April 23, 2025
------------------------- TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENTS ----------------------------
--It was a beautiful day for soccer, and the 8th grade girls soccer team traveled to West Ottawa yesterday to play their second game of the season. The defense was tested early, holding off some intense pressure by some good West Ottawa forwards. As the game went on the offense started to take control. Andra Voskuil scored first from a Paisley Guy pass and that was the only goal scored in the first half. The second half was more of the same. The West Ottawa goalie was tested and held off the onslaught of shots until late in the game when Tenley DeWitt found the back of the net for the second and final goal of the game. The keeper combo of Marjorie Weeldryer and Emily Whaley held West Ottawa scoreless to help secure the 2-0 victory. The team will play Creekside on Thursday.
--On Monday, the 7th grade girls soccer team traveled to Hamilton to take on the Lady Hawkeyes. It was bitter cold and very windy but the Chix didn't let that stop them from earning their 2nd win of the season, winning 5-1. Mari Meza had a hat trick and one assist and Ella Rilley scored the other 2 goals and had an assist. Kenzie Klein-Horsman also contributed an assist. Holly Morley and Anna Formsma both played great in goal. Then yesterday they traveled to West Ottawa to take on the Lady Panthers. It was their toughest game yet, but the girls played extremely well and came out with their 3rd victory, beating West Ottawa 3-0. Scoring goals were Mari Meza, Ella Rilley and Elise Hoeksema. Tenley Lampen had an assist. Holly Morely and Anna Formsma play great in goal, earning their second shutout of the season. Let's go Chix!!!
--The Chix softball team split against Jenison winning the first game 5-2 and losing the second game 4-7. They played some tough defense and had some great hits, but just couldn’t pull it off the second game. Come support your favorite softball players at their home game today against Creekside! Go Chix!
--The 8th grade boys volleyball team played Zeeland Christian yesterday. Excellent serving, passing, and setting contributed to great hits from the front row, which allowed our players to surge ahead and win the second set. We fell short on points during the first set. We battled hard for points on the third set and just missed the win at the end. Come support the boys volleyball team at our home match tonight!
--Yesterday the 7th grade boys volleyball had a tough loss against Zeeland Christian. They fought hard but couldn’t quite find their rhythm. Emerson Weiss-Gelmi, Nolan Meints, Hudson Keefer and Hudsen Tubergan had the leading points for the Chix. Our next game is tonight at home!
--Attention Golf Club: Our sign ups are full for our April 28 outing. If you signed up in slots 13-17, we are unable to take you unless there are cancellations. Please see Mr. Hann if you would like to be guaranteed a spot for May 5. Specifically: Carter, Brady, Dylan, Hudson, and Wesley...please see Mr. Hann.
--Please see the Athletics Announcements section below for information about signing up for EDGE this summer!
------------------------- REMINDERS FOR STUDENTS ----------------------------
--Students: Having good ATTENDANCE and being at school as much as possible is so important to a successful education. Please make every effort to arrive to school on time, to get to class on time, and to come every day. We love having you with us here at Cityside!
--If your Chromebook needs to be repaired, please bring it to Mrs. Nelson in the CBC by 9:00 in the morning so it can be sent off to the technology office the same day. Just a reminder: Mrs. Nelson does NOT have any loaner Chromebooks or charging cords for kids who forget them at home. Please make sure you are charging your Chromebook fully at night and make sure you take it to school every day. If you forget it, you will need to call home to have someone bring it to you. If you forgot to charge it, bring your cord from home. Please completely shut down your Chromebook at least once a week to install any updates that are out there and please remember to fully charge it at home each night.
--Students: You must use a crosswalk when crossing the road at any time because we care about your safety. State law requires you to ONLY cross at a crosswalk. It is illegal and unsafe to cross anywhere else. Please make sure to find the closest crosswalks and use those to get where you need to go before or after school. Thank you!
--If you leave school early for any reason, you MUST go through the office and let them know you are leaving. Thank you.
