4/21: Early Release day
- 2:30 - 2:45 is for students with the last name A - I
- 2:45 - 3:00 is for students with the last name J - Z
4/14 - 5/15 : MStep testing window for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students
4/18: GRCDC Spring Outdoor Clean Up, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
4/24: Summer Academic Workbook orders due
5/2: GRCDC Family Dance, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
5/22 - 5/25: No School, Memorial Day Break
5/28: End of Year Celebration, school-wide event, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
6/2: Fifth Grade Promotion Ceremony for the Fifth Grade families, 6:30 - 7:30 PM (information will be sent to 5th grade families soon!)
6/3: Last Day of School, 11:30 AM Dismissal
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Hello Families!
Each year, we ask all families to complete the Spring Family Survey. This helps us plan for the year to come- what we should keep doing, what we should start doing, and what we might need to do a little better! Your feedback is so valuable to us and we use it right away. As always, our goal is 100% participation. Thank you to the 66 families who have completed the survey already!
Have a great weekend!
Lisa
nuyensl@childdiscoverycenter.org
o. 616-459-0330
c. 517-2063868 (voicenote, text, or voicemail!)
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M-STEP Testing Information (Grades 3–5)
Students in grades 3–5 will begin M-STEP testing this week and will continue through the end of the allowable testing window on May 15, 2026. M-STEP is a state-required assessment given on the computer. It measures how students are doing with grade-level learning in:
- English Language Arts (ELA)
- Math
- 5th grade only: Science and Social Studies
Families of students in Grades 3-5, more details about the M-STEP will be in the teacher newsletters on Monday.
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No new questions this week. If you have thought of any new questions, please add below!
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Curious Together. Kindergartners are exploring how curiosity can help us create friendships and learn about our community. Children asked questions, made observations, and explored the neighborhood around them to understand the people, places, and nature that make up their community.
In Social Studies and Studio, children investigated how people connect, help each other and work together, discovering ways to be kind and cooperative members of their classroom and neighborhood. By using curiosity as a tool, children experienced that asking questions not only helps us learn, but it also helps us connect, make friends, and understand the world around us. Through this study, our classrooms grew from being new into being caring, curious, and connected to the GRCDC community.
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Construction Heads Up: Currently, Jefferson Ave between Wealthy and Cherry Street is closed. This is a DTE project that is scheduled to be completed on 4/24. We have observed higher than usual traffic in the Wealthy/Lafayette traffic circle. So far the traffic slow down has been managable and not causing delays for the car line process. When exiting the car line, we recommend avoiding northbound Lafayette. Also, please do not block up the traffic circle as you approach or exit the school car line.
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2026 - 2027 School Year Calendar Key Dates:
- Back to School Night (required for all students), Thursday, August 20th, 4:00 - 7:00, you will sign up for a time slot for this event at a later date
- First Day of School, Monday, August 24th
- No School, Labor Day Break, September 4th - September 7th
- No School, Thanksgiving Break, November 25th - November 27th
- No School, Winter Break, December 19th - January 3rd
- No School, Spring Break, Thursday, April 1st – Friday, April 9th
- NOTE: This is not a finalized calendar. Other dates will be added for events such as parent teacher conferences, portfolio day, and professional development days. However, the major holiday breaks are confirmed as days off from school. Please use these dates to plan family vacations and avoid taking days off for reasons other than illness on days school is in session.
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Lost and Found Weekly Post: No post this week! |
Upcoming Events
- Spring Clean Up - Saturday April 18, 1pm - 3pm. Let’s clean up the school yard and get it ready to shine for spring!
- Family Dance - Saturday May 2, 1pm - 3pm. Glow big or go home at this glow party! Volunteer sign up coming soon on ParentSquare.
Family Team Meetings
- The next Family Team meeting is Thursday May 14 after the Community Meeting
Find Family Team on ParentSquare!
The GRCDC Narwhals - Families of Current Students Facebook group has been archived, so stay up to date through the Family Team GRCDC Narwhals Group on ParentSquare.
Let's Connect
We want to hear from you! If you have an idea, question, or suggestion for the Family Team email us at grcdcfamilyteam@gmail.com. |
Upcoming After School Club meetings:
4/21 - GOTR
4/23: GOTR
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Summer Academic Workbook Order: You have the opportunity to order the GRASP (Grand Rapids Academic Summer Program) program for your child this summer. GRASP is a correspondence program for grades K to 8 that helps students maintain reading and math skills while on summer break. The fees for the summer of 2026 are $30 for one subject or $50 for both subjects for each child. You can enroll your child by completing the form and paying the enrollment fee. For the form and more information, please click here. Orders are due April 24th.
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Sunbucks, Michigan Summer EBT: Michigan Summer EBT is a program to help families buy food for their school-aged children during the summer. Families will get $120 for each eligible child to buy groceries during the summer. For more information, please follow this link.
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Registration is open for free summer day camps at three park locations: Garfield and MLK summer camps will be held every weekday from noon to 4 p.m. and Roosevelt camp will be held every weekday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free lunch and snacks will be provided every day. Parents can only sign their children up for one camp location and must register their child for each session individually. For session dates and registration, please follow this link. Thank you, Kate Assarian, for sharing this information with the school community!
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Free pool passes for City youth are back for 2026! For kids ages 17 and under who live within Grand Rapids City limits, GR Parks and Recreation will provide a free 2026 season pool pass as long as they are signed up before 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 25. Register at: grparks.info/poolpass26
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- If you are experiencing a housing crisis or issue, please contact us at 616-459-0330 and our Homeless Liaison will reach out to you.
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Families Supporting Families! We want to support our families. We are collecting the information for any family-owned businesses within our community. If you own a business, please fill out this survey. We will add you to the directory once we receive your information.
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OK2SAY: If you receive a threat or know of a threat of violence against your community, please contact your local law enforcement or call 9-1-1. Non-emergency tips can be submitted the following ways:
- Call: 8-555-OK2SAY, (855-565-2729 )
- Text: 652729 (OK2SAY)
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Email: OK2SAY
- Visit: OK2SAY website
- OK2SAY Mobile App: Available for download for Apple, Google and Android mobile devices.
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Absence Reporting: If your child will be absent from school, please contact us by 8:20 AM if possible. There are a few ways you can contact us about an absence:
- Email office@childdiscoverycenter.org
- Call the main office, 616-459-0330
- Send a ParentSquare message
- If you contact a teacher only regarding attendance, please know that they do not always have time to inform the office about your child's attendance. Your first contact should always be the school office. If you want to include the teacher and inform them as well, go for it!
If we do not hear from you, ParentSquare will send an automated message around 8:50 AM that you may also reply to. If you do not contact the office to excuse the absence, it will be marked unexcused.
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