As we look ahead to an exciting new school year, we are filled with gratitude for God’s faithfulness and all that He has in store for our South Side community. Our renovation project is off to a wonderful start, and it’s exciting to see the transformation already underway! At the same time, we’re settling into our temporary home at Longfellow, where classrooms are coming together and we’re preparing to welcome students with the same joyful, Christ-centered learning environment you know and love. We can’t wait to begin this new adventure with your family!
Check out the empty playground and classroom at South Side!
And here are some of our new Longfellow spaces. All that is missing is your kids!
Blessings,
Christy Haig
Announcements
South Side at Longfellow this year
As you know, our beloved South Side building is going through an exciting renovation. During this time God has provided a wonderful school building for us to use. We will be meeting this year at the Longfellow Elementary building. It is located at 45 E 25th St. We are working at setting everything up and the building is starting to really feel like South Side already.
Class Lists & School Supplies
We are so excited to welcome your child back to school! Class lists were sent to your email. If you didn’t receive this communication, please check your spam folder first and then let us know. Here is the list of school supplies for each grade level/class preschool through 2nd grade.
Play Date
We have one more summer play date on Wednesday August 12. HC2 families are invited to come and meet together on the playground at Longfellow at 9:30 and all elementary families can come and join them at 10:00.
Parent Information Night
This will be a night where just parents come to meet Mrs. Haig and your child’s classroom teacher. You’ll be able to ask more detailed questions about your child’s school and classroom experience.
Preschool, elementary and our homeschool connection (HC2) program will all host their parent information night on Thursday, August 27 at 5:30pm.
Ice Cream Social
On Thursday, August 20, 6-7pm, all preschool, elementary and HC2 students and their families are invited to come together and walk through their classrooms, meet their teachers, find their lockers–all the fun things about starting a new school year! Once your family has had a chance to do that, everyone heads out to the playground to enjoy an ice cream sundae bar and fellowship as a school community.
Wednesday Morning Late Start
As we continue partnering with families to provide the best possible learning experience for your child(ren), we’re excited to share a schedule update for this year. All HC campuses will begin classes at 8:30 a.m. each Wednesday, aligning our elementary campuses with the schedule already in place at Holland Christian’s middle and high schools.
This dedicated time each week will allow teachers to collaborate across grade levels, strengthen curriculum planning, and participate in professional development together—all while reducing interruptions to the school week, such as additional half-days.
First Days of School
- Our first day of school is a full day, Tuesday, August 25.
- 3-day preschool and 3-day young 5s students enjoy their first day on Wednesday, August 26.
- HC2 students enjoy their first day on Wednesday, August 26.
- Dismissal will be at 11:15am for AM preschool students and 3:15pm for full-day preschool students and Young 5 – 2nd grade students.
Drop-off/Pick-up Procedures
We ask that you adhere to the following traffic policies for Drop-Off and Pick-Up as specified. We appreciate your cooperation and doing your part to keep our children entering and exiting school safely each day. Please note that in the mornings the front doors will be locked until 7:50am. With a new location this year, drop-off and pick-up are going to feel a bit different. As we experience it all together, we may need to make some tweaks to ensure that everything is smooth and safe.
Parent Opportunity
We have many opportunities for you to partner with us throughout the school year. Right now we are looking for some parents to join our parent partner team. We are also looking for some help and donations to get our playground at Longfellow ready for fun! Click here to sign up or to get more information.
Picture Day
For those of you planning ahead, South Side’s picture day is Wednesday, September 30. Once order forms are received from GPI they will be sent home with students. If you are ordering a yearbook this will be the time to do that also.
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 email Lindsey Prentice, our school nurse. 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 (prescription or non-prescription) to our students without a doctor’s order. Thank you!
Absences
Please call the school office at 616.820.3535 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.
Summer Office Hours
The South Side office will be open starting August 3 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.
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 login, 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, etc.
Moms In Prayer
Community Opportunities
Important Website Links
- School Calendar
- School Supply Lists
- Hot Lunch Information
- Medical Information & Forms
- School Transportation
- Before & After School Programs
Upcoming Dates:
August
- 20: PreK-2nd grade Ice Cream Social 6-7pm
- 25: First day of school
- 27: Parent Information Night 5:30-6:30pm
September
- 4: No school: Labor Day weekend
- 7: No school: Labor Day
- 9: All School Convocation
- 23: Walkathon
- 30: Preschool-2nd grade: School Pictures
October
- 7: Grandparents Day
- 8: Parent-Teacher Conferences
- 12: Parent-Teacher Conferences
- 14-16: CEA Convention: No school