Dear Parents,
On Wednesday night we had the first 8th grade celebration night that has occurred in HC’s recent history. “You are loved!” were the words that Bryant Russ, our high school chaplain and our district’s spiritual life director, blessed us with to start the celebration. He wanted each student to know that they are loved by God, and secondly, he wanted the students to know that they will not regret asking the question “God, what do you care about?” as they make decisions in high school and beyond. He pointed out that it can be challenging to continually ask ourselves this question as we go through life, but we will not be disappointed with the results.
Another highlight of our 8th grade celebration was our high school praise team leading us in the Blessing Benediction. We sang the Benediction with the staff surrounding the 8th grade students before they headed out as our newest high school freshman. We have been blessed by these 8th graders during their time at the middle school and we pray they will be a blessing to the high school.
Some highlights of the school year include the following:
- The teachers prioritized giving better feedback on student work. Next year we will complete the book study we started this year.
- We completed our first year of PBIS. This has helped strengthen our school culture as we developed clear expectations for the students to follow.
- We introduced the new house system to give the students another place to be in community and so we could give points for making wise choices. Students earned points for doing the right thing and for winning various challenges. The challenges included fundraising, doing the best during a STEM activity and a Christmas decorating contest. This year, a different house won each quarter! The point totals for each house ended with the Lighthouse with 2774 points, the Dunes with 2781 points, the Windmill with 2865 points and the Lake as the overall champ with 2981 points. The Lake received a special grilled lunch and winner stickers as the grand champions in our first year of having the house system.
Finally we are adding a trip to South Africa for next school year. This was introduced in the May Newsletter. This South Africa Application should be completed by August 19th if you would like your son or daughter to be considered for the trip. The following forms also need to be filled out by August 19th if you would like to be considered for financial aid: Recommendation form for financial aid and financial aid form. We are blessed to have enough staff this year that we are not in need of chaperones. The dates for the trip February 8 or 9 to 20, 2023. The cost is roughly $3000.
On behalf of our staff, I would like to thank you for entrusting your middle schoolers to us this year. We hope you have a blessed summer!
God Bless!
Tom Strikwerda
Principal
June at HCMS
End of Year Photos
Miss Roskamp compiled a series of photos for each grade from their year. Please take a look when you have a chance!
Report Cards
Grades will be available on PowerSchool at 8am Friday, June 10. Please check in PowerSchool after this time to see the benefits of all your student’s hard work this school year!
Just a Reminder: Immunizations for rising 7th graders
Immunization Requirements for rising 7th Graders: Please schedule a call/visit with your primary care physician to discuss any immunization needs for your child. All students MUST be up-to-date on their immunizations BEFORE they start the new school year. Any students without the required immunizations or approved waivers will not be allowed to enter school until they are complete and approved by the State of Michigan. Please see the attached link for an information sheet listing immunization needs.
22-23 BOC Schedules
As we plan to build student schedules for the 2022-2023 school year, we will plan to schedule your rising 7th and 8th grade student(s) in their current Band, Orchestra or Choir (BOC) class. If they wish to move to a different music class, please inform us by filling out this Class Change Form and emailing it to the current BOC teacher (please email Matt Veenstra for choir changes as well). Forms should be submitted before Wednesday, June 8. Rising 6th graders should email ms@hollandchristian.org with their choice. As stated before, every student must choose either Band, Orchestra or Choir; no study halls will be offered. Thank you!
22-23 School Sports Registration
All students in grades 6 through 12 who are interested in participating on an athletic team need to be registered by a parent for the sports they are interested in. Please register TODAY so coaches can communicate information about summer and the upcoming season.
Upcoming Important Dates
August
22: MS Orientation/Open house 1-4pm
23: First full day of school
