Gilkey Elementary -

On May 7, 2024, PCS will be pursuing a bond proposal to continue to improve our facilities and prioritize the educational experiences of our students, families and staff. Do you have questions about the bond? For example: Q. What is a bond proposal and how can we use bond funds? A. A bond proposal is how a public school district asks its community for authorization to borrow money to pay for capital expenditures like new construction, additions, remodeling, site improvements, athletic facilities, playgrounds, buses, furnishings, equipment, and other capital needs. We have additional bond information, as well as a list of answers to 30+ Frequently Asked Questions at www.plainwellschools.org/page/2024-bond.

Join us for Plainwell’s 2024 Art Hop to stroll through shops in downtown Plainwell and enjoy various artist creations. Plainwell student art will be featured during the event, so please join us in supporting our Trojan artists on Friday, March 8 from 5-7:30 PM. High School and Middle School art will be on display at Design Street. Elementary art will be on display at Ransom District Library.

REMINDER! Registration is still open for the 1-8th grade Girls Basketball Skills Camp. Join us on Saturdays from March 9-23 at Plainwell High School for a skills camp hosted by Coach Stephenson, Staff & PHS players. For more information or to register, please visit https://www.plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs.

As a reminder, we have two upcoming half days of school: Thursday, February 29 and Friday, March 1 (end of second trimester). Have a great day - GO TROJANS!

There are just a few days left for nominations for the 2024 Outstanding People for Education award! Do you know someone who has made a difference in our district? We are accepting nominations for the award through Friday, March 1. About Outstanding People for Education: The purpose of the Outstanding People for Education award is to honor and recognize people in public education who are excelling in their field and/or making an impact in the quality of education in Allegan County. Examples of whom you might nominate: A teacher or classroom aide; an administrator, secretary or board of education member; a bus driver, custodian, or other school support staff; a social worker, therapist, or consultant; a volunteer or community member who supports education. To submit a nomination for the 2024 Outstanding People for Education award, please scan the QR code or visit https://forms.gle/KTiHQ5s4ZoRqtYwn7.

LET'S GO TROJANS! Join us at the PHS Gym on Thursday, February 29 to support the PHS Cheer team at their State Send Off Performance. The team welcomes families, friends, the community and the rocket cheer program to join them beginning at 7:00 PM as the team performs prior to leaving for their State competition! Following their performance, they will be offering a meet and greet signing event for our youth athletes! Join us to support the Cheer Team - GO TROJANS!

What a fun day at the 2024 Battle of the Books competition on Saturday at the Plainwell Performing Arts Center. There were 26 teams that competed in the morning from Hopkins, Martin, Otsego and Plainwell Elementary Schools to earn a spot in the Grand Battle. In the afternoon eight teams competed in the Grand Battle and the Bookshelf Bandits from Cooper Elementary came home with the trophy. It was a great day of competition and we are so proud of all the participants for their hard work and outstanding teamwork throughout the Battle! Congratulations to the winning team - way to go, Bookshelf Bandits! 

More 100th day fun, this time from the Gilkey Geckos who are 100 days smarter! They had a great day celebrating with special activities and projects. In addition, the Geckos celebrated a special milestone for their 5th graders who completed their 1,000th day of elementary school! Congratulations!

It’s National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day! We couldn’t let the day pass without recognizing our amazing bus drivers. They are the first and last to see many of our students each day, providing them with safe transportation to and from school. A very special shout out and THANK YOU to our amazing bus drivers for your constant dedication to our district and for keeping our students safe each and every day! We greatly appreciate each of you. Please join us in sharing a 💙 or thank you to our transportation team! 🚌

Registration is open for the 2024 Summer Youth Volleyball Camp! PHS Volleyball invites students in 1st-12th grade to join them for a volleyball camp from June 10-13 at Plainwell High School. Cost is $50 per player. To register, please scan the QR code or visit: https://www.plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs.

The 2024 Battle of the Books competition is coming soon! Teams of 3rd-5th graders from Hopkins, Martin, Otsego and Plainwell Elementary Schools are set for Battle Day on Saturday, February 24. Teams have worked hard to read and study six different books and are now ready for the book battle at the Plainwell Performing Arts Center. Battles will be held at 8:00 am, 9:15 am, 10:30 am and 11:45 am and the top two teams from each battle advance to the Grand Battle at 1:30 pm. Unable to attend? All the Battles will be live streamed. Visit the Plainwell Performing Arts Center Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/PlainwellPAC) or YouTube - TrojanTV: @PHSTrojanTV (https://www.youtube.com/@phstrojantv) to view the competition. Good luck to all the teams - wishing you a great Battle Day!

