We are looking forward to our upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences—an important opportunity to discuss your student’s progress and continue our partnership in their education. Please take note of the following dates and times:
Wednesday, October 22 – Virtual Conferences | 5:00–7:00 PM
Thursday, October 23 – In-Person Conferences | 5:00–7:00 PM
Friday, October 24 – No School for Students
Parent-teacher conference registration is now available at https://www.myconferencetime.com/wmaes/. Virtual conferences will be held on October 22 from 5:00-7:00 pm, and in-person conferences will be held on October 23 from 5:00-7:00 pm. As a reminder, there is no school for students on October 24. We hope that these time slots will accommodate your schedule and look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child's progress. A helpful guide to signing up for a conference can be found at the link below. Thank you! https://www.myconferencetime.com/info/help/video-how-to-sign-up/Â
There’s a lot to look through in our Lost & Found!
Last Day to Look: Friday, October 31st
Donation Date: Items not claimed will be donated on Saturday, November 1st
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đź‘€ Convenient Times to Check:
During Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 23rd
During Treats on the Trail on Thursday, October 30th
Anytime near the elementary entrance, where the Lost & Found is always available to check
Please take a few minutes to look through it if your student is missing anything!
The Mobile Dentist will be on campus Monday, October 20 – Wednesday, October 22 to provide convenient, in-school dental care for students. Families may still sign up online at www.MySchoolDentist.com.
The WMAES Parent Team is partnering with Frandale for a delicious fall fundraiser! Frandale offers a variety of tasty options, including soups, sandwiches, pies, and cinnamon rolls.
Forms were sent home this week, so be sure to check your student’s backpack!
Forms and payment are due by Tuesday, November 4th.
Please return forms with cash or check (made payable to WMAES) to the office in an envelope.
Funds raised will go toward purchasing new and updated recess equipment for students in grades K–12.
If you need a digital copy of the forms, please reach out to parentteam@wma-es.com.
We’re looking forward to one of our favorite annual community events, Treats on the Trail. Treats on the Trail provides a fun, safe trick-or-treating experience for families on the beautiful trails at WMAES. Donations of bags of individually wrapped candy in support of the event are greatly appreciated. Candy donations can be dropped off in either the elementary or secondary office.Â
Families can begin entering the trails at 5:00. Costumes for students are encouraged but not required. Costumes must be appropriate for school (e.g. no weapons, blood, etc.). We encourage families to bring a bag or bucket for each child that will be receiving candy. We hope you’ll join us for this fun family event!
Families can begin entering the trails this evening at 5:00.Â
The last opportunity to begin the trail is at 6:00.
Costumes for students are encouraged but not required. Costumes must be appropriate for school (e.g. no weapons, blood, etc.).Â
We encourage families to bring a bag or bucket for each child that will be receiving candy.Â
The WMAES Parent Team will be serving grilled burgers and hot dogs during Treats on the Trail!
Please note that only Cash or Venmo payments can be accepted. Proceeds support student supplies at WMAES.
Menu:
• Burger Basket – $6
• Burger – $4
• Hot Dog Basket – $4
• Hot Dog – $2
• Chips – $1
• Gatorade – $1.50
There will be no school for students on Monday, November 3, as staff will be participating in a Professional Development Day focused on environmental science and outdoor learning.
This important day allows our teachers and staff to deepen their understanding of environmental education practices that make WMAES unique and help us continue providing hands-on, nature-based learning experiences for all students.
We invite families to join a Nature Walk & Talk to learn more about our tuition-free GSRP preschool program. See below for more information.
We’re excited to share this year’s Roller Skating Party dates — mark your calendars and get ready to roll! All events will be held at GR Skate in Kentwood from 6:00–8:00 P.M.
📅 2025–2026 Skating Party Dates:
• Thursday, November 6
• Thursday, January 15
• Thursday, March 26
Each event is a great opportunity for fun, movement, and connection outside of the school day.Â
 More details and reminders will be shared before each event.
We hope to see you there!
