Sept. 29

On Tuesday, we headed outside to read! Some chose to read in the hammock village. Others chose to read on the playscape. This new playground addition is TOO cool for school!

We took time on Wednesday morning to participate in "See You at the Pole". 
Each chid wrote a prayer about for our family, friends, our community, and/or our leaders.

Walk-a-thon was a blast! We were able to walk on the turf and see siblings, cousins, and friends. I tried to catch as many of my "gray shirts" as possible. Some were just moving TOO fast! To say they were exhausted when we got back...would be an understatement.

On Friday, we were invited to learn about the different heritages of Spanish speaking countries. Our peers in Spanish immersion taught us about the food, music, games, and details about specific Spanish speaking countries. The students had a chance to try new foods, play some games, and hear facts about this countries. The students were so excited to take notes!

GRANDPARENTS/FRIENDS DAY:  We will be welcoming our Grandparents and friends into our building on Thursday, Oct. 4. This day can be so exciting for many, but it also can be a hard day for some. Please let me know if your child will not have a special visitor coming to Rose Park. I would love to help make arrangements or brainstorm ways as to how I can help :) Thank you!

THINK ENERGY: We have been selected to be part of a program called THINK! ENERGY on Thursday, Oct. 6.  We will learn about preserving resources related to energy production in our community and homes.  As a part of this program, our class will be awarded a $100 grant if we have 100% of our students participate with the at-home portion.  For this, your child will receive a kit on Thursday afternoon with energy saving devices that you can use in your home (it's got some pretty useful items in it - and it's free to you!).  There is a page of questions that go with it which your child will have to answer and return in order for our class to get credit. 

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES: Parent Teacher Conferences are less than three weeks away. I would love to meet with each of you to talk about the strengths and gifts of your children. I have spots open on Monday, Oct. 16 from 4-8pm (in person) and on Wednesday, Oct. 18 from 12-4pm (in person). Please let me know if you need help signing up!

DIRECTIONS FOR SCHEDULING PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES:

1. Go to HC Virtual Paragon, our conference reservation system.
2. “Holland Christian’s Access Password” is gohc (all lowercase). 

• Login with an account you created previously or create an account by clicking the “Create New User Name” button. If you didn’t participate in conferences last year, you will need to create a new account.
• Once logged in, select "Making Reservations."
• Select all of the teachers with whom you want conferences by clicking the box next to each teacher's name. Be sure you have the correct teacher in the correct building, since many of our teachers work in more than one building.
• Scroll to the bottom and click “Continue.”
• Reserve the times you want by clicking the box in the available time slots. The number of time slots you sign up for vary by grade level:
  • High School & Middle School: 5 minute reservations for any teacher. You may use two 5 minute reservations (a 10 minute conference) for no more than one teacher.
  • Elementary K-5th grade: 15 minute reservations with each teacher. Press “SAVE/DONE” button when you are finished making all of your reservations.
• In the next window, associate each reservation with a specific student by clicking “Edit.”
• You have now reserved your conferences! If you have difficulty, feel free to email vp_support@hollandchristian.org or you may call your school's office for assistance.

Safety and Security: Holland Christian is implementing consistent security measures for all K-12 students (Preschool will continue their typical drop off and pick up with parents’ entry at both Rose Park and South Side). Now that school has been underway for six weeks, we are asking parent/student drop off and good-bye 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. 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 

Photo retakes are October 25 - if your child will need retakes add that date to your calendar.

Grandparents Day is coming up on October 5 - the parent board is looking for treat donations and people to volunteer, sign up here! Please make sure to invite your grandparents and grand friends so they can join us!

Rose Park Fall Festival! Take a peek here for the exciting details! Thank you to our parent team for helping us celebrate our beautiful new playscape and ranch!