Dear Parents and Students:
It is with great excitement that I write this letter to welcome you to the 2020-2021 school year! If you are returning to HCHS either in person or virtually, welcome back! If you are a new family to HCHS we welcome you to our school family, and we pray that you find this to be a place where you can grow into the person that God has uniquely created you to be.
Staff has been working hard over the summer to get things ready for the start of school. All staff members have been busy preparing for a new year but there is one group that I want to give a special shout out to, and that is our cleaning and maintenance crew. Their work has included scrubbing every chair, table, counter, sink, locker, floor, wall and door in the building (and we have several!) to moving, painting, repairing and servicing anything that needed attention and all the while doing it with a smile. They have been a living example of Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” (NIV). Our school looks amazing and I can not thank them enough for all they have done!
Due to the retirements of Mr. Goorhouse and Mr. Homkes as well as Mr. Kool moving to South Christian we will be welcoming the following new faculty to HCHS for the 2020-2021 school year:
Mrs. Sara Mulder – Math
Mr. Mike Jacobs – Industrial Arts
Mr. Brad Jansen – Physical Education and Assistant Athletic Director
Through the interview process it became very clear that each of these talented educators felt a special call to serve at HCHS and for that we are grateful.
As we start the 20/21 school year please be sure to carefully read the Back to School Newsletter so that you have the information necessary to help make the start of the school year as successful as possible.
It is my prayer that EACH person who walks through the doors of our school or joins us virtually finds a place where they are truly valued for the unique gifts they have to offer and are accepted for the person God has created them to be, as we are Woven Together as the body of Christ.
If there is anything I can do to support you along this journey please do not hesitate to ask. My door is always open!
In His Service,
Deb Feenstra, Principal
/ 2020-21 Information
Check In/Picture Day
Check in day is Monday, August 24 and will take place on Main Street from 11:30 am to 3 pm. This is a chance for you to have your picture taken for your student ID, walk around the building and find your locker, deposit money into your hot lunch account, and pick up a parking permit (if driving). Returning 10th – 12th grade students, you will not get your laptop on Check in day; you will receive it during 1st hour on Tuesday, August 25. Please remember to wear your mask for this event.
All students (including seniors) must have their picture taken whether or not the pictures are purchased. These pictures are necessary for the yearbook, student transcripts, I.D.’s, and for our student management software. Seniors, this picture will be on your high school transcript. If you would like to order photos, visit the Geskus website.
To help speed the picture taking process and to keep students able to social distance, we would like to suggest the following schedule.
- 9th Grade: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
- 12th Grade: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
- 10th Grade: 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
- 11th Grade: 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
- Anyone: 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Picture Make up day will be Thursday, September 10.
Senior Picture Information – Click here for details on Senior Pictures. The deadline for senior pictures is September 25.
Lost and Found: We have a large amount of lost and found items from the 2019-2020 school year due to our abrupt departure! These will be on display during check in day so if you are missing items from last school year, be sure to check out the Lost and Found.
Freshman Orientation Day – August 24
All freshmen will be part of our Freshman Orientation Day. This day is to be a transition day that creates a sense of belonging for incoming students and an overall supportive and positive atmosphere on our campus. The first day for freshmen will be Monday, August 24, at 8:00 am. Senior class leaders will lead incoming freshmen in small group games, mixers and on a scavenger hunt around the school. Students will be given a copy of their schedule and meet their teachers for a few minutes in each class. Students will be treated to a pizza picnic lunch and will be dismissed at 11:30 am. After this, freshmen can stop on Main Street between 11:30 am – 12:30 pm for pictures. All freshmen will also receive their laptop at this time. Masks will be required on this day. Specific instructions will come in your email the week prior.
New 10th – 12th Grade Students: These students will have an orientation on Monday, August 24 from 9 am – 11:00 am. You will attend Laptop Boot Camp following this. You will be sent more details soon.
“Laptop Boot Camp” is mandatory for all students who are new to the laptop program (students coming from HCMS or ZCS do NOT attend Laptop Boot Camp). You should plan to stay from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm and attend “Laptop Boot Camp,” an introduction on how we use the laptops at HCHS (understanding Moodle, exploring PowerSchool, etc.). You will receive your laptop at this meeting.
All Students report on Tuesday, August 25, at 8:00 am. Be sure to have your class schedule with you.
