August 2026 Back-to-School Update from Mr. Crete

Greetings, Baldwin Street Middle School Families and Community!

We are so excited to welcome your students back or for the first time to BMS! We have many exciting plans for the 2026-2027 school year! As the summer winds down, there can often be much anxiety and/or excitement for students about returning to school. At BMS we continue to grow each and every day as we prepare to meet your children where they are individually on their educational journey. We have several new staff members joining our team this year, and we hope to be able to provide additional support for your children as we help them mature and grow into remarkable young adults!

Please check out our new staff page here: BMS Staff Introductions. We will have a parent information meeting available during Open House to get more information on "ins and outs" of BMS.

Meet Our Leadership and Support Staff Our dedicated team is here to support your child’s academic and personal growth:

Principal: Mr. Crete
Assistant Principal: Mr. McDowell
Administrative Assistants: Mrs. Barnes-Lee and Mrs. Santana
BMS Athletics Facilitator: Mr. VanSlyke
Athletics Administrative Assistant: Mrs. Smies
Counselors: Mr. Kuyper (A-L) and Mrs. Rasmussen (M-Z)
School Psychologist: Mrs. Gillstedt
Security: Mr. Baer

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

Parent Drop-Off/Pick-Up: Enter off 36th St., exit onto Baldwin St.
Bus Procedures: Buses drop off at 7:35 am and pick up by 2:50 pm.
Arrival: Students gather in the cafeteria before school and are dismissed to lockers at 7:35 am.

Daily Schedule

School Hours: 7:50 am - 2:45 pm
Advisory: Begins September 22, providing academic support or enrichment.
Lunch: 30-minute mixed grade-level lunch periods.

Cell Phone Policy: "Away for the Day"

Phones must be off and stored in lockers from 7:50 am to 2:45 pm.
Consequences escalate from returning phones at the end of the hour to parents retrieving them from the office after multiple offenses.

Teacher Team Time Wednesdays

Early Dismissal: Students are dismissed at 2:20 pm on Teacher Team Time Wednesdays. Busses will also run at this time.
Dates: September 9, September 23, October 14, and October 28.

Communication Channels

Google Classroom: For teacher-student communication.
BMS Parent Newsletter: Sent monthly on the first Friday.
PowerSchool: For grades and updates.
BMS Week at a Glance: Check all of your teacher assigned work and lesson plans here.

Get Involved! Encourage your child to participate in extended opportunities such as:

Robotics, Renaissance, Science Olympiad, and the MS Musical.
School-sponsored competitive sports and other community education programs.

We are looking forward to a great year! We are thrilled to welcome our students and families back to Baldwin Street Middle School. Let’s make this year a success by working together to support our students’ academic journey!

Best regards,

Ryan Crete, Principal - Baldwin Street Middle School

Re-Enrollment Requirements & Student Schedules

As mentioned in the July newsletter, registration forms for ALL students are now live and available on PowerSchool. You may also pay your technology fee on PowerSchool now as well.

Annual Registration for ALL students:

CLICK HERE ----> Annual Registration Instructions

This process needs to be completed for EACH child attending BMS. These forms will need to be completed and fees paid prior to attending Open House on August 27, 2026. We will still collect technology fees on-site during Open House for those that would like to pay with cash or checks payable to Hudsonville Public Schools (Memo line - Baldwin Street Middle School).

Reminder: This registration is REQUIRED for all students. Please complete enrollment by Thursday, August 27.

All schedules will be released on Thursday, August 20 in PowerSchool.

At Baldwin, we believe it is through a partnership with our families that we create a comfortable, positive, and engaging place for students to learn and grow. Together, we will build on the great things already happening at BMS!

We look forward to meeting you. Please contact me with any questions, concerns, or ideas throughout the 2026-2027 school year! Please be sure to visit the Guidance Department, Return to School, and General News & Info pages for other news for the school year. We will communicate moving forward using this platform and will continue to provide information every month on the first Friday. Also, follow our social media pages for updates as well.

