Fall Fun!

Can you believe it's almost November?! Each one of the days we've spent together has been a blessing! This week was filled with energy and excitement as we continued to learn with each other after a fun fall break! What fun we had on our class Pumpkin Day! Lots of learning and fun together! Thanks so much to the moms who came and helped out groups and those who sent in snacks and drinks! The kids loved it! Our class also had a great time at Sassafras Ridge with all the 2nd grade classes in the HC district! Lots of kids together and so much fun seeing friends and making new ones! What a fantastic day! Check out the end of the blog for pictures!

We also said Good bye to our friend and classmate Cole K. We got to enjoy a wonderful fun last day together and we gave him a gift, and we prayed over him! We will miss him and his family! 

Homework:
Next week we'll stick with the usual:
Purple Reading Slip will come home Monday (due Monday, Nov. 7)
Math Homework Page will come home Monday (due Monday, Nov. 7)

A new Bible Memory for November will be in the Monday Homework Folder: Psalm 100. This is such a special psalm to memorize around the Thanksgiving holiday! Please practice this at home with your child. 

Blue half sheet with the new words of the week!

Words of the Week: 

This week we studied: often, such, best

Next week's words that we'll be adding in are: think, family, never

You'll see a blue half sheet with these 6 words to practice in Monday's Homework Folder. 

Jungle Explorer of the Week!

Savannah was our special Jungle Explorer of the Week! Thanks for sharing your poster and pictures with our class. We enjoyed getting to know you and learning that you love playing with your dog, Indy, you like to play tennis, and your favorite food is peaches! We love that you want to be a tennis champion when you grow up! Your favorite place is Torch Lake. You are so special to God and to us, Savannah, and we loved getting to know more about you this week!

Children’s Advocacy Center Visit 

The Children's Advocacy Center will be coming to do a presentation about body safety in our Kindergarten through 2nd grade classrooms in November. Please check out this Children’s Advocacy Center handout for more information. You are welcome to attend the presentation with your child! Please contact the South Side office by calling 616-820-3535 or emailing jritsema@hollandchristian.org or pmeiste@hollandchristian.org to receive the date and time of the presentation for your child’s class, and to let us know that you plan to attend.

Picture Retakes

Picture retakes are Wednesday, November 2 right away in the morning. If you are choosing to have retakes, please return your picture packet back to school with your child, and email your child’s teacher to let them know that you want your child to have picture retakes. If your child was sick on picture day, or is a new transfer student, this is the time to have their picture taken.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Oct. 31: Math and Reading slips due, Library books due

Nov. 2: Picture Retake day

Nov. 7: Children's Advocacy Talk

Nov. 9: Big Read Lakeshore Story at Hope College

Nov. 23-25: Thanksgiving break

Lord's Prayer

We have been studying the Lord's Prayer in Bible class this week and it's been such a gift to be
able to talk to the students about prayer and why we pray.  We've also been learning about what the Lord's Prayer means and the what those words mean when we pray them, and how Jesus teaches us to pray. What a blessing and comfort we have in these words from our Lord! We are all so thankful to be at a Christian School where our faith in Jesus grows deeper each day as we learn more about Him through His Word! 

We had a fun visit from the 8th grade orchestra kids on Thursday! They played some songs for us and let the 2nd graders get up close to the instruments! They showed the 2nd graders how to play their instruments and then the 2nd graders played a song! Super fun! Look for pictures of this at the end of the blog.

HOMEWORK FOLDERS:
Your child's new Reading slip and Math homework are coming home on Monday (Oct. 17) and they will be due Monday, Oct. 24. 

- Bible: Psalm 23 was sent home, it is a beautiful psalm, keep practicing!

WORDS OF THE WEEK:

Thank you for helping your child practice: things, school, walk, always, great, find, until, last, high, easy, next, pretty, more idea, soon

Thanks for helping your child practice these words! Our spelling test will be on Wed. Oct. 19!

