Welcome (almost) back to school!
We have been blessed with an amazingly sunny and warm summer! I hope that you have been able to enjoy time with family and friends. In the coming weeks, we will be preparing our spaces and our hearts to welcome each student—both those returning and those joining us for the first time—who enters the doors at Pine Ridge. We are excited for the learning and growth that we know will happen this coming school year. At Holland Christian, we are blessed with leaders who prayerfully consider how and where we should lean our hearts each year. This year’s theme and “leaning” will be the Joy of the Lord as we focus on Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy.” What an exciting leaning that we will experience together this year! I have already started to pray for each family as you start to wind down your summer schedules and gear up for school to start. I am excited to see you all on August 14 for our Ice Cream Social, and pray for a fruitful rest of the summer!
In partnership with you,
Mrs. Dinah Pereira
Principal, Pine Ridge
Announcements
Pine Ridge Carpool Line
As we look to start the new school year it is a good time to introduce our parking lot procedures to our new families, and remind our current families of the procedures!
- To drop off, please use the entrance off of Graafschap Road. Go around the entire circle, (stopping in the circle will impede bus traffic) and stop by the sidewalk in front of the building.
- To pick up, also use the entrance off of Graafschap Road. Go around the entire circle and join a line that will form along the sidewalk and park. The lines begin by the bike racks. Two parallel lines are used for pickup. For the safety of the students, please stay parked until the teacher permits you to leave.
Students who are not riding the bus home MUST be picked up in this carpool pick up. For student safety, we cannot allow students to be picked up in the parking lot by the baseball field. Students who live within walking or biking distance may be permitted to travel home independently with parental permission, as well as children of staff members who will be walking to the Forest School or High School.
Ice Cream Social
Our Ice Cream Social will be held on Thursday, August 14 from 6:30-7:30pm as an open house format. You are welcome to visit the classroom, meet your child’s teacher, bring in your child’s school supplies, and enjoy some ice cream. For those who need it, here is the Supply List.
Parent Night: Meet the Teacher
A kid-free evening from 6:45-8pm! This Parent Night is for parents only and allows for teachers and parents to talk through information that is pertinent for the year. A more detailed schedule with grade level times is coming soon. In case you need them, here are the Class lists!
Summer Office Hours
The Pine Ridge/Forest School office will be open starting August 4 on Mondays-Fridays from 9am-3pm until school starts. There will be a few dates TBD for beginning of the school year all-staff off-site meetings, and those dates will be posted on the door once they become available.
Health Appraisal and Immunization Records
All students must be up-to-date on their immunizations BEFORE they start the new school year. As you schedule your well-child appointments with your healthcare provider, please be aware these evaluations will need to be completed. Any students without the required immunizations or approved waivers will not be allowed to begin school until they are complete and approved by the State of Michigan. We are grateful for your help with this!
Medications at School
If your child needs to take medication at school–either prescription or over the counter (including inhalers!)--we need an updated form signed by their physician each school year. If you have not done this yet, please do so ASAP so it is ready by the first day of school. The necessary form is on our Medical Information & Forms page.
If you have questions, you may also contact Holland Christian’s school nurse, Hendrina Cupery (hcupery@hollandchristian.org). She will help you set up a plan for the office to assist in administering the medication. For safety reasons, Holland Christian Schools is not able to dispense any medication to our students without a doctor’s order. Thank you!
Food Services
Family portal accounts will be ready to receive deposits on Monday, August 11. If you do NOT have a family portal account set up, you will need your student’s ID number. Please email Sue for your student ID number. There is no fee to deposit money into your child’s account with a debit or credit card.
PowerSchool
PowerSchool is our student information database. You will want to bookmark this site! There is also an app available for PowerSchool for your phone which can be very helpful. PowerSchool parent information, including passwords and usernames, will be e-mailed to parents at the beginning of the year or provided to you upon enrollment if you enroll mid-year. If there is a change in your phone number or address at any time during the school year, it is important that are informed right away. Parents can update their information on PowerSchool directly on the Demographics Change tab. This assures up-to-date contact information for your child.
Please update your demographic information in PowerSchool each fall with your latest and most accurate contact information. Simply log in, then either an “update demographic screen” will automatically pop up, or simply click the “change demographics” button on the left of the screen. This information is necessary for field trip participation, emergency response and treatment, student photo permission, and for the office to easily be able to contact a parent or guardian as needed or desired. When listing your child’s emergency contacts, please be sure to list two contacts other than yourself.
Elementary Handbook
The Elementary Handbook is a great resource for parents providing important details on things like our curriculum, discipline policy, technology policy, etc.
Important Website Links
Calendar
August:
- 4: Office is open daily from 9am-3pm
- 14: Ice Cream Social
- 19: First day PK-12
- 21: Parent Night
- 29: No school: Labor Day
September:
- 1: No school: Labor Day
- 2: School resumes
- 18: School pictures
