Oakestown Intermediate Weekly Notes

School Office Contact Information

Main Line: 616-254-6880

Attendance: 616-254-6881 • oakesattendance@gpsbulldogs.org

Principal Brian Mulder: bmulder@gpsbulldogs.org

Assistant Principal Ellen Akhurst: eakhurst@gpsbulldogs.org

Sara Miller: 616-254-6885 • smiller@gpsbulldogs.org

Leah Vander Veen: 616-254-6886 • lvanderveen@gpsbulldogs.org

Danielle Flynn: 616-254-6884 • dflynn@gpsbulldogs.org

Important Upcoming Dates At-A-Glance

February 16

• Red, White & Blue Spirit Day

• Book Fair 2:30-6pm

February 17

• Snow Colors Spirit Day

• Book Fair 2:30-6pm

• Parent/Teacher Conferences 3-6pm

• Candy Gram Sales

February 18

• House Colors Spirit Day

February 19

• Winter Hat Spirit Day

• Mid-Winter Break - Half Day - Early Dismissal 10:41am

February 20

• No School - Mid-Winter Break

Our calendar of activities and events can be found here: Oakestown Events

This calendar is updated throughout the year. Please check back for updates and changes.

Oakestown Book Fair

Oakestown is excited to offer an on-site & virtual Book Fair this month in partnership with Rolling Rabbit Books, an independent bookstore located in Byron Center!

The in-person Book Fair will be open to students and their families for shopping the evenings of February 16 & 17 from 2:30-6:00 p.m. Located in the common area near the Oakes main entrance, parents and students will find a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level available for purchase. For those who can't shop in person, Rolling Rabbit is offering an online shopping option. Best of all, the school will receive 30% of the profit made from the book fair to purchase more books for our school library. To learn more or view the book fair catalog, visit the Book Fair Information page.

Candy Grams

Send a candy gram to your favorite student, teacher or staff! Candy Gram sales are cash only.

Thank you for your support!

Winter Blues Spirit Week • Feb 16-19

Tippy Cow Fundraiser - Izzy's Brunch Bliss

Scan the QR code below or order here: Izzy's Brunch Bliss

6th Graders - Middle School Tennis

FIRST DAY OF TENNIS at GMS for 6th-8th graders is MARCH 16!

Please make sure your child is registered in FinalForms as soon as possible. Registering early ensures your athlete is ready for the season and that you will get emails from the coaches once they start communicating with those signed up.

If your child is already registered through FinalForms, make sure you go back in and pick tennis so all the forms are available for updating.

Sports Physical Requirement

A current sports physical dated April 15, 2025, or later must be uploaded to FinalForms.

If your child still needs a sports physical, please take this form, required by MHSAA, to the appointment: Physical Form

-Hard copies are also available in the office at Oakestown and the Middle School

-Parents must complete their portion of the physical form before the appointment. The doctor will then complete, date, and sign their section during the exam.

-Once you have the physical completed, please upload it to your child's account in FinalForms or scan it to

kbreazeale@gpsbulldogs.org or drop it off in the Middle School office.

Walk-In Clinic Options

Sports Physicals for 2026/27 Sports Season

Why are we holding sports physicals at GMS? (2 doctors will be conducting these)
Any student planning to participate in a sport at GMS must have a sports physical on file for the 2026–27 school sports season dated April 15, 2026 or after.

Having a sports physical on file prior to the end of this school year will help all involved, rather than dealing with it during the chaos of back to school or forgetting to get it before a specific sports season begins.
- Physicals must be dated April 15, 2026 or after to be valid for the 2026-27 School Sports Season

5th grade parents:
There are a select number of sports that 6th graders can participate in at GMS, so if your child will be a 6th grader at Oakestown next year and plans to participate in swim & dive, tennis, cross country, and/or wrestling during the 2026–27 school year, see info below.

6th grade parents:
If your child will be a 7th grader at GMS next year and plans to participate in swim & dive, tennis, cross country, track, wrestling, basketball, soccer, girls competitive cheer, or girls volleyball during the 2026–27 school year see below

Physical Dates: May 19 & May 20
Time: 5:30–7:30 PM
Location: Grandville Middle School
4900 Canal, Grandville (see parking and entrance details below)

Who can attend?