Jungle Explorer of the Week!Elsa was our special Jungle Explorer of the Week! Thanks for sharing your poster and pictures with our class. We enjoyed getting to know you and learning that you love playing with friends, you play softball, soccer, and gymnastics, and your favorite food is pizza! We love that you want to be a teacher when you grow up! Your favorite place is Disney World. You are so special to God and to us, Elsa, and we loved getting to know more about you this week!

No Jungle Explorer next week because of the short week.

Pumpkin Day:

On Oct. 25 our 2nd grade class will be having their Pumpkin Day! We will do some fun learning activities with pumpkins and make a fall craft. We are looking forward to celebrating fall with this fun day in 2nd grade. We are looking for some parent volunteers to help with our groups. If you can make it work we would love to have you! Check out the sign up genius link to come and celebrate with us! Feel free to dress in fall colors like: red, orange, yellow, or brown!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D48A4AB2BA4F58-pumpkin

CONFERENCES:
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be the following days:
Monday, Oct. 17 from 4:00-8:00pm
Wednesday, Oct. 19 from 12:00-4:00pm- Just a note these meetings on Wednesday are virtual. I will send a link for those conferences next week with the link you will need for the meeting. I ask for some patience as we are using a new system and we haven't worked out all the bugs!

I am looking forward to meeting with you, and celebrating all your child has accomplished in 2nd grade so far, and discussing ways we can continue to challenge your child this year! 

REPORT CARDS: 
Report Cards are available today electronically. Please take time to look it over, and I'll be looking forward to chatting with you more about your child's progress on Monday or Wednesday at conferences. Please remember that the standards are end of the year goals, and your child has had a good first quarter in 2nd Grade! 

Sassafras Ridge:

On Oct. 28 the 2nd graders will be going to Sassafras Ridge for most of the day. We are spending time with the 2nd grade classes from Rose  Park and Forest School. We have some fun things planned!  2nd graders will need a sack lunch for that day. We will cancel if it is pouring rain.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Oct. 17: Math and Reading slips due,

Oct. 17 and 19: Parent/Teacher Conferences from 4pm-8pm(19th from 12-4pm)

Oct. 19: 1/2 day of school dismissal at 11:30, 1st -15 sight words test

Oct. 20-21: CEA Convention (No School)

Oct. 25: Pumpkin Day

Oct. 28: 2nd grade to Sassafras Ridge need a sack lunch

Nov. 2: Picture Retake day

Nov. 23-25: Thanksgiving break

What a beautiful week it's been again. It's amazing to witness the intricate changes in season that our Creative God has designed and puts on display each fall!  We are reminded that despite what's going on in the world around us, God remains constant and He is with us! What a comfort that is! 

HOMEWORK FOLDERS:
Your child's new Reading slip and Math homework are coming home on Monday (Oct. 10) and they will be due Monday, Oct. 17. 
- Bible: Psalm 23 was sent home this week. It is a beautiful psalm, enjoy learning and reviewing it all together!

-New words of the week are: more, idea, soon

WORDS OF THE WEEK:
Thank you for helping your child practice: things, school, walk, always, great, find, until, last, high, easy, next, pretty
This coming week's new words are: more, idea, soon
There will be a blue half sheet in Monday's Homework folder so you can keep it on the fridge and continue to practice reading and writing these words. This coming week we are finishing up our first set of 15 words, so we will have our Spelling Test on Wednesday Oct. 19!

Jungle Explorer of the Week!

Joanna was our special Jungle Explorer of the Week! Thanks for sharing your poster and pictures with our class. We enjoyed getting to know you and learning that you love playing on the monkey bars, reading, writing, and helping others. Your favorite food is pizza! We love that you want to be a scientist when you grow up! Your favorite place is visiting the museum. You are so special to God and to us, Joanna, and we loved getting to know more about you this week!

CONFERENCES:
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be the following days:
Monday, Oct. 17 from 4:00-8:00pm
Wednesday, Oct. 19 from 12:00-4:00pm

The link to sign up for conferences will be available until Oct. 14. There are some days it will be locked as High School and Middle School conferences may be taking place. Please check back to the email you received to first sign up if you have any questions.

I am looking forward to meeting with you, and celebrating all your child has accomplished in 2nd grade so far, and discussing ways we can continue to challenge your child this year! 

