World Renew

God is our loving King who pursues us. We are his lukewarm bride. Thank you, Dawn, for the reminder that we serve an ever-loving, ever-forgiving, patient, pursuant God. Let's continue to encourage each other to respond to His great love with our lives.

As was mentioned in devotions, one of the privileges and responsibilities of teaching in a Christian school is allowing children to see and understand how loved they our by God. Each child is uniquely gifted and blessed by our Creator. What a humbling and exciting role to be called by God to unpack those abilities and develop the gifts and skills each child is capable of. 

World Renew

By engaging in the World Renew gift program, we can partner with our families to help children understand they too have been called to reach out in God's loving name and help others. As this weekend's blog will be the final one leading up to our short week next week, please let your parents know that we will be partnering with them to reach out to those in need as a South Side community. In order to raise money for the World Renew collection, let's encourage our parents to have children work special jobs and dig into their own piggy banks to give to the class collection. We will collect money for World Renew from December 1-December 12. By December 12, please give your classroom total to the office as well as how your students have decided to allocate the funds raised. We will have an all-school chapel time on Wednesday, December 17, during which we will formally give our gifts to World Renew. Please, if you have questions or ideas to make this even more meaningful, bring it to the table. This is a meaningful time for our children to help other children around the world. 

Makers Week

Still considering this as a possibility? Can we briefly meet on Wednesday the 26th during afternoon recess to keep stirring the creativity pot? Or is that a tricky time as we're trying to wrap up before the Thanksgiving Break? I'll touch base with each of you next week. In the meantime, I've placed a few ideas on the table in the staff center. I don't recommend getting too close to that tall tower. Clearly, I'm not gifted in the realm of engineering! 

2,879 Tabs Open

Thank you for meeting, thinking, discussing, volunteering and helping to make South Side a place where everyone is stretched and grows.

Meredith Sybesma will be coming to school tomorrow (Friday) to help put anyone's printed ebooks into a binder if you have one lying in wait. Please feel free to bring your printed ebook for Bible, ELA or math to the office and she'll hole punch the pages and place them in a binder.

Photo ID
Please stop in the office to help identify your students' photo ids on a sticker set Pat has at her desk. We know of several errors and need help making corrections, please.

Here's our recap from the meeting today:

Title 1 
Any takers for Joy on Monday afternoons from 12:30-3:00. If not, do you need support for you class at a different time?

Classroom Visits
Please talk to me about who you would like to partner with or visit and I'll help make it happen. It really is a fantastic growing experience for both parties.

Focus Groups
Thank you to everyone for always going above and beyond the call of duty to make HC the best possible environment for our students.

Math: Sandy Johnson
ELA: Amanda Bohle
Bible: Sheri Hunderman
Social Studies: Jenna Ritsema
Media Center: Karen VanMeeteren

Christmas Party
December 6 with our Pine Ridge party partners! More details will be coming.

SPARK
Thank you for picking up the loose ends on this program and fitting it into your children's experience. Eagle College will replace Community Action House. Preschool arrangement can be made with Maplewood or our own classes. Neighborhood blessing is dependent on your creativity, unit of study, or neighborhood news you may be aware of. Ideas were letters to a policeman/fireman, coffee for bus drivers, hot chocolate kits delivered for neighbors. If you run blank for ideas, please ask around, we'd love to brainstorm this experience together.

Calvin Visits
I will keep you informed when I hear further information. 80 classrooms have been randomly selected and they will visit classrooms for 40 minutes.\

Playground Policy
No toys from home on the playground (except Wolfie is welcome).
Until further notice, bushes may be played in.

Christmas 
Parents may purchase a gift valued at $3 for a classroom gift exchange.
December 18 - I'll take Sarah's kids at 12:45
December 19 - I'll take Kinders at 12:45
December 19 - I'll take 1 & 2 at 2:00

Did I get that correct?

Maker's Week
Thank you for being willing to entertain this out-of-the-box idea. I'll continue to dig for ideas/projects and samples. I envision this that each teacher would "run" one project in their classroom 4x during the mornings of Maker's Week. If you're willing, let's keep talking and thinking.

Walking with God

As we mentioned in devotions, may you always walk closely in this life with God. Rest in Him and be carried by His strength.

World Renew
The falling snow is a great reminder that Christmas time is just around the corner. We will again be participating as a whole school in the World Renew project. More details and dates will be forthcoming. It may be good to alert parents to the idea that we would appreciate their participation at home by encouraging children to work on chores or special jobs to earn money they can contribute to World Renew. I'll detail this in the South Side News Blog as well.

Our Old Laminator
You can't teach old dogs new tricks and apparently it's tricky to get the old laminator to fire up and do his job. We're keeping that beast around for those 'just in case' moments, as in "just in case you really don't need your lamination to stick" ;)  Seriously, it seems that if you run that guy as hot and slow as possible, it can get the job done. So, in a pinch, think "hot and slow" for that thing....you feel free to make up your own jokes here. It's too easy. I'm backing out!

Poinsettia Forms
Need to go home on Friday with the Friday folders.

Staff Meeting
Thursday the 13th at 11:45. We'll all have 3rd bell and I will alert the yellow vest accordingly. I'm excited to share some fun ideas with you!

SPARK
We're starting to roll. Our "event" date will always aim for the second Wednesday of each month. Wednesday because it's a long day. Second because it might be easier to remember as we organize and plan events. If you need to make exception to your event, please alert Pat, particularly if a bus is involved. Those have already been reserved. I apologize that we had delays getting the wheels up on this program this year. I'll talk through specifics with each of you individually and there will be time at our staff meeting to iron out some wrinkles and answer questions you may have as well.

Swimming Lessons

Please remind your families that swimming lessons will begin on Monday, November 10th. Your bus pick-up and drop-off times are in your mailbox.

Dates for your blog

November 10-21         Swimming lessons

November 27-28         Thanksgiving Vacation

12/20-1/4   Christmas Break

1/5             All classes resume

1/19           No school (MLK/Records day)

2/16           Winter break day