Cherry Health Center at Cedar Springs Public Schools celebrated their grand re-opening this week. From left to right: Chris Shea, CEO of Cherry Health; Dorothy Weller, of the Weller Foundation; Denise Gates, of ChoiceOne Bank; Tasha Blackmon, Cherry Health COO; Superintendent Dr. Laura VanDuyn; and Kristina Paliwoda, site manager at the Cedar Springs Cherry Health Center. Post photo by J. Reed.

By Judy Reed

If a student gets sick at Cedar Springs Public Schools, they don’t have to wait to be picked up by a parent and then wait for an appointment with the family doctor. Instead, with a parent’s permission, they can be seen right on campus the same day at the newly renovated Cherry Health Center.

The Cherry Health Center, located at Red Hawk Elementary, celebrated their grand reopening on Tuesday, October 18, with a ribbon cutting, speakers, tours and refreshments.

“Cherry Health first opened in 2015 with a limited amount of medical and behavioral health services in a temporarily constructed space at the school, while campaign funds were raised to build out a fully functional health center,” explained Tiffany Aldrich, Director of Communications for Cherry Health. “The ribbon cutting and open house was to share the fully constructed health center with the community, which now also includes dental services.”

Cherry Health CEO Chris Shea said their partnership is not just with Cedar Springs Schools, but with the community. “We are looking toward better health for all residents,” explained Shea. “Access to health care is important. More people now have coverage, but if they have no place to use it, it doesn’t do much good.”

Superintendent Dr. Laura VanDuyn said that Cedar Springs Schools serves a population of 48 percent low socio-economic students. “To have this is important. We now have dental, medical, and behavioral health, with DHS right next door.”

The school doesn’t pay any money toward having them on campus, they just offer the space. Instead, the expense is paid for through a grant from the State of Michigan, and donations, such as from ChoiceOne Bank and the Weller Foundation.

Services are provided regardless of ability to pay, but insurance may be billed when possible. Students must have parental consent on file to be treated.

“Any student ages 3-21 can be seen in the health center, regardless of whether or not they attend CSPS,” said Aldrich. “Therefore, if a student attends CSPS, a charter or private school, or is homeschooled, they can come to the health center.” Those younger than three must be a sibling of a student using the health center.

The health center offers on-site Medicaid enrollment assistance, well- child checks, immunizations, same day appointments for acute issues, referrals for more serious illness/injuries, hearing and vision screenings and more.

For many years Cherry Health has provided general dental services such as exams, x-rays, cleanings, fluoride and sealants in the Cedar Springs schools with their school-linked program, where students are treated at their school. However, students needing follow up treatment or emergency care can now be seen at the health center. Parents should have received a blue dental consent form for the school-linked program with school registration information. If they do not have a blue consent form, they can stop into the health center to pick one up.

The health center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information or to make an appointment call (616) 696-3470.

By Judy Reed

If the Cedar Springs Public School district can swing the cost, the Kent County Sheriff Department may be able to help with security issues, as well as crime prevention, early intervention, and mentoring of the young lives on campus.

Sheriff Larry Stelma, Under Sheriff Michelle Young, Sgt. Jason Kelley, of the Cedar Springs Unit, and Lt. Jeff DeVries, of the Community Policing unit, were on hand at the Cedar Springs Board of Education meeting Monday evening, May 23, to talk about their School Resource Officer program and give the board a proposal for implementing it.

“We have 3,500 students and 350 staff members—4,000 people on campus everyday,” said Dr. Laura VanDuyn, Cedar Springs Public Schools Superintendent.

She noted that there were concerns from the accreditation team about security, and that they have concerns from staff, parents and community about safety issues on any given day. The school resource officer proposal was one step in addressing those issues.

“The atmosphere of a school can change faster than the weather,” remarked Sheriff Stelma, who is also a Cedar Springs resident. “We are passionate about our school resource officers. They are more than just someone walking the halls and parking lots. They are staff educational support. We are passionate about building relationships with kids, staff and parents.” He talked about early intervention into the lives of the bullied and disenfranchised. “We let the officer work with the youngster, the family, the school, before he explodes. Serious incidents happen in schools just like Cedar Springs. There may be problems at home, or maybe they are being bullied. Most are average schools, just like ours. At any given time during the day, there are more people on campus here than anywhere else in the community.”

