GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Next week, Grand Rapids Public Schools students will be firing up their devices, and logging into their virtual classrooms for their first day of school.
A big concern about virtual learning has been students’ access to meals they typically get at school.
GRPS offers free breakfast and lunch to all of its students, but since they aren't in class it has set up Grab & Go Meal Sites.
The district also offered this to families through the spring and summer, serving up over a quarter-million meals.
The program is now expanding to 16 meal sites, at schools across the city.
Starting Monday, August 24, students enrolled with GRPS can get free breakfast and lunch at any of the following locations:
Alger Middle School
Buchanan Elementary
Burton Elementary
Campus Elementary
Cesar E. Chavez Elementary
City High Middle School
Dickinson Academy
East Leonard Elementary
Gerald R. Ford Academic Center
CA Frost Middle High School
Harrison Park
Kent Hills Elementary
Ottawa Hills High School
Sherwood Park
Sibley Elementary
Westwood Middle
The district is providing these meals for 5-days of the week. The distributions are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 1:30 p.m.
“Having a good breakfast, a good lunch, those contribute to academic success,” said John Helmholdt, the Grand Rapids Public Schools spokesperson. “We know that students who are well fed, they are prepared for teaching and learning. They're more attentive, they're more engaged and they're more healthy. And that's something that we want for all of our students.”
The Grab & Go Meal Sites are set up drive-through style. In most cases, parents can pop their trunk and won’t even need to get out of the car. Parents just need their student’s school ID, but can also use their own ID card.
This program will continue for the first 9-weeks of online learning, and beyond that if need-be.
With thousands of GRPS students returning to the virtual classroom next week, the district also wants to ensure parents and students are prepared.
Helmholdt offered these recommendations, ahead of Tuesday.
- First and foremost, make sure your student is enrolled
- New and returning students must complete online registration
- Contact the school’s main office for help
- Be sure they have the necessary technology and internet accessibility
- All GRPS students are eligible for either an iPad or Chromebook
- You can schedule a pick-up at designated sites throughout the city
- Check that students have the correct login information
- For any tech help, the district’s hotline for distance learning is 616-301-1111
- When it comes to back-to-school shopping, treat it like any other school year
“Let's get that backpack, let's get the pencils, the glue sticks, the highlighters, the scissors, all the things that students need in a normal school year,” Helmholdt said. “Even though they may not be using it at first, we want that normalcy, that comfort level, that goes along with back-to-school. And so anything that parents can do to make it as comfortable and normal as possible, even though this is the most unnormal situation we've ever been in, that means a lot for the social-emotional well-being of our students.”
Parents can look to the teachers for any specific supplies needed. When it comes to at-home set-ups, Helmholdt said to try and establish comfortable, private work areas for students.
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