April 14, 2026

April News #1

Dear West Families,

Welcome to April! We are so excited to have our West students back from Spring Break! With April comes our very busy testing season. Read our M-STEP testing schedule and tips for helping your student be successful below.

Thank you to all our amazing West families for supporting our grade level Glow Parties! Please continue to watch for volunteer and donation opportunities through our newsletter and on our West HPS site– https://www.hollandpublicschools.org/our-schools/west/. 

It’s hard to believe, but it is already time to plan for this year’s Tulip Time KinderParade! Students in first grade and older are invited to help represent West on Thursday, May 7. Help us make this year’s KinderParade the BEST EVER by signing your student(s) up to march. Get the parade permission slip and costume rental information at the following link– https://www.hollandpublicschools.org/pub/news/posts/3521.

The construction at West is moving along quickly! Thank you to all for your flexibility as we navigate school during construction. Please keep in mind that the walkway from the parking lot to the front of the building is a little longer than normal due to the creation of a brand new preschool playground. 

As always, please contact our administrative team with any questions or concerns!

Warmly,

Chad Tolson, Principal

Jennifer Heinritz, Assistant Principal

Important Dates:  

  • April 14– MSTEP Testing begins

  • April 24– No School, Staff Professional Development

  • May 1– Velo Kids Bike School for Kindergarten and 1st Grade 

This Week’s PBIS Focus Lesson: Review all areas of the building

This week we will be reviewing the routine and expectations for all areas of the school building. Help us by reviewing the morning announcements with your student(s), and asking your student(s) how they show POWER in the identified area of the building!

Watch the Daily Announcements HERE: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IWB4IaF91B2XEQxH_P8wBPod1NqYs7iD?usp=sharing

Word of the Week

This week’s word is determine. Help your student(s) by talking about the word, using the word and encouraging your child to use the word.

M-Step Testing

For the month of April, and some of May, our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students will be taking M-STEP, which is the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress. Please help us support our West students with a successful testing experience by doing the following: Get a good night of sleep, eat breakfast at home or at school, arrive on-time to school, bring healthy snacks on testing days, and bring a full water bottle. Below are the grade-level testing dates:

  • 3rd Grade: April 29, May 12 

  • 4th Grade: April 30, May 5, May 6 

  • 5th Grade: April 14, 15, 21, 22, 28

  • Makeups: May 13 and 14