“There are countless benefits to having someone being in charge of security at the school,” noted Sgt. Kelley. “They can query whether there is anything happening in the community that is going to bleed over into the district. They also have direct contact and access to the Sheriff, detectives, prosecutors, etc. They can be part of the solution to a problem rather than just responding to a scene and reporting it.”

Stelma said they are so passionate about bringing a School Resource Officer (SRO) in that they have arranged to cover one-third of the cost, if the school can cover the other two-thirds. Estimated cost to the district in the first year would be $76,219.

The cost would cover wages and benefits for 40 hours per week for deputy; all standard issued deputy equipment; Kent County Sheriff car, fully equipped, fueled and maintained; and all police training and supervision.

There are currently six schools involved in the program, each with their own officer—Northview, Kenowa Hills, Kent City, Forest Hills, Lowell, and Byron Center. Caledonia may be coming on board as well. Superintendents and principals at the schools with an SRO had nothing but high praise for the officers and the changes it has brought about in their schools. For example, Dustin Cichocki, assistant principal at Lowell High School said, “Simply put, our students are making smarter decisions because of the knowledge they have obtained from Todd (Deputy Summerhays, SRO). I think all buildings should have an advocate and resource like this.”

The school and the Kent County Sheriff Department would make the selection of the officer together. The Sheriff Department would go through the applicants, and choose four or five who might be a good fit. The school would then decide between those applicants.

In addition to deputy training, the SROs also get extra training: Basic School Resource Officer training, and how to keep schools safe. Before the end of the year, they would also get training in assessing threats in a school environment (from the FBI); and training in social media investigations.

What does a SRO do? Here are a few examples:

• Meeting with principal each morning to exchange information gathered from parents, community members, and social media to detect potential spillover of threats, drug activity, and other behavior into campus.

• Meeting with campus and community social workers to understand when and how at-home issues may be motivating a student’s disruptive behavior in order to work with school staff to ensure effective and supportive responses.

• Monitoring radios to watch for spillover onto campus and be a familiar face if one of their students is involved in an incident off campus.

• Listening to students’ concerns about bullying by other students and taking those problems to school administrators to help develop solutions.

• Providing counseling and referrals when sex-abuse victims turn to them for help because of the relationship and trust the officers have built with the students.

• Conduct home visits to contact parents of at-risk students and assist those families.

• Working with the school administrations to keep the schools emergency management plan updated.

• Scheduling emergency drills in conjunction with other local agencies.

• Instruct students on technology awareness, domestic violence, traffic safety and bullying.

• Create and conduct a distracted driving course for students.

• Enroll students in the MSA STOPPED program (parents contacted when students get pulled over).

• Intervene early when student’s behavior starts to raise red flags.

• Stand-by when administrators deal with volatile parents or students.

The SRO position would adapt to whatever the need the school had.

The Board of Education may discuss and vote on the proposal at their next regular board meeting on Monday, June 6, at 6:45 p.m.

Superintendent Laura VanDuyn, Ed.D.

Dear Cedar Springs Public Schools Families:

As we near the end of this academic year, the members of the Board of Education, district leadership team, teaching and support staffs want to celebrate our commitment to excellence in all that we do.  This means providing an education of excellence for the children and families of Cedar Springs and that our actions and decisions in the district are driven by data and best practices.

Over the course of this academic year, we have been putting students first.  From the exemplary teaching and learning to the committed volunteerism that occurs in our classrooms – collectively – our goal is what is best for students.

From athletics to the arts, finances to facilities, academics to transportation, every area is working hard to reflect excellence and best practices.  This district is committed to being data driven in our decision making while being responsive to the needs of our students and our community.

Cedar Springs Public Schools has talented students and staff members.  As a result, whether it is a student, the superintendent, a teacher, a coach or a support staff member, we challenge and hold each other accountable for growth and achievement.

Throughout the district, students, teachers and support staff are engaged with learning projects that excite and challenge students to grow and achieve.  This is why we have pursued new innovative practices such as Responsive Classroom®, Adaptive Schools, Cognitive Coaching®, and a new math curriculum.  It is also why we established the Cedar Springs Schools Health Clinic and have pursued new buses for safer transportation.  This is also why we chose to go through the rigorous and highly detailed educational review of the AdvancED® accreditation process.  We want to push our thinking, celebrate our successes and challenge each other to limitless progress at CSPS.

