HOME COMMUNICATOR
Two weeks ago, we welcomed 422 students into the middle school. Hallways that were quiet for months suddenly erupted with excitement, laughter, and the bustling of students moving from class to class. Among them were 29 new students, who arrived with an extra layer of nervousness as they transferred into Hudsonville Christian in recent months.
During the open house, one of our teachers was approached by a parent of one of these new students. When asked how things are going, he said, “within five minutes of walking into this building, we knew this was the right place for our daughter. There’s something special about this school, we just feel it.”
The feeling was echoed a few days later when I saw the mom of another new student leaving the office with tears welling in her eyes. Our secretary asked how her daughter was adjusting to a new school. She started tearing up and responded, “unbelievably well.” She continued by sharing how last year her daughter never wanted to get up and go to school in the morning, and dreaded her classes. However, this year she has regained a sparkle in her eye and willingly hops out of bed in the morning, excited to go to school. “I can’t tell you how thankful I am that my daughter is at Hudsonville Christian,” she said.
These two stories are just a glimpse of how the Holy Spirit is working at HCS. We know we are not perfect, and middle school is a difficult time for many students, but we pray that we can continue to build a culture of love and belonging for our students–and hopefully it only takes five minutes to feel the difference.
Chris Achterhof
Middle School Principal
SCHOOL-WIDE NEWS
School Pictures
Middle School students will have their pictures taken on September 9. Elementary school pictures will be taken on September 10 & 11. Picture packets will be sent home with students today.
- Tuesday, September 9– Grades 5-8
- Wednesday, September 10– M/W 3 School, M/W 4 School, Nature Based 4 School, M/W/F Y5s, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 4
- Thursday, September 11– T/Th 3 School, T/Th 4 School, Nature Based 4 School, T/TH/F Y5s, Kindergarten, Grade 3.
HCS Returnables Shed
You are invited to drop off your returnable cans and bottles to the recycling shed at any time! The shed is located in the elementary school north parking lot off of Hillcrest Ave. Thank you for supporting our school.
Give Joy to HCS Staff
Are you looking for ways to bless a specific staff member? Do you want to learn more about a team of teachers? Are you hoping to drop off someone’s favorite coffee? Good news 🎉 The HCS Spirit Committee has created a Staff Favorites binder to help you! The binders are located in the following offices: Early Childhood, Middle School and the Admin. office at the Elementary building. These lists include staff’s favorite foods and drinks, places to shop, etc. Please stop by and ask for the Staff Favorites binder – Take a picture or jot down notes to get started on your next joy giving opportunity!
*Please note these binders need to remain in the office at all times and will be updated yearly.
Upcoming Events
HCS Clay Shoot – September 6
Come out and support the Hudsonville Christian School Tuition Assistance Fund at our annual Sporting Clay Shoot at Blendon Pines on September 6. It doesn’t matter if you’re a novice or an expert shooter, this promises to be a fun event with something for everyone. For more information or to register click HERE.
Septemberfest – September 20
Mark your calendars because Septemberfest Arts and Crafts Show is right around the corner. Come out and support our school at the annual show on September 20 from 9am to 2pm at the Hudsonville Fairgrounds. This will be your one stop shop! Come and get your donut, grab some lunch and shop our 150+ vendors. Tickets are $3; kids 12 and under free. Strollers are welcome. VIP tickets are available that will allow you early entry at 8:15am before the crowds. The VIP passes also include a shopping bag full of local business coupons. There are only 100 available so get yours soon; visit the Septemberfest Facebook page for more information! Cost for VIP bags is $10. Please help us spread the word by finding us on Facebook, liking it, and sharing us with your friends. Search Septemberfest Arts and Craft Show on Facebook. We can not wait to see you all there!
Harvest Family Fun Day – October 4
Saturday October 4 from 3:00-5:00. We would love to see all the HCS preschool through 8th grade students, and families come out for an afternoon of fun, food and community! Plan on attending this fun-filled afternoon on the elementary playground (in case of weather, it will be in the West Gym) Fun games like the pumpkin walk, basketball free throw, cereal walk, plinko, bounce house. Fantastic prizes! Donuts, cider, popcorn, cotton candy. Even if you cannot come the entire afternoon, please stop by anytime between 3 and 5. There will be a small cost of $5 per child (adults are free). Continue to watch the Home Communicator each week for upcoming details of the event. We are still looking for people to help run a game or serve food. Please sign up here as soon as possible, so that we can continue planning! We cannot have the event without help from our HCS families! Volunteers that have already signed up, thank you so much! Please continue to check your inbox (or spam folder) in the coming weeks for continued information regarding the event. If you have questions, please email Jenni Walters at jenniwalters@sbcglobal.net.
ELEMENTARY NEWS
Chapel
This week Friday, September 5, all elementary students will gather in the west gym for a praise and worship chapel from 10:00-10:25. Parents are welcome to join us and may enter through the west gym lobby doors.
Elementary Hot Lunch
Information on the Elementary Hot Lunch program provided by JenHud Food Service can be found on the JenHud Food Service website. Make deposits and monitor your account through the Family Portal. If you have questions please contact the food service at foodservice@hpseagles.net.
Number Days – Specials Schedule
The number day calendar for determining the specials schedule is available on our website.
Elementary Playground Monitors
We are in need of volunteers to help cover the elementary playground during recess! Having additional adults on the playground helps keep our kids safe. We specifically need a couple more helpers before school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 7:20-7:50. The snack and lunch recess helpers can volunteer every other week so just twice a month! Please check out this SignUpGenius link to sign up and earn volunteer points! Thank you for considering this important opportunity.
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
Chapel
Students and staff will gather for chapel from 7:55-8:25 AM in the south gym 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, September 2 – Chris Achterhof leading chapel
- Friday, September 5 – CIRCLE chapel
- Tuesday, September 9 – Jackie Sietsema/Cambrie Brouwer
Hot Lunch
Hot lunch will be available at the middle school on Wednesdays starting September 17. Here is the Link to the Middle school Hot lunch schedule/menu.
A/B Day Schedule
The 5th -8th grade A/B day schedule is available on our website. PLEASE NOTE: There were some corrections to the dates, so if you printed it previously, you may want to reprint.
Attendance
Please remember to use the childwatch attendance line to inform us of your student’s absence or tardy. If you email your child’s teacher about attendance or appointments, please also include the middle school office email – msoffice@4hcs.org. Thank you!
PE Shirts
PE shirts have been ordered and will arrive in the next couple of weeks. We will let you know once they have arrived and ready.
Faces and Our Cultures Opportunity
For nearly 20 years, Faces & Our Cultures has enriched students’ lives through cultural exchange programs between Guatemala and the U.S. Our school has been part of this amazing program and we’re excited to continue offering global experiences to our students. If you are interested in learning more about either program, please fill out the link below with your information to get all the details: https://airtable.com/app9X3LWduAo23NP8/pag1P7f75lWtcyjrw/form
COMMUNITY NEWS
Homecoming Pig Roast
Unity Christian High School invites you to a community Pig Roast on Friday, September 19 from 4:00-6:30PM. This event will be held in the East Side Addition which is currently under construction. Come out for dinner and check out the progress on Unity’s newest addition. Alumni who attend will be able to pick up free entry vouchers for the HOCO Football game starting at 7pm the same evening. Help us make sure we have enough food for all our guests by registering to attend by Thursday, September 11. This dinner is free to attend with donations accepted.
