Saranac Elementary School

Kickoff to Kindergarten is this Thursday (6/8) from 4:00 - 6:30. If you have a child turning 5 by December 1, please have your child attend this event so we can begin our enrolment process! Use the link below to register. https://forms.gle/uYEvwvxwj9aNM2cf6

6th grader, Kenadie Rozema, illustrated the published book, Tucker and his Friends. She said it was difficult because she felt like everything had to be perfect. She explained that her mom said it was meant to look like a child did the illustrations, and that it didn't have to be perfect. Her favorite part was making the cover because she got to make all the animals. She said that her favorite character to draw was Tucker because he pretty much was just a big circle with a head and legs. When asked how she got the opportunity to illustrate Tucker and His Friends, she said that her mom posts her drawings on Facebook, and Carol (the author) saw them and messaged her mom. She asked if Kenadie would be willing to illustrate her book. Kenadie was so excited when her mom told her she could illustrate a book. To see Kenadie’s illustrations, you can check out the book in the elementary library! By Anna Dahms and Lydia Hagen

The Ionia County Farm Bureau sponsored an Essay Contest for 5th graders across Ionia County. Students were prompted with the question, "What can agriculture do for me?" Saranac Elementary was represented by Melody Penninga, Ava Manion, and Vivienne Serne. There were 44 applicants across Ionia County, and Vivienne Serne was the essay winner. Congratulations to all 3 for going above and beyond.

Saranac Community Schools has partnered with Kids Read Now and their unique summer reading program to help close the achievement gap.  The Kids Read Now Comprehensive Program mails new books to students (currently in Young 5s through 5th grade) every 10-12 days, including fiction and nonfiction titles loved by children.  Students will choose books from the Kids Read Now book list prior to the end of the school year.  These books are mailed directly to students’ home addresses; no in-home technology is required. Each book includes discussion questions to help increase family engagement. A bonus ninth book of beautifully illustrated creative writing prompts concludes the program so children can write their own stories! “The summer extended break would normally mean learning loss.  Our program has been proven to eradicate the typical summer slide and help kids gain up to 2.5 months of learning over the summer,“ said Leib Lurie, CEO of Kids Read Now, the nonprofit company managing this program for the school district. Kids Read Now, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the singular mission to eliminate the summer reading slide. To learn more about in-home reading programs offered by Kids Read Now, please visit KidsReadNow.org.   We are looking forward to this partnership to keep our students reading throughout the summer!

SCS internet and phone lines are currently down. Tech support is working to resolve the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience.

FFA Plant Sale 5/23 & 4/30; 3-4pm at JSH Greenhouse. Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes Roma Tomatoes Better Boy Tomatoes Green to Red Peppers Green to Yellow Peppers Jalapeno Peppers Inferno Banana Peppers Cosmo Flowers Giant Zinnias Regular Zinnias Plug giant marigolds

We are aware that our website is down, our Technology Services team is working to resolve the issue.

An abandoned vehicle was found this morning on the east side of campus. Otto Laabs Lane will remain closed this morning while law enforcement removes the vehicle. All traffic should use Pleasant Street. Thank you for your patience.

Our upper elementary students competed in the typing Olympics. Students that achieved the fastest times were recognized at our awards ceremony! The students enjoyed this contest, which helped them work on an important skill.

SHOP EVEN MORE TITLES ONLINE & CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL! Bring on the Bookjoy—25% of every online purchase from Apr 17 – Apr 30 directly benefits our school! Just follow this link www.scholastic.com/bf/saranacelementaryschool3

Our Kindergarten Parent meeting is quickly approaching. The meeting is this Thursday, 4-20-2023, from 6:30 to 7:30 in our front lunch room. This meeting is for parents and guardians of students who will be attending Saranac Elementary in the fall as Kindergarteners. If you plan to have your child enrolled with us in the fall, please use this link to provide some information to start this process. https://forms.gle/DdJetWdjEZVL1JHa7

The elementary office will close at 3 PM today, Wednesday, March 29th, to allow office staff to attend training.

Are you Spring Cleaning? Saranac Elementary Student Council would love to take unwanted items off your hands for our HEART of the COMMUNITY sale. Most items at the sale will be available to people for a donation. All proceeds will go to SERC (School Emergency Response Coalition). Check it out at www.sercmi.org You may drop items off to the elementary school Friday, April 21st, between 3-5 pm. Our HEART of the COMMUNITY Sale will be Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 8-12.

Parents, Staff and Students: There will be a number of emergency vehicles and first responders at the JSH and in the JSH parking lot this morning. There is no cause for alarm. This is part of a planned first-responder career presentation. Have a great day!

Hello Families! The Saranac Elementary Scholastic Book Fair will be here in no time! April 14- 21, 2023. VOLUNTEERS sign up here: bit.ly/SignUPBookfair We have lots of different options for volunteers, and we are happy to have you even if you can't stay for a full 2 or 3-hour shift. All purchases through the Book Fair benefit our school. This BookFair is a real BOGO! BUY ONE GET ONE FREE*!!!! *BOGO only for in-person sales Scholastic rewards Saranac Elementary 25% for those who shop ONLINE during our fair dates. More info at link below: preview books, and learn about eWallet info: bit.ly/SaranacBooks

We celebrated our American Heart Association fundraiser today! Our school raised almost $6000!!! We had 30 students that raised $100 for this amazing cause. Those students all had the chance to pie Mr. Catrell or Mrs. Wernette in the face. It was a lot of fun. A big shout out to Mrs. W for all the time and effort she puts into this cause.

Possibly related to our earlier network and phone issues, our website is currently not accessible off campus. Our Technology team is investigating the issue and working on a resolution.

Thursday 2/16/23 Due to deteriorating road conditions all evening activities, including games and practices, have been canceled.

Dear Families, Are you looking for ways to help your child with their homework?  Saranac Elementary is piloting a program for the remainder of this school year for this purpose. Our homework lab is different than tutoring.  Tutoring focuses on skills that a student needs, but the class may not be working on them any longer.  The homework lab is working on the current lessons that are being taught in the classroom. Students will need to bring the homework assignments with them to the lab.  Our lab will take place Monday - Friday after school until 3:55. Most days, it will occur in our Media Center. Guardians must sign up students prior to the day to ensure that we have staff assigned (If no one is signed up, there will not be staff available).  Use this form to sign up your student to attend the program for specific dates.  This form will also be found on our elementary School website https://www.saranac.k12.mi.us/o/ses Mike Catrell Principal Saranac Elementary