Tag Archives: Thomas Reeder

School News Network: Wyoming Public Schools selects one of its own for top spot

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Craig Hoekstra

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

“Dream big, work hard and make it happen”: That’s the mantra of Craig Hoekstra, a familiar face in the district, who this week was selected as the new superintendent.

 

Hoekstra is an example of turning that philosophy into reality. After deciding to leave his job as a linen delivery driver to pursue college, the 1990 Wyoming Park High School graduate worked as a night custodian at the former Newhall Junior High. He also took classes to get his associate’s degree at Grand Rapids Community College. From there he worked up the ranks as an educator and administrator, most recently as Wyoming’s associate superintendent for instructional services.

 

He knows his background resonates with the young people he encourages to aim high.

 

“It goes to that life lesson of how if we persevere we can achieve everything we have in front of us,” Hoekstra said.

 

Hoekstra is set to begin in his new role July 1, following Superintendent Thomas Reeder, who announced his retirement last month after serving in the position for seven years.

 

Hoekstra was interviewed by the Board of Education last week in an open meeting before an audience of staff, administrators parents and community members. The board did not conduct a superintendent search, but considered internal candidates. Hoekstra was the only applicant interviewed.

 

Hoekstra turned his days of studying all day and working all night into a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, and eventually a master’s degree in educational leadership from Grand Valley State University.

 

He then began his career in education, starting as a second-grade teacher for Hamilton Public Schools, then serving as principal at three elementary schools before being promoted to assistant superintendent for instructional services in 2015.

 

He then served as a second-grade teacher at Hamilton Elementary School, in Hamilton Public Schools, for five years; principal at Oriole Park Elementary School, in Wyoming for two years; principal at Hamilton Elementary where he also working as kindergarten-through-fifth grade curriculum director for three years; and principal at Gladiola Elementary, where he was also put in charge of district grants, from 2012 until he was promoted to assistant superintendent for Instructional Services in 2015.

 

“Every move I’ve made, I’ve been fortunate to have been able  to grow my skill set,” he said.

 

It’s an exciting time to take the district’s head job, as plans for a major high school renovation and investing in district facilities over the next seven years take shape.

 

“I’m very excited on many ends with all the great things coming up,” said Hoekstra, who credited Reeder for “amazing leadership” during his tenure, which included consolidating schools and creating new community.

 

“Because of what (Reeder) was able to do to bring the district together, to carry on after him is an absolute honor,” Hoekstra said.

 

In a press release, Board of Education President Craig Popma said the district and community are fortunate to have Hoekstra take the reins.

 

“To have Craig’s dedication, drive and passion for our community will provide great leadership for many years to come,” he said. ”I am excited to begin this new chapter, working closely with Craig and driving Wyoming to our next positive chapter.”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

School News Network: ‘You’ve Gotta Be There Everyday’

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The first Parkview attendance celebration was a red-carpet affair for students like these kindergartners (from left) Major Weese, Benjamin Ramey, Taeja Gibson, Angel Gonzalez and Marianna Brault being recognized on stage. (All photos courtesy of School News Network.)

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

Parkview Elementary students shined, smiles spreading from ear to ear, as they walked down the red carpet laid out for them during a celebration of their success in getting to school nearly every day, all day.

 

Along with the grand Hollywood-style entrance, names of 260 kindergartners through fourth-graders were announced as students walked on stage in the Dan Heintzelman Fine Arts Center, honored for being in class 95 percent or more of the time during the first marking period. They then watched a movie with their families and went home with goodie bags. Beverly Reformed and Wyoming Park United Methodist churches sponsored the event.

 

The celebration, the first of three planned this school year, promotes family involvement in attendance, said Teresa Dood, Kent School Services Network community coordinator She works on the school’s attendance team with Principal Katie Jobson, social worker Micah Bell, KSSN clinician Staci Wolters, and Sarah Wildman, success coach for the Department of Health and Human Services.

 

Attendance is a critical piece to success in school, Dood said. “Kids miss critical building blocks when they miss school and days add up so quickly.”

 

About 8 percent of Parkview students were chronically absent for a range of reasons during the first marking period. The team takes multiple steps to remove barriers that are keeping children from school.

 

Those include transportation; unstable housing and homelessness; a parent who works third shift; and illness, anxiety and mental health issues. The staff goes as far as to help with car repairs, walk students to school, and connect families with health-care professionals. They make sure classrooms are stocked with hand sanitizer, tissues and cleaning wipes.

 

Superintendent Tom Reeder applauds as first-grader Kiara Thomas enters the building

Aligned with County-wide Goals

The countywide goal is for students to miss no more than five days per school year, said Mark Larson, Kent ISD’s truancy and attendance coordinator. Last year, Kent County education leaders — including a group of district superintendents, representatives from Kent County Juvenile Court, the Kent County School Justice Partnership and others — created a new policy with common definitions.

 

According to a study in Berrien County, replicated in other areas, top reasons students are kept home include parent-diagnosed illness, which includes the sniffles or other mild symptoms; routine dentist and doctors’ appointments for which parents pull students out midday and then don’t return; and parents placing a lack of value in attendance, including having older children stay home with younger siblings.

 

“When you look at it through that lens, it’s important the whole family values regular and consistent attendance,” Larson said.

 

Kristin Jacob and son, kindergartner Josiah, walk the red carpet to applause

Keeping Track of Days Missed

At Parkview, Dood and the staff review attendance records weekly, noticing patterns of absence early.

 

“Attendance is often an iceberg issue and really there are a lot of underlying things the family is struggling with,” Dood said. “When we talk to families, we try to look at it in a solution-focused manner: ‘What can we do to help you?’

 

“There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution to attendance, it really needs to be individual.”

