Hello BR Families! My name is Tricia Schrotenboer and I am the school counselor for the middle and high school.  With many changes taking place in the area of employment, Michigan has responded with passing several bills that require schools to take a more active role.  In the coming months, I will be developing a scope and sequence along with lesson plans for each elementary classroom that focus on career and college readiness.  As a former Montessori teacher, I feel it is important to develop hands-on lessons and activities. In order to make this a reality, please consider purchasing any of the following items.  All donations can be dropped off in either main office by Wednesday, June 5. Thank you in advance for your support.

Five Black River elementary teachers were nominated to be recognized at the Holland Sentinel/Gentex Amazing Teachers Banquet on May 23, 2019. The Amazing Teacher program is an ongoing tribute to spotlight all the Amazing Teachers in the Holland/Zeeland area. The following Black River teachers were nominated for their dedication, expertise, and the difference they are making in the lives of our children:

Kristen Van Ravenswaay - Lower Elementary
Jared Graybiel - Special Education
Jamie Fredenburg - Lower Elementary
Elyse Cisler - Lower Elementary
Carrie Ames - Upper Elementary

See the list of nominees and information on how to nominiate your favorite teacher at https://hollandsentinel.gatehousecontests.com/engine/welcome.aspx?contestid=446813

Calling all gardeners, builders, and those interested in creating an elementary school garden! The Garden STEAM project term class will be underway soon and we would love any and all help. If you have skill or interest in any of the listed areas, we would love to hear from you! Our class will meet from 11:40-2:40 between May 28-June 7. Come play in the dirt, or bring your craft to help produce an amazing experience for the kids in the elementary building! 

We are in need of:
-those willing to build raised garden beds
-families interested in a rotational schedule to tend to the garden over the summer (free produce!)
-gardeners to assist during implementation or after

Please contact Nicole Duquette for more information or if you would be willing to help us: duquetten@brpsk12.org, or extension 161.

The 2018-19 BRPS Middle School/High School yearbook will be available for pickup in the main building during the beginning of August. Watch the Black River website or your student email address for the exact date. Please contact yearbook editor, Alex Koch  at kocha@brpsk12.org if you have any questions.

Attention Seniors: If you did not choose and pay for shipping, then you will have to pick your yearbook up at the main building when it is available. The books should be ready before college starts. If you (or your family) cannot pick up your yearbook during August, then we can hold onto them for you.

The 2018-19 Elementary yearbooks will be handed out to students during the last week of school. This will be on Wednesday June 5th and Thursday June 6th. 

Project Term school dismissal time (all grades) is 2:40pm 
Project Term main office hours (both buildings) are 7:30am-3:30pm 

On Wednesday, May 1, Black River 9th grade students and several teachers traveled to Ann Arbor for the Sixth Annual Big History Extravaganza where students visited the following sites:
Museum of Natural History 
Museum of Art
Kelsey Museum of Archaeology 
Law Quad
This incredible trip was made possible to students at no cost! Funding was provided by a combination of support from the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs (MCACA) and BIG HISTORY Project supporters. Thank you to all who made it possible.

½ Day Dismissal:

May 8, 9, and 10 will be ½ days for all grades - we will dismiss at 11am.

No School:

Monday, May 13, 2019

Project Term Dismissal time:

Starting May 14 all grades dismiss at 2:40pm, please make arrangements for this change.

Community Service Reminder

Required Community Service Hours are due to Brenda by May 10, 2019 for 5th graders to be eligible to earn Community Service awards at 5th grade graduation. All other grades CS hours are due by May 24, 2019.

Check out the last episode of Student News for the school year....that's a trap!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy_uskiTuAw

The middle school Calling All Colors conference was held Monday, April 29th at GVSU. The conference, sponsored by the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance, hosted approximately 10 lakeshore middle schools. Each year the delegations from each school are asked to evaluate the climate of diversity and inclusion at their school and do something to impact it for the better. This year all 4/5 students and all middle school students experienced a lesson plan created by these wonderful students. We are very proud of the following Black River students that have remained committed to this important school club. 

Black River Public School Calling All Colors Club Members include:
Atif Usmani
Elizabeth Ruiter
Hannah Huggett
Madeline Benson 
Lourdes Manderfield
Mary Catherine Leahy
Finleigh Sinclair
Hailey Huggett

Take a look at these recent news articles mentioning Black River students! Go RATS!