To that end, we are excited by the engagement that we see across the district with our students and families and appreciate the hard work done on a daily basis in the classroom and all around our campus by administrators, teachers, support staff, and volunteers.  A prime example of CSPS engagement and hard work is Mrs. Cheryl Tacoma.  Mrs. Tacoma has taught our elementary students at Cedar Springs for 27 years and has held a deep commitment to our students, their education and their personal development.  We admire the countless individuals at CSPS who maintain a goal of doing what is best for students – just as Mrs. Tacoma has for decades!

Together we are making a difference locally with our students and making a difference globally with our graduates.  As we enter into the end of the school year and the excitement of graduation, we salute all who invest in our students to make this great district and community the very best it can be.

As always, it is an honor to serve as your CSPS superintendent.  Please do call, write or drop by for a visit at any time.  I would appreciate an opportunity to get to know you and learn how you think this great district might best serve our children as our Cedar Springs students deserve the very best!

Warmly,

Laura VanDuyn, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools

Office:  616-696-1204 ext. 1001    Cell: 925-899-3111    Email: laura.vanduyn@csredhawks.org

Summer Food Service Program for Children

The Cedar Springs Public Schools announces the sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program for Children. Free meals will be made available to children 18 years of age and under or persons up to age 26 who are enrolled in an educational program for the mentally or physically disabled that is recognized by a State or local public
educational agency. The meals will be provided without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided at the site(s) listed below:

Red Hawk Elementary Cedar Springs High School
204 E. Muskegon Street 204 E Muskegon Street
Cedar Springs, MI  49319 Cedar Springs, Mi  49319

June 14 – August 18July 28 & July 29 – Lunch ONLY
Closed July 4 – July 8 August 8 – August 11
Monday – Thursday, Closed Fridays Monday – Thursday, Closed Friday

Breakfast served 8am – 9amBreakfast served 7:30am – 9am
Lunch served 11am – 12:45pm Lunch served 11am – 12:45pm

Campus Kids Summer Fun Camp

Open:  Monday through Friday, June 13

through Sept 1

Hours:  6am to 6pm

Closed:  The week of July 4-8

Location:  Cedar Trails Elementary

Registration Cost:  $20 registration fee for one child, $35 for a family.

When you pay the registration fee for the summer, it includes the 2016-17 school year.  Tuition:  $27 a day per child, sibling discount available depending on how many days signed up for each week.  Field trips are an extra cost.  Activities:  arts and crafts, gym time, organized sports and games, field trips, free play, reading, computers, songs and dances, tutoring assistance upon request, etc.  Registration packets can be picked up at Cedar Trails or Beach or go online to csredhawks.org and download the forms from the Parents tab.

Wanted School Bus Drivers 

On – Call and Regular Part Time Positions for 2016 – 2017 School Year.  CDL Training Provided to Qualified Candidate.  Contact Cedar Springs Public Schools Transportation Department for more information (616) 696 – 1450.

Summer Band Camp Information 

Pre-Band Camp  July 25 through July 28  Time:  9am – Noon

Band Camp  August 1 through August 5  Time:  8 am – 8:30 pm

Location:  High School

For more information, please visit  www.cedarspringsbands.org

Band Directors:  Ryan Miller and Adam Borst

2016-17 SPORTS PHYSICALS

DATES: Thursday, June 16 & Wednesday, August 3
LOCATION: Cherry Health (behind Red Hawk Elementary)
PHONE:  616-696-3470  (call ahead for an appt)
TIME: 7:30 am – 3:30 pm

Students must bring a signed parental consent form and an MHSAA physical card to the appointment. Forms are available in the Athletic Office or online at http://highschool.csredhawks.org/Athletics/index.html

Please remember to complete the medical history section of the physical card before the student’s appointment. Parents are encouraged to attend the visit.

Services are provided regardless of ability to pay and no money is needed at the time of visit. However, services may be billed to insurance when possible, so please have your insurance or Medicaid card available.

COMPLETED PHYSICAL FORMS ARE REQUIRED!  Per MHSAA, all 2016-17 athletes must have a physical on file dated after April 15, 2016

Graduates await the big event. (Supplied)

New Beginnings Graduation

New Beginnings Graduation held on May 25, 2016.  Congratulations Graduates.

Drive Your Tractor to School Day

FFA Club “Drive Your Tractor to School Day” was May 17, 2016

Last Day of School

2015–2016 School Year Last Day of School – June 8, 2016.

See you back on campus on Tuesday, September 6, 2016.  Have a great summer.

