Crestwood Newsletter
Kyle Avink - Principal
kavink@rockfordschools.org
Address: 6350 Courtland Dr., Rockford, MI 49341
Phone: (616) 863-6346
CRESTWOOD CALENDAR
Do you like to plan ahead?! Check out the Crestwood building calendar for exciting upcoming events specific for our building!! (There will be much more added to the calendar in the upcoming weeks!)
DISTRICT CALENDAR
The 2025-2026 district calendar. Click below to view!
EARLY RELEASE & NO SCHOOL
Early Release Days:
Wednesday, November 12th
Students dismiss at 1:30pm. Parent pick up is from 1:30-1:40pm.
No School:
Wednesday, November 26th through Friday, November 28th. (Thanksgiving Break!)
REMINDERS
YEARBOOK ORDERS!
Click on the image below to order your 2025-26 yearbook!
LABEL OR INITIAL
2025-26 DIRECTORY
Thanks to our amazing PTO, the 2025-2026 Crestwood Directory is complete! Please feel free to save the link for future use!
MORE REMINDERS
PTO MEETING
The next PTO Meeting is December 10th at 7:00 PM in the Media Center.
MILEAGE CLUB
Mileage club will end for 2025 on November 21st with a Turkey Fun Run! We will be back up and running in the Spring of 2026! Students can track their progress on the bulletin at school outside the office.
GIRLS ON THE RUN
The Crestwood Girls on the Run team is looking for 3 volunteer coaches Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:45-5:15 for the 2026 season. The season will be10 weeks from the end of February through mid-May. This is a great opportunity for parents to get involved in the Crestwood Community. The team will consist of 8-15 girls in grades 3-5.
Please contact Elice Davey (ddavey@rockfordschools.org) if you or someone you know may be interested in this opportunity!
UPCOMING FUN!
HOLIDAY FUN WITH ACCIDENTAL ART
Hand-painted ornaments make a great gift! Enjoy cookies, cocoa and ornament painting with Accidental Art on Friday, December 5th! Place an order in advance or purchase ornaments onsite to paint (limited inventory available onsite). Accidental Art will fire the ornaments and return to students to go home before winter break. Cookies, cocoa and holiday guest appearances provided by PTO.
FUNDS FOR FRIENDS AT THE SCORE
Join friends from Crestwood and dine at The Score on November 17th from 5PM-10PM - dine in or carry out! The Score will donate 10% back to Crestwood PTO to help fund classroom grants and programs. The Score has a game room for kids and trivia starts at 7PM. Please show the flyer image for Crestwood to get credit.
CRESTWOOD REMINDERS
Who do I call if my student will be absent or late to school?
- If your student will be absent or tardy, please call the attendance line OR email both the teacher AND Laura Greene (lgreene@rockfordschools.org)
- If a student is ill, you must include the symptoms (or diagnosis) for our weekly health report to KCHD
What if my student is out sick?
Absences MUST be called into the office 616.863.6346 or emailed to the front office - lgreene@rockfordschools.org
Please leave a message on our general voicemail box if you are calling after hours. Whether you are reporting an absence on our voicemail, the State of Michigan requires us to know the following:
- Student's name and teacher
- Reason for absence - if it is an illness we need to know the symptoms of the illness - vomiting, coughing, fever, cold, diarrhea, lice - whatever the reason may be.
Who do I notify if I have a dismissal change for my student(s)?
- We kindly request that there are no early pickups after 2:45pm. Once the parent pick up line starts to form out front, the office staff is busy with dismissal duties throughout the building.
- Please be sure to let us know of any dismissal changes PRIOR to 2pm
- To contact us with changes, please call 616-863-6346 or email both the teacher AND Laura Greene (lgreene@rockfordschools.org) in the event the teacher doesn’t see the message prior to dismissal.
Where do I find parent communications?
- Our family newsletter and other updates are posted on the RPS website on the Crestwood page bi-weekly during the school year
- You can also check out the Crestwood Elementary & Crestwood PTO Facebook pages
- Please always feel free to call or email the office with any questions
How do I set up or change busing for my student(s)?