Scheduling Changes - Handbook Policy

Annual Schedule Requests

To support academic success while offering flexibility, students have the opportunity to submit one (1) schedule change request each school year. Please keep the following guidelines in mind as you plan your year:

Elective Options: Schedule adjustments focus on swapping one elective course for a single quarter to explore different interests.
Core Academic Classes: Core courses—English Language Arts (ELA), Math, Science, and Social Studies—remain fixed.
Submission Timeline: To help everyone get settled into a great routine, please ensure all requests are submitted within the by September 15, 2026. This deadline is for Q2-Q4. All Q1 change requests are due by August 28, 2026.
Please visit the BMS website to access the BMS Schedule Change Request Form. It will not be live until schedules are released on August 20, 2026.

Schedule Modifications and Availability

The master schedule is carefully designed to offer the best possible course selections based on student interests and faculty availability. Because creating this schedule involves balancing many moving pieces, student schedules may occasionally be adjusted to accommodate updates in staffing, course availability, or class enrollment limits.

Our administration team works diligently to honor student requests whenever possible. To ensure a balanced, productive, and equitable learning environment for the entire school community, the administration reviews and serves as the final decision-maker on all scheduling adjustments.

School Supplies List 2026-2027

Click here for 2026-2027 BMS Student-Parent Handbook

Student Walk-Through Day

Thursday, August 20

2:00 - 6:00 pm

ALL STUDENTS & FAMILIES

This event will take families about 30-45 minutes to complete. Students will receive their schedule upon arriving if all annual registration and tech payments have been made. Once receiving your schedule, students will have the opportunity to tour their classrooms, try their lockers, and ask questions about the general flow of school.

We please ask that all families enter the building from either the main entrance or the gym entrance. Student schedules will be provided in the main entry/cafeteria. We will also have a payment station for those that wish to pay their technology fees with cash or check. We do encourage online payment if you are able.

You are not required to arrive at the start time. You can come anytime in the window.

Please note

Teachers will not be present during the walk-throughs. We will have a separate opportunity for parents to meet teachers during the open house on August 27 (see below). We know that this is different than past years, but we are changing it up this year to ensure that all parents have the opportunity to attend all of their children's open houses by having them on different nights for each grade level. Thank you for understanding!

Unable to Attend?

If you are unable to attend walk-throughs, student schedules will be available on PowerSchool. We are not able to accommodate tours of the building prior to or after walk-throughs for everyone. You may schedule a meeting with a counselor if there is an extenuating circumstance. The first week of school will be an opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with their schedules and our staff will be willing to assist and accommodate as our students adjust to life back at school.

Meet the Teachers Night - Open House

Thursday, August 27

5:00 - 7:30 pm

This event will take families about 30-45 minutes to complete. Parents will have the opportunity to tour their child's classrooms and meet the teachers.

We please ask that all families enter the building from either the main entrance or the gym entrance. You will find more information and resources available at BMS throughout the gym and cafeteria. We will also have a payment station for those that wish to pay their technology fees with cash or check. We do encourage online payment if you are able.

We will have a brief presentation in the Media Center for families that are new to BMS at 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm. You may attend either session if you wish to learn more about the ins and outs of BMS.

You may schedule a meeting with a counselor if there is an extenuating circumstance. The first week of school will be an opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with their schedules and our staff will be willing to assist and accommodate as our students adjust to life back at school.

First Week - Daily Schedule

Half Days: Wednesday, August 26 - Friday, August 28

Please visit the following link for our normal daily schedules: 2026-2027 BMS Daily Schedule

Student Chromebooks and Technology Information

Please see below for important details about Chromebooks and the district's continuing 1 to 1 initiative:

Students will be using the same Chreombooks, chargers, and cases they used last year.
New students will get their Chromebooks during the first week of school.

