HOME COMMUNICATOR
One of our favorite parts of our day in Preschool is worship. As you walk the halls, you’ll often hear classes singing their hearts out in praise to Jesus! A couple weeks ago, we had “Bring Someone You Love Day” in 3 School, and our classrooms were filled with parents, grandparents, and special visitors. Students sat on laps and snuggled next to grandparents while they collectively sang, Jesus Loves Me that morning.
”See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
1 John 3:1 NIV
Jesus Loves Me is a familiar song to us in 3 School, but there was something incredibly special about hearing the song that day. Grandparents, parents, and children were all singing the same words–
Jesus Loves Me, this I know,
for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to HIM belong;
They are weak, but HE is strong.
That truth is being passed down from generation, to generation, to generation. What a gift to be able to worship our God with all generations and sing of His faithfulness!
Our Preschool students learn so much during the school year. But above all, we pray that every child will walk out of these classrooms knowing about the God who loves them and to whom they belong. That even on their weakest days, they have a Savior who holds them in His mighty arms.
Praising our Savior,
Julie Moes
Early Childhood Director
SCHOOL-WIDE NEWS
Auction Raises Over $194,000!
What an incredible night! We are truly amazed by God’s continued faithfulness and our community’s generosity at this year’s HCS Auction, where we raised over $194,000 to support our students and teachers. A special thank you to Hi-Tech Fasteners for their $28,000 matching gift, which helped us raise over $62,000 for the Tuition Assistance Fund. We are so grateful for everyone who participated, donated, and volunteered to make this event a success. Read more about this unforgettable night on our website!
If you would like to join the volunteer team that helps produce the HCS Auction, contact the committee chairperson at auction@4hcs.org.
8th Grade Play
The Hudsonville Christian 8th graders will be presenting the play, CSI: Neverland this Thursday and Friday at 7:00 pm and Saturday at 2:00 pm in the Middle School south gym. Ticket prices are $5.00 each. All seats are reserved. Tickets can be purchased at the door. If you purchased tickets before March 2, they will be available for pick up in the middle school office.
Staff Appreciation Week March 10-14
All HCS Parents AND Students: Since we certainly appreciate our HCS Teachers and Staff, the Parents’ Club Board would like to invite all HCS parents and students to express your appreciation for them during the week of March 10-14! The PCB has fun superhero treats planned for each day as well! Here is a list of items they have planned!
Monday: POWERful Breakfast
Tuesday: SUPERfood snacks
Wednesday: SUPER Sweet Ice Cream
Thursday: POPcorn Bar
Friday: SUPER Staff Lunch
HCS Annual Society Meeting
Save the date- The HCS Annual Society Meeting will be held on Monday, March 17 at 7 p.m. in the elementary library, and you are all invited to attend! In addition to voting on the budget and tuition scale, we will also elect school board members for the coming year.
Parents’ Club Board – General Assembly Meeting
As a parent/guardian of a student at HCS you are a part of the Parents’ Club! Two times each year the Parents’ Club Board (PCB) hosts “General Assembly” meetings to provide updates and information specific to Parents’ Club support services, events and fundraisers. The spring our meeting will be held during the HCS Society Meeting on Monday, March 17. We hope to see you there!
Parents’ Club Board Positions
The PCB is looking to fill 3 board positions for the 2025-2026 school year. The mission and goal of the PCB is to display good stewardship as we raise and allocate funds that benefit our children in a Christ-centered education as well as to promote fellowship and the spirit of unity among parents, faculty and staff. Our 9-seat board is composed of current HCS parents that must attend monthly meetings and fulfill various assigned tasks. If you are interested in joining the Parents’ Club Board for a 3-year term starting in the fall of 2025, fill out this questionnaire by March 14, 2025. Email pcb@4hcs.org with any questions.
Class Placement Requests
Soon after spring break, staff will begin constructing next year’s class lists. This is an involved process that requires input of all the staff members who know your child. Because parents have information that is important, we wish to provide an avenue for this input. If you have a request, you must fill out the online form to ensure that it will be considered throughout the process. Class Placement Request Form. Forms are due Friday, March 14.
Pig in the blankets are back!
Pig in the blankets are for sale self-serve in the elementary school kitchen, large double door freezer, for $15/dozen! Enter through the kitchen door across from the gym. Checks (made payable to HCS) or cash can be placed in the green box that is on the top shelf right above the pig in the blankets in the freezer! Thanks so much for supporting HCS!