 

Sometimes the solution is just to stress the importance of attendance, beginning in kindergarten, to parents who have an “it’s just kindergarten” mentality. Stressing appropriate bedtimes is also important.

 

At the Parkview celebration, parents posed for photos with their children. Tim Agema, father to third-grader Ellie and first-grader Landon, said attendance is a priority for them. The reason? “Of course, education,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. You gotta be there every day.”

 

“Once you fall behind it’s hard to keep up. Every day matters,” added Kristin Jacob, mom to kindergartner Josiah.

 

Second-grader Sa’riyah Brown also knows why it’s important to be in class: “If you’re not there you don’t get to be smarter.”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

 

Parents also deserve recognition for making sure their students are in school as much as possible.

School News Network: Students put design thinking to use with voters

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By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

To learn about an upcoming school bond proposal, high school business students are zeroing in on their neighbors by using the Design Thinking process.

 

Challenged to work on something real in their own community, students in teacher Jon Bushen’s Business Marketing Management class needed to determine the needs and desires of voters, said Skylar Pichey, co-president and marketing director for the class. She and classmates each interviewed three neighbors by going door-to-door to hear their thoughts on the 18-year extension up for vote Tuesday Nov. 7. The request, if approved, would generate $79.5 million for district-wide facility improvements without raising the tax rate.

 

Students considered problems, obstacles, needs, insights and themes in creating a plan to reach voters with bond information

Part of design thinking is empathizing, getting to know what your users — in this case, voters– do, say think and feel. It’s an interesting process, Pichey said. Neighbors expressed support, indifference and some negativity when asked for their thoughts on the bond. Students wrote voter ideas and comments on sticky notes to capture what each person said. “We put them all together to examine their insights,” she said.

 

Teacher Jon Bushen attended a training on Design Thinking in the classroom offered by the the Kent ISD Career Readiness Department last summer. He plans to use it in several ways this school year, but started with the bond, an issue that affects his students directly. Now they have the chance to offer an important student voice in the bond process, Bushen said.

 

“Most of the students didn’t really know what the bond entailed in depth, so they had to sit with (Superintendent Thomas Reeder) and (Matt Lewis, assistant superintendent for finance and administrative services) and really ask the questions.”

 

Design Thinking involves creating a plan based on what you’ve learned about your user, and students are reaching out with information to voters. They passed out information and wristbands at the Homecoming Carnival; they are encouraging students who are old enough to vote with the incentive of free pizza if they head to the polls; they handed on Trick or Treat bags with bond information at the school’s Halloween Trunk or Treat event.

 

Skylar said she’s had to be straight-forward with people that passing the bond is personal to her. “You really have to make it seem like, ‘I really want this to pass. It’s very important to me.'”

 


Business student Chyna Johnson Pruitt helped pass out Trunk or Treat bags with bond information on the front

Hoping for a ‘Yes”

 

Skylar said she believes they are having an impact. Neighbors who first said they didn’t see a reason to vote, seemed to listen.

 

“I think the school really needs this,” Skylar said, pointing out the crammed hallways and poor climate control. “People look down on us because we don’t have money, because we aren’t Grandville and we aren’t Hudsonville (public schools) but we could be that way.”

 

Business student Albert Zamarripa said using the design-thinking process showed him it’s not simple to assess the community’s perspectives, and that’s taught him a lot about marketing.

 

“It’s been a great experience to have this as a project. I’ve never been a part of anything about this. To know you did something for this, it just makes you feel that much better.”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

School News Network: District faces deficit, hopes to maintain staffing

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Superintendent Thomas Reeder

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

On May 2, voters in the Kent ISD region will be asked to approve a 0.9 mill tax for local school districts, generating $211 per student to maintain programs, improve services and meet other needs. School News Network is offering information on what the millage means for each of the 20 districts in the Kent ISD. Today we focus on Wyoming Public Schools. SNN spoke with Superintendent Thomas Reeder

 

How much revenue would your district gain from the millage in the first year?

 

It depends on student enrollment changes, but in excess of $900,000.

 

What would you spend that increased revenue on, and how would this help your students?
“Our focus will be to maintain or improve upon our current staffing related to classroom instruction,” Reeder said, noting that the amount of revenue that would go toward staffing would depend on state funding and whether the district faces a budget crunch. Gov. Snyder has proposed a 1.3 percent increase in the state per-student aid budget for schools.

 

Other goals are increasing the number of extended-day and summer programs for all students, “from our most at-risk to our most gifted,” with more classes and learning opportunities. Ideas are for computer, band and theater programming.

 

A Parkview Elementary student picks out a book at his reading level. The district hopes to give every student more learning opportunities with the enhancement millage. (Photo courtesy of School News Network)

The district is also looking at improving technology support and resources at all levels, as well as increasing safety and security at all sites with improved surveillance equipment, Reeder said. Purchasing a bus each year to keep the fleet current is another goal.

 

The district also would like to add more staff members to work with students experiencing mental-health challenges.

 

If the millage were to fail, what changes or cuts would you have to make next school year?
“We will continue to make reductions as necessary, attempting to stay as far away from the classroom as possible, but will be unable to add any programming or other resources to the current model,” Reeder said. “The impact depends very much on what decisions are made at the state level related to funding.”

 

The district faces a projected $910,000 deficit in next year’s budget, depending on enrollment, and has a fund balance of about 10 percent. The recommended fund balance for Michigan schools is 15 to 20 percent, according to the Michigan School Business Officials.

 

What objections have you heard, if any, from your community, and what is your response?
Reeder said he has not yet heard any objections. He plans to host two community meetings in April to discuss the enhancement millage and a Wyoming Public Schools November bond request that would not raise property taxes.

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.