Any incoming 6th grade student at Oakestown who plans to participate in MS sports (see the eligible sports noted in the section above).
Any incoming 7th–12th grade Grandville Public Schools student for the 2026–27 school year.

Cost: $25 (cash or check only – checks made payable to Dr. Diana Dillman). Credit cards not accepted.

No appointments – walk-ins only.

There will be at least 2 doctors performing the physicals.

Important Reminders:

These physicals will be valid for the entire 2026-27 school sports season at GMS
Per MHSAA rules, only physicals dated April 15, 2026, or later will be valid for the 2026-27 school sports season

What to Bring:

Bring a MHSAA approved physical form - Filling this out ahead of time will help speed up the process
- Click here for a blank physical form: MHSAA Physical Form (2 pages)
  - Physical forms are also available in the middle school and Oakestown main offices
  - Blank forms will be available onsite at the event

Completed Sports Physicals:

The sports physicals are collected by the doctor performing the physical and they give them to the MS athletic department.

Middle school and high school forms will be separated, and high school forms will be forwarded to the high school athletic office.

Parking & Entrance Information:

Enter Grandville Middle School (4900 Canal) from Canal and Jacob Streets
Use the Athletic Entrance to enter the building

The FinalForms registration link is also available on this site; registration won't open until mid-May 2026 for the 2026–27 school year

Alternate Option:

If you prefer, your child may get their physical completed with your family physician. Be sure to bring the correct MHSAA-approved physical form (see link above) to that appointment. The physical must be completed on or after April 15, 2026.

Upload the completed physical to FinalForms BUT REMEMBER: FinalForm registration won't open until May 11, 2026 for the 2026–27 school year

Men of Oakes

Here is all the information you need to get familiar with the Men of Oakes program!

Once you're ready to sign up, please complete a background check.

Fill out the Men of Oakes sign-up form here: Men of Oakes Sign Up

Yearbook Orders

Online ordering is available to anyone who would still like a yearbook. Please contact Geskus using the link below, the school office or your student's homeroom teacher if you need to know if a yearbook has already been ordered.

Personal webcodes are required for online ordering. Please use the lookup tool link below or contact our customer service department.

Order site: https://gpi.portraitpics.co/login

Look up tool: https://www.geskusphoto.com/lookup

Customer Service: https://www.geskusphoto.com/contact-us

Students After School

For safety concerns, please make sure your student is picked up after school by 2:45pm. All students must be out of the building by 2:40pm on full days of school (10:45am on half days) unless they have an after school event or sport occurring at Oakestown. In which case, those students should immediately head to that activity.

Attendance Policy

Parents: Absences and appointments can be called in at any time to 616-254-6881 or e-mailed to oakesattendance@gpsbulldogs.org. Please leave your name, your student's name, your student's grade, your student's teacher, the date, and the reason for their absence. (If no reason is given, the absence will be entered as unexcused).

If calling for an appointment, please let us know if they will be arriving to school late or if you will need to pick them up at a certain time. If you need to pick your student up prior to afternoon dismissal (2:35), please make every effort to call/email at least 1 hour before the release time. This helps us to cut down on the number of times that we need to call into classrooms for student early releases. Thank you!

All students leaving prior to our 2:35 dismissal time must be signed out by a parent before leaving the building. If you need someone else to pick your child up, please leave that person's information on the attendance line as well. Thank you!

Birthday and Celebration Treats

Please be advised that all treats being shared with other students must be either bakery/store-bought or individually packaged. This policy helps us manage allergens and maintain a safe environment for everyone.

Please make sure to coordinate with your child's teacher before you bring in a classroom treat.

As a note, teachers and staff are able to accept homemade treats as gifts. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Drink Policy

Students should not have energy drinks, pop or specialty coffee drinks at school. Please make sure all drinks are finished before entering the building. Water is the only drink allowed in the classrooms and gym.