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

April 2

• Be Nice Spirit Week - Wear a Positive Message

• Be Nice Assembly 9:45 - 10:25am

• Half Day - Early Dismissal 10:41am

April 3 - April 10

No School - Spring Break!

April 15

6th Grade Scheduling for 7th Grade

April 17

Girls PE Swimming - Pods 52, 54, 61, 62

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.

Help Bring Bill Nye to Oakestown!

We are excited to share that Ms. Darby has made it into the Top 20 for America’s Favorite Teacher!

What started as a simple entry has turned into something much bigger thanks to the support from our AMAZING community.

Voting is open, and we would love your help to keep it going!

Voting Details:

• One free vote every 24 hours
• Additional votes can be made through donations ($1 = 1 vote)

Current Round:
Top 15 Voting: March 26–April 2

If Ms. Darby continues advancing, voting will continue through May, with the grand prize announced in early June. You can set reminders for daily voting or even sharing with friends and family is a huge help!

Our goal is to bring Bill Nye to Oakestown. While the assembly will most likely take place next school year, this is an exciting opportunity for our entire school community.

Thank you for your continued support.

FOUR HOUSES, ONE FAMILY

https://americasfavteacher.org/2026/chelsy-darby

Want to work for GPS?

Hi Parents! Are you looking for a job that matches your students schedule? Food Service (Middle School) is looking for someone who can work Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 1:15 pm. Fast paced and fun atmosphere! No experience, will train. If interested, apply online under Human Resources on the GPS website.

Oakestown Intermediate is looking for a Building/Playground Paraprofessional! This role supports students throughout the building as well as one hour a day on the playground. 29 hours a week - Student Days only. All interested applicants should apply online at Human Resources.

Buck Creek Advocacy Day

GHS Theatre Presents

Show Times (GHS Auditorium):

Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m.

Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 25 at 7 p.m.

Sunday, April 26 at 2 p.m.

In “Roaring Twenties” Chicago, chorine Roxie Hart murders a faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband, Amos, to take the rap... until he finds out he's been duped and turns on Roxie. Convicted and sent to death row, Roxie and another "Merry Murderess," Velma Kelly, vie for the spotlight and the headlines, ultimately joining forces in search of the "American Dream": fame, fortune, and acquittal.

Note: Recommended for ages 13 and up.

In addition, we're offering some special VIP tickets for this production at jazz club tables right down near the front of the stage. We're encouraging our VIP guests to wear their best 1920s-related apparel to join in the fun and be part of the show. Tickets in our VIP section are $40 each, or you can buy a table of three for $100. To place a VIP order, contact our producer, Ann Oosterhouse at aoosterhouse@gpsbulldogs.org to request what night and how many you would like.

Tickets are available at www.gpsbulldogs.org/tix and at the door.

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 football, 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

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

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

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!

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.

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.

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.