MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER – AUGUST 2019
Dear Parents,
We are excited to begin a new school year with your sons and daughters as they either enter or continue their middle school journey. One of the things we love about working with middle schoolers is the partnership parents and teachers have in guiding the students in their journey as they seek to become independent. With the middle schoolers’ desire for independence and this year’s school theme of “Living Testimony”, we as a staff will work to guide the students along this journey. We will look for ways to model and teach the students to LIVE OUT the following commands from Matthew 22: 37 – 39 “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Due to our ongoing construction project, please stay tuned for more information on Student Drop Off and Pick Up locations.
This year you will have the experience of working with two building principals. After being a classroom teacher for the last 32 years, I’m excited about my new role at the Middle School as the assistant principal. I’m excited to work with students, staff and parents from a different vantage point as we seek together to care for your sons’ and daughters’ social-emotionally, challenge them academically, and help them grow spiritually.
Erin Wyma, Director of Learning, will also be joining the staff as a building principal to collaborate with me throughout the 2019-20 school year. We will be working together on managing the middle school construction project and several district-wide instructional initiatives.
Please pray for us as we embark on a new school year!
Tom Strikwerda, Assistant Principal
616.820.3205
EQUIPPING MINDS AND NURTURING HEARTS TO TRANSFORM THE WORLD FOR JESUS CHRIST
2019-20 INFORMATION
SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST
Click here for the 1920 School Supply List.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL AND WEEK SCHEDULE
Tuesday, August 20: We start school this year with a full day from 8:00-2:55. Our Rose Park shuttle will be running for both AM and PM pickup times starting on Tuesday for the school year. Our schedule for the rest of the week: 8:00 AM start time and 2:55 dismissal time. Note: no late start on Wednesday, August 21.
SCHEDULES OPEN
Our student schedules will be open, via Powerschool, starting on Friday, August 9. As in years past, we will also be giving each student their printed schedule and other important paperwork at Orientation Day, August 19.
LATE START WEDNESDAYS
Starting August 28, Wednesday start time is 8:25. This is the normal start time on Wednesdays as our middle school staff attends meetings from 7:30 to 8:15 each week.
ORIENTATION/PICTURE DAY
Orientation day is August 19 at the middle school from 10:00-2:00 pm. Come have your picture taken for your student ID, walk around the building and find your locker, pick up your schedule, meet your teacher and stop by the hot lunch table. You can also turn in any completed physical forms during this time. If you would like to order photos, go to this website. Please note, the Middle School yearbook is included in the yearly activity fee and does not need to be ordered separately. Each student will receive one at the end of the school year.
Picture Make-up day will be Thursday, September 5; retakes and BOC pictures will be taken Monday, October 7.
SAVE THE DATE
Join us for our Middle School Parent Night on Tuesday, August 27 starting at 7:00pm. Come meet the teachers, learn about their expectations, check out your student’s schedule and catch a glimpse of the year. Stay tuned for more details.
HC WEBSITE
HC website hints: If you are looking for information such as school supplies, hot lunch menus, medical forms, newsletters and much much more, please click under “Schools” and then “Parent Resources”. We encourage you to take a look around and familiarize yourself with the site. If you run stuck, or want to find information even faster, use the search function in the upper right hand corner to find what you need. You are also welcome to contact us with questions at 820-2805 or info@hollandchristian.org.
NEW TO HOLLAND CHRISTIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL?
Click here for our New Family Information Booklet.
SCHEDULE AND POWERSCHOOL INFORMATION
The Middle School uses PowerSchool for accessing student schedules, tracking grades, attendance, and family contact information. Student schedules will be available in PowerSchool on Friday, August 9 at ps.hollandchristian.org. Parents can log in with the username and password you created in a previous year. Parents new to HC will be sent information for creating a PowerSchool account.
The Middle School runs a modified block schedule. This means students take seven classes on Monday/Thursday/Friday, and fewer classes on Tuesday/Wednesday, but for longer blocks of time. Click here for the daily schedule.
In addition, it is important that Holland Christian has accurate contact and emergency information in PowerSchool. When you access your student’s schedule, please also check your family’s contact information and make any needed updates using the Demographic Change page. If you are unable to make changes in PowerSchool and you know that changes should be made to your address, phone number, email address or emergency contacts, please contact the Administration Office at (616) 820-2805.
