This Week at IAC:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

IAC 2022/2023 School Calendar

IAC Bus Stop Schedule

2022/2023 Innocademy Allegan Bus Schedule- Please have your students to the stop 5
minutes prior to the listed time. This schedule can vary depending on traffic, road
construction, and behavior. Please be patient especially during the first couple of weeks of
school while we get into the routine

Rained Out & School Cancelation Information

At IAC, we use rained out text messaging to communicate closings, bus cancellation, and other important events at our school. Please consider subscribing to receive text updates.

Closing Information

School closings will also be reported on Wood TV 8 and WZZM 13. Please be sure to check those news sources if there is inclement weather.

Drop Off & Pick Up Line

We have noticed the congestion during student pick-up. In order to try to eliminate some of the confusion and congestion, we want you to understand how we manage our line at both pick up and drop off times. There is NO PARKING in front of the school during drop off. We need to make sure the bus has a clear path. If you need to come into the building or want to walk your student to the door, please park in one of the first 5 parking spots. Middle School students are to be dropped off at the side door entrance near the butterfly bushes on the east side of the building. Elementary Students are to be dropped off at the west side of the building near the courtyard. Parents are NOT to park in the courtyard due to student safety concerns.

CAR TAGS

CAR TAGS: We have ordered car nametags that each family will receive. Please place these tags on your car rearview mirror during pick up.

BACK TO SCHOOL ROUTINE

As the summer comes to a close and school is getting back into session, here are a couple quick reminders to help make the transition from the beach to the classroom easier for you and your child.

Validation: Let your child know that his nervous or apprehensive feelings about the start of school are normal. All kids (and adults!) have a hard time getting back into the routine of the school year. The knowledge that he is not alone in this experience will help your child feel he’s being heard and understood.

Morning Routines: A common change that occurs as we begin the school year is a new morning routine. To help your child be successful, discuss what her morning routine will look like during the school year. This way, your child knows what will be happening and has clear expectations that are valuable to her under the time pressure of getting ready for school. Provide your child with simple, well-defined, and easy steps for her routine so that she has a clear idea of what you expect and so that it’s easy to follow along with you! Having an easy-to-reference schedule, maybe with pictures, can engage your child and provide a wonderful visual guide for what she needs to do next. Giving specific praise when she completes each lets her know that you love what you’re seeing. This will increase your child’s chances of success in the future, and helps build his/her self-esteem.

Homework: Another transition that can be rough after a summer break is homework completion. Like the morning routine, providing your child with a structured schedule can help him stay focused and motivated. Completing homework as soon as school is over and with continuous parental support will take advantage of the daylight hours and provide encouragement, motivation, and assistance when needed.  Snacks are a great way to keep your child’s energy up while he works through those tough math problems. Of course, some children have active schedules, with team sports, music classes, or afterschool clubs, which can make engaging in homework more difficult. Letting your child know that you understand the hard work he is putting in and being ready with frequent positive feedback for his effort can help motivate him to get homework done.

Bedtime: Bedtime is one of the hardest transitions. Children may be accustomed to going to sleep later and/or waking up later during the summer, so the new school schedule can be difficult to get acclimated to.  As with the morning routine, having a nighttime routine can assist in creating a structure for your child. Set your child up for success with clear expectations, simple step-by-step instructions, and praise at the completion of each step. Additionally, visual reminders can help your child have something to refer to as she goes about her routine. Most kids want more time watching their favorite TV show or finishing that last level of a videogame, and setting time limits can be a great way to put a boundary around the winding down time that they need each evening.

Article Source: https://childmind.org/article/helping-kids-back-school-routine/

August Breakfast and Lunch Menus

Choosing Healthy Snacks for Kids

healthychildren.org

​​While meals make up the majority of a child’s nutritional intake, most children eat at least one snack per day. While many of the most commonly offered kids’ snacks tend to be of lower nutritional value than meals, snacks still can support—or even enhance—your child’s overall healthy eating plan. Here’s how:

• Use snack times as a way to increase fruits and vegetable intake. Most kids do not eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. Snack times offer a great opportunity to increase access and exposure to these nutrient-dense foods. Consider pairing them up with dairy products or dairy substitutes (such as grapes and cheese) lean proteins (such as celery and peanut butter), or whole-grain cereals and bread (such as banana sandwich on whole grain bread).
• Keep a range of healthy foods handy at home. It is much easier to make easy, healthy snacks when you keep a few key items stocked at home. Ideas include different types of raw vegetables and fruit, yogurt dip, hummus, and cheese sticks.
• Avoid processed foods and added sugars. Processed foods (made in a factory and sold in bags and boxes) do not have many nutrients and often have a lot of added sugar and salt. In addition, children may become hungry faster after eating processed foods. See Snacks & Sugary Foods in School: AAP Policy Explained for more information.
• Teach your children to eat a rainbow of colors. Arrange your children’s foods to show the beauty of fresh, brightly colored foods. Talk about the farms where food comes from and the farmers who help grow it.   

Additional Information & Resources:

• Selecting Snacks for Toddlers

• How to Get Your Child to Eat More Fruits & Veggies
• Energy In: Recommended Food & Drink Amounts for Children

Last Updated 1/31/2020Source Section on Obesity (Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Pediatrics)The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

Meet Our New Staff Members

Please help me welcome our new staff members at IAC! We are so excited to have these amazing humans join our IAC team.

Miss Lisa Stinson

Miss Lisa is our school secretary and one of the first people you will see as you come in the door. If you need to reach Miss Lisa, her email is lisa.stinson@innocademy.com.

Miss Suzanne O’Shea

Miss Suzanne is joining us as our special education teacher. She has taught special education for 14 years in Chicago Public Schools. We are thrilled to have her with us at IAC. Her email address is suzanne.oshea@innocademy.com

Miss Amanda Schurman

Miss Amanda is our new first grade teacher at IAC. We are so lucky to have her on our team. If you need to reach Miss Amanda, her email address is amanda.schurman@innocademy.com

Miss Dorothy DeMay

Miss DeMay is our new Art teacher. She is an experienced teacher who loves art and enjoys sharing her passion with our students. If you need to reach Miss DeMay, her email address is dorothy.demay@innocademy.com