Despite a bit of sadness that our sledding hill has not been open much this winter, we are still having a lot of fun and children have been working hard with all of their learning! February is a special month for teachers, since it is often at this time of year when we see your children really start to blossom. Each month I spend time with each class doing a variety of different activities. Many of our activities are around teamwork, how to give encouragement, being kind, using our words to help solve problems and how to recognize when we are upset and ways to help work through that. This month we will be practicing all of this as students participate in various relays and activities that require teamwork.
Thank you for letting us be in the lives of your children each day. We consider it a GREAT blessing!!
Erin Wyma
Announcements
Enrollment for 2023-2024
For full information on enrollment dates and links, please see the separate email sent out earlier today to all HC parents. However, for all parents with children in kindergarten or above, it’s nice to be reminded that Holland Christian is a continuous enrollment school. This means, in an effort to simplify the process for our current K-12 families, you will not need to re-apply every year (this is, after kindergarten). We are happy that you are a part of the Holland Christian family, and our hope and plan is that you want to continue partnering with us in the years to come!
Discovery Night
Thank you so much for coming out to our preschool and kindergarten Discovery Nights, and for passing along information about our school district to your family and friends. We had a great turn out, and are so grateful for the partnership we get to continue with families at HC!
Wacky Wednesdays
What fun we had with this years’ Wacky Wednesday themes that added some fun to our wintery Wednesdays! The class with the highest percentage of participation for each week received a voucher for a hot chocolate party. We have one Wacky Wednesday left – February 1 will be Hat day! Many thanks to the Parent Team and volunteers that put this together and helped serve the nice, warm treat for the winning classes.
Swimming Lessons
Swimming lessons at the Holland Aquatic Center are returning for 1st-4th grade students at Holland Christian. Our 1st and 2nd grade lessons will be February 13-24. Per the pool’s newest policies, parents are invited to come watch the last two days of swimming lessons.
1st grade parents are invited to come and watch February 23 & 24 from 9-10am.
2nd grade parents are invited to come and watch February 23 & 24 from 10-11am.
Lost & Found:
The office is continuing to update our South Side Lost and Found Photo Album as items come into the gray tub in the office. Please check it out to see if any of these items belong to your child. Feel free to email one of the secretaries, Jenna (jritsema@hollandchristian.org) or Pat (pmeiste@hollandchristian.org), to claim your item(s), and we will be sure to get it into your child’s backpack.
Also, in December a pair of adult men’s sunglasses in a case were found in the carpool lane during morning dropoff. If yours are missing, please stop in, email, or call 616.820.3535 to the office to identify them and pick them up!
Hearing and Vision Screening
The Allegan County Health Department will be in our school March 6-8 for Hearing and Vision Screening for preschool through 2nd grade. If your child wears glasses, please be sure he/she has them at school. The testing results will be filed in your child’s file as proof of testing for students that are entering kindergarten. If you prefer to not have your child screened, please stop in the office by Wednesday, March 1, 2023 to fill out the provided opt-out form that provides documentation of a recent screening elsewhere.
K-6 Boys & Girls Volleyball Clinic
Whether brand-new to the sport of volleyball or a more experienced player, this clinic is for all elementary athletes, both boys and girls! Led by the high school coaches and mentored by Holland Christian varsity volleyball players, kids will have 3 fun and active sessions learning the game of volleyball and focusing on improving foundational skills. We coach every level and look forward to helping your kids grow in the game of volleyball while also challenge themselves physically and engaging in fun and memorable games and activities.
Who: K-2nd and 3rd-6th grade boys and girls
Location: Holland Christian High School Gym
Dates/Time: March 11, 18, and 25. K-2 @ 8-9:20am, 3rd-6th 9:30-10:50am
Cost: $25, Late Registration: $35
Sign-up now on Active (select 22/23 school year)
Holland Little League
Holland Little League is excited to offer baseball and softball for kids ages 5 through 12. Sign up HERE on Holland Little League’s website to get your child outside this spring and on a team. Younger levels (age 7 and below) are formed based on the elementary schools, so it is likely your child will have others they know on their team. Registration closes February 28, so act soon and get your child signed up! Financial help with the registration cost is available. Please email: littleleagueholland@gmail.com. If you know of anyone interested in coaching, or helping coach a team this year please email Matt Richardson at richardsonm252@gmail.com.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences are coming up! You will receive an email with instructions on how to register for conferences in a few weeks.
- Monday, March 20: 4-8pm, In person
- Monday, March 27: 4-8pm, Virtual option available
Grandparents Day: Save the Date
Grandparents Day for Preschool-2nd Grade will be coming this spring! We are so excited to welcome our grandparents and grand friends to South Side the morning of Thursday, April 20. The only exception is Mrs. Grassmid’s 3’s Monday/Wednesday class – they will celebrate their special day the morning of Wednesday, April 19. More details will be coming as we get closer. Pine Ridge will also be having their Grandparents Day the same day in the afternoon.
Tulip Time
In 2018, Tulip Time reframed their mission statement, which now reads “Mission Statement: Welcoming the world into our community by celebrating tulips, Dutch heritage, and Holland today.” To better align ourselves with their mission statement as well as with the goals here at Holland Christian, our HC elementary students will be given two options for dressing up and walking in the the 2023 Kinderparade. More details will be forthcoming as we get closer to Tulip Time, but we want you to be aware of the options well in advance of the Tulip Time season. All 1st-4th graders will be given the option of walking in either our “tulip” section of the parade or our “Dutch heritage” section.
- If your 1st-4th grade student chooses to opt into the “tulip” section of our parade, your child will design and construct his or her own tulip to carry and then dress as a gardener based around our “Streams of Living Water” t-shirt. This gardener costume might include gardening boots and gloves, overalls, a wide-brimmed hat, etc. Anything you have handy at home that helps your child look like a busy gardener tilling the tulips will fit the part perfectly!
- Students who opt into the “Dutch heritage” portion of our student body will wear their own Dutch costume and carry the parade props our students have carried in the past.
More details about logistics, costumes and timing will be coming soon. Don’t hesitate to email Erin with questions or wondering.
News from Food Service
Did you know that you may apply for lunch benefits at any time of the school year? Situations change, so don’t be hesitant to apply to this confidential resource. Go to familyportal.cloud, put your school district in the drop down (Holland Christian), and apply for Lunch Benefits. This is very easy, no need knowing your student’s ID number, and it’s extremely confidential. If you have any questions, please contact Sue at 616.820.2934.
HC TRIP Program
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! Give it a try and see if it doesn’t lighten your financial load. See the TRIP page for more information and as always help is always just a quick question away.
Substitutes Needed
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.
Important Website Links
Upcoming Dates
Skating Party Save the Date
February
- 1: Hat day; preschool and kindergarten 2023-2024 application open for new families at 9am
- 13-24: First and second grade swimming lessons
- 17: Half day of school (Teacher professional learning)
- 20: No school (Teacher professional learning)
- 23-24: Parents of 1st/2nd grade invited to watch swimming lessons
March
- 4: Kids stuff resale 9am-12pm @ HCHS
- 6-8: Hearing and vision testing
- 20: Parent-teacher conferences 4-8pm (in person)
- 24: Report cards available
- 27: Parent-teacher conferences 4-8pm (virtual option available)
- 28: All-school skating night
- 31-April 9: No school: Spring break
April
- 10: School resumes
- 19: Mrs. Grassmid’s 3’s Monday/Wednesday class Grandparents/Grand friends Day
- 20: Grandparents/Grandfriends Day
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