KAS Administrator Back to School Letters

Kristin Goethals - Kingsley Elementary

Dear Families,

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful summer! My family has been busy making memories. My oldest son got engaged, another son had the amazing opportunity to play for the USA Men’s Rugby U19 team, and another son started his college visits. 

My younger kids were equally busy with rugby, softball, and camps! In between all the excitement, we spent plenty of time exploring beautiful Northern Michigan.

Now, it’s time to shift our energy to the new school year, and I couldn’t be more excited.

I’m looking forward to seeing our students grow—especially as readers. This year, we’re encouraging students to read regularly at home each week, and we’ll be sharing books between home and school to make sure everyone has plenty of great stories to enjoy.

Over the summer, the elementary cafeteria got a fresh coat of paint, and several of our 4th-grade classrooms received brand-new carpet. We’re thrilled to welcome the following new faces to our team:

Shanda Bender-4th Grade

Samantha Kubesh-1st Grade

Jenna Bouwmeester-Intervention

Caylie Grubaugh-GSRP Assistant

Josh Lovendusky-4/5 PE and Health

Abby Zimmerman-Kindergarten

Here are a few important reminders as we get closer to the first day:

• Teacher assignment letters will be mailed after August 18.

• If you don’t receive your letter by Monday, August 25, contact the office.

• We won’t be sharing teacher assignments over the phone before August 25.

• Mark your calendar for our District Open House: Tuesday, August 26, 5:30-7:00PM

• Supplies are provided for K-5 students. If you would like to send something in for classrooms, consider Kleenex, Chlorox wipes, etc.

This year, my focus is on creating the best possible experience for every student. My goals include:

• Making sure classroom interventions meet the developmental needs of each child.

• Inspiring a love of reading and learning in every student.

• Strengthening our home-to-school partnerships 

• Building a school culture where kindness, curiosity, and perseverance are part of every day.

I can’t wait to see everyone soon and kick off another amazing school year. Let’s make it the best one yet!

John Arnold - Kingsley Middle School

Welcome Back! 

After a summer full of camping adventures, boating on the lake, and cheering on dance and softball activities, I’m feeling recharged and ready for another incredible school year. I’m excited to welcome back our middle school students and see how they’ve grown.

At KMS, we continue to live out our STAG expectations by committing each day to support, respect, and lift one another up. Students and staff alike! As we start the new year, let’s carry that spirit of encouragement and accountability into everything we do.

We are excited to be introducing new curriculum for this upcoming year in our science and Spanish departments. The building also saw a few updates over the summer with fresh paint in several areas and needed upgrades to the roof. We are proud of our KMS building and thank the maintenance, custodial, and third party crews who worked hard to get things ready for our students.

Please also join me in welcoming two new team members—Mrs. Tonya Roelofs, who will teach 7th-grade social studies, and Mr. Scott Morey, our new Industrial Arts teacher. 

Open House for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year will be on Tuesday, August 26th from 5:30pm-7pm.

Here’s to another great year of growth, connection, and STAG pride!

Chris Rapes - Kingsley High School

As we look forward to what I believe will be a fantastic year, I want to take a moment to reflect on some of our recent successes that we'll continue to build upon.

We've seen higher pass rates, fewer discipline issues, rising test score averages (PSAT/SAT), the exciting addition of NJROTC, improved curriculums, ongoing achievements in fine arts and athletics, and more opportunities for our students through programs like NJROTC, scientific research, and our move to the Northern Shores Conference with events like Leadership Day, Art Day, Honor Band, and the Academic All Conference Ceremony.

All of this progress really speaks to the strong support of our families, the dedication of our students, and the hard work of our staff.

Looking ahead to this school year at KHS, we're excited to roll out a positive behavior intervention program.

We’ll also be launching new Algebra and Spanish curriculums to better align with our middle school, continuing our after-school tutoring and math interventions, and maintaining SAT prep. 

Minimizing distractions during class will also be a priority to keep everyone engaged.

There’s also ongoing discussion about a possible statewide decision on personal devices. At KHS, students have access to a free school-issued Chromebook or can bring their own laptop. Because of this, cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and other personal devices are not allowed during class times whether in classrooms, hallways, the library, commons, or any other area. Our policy remains the same as over the past three years, resetting each semester:

-If a device is used inappropriately, it will be taken to the office and can be picked up at the end of the day by the student.

-Further inappropriate use results in a parent or guardian coming to retrieve the device.

-If necessary, a device may not be permitted in the building for the rest of the semester.

We’re just a few short weeks away from when our building will be bustling with students and staff again. Keep an eye out for upcoming messages about the 9th grade/new to KHS orientation, Chromebook contracts and pickup, Project Graduation 2026 and senior parking lot painting. We’re also excited to invite you to our District Open House on Tuesday, August 26th, from 5:30 to 7:00PM.

Wishing you a wonderful rest of your summer, and GO STAGS!!!!

Joshua T. Rothwell - Superintendent

Hello Kingsley families,

I hope this communication finds you enjoying the last few weeks of summer. It certainly has gone by extremely fast! I worked quite a lot this summer but found time to enjoy my family including trips to an Indiana Fever game and some time on the shores of Lake Huron. 

Our staff is extremely excited to get our students back in our classrooms. Custodians and maintenance have been hard at work all summer getting our classrooms ready for the first day of the 2025-2026 school year. 

We have a handful of new staff members whom you will meet during our school open houses on August 26.

Additionally, I would like to introduce Mike Forro as our Maintenance Director and Erik Nieman as our Transportation Director. These gentlemen have been working diligently in their new positions to prep their departments for the new school year. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s school office if you have questions about the upcoming year or would like to register a new student at Kingsley Area Schools. 

It’s a great day to be a STAG!