Big Rapids Public Schools - Educating Our Future

🍎 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 🍎 Grab & Go -Free Daily Meal Pick-Up for Kids! June 9 - Aug 8 Monday - Friday , closed July 3 & 4th (Friday pick-up includes weekend meals) Pick up at Eastwood from 11 am - 12 noon OR BR Middle School from 12 noon - 1 pm. ONLY parents/guardians or students may pick up meals due to new State regulations. For all children, 18 years old and younger, from all areas and schools 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. For more information, visit www.brps.org/FS.

A sweet end-of-year treat! 🍦🎉 Mr. Weller from our Transportation team took a few special students to Jones’ Homemade Ice Cream—just look at those smiles!

It’s the last day of school, Cardinals! 🎉📚 Thank you to our students, staff, and families for an incredible year of growth, memories, and BR pride. Have a safe and fun summer! ❤️💙 #WeAreBR

🎉🏈 Save the Date: Homecoming 2025! 🏈🎉 Join us Friday, September 12 for the parade and the game. The Homecoming Dance will be on Saturday, September 13! Get ready to show your Cardinal Pride! ❤️💙

🎓 BRVS Commencement is tonight! 📍 BRHS Auditorium 🕖 May 23 at 7:00 PM 🎥 Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/fVhvgpzfjM4 Join us in celebrating the BRVS Class of 2025! ❤️💙

This Memorial Day, we pause to reflect on the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation. Big Rapids Public Schools honors their legacy with gratitude and respect. Reminder: There will be no school on Monday, May 26 in observance of the holiday.

🎉 In case you missed it — check out the Class of 2025 Swingout! 📺 Watch here: https://youtu.be/5z8xPcTTCI8 So much Cardinal pride on display! ❤️💙

🎓 BRHS Commencement is tonight! 📍 Cardinal Stadium 🕖 7:00 PM 🎥 Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/A0qGnzfsPl8 Celebrate the Class of 2025 with us! ❤️💙

🎓 Big week for the Class of 2025! Congrats to our amazing seniors and their families—your hard work has paid off! Catch all the action on YouTube: Swingout (Wed, 5/21 at 2:00 pm): https://youtube.com/live/hOwUeK9at44 BR High School Commencement (Thur, 5/22 at 7:00 pm): https://youtube.com/live/A0qGnzfsPl8 BR Virtual School Commencement (Fri, 5/23 at 7:00 pm): https://youtube.com/live/fVhvgpzfjM4 We are BR! ❤️💙

📣 Reminder: Teacher Appreciation Week Shout-Outs! 📣 We kicked off our shout-out campaign earlier this week, and we’ve already seen several wonderful messages come in — thank you! ❤️ As we continue celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week, don’t forget you can still recognize any BRPS staff member who’s made a difference — teachers, support staff, office team, bus drivers, and more. It only takes a minute to brighten someone’s day! 💬 Submit your shout-out here: https://forms.gle/sAi94p8decyaWoiS8 Let’s keep the gratitude going strong!

During Teacher Appreciation Week (May 5-9), we extend our gratitude to all our dedicated staff members at BRPS. This year, we're opening up shout-out submissions to celebrate and recognize not just our teachers, but all staff members across departments such as food service, front office, maintenance, transportation, administration, and paraprofessionals. A 'shout-out' can be submitted by adults or students, with no limit on submissions. These messages will be shared throughout the week of May 5th, and while the submission form closes on May 9th, personal notes of encouragement are always welcomed and valued. Share your shout-outs by using this form: https://forms.gle/sAi94p8decyaWoiS8 Thank you for helping us celebrate and appreciate our Big Rapids Public Schools teachers and staff. We R BR!