Black River Finishes Top 10 in National Civics Competition

U.S. News & World Report Ranks Black River No. 6 in Michigan

Two West Michigan High in Top 10 Ranking for State 

Black Rivers Sam Sharnas Signs with Citadel, Aidan Jones Heading to Hope 

Congratulations to all of the seniors sporting their college gear today for the annual BRPS Decision Day! Mrs. Heneghan caught up with Ein Joiner and Tanner Menghini this morning when they stopped in the main office. We are excited to see them ready to take on the next chapter in their academic career. Go Trolls, Go Green! 

We are in the news!  Black River Public School is proud to be recognized as #6 in Michigan and #1 Charter by the U.S News & World Report. Read the full article here:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/education/2019/04/30/four-michigan-high-schools-ranked-top-100-nationwide/3589223002/

See all rankings here:

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/michigan/rankings?fbclid=IwAR3tBlgz9951mcD0IFhJ3vxZIgzTBQgGI1LVel13Yzo2hWN5aB8qGhrBZC4

Thank you for coming out and supporting Fine Arts Night this past Wednesday.  It was a wonderful evening of music and artwork, and your generous donations will help to support the needs of the Fine Arts department.  Thank you all for your contributions to the silent auction and we hope you enjoyed the evening.  

Silent Auction Winners:  As a reminder, all items not yet picked up from the silent auction will be held in the MS/HS main office until Friday, May 3rd.  Please stop by to pick them up before that time.  After this date any remaining items will go to the next highest bidder.

Thank you!  

The BR Fine Arts Boosters

Don't forget to order your yearbook here! The deadline for both Secondary and Elementary Yearbooks is soon approaching. The price will increase after the deadline. The order number for elementary is 40125. The order number for the 6-12 is 40122.

Parents of Seniors - An email was sent regarding the purchase of a dedication to your graduating senior. At this point, we have not received any dedications. Please don't miss out on the chance to honor your graduating senior by purchasing a 1/8, 1/4, or 1/2 page dedication in the yearbook. Fill out this form and return it to the main office. If you have any questions, contact Joy Shirk, yearbook advisor, at shirkj@brpsk12.org or Alex Koch, yearbook editor, kocha@brpsk12.org.

Although summertime may mean a vacation from the classroom, it should never be a break in any child's intellectual development. Education research shows that children lose a great deal of what they have learned during idle summer months. Researchers have studied the “summer effect" on student achievement and their studies consistently show that student learning declines or remains stagnant during summer months. Students who keep their learning skills active during the summer months are better primed to return to school in the fall. 

The Black River Athletic Boosters E-store (through Chromatics, Holland MI ) will be accepting orders until Monday, April 8.  Merchandise will be printed and ready, usually within two weeks of the E-store closing. Orders can be picked up at school- your student will be notified when their order is available.  

https://blackriverschools.itemorder.com/

Summer Camps are open to any Black River Public School student, as well as their friends from other schools! We welcome all students who want to have fun, improve skills, and enjoy a camp with individualized instruction. Invite your friends! Each camp has a minimum participation level of 10 campers. Individual coaches/teachers run camps. Please contact coaches through email if you have any questions about camp. Administration/paperwork questions can be directed to Tim Witvoet at witvoett@brpsk12.org.

2019 Summer Camp Brochure

2019 Summer Camp Registration Form

Check-out the new Black River School Spirit Store - Uniting Students, Parents and Fans through School Pride! We are very excited to announce our School Store with 24/7 online ordering and delivery straight to your home. The link can be found on the banner in the right hand corner of the Black River website or here. Watch for a $10 Gift Card, one promotion per household which will be sent home with the youngest child in each family this week. We hope you will consider the School Store when shopping for the holidays and stocking stuffers! Contact the MS/HS Main Office if you have any questions.

Infinite Campus has released two new and improved mobile apps: Campus Student (for students) and Campus Parent (for parents). Download your free app for real-time access to grades, assignments, schedules, announcements and more.

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

A friendly reminder to keep saving BoxTops and Family Fare/D&W Direct Your Dollars receipts.

The Black River District website can also be via the SchoolPointe Stay Connected app which is available for both Apple and Android phones. Please click on the preferred link below to download the website application.


Click Here for Apple SchoolPointe Stay Connected App


Click Here for Android SchoolPointe Stay Connected App

SchoolPointe's Stay Connected App features:

-Headline News and Information
-Calendar of Events
-School and Staff Directory
-School Notifications