In the past few months I’ve had the honor to watch our Pine Ridge teachers pour into your child(ren), and it amazes me how great of a calling it is to have children sit at one’s feet! I was able to cover for a teacher this past week during one of our collaboration meeting days in a classroom where the students have been working through the story of Abraham. They already had a solid understanding of the history of Abraham and we started talking about how he would be the “father” of generations to come.
The story for that particular day was about Abraham and Isaac. The students, eager to share with me their thoughts, talked about how it would be hard to sacrifice someone you love, how it would be “super sad,” and how it would probably be so hard for Isaac’s mom when Abraham returned home without Isaac. We also talked about God sacrificing his beloved son and how they would feel if they had to sacrifice something they really REALLY loved. In that moment I could see the concern and worry on their little faces. I could see that they were thinking deeply about what it means to love someone SO much that it would physically be painful to give them up. This made me think about how easily we go into this month that the world would label “The month of love” and we might miss the opportunity to talk about the GREATEST love, that of our heavenly Father whose love surpasses our understanding. They were in awe and wonder of how much God truly loves them and it felt like it was MY first time hearing it too. I left from that classroom grateful for the opportunity to share with those little ones the love of God for us.
May we find time this month to reflect on his love for us and for the calling that we have as disciples of Jesus, to love others as God loves us.
In partnership with you,
Mrs. Dinah Pereira
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PreK & Kindergarten Enrollment
Preschool and kindergarten enrollment opened up February 1 for the 22-23 school year. If you still need to enroll your child, please visit our enrollment page or contact our admissions office by email or by calling 616.820.2805. Please note that enrollment is rolling for 1st-12th graders and you do not need to enroll these students again. If you have any questions about this, please contact admissions.
TTQ 3rd-5th Boys Running Club
We are putting together a team this spring! We will be meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 5 pm. You can register here. If you have any questions check out some more information here or feel free to email us.
BOYS LACROSSE CLUB
Holland Christian offers boys lacrosse as a spring club sport opportunity for students currently in grades 3-8. There is a 3rd/4th team, a 5th/6th team and a 7th/8th team that compete from the end of March to the end of May. Register today through our “Active” registration, which is the same registration link as HC summer camps. If you have any questions, please email Micah Kool at mkool@hollandchristian.org.
Kids’ Stuff Resale
We are excited to be able to open this sale back up again this spring. Don’t miss this opportunity to shop for spring & summer items for your kiddos! March 5, 2022 @ 9 am-noon. This sale is open to the public, so invite your friends!
Moms In Prayer!
Moms In Prayer meets on Fridays 8:30-9:30 am at Providence Church. Come meet with other moms and pray over our students, teachers and staff. If you have any questions, please email Nicole Shook.
Kinder & Middel Dutch Dancers
Tulip Time Festival is thrilled to announce that Kinder and Middel Dutch Dance are happening this year! Kinder (3rd-5th graders) and Middel (6th-8th graders) Dutch Dancers are invited to Join the Dance. Registrations are open now until February 12, 2022. Any student from the greater Holland area in 3rd-8th grades are welcome; no previous experience needed to dance. Sign up is simple; choose whichever practice time and location works best for your family’s schedule, then register using these links: Kinder registration here; Middel registration here
Winter Gear
We have had some cold and snowy days! We would like to remind students to have the extra winter clothing needed for the winter months: boots, snow pants, mittens, and a hat. We have a few extra hats and gloves in the office but it is very limited. Thank you for making this a priority for your child’s health and warmth. If you happen to have any extra mittens or gloves, hats, or snow pants that you’d like to donate, we’d love to have them in our stash!
Absences/Appointments
If your child will not be present at school for illness or vacation OR if you are picking them up during the day for an appointment, please remember to let our office know even if you’ve told the teacher already. Feel free to call 616.820.3505 or email us.
Substitutes Needed
With the unique year that we’ve been experiencing, we can always use more available substitute teachers! If you love working with kids, have obtained 60 or more college credits, and are willing to have a background check/fingerprinting done, we would love to add you to our list! If you are interested, please email Rachel Hendershot or you can start an application on edustaff.org.
T.R.I.P.
Are you getting the most help you can for paying your tuition? The TRIP program is designed to help you pay tuition without extra cost to you. Have you checked it out lately? There are so many instant and electronic opportunities now available that make it easier, more convenient, and comfortable to use! Take a quick look at it and see how easy it’s become. Give it a try and see if it doesn’t lighten your financial load. Help is always just a quick question away, and there’s lots of helpful information on our TRIP page. We love to help you make it work for your family!
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences are coming up March 28 & 30, from 4-8 pm both days. You will receive an email with instructions on how to register for conferences in a few weeks. (The elementary parent-teacher conference dates on the all-system monthly newsletter are incorrect, while these are correct!)
Pick up & Drop off
Thank you to those who continue to use Graafschap Road to both enter and exit during these busy times. We are required to leave the bus lane open for buses only between 7:45-8:30 am and 2:45-3:45 pm every weekday. We appreciate your help in making this a safe experience for students and families.
We Need Your Help!
Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles are all welcome to come help us with the following:
- Lunch recess daily noon-12:30 pm
- Library check out
- Listening to students read
- Helping to check out/in classroom take home books
Please note: All volunteers will need to complete a background check through our HR Department, which will be set up for you prior to helping at school. Please email us if you need that form.
Illness
As we continue to move through cold and flu season, please remember if your child has any of the following symptoms, please keep them home:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Fever (over 100.3)
- Fatigue & chills
- Loss of taste &/or smell
Your child needs to be free of these symptoms for at least 24 hours before returning back to school. For fevers, your child must be fever free without the use of fever reducing medicine for 24 hours.
Handy Website Links
CALENDAR
View the full Holland Christian Calendar
February
- 1: Preschool & kindergarten enrollment opens
- 2: Wacky Wednesday: Pajama Day
- 21: No school: Presidents Day/Staff PD Day
March
- 5: Kids’ Stuff Resale
- 8/9: Hearing & Vision Screenings
- 18: End of 3rd quarter
- 25: Report cards available
- 28: Parent-Teacher Conferences
- 30: Parent-Teacher Conferences
