September Community Curiosities Answered

Community Curiosities is a segment we use to answer your more in-depth question to get to know your school district more. Have your own Community Curiosity? Submit it here.

 

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Community Curiosity #1:

“I see all the information about athletic programs for middle and high school, but not for intermediate and elementary. What programs, if any, are available for those younger grade levels—choir, cheer, theater, athletics, etc.?” –Sarah

We’re so glad you asked this question—it’s a great chance to clarify how opportunities look for our younger Lakers. The short answer: yes, there are opportunities, but they’re not always listed together in one place.

Here’s why: because our PK–6 students don’t participate in interscholastic competitions, those programs don’t appear on the district’s athletics website. One exception—our 6th graders are now able to compete in certain non-cut middle school sports like cross country, wrestling, swimming & diving, and track, so that one group of students would be included in the school website.

For everything else, information gets shared in weekly school communications such as Holmes Happenings, Jeffers Journal, and Intermediate Insights, as well as other forms of communication–like flyers being sent home in student folders. That’s where you’ll find details about after-school opportunities. That information is given to us by those specific community programs. That said, we don’t always get every single offering, so staying current on those weekly updates is important.  

Another way to stay in the know on youth options is by following active social media pages or websites. We know our Laker Youth Wrestling, Laker Youth Football, Laker Youth Cheer, Laker Youth Lacrosse (all of which are community organizations and not directly affiliated with the school district, though we cheer them on) have active groups. Additionally, many of our students play club soccer for Lakeshore FC or try out for local theatre at Central Park Players, and you can check them out on social media or on their websites.

Finally, families can look to excellent local resources like NORA (North Ottawa Recreation Authority) for year-round programs and Spring Lake Recreation Commission for summer offerings. These often include offerings for adults as well, but they are good resources for opportunities nonetheless.

We recognize that’s a lot–and a lot of different places to check. So, if you’re ever unsure where to start, communicate with our beacons of knowledge–our school administrative assistants–who can help point you in the right direction. 

Thank you for the question—it helps highlight how much our community cares about giving students opportunities at every age.

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Community Curiosity #2:
“Why not do early release every Wednesday instead of every other? As a parent I just think it would be easier to keep my days straight if it were every week, haha. I’m so afraid of forgetting it’s an early release day!” –Jen

We’re so grateful for this question—it gets right to the heart of balancing family routines with school improvement. The short answer: we landed on every other week because it felt like the right amount of time to support both our families’ schedules and our staff as we build this new routine together.

Here’s a little more context: our early release Wednesdays are dedicated to PLT work—Professional Learning Teams—a new way of growing together as educators. It’s built around a simple but powerful idea: teachers teaching teachers. That doesn’t just happen during early release, of course; it’s happening in staff meetings, in shared planning times, and in countless hallway conversations. But those every-other-Wednesday afternoons give the work sharper focus and deeper consistency.

We also knew this is a new rhythm for families, so we chose every other week instead of every week to ease the transition. Right now, this is the plan moving forward, but we certainly expect to review this every year to make sure it’s the right way year-after-year. Ultimately, we believe our community has the capacity to adapt—and we’re confident the payoff is worth it. PLT work directly fuels stronger teaching, better collaboration, and ultimately, greater learning for students.

Thank you for asking this—it helps us explain why this schedule matters and reminds us to keep communicating clearly as everyone settles into the routine.

As for not forgetting, set a bunch of alarms (haha). Thank you for the attention as we start this new routine this Wednesday!