Report Cards:

PowerSchool/Report Card Viewing 

Report cards will be available Friday, October 14 at 4:00pm via PowerSchool. Login information was handed out on Ice Cream Social night. If you have misplaced it, or if you are having issues logging into PowerSchool, please contact Mrs. Ritsema in the office by emailing jritsema@hollandchristian.org so your account will be ready to view your child's report card. 

You will be able to access Report Card information in two ways through the Parent PowerSchool Portal. One way is by clicking "Grades and Attendance" in the left navigation (typically the first screen you'll see) and then clicking the tab "Standards Grades" in the main screen. The other way is to click the "K-5 Report Cards" in the left navigation. This one takes longer to load but will show everything.

Important Dates:

Oct. 10: Math Homework due, Reading slips due, Library books due

Oct. 14: Report Cards go live

Oct. 17 & 19: Conferences- 17th from 4-8pm and 19th from 12:00-4;00pm

Oct. 19: 1st- 15 Sight Words Test, 1/2 day of school

Oct. 20 &21: No School CEA Convention

Nov. 2: Picture Retake Day

Fall is in the air! We are starting to see glimpses of God's power in the slight color change on the leaves! What an awesome God we serve! The students are learning each day in Bible to trust our all-powerful God. We are in awe of God's faithfulness to His people despite their unfaithfulness to Him. What a beautiful reminder that our God who changes the seasons also holds each of us gently in His hands. We had a great time at the Walk-a-thon! Thanks to all the parents who helped out to make it a huge success!

HOMEWORK:

Your child's reading slip and math homework page are due Monday the 3rd. Please return them in your child's Friday Folder, along with the homework folder. 

Monday (Oct. 3rd) your child will come home with their homework folder again.

Inside will be...

- A Math worksheet that will be due on Monday, Oct. 10. Please remember to time your child on each half of the page and write their time or number correct in the side column.

- A Reading Minutes sheet that will be due on Monday, Oct. 10. Remember the goal is 100 minutes. This can be your child reading on his/her own OR you and your child taking turns.

-New Bible memory-A copy of Psalm 23 to keep at home.

-Blue 1/2 sheet with our words of the week.

WORDS OF THE WEEK:

Thank you for helping your child practice: things, school, walk, always, great, find, until,
last, high. Look for the blue half sheet in your child's Homework Folder.

This coming week's new words are: easy, next, pretty

BIBLE MEMORY:

We are starting to learn Psalm 23. A copy to keep at home will be sent home in the homework folder on Monday. Please continue to practice this at home. Our goal is to have this completely memorized by the end of the month.

 

Jungle Explorer of the Week!

Cole K. was our special Jungle Explorer of the Week! Thanks for sharing your poster and pictures with our class. We enjoyed getting to know you and learning that you like Legos and Reading, your favorite place is Legoland, and your favorite food is pizza! We love that you want to be a Captain when you grow up! You are so special to God and to us, Cole, and we loved getting to know more about you this week!

Field Trip to Sassafras Ridge:

On Oct. 7 our 2nd grade class will be going to Sassafras Ridge for outdoor learning. We look forward to seeing God's beautiful creation and see how plants can change this time of year. We will be doing some of our Reading work at Sassafras Ridge. Please make sure your child has appropriate clothing for the day. We will be at Sassafras in the afternoon.

POCKET DAY: 

Our 30th day of school is Wednesday, Oct. 5. We'll have our next pocket day competition--come with your layers of store-made pockets! :) We see who wins this time! 

Book Orders:

Book order papers went home last week Friday. I'll be taking orders until Oct. 5 if you would like to order. Shopping early for Christmas? I'd be happy to keep your order a secret! Ordering online is easy and you have the option to have your order shipped to school or your house.

CONFERENCES:
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be the following days:
Monday, Oct. 17 from 4:00-8:00pm
Wednesday, Oct. 19 from 12:00:-400pm

The link to sign up for conferences will be available until Oct. 14. There are some days it will be locked as High School and Middle School conferences may be taking place. Please check back to the email you received to first sign up if you have any questions.

