We LOVE it when Mr. Russ, our HC Director of Faith Formation, visits us at South Side! Earlier this year he stopped into our kindergarten classroom to talk with students about what it means to practice “Kingdom Bringing.” He told the story of the Israelites as slaves in Egypt—how God wanted to free them, and although He could have done it alone, He chose to work through Moses.
After hearing the story, our kindergarteners created their own “God’s Story” posters. They reflected on God’s wonderful, beautiful creation, how it was broken by sin, and how God always had a plan to send a Savior. And now, they learned, God chooses to use them, like He did Moses, as His “Kingdom bringers” in the world.
One of our core values at Holland Christian is discernment. It can feel like a big word for little learners, but at its heart, discernment means learning God’s Word and putting it into practice. This is something we strive to do every day at South Side. From hearing Bible stories to sharing toys, from memorizing Scripture to inviting a classmate to join in the sandbox, from understanding our discipleship practices to making God’s Story posters, our young learners are listening to God’s instructions and practicing how to live them out.
This idea is summed up beautifully in one of their favorite songs. Perhaps you’ve heard it before—and if not, ask your child to sing it for you!
I’m gonna stand on the Rock,
I’m gonna stand on the Rock,
I’m gonna stand on the Rock of God’s Word.
I’m gonna try to obey,
I’m gonna try to obey,
I’m gonna try to obey—obey God’s Word.
Christy Haig
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 rsteen@hollandchristian.org.
Just a friendly reminder that the office is not able to administer medication (prescription and over the counter) without a doctor’s signature on a medical consent form. Students are also not able to store any medication in their classrooms, backpacks, or lockers. All medication needs to be kept in the office. You can find the medical forms needed on the Medical Forms & Information Page.
Snowy Weather
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 a chance to sled!
We also see a lot of winter gear in these months–hats, mittens, snow pants! Please remember to label all of your student’s belongings to help prevent items from getting mixed up or lost!
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, or check out our South Side Lost and Found Photo Album before Christmas break, as we will be donating the remaining items.
Book Fair
Pine Ridge Book Fair will run December 5-11 and we are in need of parent volunteers to staff the times that are open for shopping! Interested in helping at the Book Fair? Please check out this link for the Book Fair sign up for 2025.
The Book Fair will be open for families to shop Wednesday, December 10 from 2-4pm and Thursday, December 11 from 3-5:30pm. If you plan to shop with your child Wednesday or Thursday, the Book Fair will accept cash, check, or credit card. Checks can be made to Holland Christian Schools. The book fair has an abundance of books, but there are also pens/pencils, posters, and other fun items to purchase.
We appreciate your support of the book fair which supplies funds for the library!
Christmas Spirit Week
To get in the spirit of Christmas, we are going to have some fun, themed days our last week of school before Christmas Break, December 15-19. Here’s what we (along with Pine Ridge & Forest School) have planned:
- 12/15 Monday: Christmas headgear (antlers, hats)
- 12/16 Tuesday: Christmas sweater
- 12/17 Wednesday: Red/green day
- 12/18 Thursday: Christmas socks
- 12/19 Friday: Christmas PJs
Student Life and Discipleship Highlight
Second grade might seem young, but at South Side our second graders are truly school leaders. This fall they walked down the road to Maranatha Church for our South Side School Leadership Conference. There, they learned that good leaders follow Jesus’ example, brainstormed ways they can lead by showing patience, helpfulness, perseverance, and problem-solving, and even applied for South Side leadership jobs. We ended our time together by praying over them and giving each student a Scripture magnet for their locker.
Now they’re putting those leadership skills into practice. They are using encouraging words with classmates and younger students, leading small-group activities during Create Time, keeping our playground balls pumped up, and making announcements that celebrate our South Side Star behavior traits. Our second graders are shining as leaders in our school community!
Thank You 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.
Preschool & Kindergarten Discovery Nights
Tuesday, January 13, 6-7 pm: Families welcome! Join us right at 6pm for an evening created just for your family. We’ve packed a lot into the hour, and we can’t wait to share it with you! Includes information about our 3s and 4s preschool, young 5s and kindergarten programs.
Please use this RSVP link to sign up.
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.
Save the Date
South Side, along with Pine Ridge and Forest School will be holding our Spring Program on Thursday, March 12 from 6:30-7:30 at Christ Memorial Church. More details to follow.
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 or start an application on Edustaff.org.
Important Website Links
- School Calendar
- Lunch Menu
- Medical Information & Forms
- School Transportation
- Before & After School Programs
Upcoming Dates
December:
- 15: Christmas headgear day (antlers, hats)
- 16: Christmas sweater day
- 17: Red/green day
- 18: Christmas socks day
- 19: Christmas PJs
- 22: Christmas break begins
January:
- 5: School resumes
- 5-16: MAP testing
- 13: South Side Discovery Night 6pm
- 16: End of second quarter
- 19: No school (MLK Day)
- 23: Report cards live in Power School