GHAPS School Board approves the name Duneside Discovery Center at Mary A. White elementary

Coach Cook’s leadership has not only built a championship team, but has helped shape strong, confident young women through the sport of wrestling,” said Taylor Schriber, Grand Haven’s Athletic Director. “This award is a reflection of his hard work and the respect he’s earned from the wrestling community across the country.”

Recognition of Grand Partner of the Month: Grand Haven Area Community Foundation

In a continued effort to highlight key community partnerships this year, the district announced the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation as its May Grand Partner of the Month during Monday’s School Board Meeting.

Superintendent Kristin Perkowski shared:

• “Over the years, the GHACF has granted millions of dollars directly to GHAPS, to others providing programs in partnership with GHAPS, and to assist students within the district with scholarships for continued education. In 2024 alone, nearly $1 million in post-secondary scholarships were awarded by the Community Foundation to more than 200 students. The Foundation also supports student opportunities like the Youth Advisory Council and the College and Career Access Network, as well as the annual Excellence in Education event, which celebrates top graduates and the educators who have helped shape their success.”

Rosy Mound Elementary Update

The Rosy Mound team presented on the Bridges math curriculum, a new math curriculum that prioritizes hands-on, engaged learning to help make math more fun and relevant to help students learn more effectively. Training and time for staff to familiarize themselves with the new curriculum began in the spring of 2024 and have continued during the building’s Professional Learning Community (PLC) staff meeting times throughout the year.

The curriculum focuses on three main components: Problems and Investigations, which includes group work, exploration, and discussion time; Work Places, which includes small groups and partnerships that often include a variety of games; and Number Corner, which builds daily practice routines among students.

The teachers reported that students seem more engaged than ever before in their math lessons this year. Principal Kevin Blanding noted, “When you get something that excites both teachers and students, you know you have a winner. We feel like this curriculum is putting our kids in good shape for math for a long time to come.”

Board Action Items Summary:

• The Board approved the purchase of decodable books from three different publishers. These books support the Sciences of Reading practices in Kindergarten, first, and second grades. Students use these books to practice phonics concepts they learn in class. These books will be distributed evenly to classrooms. A committee reviewed various publishers and also received feedback from classroom teachers. This purchase is largely funded by the 35j reading grant from the Michigan Department of Education, and it is also funded using Title I grants from the Kiwanis Sandy Huber Reading Improvement Program, Shape Corporation, and the Judy Corcoran Porath Memorial Fund.

• The Board approved the adoption of a new English Language Arts curriculum called CommonLit for Lakeshore Middle School. CommonLit is an open-source resource that was successfully piloted and unanimously approved by 7th and 8th grade English teachers. The curriculum offers increased rigor, integrated vocabulary units, text-to-speech features, and engaging content for teens. It supports project-based learning, aligns with Michigan standards, and includes a user-friendly digital platform with a diverse range of texts. Essential ELA skills are reinforced throughout the lessons.

• For more than a decade, Grand Haven Area Public Schools has been a 1:1 device school district, providing classroom Chromebooks (laptops) for all elementary students and providing take-home devices for all students in grades 5-12. During Monday night’s meeting, the GHAPS School Board approved the purchase of new Chromebooks for the incoming class of 2025-2026 fifth-graders.

• After a community survey seeking name ideas for the new early learning center at Mary A. White next year, the GHAPS School Board approved the name Duneside Discovery Center at Mary A. White. The district received nearly 100 suggestions through the survey and landed on the new name after the district’s Leadership Team voted on the top three suggestions. Duneside Discovery Center at Mary A. White will host the district’s Preschool Development Program for three-year-olds, Great Start Readiness Program for four-year-olds, Young Fives program, and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program. Enrollment is now open–families can get started at www.GHAPS.org/enroll.