Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Dicey Ice!

Well! I miss you guys! Two ice days in a row! I pray you are staying warm, safe and well rested. Can't wait to see you on Friday! 


Kids Food Basket Week! 

Our school blog opens with this information regarding our food collection effort coming soon:

Our prayer, as your partners, is that the words we say, the behaviors we model and the experiences we plan would shape your children's heart to look just a little more like Jesus' heart every day. By embedding our Holland Christian Discipleship Practices in the learning activities and daily life of our community, we believe we help to prepare our children for a life lived closer to God's call as Kingdom Bringers.



50 schools from throughout West Michigan will be jumping in to work together to help bring food to "nourish kids to be their best" thanks to the leadership of Kids Food Basket. Guess what! Forest School is invited to join in with this important effort. Every child knows the discomfort of hunger. Many of our children don't understand the depth of struggle with food insecurities but we certainly can work together to help ease the pain children who are our neighbors are feeling. March 20-March 24 we will live into Kids Food Basket Week! Take a peek at this flyer to learn about some of the ways your family can also get involved if you choose: KFB Week 2023-School Flyer You'll find a wish list of food items children in our area have shared that they enjoy eating the most. There is a QR code your family can contribute to this dear organization if you'd like. And, finally, you can wear orange on Go Orange Day, March 24. Orange is the color of Childhood Hunger Awareness and we want to help make a difference. As we grow in our gardening skills, our dream is to one day raise fresh, organic treats for these yummy sack suppers.
We hope you'll jump in and joy us in learning to live as the servants Jesus called us to.

Report Cards

Will go live on March 24. 

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent-teacher conferences are coming up! You will receive an email with instructions on how to register for conferences in a few weeks.

  • Monday, March 20: 4-8pm, In-person
  • Monday, March 27: 4-8pm, Virtual option available

TRIP Tricks

For our parents in the blog but you're invited as well:

Have you heard tale of people talking about reducing their tuition bill by picking up groceries and filling the tank with gas! This isn't an urban legend, friends! It's not too good to be true! Bring your phone with you and learn about an app that can help you funnel funds to your tuition account from the typical business interaction your family currently engages in! Do either one of these sessions suit your schedule?

• Next week Wednesday, March 1 at 2pm in the Rose Park Media Center
• Tuesday, March 7 at 6:30pm in the High School Media Center

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Flipping Friday!

We're Flipping

The half-day Friday encore schedule is the following:

  • 8:20 for Kinder Encore
  • 9:15 for 1st Encore
  • 10:25 for 2nd Encore

Dismissal is at 11:30

Lunch Ordering

The attempt to streamline our lunch ordering has kicked up a healthy discussion with our staff and kitchen staff. We can circle back around on this in person if it's helpful or yet unclear. Here's the current proposed solution:

Parents complete the Google Form on the weekend to order their lunches. Each day the number of lunches that have been ordered are delivered to each classroom. Names of the students who ordered the lunches are put on bags. When a lunch is given to a student, please cross their name off the list. Our kitchen staff will use the crossed off name as an indicator of permission to bill the family for the lunch. The kitchen's request is for the lists to be returned in the Friday cooler or the last day of the school week if there's no school on Friday. Again, the names crossed off the list will be the families charged for a school lunch. 

It sounds like we have a few families who do not sign up for lunches and do not send a lunch to school with their child. That's a challenge for you, for the child and for the kitchen. The kitchen does not have adequate staffing to bring last minute orders to children who do not have a lunch. YIKES! We should probably brainstorm how to remedy this because that's a FS family issue, not a kitchen issue. Nancy will attempt to resolve the missing orders by sending this note to FS families:

Dear Forest Families:

We want you to know we are trying very hard to provide lunches for your students with nutritious choices.   It's important for you to sign up on the lunch google doc weekly if your child is ordering hot lunch.  The weekly sign up needs to be done by Monday at 7:00am.  

The beauty of the Forest School is that students are exploring and not in their classrooms.   We deliver the lunches out to the Forest Schools.  These are not traditional buildings with a kitchen.  So when someone does not preorder a lunch, we need to deliver lunch to Forest.   

Starting 2/27, we will have a turkey lunchable, ranch chickpeas, fruit cup and milk available for those students who did not preorder lunch.  We will bill the student's account $2.75 for lunch.  I really hope that parents will remember to pre order.  We have tried to make it as easy as possible for parents, teachers and our staff.   Thank you for partnering with us. 

I'll continue to work with the families whose children do not have a lunch and have not ordered a lunch. If you're willing to hold close to the request to cross off names of students who have received a lunch and please text me or a family if a child does not have a lunch rather than texting the kitchen. 

Maybe all of this will get us a step closer to resolving lunch count/billing for our families!  

