Macatawa Bay Newsletter - West Ottawa Public Schools

West Ottawa Public Schools
Preparing Students to Be College, Career and Life Ready!
Macatawa Bay Newsletter
3700 140th Ave., Holland, MI 49424
Phone: 616-786-2000 / Fax: 616-786-2091
March 4, 2016
“Save The Date!”
“BLAST AT THE BAY”
Calendar of Events
The Blast at the Bay is coming! This all Mac Bay school event for 6th,
7th, and 8th graders will be held at Macatawa Bay on Thursday, March
17 from 6 pm - 8 pm. There will be a DJ, dancing, pizza dinner, candy
bar BINGO, staff vs. student activities, games and more! Tickets are $3
and go on sale March 15, 16 & 17 during all 3 lunch times. Tickets will
be $5 at the door the night of the event so get your ticket early.
Attention: We are still looking for volunteers for this event. Please
contact Lois Yonker at 786-2001 or yonkerl@westottawa.net if you can
help. If you can donate either of the following items, please drop them
off at the main office or send them in with your student: 10-12oz beverage cups and/or 2-liters of beverages (pop, lemonade, etc). We need
about 100 2-liters. Thanks so much!
March
15—5/6th Orchestra Concert 6pm
15—6th Band Concert 7:30pm
18—Anchor Function Night
21—Calling All Colors at HL
24—Parent Teacher Conferences 5-8pm
29—Half Day of School
29—Parent Teacher Conferences 1-4pm
& 5-8pm
April
1-10—Spring Recess
11—School Resumes
11—Calling All Colors at HL
15—Anchor Function Night
16—MS B & O Solo & Ensemble Festival
28—All School Orchestra @ North HS
R.O.C.K.S.
Spring Recess
The R.O.C.K.S. winners for the week of 2/29 were:
Friday, April 1—Sunday, April 10
School Resumes on
Monday, April 11
6th grade - Luke Wolffis
7th grade - Osvaldo Garcia-Vazquez
Congratulations to all the students who received R.O.C.K.S.
tickets!
Spring Parent Teacher Conferences
Thursday, March 24—5-8 pm
Tuesday, March 29—Half Day of School—Dismissal at 11:07 am
Tuesday, March 29—1-4 pm and 5-8 pm
All conferences will be held in the Mac Bay Gym. A Spanish translator will be available at all conferences.
Dear Macatawa Bay Families,
What crazy weather these last few weeks. I think it is so odd to see the grass and then have a
snow day the next day. Michigan winters are the best. I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying
whatever mother nature has to offer. There are a lot of important updates throughout the
newsletter, so please read closely.
Next week Tuesday, March 8, Mac Bay will be hosting our 5th grade parent/student night in the
gym from 6-6:45 pm. This is an informational meeting for all incoming 6th graders from Woodside,
L akewood, North Holland or any other interested family in the area. Please spread the word. We
will also be hosting our Mac Bay Showcase that same night, March 8, from 6:45-8 pm. We encourage all students and parents at Mac Bay to attend and see how we shine.
Our eighth graders were visited by Mr. Todd Tulgestke and the high school counselors on Thursday. Mr. Tulgestke presented information about the high school, the transition, and what to expect
while registering. Mr. Wilson and myself have been meeting with 8th grade classes as well to inform them about high school registration and the transition. I encouraged all 8th graders to think
about the positive legacy they leave at Mac Bay in the next twelve weeks and to continue to set
positive academic and social habits as they finish off the year. I encourage all eighth grade
students and their families to bring any questions regarding transitions or course selection to me or
Mr. Wilson. We are more than happy to help.
Online registration or OLR is going to open on March 15. I will send a reminder to all families, but
please mark your calendars. It is a great idea to get this done early. Look for a message in your
parent portal beginning March 15 titled “online registration.” This message will appear in the
primary household guardian’s (according to Infinite Campus) parent portal inbox.
Blast at the Bay will be Thursday, March 17, 6-8 pm. I look forward to a great night of fun and
activities. I know many students are excited to see me do the “whip” on the dance floor.
Remember March is also Reading Month. We will be sharing our favorite books with students
throughout the month, I hope you and your child will do the same. Students should always be
reading everyday outside of school. Read, read, read and have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Anne Armstrong, Principal
Attention 8th Graders!!
Any 8th grader looking to do some research on which High School courses they
should be taking next year please visit http://courseguide.westottawa.net/ This
will tell you in depth information about the courses, the sequencing of the
courses, and any prerequisites you need to take the course. Scheduling for
High School courses will begin MONDAY, March 7, 2016 with the High School
counselors. Do your homework!
WOMS Students Represent Us Well at the Regional Spelling Bee
The WOMS library staff hosted one of the Regional Spelling Bees for the Ottawa Area ISD on February 23rd.
In one of the most suspenseful competitions in memory, twenty-four students ranging from the 4th-8th grades
competed in the Macatawa Bay cafeteria for just over two hours until a winner spelled and defined her way to
victory. With just seven spellers remaining, all four West Ottawa Middle School finalists were still in the running:
Allison Teav, HL 8th gr. (HL Spelling Champion in 6th, 7th & 8th gr.)
Elizabeth Lambert, HL 7th gr.
Tyler Bush, MB 8th gr.
Isabella Kephart, MB 7th gr.
The final spelling duel between Elizabeth Lambert (HL) and Isabella Kephart (MB) went on for over fifteen
rounds, alternating between surprise dictionary words and advanced vocabulary definition questions. Elizabeth spelled “circumvent” to become Regional Champion and will represent the OAISD along with two other
regional winners at the Greater Grand Rapids Bee on March 22nd, 6:30 p.m. at Grand Rapids Ballet’s Peter
Martin Wege Theatre. The winner of that Final will go to the National Bee in Washington, D.C. May 22-27,
2016.
We’re still catching our breath from the excitement, but students who want to begin studying for next year can
find practice lists at www.spellingbee.com. Vocabulary building leads to academic success, so challenge
yourself to learn a new word every day (definition too, not just the spelling) and you will see your grades improve. Can you spell S-U-C-C-E-S-S-F-U-L?
Science Olympiad Tournament
WOSO had a great showing again at the last tournament. There were 20 teams from Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Mac Bay placed 5th overall, and Harbor Lights placed 8th and 10th.
We would like to congratulate and commend the students on their hard work and effort. They were at school at 6 am
on the mid-winter break Saturday!
The following students were medal and ribbon winners:
Garrett Truttman—3rd place Green generation & Scrambler vehicle
Will Truttman—5th place Air trajectory & 6th place Mission possible
Gabe Giddings—6th place Crave the wave, 5th place Air trajectory & 4th place Food science
Toria Giddings—6th place Crave the wave, 5th place Food science & 5th place Bottle rockets
Morgan Davis—4th place Picture this, 5th place Bio-process, 3rd place Food science & 6th place Experimental design
Autumn Veldink—2nd place Crime busters, 5th place Bio-process, 3rd place Food science, 4th place anatomy/
physiology & 6th place Experimental design
Emma Tracy—4th place Picture this, 4th place Anatomy/physiology & 6th place Experimental design
Charlie Dewaard—6th place Mission possible
Ariela Ferraro-Guillermo—4th place Experimental design
Tyler Bush—3rd place Meteorology, 4th place Experimental design & 5th place Road scholar
Colin Brown—4th place Experimental design, 4th place Food science & 5th place Bottle rockets
Evan Pohl—5th place Wind power
Maddison Allen—3rd place Green generation
Thank you to everyone for your support!
Panther Athletic News

