lookup
Governor: http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995---00.html

Superintendent Tom Martin and many other area educators, board members and parents recently attended a meeting with Governor Granholm to discuss the school budget crisis in Michigan. School aid for the 2009-10 year has been reduced by $165 per student. This reduction adds an additional $575,000 to our district’s current $1.5 million deficit.

Even with this $165 per-pupil reduction, a $212 million shortfall remains in the state school-aid fund. In dollars and cents, this means unless the state legislature funds this $212 million in the next 30 days, school districts will receive a second funding reduction of $127 per student, for a total 2009-10 reduction of $292 per student.

These combined reductions, along with the loss of 30 students more than projected, will bring Kenowa Hills’ projected deficit for this 2009-10 school year to $2.3 million.

Lansing has a variety of options on the table to fund public education without this additional $127 per-pupil reduction and without a general tax increase. Should you wish to contact our state legislators – please follow these appropriate links:

Representatives: http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp
Senators: http://senate.michigan.gov/FindYourSenator/michiganfys.asp?lookup=
Governor: http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995---00.html