Monday's Work

  • 7:30-8:00 Breakfast begins on main street 
  • 8:00-8:30 Worship 
  • 8:40-11:45 Building level meetings
  • 11:45-12:15 Lunch provided on main street
  • 12:20-3:30 Whole group learning

Grandparents Day

Just recapping for your calendars:

May 5 

2nd grade: 8:30-9:30

1st grade: 10:00-11:00

        K: 11:00-12:00


Please copy and paste for your blogs:


TRIP Training

How would you like to learn how you can receive dollars that go directly to your family's tuition account simply by going about your ordinary business transactions? Our Tuition Reduction Incentive Program (TRIP) almost sounds too good to be true! But it's TRUE! And it works! Much of the TRIP exchanges can now be done directly on your phone! Kristi and Kim, our amazing TRIP coordinators, are willing to offer curious parents a workshop to learn how to participate so you can also receive some reductions in your tuition just by ordinary exchanges such as purchasing groceries, buying gas and taking a vacation! Even some orthodontists can be linked with your TRIP account! Join us for either of these two workshop sessions and bring your phone! You'll walk away from the time together ready to start chipping at your bill thanks to TRIP! 

  • March 1 at 6:30 at the High School in the lecture hall
  • March 7 at 2:00 at Rose Park in the media center

Tulip Time

1st and 2nd grade teachers, would you please make a copy of this form for your class and send to your parents for their costume preference in this Tulip Time parade? They received the explanation in the school blog so this should be something they are expecting to see. Please let me know if you have questions! We can talk about these details at our staff meeting to clarify wonderings. Thank you! 

Swimming Blurb

The Holland Aquatic Center will be providing us with swim lessons again this year. Our 1st & 2nd graders will head to the pool February 27-March 10. Pine Ridge and Rose Park children have already enjoyed their weeks of lessons and I'm grateful to share with you that our lessons were a hit! As is understandable, children had some butterflies before the first day of lessons because it's new and different. I was so impressed with how patient, compassionate and well-trained the Holland Aquatic Center staff is in putting children at ease right from the start of lessons. The staff is new. Their program is new AND?! the suits are new! Have a peek at these pix to help your child and you be prepared and informed for our swim lessons:

On the first day children and teachers meet the swim instructors and learn that it's okay if you don't know how to swim or you feel nervous. Mr. Dan didn't know how to swim when he first took lessons and he was nervous too! He learned to LOVE swimming just by trying! The staff is here to help kids try blowing bubbles and just trying out the water when they feel ready. 


The suits are new! The kids loved the new upgrade in fashion! 


There are not enough bathroom stalls for every child to change inside. Children change into their swim suit in the locker room. A Holland Aquatic staff member stands out of the line of sight but in the entry way to the locker room using their voice to help students move through the process of changing and get out to the pool deck. We found that some children felt most comfortable taking an extra large t-shirt from home to act as a privacy tent. You might even practice this a little bit at home! Children can pull the large t-shirt over their heads and then change into their suit under their t-shirt tent if they would like privacy! This works well after lessons when they change back into their school clothes again as well! We will do all we can to keep each child comfortable and excited about these important swim lessons! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Mrynsburger@hollandchristian.org 

  • 2nd Grade – 9:15am-9:45am 
  • 1st Grade – 10:15am-10:45am 

Kids’ Stuff Resale- Donating Day
NEW this year- If you have high quality items you would like to donate to the Kids Stuff Resale (items we could price at $15+ each), we will be accepting donations on Wednesday, March 2 in the admin office of the high school (Door B). Items can be dropped off between 8am-4pm this day only. Questions? Contact Michelle Schaap at mschaap@hollandchristian.org.


Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Sunny Days

 The sunshine has truly just been GLORIOUS this week! Clearly we've been enjoying a full moon as well. 😝 

We probably shouldn't bust out the shorts quite yet but I did spot some snowdrops on a run this week!!! 

New Hike Date!

It's yet to be officially confirmed but likely the new date for the Forest Family Night Hike at the ODC will be on February 23! I'll confirm as soon as I'm able! 

Staff Meeting

Our next staff meeting will be Monday, February 13 in Emily's classroom, please. 

Tulip Time 

1st and 2nd grade teachers, would you please make a copy of this form for your class and send to your parents for their costume preference in this Tulip Time parade? They received the explanation in the school blog so this should be something they are expecting to see. Please let me know if you have questions! Thank you! 



Wednesday, February 1, 2023

February Is Here!

As educators entrusted with shaping the hearts and minds of the next generation, Black History Month is an important learning opportunity to bring to our children. To be honest, my prayer is that some day this month won't even be necessary because we truly value the lives, contributions and stories of ALL people. But, until that day that we live in complete shalom as God intended, let's help shape our children's understanding of culture and the value of all by highlighting Black History Month in February. Please don't hesitate to ask me for ideas or suggestions if you're unsure! 


Data Meeting

February 6 will be our semester 1 data meetings! If you're able, please complete running records on our kiddos who are below benchmark. Input the updated data in our sheets doc and below is our grade level meeting times and locations:

12:15 Kindergarten - Ron's classroom
1:10 1st grade - Emily's classroom
2:20 2nd grade - Pine Ridge classroom

Staff Meeting

Our next staff meeting will be Monday, February 13 in Emily's classroom, please. 

Tulip Time 

1st and 2nd grade teachers, would you please make a copy of this form for your class and send to your parents for their costume preference in this Tulip Time parade? They received the explanation in the school blog so this should be something they are expecting to see. Please let me know if you have questions! We can talk about these details at our staff meeting to clarify wonderings. Thank you! 

Please copy and paste in your blog:

Hope to see you Thursday evening at the ODC for our First Forest Family Night Hike! 




Summer Glow

My dear friends. We have made it to summertime. I don't know how to adequately share my deep gratitude for your service this year. As we...