Moms in Prayer
The Moms in Prayer group believes that through prayer God releases His power on behalf of our children and school. This week Friday we will be meeting at the Middle School to pray from 8:00-9:00 a.m. Check in at the main office and they will direct you where to go. We will be focused on praying for the amazing education support staff this week. We hope to see you there!
Summer Hiking Trips
Mr. Schnyders will once again be leading students 5th grade and up and families on hiking/camping trips this summer! The Manistee hike will be June 26-28 and the UP hike will be July 16-19. Click HERE for more information and to sign up!
Employment Opportunities
If you are interested in joining the dynamic staff at Hudsonville Christian School, there are employment opportunities for the coming 2025/2026 school year. If you or someone you know might be interested in learning more, please visit our website.
HCS Walkathon is Coming Soon!
The HCS Walkathon will be held on Friday, April 25 at Unity Christian High School Track. This is our one student-led fundraiser which has a goal to raise $100,000. Funds raised helps cover the cost of technology improvements, sports teams, field trips, and event rentals. The last 14 years have been a huge success and we are grateful for the support of our sponsors, parents and for the energy and hard work of our students.
New this year! We will have an online Cognito form to use for online credit card donations. There will be a link available that you can share with family and friends and encourage online donations. (You can make straight donations only with a credit card online.) Pledge forms will be coming home Friday, March 14. Encourage your student to get pledges early before the busy spring arrives!
Both per-lap and straight donations will be accepted for 4th-8th grade students and straight donations only for Preschool – 3rd grade. Grades 4-8 will also have the top boy/girl lap winners per class.
The preschoolers will be raising money for the Early Childhood Program. They were able to raise more than $5,000.00 the last couple of years and that is their goal again for this year. Thanks again for your support and look forward to seeing you at the track on the 25th!
Tuition Assistance – FACTS Program
Hudsonville Christian will again be participating in FACTS, a grant application program. Families who wish to apply for tuition assistance will need to use the FACTS application format online via their confidential website. The application fee will be paid by HCS. The FACTS organization will analyze the information of each applicant. Through FACTS, HCS has the ability to more evenly distribute available tuition assistance funds based upon factual information the families provide in the application. Please note that any additional information provided in the comments section at the end of the application is very helpful when making the decision for distribution.
Parents who have children in more than one EOCS school need only to fill out the application one time — the information will be available to the schools where their children attend. The FACTS online website application is available now. Please contact FACTS at 1-866-315-9262 with any questions. The deadline for submitting this application is March 31. For registration please go to www.factsmgt.com.
ELEMENTARY NEWS
Chapel
This week Friday, March 7, Mrs. Wiechel’s 2nd grade class will lead chapel from 10:00-10:25. Parents are welcome to join us and may enter through the west gym lobby doors.
Elementary Hot Lunch
The menu and other information on the Elementary Hot Lunch program provided by JenHud Food Service can be found on the JenHud Food Service website.
Cookies
This week Friday morning students will have the opportunity to purchase freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for $.25 each (limit 4).
Author Visit for Young 5s-2nd Grade
Christian author Valerie Ellis will be visiting our school on Thursday, March 13. She recently released a Bible storybook called Let’s Go! Bible Adventures. This book helps young children start to understand how life was different during Bible times by connecting stories to different modes of transportation. If you would like to order a signed copy of the book, order forms are due tomorrow.
SOAR – Second Grade Parents
Does your child easily master classroom math? Or write for fun? Or read above grade level? SOAR is a program designed for students who easily master the goals of the classroom. Students receive additional instruction at their level with like ability peers in language arts and/or math. Each spring, 2nd grade students are identified for the program on the basis of parent and teacher nomination and additional testing at HCS. Forms to nominate your child are available to pick up at the elementary school main office. The forms are due by Friday, March 21. Contact Lisi Remy (lremy@4hcs.org or 460-7686) with any questions.
4th Grade Transition to Middle School
Middle School Orientation for parents of incoming 5th grade students is scheduled for Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 7:00pm in the Middle School Orchestra Room (Room 8). This orientation is designed for PARENTS having a child entering middle school for the first time, but any parent of an incoming 5th student is welcome to attend.
Whitecaps Reading Club
Students in grades Y5-4th grade are taking home Whitecaps Reading Club forms this week. Students are able to earn two free tickets to a Whitecaps game by reading during the month of March. These forms do not need to be returned to school. Everything needed to order the tickets are included on the form. Happy Reading!