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Please review the Parent Laptop handbook and sign the forms online. These Online Forms need to be completed each year and need to be done before you will be able to receive your laptop on August 20.
Please visit our Technology for HCMS families link if you would like any tutorials on Middle School technology.
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Your 2019 – 2020 Student Handbook is available here. We encourage you to carefully review this document as a family. Your familiarity with this information will provide the common ground for a successful school year.
IMMUNIZATIONS
Please contact your health provider to be sure your student’s immunizations are up to date. All students immunizations must be up to date before the first day of school. In compliance with the Michigan Department of Health, Holland Christian Schools will not allow students whose immunizations are not up to date to attend school. Thank you so much for your help with this.
Again this year, as per the Public Health Code, each student must have a copy of their most current immunization record and/or copy of their current waiver in their student file for as long as they are enrolled in school. You may email a copy to ms@hollandchristian.org.
HOT LUNCH
Lunch options are offered daily for our students. For the monthly lunch menu and additional details about the lunch program, please visit our website. The cost for a middle school hot lunch is $2.65 (includes milk) and milk is available for purchase daily for $.50. Students may drop off money for their lunch account on check-in day, in our office throughout the year or parents may pay online at sendmoneytoschool.com. If you have any questions about the hot lunch program, please contact Sue Lambers at slambers@hollandchristian.org or (616) 820-2934. Reduced and free hot lunch are available for those who qualify. To apply for benefits go to lunchapp.com.
Sometimes parents may like to take their student(s) out for lunch. Parents may only take their own student(s) out for lunch and students must sign out in the office. Youth leaders or older siblings (out of high school) may also take students out for lunch.
BUSSING
Bussing is available to Holland Christian students in a variety of different ways, depending on where you live. West Ottawa, Holland and HCS South Side Busing cooperate with HCMS and have their own registration forms and fees. If you have not signed up for busing yet, please do that now. Please find additional information and busing registration forms on our website.
ATHLETIC INFORMATION
New this year – FINAL FORMS. This is “All Things HC Athletics”. Physical forms are found here, Pay to Play is paid here, sports sign ups are done here, all forms needed to play are found and signed here. Please make sure your student athlete is registered and all forms are signed before their first day of practice.
Our Fall sports season begins Monday, August 26, with football beginning Thursday, August 22. Please click here for all of our athletic information. This will show you how to register your athlete in Final Forms, which sports are offered when, the sport specific practice/game calendar and our Athlete Handbook. The physical form, completed by a physician and signed by a parent, is required by the state in order to participate and must be on file in our office before practice begins.
A “Pay to Participate Fee” charge of $55 to all students involved in extracurricular activities helps offset some of the costs of the program. Please plan on paying the participation fee by the end of the first week of the season on your Final Forms account.
Important Things to Watch For:
All Sports Shirt, this shirt will be used for ALL HCMS sports as a team shirt and warm up shirt. There will NOT be an individual shirt for each sport. Once you purchase this shirt you will be set for the school year. Please note that some sports require specific equipment or apparel outside of the ALL Sports Shirt.
Athletic Start Dates:
- Football – Thursday, Aug. 22 (with Parent Meeting Monday, Aug. 19, 6-7:30pm)
- Girls Volleyball, Boys Soccer, Girls Tennis, Cross Country – Monday Aug. 26
Make sure you are signed up on Final Forms and that you have chosen your Fall HCMS sports. Coaches are starting to send out emails through Final Forms, if you are not signed up you will not receive the emails.
IMPORTANT DATES
August 19 – Orientation Day (10:00am-2:00pm)
August 20 – First day PK-12
August 27 – HCMS Parent Night (7:00pm)
August 28 – Convocation (9:00am)
August 30 – No School
September 2 – Labor Day
September 3 – 7th Grade Vision Screening
September 5 – Picture Make-Up Day
September 13 – Family Homecoming Event
September 27 – No School: Staff Development
October 24-25 – No School: CEA Convention
November 27 – Half Day of School
November 28-29 – Thanksgiving Break
Dec 23-Jan 3 – Christmas Break