Please refer to the information below for everything you need to know to sign up for text updates from WMAES. We look forward to being able to utilize texting as a convenient means of providing links to our newsletters, reminders about upcoming dates, weather-related closing notifications, and more. As shown in the flyer below, simply text Y or Yes to 67587 from a number you have on file with the office to get signed up. Coming soon, we will also be sending a one time opt-in message to all numbers on file who have not opted in to provide the option of doing so at that time.Â
No more digging for $1 bills—Dollar Day just got easier! Students can prepay for Dollar Days and you will be able to save a little cash. It's a simple, convenient way to join in the fun!Â
The Punch Card is not a physical card but a subscription (No worries about misplacing the card)
The cost is $15 (for 25-26 school year) and will include participation in all Dollar Days
A student who purchases one will no longer need to remember cash for each Dollar Day
This process will help make it easier for families and staff
Participating supports our school events/clubs/programs
Subscriptions can be purchased in the Secondary Office. (Cash or Card)
We’re pleased to share that our uniform provider now has items featuring the new WMAES logo available for online ordering—with free shipping to your home!
Just click the link below and click “Shop Now”—then navigate to the Uniform category to explore all that’s available. We’re especially excited to let you know that several new, lower-cost uniform t-shirt options have been added for your convenience.
Shop Now: https://wmaesapparel.secure-decoration.com/
As a reminder, here are our uniform policy guidelines:
Uniform requirements include:
A WMAES uniform top
Solid color pants or shorts, or solid jeans or jean shorts
Closed-toe shoes
Please note:
The WMAES top must be the outermost layer
All clothing must be free of writing, adornments, and rips/tears/holes
Uniforms with the old logo will be fully grandfathered in. Students may continue wearing their previous uniform items.Â
Thank you for partnering with us and for your continued support of our uniform policy!
Please take a moment to add our school’s phone number to your contact list: 616-791-7454. This helps ensure that you recognize calls coming from West Michigan Academy of Environmental Science.
We also kindly ask that you make sure your phone is set to allow calls from the school. It’s important that we’re able to reach an adult family member during the school day if needed.
To make it even easier, you can use the QR code below to quickly add our contact info to your phone:
Important dates for the coming school year have been added to our school calendar on AddEvent—including breaks, early release days, family events, and more! We encourage all families to follow the calendar to stay informed and organized throughout the year.
You can follow the calendar by clicking “Follow Calendar” above this post or by visiting:
https://www.addevent.com/calendar/MF615307
Our calendar is hosted through AddEvent and is fully compatible with:
Apple Calendar (iPhone, iPad, Mac)
Google Calendar (Android devices and Gmail accounts)
Outlook
Office 365
Yahoo Calendar
Any calendar app that supports iCal or .ics feeds
Once added, all events will sync directly to your personal calendar—and any updates we make will automatically be reflected on your end. It’s a simple, reliable way to stay connected and never miss an important date!Â
A printable version of our calendar is also available below for your convenience.Â
At WMAES, we take pride in our welcoming, supportive school community where students grow, explore, and thrive. From our hands-on environmental learning experiences to the strong connections between staff, students, and families, there’s something truly special about being a part of WMAES!
Enrollment for the 2025-26 school year is now open! If you have a younger sibling ready to start school or know a family looking for an engaging, nature-focused education, now is the time to apply.
Apply today! wma-es.com/enroll
Help us welcome more families into our amazing community—please share with anyone who may be interested!
We are excited to continue our efforts in supporting our students through our assistance programs. Our resources have expanded this school year, and we want to ensure you are aware of the benefits available to our entire community.
Our new counseling service, the School Assistance Program (SAP), is offered through Pine Rest, a professional mental health service. This program provides five free, confidential counseling sessions per episode of care and is available 24/7 to anyone in the student’s household.
To access this service, simply call 800.442.0809, press 1, and follow the prompts. Be sure to mention, “I have an SAP with West Michigan Academy of Environmental Science.”
To learn more about all the benefits provided by this program, please watch the introduction video. Click the link below or paste the URL into any browser:
SAP Video – Password: SAPOrientation
URL: https://vimeo.com/video/956870695?share=copy
Please note that all services provided through the SAP are 100% confidential. We hope this resource can support you and your family whenever needed.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.