On May 7, 2024, PCS will be pursuing a new bond proposal to continue to improve our facilities and offer the best educational experience possible for our students, families and staff. This bond will support 42 million in new projects and allow the completion of current projects that have seen significant cost increases due to inflation. NO TAX RATE INCREASE - if approved by voters, there is to be no tax rate increase expected over the current tax rate. The bond will focus on five key areas: - Safety & Security - New Early Childhood Center - Gym Additions - Replacement Tennis Courts - Completing Current Projects For more information on the 2024 Bond, details on the proposed projects and FAQs, please visit plainwellschools.org/page/2024-bond. For questions, please contact Superintendent Matthew Montange at matthew.montange@plainwellschools.org.

It’s School Resource Officer Day and we can’t let the day pass without recognizing our AMAZING School Resource Officer, Mr. Farris. We are incredibly thankful for all he does for our school and community every day! He goes above and beyond for our students, school and community - please join us in sharing a big THANK YOU to Officer Farris!

As a reminder, our Mid-Winter Break is from Friday, February 16-Monday, February 19. We wish our students and families a wonderful break. We look forward to welcoming the PCS students back to school on Tuesday, February 20. Have a great break and GO TROJANS!

The Kindergarteners at Gilkey Elementary are learning about different types of measurement. Yesterday, they were exploring weight by taking time to explore and compare the weight of different objects in their classroom. Today’s Learners, Tomorrow’s Leaders!

Registration is open through 3/11 - REGISTER TODAY! Join us for the 2024 Mother/Son Hockey Night as the Kalamazoo Wings take on the Allen Americans in the 40th Annual Green Ice Game on Saturday, March 16 at 7:00 PM. Mothers and sons will enjoy the game, a $5 concession voucher, a FREE knit hat and a voucher for a FREE game of bowling at Airway Fun Center! Tickets are available for $17/adults, $14/kids (12 and under). 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 https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Plainwellschools. PLEASE NOTE: Tickets are assigned seats, so if you are going with friends or a group, please plan accordingly. Tickets are available through March 11, so please purchase your tickets today!

The 2024 Daughter Dance was SO MUCH FUN!! Over 500 daughters joined their dates for a wonderful evening at Plainwell Middle School. They enjoyed formal photos, dancing, a selfie station, refreshments and a raffle. Thank you to all that joined us for this special event!

REMINDER! Do you have a student starting 6th grade at Plainwell Middle School next fall? Current 5th grade parents, please mark your calendar to join us for our upcoming 6th Grade Parent/Guardian Orientation TOMORROW (February 13) at 5:30 PM at the Plainwell Middle School Cafeteria. Parents/Guardians (only) are invited to join us to learn about schedules, counseling, athletics, electives and more! Have questions? Please contact Lynne Seibert at lynne.seibert@plainwellschools.org.

Yesterday in Grandville, Team: The Robot Pigs3 (Gilkey Elementary School) and Team: Koalabots (Cooper Elementary School) had a strong showing for the Plainwell Robotics Club (PRC). The Robot Pigs3 (Nicholas, Mari, Abigail and Coaches - Naomi Tsuji and Stephanie Larson) earned the Build Award that recognized a well-built robot that is constructed with a high attention to detail to hold up under the pressures of the competition.  Team Koalabots (Parker, Carter, Lucy and Coach - John Morse) ended the day with a highly ranked skills score and earned the Excellence Award, the highest award in VEX Robotics. Team Koalabots was recognized for their overall excellence in both the judged awards and the Performance award categories. A team earning this award needs to be at or near the top of all engineering notebook rubric rankings, exhibit a high-quality team interview, be ranked in the top 30% of teams in each of the following categories: the end of qualifying matches, in the Robot Skills Challenge, and in the Autonomous Coding Challenge. Team Koalabots earned the designation of only the second team in PRC’s history to earn the Excellence Award and the second team to double qualify for the State Championship. Congratulations to both teams and good luck to Team Koalabots in their State Championship competition on February 16-17! Plainwell Pride!

Join us for the upcoming Spring Tae Kwon Do program to improve coordination, gain strength and increase your flexibility while learning self-defense techniques, taught by Master Huong Tran. Available to participants 7 and up. To register, please visit https://www.plainwellschools.org/page/youth-programs.