Tiger families:
The excitement for the opening of Allegan Elementary is growing! As we continue to monitor construction progress, we are also shifting our focus to the operations of the new building. Merging three buildings into one is complex and important work, and I am sure that families have many questions. While I will answer some of the most pressing in this article, rest assured that there will be additional communication coming as plans are made and decisions are finalized for the 2026-2027 school year.
What will the school day look like?
The good news is that the school day at the new building will look and feel very similar to what families and students experience now. Students will continue to spend most of their time in their classrooms, rotating throughout the day to their “specials” classes such as physical education, art, music, and STEM, as well as to lunch and recess. The specials schedule and rotation still needs to be finalized.
Who will be my principal?
One of the questions that I get asked the most about Allegan Elementary revolves around the leadership structure. Here is what we know so far:
Allegan Elementary will operate under a “Unified Leadership Model,” with Ms. Carl, Ms. Wood, and Ms. Marriott serving as co-principals. Each was hired as a principal and will continue in that role.
Each principal will be assigned specific grade-level bands as their primary focus areas for daily operations. Within those grade bands, principals will oversee day-to-day management, student discipline, family communication, and staff evaluations.
For day-to-day needs, staff will view their grade-band principal as their primary point of contact. Some staff roles do not align as neatly within grade-level bands, and those responsibilities are still being finalized by the administrative team.
Certain school-wide matters will extend beyond individual grade bands. In those cases, the three co-principals will work together as a School Leadership Council, collaborating and seeking consensus on decisions.
This unified leadership approach ensures that every student and staff member has consistent access to experienced leadership each day.
The grade level bands that will be the focus areas for our co-principals are as follows:
- Grades K-1: Molly Carl
- Grades 2-3: Andrea Wood
- Grades 4-5: Tammy Marriott
What will the school start and end times look like?
After meeting with the transportation department, building principals, and the lead teacher team, we have made progress on determining the start and end times for the elementary school day next year. At this time, there will be no changes to the start or end of the school day for any school in the district. Here is the plan:
Start of day bus plan:
- 7:20 a.m.: Buses drop off at middle school (school starts at 7:40 a.m.)
- 7:30 a.m.: Buses drop off at high school (school starts at 7:40 a.m.)
- 7:40 a.m.: Buses drop off at Allegan Elementary (school starts at 8 a.m.)
End of day bus plan:
- 2:33 p.m.: High school and middle school final bell (students board buses on Tiger Trail)
- 2:40 p.m.: Buses leave Tiger Trail and use the new internal bus path to travel to Allegan Elementary
- 2:45 p.m.: Buses are lined up and ready for elementary students to board
- 2:53 p.m.: Elementary school day ends, and buses are boarded for departure
We are still working on the new one-mile walking radius to determine which students are eligible for busing. While final determinations are still being made, we do know that the new elementary school will result in more students being eligible for busing than is currently the case.
In addition, we are also still determining the areas that are within one mile but are not walkable. Our transportation supervisor, Mr. Mendell, will determine who will be eligible for busing within the one-mile radius based on walkability.
We’re just getting started!
Many details remain to be worked out after drop off, including plans for morning play and supervision, safe and efficient building entry, breakfast, inclement weather mornings, etc. A team of teachers and administrators will be assisting with this planning.
Hopefully, these initial details can answer some questions, start to build excitement, and lower any potential anxiety. I remain honored and thankful to lead Allegan Public Schools, and I wish every family a joyous holiday season!
