For to us a child is born,
To us a son is given,
And the government will be upon his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
What a special month December is…a time when we get to turn our focus to THE BEGINNING… when a child came to us, born of a young virgin in the city of Bethlehem. A few years ago my husband and I had the amazing privilege of going to Israel with Ray VanderLaan. As we walked up a rugged mountainside one day, I stopped and wept as I thought of what it would be like for my 15 year old daughter to make that same journey that Mary took from Nazareth to Bethlehem on foot, without the hiking gear that I had, and also pregnant with the King of Kings. I was overcome with emotion of what she must have felt physically, emotionally and spiritually. She was chosen to carry the…“Son of the Most High God”–AMAZING!!! Only God could write a miraculous love story like that. It is this amazing baby Jesus, who we celebrate during this Christmas season. It is so fun to be able to spend this month with the students slowing down some of our normal pace of our instructional day and add activities that allow us to focus on our special Christmas gift–the birth of our Lord and Savior.
Wishing you all a blessed holiday season,
Erin Wyma
Announcements
Illness
We continue to use precautions at school to keep everyone healthy and in school each day. Thanks for your help with this in monitoring your child for any symptoms he/she may be experiencing at home. For fevers, your child must be fever free without the use of fever reducing medicine for 24 hours before returning to school. If your child will not be present at school, please remember to report the absence and symptoms by calling 616.820.3535, or by emailing jritsema@hollandchristian.org AND pmeiste@hollandchristian.org
Just a friendly reminder that the office is not able to administer medication without a doctor’s signature on a medical consent form. This includes both prescription and over the counter medication (Tylenol, Ibuprofen, cough drops, ointment, etc.). You can find the medical forms needed on Medical Forms and Information Page.
Christmas Project
This year we are partnering with Hand2Hand Ministries again. Thousands of students in the West Michigan area are able to take home snack packs and supplemental food each weekend through the work of Hand2Hand Ministries and their partnership with local churches, schools, and businesses. Following their guidelines, we are going to provide Snack Packs for children. On Wednesday, December 14, all of our students will get busy packing Snack Packs, decorating small note cards, and filling boxes with these food supplies. Collection dates for the items listed below will be December 5-13.
If you would like your child to participate in donating food items, take a peek at the item assigned to your child’s class below, and send it along to school between December 5-13. Every class will have the opportunity to help pack the Snack Packs on December 14. We’re excited about this opportunity to talk with our students about God’s call for us to serve our neighbors, and by moving into action!
| Item to donate: (Any brand, but please try to get items that are at least 6 months away from expiration) | Class: |
|---|---|
| Fruit snacks |
Mrs. Brouwer’s class Mrs. Becksfort’s class |
| Individually packaged trail mixes |
Mrs. Dreyer’s class Mrs. Miedema’s class |
| Granola bars |
Mrs. Grassmid’s classes Mrs. Baker’s class |
| Individually packaged, snack size, cookie packs |
Mrs. Engber’s class Ms. Hoezee’s class |
| Quart-size Ziploc bags |
Mrs. Strikwerda’s class Mrs. Timmer’s class |
Sledding Hill
Along with the snow comes recess time on the sledding hill! South Side will be providing sleds again this year, so please do not bring your own sleds from home. This will allow us to keep them stacked neat and tidy in the building, and give all students that want to, a chance to sled!
Lost & Found
Our South Side Lost & Found items are in a gray tub in the office. If you are missing anything, please stop in and take a peek before Christmas break, as we will be donating the remaining items.
From the Parent Board
The Parent Board would like to thank you for your support of our teachers and staff during the month of November! Your cards and tokens of appreciation brightened their days. Thank you also for your support of the Book Fair! Your participation was able to help us fund more books in the South Side and Pine Ridge libraries.
Parent Board Christmas Lunch
On December 14, staff will have the opportunity to gather together for a Christmas Luncheon. In order for this to happen, we would like some volunteers. If you are willing to volunteer in your child’s K-2nd or preschool enrichment classroom during lunch time, please reach out to the teacher and check to see if they have coverage. We need 1 parent per classroom. If you’re willing to bundle up and cover recess duty, please sign up to reserve your recess spot! Thank you for your help in making this special time work for our staff!
Maroon & White Pop-Up Shop
Looking for the perfect HC gear for Christmas? Come shop the Maroon & White Shop at Pine Ridge (623 W 40th St, Holland) on December 8! The shop will be open from 2-4:30pm.
Christmas Spirit Week
To get into the spirit of Christmas, we are going to have some fun, themed days our last week of school before Christmas Break, December 12-16. Here’s what we (along with Pine Ridge and Forest School) have planned:
- 12/12 Monday: Christmas Socks
- 12/13 Tuesday: Christmas Sweater
- 12/14 Wednesday: Red/Green Day
- 12/15 Thursday: Christmas Headgear (antlers, hats)
- 12/16 Friday: Christmas PJs
Discover South Side
Do you or any of your friends or extended family have a prospective preschooler or kindergartener? Are you looking into options for the 2023-2024 school year? We’ll be having our Discovery Night on January 10 from 6-7pm, and we’d love to have you explore South Side’s preschool and kindergarten programs! Since we prepare individually for each family visiting this Discovery Night, an RSVP for the Discovery Night is required.
If you are unable to make it to Discovery Night, you are still welcome to visit Holland Christian Schools in person and see things in action for yourself. Feel free to schedule a campus tour through our Admissions Department at admissions@hollandchristian.org or 616.820.2806. You can begin by filling out our Inquiry Form. Enrollment for the 2023-24 school year begins on February 1, 2023.
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 contact Rachel Hendershot at rhendershot@hollandchristian.org, or you can start an application on Edustaff.org.
Trip
December 7 is the last time to place an order for items to be received before Christmas. For more information about this program, please visit our TRIP page.
Important Website Links
- School Calendar
- Lunch Menu
- Medical Information & Forms
- School Transportation
- Before & After School Programs
Upcoming Dates
December:
- 5-13: Collection dates for Hand2Hand items
- 8: Maroon & White Shop open at Pine Ridge 2-4:30pm
- 12: Christmas socks day
- 13: Christmas sweater day
- 14: Red/green day
- 15: Christmas headgear (antlers, hats)
- 16: Christmas PJs
- 17: Christmas Break begins
January:
- 3: School resumes
- 9-20: Delta Math and MAP testing
- 10: South Side Discovery Night 6pm
- 13: End of first semester
- 16: No School (MLK Day)
- 20: Report cards live in PowerSchool