WO summer athletic camps and swimming opportunities are available at
www.wopanthers.com

WO Athletic Booster Golf Outing: June 20th, Macatawa Legend
More information to come
th
13
Registration 2016
Annual West Ottawa All-Male Choir
This is just for fun and friends and singing……..in that order……BUT, we do a great job!!!
Name_______________________________
For Students - Parent/Guardian Name ________________________________________
For Students - Parent/Guardian Signature _____________________________________
School (if applicable)______________________________
Address______________________________________________
Phone_______________________E-Mail______________________________
Registration due no later than March 31st.
Turn registration to building Music Teacher, Office Secretary
or to Mrs. Pierson piersonp@westottawa.net 738-6865
*****************************************************************************
West Ottawa All-Male Choir
What:
An all male choir made up of West Ottawa 6th – 12th grade students and adults associated with West Ottawa Schools and from the community.
Who may join:
Any male West Ottawa student in the 6th – 12thgrades, Dads, Grandfathers, Uncles,
Brothers and community members.
No cost to members. All music provided.
There will be a $5 donation for food and performance t-shirt required ( $10.)
Why:
To provide a quality opportunity for a multi-age male choir.
Singing well is not a requirement.
When:
Seven Mondays
5:30 – 7:30 p.m. April 11, 18, 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23
Performance May 25, 7:30 p.m. PAC
Where:
Rehearsals at the South High School Choir Room
Park behind the South building from the Butternut service drive.
Must have your
own horse and
transportation
For More information please
contact:
Head Coach: Merri VanDyke
Email: mlvrotties@att.net
Phone: (616)886-2995
Assistant Coach: Maddie Smith
Email: madsmith2005@sbcglobal.net
Phone: (616)283-3293
*This club is not sponsored by West Ottawa
Schools
Meeting for 6-8 graders
on March 22, 2016 at
6:30 p.m. at Mapleview
Animal Hospital, 185
Panther Drive.