District Office Summer 2016 Hours

June 20, 2016 through August 11, 2016

Monday through Thursday; Closed Friday

7:00 am to 4:00 pm

Cedar Springs Campus Closed

July 4, 2016 through July 8, 2016

Vet to receive honorary diploma

World War II Veteran Mr. Erwin Empie is to receive an Honorary Cedar Springs High School diploma on June 2, 2016 at the Class of 2016 High School graduation ceremony.  Mr. Empie served in the Navy from December 9, 1944 to June 12, 1946 during the time he would have completed his requirements for a Cedar Springs High School diploma.  This honorary diploma is made possible by Public Act 181 of 2001.

Grand Valley State University College of Education Michigan Literacy Project – The Winner is Rebekah Nagy

The Michigan Literacy Project was developed by faculty and staff in the College of Education with the purpose of supporting our COE graduates as they begin their teaching careers.

Often when new teachers begin their careers, they are thrilled to be landing that first teaching position. They arrive with fresh ideas and new energy but soon find that despite their idealistic outlooks, their jobs come with a big empty classrooms and little or no funding available for some of the very basic tools to provide a quality education to their students.  Beginning a teaching career can be daunting in and of itself but when a new teacher is faced with paying for classroom basics, it can be simply overwhelming. We recognize the importance of the availability of quality, children’s literature in each classroom, yet it often takes new teachers several years of personal spending to develop a functional classroom library.

The Grand Valley State University College of Education Michigan Literacy Project (MLP) was developed to address the needs of our recent graduates and their young students.  MLP’s mission is to provide quality classroom libraries to recent College of Education graduates teaching 3 years or less in a K-5 general education classroom in an underserved Michigan public school districts across the state.

MLP’s goal is to provide rich and meaningful encounters with quality children’s literature that will encourage students’ love of reading first.  Fostering joy and wonder for the written word will help children develop into adults who are curious and insightful and who will use that curiosity to expand their knowledge and passion for the betterment of society.

Research shows the more books children have ready access to, the better readers and life-long learners they will become. Regular exposure to quality children’s literature in multiple genres will foster a healthy love and respect for the written word and will lay the groundwork for bringing up Michigan’s next generation of forward-thinking, creative and skilled workers and entrepreneurs.

With the help of a $2,500 grant from The Meemic Foundation, the 2013-2014 Michigan Literacy Project pilot program provided classroom libraries to six Michigan classrooms.  Recently MLP received a $20,000 grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities of Outstate Michigan that will fund the purchase of 45 classroom libraries over a 3-year period.  College of Education graduates with elementary teaching certificates were notified of the grant opportunity. 15 classroom library grant winners were identified for the 2015-16 academic year.  This process will be repeated in 2016-17 and again 2017-18.

Wanted School Bus Drivers

On – Call and Regular Part Time Positions for 2016 – 2017 School Year

CDL Training Provided to Qualified Candidates

Contact Cedar Springs Public Schools Transportation Department for more information. (616) 696 – 1450

Graduation Ceremonies

CSHS Class of 2016 Graduation Ceremony

June 2, 2016

7:00pm

Red Hawk Stadium 

(weather permitting)

New Beginnings Class of 2016 Graduation Ceremony

May 25, 2016

6:30pm

Red Hawk Elementary Gymnasium

2016-2017 Kindergarten Registration is OPEN  

Your child must be 5 years old by September 1, 2016 to register for Kindergarten.

Visit www.csredhawks.org

Select “Enrollment”

Central Registration office is located on the 2nd Floor of the Hilltop Community Building.

If you have questions or need additional information, 616-696-7317 or registrar@csredhawks.org

Hearing and Vision Screening

Kindergarten entrants for the 2016-2017 school year will need documentation of Hearing and Vision Screening through the Kent County Health Department (KCHD).   The KCHD will be at Cedar Trails Elementary on the following dates:   May 13, 2016 and May 26, 2016

Please call Cedar Trails Elementary at 616.696.9884 or the Registrar’s Office at 616.696.7317 to schedule an appointment.  Additional appointment times can be scheduled by calling the KCHD at 616.632.7047

2016-2017 School Year Schools of Choice Information

Cedar Springs Public Schools participates in both the Kent Intermediate School District (ISD) and the 105c Schools of Choice plans. Applications are available at the District Office once the Schools of Choice window opens.

