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Waukazoo Newsletter

May 26, 2023

WaukazooNewsletterMay 26, 2023

Important Dates:

May 29: No School; Memorial Day

June 1: PTA's Waukazoo Family Picnic @ Winstom Park; 6-7:30

June 6: Waukazoo Olympics

June 8: Critter Barn Visits the Zoo

June 9: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL; 1/2 day- 11:52 dismissal

Online Registration-DUE JUNE 1:

Each year existing West Ottawa families are required to register using the district’s Parent Portal tool. The registration window is now open and we only have 17 kids left to be registered! Please complete your student(s) registration and if you have questions you can contact the Waukazoo office at (616)786-1800.

Kindergarten Elegant Event

Mrs. Tyler's Class:

Mrs. Hackney's Class:

Ms. Frazer's Class:

Mr. Bauer's Class:

SAIL Recital

Winners: Avery Ellis & Aubrey Scholten

3rd Grade SAIL Students:

4th Grade SAIL Students:

5th Grade SAIL Students:

The Waukazoo Olympics

The Waukazoo Olympics (think Field Day) will be returning on June 6, 2023. Students will participate in 8 fun, possibly water based, outdoor activities to celebrate the end of the school at Waukazoo. The times for the classrooms are as follows:

  • 9:15 - 11:15 = YK, K, Kinder Mont, Lower Mont, & Upper Mont

  • 1:00 - 3:00 = 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th

The Critter Barn is Coming to the Zoo

The final special event arranged by the Waukazoo PTA will be held, for all Waukazoo students, on June 8. The Critter Barn is bringing their menagerie to Waukazoo on May 24. All grades will have a dedicated time slot to check out and visit with the animals. Thank you to the Waukazoo PTA for coordinating this cool end of year activity for all of Waukazoo!

PBIS @ The Zoo:

Waukazoo will be continuing to utilize Waukazoo Pride Tickets this year. These tickets recognize students for being Respectful, Responsible, Ready to Learn, or demonstrating Waukazoo Family Pride. We hit our goal of 12,500 tickets this year. Let’s go kids!


Pride Tickets to Date = 12,761 and counting
May’s PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) root is OPTIMISM. Waukazoo’s Young Kinder & 4th Grade is leading the building’s look at OPTIMISM each Friday in March. Ask your student about OPTIMISM and see what they have learned.

Reminders About 8:30am Student Drop-Off:

Morning drop-off begins at 8:30am, please remember that students are not supervised prior to 8:30am. The doors will electronically unlock and there is a bell to note the 8:30am time.

Meet Waukazoo's New Principal- Mrs. Bolhuis

Dear Waukazoo Staff, Students, Families, and Community,

I am thrilled to be writing to you all to introduce myself as the next principal of Waukazoo Elementary. My name is Audra Bolhuis, and I cannot wait to join you in the Zoo!

For my entire educational career, I have served the West Ottawa district. My first seven years were spent teaching high school English and the last four were as an assistant principal of the high school. During my tenure at the high school, I have learned so much about building relationships, supporting teachers, welcoming families, and loving students. When I walked into my first day as a teacher at West Ottawa, I knew it was different. I knew it was special. I have loved being part of the high school community but am ready to join your Waukazoo family.

Currently, my relationship with Waukazoo has been as a parent of a kindergartener. I sent my oldest son Miles on a school bus last year in August while I was on maternity leave with our second son Ferris. To say that was hard was an understatement! But I knew that the teachers at his new school would wrap their arms around my son and make sure he had the best first day of school possible. My husband Vince and I quickly learned that the school was amazing, from the bus drivers, to the student leaders (who helped my son on the bus!), to the teachers who made his first day so special. We resonated with the positive culture and cannot wait to be part of the community that is already so well established.

The 2023-2024 school year is an important time for the current, past, and future families of Waukazoo as we will celebrate 150 years of educating students and being a staple of the Holland community. Starting my time with the families of Waukazoo during this monumental celebration is such an honor. I cannot wait to meet all of the staff, students, and families as we kick off a year to remember and celebrate. I will be attending the Waukazoo Olympics on June 6 and hope to meet many of you there!

I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you soon and am excited to make the transition of building leaders seamless. Thank you for welcoming me to your family as a parent, and for opening your doors to me as your principal.

Best regards,

Audra Bolhuis


Staff Spotlight:

Meet Mrs. Thornbrugh!

My name is Juliana Thornbrugh, and you will see me around Waukazoo leading reading groups and enjoying recess on both playgrounds. My background is wildlife conservation, and I have a bachelors in Zoology from MSU. My family and I recently returned to the area after living in Oregon, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, and I am excited to plug into the community and be a part of this school. I have two children here, Reed (1st) and Lily (YK). I love to get outside as much as possible, and we enjoy canoeing and tent camping.

Meet Mrs. Braybrook!

Hi! I’m Mrs. Braybrook. I lead reading groups and enjoy getting to know the Waukazoo kids at recess. After many years in account management and recruiting, I have finally found my calling working with children. When I’m not at school I’m cheering on my own kids, Grant (7th grade) and Kate (kindergarten) at their various events, reading or spending time by the water with great friends and family. I also enjoy walking our pup, May, with my husband, Casey, in our lovely Waukazoo neighborhood. We love our community and feel so fortunate to be Panthers! Go WO!

Upcoming Construction:

As part of previously approved West Ottawa bond projects Waukazoo will be adding on beginning in the late spring. 2 classrooms will be added off the southwest corner of the building and 1 classroom will be renovated. The remainder of the building will see a significant refresh with paint and mechanical improvements over the summer. The work will be completed in time for the 2023-2024 school year at Waukazoo.

Attendance Challenge - “Strive for 5”:

Attendance is an important component of success in school. All Waukazoo should “strive for 5” or less absences during the last marking period (March 27 - June 9). Please join our school community in “striving for 5” or less absences during the last marking period of the 2022-2023 school year. During the first 3 marking periods Waukazoo had the following percentage of students with 5 or less absences:

Waukazoo Specials:

Physical Wellness w/ Mr. Metz:

Hi Waukazoo Families,


We are in the home stretch! Just a few weeks left. Fitness testing is all done and our students did fantastic. Over the last couple of weeks of the school year, students will be learning about pickleball! I'm excited to share this new up and coming sport with them. I know they are going to have a blast learning about it! GO WO!


-Mr. Metz

Music w/ Mr. Loughrin

Technology w/ Mrs. Fredrickson:

Spanish w/ Senora Dillon

Library w/ Mrs. Wood: