ABCs & 123s

A while back I came across this helpful list of questions to ask your child after school when you want to get them talking, but all they say when you ask them how school was is "good."😉. I hope you find it helpful.

21 After-School Questions to Get Your Kids Talking

1. What’s one thing that really made you laugh today?

2. What was the most favorite part of your day?

3. What is one thing (subject, activity, etc.) you like/dislike about school? Tell me about that.

4. What do you like about _________ (i.e. your teacher, math, spelling, etc.)?

5. Share one thing you know now that you didn’t know when you woke up this morning.

6. Who did you play with the most at school today? What did you do together?

7. Who is someone you don’t like hanging out with? Why is that?

8. Who is someone at school (or a friend you know) who always seems to do the right thing? Tell me about him/her.

9. What is one thing you’re not looking forward to this week? How do you plan to make the most of it?

10. Is there a problem you faced today that you solved? How did you solve it?

11. When did you feel most proud of yourself today?

12. Did anyone push your buttons today? Tell me about that. How did you react/respond?

13. What is one thing you want God to help you with at school this week?

14. What would you like to talk about tonight?

15. Name one thing that happened today that you’re very thankful for.

16. Is there a friend or classmate you have trouble getting along with? How can you be a better friend?

17. Who is someone (a friend at school, a teacher, sibling, etc.) you saw act with humility today? What did they do?

18. What was the most difficult thing you had to deal with today? How did you get through it?

19. What, about school, makes you happy?

20. If you could change one thing about school, what it would be?

21. What is one thing we can do as a family after school, or on the weekend, that would brighten your day?

This week we got to pair up with our Kindergarten buddies for the first time!

After our Bible lesson about David using his skills to show the people the power of God when he fought Goliath, we thought about skills God has given us that we can use to demonstrate the power of God to the people around us.  We wrote those skills on rocks and took them home as reminders of how we can spread the good news to others.

The Walk-a-thon is always a day that is met with high energy and excitement!

THINK! Energy - We are excited to welcome a guest teacher from the THINK! Energy program in a couple weeks.  She will be teaching us about wise energy use & conservation.  Part of the program is a kit of energy efficient items (shower head, pipe insulation, LED nightlight, faucet aerators, etc.) that each child receives for free.  If you DON'T want to receive this kit, please email me or send back the blue opt-out paper (it came home today) before Friday October 2.  Most families are happy to have it, or they pass on any unwanted items to friends and relatives, but if you don't wish to get the kit at all, just let me know.  Thank you!

TOYS - Due to the large number of Nee-doh and other fidget toys that are finding their way into our classroom and distracting us, I am asking all students to keep those at home.  Thank you for helping enforce this with your child.

GRANDPARENT'S DAY - If your child will not have a special visitor on Thursday morning, please let me know as soon as possible.  Thank you!

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES - Please take a moment to sign up for one parent/teacher conference using the information you received from Holland Christian Schools via email on Monday September 21.

FRIDAY LUNCH - Luke will be celebrating his birthday with a pizza lunch for our class on Friday, October 2 at school.  Please plan accordingly.

CLICK THIS LINK FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE OFFICE

ABCs & 123s

In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, the 4th graders learned about Honduras and Nicaragua where Maestra Damsteegt, Mrs. VanderZwaag, and Miss VanderHill have all spent time.  We talked about God's love for the people there, as well as some of the challenges they face.  Then we spent time writing prayers for the people of those countries.  Here are all the 4th graders with their chain of prayers.

We've been keeping busy during our time at school.  Here is some information about the things we are learning:

BIBLE - We are moving into a unit on David.  We will walk through some of the Psalms simultaneously as we study David's life.

WORD WORK - We will again get a new, individualized list on Monday, practice over the course of the week, and then test on Friday.

MATH - We are practicing becoming experts at multi-digit addition and subtraction.  All the math fact practice your child does at home GREATLY assists them in being successful with this skill.  Thank you for supporting your child with this!  Those will always be due on Mondays.

READING - We are now settling into our routines.  When we aren't reading independently at our reading spots, we are participating in reading lessons reviewing skills for fluent and meaningful reading.  

WRITING - We are LOVING learning about the International Space Station in preparation for writing a creative narrative that takes place in that location.

SCIENCE - We are investigating the say information travels.  We have stepped back in time to the world of the telegraph and explored Morse code.  This coming week we will look at more modern ways of transferring information, starting with binary code.

ORCHESTRA - Please see the previous post with all the details.

A few things to highlight: 

1. Rose Park Fall Fest is next week! This is a fun community event for ALL of our Rose Park families, and we are looking forward to seeing you there on Thursday from 5:30-7pm, please sign up HERE!

2. Grandparents Day! We are excited to welcome Grandparents and Grandfriends to Rose Park on the morning of October 1st (see schedule HERE). We plan to have some treats available for Grandparents to enjoy in the library - if you would be willing to volunteer or provide treats please take a look at the sign up genius!

Click this link for the most up-to-date announcements from the office:

From the Rose Park Office

Orchestra Information

September 15, 2026 

Dear Parents of Holland Christian Fourth Graders, 

We are delighted to announce that orchestra will again be offered to our 4th grade students. 4th grade orchestra will be offered at 7:30 - 8:05 A.M. on Tuesdays and Fridays at Pine Ridge and 7:30 - 8:05 A.M. on Mondays and Thursdays at Rose Park. ONLY VIOLIN instruction will be offered to your 4th grader as the skills and knowledge learned on the violin are directly transferable to 5th grade orchestra where students may switch to viola, cello, bass or remain on violin. Having all 4th grade students learn the same instrument (violin) at this initial stage will provide quality student and teacher modeling, simplify and increase effectiveness of instruction, and decrease class downtime. 

In order for your child to participate, it will be necessary for you to furnish an instrument. Many HC families utilize and are very pleased with the Meyer Music Rental Program which allows students to upgrade to a larger high-quality instrument or switch from violin to viola, cello, or bass in subsequent school years. Meyer Music‛s rental instruments are in excellent condition and all repairs are covered in a low rental fee starting at around $25 a month. Learning to play an instrument and belonging to the school orchestra opens up a whole new world of friendship, fun, and growth. Your child will be able to take advantage of music performances and instruction throughout their enrollment at HC. After High School, students may find fulfillment in participating in college orchestras, community orchestras, string quartets, fiddling sessions, and musical groups in church. Students will learn and practice ear training, self-discipline, group cooperation, problem-solving, goal-setting, self-expression, memory skills, concentration, poise, enhanced physical coordination, high self-esteem, and the importance of teamwork—skills in great demand in almost every aspect of life. Music study has a profound positive effect on the academic success of students. Most importantly, students will be better equipped to participate in, enjoy, and appreciate music that honors God. Developing musical skills is an avenue for your student to praise God throughout their lifetime. 

If you are interested in having your child participate, please email Kyle Nester at knester@hollandchristian.org with your name, child‛s name, classroom teacher‛s name, and any questions you may have about the orchestra program. We will have an HC Orchestra Program / Meyer Music Instrument Rental Meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd at 7:00 in the Middle School Band Room. At this meeting families will be given an overview of the orchestra program at HC and Meyer Music’s instrument rental program. If you think you’ll want to rent an instrument through Meyer Music (highly recommended), please bring a device and Anne Thompson of Meyer Music will guide you through the online process. Your student’s instrument will be delivered to school just in time for their first orchestra practice. Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory and if desired you can rent an instrument through Meyer Music at https://www.meyer-music.com. 

Our first 4th grade orchestra class is scheduled to take place on Monday, September 28th at Rose Park and Tuesday, September 29th at Pine Ridge. At Holland Christian, we are committed to developing the whole student: mind, heart, body, and soul. Innovative, high-quality music instruction and experiences at Holland Christian is but one aspect of our effort to nurture our multifaceted students. We hope that you will take advantage of this chance for your child to discover and develop their musical gifts. 

Blessings, 

Kyle Nester – Holland Christian Elementary and Middle School Orchestra Teacher

ABCs & 123s

I may have said this before, but I am thoroughly enjoying your kids!  Already I've learned so much about each one individually - their personalities, their hobbies and interests, their extracurriculars, their work habits, their reading interests, their social skills - they are complex and delightful children!  Thank you for sharing them with me this year - we're having so much fun together already!

The door of our classroom is a revolving door - we are fortunate to have so many helpful adults checking in on us and assisting our learning.  A couple regulars that we can plan on are Miss VanderHill (she is also our PE teacher - see her bio below) who helps out for 4 hours on Tuesdays, and Miss Guerrin (a senior at Hope College - see her intro below) who helps out for 2 hours on Mondays and 4 hours on Thursdays.  I'm also grateful for those of you parents who are stepping in and helping with our library visits and covering our Friday lunch time so I can work on grading and assigning spelling words each week while we eat (if you'd like to sign up but haven't had a chance yet, the signups are links at the top of this blog).  Your kids are thriving already this year, and it takes a village!

Hello Rose Park families! 

My name is Grace VanderHill, and I am thrilled to be joining the community as your new PE teacher!

Most recently, I was teaching at a school in Nicaragua when God opened an incredible door for me to return to West Michigan and serve at Rose Park. As a graduate of Unity Christian and Grand Valley State University, I am so grateful to be back teaching in the Holland area which is a place I’ve grown to love even more through my summers working at Camp Geneva.

I’ve had a passion for working with children for as long as I can remember, and combining that with my love for sports and staying active makes teaching PE so special. I am beyond excited to meet your children, share my passion for faith and fitness, and encourage each of them as they discover and grow their unique gifts and abilities!

This week we were able to add science and writing into our days, and that is such exciting work!  In science we are beginning to explore how waves (not the water kind😏) transport information - there's so much to understand in that realm!  In writing we're beginning to craft a realistic fiction story about an astronaut on the International Space Station - the creative juices are flowing!  Maybe your child has told you about their ideas/plans for this story.  In math we're deep into understanding place value to the millions place, how to round numbers, add multi-digit numbers, and next week we will practice subtracting multi-digit numbers.  In Bible, we're reading through the stories of 2 Samuel always considering the original context of the story (ask your child about our 6 context characters!).  God is teaching us things about Himself, about obedience, and about focusing on the right things in life.  In reading we're practicing the successful execution of reading workshop, and the kids seem to really be enjoying their independent reading time each day.  Next week we will explore 5 options of how to attack unknown words in our reading.  

A couple notes for this coming week:

1.  Reading minutes (blue long skinny paper), math minutes (yellow long skinny paper), and the Mad Minute fact test are all due on Monday.  A new set will also come home on Monday for the following week.  Remember, instructions for how to administer the fact test are on the back of the paper.  (Please notice #3 - draw a line after the last problem completed before the 2 minutes was up, then finish the rest of the paper, untimed.)

2.  Word Work - I've finished assessing students current spelling abilities and have chosen word work lists (also known as "spelling words") tailored to their individual needs.  Those will come home on Monday, and the test will take place at school on Friday.  The students will practice in school during the week, but some students also need additional practice at home prior to the test.  Please check with your child before Friday to see how they are doing with their words.  Thank you!

3.  Just a reminder to check your child's planner and take home folder daily (and then help them remember to return those to their back pack for the next day).  With your child, go over the things in their planner that they are supposed to remember for the next day, and also take some time to look over the papers they bring home in their take home folder.  It gives you a great opportunity to (1)praise them for their hard work, (2)help them with skills that were tricky for them, and (3)it lets them know that you value their work at school.  

4. School Pictures - We are scheduled for pictures on Thursday, the 17th at 12:30pm.  Please make sure to send in the picture order envelope (that came home today) by Thursday (even if you order on-line, just note that on the paper order form when 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☺️!

5.  Library - Today your child took home their first few choices from our school library.  Those books will be due back next week on Friday again in order to get new books.  If your child needs to renew a book, that can be done as well until they have had sufficient time to finish it.

6.  MAP test - This coming week we just have two more portions of the MAP standardized test to complete (Language and Math).  At this point, it looks like we will try to get those done on Monday and Wednesday.  There's nothing you need to do at home for this, but if possible, try to avoid pulling your child out from school on those days.  Thanks so much!

7.  Walk-a-thon donations are due Thursday the 17th!

8.  Orchestra - Mr. Nester, our orchestra teacher, will meet with us on Thursday to introduce the idea of orchestra to the students.  Look for a note to come home with more information.

Hi from Mrs. Short

I got the chance to visit each classroom this week to (re)introduce myself to the Rose Park students! During our time together, I got to share a little bit about my job as the School Counselor. The big takeaway I wanted students to remember is that I am a helper person at school. I get to help in big ways and small ways at school. It is a gift to be here working with the Rose Park students and staff! 

We added another one to the double digits club this week!

It's a pretty special day when one of your hot lunch nuggets is heart shaped!  

FROM THE ROSE PARK OFFICE:

Click this link for the most up-to-date announcements from the office.

ABCs & 123s

We survived!  It was a hot one, but we powered through.  I imagine your kids were a bit droopy by the time they got into the AC at home.  I can say that I was, for sure!😂

Monday was a full day with THREE birthdays and our first indoor recess!

These two and Mia (sorry I missed her pic😢) joined the double digit club.  That makes 11 ten-year-olds in our class already, soon to be 12 on Monday!

Indoor recess

We are settling in to our daily routines now, and have made some nice progress in Bible, math, and reading specifically.  This week we'll add in writing and science as we are able.  Your children are delightful, and it is so much fun to see them getting excited about learning and the activities we get to do in the classroom.   Just this afternoon, I complimented them on how nicely they cooperate, especially in a room with so many people.

AFTERNOON SNACK - As we're settling into our daily schedule, I have discovered that our time schedule for afternoon snack is less than ideal.  We are going to have to change it up a bit, and that means we will eat it right after recess as we head to our encore class.  Therefore, the snack should be something that is finger food and can be eaten in just a couple of bites.  What is still left when they get to their encore class will need to be disposed of.  Thank you for your cooperation with this!

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 14.  Your child heard the instructions in class today, but it would be helpful if you would read through the details yourself on the green parent note that came home today, and also on the back of the mad minute worksheet.  Be sure to use the instructions on the Xtra Math parent note to set up Xtra 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.  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!

LIBRARY - Your child will be visiting the school library for the first time in 4th grade this coming Friday.  They will be allowed to take out up to three books.  When you see those books come home, be sure to make a plan with your child about where to keep those books while they are home, when to read them, and how to make sure they come back to school by the next Friday so that they can be exchanged for others or renewed for another week.  Thanks for your help with this!

CONVOCATION - We will be heading to the high school on Wednesday morning to participate in a convocation service with all of HC for this school year.  You are welcome to meet us there on the football field and worship along with us!

WALK-A-THON PLEDGES - Please look for an envelope that came home this week with the information for collecting donations 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!

FROM THE ROSE PARK OFFICE:

Click this link for the most up-to-date announcements from the office.