I am looking forward to meeting with you, and celebrating all your child has accomplished in 2nd grade so far, and discussing ways we can continue to grow your child this year! 

IMPORTANT DATES:

Oct. 3:Purple reading slip due, Math Homework due, Library books due

Oct. 5:Pocket Day

Oct. 7: Field Trip to Sassafras Ridge

Oct. 14: Report Cards go live

Oct. 19: 1/2 day of school

Oct. 17 and 19: Parent/Teacher Conferences from 4pm-8pm, 19th from 12pm-4pm

Oct. 20 and 21: CEA Convention (No School)

Fall has arrived

What a week in second grade! It's been such a joy this week to watch the students dig
deeper into some of the Old Testament. During Bible time, we briefly touched on the different judges, prophets, kings, and nation of Israel being split into two. I love the connection students have made between these people making mistakes and God still loving them. Just as we make mistakes and God still loves us! The kids have been working hard and I am so proud of them! Thanks for all the support you've given me from home this first month as well! I certainly couldn't do it without you! 

HOMEWORK:

Friday Praise time!

Your child's current reading slip and math homework pages are due Monday the 26th. Please return them in your child's Friday Folder, along with the Homework folder. 

Monday (26th) your child will come home with their homework folder again.

Inside will be...

- A Math worksheet that will be due on Monday, Oct. 3. Please remember to time your child on each half of the page and write their number correct in the side column.

- A Reading Minutes sheet that will be due on Monday, Oct. 3. Remember the goal is 100 minutes. This can be your child reading on his/her own OR you and your child taking turns.

- Blue 1/2 sheet with your child's next three words of the week- until, last, high

WORDS OF THE WEEK:

Thank you for helping your child practice: things, school, walk, always, great, find. Look for the blue half sheet in your child's Homework Folder.

This coming week's new words are: until, last, high

BIBLE MEMORY:

We are continuing to practice Psalm 8 and the students are doing really well. Please continue to practice this at home. Our goal is to have this completely memorized by the end of the month. We are almost there!

 

Book Orders:

Book orders are coming home this week. Scholastic has many great books! Please place your order by Oct. 5 if you are interested. Doing some early Christmas shopping? Please let me know and I can keep the books a secret for you! Thanks!

Lunch Helpers:

Looking for parents who would like to come in and help cover lunch in the classroom on Wednesdays. If you are able, sign up with the link below! Thanks for your help! I've had kids asking when parents can come in and be in our room. :)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D48A4AB2BA4F58-lunch

Jungle Explorer of the Week!

Connor was our special Jungle of the Week! Thanks for sharing your poster and pictures with our class. We enjoyed getting to know you and learning that you love driving tractors, feeding your cows, playing outside, and hugging your dad. Your favorite food is hamburgers! We love that you want to be a farmer when you grow up! Your favorite place is Sea World in Orlando, Florida. You are so special to God and to us, Connor, and we loved getting to know more about you this week!

Reading and Writing:

Just and FYI, due to our large class size I wanted to let parents know that we will be receiving help in our classroom. Students may get help from Mrs. Schupe, Mrs. Haig, or myself. We are blessed to have willing hands and people to help the students grow this year!

IMPORTANT DATES:

Sept. 26:Purple reading slip due, Math Homework due, Library books due

Sept. 28: Walk-a-thon

Oct. 14: Report Cards go live

Oct. 19: 1/2 day of school

Oct. 17 and 19: Parent/Teacher Conferences: the 17th from 4-8pm, the 19th from 12-4pm

Oct. 20-21: CEA Convention (No School)

Praise and worship chapel!

What a week in second grade! It's been such a joy this week to watch the students dig deeper into some of the Old Testament Bible stories and they have loved making connections of how God used  these events in each person's life to keep his covenant with his people.  The kids have been working hard and I am so proud of them! Thanks for all the support you've given me from home this first month as well! I certainly couldn't do it without you!  

