Thanksgiving traditions are the best! Cooper Elementary held their annual Pie Day before leaving for Thanksgiving Break. At the event, Mrs. Keorkunian (principal), read a Thanksgiving story over the intercom while students and staff shared pumpkin pie at a makeshift "table." It was a wonderful and meaningful way for the Koalas to come together and celebrate Thanksgiving.
As a reminder, there is no school from Monday, November 24-Friday, November 28 for Thanksgiving Break. We look forward to welcoming our students back to school on Monday, December 1.
We wish our students, staff and families a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!
The Cooper Koalas kicked-off the 2025 holiday performances at the Plainwell Performing Arts Center. Last night, Cooper Elementary's 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes performed at their "Family Vacation" Holiday Concert. It was an outstanding show filled with festive songs and lots of holiday fun! Great job, Koalas!
Our Holiday Concert season begins this week at the Plainwell Performing Arts Center. Be sure to mark your calendars and join us for these exciting performances featuring our talented student musicians: https://5il.co/3scqb.
Final reminder to register for the 2025 Hoopsters Basketball program, registration closes November 17. Hoopsters Basketball is the official developmental league for the Plainwell Trojans boys and girls basketball programs. Hoopsters is a 3 v 3 format, which is organized as a way to develop the skills necessary for youth basketball players to compete at the next level while keeping fun at the center of every player’s experience.
The program will run from December 9-March 7. Practice will be held during the week, with games held on Saturdays in Plainwell, Allegan, Martin and Otsego (specific practice and game day schedules, times & locations TBD). Cost is $60 per athlete. To register, please scan the QR code or visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs (registration closes at midnight on November 17).
All Plainwell Young 5 classes took a field trip to Home Depot in Portage this week. They enjoyed a guided tour of the store, had the chance to meet the staff and learned how various equipment operates. Additionally, the students had the opportunity to create their very own wooden Home Depot bank. It was a fun learning experience for the youngest Trojans!
Enrollment for holiday assistance from Plainwell Volunteer Christmas Project closes tomorrow (11/14). If you live in the PCS District and intend to apply, please do so soon! If you prefer, you can enroll online at https://forms.gle/UM2tMzd47VjfiNwGA.
🗓️ Calendar Reminder! 🗓️ As a reminder we have two upcoming half days of school: Thursday, November 13 and Friday, November 14 (end of first trimester).
Half Day Dismissal Times:
📚 PHS - 10:45 AM
✏️ PMS - 10:45 AM
🚌 Gilkey - 11:45 AM
📓 Cooper - 11:50 AM
📝 Starr - 11:55 AM
Registration is open for our upcoming Winter Tae Kwon Do program. Join us to improve coordination, gain strength and increase your flexibility while learning self-defense techniques, taught by Mr. Mitch. Program is open to participants 7 and up and will run on Monday evenings from December 1-February 23 (excluding 12/22, 12/29 & 2/9) from 5:30-7:00 PM. Practices will be held at Plainwell Middle School. Cost is $60 per individual or $85 per family.
To register, please scan the QR code or visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs (registration closes 12/15 at midnight). GO TROJANS!
Join us for Otis Outdoors' 7th Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive! Each year, Otis Outdoors proudly supports our community by providing Thanksgiving dinner to 30+ local families. This year, you can help too! Participate in their 7th Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive by donating traditional Thanksgiving food items on Saturday, November 22 from 12:00-4:00 PM at Gun Plain Fire Department (381 8th Street, Plainwell).
Registration is still open through November 17 for our upcoming Hoopsters Basketball program for 3rd-5th graders. Hoopsters Basketball is the official developmental league for the Plainwell Trojans boys and girls basketball programs. Hoopsters is a 3 v 3 format, which is organized as a way to develop the skills necessary for youth basketball players to compete at the next level while keeping fun at the center of every player’s experience.
The program will run from December 9-March 7. Practice will be held during the week, with games held on Saturdays in Plainwell, Allegan, Martin and Otsego (specific practice and game day schedules, times & locations TBD). Cost is $60 per athlete. To register, please scan the QR code or visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs (registration closes at midnight on November 17).
We are excited to share that registration is now open for the 2025/26 Plainwell Wrestling Club for K-8th grade students. For more information about the program, please scan the QR code or visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs.