Action needed:

- Pay the $25 tech fee ($75 max per family). Follow these instructions (desktop / mobile), You can also bring cash or check to the office.
- Review device details on use, fees, and care on this guide doc.
- Charge, start, and run updates on devices at home before the first day of school
- If repairs are needed, students can bring devices to the media center during the first week of school

Fall Athletics

As summer winds down and the start of school right around the corner, it is time for fall sports to kick in gear. The fall sports that are being offered at the middle school level are:

Football
Girls Volleyball
Boys Soccer
Boys Tennis
Co-Ed Cross Country

The start date for each of these is August 31 with the exception of Football~which will begin on August 17.

Athlete Paperwork Requirements

Prior to participating in a practice or tryout for an athletic team, the student must have a valid physical on file (dated on or after April 15, 2026) and also complete the online registration at the following link: https://hudsonville-mi.finalforms.com/

*Please note that we have transitioned to FinalForms as our athletic registration platform for the 2026–27 school year. RecDesk is no longer being used for student-athlete registration, and all registrations should now be completed through FinalForms.*

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Jon VanSlyke - BMS Athletic Director: jvansly@hpseagles.net

Juli Smies - Athletic Secretary: jsmies@hpseagles.net

Student Picture Day

SAVE THE DATE!

Friday, September 11

Students will be called down during the school day for pictures. Geskus will be providing order forms and packets for students. These will be distributed in their homeroom classes during the first week of school. Please keep an eye out for these in your child's backpack. Student IDs will be printed and distributed on this date as well.

Re-take/Make-Up Date will take place during the school day on Friday, October 9.

Reproductive Health 7th Grade Parent Meeting

If your child is scheduled in a health class during the 1st or 2nd quarter of the 2026-2027 school year. There will be an in-person meeting on:

Thursday, September 3 at 7:00 pm

@ Hudsonville High School North Campus Media Center

Park and enter @ Main Office

This meeting will outline the reproductive health curriculum your child will receive this year. Teachers will walk through the various topics and review details of the reproductive health curriculum approved by the Hudsonville Public Schools Board of Education. While health class is mandatory for all Hudsonville Public School seventh-graders, the class's reproductive health portion is by parent opt-in. This opt-in option means you have the choice to have your child participate in the approved reproductive health curriculum or complete an alternative assignment during that unit of health class. There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of this meeting. While we want all parents to have the information shared at the meeting, attendance is not required for you to opt your child in or out of the reproductive health portion of the class.

If you have any questions at this time or are unable to attend and would like more information, please reach out to your child’s health teacher or building administrator. Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to educate, challenge and inspire our students each day they are in our care.

Food Service Update

School Breakfast/Lunch

School Meals: Breakfast will be served each day that school is in session, beginning on August 26. Sack Lunches will be available for students to take home August 26-28 and on Early Release Days. Sack lunch orders should be placed with your child's classroom teacher or in the office.

To receive any potential discounts, you MUST return THIS FORM to Food Service. You can visit our website at www.jenhudfood.org to find links to menus and more information about School Meals.

Contact Food Service at foodservice@hpseagles.net or at (616) 457-2400 if you need assistance with anything related to meal service.

Additional Parent Volunteer Opportunities

Parents of Baldwin Street Middle School students! We need your partnership in many different ways during the school year. Opportunities include regular Copy Parent, volunteer during school day as needed, Activities, Library, and Others.

***All parent volunteers are required to have a background check on file. This includes Parent Chaperones that attend field trips throughout the school year. Please fill out our online "Volunteer Background Check Form" on the BMS website.

Please contact Jayme Santana or call the office at (616) 669-7750 if you are interested in helping out.

S.O.A.R Recognition @ BMS

Students will be collecting SOAR tickets to use at our SOAR store this upcoming year. We are hoping to collect donations for small prizes for the store. Prizes can include: Takis, Skittles, M and M's, snack sized chips, little knick knacks, etc. If you would be willing to donate, please bring them to the office and put them attention to the PBIS team.

Thanks for considering donating!

Community Resources

Hudsonville Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex and prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX, including in admission and employment. https://www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org/about/civil-rights-compliance

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