HOMEWORK:

*Your child's reading slip and math homework page are coming home in your child's Homework Folder, on Monday the 19th. 
Inside will be...
- A Math worksheet that will be due on Monday, Sept. 26. Please remember to time your child on each half of the page and write their total correct in the side column.

- A Reading Minutes sheet that will be due on Monday, Sept. 26. Remember the goal is 100 minutes. This can be your child reading on his/her own OR you and your child taking turns. 

-A blue half sheet that has our next 3 sight words to work on for 2nd grade. Please practice these if your child doesn't know how to spell them. The words will be: always, great, find

WORDS OF THE WEEK:
Thank you for helping your child practice: things, school, walk. Look for the blue half sheet in your child's Homework Folder coming home on Monday.
This coming week's new words are: always, great, find 

Jungle Explorer of the Week!

Adrielle was our Jungle Explorer of the Week! Thanks for sharing your poster and pictures with our class. We enjoyed getting to know you and learning that you love the beach, the trampoline, puzzles, and soccer, and your favorite food is cookies! We love that you want to be a teacher when you grow up! Your favorite place is the CN Tower in Toronto. You are so special to God and to us, Adrielle, and we loved getting to know more about you this week! 

POCKET DAY: 

Wednesday Sept. 21 is our 20th day of school already! Come ready to compete and see which 2nd graders, the odd numbered students or the even numbered students, in our class will have the most pockets! We'll be ready to count them up! :) We don't have another 2nd grade class to compete against so we decided to make the competition between ourselves as a way to celebrate every 10 days! Because of picture day your child can bring their pocket clothing along and put it on after we take our pictures. Pockets must be store bought clothing items not homemade items, thanks.

WALK-A-THON:
We will have the Walk-a-Thon on Wednesday, Sept. 28. Everyone in the class gets to participate, regardless of how much they raise. The parent team is ordering T-shirts and will have them available for the students to change into at school the day of our Walk-a-Thon. Parents are welcome to cheer kids on as they walk!  There will be fun prizes, and the class who raises the most money will get a pizza party! Most of all, thanks for supporting our school--the funds raised always go to enhance classroom learning and it is such a blessing! Packets are due Wednesday, September  21!

SCHOOL PICTURES:
*Picture order forms are came home last week Friday, and they were due by Wednesday, Sept 14. If you didn't return your form yet please do so by Monday, the 19th! If you have multiple kiddos at HC, be sure to keep track of the pre-printed names on the order forms. Picture Day will be Wednesday, Sept. 21. IF YOU WANT A YEARBOOK, NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO ORDER IT! We need you to return the picture order forms even if you aren't ordering anything, and even if you are ordering online, as our photo company needs the paperwork for each student. Thanks!

Homecoming:

**All preschool and kindergarten families are invited to attend for FREE through the RSVP form.**  RSVP HERE

 

Families with children in 1st-12th grade can purchase Homecoming tickets through our Athletics link - EVENTLINK - tickets include the meal, activities, and Varsity Football game at 7:00 pm. (Online: $8/ticket)

We hope to see you out at this fun, family event! GO MAROONS! 

Special Opportunity:

Interested in an inclusive sport opportunity? Unified Sports is a part of the Unified Champion Schools program offered through Special Olympics. It is a unique and inclusive athletic opportunity for students with and without disabilities to play together on the same team, making athletics more accessible for students who may not otherwise be included or invited to be on a team. Holland Christian and Zeeland Christian partner to form the Maroons Unified team. We are offering Soccer this Fall and are looking for partners to join the team. If you are interested in this opportunity for your child, please fill out the Google Form.

 Unified Soccer Partner Interest Form

The selection of partners will be first come, first served, while maintaining an equal balance of students from both HC and ZCS so the team is truly a combined team!

Please email ejohnson@hollandchristian.org with questions.

 

IMPORTANT DATES:

Sept. 19: Readig Slip Due, Math Homework Due, Library Books due

Sept. 21: School Picture Day, Walk-a-thon pledges due

Sept. 28: Walk-a-thon

Oct.  14: Report Cards live

Oct. 17 and 19: Parent Teacher Conferences (19 is a1/2 day)

Oct. 20-21: CEA Convention no school