For questions regarding the wrestling program, please contact plainwellwc@gmail.com. GO TROJANS!
October is National Principals Month, and we can't let this month pass without honoring our outstanding building administrators. At PCS, we feel incredibly fortunate to have eight remarkable principals who dedicate themselves daily to the success of their students and staff. As outstanding leaders, they uphold the highest standards of support and care, and we are immensely grateful for their commitment to our district! From all of us at PCS, we extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to our Principals:
✏️Nicole Keorkunian (Cooper Elementary Principal)
✏️ Cody Gregory (Gilkey Elementary Principal)
✏️ Kari Luckett (Starr Elementary Principal)
✏️ Ben Manting (Middle School Principal)
✏️ Jeff Hattendorf (Middle School Assistant Principal)
✏️ Heidi Huizenga (Renaissance Principal)
✏️ Marvin Taylor (High School Principal)
✏️ Brian Huberty (High School Assistant Principal)
Please take a moment to share a 🩷, 👍 OR THANK YOU to these dedicated administrators!
Our elementary classes had so much fun celebrating Halloween today! Students enjoyed lots of fun, laughs, special activities and treats! We hope our students, staff and families have a safe and HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 🎃🎃🎃
Reminder- tickets are still available for our upcoming Family Hockey Night at Wings Event Center. Join us on Friday, November 14 at 7:00 PM as the Kalamazoo Wings take on the Fort Wayne Komets at their Lavender Ice Game. Families will enjoy the game, a $5 concession voucher, free knit hat and a voucher for a free game of bowling at Airway Fun Center. Tickets are available for $20.68/adults, $16.16/kids (12 and under). PLEASE NOTE: Children's tickets will show up once you are on the screen to select your seat. Transportation is not available and parking is $5 per car at the event.
Interested in tickets? Tickets are purchased through K-Wings and will be picked-up at Wings Event Center. To purchase tickets, please scan the QR code or visit plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs. Tickets are assigned seats, so if you are going with friends or a group, please plan accordingly. Deadline to purchase tickets is November 10 at midnight.
The Kindergarten and Young 5 students from Cooper, Gilkey and Starr took a trip to Plainwell Public Safety. During their visit, students received a tour of a fire truck, sprayed a fire hose and met with firefighters to learn all about the importance of fire safety. A very special THANK YOU to Plainwell Public Safety for a great visit and an awesome learning experience at the fire station! 🚒
🎄 Trojan Families! 🎄 Are you interested in applying for holiday assistance through the Plainwell Volunteer Christmas Project? Please stop by your student’s building to pick-up an enrollment form before November 14.
Miss Wright’s fifth grade class from Cooper Elementary took a special trip to Gull Meadow Farms earlier this week. They won this mini field trip through a giveaway from Gull Meadow Farms held during Teacher Appreciation Week last spring. During their trip, students had the opportunity to:
🚜 Explore the farm
🍎 Enjoy a wagon ride to the apple orchard where they picked apples
🍩 Enjoy cider and donuts
🦙 Visit the barn animals
⚾️ Enjoy the various farm games & activities
🎃 Pick a pumpkin to bring home
Despite the rainy weather, these fifth graders created many wonderful memories. Specials thanks to Gull Meadow Farms for creating this special day for the Cooper Koalas!
📚 REMINDER 📚 There is a Battle of the Books (BOTB) Informational Meeting this Wednesday, October 22 from 6:30-7:30 PM. Join us in-person at Gilkey Elementary or virtually to learn more about the 2025/26 BOTB season. To RSVP or for a link to attend virtually, please visit plainwellschools.org/article/2494681.
We look forward to a wonderful BOTB season with the 🐨 Koalas, 🦎 Geckos, ⭐️ Rock Starrs and surrounding elementary schools!
This year, Cooper Elementary introduced “The Friendship Group,” a dedicated team of students who act as mediators during recess to help peers resolve conflicts. While on duty, the group creates mediator slips to monitor recess behavior. Each mediator then chooses a specific issue and designs a poster that illustrates ways to prevent or address it. These informative posters are then displayed around the school or shared with classmates, empowering students to cultivate effective conflict-resolution skills, strengthen friendships and promote positivity during recess. Way to go, Koalas! 🐨
