Forest School Newsletter – September 2020

Dear Forest School Family and Friends,

Have you ever trained for an athletic event? If you’ve participated in a training program of any sort you’re likely familiar with the concept that resting your muscles is just as important as straining and training your muscles. During the rest day muscles reform and rebuild stronger and more efficiently than they were performing prior to the rest period. Once rested and rebuilt, muscles are ready to push into the workload required and will perform with even more strength and condition.

I was out for a jog (slowly) this weekend and thought with appreciation about how God designed us for rhythms in life. There are times we encounter challenges in life. Times such as these can bring with them anxiety and stress. But we also find ourselves coming together as a community in these times, offering creativity, solutions, hard work and faith. Together we rise to the challenge and serve God in new and strong ways. Sometimes performing in ways we didn’t know we had in us! We lean on our community and find ourselves woven together even more tightly than perhaps we might have been had we not encountered the challenge.

But then there’s the needed rest. A time for rejuvenation and restoration. A time for our heart and faith to rebuild and deepen. A time to rest in our Lord’s goodness and faithfulness. A wise mentor of mine, Mr. Bruce Hekman, calls these important periods of life “margins”. Margins are critical to successful living and servanthood as we work to advance God’s mission here on earth. Sometimes margins come with the rhythm of the work week other times we have to intentionally carve them out.

The next two weeks at school are a bit shorter. We have Friday and Monday with no school. On Labor Day we celebrate and thank so many who labor to bring us safe and enriching communities. We have a long way to go with the work that lies before us, but the upcoming margin from the work is good. Your children and you deserve a rest from the work. Anticipating this school year has been like none other. There have been many good questions, anxieties and adjustments. This has been a challenging time. The best answer to all of the wonderings has been to launch this school year and behold our children smiling, growing, fostering friendships, beginning to bond with their teacher and worshipping our good, good Father together.

I pray during this extended weekend you will be able to come away and rest awhile with your family. Taste together the goodness of our Father. Allow your spirit to be strengthened in the rest. Allow God to rebuild the muscles of your faith. May God bless you with peace and health in these important margins of life.

All peace and joy,

Miska

/ Announcements

Walk-A-Thon

Our walk-a-thon this year will be a time our children will walk together outside and celebrate the amazing support of our community, we’ll just celebrate and walk a bit differently than we have in other years. Each teacher has a unique experience planned for each class that will involve spending time outside, going for a walking adventure and thanking our supporters! Your child’s teacher will provide more details about this experience. Each class will celebrate sometime during the week of September 21.

Walk-A-Thon details including the initiatives Forest School will be able to pursue thanks to this funding will be detailed very soon in a newsletter from our parent team. We deeply appreciate the work our families put into making this event a major success with impacts on our students’ educational experience that are unique, enriching and invaluable!

Grandparents/Friends Day is Going Virtual!

Our Forest Kindergarteners will have a very special Mother’s Day Extravaganza planned for families on Friday, May 14 (I know….planning obnoxiously early here). We want you to be aware that we will link in our Forest Grandparents/friends day with that event this year! Please save the date for Friday, May 14! Our Forest will be alive with the sounds of Grandparents being taught how to climb trees, jump the creek and read in the shade! We can’t wait for this special occasion!

Summer Slide

This was a very successful summer program this past summer. It is now time to return all books so we can get them filed for next year’s event. We have volunteers ready to help process the books. Please return books to Rose Park, Pine Ridge, or South Side now so we can re-shelve these summertime adventures for reuse. Thanks to all who participated in making this a huge success.

Elementary Handbook

Whether you are new or experienced at Rose Park, for your convenience, here is a link to our Elementary Handbook found on the HC website. Please refer to the handbook for general information, or with specific questions you may have about life at Rose Park.

Student Absences

Please report to us if your child(ren) is going to be absent. This needs to be done each day they will not be in school. Please refer to the opening message that provides guidance in knowing when to keep your child at home and when they are ready to return to school after an illness. Also, we would appreciate it if they were reported in by 8:45 AM, but you can call and leave a message anytime before that time. If you do not call us, and if the child’s teacher does not know about the absence, we will try to call you. This policy is to protect your child; we want to ensure your child’s safe arrival at school.

Hot Lunch Menu

August / September Lunch Menu

There are two ways to add funds to your child’s hot lunch account.   You may drop off a check made out to Holland Christian to our office and the funds will be added.  You may send a check with your child to the school office and the funds will be processed for you. Or you may add funds on line through sendmoneytoschool.com (fees have been removed from this program). You will need your Student’s ID # to set up new accounts. Please contact Carla or Laura in the office if you need this number.

Medical Information Reminder

If your child has a medical plan on file or takes meds 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. You are welcome to contact our school nurse, Hendrina Cupery (hcupery@hollandchristian.org). 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.

Pictures

For those of you planning ahead, Forest School’s  picture day is Thursday, September 10 . More specific information and scheduling will come once we are underway through classroom blogs.

Moms In Prayer

Moms In Prayer will start September 18 and continue to meet on Friday mornings 8:20-9:20 @ the Forest School pond area. Bring a chair, Bible and Pen!
Looking forward to praying the year with you. Contact Nicole Shook with questions. ncshook@gmail.com

/ Upcoming Dates

View the full Holland Christian Calendar at hollandchristian.org/calendar

September

• 4 – No School Labor Day
• 7 – No School Labor Day
• 10 – Picture Day

October

• 19 – Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 20 – Parent / Teacher Conferences
• 22 – No School CEA Convention
• 23- No School CEA Convention
• 28 – Picture Retake Day