Schools of Choice –  April 11 through May 13

105c – April 11 through May 13

Central Registration

(616) 696-7317   or  registrar@csredhawks.org

For more information about Schools of Choice, please visit www.csredhawks.org

CSMS band 

Congratulations to our CSMS band students who participated in Solo and Ensemble at Kent City Saturday, April 23! There were many great performances, including a World Premiere entitled ‘Portraits of Lost Time’ by our 7th Grade Percussion Ensemble.  See it here! https://youtu.be/r7_RVYoKH10

10 events received 1st division ratings and 2 events received 2nd divisions.  Congratulations again to the following students!

8th Grade Percussion Ensemble

Tanner Davidson, Jared Ovokaitys, David Erxleben, Kyleigh Kinsley, Ethan Wierda, Grace Marsman

7th Grade Percussion Ensemble

Steven Hutchins, Alexis Wood, Brooke Beck, Landon Jennings, Sam Kleynenberg, Paige Marsman, Jayce Cristobal, Andrew Koning, Chris Torrey, OIivia Miller, Matt Reed, Hailie Hoste, Tonya Tepin, Cecilia Smith, Madison Skelonc, Sierra Johnson, Emily Whilden, Caleb Jennings, Alexis Braxton

Spring Pops Concert  

High School – 5/12  @7pm in High School Auditorium

6th- 8th Grades – 5/17 (& Art Show)  @6:30pm in Middle School Cafeteria

Patricia Eary receives the award of merit.

Congratulations to our Board Members– Patricia Eary, Matthew Shoffner and Brook Nichols

On Thursday, April 28 these Board Members were acknowledged and celebrated for their accomplishments in continuing their Board Member education.   MASB was pleased to present awards to board members across the county for professional board development courses completed during the past year.  These school board leaders completed numerous classes to develop new skills and stay up-to-date on educational issues.

Award of Merit – Completed Level 1 and 45 education credits: Patricia Eary and Matthew Shoffner

Brook Nichols receives the Award of Distinction

Award of Distinction – Completed Levels 1 and 2; total of four advanced (200- or 300-Level) CBA classes and minimum of 208 education credits: Brook Nichols

Thank you for you Leadership!

Dear CSPS Board of Education and Community,

Be Nice.

We embrace this anti-bullying initiative in our district. It’s on t-shirts, posters, and banners throughout our schools. The Mental Health Foundation website states that this campaign was designed to spread awareness surrounding the issue of bullying. The ‘Be Nice’ campaign strives to educate students and community members about how simply being nice is an effective way to promote a safe and civil environment within the school and community.

I’ve worn my Be Nice shirt to board meetings and the superintendent interviews. While we’ve expected our students to adopt this philosophy, some of our staff and administrators have not. Since we’ve had a change of superintendent, I have not felt the need to wear this shirt to board meetings.

Dr. Van Duyn IS nice. She is an example of what we should see in a person living out this philosophy. I feel safe, respected and valued. I do not fear unfair and unwarranted attacks any more. Any questions I have are quickly and completely answered. The days of fear, intimidation, disrespect, lies and corruption are over. That’s how it USED to be, especially at Cedar Trails.

I’ve been reading letters in the Post about a lack of leadership by the current administration, and I am confused. You could have said those things two years ago, but not any more.

The changes we’ve been experiencing are all for good. I feel listened to and supported. We have counseling back. Our professional development is relevant and helping us to better understand and meet the needs of the children that we serve in this community.

Now I am confident that this district is headed in the right direction. Our current leadership is skilled, competent and highly qualified.

Great things are happening here. Please keep up the good work!

Sincerely,

Karen Gebhardt

First Grade Teacher

Dear Cedar Springs Public Schools Families:

Superintendent Laura VanDuyn, Ed.D.

Teaching and learning…it’s why we exist at Cedar Springs Public Schools (CSPS) and it’s why we work hard to be the best school district we can be. Our focus is on students, clear and simple. In order to focus on students, our administration, faculty and staff support each other in a collaborative manner to continue our practice of professional learning and interaction. We are engaged in an abundance of support for each other throughout our district…all in an effort to support our most cherished students.

As you know, great things are happening every day at CSPS! We are engaged with our parents, community, students and staff to provide the Board of Education with feedback for a new strategic plan. We are assessing our facilities and transportation operations to plan for the most effective and efficient practices. We are implementing a formal budget process that involves our administrators (they report how much they are enjoying the process and we’re proud of them for taking it on!). We are putting effective human resource processes and systems in place. We are continually updating our newly adopted Board policies that are now on our website. We are reforming and enhancing our business practices to plan for a bright future. We are adding a dental clinic to our medical clinic (at no cost to our district!). We are communicating with our parents and community more than ever before through our website, the Red Hawk Review, The CS Post. All this and much more is providing the “infrastructure” upon which we will continue to build this fantastic district.

