Happy Holiday Break!

As a reminder there is NO School, tomorrow, Friday, Dec 23rd.

Christmas Break begins on December 24th and school will resume on Monday, January 9th.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS

Please make sure your child is at school, ready to begin by 8:45 a.m. every day.  Should your child be absent, please email attendance@innocademy.com and let your child’s teacher know the reason for their absence so they can share any missing work.  Thank you for your support in ensuring your child learns and grows with us this year.  Every day counts for their academic success!

NEW INFORMATION

A NOTE AND A THANK YOU FROM MR. BEN

Parents and dear dear students,

While the following might only make sense if you have been in my prayer closet, the nature of the message means I must share it on this broad platform and I am not able to share the full details here.  Having a personal conversation regarding any questions you might have would be entirely welcomed.

I will be leaving Inno at the end of this calendar year. We have had some important and heavy conversations in our home as well as in this building resulting in me following God’s voice and shaking some dust from my feet. While I do not know where I am going, I know Who I am following. And the best place to be is the center of His will.

Inno has been a special place for me. Perhaps, even the only place I would have thrived as a new teacher (I have said this many, many times over the years). And I am so thankful to have been here with you all through many different seasons. I think of my first eighth-grade LH class who were small, but incredibly high-flying and fun to be with! I think of the offsite trips to the taqueria hustling in the aisles to get a recipe list for our competition. And the community engagement trips to Community Action House as we translated their documents and signage into Spanish. I think of the kindergarten class who, when I asked for a joke, would tell me the silliest not-that-funny-that-they-were-hilarious jokes. And, of course, I think of the hockey tournaments.

Among innumerable other memories, I am thankful for those special moments. I thank God for not only placing me in this school but even in the exact classroom where I was able to connect with so many of your kiddos in healthy ways. What a blessing!

For any of you curious, I encourage you to seek the Lord and to reach out to me as you are willing and able:)

With great love, purpose, and direction.

Mr./Sr. Ben

WINTER IS HERE

Winter is officially here! The wind is blowing and the snow is coming down. Please make sure your child is dressed for success in the outdoor weather. Coats, hats, gloves, snow pants and boots are required for playing and learning outside.

JANUARY LUNCH MENU

https://innocademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/HC_Inno_Jan_2023_menu_fnl.pdf

INNOCADEMY SPELLING BEE – JANUARY 27TH

We are looking for parent volunteers to help with set up and tear down for the Bee. If you would like to help please contact Morgan at morgan.cummings@innocademy.com or Megan at megan.anders@innocademy.com .

OLD INFORMATION

NEED CAR REPAIRS OR A NEW VEHICLE? READ ON…

Does your family need car repairs or is in need of a car? Does your family receive benefits from Family Independence Program, Child Development and Care, Family Medicaid, or Family Food Assistance benefits through MDHHS? You could be eligible for free or low-cost repairs or purchases. Please check out the documents, below

https://innocademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Vehicle-Repair-12.9.pdf

https://innocademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Vehicle-Purchase-12.9.pdf

TUITION INCENTIVE PROGRAM (TIP) OPPORTUNITY

What is TIP? 

The Tuition Incentive Program encourages students to complete high school by providing college tuition assistance after graduation. 

How does TIP work? 

TIP helps the student pursue a certificate or associate degree by providing tuition and mandatory fee assistance at participating Michigan institutions. 

After earning a certificate, associate degree, or even 56 transferable credits, the student can then be eligible to receive up to $500 per semester while pursuing a bachelor’s degree, not to exceed $2,000 total. 

Learn more by clicking on THIS LINK

CHILD CARE SUBSIDY – SEE IF YOU QUALIFY!

More families are eligible for help paying for child care than you might think. To help families know if they are likely to qualify, Governor Whitmer partnered with the Michigan Department of Education and Early Childhood Investment Corporation to create an online eligibility calculator. Now families can know in less than two minutes if they could get help lower child care costs by visiting https://greatstarttoquality.org/calculator/.     

To qualify for the Child Development and Care Program (commonly called the child care subsidy), families must:    

ï         Have a child under age 13       

ï         Need child care because they’re working or going to school      

ï         Have a qualifying income, up to:       

ï         $36,620 for a family of 2      

ï         $46,060 for a family of 3      

ï         $55,500 for a family of 4     

Families can visit Michigan.gov/childcare for a complete list of reasons they may qualify for low or no cost child care and qualifying income levels for larger families.    

NEW SCREENER TOOL FOR INNOCADEMY STUDENTS – SABERS (SOCIAL, ACADEMIC, AND EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR RISK SCREENER)

The SAEBRS is a brief, norm-referenced tool for screening all students to identify those who are at risk for social-emotional behavior problems.  We will start using this in December to screen all students TK thru 8th grade.  Teachers will complete the screener on each of their students and students in grades 2nd thru 8th will also complete a self-screener.  The data we receive from these assessments will help us identify areas of need to target as a whole school for Social Emotional Learning and also identify any students who may need additional support.  We plan to complete these screeners three times in the year.   We look forward to identifying students who might need that added support.  For more information on the screener itself please go to  https://www.illuminateed.com/products/fastbridge/social-emotional-behavior-assessment/saebrs/ 

DECEMBER FOOD PANTRY SCHEDULE – OTTAWA COUNTY

INNOCADEMY STUDENTS ON THE MOVE

REMINDER: HOMESTEAD CAMPUS IS NUT FREE

We have students on campus who have severe allergies to nuts of any kind. Please use extra caution when packing snacks, bringing treats to school, and enjoying lunches so that we can keep all of our students safe.

LUNCH INFORMATION FROM HOLLAND CHRISTIAN

Food service is in full swing, thanks to YOU for being patient and persistent with our Family Portal.  Please continue to use the family portal to deposit funds into your lunch account.  We are a Pre Pay system, and appreciate families  having funds in your child’s account when they choose to take hot lunch.  Plus NO FEE TO MAKE A DEPOSIT ONLINE.  Familyportal.cloud is where you can deposit funds or apply for lunch benefits.  If you do not know your student account number, reach out to heidi.wolters@innocademy.com 

For those families that are receiving lunch benefits and only want milk, the national school lunch program does not give benefits for milk only.  If you want free or reduced price milk, you may take a fruit, or vegetable, and the milk will be under your benefits. 

IMPORTANT PARKING INFORMATION

If you have someone new to pick up at dismissal time, please always feel free to share THIS VIDEO that includes the map.

STILL TIME TO APPLY! – – HAND 2 HAND – SIGN-UP OPEN FOR THIS YEAR

OK, Hand2Hand is firing up again for the year, and attached is the sign-up form.  A few things to know:

https://innocademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Permission-Slip-Backpack-Inno.pdf

• Hand2Hand is a weekly food bag distribution, provided by Vertical Church (yay to them for this partnership!!). Read the attachment for more info.
  
• There are no qualifications, other than just signing and returning the form.
  
• Bags are distributed on Thursday mornings and we attempt to put in lockers/cubbies during the lunch hour.
  
• In order to receive the first delivery, forms must be returned to the front desk before the Labor Day break. However, families can continue to sign up throughout the year.
  

2022-2023 SCHOOL CALENDAR