----Students: Chix Tutor Time runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school from 2:40-3:40 in Mrs. Sluiter's room, #135. Chix Tutor Time is a drop-in homework help where you can get help with homework from certified teachers. You do not have to attend every week or certain days; you can come as needed. However, you do need to stay the whole hour if you attend. Remember ~ this will only run on Tuesday & Thursday afternoons (not Wednesdays like last year). We hope to see you there!
----A quick reminder about Success Time: If you have been assigned success time or lunch detention, first drop off your assignments and Chromebook (if needed to complete your assignment)to the LGI room and then grab your lunch so you're ready to get to work right away. If you've turned your assignments in and have a signed slip, you have 3 options:
1. Hand your signed slip to Mrs. DenBoer in the LGI on your way to lunch.
2. Put your signed slip in the folder on Mrs. DenBoer's office door in the Media Center.
3. Put your signed slip in the Success Time Folder on the front desk in the Main Office.
--Students: There is now a donation bin/box beside the Lost and Found table outside of the office. The bin/box is for clothing donations that will go to the organization City on the Hill to help clothe homeless people. Feel free to donate old used clothes by simply putting them in the box. Thank you for your help!
--Current 8th grade Students ONLY: If you are interested in taking the High School PE/Health class in June - fill out the form linked below by April 30, 2025. For a fee, students can take a full semester of PE/Health in a 3 week program in June. If interested, fill out THIS FORM.
--Junior Police Academy (JPA) is a free, 3 week summer program hosted by the Holland Department of Public Safety and is designed to teach students about First Responders (Police, Fire, and Medical), as well as develop teamwork and leadership skills. This summer JPA will run from July 14th to July 31st. We meet each day, Monday through Thursday, from 8am to 1pm. Students are eligible if they will be entering 7th or 8th grade. The application deadline is March 31st.
Please use the link below to learn more or complete the application. https://www.cityofholland.com/340/Junior-Police-Academy
-------------------------------- FOR PARENTS ----------------------------------
--On half days, if your student plans to visit the Howard Miller library after dismissal, please remind them to follow the library's rules to ensure a safe and enjoyable space for all:
- Respect the space and rules: Use chairs, not aisles or hallways, for seating. Keep backpacks and instruments out of walkways.
- Keep it quiet: Speak in low voices to maintain a calm atmosphere.
- Computer use: Public computers are limited to one person per station.
- Snacks only: While snacks and covered drinks are allowed, full meals (like pizza) should be enjoyed outside.
The Howard Miller library looks forward to welcoming our students and appreciate their cooperation in making the library a welcoming place for everyone! Thank you for your support.
--Foodservice Newsletter Note: Zeeland Public Schools is committed to ensuring all students have access to nutritious meals through the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs. Through the 2024-2025 school year, every Michigan student can get FREE breakfast and lunch at their school. No qualifications are necessary. The purpose of posting this regulation is to comply with federal reporting requirements for the USDA Child Nutrition Program and to provide oversight for collecting outstanding student account balances. To learn more, please visit this link. Have questions? Email questions to Food Service Director Sarah Stone at sstone@zps.org.
--Sign Up to Receive the 'Z for Me,' our ZPS district email newsletter- Stay informed about the latest ZPS news, events, and updates, including important district announcements (school closings, etc.), upcoming events, and more. See this FLYER and visit www.zps.org to sign up.
--Parents, please make sure you have an Infinite Campus Parent Portal account set up. You will be able to check your student's bus schedule, grades, attendance, etc. with the Parent Portal. If you have any questions, please contact Heidi Wolters at hwolters@zps.org.
--If your child will not be in school, for any reason, you MUST call the attendance line at 748-3205. Thank you!
--If you are picking your child up from school for any reason you must call the office before we will let them go. You may also call their cell phone in addition to the office, but the office must hear from you. 616-748-3250. Thank you!
--ZPS utilizes the School Messenger system to deliver text messages straight to your mobile phone with important information, including school
closings, safety alerts, and more. You can participate in this free service just by sending a text message of "Y" to our school's short code, 67587. See this informational FLYER for more details.
--Any message needing to get to a student must be received by 1:20 pm. We call students down at the beginning of their last hour during announcements so we are not disturbing classroom instruction time.