All things we do, such as the aforementioned “infrastructure,” are to support teaching and learning. Let me highlight some of the fantastic things we are excited about as we support our most amazing teachers who in turn support our incredible students.

We are excited to highlight our teachers and administrators in the work they do each day for students during our on-site AdvancED accreditation review by an external team of evaluators in May! We are proud of the hard work, high expectations and outcomes we see in our classrooms and we want to share that in this rigorous process we choose to engage in every 5 years.

We are excited to witness the effective practices of Responsive Classroom® at our schools as the entire teaching and support staffs of Beach and Cedar Trails engaged in professional learning together and are establishing effective school wide practices. We are proud of our staffs for their commitment to professional learning and collaboration around Responsive Classroom®.

We are excited to see the hard work our K-5 teachers and administrators will do to select math curriculum to support our teachers and students for years to come. We look forward to the thorough process of curriculum review we have put in place to engage with publishers and to provide for high-level academic discourse between our teachers and administrators as they collaborate to select the curriculum (just as our 6-12 math teachers did last year).

We are excited to see our new Advanced Placement (AP) classes, like AP Economics, evolve due to the interest and commitment of our high school teachers and administrators.
We are excited to complete the School Improvement Plan process that involves our teachers, parents and administrators. Better yet, this year we directly aligned that process to a District Improvement Plan process that involves our parents, teachers and administrators as well. All of the intentional planning in this process helps us focus on goals at each site and as a district.

We are excited to see what our tech-inspired teachers do after attending the MACUL conference in Grand Rapids for solid professional learning and collaboration around all things technology. We were able to send about 25 teachers who will in turn provide professional learning and collaboration for our staffs next fall. We are proud of our innovative teachers!

We are excited to see the outcome of our Leverage Leadership training that all our administrators are enjoying throughout this year and next fall. The training is centered around the most effective way for administrators to engage with teachers in evaluations to help them further develop their craft. We commend our administrators for their continued interest in and growth around teaching and learning.

We are excited to engage in instructional rounds again in the coming weeks as it’s the district office and site collaboration around teaching and learning that is essential and energizing.
We are excited to see the positive results of hiring 4 counselors to support our students, teachers, and administrators. The counselors were funded through grant dollars and we now have support for our students who need counseling, behavior interventions, and other supports to remove barriers so they can focus on academics. This is a critical support to all.

We are excited to see the impact of implementing the Okay2Say program in our schools as students will have access to a confidential process to report acts of school violence, potential suicides, drugs, bullying, etc. The statistics for the program are incredible – we’ll soon take part!

We are excited to continue providing professional learning for our teachers who are asking to know more about Ruby Payne’s work on poverty and how it impacts teaching and learning.
We are excited to reap the benefits of more effective and efficient master scheduling after providing Powerschool® training for our middle and high school administrators, counselors and support staff along with offering district office support during the scheduling process.

We are excited to provide more math and reading interventionists to support our students and teachers. The interventionists are grant funded and offer small group or 1:1 targeted instruction for students in need of more support to meet academic standards.

We are excited that we used TRIG grant funds to provide new computers for our high school teachers and new computer labs for our students. We are making a concerted effort to budget for technology replacements so that all our teachers and students will have the tools they need for teaching and learning.

These are just some of the exciting ways teaching and learning is happening at CSPS. It is clear that our Board of Education, administration and staff have a clear focus on students. We extend our gratitude to our Board of Education for listening, questioning, visiting our schools in order to be well informed in their decision making and support of our efforts to improve teaching and learning for all at CSPS. Additionally, we extend our gratitude to all our parents and volunteers who partner with us in supporting our teachers and students. Together we are united in serving students, clear and simple!

Please know it is a pleasure to serve as your CSPS superintendent. I LOVE the work we do here at CSPS…it’s a passion of mine that is ever so rewarding. As you know, I maintain an open door to any and all who would like to talk. I am happy to answer questions you may have and appreciate the time you might take to seek answers on any variety of topics, such as all we are doing to support teaching and learning…because our Cedar Springs students deserve the very best!
Warmly,
Laura VanDuyn, Ed.D.,

Superintendent of Schools
Office: 616-696-1204 ext. 1001
Cell: 925-899-3111
Email: laura.vanduyn@csredhawks.org