🎷🎶 Congratulations to Gavin Padgett and Amund Williams! 🎶🎷 Both students have been named 2025 MSBOA Outstanding Jazz Musicians at the State Jazz Festival! 🎉 Each judge was allowed to select up to three musicians from the entire site—making this honor incredibly selective and competitive. With so many talented jazz musicians across Michigan, this recognition truly speaks to their exceptional skill and dedication. Even more impressive? Gavin and Amund were also selected last year! 👏👏 We’re proud to have two of Michigan’s finest jazz musicians representing Big Rapids! 🎺🥁🎼

🚌 Today is Bus Driver Appreciation Day, and we’re giving a big shoutout to the amazing BRPS bus drivers who safely transport our students every day! 🚦💛 Your dedication, early mornings, and friendly smiles make a big difference. THANK YOU for all you do! 👏

The BRPS 2025-26 School Calendar is finalized! You can find it at: https://5il.co/3dtv2

🎺 Beginning Band Information Night 🎷 📍 Cardinal Hall, Big Rapids Middle School 📅 Monday, April 28 🕕 6:00 PM Are you a 5th grade family with a future musician in the making? 🎶 Join us for Beginning Band Information Night— where you'll learn all about joining 6th Grade Band next school year! 🎵 Meet the band director 🎵 Discover what to expect in band 🎵 Get all your questions answered 🎵 Meyer Music will be on site to help with instrument info, rentals, and more! Whether your child is already buzzing to play trumpet or curious about the clarinet, this event is the perfect first step toward a fun and rewarding musical journey. We can't wait to see you there!

At last night’s Board of Education meeting, our incredible liaison officers were recognized for their outstanding service and unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of our schools. These dedicated individuals play a vital role in building strong relationships between law enforcement and the school community, and we are grateful for everything they do to support our students, staff, and families. In addition to being honored during the meeting, the liaison officers also led CRASE training during the board workshop. This training is part of our ongoing efforts to enhance preparedness and reinforce safety protocols across the district. We are proud to work alongside such committed professionals who help make BRPS a safer and more supportive place to learn and grow. Thank you, Officers Torres and Losinski!

🗞️ BRPS Families—Don't Miss Out! 🗞️ Pick up this Saturday’s paper (March 22) to get your copy of the Spring Events Insert! Can’t grab a paper? No problem! View it online here: https://5il.co/3ax6j

📸✨ Kindergarten Signing Day photos are here! 🎉 Relive the excitement and download your little Cardinal’s special moment now at https://bigrapidsmi.sites.thrillshare.com/o/ee/page/k-gallery! Missed the event? No worries! You can still enroll your child for the 2025-26 school year by stopping by Central Office or starting the process online at www.brps.org/enroll. 📩 Questions? Email enroll@brps.org or call (231) 796-2627. We can’t wait to welcome our future cardinals! ❤️

Over the weekend, our high school choir students attended the MSVMA Musical Theatre Solo & Ensemble festival—an adjudicated event for musical theatre-style singing. We are thrilled to share that our new auditioned musical theatre choir earned a PERFECT rating and has been selected to perform at the MSVMA All-State Gala Concert in May 2025! This is an incredible achievement—the first time BR has received this honor in at least 20-25 years! It’s the equivalent of being state champions, with only a handful of choirs selected from across Michigan. In fact, our choir is the first musical theatre choir invited this school year! Adding to the excitement, the adjudicator was so impressed that they requested a video of our group to showcase as an example for other adjudicators across the state! On Monday, March 10, 2025, the Big Rapids Board of Education honored this outstanding group for their achievement, recognizing their hard work, dedication, and incredible talent. A huge congratulations to our talented performers: 🎭 Gracie Edwards 🎭 Clarissa Hoffman 🎭 Kamryn Lowery-Sumlin 🎭 Meredith McAdams 🎭 Kaela Sterly 🎭 Madyson Turner We couldn’t be more proud of these students! Let’s celebrate this huge BR win! ❤️🎶

A Tradition of Excellence Continues! 🏆🎶 This week, the Big Rapids Bands competed in the MSBOA District Band & Orchestra Festival—and they absolutely rocked it! These bands included the 7th grade and 8th grade bands, the concert band, and the wind symphony. All four BRHS bands earned straight Division I ratings! A special shoutout to our Wind Symphony, which has earned straight I’s at District Festival every year since 1974! That’s over 50 years of musical excellence! We are so proud of our talented musicians and dedicated directors for keeping the tradition of Arts excellence alive at BRPS! 🎵❤️