--We need your help to ensure our schools receive important state and federal funding by completing the Education Benefits Form,which collects information for educational program grants. Even though all students get free breakfast and lunch this year, filling out this form can also provide your child with additional services like summer food support, help with school fees, and potential household support for internet and cable. Questions? Please see your building principal. Scan the code on this Informational Flyer for more details.
--We would like to offer your student the opportunity to participate in a program at Cityside Middle School called “Hand2Hand”. This program helps provide a student with food for the weekends and is intended for families who currently may be experiencing a financial burden. Please contact the front office if you would like to participate. Please see the attached Hand2Hand Registration Flyer which is in both English and Spanish. Print it off and return it to the Cityside front office.
**Our Miles of Smiles (MOS) mobile dental unit is scheduled to be in Ottawa County Schools during the 2024-2025 school year. Our mobile dental unit provides no cost, preventive and restorative dental services for financially-qualifying children. Unfortunately, MOS will not be visiting your school this year. However, we want parents to know that they can schedule their child to be seen on our mobile unit when we locate at another Ottawa County School. Miles of Smiles can be accessed by using the following informational application link: MILES OF SMILES
--Please do not have lunch food delivered from area restaurants to our students for lunch. We aren't allowed to sign your credit card receipts, and often the order only comes with a student's first name on it making it very difficult for us to know who it is for. Students often don't know a lunch is being delivered for them, so they don't come to pick it up and the food goes uneaten. Thanks for understanding!
--Cityside Parents: YOU are in luck! Our hardworking Inventions and Innovations class has Garden Boxes ready for purchase just in time for your spring planting! I'm so proud of our students for their ingenuity! And, the garden boxes are high quality! Please see the attached FLYER for the sizes available and the cost, and let me know how many you'd like! shuizeng@zps.org Thank you for supporting Cityside students!
------------------------- ATHLETICS ANNOUNCEMENTS ----------------------------
--SPORT SIGN-UPS: FINAL FORMS REGISTRATION WILL SOON BE OPEN FOR THE 2025/2026 SCHOOL YEAR! Please see the CITYSIDE ATHLETICS WEB PAGE for information on signing up student athletes. All registration and sports sign ups will be done online in the Final Forms website for the 2025/2026 school year. Drop in locations for sports physicals are also listed on the athletic web page. If your student is planning to participate in any sports during the 2025/2026 school year, please remember that they must have a new sports physical that is dated AFTER April 15, 2025. Please bring sports physicals to Mrs. Nelson in the CBC or upload a PDF (Preferred format) into your student's Final Forms record.
--Hey Chix Families! Have you heard the big news in athletics? For the first time ever, the Zeeland Athletic Boosters are allowing you to directly support our Cityside athletics the next time you volunteer! New to Cityside or new to our Athletic Boosters? No problem! Everyone is encouraged to volunteer! The Zeeland Athletic Boosters are our biggest partner when it comes to supporting our athletes. From purchasing equipment or jerseys, to providing scholarships to our Senior Athletes, our Boosters help support athletic excellence at Zeeland Public Schools. The next time you volunteer, just write “Cityside” for the team/program you would like to sponsor. By doing this, the funds you raise will go directly to our Cityside Athletics account. Workers earn $10/hour at any ZPS athletic event! Sign up here! Go Chix!
--We are pleased to announce that we will once again be offering EDGE Training for student-athletes in 6th-12th grades. This five week speed/strength and agility program will utilize the new training facility at Zeeland East High School and be led by Chris Heald, Ralph Neal, Joe Woodruff and Brent Brock. Dates: June 9th-June 26th and July 7th-17th (no EDGE during Dead Week).
Days: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
Age: Boys/girls high school students 8am-10am
Boys/girls middle school students 10am-noon
Cost: $100
To sign up for EDGE, please turn in the attached form to Cityside Main Office or the Zeeland East Athletic Office. All checks should be made payable to Zeeland East EDGE. We want the EDGE to be an affordable option for all of Zeeland East athletes and their families. If you or your family are interested in participating in the program, but are struggling financially, please send Mr. Heald an email at cheald@zps.org to discuss what options are available. Last summer we had over 220 student-athletes participating in EDGE! We look forward to seeing our student-athletes working out together this summer.