Dear Parents,
As we begin the 20/21 school year, some things are different due to COVID-19 requirements but some things, like the excitement of starting a new school year, have not changed at all! This year parent nights will look different because they will be virtual. Teachers will be preparing videos to share information with you about their courses but more importantly to share who they are and how they will strive to truly live into Holland Christian’s mission statement, “Equipping Minds and Nurturing Hearts to Transform the World for Jesus Christ”.
Equipping Minds is made real by providing a learning environment where academic excellence is the standard and EACH individual student has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Nurturing Hearts is reached by building a community of Grace where relationships that have God at the center are nurtured and developed between students and students, students and staff, and staff and parents.
Parts one and two of our mission statement are done with the ultimate goal of preparing our students to Transform the World for Jesus Christ – not sometime in the future when they are adults but right now. My prayer is that we find ways for our students to become transforming agents for Christ both inside of our building and out in our community by displaying Christ-like love and being Woven Together in Him.
Our school theme this year is Woven Together. At a time when our world is focused on things that divide us, our desire is that we all live in a way at HCHS that unites us together and causes people to say, “there is something different about them, what is it….. oh – they are followers of Christ ”.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Cor. 13:13
In His Love,
Deb
/ GENERAL INFORMATION
Security System At HCHS
Just a reminder that we have an intercom/buzz-in system at HCHS. All of the Holland Christian School campuses have such a system. Please note that after 8:10 a.m. (9:00 a.m. on Wednesdays) the front doors to the main high school entrance (Entrance A) are locked and you will need to press the intercom button located to the right (north) of the doors to speak to one of the office personnel who will let you in. Due to COVID safety regulations, we are not allowed to have any visitors in the building, but parents may come into the office to drop off items for their students. Thanks for your cooperation with this important safety protocol.
High School Daily Announcements
All students and parents will be emailed the high school daily student announcements. Please help us by keeping your contact information up to date in PowerSchool. When you log in to PowerSchool, click “SwiftReach SwiftK12” – under “Contact Information” you can make sure your demographics are up to date. Announcements are also posted daily on the HC website.
Student Handbook Updates
Parents and students, please take some time to read through the HCHS Student Handbook. Make sure you are familiar with the attendance policy and the updates to dress code due to COVID regulations.
Student Medical Information and Forms
If your student has any medical situation that the school office should be aware of or has any medication that needs to be kept in the office, the appropriate forms need to be filled out each school year and kept on file in the office. Please make sure all information is current so that we can help keep your child safe and keep the necessary medications here. If you have any questions please contact Hendrina Cupery, Manager of the Holland Hospital School Nurse Program, at hcupery@hollandchristian.org.
Parent Night
We will be hosting our annual Parent Night virtually on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 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. Please add this event to your calendar and make it a priority to watch the recordings. The links to teachers’ presentations will be made available on September 8.
Senior Picture Information
Click here for details on Senior pictures. The deadline for senior pictures is September 25.
Parking Permit
All students who drive to school are required to display a parking permit on their vehicle. They are available in the office.
Busing Information
Detailed busing information can be found on our website at hollandchristian.org/transportation.
MOMS IN PRAYER
Moms In Prayer will start September 18 and continue to meet on Friday mornings 8:20-9:20 @ the Forest School pond area. Bring a chair, Bible and pen! Looking forward to praying the year with you. Contact Nicole Shook with questions – ncshook@gmail.com
/ COUNSELORS CORNER
We are encouraging college bound seniors to get their applications in by Thanksgiving vacation to have the best opportunities for financial aid. We are offering to assist non-college bound seniors with career selection, information, and job placement. We held informational sessions with all seniors in their English classes this week and last and covered a timeline of things seniors need to be doing throughout the school year, including the college application process. Seniors will also be invited to sign up for a Common Application workshop coming up later this month.
Scholarships
Throughout the school year, various scholarship opportunities will be posted online through the Counseling Department. A listing of outside scholarships, both regional and national, will be updated as we receive notices of scholarships. Beginning in the second semester, there will be information online about the Holland/Zeeland Community Foundation Scholarships that are open to Holland Christian students and also internal HC scholarships, which are for Holland Christian students only. Be sure to check the Scholarship portion of the Counseling Department website.
College Representative Visits
For a complete listing of college reps holding virtual visits at HCHS, check out this list on the Counseling Department website.
FAFSA Night
A college representative will be hosting a virtual workshop for HCHS parents on Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. to speak to parents about filling out the FAFSA and other financial aid opportunities. More details, including the link to the meeting, will be emailed out to parents of juniors and seniors.
Testing Information
- Upcoming ACT test dates are October 24 (regular deadline is September 20) and December 12 (regular deadline is November 8), 2020. Right now HCHS is not a testing site due to COVID but that could change for later test dates. It is imperative that you check the ACT website to see if a test is being held and if so, which testing sites are still participating. Register for the test at www.actstudent.org.
- Upcoming SAT test dates are October 3 (regular deadline is September 4), November 7 (regular deadline is October 7), December 5, 2020 (regular deadline is November 5), and March 13, 2021 (regular deadline is February 12). HCHS is a testing site for only the November 7 and March 13 test dates at this point, but that could change due to COVID. It is imperative that you check the SAT website to see if a test is being held and if so, which testing sites are still participating. To register for the SAT, go to www.sat.org.
- There is information about free ACT and SAT Preparation on the Holland Christian website; also, pick up a free “Preparing for the ACT” and a free “SAT Student Guide” booklet in the counseling office.
- 2020-21 PSAT: This test is a precursor to the SAT. It provides excellent practice for subsequent standardized tests and can provide valuable test preparation feedback and tools. The junior year is the only year a score is considered for the National Merit Scholarship. All freshmen will take the PSAT 8/9, all sophomores and all juniors will take the PSAT /NMSQT. There will be no fee charged to students, and they will register through school. The test will be given on Wednesday, October 14, 2020 during the school day.
- There will be an SAT offered at HCHS during the day on October 14, 2020 for seniors and juniors. Space will be limited and seniors will get first priority. Sign up will be through school and more details will be coming.
/ IMPORTANT DATES
September
4 – No School, Labor Day Break
7 – No School, Labor Day
8 – Virtual Parent Night
10 – Picture Make-up Day
10 – College Financial Aid Seminar (7 pm)
25 – Senior Picture Deadline
October
10-17 – Tuition Grant Fund Auction (virtual)
14 – PSAT for grades 9-11
19 – Picture Retake at HS
22 & 23 – CEA Staff Development (No school)
22 & 23 – All Tech Center Students must attend Tech Center