School Supplies
Holland Christian High School does not have a required list of school supplies for students to purchase. School supply preferences will vary from student to student. Math students will need a TI-83 or TI-84 calculator.
Save the Date – Parent Night
We will be hosting our annual Parent Night virtually on Tuesday, September 8 at 7 pm. Teachers will be recording the information they would like to share with you and the links to access the recordings will be posted at that time. Please add this event to your calendar and make it a priority to watch the recordings.
New to Holland Christian High School?
Our New Family Information Booklet was created to help new families transition into HCHS. We hope you find the information helpful!
Schedule and PowerSchool Information
The High School uses PowerSchool for accessing student schedules, tracking grades, attendance, and family contact information. Student schedules will be available in PowerSchool on August 14 at ps.hollandchristian.org. Parents can log in with the username and password you created in a previous year. Parents of students coming from Zeeland Christian and other students new to HC will be sent information for creating a PowerSchool account.
If you detect any errors or need to make changes to your schedule, please complete the schedule change form on the web.
This year our schedule will consist of 4 block days rather than two. On Fridays students will have all seven classes in one day. The updated daily schedule can be found here. We will not be holding Winterim this year due to COVID 19 concerns. For this reason the first semester will be ending on January 15 and exams will begin on January 12. Second semester begins on January 19.
In addition, it is important that Holland Christian has accurate contact and emergency information in PowerSchool. When you access your student’s schedule, please also check your family’s contact information and make any needed updates using the Demographic Change page. If you are unable to make changes in PowerSchool and you know that there are changes that should be made to your address, phone number, email address or emergency contacts, please contact the Administration Office at (616) 820-2805.
Parent Laptop Handbook and Check-In Day Forms
Please review the laptop handbook and sign the required check-in day forms online. Forms need to be completed before you will be given your laptop. These forms include the laptop agreement, cheating/plagiarism, concussion awareness, and field trip/medical treatment permission. Please note that you will need to enter your student ID number in order to complete these forms. These student numbers can be found in Power School (if you are a returning HC student it is the number you already have). Please do not print off forms from the handbook; the check-in day forms are what need to be completed.
School Nutrition Services
Breakfast and lunch options are offered daily for our students. For the monthly lunch menu and additional details about the lunch program, please visit our website. The cost for a high school hot lunch is $2.85 which includes milk. The current hot lunch menu is posted here. We will be social distancing in a “no touch” cafeteria to start the school year. Students will eat in their classrooms. Our menu will be limited, yet as always we hold high standards for quality and nutrition. At this time, there is no fee to deposit money with sendmoneytoschool.com into your child’s account. Our intent is to not take cash or check deposits during lunch. Thank you! If you have any questions or suggestions, please email Nancy Michaels at nmichaels@hollandchristian.org. Reduced and Free meal benefits are available for those who qualify. Please apply at lunchapp.com
Due to Covid-19 we have temporarily moved the “The Well” to inside of the cafeteria along the northeast wall (near the booths) Hours are from 7:30am to 8:00 am for breakfast. We will continue to offer “Big Apple Bagel”s, Smoothies, Iced Coffee, Banana Bread and other grab and go breakfast snacks. Any student who qualifies for school nutrition benefits are allowed breakfast for Free or at a Reduced breakfast price of .40. Students who eat breakfast need to stay in the cafeteria at social distance seating until school starts. At this time we are not allowed volunteers to help at “The Well”. We hope to return back to “The Well” in phase 5.
HCHS is a closed campus. Sometimes parents may like to take their student(s) out for lunch. Parents may take only their own student(s) out for lunch and must personally check them out of the office. Youth leaders or older siblings (out of high school) may also take students out for lunch by signing them out in the office.
Safe School Protocols
In a desire to prevent the spread of COVID 19 in schools, the State of Michigan Back to School Road Map developed health and safety protocols that we are required to follow this school year.
- To comply with the social distancing requirements students will not be allowed to congregate in the hallways. Because of this, please make an effort to arrive as close to the start of school as possible, and students must go directly to their first classroom of the day. After dismissal at the end of the day students who are not in the building for a specific purpose must head home and not gather in the building.
- Masks must be worn at all times except when eating and drinking.
- Students will be socially distanced in rooms as best as possible.
- Teachers will be cleaning their rooms between each class.