- Please contact Transportation directly at 616-863-6328
- We also appreciate your help to support our drivers and remind your students of proper bus behavior
Important Contact Information:
Crestwood Office/Attendance Line 616-863-6346
Allyssa Shanahan ashanahan@rockfordschools.org
Laura Greene lgreene@rockfordschools.org
Transportation Office 616-863-6328
BAC/Child Care Office 616-863-6560
Community Services 616-863-6322
JOIN THE PTO!
Join PTO! We currently have the Secretary and Vice President position open. Email crestwoodelementarypto@gmail.com for interest.
STUDENT RESPONSE PROTOCOL
This year Rockford Public Schools is following the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) developed by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation. The SRP provides clear, common language for how we, as staff and students, respond to different situations, whether that’s a drill, a medical emergency, or a security concern. The terms Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter are simple and action-based, helping everyone know exactly what to do. By practicing these responses, we ensure that our students and staff are prepared and safe in any situation.
Please reach out if you have any questions about this protocol.
EVERYTHING STEAM
Mark your calendars! Our annual STEAM Night is coming up on Tuesday, November 11th from 5:30–7:30 PM at East Rockford Middle School. Please note the important updates: the date has changed from November 4th to November 11th (due to voting day), and the location has moved from the Freshman Center to East Rockford Middle School. More details can be found on the attached flyer.
We are also looking for parent volunteers in the STEAM room during the month of October. Volunteers will help with student activities and prepping for classroom projects and STEAM Night. If you are interested, please sign up here:
In addition, our STEAM program is still collecting recyclable materials to support student projects. We are currently accepting cardboard tubes, egg cartons, plastic containers, cereal boxes, plastic water bottles, and corks. A flyer with more details is attached.
Thank you for supporting our students as they explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math!
Elyse Anderson
STAFF FAVORITES
Get to Know Our Amazing Staff
Our staff works hard daily to support and inspire students and we like to celebrate them. PTO has put together a fun list of all staff favorites from favorite treats to places to eat. This is a great document to save on your phone for special events such as a staff birthday, holidays or appreciation week.
REMINDERS
Feel free to pack an extra pair of socks, shorts, t-shirt, and sweatpants in your child's backpack during the spring months. Don’t forget to put your child’s name on coats, rain boots, etc. Thank you!
Weather Alert
For up-to-date information regarding Rockford Public Schools delays and/or closings, events and safety alerts, send a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our district’s short code number, 67587. Opt out any time by simply replying to one of our messages with “Stop”. Be sure to tune in on icy or snowy mornings!
NO CELLPHONES OR SMART WATCHES
- Students with a cellphone will be asked to turn the phone off and not use them during the school day. Please do not text or call your student on their device during the school day. This creates a distraction to the classroom. We will always help with communication through the office or an email to the teacher if needed.
- Students with Apple watches or other wrist devices are asked not use the device to communicate during the school day.
- Students who need to contact home because they are ill or wondering about the end of the day pick up should talk to their classroom teacher who will help them navigate next steps of support.
- Devices at school are distracting to students during the learning day and we ask that unless your student needs the device to communicate after school that they stay home.
- Thank you for your support.
ACCESS SUPPORT AT NO COST
The Rockford Education Foundation (REF) has proudly partnered with Rockford Public Schools to provide expert counseling, therapy, and resources through Pine Rest’s School Assistance Program (SAP).
Say “I have an SAP with Rockford Public Schools” when you call 800.442.0809 and press “1.” Every RPS student, staff and family member in your household is eligible for up to three free sessions. Additional SAP benefits include: free elder care consultation, legal and financial consultation, infant-feeding advice and real estate consultation. Anyone in the household can utilize these resources and it is 100% confidential. Access an online library with over 20,000 resources covering health, finances, legal topics and more. The code to login the library is RockfordPS.
Login Code: RockfordPS
FUN AT CRESTWOOD!
Recent Newsletters
Crestwood - November 7th 
Crestwood Newsletter - October 10 
Crestwood Newsletter - Sept. 26 
