ABCs & 123s

The whole gang!

And, the necessary goofy one 😂

Math games

Our School Theme

Our class constitution

Levi did a fabulous job reading at convocation!

Our first indoor recess

We have had a great start to 4th grade!  The kids have done AMAZING this week!  I have thoroughly enjoyed them😍.  Their personalities are so varied and fun.  They seem happy to be at school learning and growing together.  Parents, you've done a great job with them!😉  Thank you for sharing them with me.  This is going to be a great year, I can tell already!

We were grateful for the cooler weather this week!  This week we enjoyed opening our days together by spending time in prayer, we dove into our school wide SER behavior system (ask your child what that means!), we worshipped as an entire Holland Christian student body at our outdoor convocation service, we've been studying the early history of how and why the Bible came to be written down, we've been working with place value and rounding numbers, we've learned about subjects and predicates in our sentences, and we're practicing our reading.  We've explored how to have a Growth Mindset in 4th grade.  We've learned how to care for Stormi, our guinea pig.  We feel like our classroom is a welcoming, warm, and safe environment with lots of learning choices and opportunities.  We enjoy being there.  Friendships are forming.  It has been a great week!

A few notes of what to look for at home:

PARENT HANDBOOK - Last week Friday, some children took home a purple printed copy of the Parent Handbook.  For those of you who didn't make it to parent night last week, please read through that packet carefully.  There are some important details for you to know for a successful 4th grade year.

    Also, this blog will be your source for all the details.  It will most often come out on Friday afternoon for the following week.  Be sure to read it carefully in order to help your child be well prepared for each day of 4th grade.  I try hard to limit my emails to you (I know how overwhelming a full inbox is!), so for the most part, all important details will be in this blog.

COMMUNICATION - Please note the section at the end of the handbook related to parent/teacher communication hours.  

SIGN-UPS - Be sure to check the tabs at the top of this blog for ways to sign up and volunteer if you are willing (lunch helpers, library helpers, guinea pig sleepovers, clerical work, party moms, field trip chaperones, etc.).  The instructions on the top of each sign up page give helpful information before you select your choices.

PHONES & WATCHES - Just a reminder that Holland Christian has a no personal technology devices at school policy.  That means smart watches, phones, etc. must stay at home.  Please make sure your child is abiding by this policy.

PLANNER -  It appears that many children were very responsible in retrieving your signature in their planner this week, so they received a ticket for their efforts.  Please continue to make it a daily habit to peek at your child's planner for any notes concerning upcoming assignments and reminders.  Everyone has remembered to bring their planner everyday this week - that is AWESOME!  Keep up the good work!

MATH & READING HOMEWORK - Today your child is taking home their first week of homework.  Reading and math minutes typically come home on Mondays, due back the next Monday.  But since this coming Monday is a holiday, I'm sending them home today so they are in your hands ahead of time.  They will be due back on Monday, September 8.  Your child heard the instructions in class today, but it would be helpful if you would read through the details yourself on the parent note that came home today, and also on the back of the mad minute worksheet.  Be sure to use the instructions on the Reflex parent note to set up Reflex Math on a device at home.

READING MINUTES - Reading minute homework will also begin the week of Labor Day.  Look for that recording sheet today as well.  The 4th grade requirement is 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week (for a total of 150 minutes per week).  Reading minutes will be on a long skinny blue piece of paper.

STANDARDIZED TESTING - Next week will begin our benchmark standardized testing series for the fall.  The students will be taking three separate MAP tests (reading, math, and language) to identify their current abilities and help me to teach them more effectively.  We will also be taking the Delta screener which is a math test that tests the 3rd grade skills to be sure each child is up to par as they begin their 4th grade work.  If we find any deficiencies, those will be addressed in small group pull-outs until those skills are mastered.  As we proceed through this testing period (the next two weeks), please help your child to be well rested and nourished each day as they come to school.  That will help them to perform at their best.  Thanks for your help!

SCHOOL PICTURES - Geskus will be taking our school pictures on Thursday, September 11 at 12:30. Please make sure to send in the picture order envelope by Thursday (if you place your order online, just note that on the picture form before you send it back to school).  Remember to order a yearbook so your child can participate in the fun of getting autographs when they arrive at school in May☺️!

WALK-A-THON PLEDGES - Please look for an envelope that came home today with the information for collecting pledges for the upcoming walk-a-thon.  It looks like the pledges have to be turned in by Sept. 17.

Thank you for all your prayers and support for a successful couple weeks.  It has been so great to be back together at school.  God is good!

Please feel free to connect with me if you have any questions or concerns or celebrations you'd like to share.  I'm always ready to listen!

From Maestra Damsteegt

Hola, 4th-grade parents!

My name is Hannah Damsteegt, and I'm the 4th-grade Spanish Immersion teacher at Rose Park.

We are so excited to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with our students! We'll be reading Juana and Lucas, a delightful book about a girl from Bogotá, Colombia, as a way to dive deeper into the culture. Following the book, the students will complete a hands-on project that allows them to practice the new Spanish vocabulary they've learned in a fun, creative way.

To help us with this project, we're asking for your support! We need clean, empty cardboard boxes that are no larger than a backpack—think empty tissue boxes, Amazon boxes, or cereal boxes. If you have any of these at home, please send them to school with your child at your convenience. We will be working on the project on September 18.

Thank you so much! Muchas gracias!

Maestra Damsteegt

FROM THE ROSE PARK OFFICE

• If you weren’t able to attend parent night last week feel free to check out Ms. Roskamp’s presentation here!

• Caring for the Rose Park Ranch: Do you love animals? Do your kids come home talking about loving their days in the barn at school? If you and your family would be interested in caring for our ranch on the weekends would you send an e-mail to Ms. Roskamp at kroskamp@hollandchristian.org. We are going to set up training this Fall to get more families involved in our weekend barn chores!

• School pictures coming soon! School photos will happen on September 10 & 11 - please see the attached schedule for when your child's class photo will be taken!

• Carpool lane: Do us a favor and use your hazard lights to indicate that you are still waiting for your students!

• Hazard lights on: still waiting for kids

• Hazard lights off: loaded and ready to move

• Rose Park Fall Fest is coming up on September 25 from 5:30-7pm. This is an incredibly fun community event, Please sign your family up here! 

• Grandparents Day is coming up on October 2, we would love to bless our Grandparents with some treats, if you are able would you sign up to provide something HERE.

• Upcoming Dates:

• August 29 & September 1: Labor Day Weekend, no school

• September 10 & 11: School Photos

• September 24: Walkathon 

• September 25: Fall Fest 5:30-7pm

• October 2: Grandparents Day (morning)