We want everyone to start the 24-25 school year off right by combining a few specifics onto one page to help us all settle into what’s going to be a very good school year! For more infromation on any of these items a great place to check is your school building’s monthly newsletter.
Family Ice Cream Socials & student orientations
We can’t wait to meet you all! In fact, we’d love to meet you if possible before the first day of school! Here are a few student and family orientations to help make that possible, and although the elementary Ice Cream Socials are optional, they’re really fun!
Elementary
- Preschool Meet the Teacher Night
- Tuesday, August 13, 6:30-7:30pm at Rose Park & South Side, and is a planned event for parents only, please!
- Young 5s are not considered preschool, so would not attend this evening, but attend the Parent Information Nights Thursday, August 22, 5:30-6:30pm.
- Elementary Family Ice Cream Socials (Thursday, August 15)
- PreK-elementary students and their families can see their classrooms, meet their teachers, put school supplies away in their desks and/or lockers, play on the playground–and then eat ice cream with new and old friends!
- South Side from 6pm-7pm
- Pine Ridge & Forest School 3-5th Grade from 6:30pm-7:30pm
- Rose Park from 6pm-7pm.
Middle School
- 6th grade orientation: Monday, August 19, 10am-11:30am
- New students only pizza lunch: Monday, August 19, 11:15am-12:30pm
- 7th-8th grades student open house: Monday, August 19, noon-2:30pm
- Get school photos taken, find lockers, sign up for lunch, catch up with teachers and friends, etc.
High School
- Freshmen Orientation: Monday, August 19, 8am-11:30am
- New 10th-12th Grade Student Orientation: Monday, August 19, 9am-12:30pm
- Student Check-In Day: Monday, August 19, 11:30am-3pm
First day of school
The first day of school is Tuesday, August 20, and all Holland Christian Schools have a full day.
Elementary
- All elementary schools preschool-5th grade begin at 8:15am
- South Side dismisses at 3:15pm.
- Rose Park and Pine Ridge dismiss at 3:15pm.
- All 3-day kindergarten and 3-day preschool classes (that meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday) will begin on Wednesday, August 21 at the regular starting time of 8:15am.
Middle School
- HCMS begins at 8am.
- HCMS dismisses at 2:55pm.
- HCMS will NOT have late start Wednesday, August 21.
High School
- HCHS begins at 8am
- HCHS dimisses at 2:45pm.
- HCHS will have regular late start on Wednesday, August 21.
Parent Information Nights
Once we meet your kids, and are starting to settle in just a bit, we love to meet their parents, and show you your child’s spaces here at Holland Christian Schools. So we hold Parent Information Nights for each of our schools that are for parents only at each of our school buildings. Those dates are as follows:
Elementary
- South Side Parent Info Night Y5s-2nd grade: Thursday, August 22, 5:30-6:30pm
- Pine Ridge (& Forest School 3rd-5th grade) Parent Info Night: Thursday, August 22, 6:45pm-7:45pm
- Rose Park Parent Info Night: Thursday, August 22, 6:30pm
- Forest School Kindergarten: Monday, August 26, 6pm in kindergarten cabins, for parents only
- Forest School 1st grade: Monday, August 26, 6:30pm in 1st grade cabins, for parents only
- Forest School 2nd grade: Tuesday, August 13, 6:30-7:30pm both parent and child meeting at the Pine Ridge Depot for bus ride to 2nd grade classrooms
Middle & High School
- MS/HS Athlete Parent Night: Tuesday, August 20, 7pm at the HCHS Auditorium
- HCMS Parent Info Night: Wednesday, August 28, 6:30-8pm
- HCHS Parent Info Night: Tuesday, September 3, 7-9pm
School supply lists
All school supply lists are linked at the top of the Parent Page along with a bunch of other parent specific information. HCHS students do not have a specific list but choose their own supplies with the exception of a TI-83/84 calculator for math students.
Medical forms & immunization info
The State of Michigan requires that your child(ren) be immunized for enrollment at Holland Christian Schools, and every year we are required by the State to report each student that we have enrolled in preschool, kindergarten, seventh grade, and all those who are new to our district along with their immunization records. You can review the required childhood immunization guidelines set by the State of Michigan through the links to the right.
Please note that last year the State of Michigan has revised its law on immunization waivers: If you intend to complete a non-medical waiver to the State of Michigan immunization policy, you must contact the Ottawa County Health Department to schedule an appointment to speak with a health educator, complete the waiver process, and then submit the original certified waiver to the school office. By state law, the original certified medical waivers must be completed and signed by a physician then submitted to the school office. A new medical waiver is required each year that your child is reported.
Written evidence that your child’s immunizations are current, or a copy of a certified waiver by law must be received before the start of the school year and is due by or on August 8, 2024 to allow for proper processing before the first day of classes. (If you’ve already missed this date, please get it in asap!)
Please reach out to your school’s secretary if you have any questions. We greatly appreciate your efforts taking care of these immunizations before schools starts, as it is a top priority to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all students!
Transportation
- Bus routes information will be sent out via email by August 3 for those who have already registered.
- If you still need to register for transportation, please call our Transportation Coordinator Rose Rodriguez at 616.820.2805 or email her at transportation@hollandchristian.org.
- Questions? Please email transportation@hollandchristian.org.
- Families who use HPS or ZPS transportation will need to contact their provider’s district directly to be informed of any busing updates, including cancellations, delays, etc. This will effect the first week of school as well, as their districts begin school on separate dates. HPS: 616.494.2950; ZPS: 616.748.3425
How to pay for school lunches
Holland Christian uses FamilyPortal to monitor and pay your student’s lunch account. There is no fee for depositing money into your student’s lunch account through FamilyPortal, though you can also send a check with your student to school to pay for their lunches in the lunch line as well.
Families are encouraged to apply for lunch benefits through FamilyPortal even if they think they won’t be able to receive them, as income criteria recently changed.
Lunch prices remain the same as last year: PK-5: $2.75; 6-8th: $3.00 and 9-12th: $3.25.
We look forward to seeing you at your student’s HCMS or HCHS check-in, where you can also deposit money on your student’s account and ask questions. Got questions before then? Email Sue Lambers
School newsletters
Watch for our school newsletters from your particular Holland Christian School hitting your email inbox typically on the last Friday of every month, though this first one will be on the first Friday of August, August 2. These newsletters are filled with all the important back to school info. Plus it’s a great way to stay informed of all the things going on at multiple campuses!
Parent information page
Most of the needed info for parents is given right here on this back to school webpage, but there are a few more details on how to get involved, etc. on our Parents page below! Joining any of the parent support groups listed are great ways to get to know the HC community!
Got more questions?
Feel free to call our HCS Admin Office at 616.820.2805 with any questions! Or contact individual HC schools through our Schools page–our stellar secretaries are back in the buildings!