Dear Rose Park Friends,
It has been a joy and a blessing to join the Rose Park staff this year as the assistant principal. As I hear the first bell ring at 7:55 each morning I take my speaker and my coffee to station myself at the front door. The excitement for the day ahead is tangible as a group of students enter the building excited to spend a few extra minutes on our wonderful playscape. It’s amazing the variety in your sweet children each morning! Some are excited, others nervous, a few shy or even teary, but they all make it to our doors ready for the day ahead. I hear many stories in those first few minutes, maybe a joke too, but I sense the anticipation of what is to come.
A few minutes later the halls become quiet, your children are doing devotions in their classrooms and they have settled in. I love those settled-in minutes because I know each of your children is beginning their day in the loving care of their teachers; they have rhythms and routines that are familiar and they are starting their day off in devotion and in prayer. That is my hope for all of us in the month of October–that we would settle in. There is something so wonderful about knowing Whose we are, and I pray that your family would feel settled into the rhythms and routines of the school year knowing that we are held tightly by HIS hands. That settling may look different for each family, but I pray you would notice a settling, that each day could be approached with excitement and familiarity–what a gift it is!
Also–if you haven’t had a chance to pick up a Faith like a Child, A 40 Day Devotional written by many of our teachers, staff, parents, and community members, feel free to stop in the Rose Park office to pick one up. Maybe that would create a wonderful rhythm for your family as a devotional!
Blessings to you,
Katelyn Roskamp,
Rose Park Assistant Principal
Announcements
Safety and Security
Holland Christian is implementing consistent security measures for all K-12 students. Now that school has been underway for six weeks, we are asking parent/student drop-off and goodbye to take place at the front door. By October 9, we hope that all children will be able to navigate their way from the front door to their classroom. Teachers and staff will be readily available to support and cheer our independent students to their lockers and classrooms. This measure is important so that we do not have unknown or unexpected visitors accessing our buildings. This safety measure is consistent throughout all of our buildings, though preschool will continue their typical drop-off and pick-up with parents’ entry at both Rose Park and South Side. You’re still welcome inside as needed, please stop in at the office for a check-in and name badge. Thank you for your understanding. If you have questions or concerns, please connect with Miska at mrynsburger@hollandchristian.org or Katelyn at kroskamp@hollandchristian.org
Grandparents & Grandfriends Day
Please pass along our invitation to your special Grandparents and grandfriends! We’d love to pull out all of the stops and welcome them to our beautiful space at Rose Park. Thursday, October 5 in three different celebrations we will give thanks to God for surrounding us with the support and care of loved ones. Please note the timeframes for each age level:
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences will take place on Monday, Oct. 16 from 4-8pm and Wednesday, Oct. 18 from noon-4pm as a virtual option. This is a great time to connect with your child’s teacher and discover how the year has begun for your child. You can find all the details on how to sign up in the all-school newsletter emailed to you.
Our Ranch Family Fall Festival!
Take a peek at our Fall Fest page for the exciting details on our Rose Park Ranch Family Fall Festival! Thank you to our parent team for helping us celebrate our beautiful new playscape and ranch!
CEA
Our Christian Educator Association conference will take place on October 19 and 20, so school will not be in session on those days.
Medication at School
If your child needs to take medication at school, we need an updated form signed by their physician each school year. If you have not done this yet, please do so ASAP. The medication forms can be found on the Medical Information and Forms Page for your convenience. You are welcome to contact our school nurse, Hendrina Cupery who 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 (prescription or non-prescription) to our students without a doctor’s order. Thank you!
Absences
Please call the school office at 616.820.4055 any time before 8:30am to let us know each day your child will be absent. You may leave a voicemail at any time and it will be checked in the morning when the office opens.
Transportation
Busing is available for some students needing transportation to and from Rose Park. For complete busing details and to register, please visit our Transportation page.
Student Safety
After the school day is underway, all doors will be locked. All students who arrive late for school must stop in the school office. Parents are asked to sign children in and out at the school office if they are coming or going any time within the normal school hours.
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. If there is a change in your phone number or address any time during the school year, it is important that we 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.
You must 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 linked here is a great resource for parents providing important details on things like our curriculum, discipline policy, etc.
Hot Lunch Menu
Important Website Links
- School calendar
- School supply lists
- Hot lunch information
- Medical information & forms
- School transportation
- Before & After School Programs
Upcoming Dates:
October
- 16: Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4-8pm
- 18: Half day of school: Afternoon parent-teacher conferences
- 19-20: CEA Convention: No school
- 25: Picture retakes
- 27: RP Family Fall Festival
Community Fall Events
Community Family Fall Event @ the Critter Barn
Critter Barn is celebrating fall at the farm! You can join us for decorations and visits with all of Critter Barn’s animals, and tour the entire farm! Youth & adults are $8, while children 2 & under are free. Visit Friday, October 27 1-8pm or Saturday, October 28 10am-5pm.
Holland Christian Youth Volleyball Night!
Kids and families interested in HC volleyball are welcome to join us as we cheer on our HC Varsity volleyball team as they play against Coopersville on Tuesday, October 17, 6pm at HCHS gym. Child gets in free with paid adult or adult sports pass.