- Desks will be facing the same direction, if possible.
Busing
Busing is available to Holland Christian students in a variety of different ways, depending on where you live. West Ottawa, Holland, HCS South Side Busing, and Zeeland cooperate with HCHS and have their own registration forms and fees. Please find additional information and busing registration forms on the Transportation Page.
Extracurricular Information
There is a “Pay to Participate Fee” charge of $85 to all students involved in extracurricular activities to help offset some of the costs of the program. For athletics, this fee will be paid through the student’s Final Forms account; for all other activities, this fee will be collected by the director of the activity and must be paid immediately following the selection or determination of the activity participants.
Athletics Information
Fall Sports
Girls: Cross Country, Golf, Swimming/Diving, and Volleyball
Boys: Cross Country, Football, Soccer, and Tennis
Please plan your vacation times according to the sport tryouts. The times and locations for each sport will be noted on the Athletic page. Contact your varsity coach for specific questions.
Please make sure your child is registered on FinalForms for any sport they plan to play this fall, winter or spring. Visit the registration page for FinalForms signups.
Athletic Parent Night
This year the fall coaches will set their own parent night specific to their sport and and will notify parents about the details. If your child is participating in a fall sport, watch for communication from coaches about this.
Athletic Passes
Athletic passes will not be sold at this time. We will re-evaluate once we know how many spectators will be allowed at sporting events.
Holland Christian Theatre Presents our Fall Play…Holes!
It’s going to be a unique and wonderful year in HC theatre! We are starting off our year with a play; the musical, Les Miserables, has been rescheduled for Spring 2021. For a full explanation of our 2020-2021 season and safety procedures, see this video.
This Fall, we are producing a play adaptation of Louis Sachar’s bestselling children’s novel, Holes. The story centers around an unlucky teenage boy named Stanley Yelnats, who is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile corrections facility in a desert in Texas, after being falsely accused of theft. The plot explores the history of the area and how the actions of several characters in the past have affected Stanley’s life in the present. Holes is full of heart, humor, and depth, and addresses the important themes of racism, homelessness, and friendship. This is a play for the whole family!
AUDITION SCHEDULE:
Wednesday & Thursday, August 26 & 27 (3:00 – 6:00pm)
- Students sign up for an audition slot on ONE of these days. See the Audition Sign Up Form below for more information.
Friday, August 28 (3:00-6:00pm)
- Callbacks: By invitation, individuals read from the Holes script for lead roles.
PERFORMANCES: November 5, 6, & 7 @ 7pm
Email audition questions to theatre director Elle Nieuwsma (enieuwsma@hollandchristian.org) and backstage/crew questions to technical director Justin Dreyer (jdreyer@hollandchristian.org).
TRIP
TRIP is a tuition reduction incentive program. It is just one way to pay for everyday purchases while earning rebates for your tuition account. Using TRIP to pay for your normal weekly purchases in a school year, you can raise $500 or more per school year towards your tuition. If interested please contact the TRIP program coordinators (Kristi Lokker and Mary Wynia) at trip@hollandchristian.org or at either Rose Park or the High School on Wednesday mornings from 7:30-9:00.
Moms In Prayer
Please plan to attend an all-school Moms In Prayer event on Sunday, August 23 from 4 – 5 pm. We wil met outside the Forest School near the pond area. Please bring a chair and learn about Moms In Prayer for the upcoming school year. This is a year we will need to cover our school and staff with prayer. All are welcome! If you have questions please email Nicole Shook (ncshook@gmail.com).
/ Important Dates
Reserve these important dates on your fall calendar.
August
Aug 10- Football Tryouts start
Aug 12- Fall Sports Tryouts start
Aug 24- Freshman Orientation Day/Picture Day (Lunch Included) (8 am – 11:30 am)
Aug 24- 10th – 12th Grade Student Check In/Picture Day (12:30 pm to 3 pm)
Aug 24- New (10th -12th Grade) Student Orientation (9 am – 12:30 pm)
Aug 24- New Students Laptop Boot Camp (11:30 am – 12:30 pm)
Aug 25- All Students Report (8 am – 2:45 pm)
September
Sept 4- Labor Day Break, no school
Sept 7- Labor Day, no school
Sept 8- Virtual Parent Night (7 pm)
Sept 25- Senior Picture Deadline