Summer Tutoring
A list of teachers that are available for summer tutoring can be found on our website.
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
Chapel
Students and staff will gather in the south gym for chapel from 7:55-8:25 AM on Tuesday and Friday. Parents are welcome to join us! If you would like to view the Middle School Chapels at a later time, you can also find recordings on our Vimeo channel- Chapel.
- Tuesday, March 4 – Katie Heerspink and Kristen Koetje
- Friday, March 7 – 6th Grade Homeroom – Helms
- Tuesday, March 11 – Jennifer Hoekstra and Melissa Bronson
Hot Lunch
Hot lunch this week Wednesday is Chick Fil A! ($4.50/sandwich).
5th Grade Boys Sex Ed Night
Each year, Hudsonville Christian School schedules an evening for our 5th grade boys and their fathers (or another male role-model) to meet for an introduction to sex education. The meeting will be TODAY, March 4, at 7:00 P.M. in the orchestra room at the Middle School building. Please reserve the night! An email was sent out on February 7th.
Ski Club
For the month of March, weather dependent, ski club cards can be used any day of the week! On Saturdays and Sundays after 3pm and all day every other day.
Earth Day PaperGator Contest
PaperGator Competition!! We have a chance to earn up to $5,000.00 for our school by collecting as much paper in our PaperGator as we can from January through April! It’s called the PaperGator Earth Day Contest! Spread the word to your family and friends to fill up the middle school PaperGator located in the west parking lot off of the bus loop.
Volunteer Opportunity
The middle school is looking for a few volunteers to help supervise students during their lunch breaks. Volunteers will wander hallways and outside supervising students to ensure safety and that breaks are going smoothly. For more information or to sign up click HERE.
Awesome Arts Day
HCMS is hosting Awesome Arts Day on Friday, March 14. Students will be moving with their “family groups” throughout this special day to 3 different sections where various Artists will be presenting. The day will conclude with all students gathering together in the gym for a performance by Hark Up!
COMMUNITY NEWS
Unity Christian Community Event
Community Event: Unity Christian welcomes community members and parents of all ages to join us on Thursday March 20 from 7:00-8:30 at Unity Christian for a special presentation, “Tell Me About My Kid!”. Dan Landstra, Unity’s Director for Spiritual Life, will give a “front row” look at the world of grade school, middle school, and high school students. Based on actual questions from parents within our community, we will learn how our students navigate life and faith, what cultural forces influence them most, and what parents can do to guide students through a complex world.
Topics include:
- Parenting children in 2025
- Phones, social media, AI, and how to manage it all
- Mental health crisis
- Pornography’s impact on young people
- Sexuality and Individualism
- A Biblical worldview from which to navigate a path forward
Attention Anglers!
If your son/daughter is interested in the Unity Christian Middle School Fishing Team, please reach out to Chad Essebaggers at cessebaggers@yahoo.com / 616-822-5787 or Scott VanWyk at svw99bird@hotmail.com / 616-915-3878 as soon as possible. If your middle schooler is interested in ordering a fishing jersey, please contact Chad or Scott by Friday, March 14.
Help Local Families Stay Warm—Join Walk for Warmth!
Right now, many families—including students in our schools—are struggling to keep their heat on. February and March are crisis months in our community, leaving some of our neighbors facing the reality of a home without heat, water, or electricity. But you can help! Walk for Warmth, hosted by the Ottawa County Community Action Agency, is a two-mile walk that raises funds to keep utilities on for local families in need. 100% of the money raised stays in Ottawa County. We invite families, classrooms, teams, clubs, booster groups and more to join us—whether by walking, fundraising, or spreading awareness. Even if you can’t donate, your participation helps bring hope to those in need. For more information click here or, email info.occaa@miottawa.org.
SpringHill Day Camp
This summer, SpringHill Day Camp is bringing all the camp fun to Hudsonville. This camp is designed for current Kindergarteners through 5th Graders. It will take place at Forest Grove Reformed Church on July 28 through August 1 from 9am to 4pm. Pre- and aftercare is available as well. Registration is open now! To learn more or to register, click HERE!
Allendale Christian 3-on-3
Allendale Christian School will be holding its annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament on Saturday, March 15 at Allendale High School! All athletes grades 3-8 are welcome to participate – divisions will be created based on grade level. Please visit www.facebook.com/ACS3on3/ for more details and to access the online registration form. Registration deadline is March 5. We hope to see you there!
