SEPTEMBER 26TH, 2025

Eric Leopold, Principal

Scott Millbrook, Assistant Principal

 

Hello Hayes Families!

We’re thrilled to share that our fundraiser was a HUGE success - we raised over $57,000 🎉 

Thanks to your incredible support, every student will get to participate in "The Best Day Ever" on October 2nd! During this special event, groups of four to five classes will rotate through a variety of fun inflatables throughout the day.

We are looking for parent volunteers to help monitor the bounce houses and ensure student safety. If you're interested in volunteering, please sign up using the link below.

Best Day Ever Sign Up

Please note:

Only parents who sign up to volunteer in advance may attend the event.

For safety and space reasons, no additional children may be brought to the event.

Thank you again for making this possible — we can’t wait to celebrate with our amazing students!

The school news is a completely student-led operation. They work hard creating and putting together content each week! They analyze and critique each episode as a class on Mondays and aim to improve each week. Thank you for supporting and encouraging our students. Here is a link for this week's episode. 

Destination Imagination Invitation 

Calling any students interested in an extracurricular activity to check out Destination Imagination (DI)!

DI is a fun, STEAM-based program that encourages creativity and innovation through hands-on challenges. Students work together to solve complex, open-ended problems and share their solutions in unique and exciting ways. Along the way, they’ll practice teamwork, critical thinking, and self-expression—all skills that help build confidence and prepare them to be future leaders.

 Team Forming & Challenge Selection Meeting

When: Wednesday, October 1, 6:00–7:00 pm

Where: Hayes Intermediate, Room 201

The program runs from September through April, with the possibility of advancing to Global Finals in May! Teams typically meet once a week for an hour at a time that works best for everyone. The cost is $40 for the year, with scholarships available if needed.

GLPS Families,

Thank you for your support as we completed another great week of teaching and learning here at Grand Ledge Public Schools! Last week, I shared some academic data with you, and promised to spend some time over the next couple of weeks talking about the programs, processes, systems, and procedures that impact our growth and achievement. However, I will start those communications next week, so I want to focus on a quick budget update with you, as new information is hot off the presses as of last evening. 

Last night, the house, senate, and the governor’s office issued a joint statement, announcing that they have reached a budget deal. One of the key aspects that impacts families directly, and has been on the minds of many of our families, is whether or not meals will continue to be free. As I write this, those details have not been released. However, at last Monday night’s board meeting, the board and our administrative team discussed our plan moving forward. Meals will continue to be free all next week for GLPS students. If the budget does not contain funding for the meals after Tuesday, September 30th, GLPS will cover the costs for Wednesday and Thursday (note that there is no school on Friday, October 3rd). By early next week (if not later today or this weekend), we will have more information on the funding for free school meals in the budget deal, and we will communicate that with you when we learn the details. 

To read the rest of this message from Dr. Bill Barnes, please click on this link. 

A Few Reminders from the Hayes Office

Picking Up a Student During School Hours
For the safety of all students, Hayes requires a photo ID from any adult picking up a student during the school day. This helps us ensure that only authorized individuals are allowed to take students out of school.
No need to call or email ahead of time.

Calling to Change transportation plans:

If you need to change how your student is getting home at the end of the day, please call the office BEFORE 2pm as we cannot guarantee that the note will make it to your child before dismissal. 

Reporting an Absence
If your child is sick or will be absent for any reason, please notify the office using one of the following methods:

Email: HAAttendance@glcomets.net

Call: 517-925-5333 (Attendance Line)

Thank you for helping us keep our school safe and organized!

Hayes Families, 

The lost-and-found is becoming quite full! Please remind your students to please check it out if they are missing clothing or belongings. We will be donating all items on October 3rd. 

P.S. Can you spot Winkie? 

Thank you also for your patience as we all navigate through a new car line process. Our goal continues to be getting every student safely into their family’s car as efficiently as possible.The first days of school typically have a longer carline and things tend to speed up after the first week or so. We will continuously monitor conditions and make changes as necessary. Meanwhile, here are a few safety guidelines:

For the safety of all students and staff, only pick up students at the curb.

Use both lanes in the carline, merging before you get into the pickup zone. Using both lanes as you circle the ball field helps get traffic off of Nixon Road. 

5th Grade parents can use the left lane to bypass 6th grade parents who are actively picking up students.

5th Grade students will be waiting on the West side (parking lot side) of the building

6th Grade students will be waiting on the South side (ball field side) of the building.

Think of the pickup areas like the airport arrival/departure areas - merge and allow people to merge.

Consider using the North Driveway, entering by the Operations sign, to wait in a shorter carline.

Consider arriving later to pick up students. Coming early results in a longer overall process. On most days, the carline takes 15 minutes from dismissal to the last car. This means that arriving at 2:35 could result in your total wait being under 5 minutes.

Thank you again for your patience as all families adjust to this new system.

ATTENDANCE REPORTING:

There are several ways to report an absence at Hayes. When using any of the options below please include the following information; Child's full name, homeroom teacher and the reason for their absences.  

Online Attendance Reporting: You can use the online portal at ps.glcomets.net. Once you have logged in, select “Attendance Monitor” from the left navigation menu. Then, click “Report New Attendance.” After you have entered the date, reason, and explanation, click Submit. For more detailed instructions, please use the Parent Attendance Portal Directions . Please note: online attendance reporting is not available in the app; it is only available on the website.

You may continue to email HAAttendance@glcomets.net or call the attendance line at 517-925-5333.  

DROP OFF AND PICK-UP: Friendly reminder: Students may enter the building after 7:20 AM, and dismissal is at 2:25 PM. Please note, there is no adult supervision after 2:45 PM. Kindly ensure your student(s) have transportation arranged. 

2:00 PM is the cut-off for calling the office to change your students means of transportation home. 

REPORTING ILLNESSES

What’s going around:  Sore throat, strep throat, scarlet fever, stomachache, vomiting, diarrhea,  sinus infections, allergies ,hay fever, pink eye and fevers with unspecified illness

When calling or emailing to excuse your students from school for illness, please let the secretaries know what your students symptoms are. We track symptoms and report them to the health department. Thank you!

CELL PHONE USAGE:

A friendly reminder that cell phone usage is not permitted on school property. If you need to contact your student during school hours, please call the office at 517-925-5740 and we will either get the message to your student or have them come to the office and speak with you. Thank you!

 

DISTRICT NEWS, EVENTS AND COMMUITY INFORMATION:

View flyers and more of what the school district shares in newsletters about events, news, and information by visiting: GLcomets.net/Upcoming

If you plan to volunteer or need to be in the building for an extended period (including field trips or field days), you must complete a volunteer application. This is a required step for all volunteers. 

Please note: the background check takes a few days to process, so submit your application in advance based on your volunteer plans. 

If your student will be moving to a different school next year, be sure to select both their current school and the school they’ll be attending.
For example: If your child is currently in 4th grade at Wacousta and will attend Hayes next year, select Wacousta and Hayes on the application. This ensures you’ll be cleared to volunteer at both locations when needed. Applications are valid for one calendar year. 

The Hayes/Beagle PTO is making things happen for our students, and we’d love for you to be part of it! There’s no cost to join—just an opportunity to connect, stay informed, and support the programs and events that make our schools great.

Want a say in how fundraising dollars support students? Looking for a fun way to give back? We need volunteers for dances, field trips, teacher appreciation, and more—whether you have an hour or a whole afternoon, every bit helps!

Join us and see how you can make a difference! 

The next meeting is on Tuesday, October 14th, 2025 at 6:30 pm in the Beagle Media Center. 

To stay current on updates and meetings, click here.