Category Archives: Parent Note

Parent Note – April 23, 2018

PARENT NOTE – April 23, 2018
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
Matthew 5:41

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
Parents,
Have you checked your child’s 3rd Quarter Report Card yet?  I recently read some research on Home School Communication.  Evidently, just because it’s there doesn’t mean you are going to rush to read it.  While the amount of information we have is helpful, it can be overwhelming.  The point of the article was that schools need to Continue reading Parent Note – April 23, 2018 →

Parent Note – April 16, 2018

PARENT NOTE – April 16, 2018
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
Matthew 5:41

FROM THE HCS BOARD
When we began this quarter, we were returning from celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. At that time of the year, we think about the incomparable love that God showed to us, His sinful children, as He took on human form and a nature just like Continue reading Parent Note – April 16, 2018 →

Parent Note – March 26, 2018

PARENT NOTE – March 26, 2018
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
Matthew 5:41

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
Parents,
I’m reading an excellent book right now called Boys Adrift – if you’re raising boys, I recommend it!  One of the points he makes is that just as we are facing a critical shortage of students prepared for STEM Continue reading Parent Note – March 26, 2018 →

Parent Note – March 19, 2018

PARENT NOTE – March 19, 2018
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
Matthew 5:41

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
Parents:
In order to keep the calendar free for ISTEP Part 2 testing, which runs from April 16 to May 4, the following changes are being made:
• May Late Start moves from May 2 to May 9
• Protect Young Eyes with Chris McKenna moves from May 1 to May 14.  After he spends the day with students, Chris will meet with their parents at 7:00 p.m.  You won’t want to miss this opportunity to have Chris help you navigate the challenges facing our students with technology.  This meeting is mandatory for parents of current 5th graders in preparation for their children receiving school Macbooks in the fall of 6th grade.
• Service Day will move from April 27 to June 1.
There are some things that we can’t change like Young Authors and Math Triathlon, but clearing the calendar helps us stay focused.
Note: In order to check our inventory of Macbooks and make preparations for the summer and next year, junior high students will leave their laptops at school for spring break.

SCHOOL NEWS
1. Important Reminder:  Due to a snow make-up day, there will be school on Good Friday, March 30.  It will be a 1:45 dismissal and there is no aftercare on that day.
2. Everyone is invited to our K-5 Spring Program this Thursday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m.  Students in grades K-5 should dress in an Easter color – light blue, yellow, green, purple, pink, white, or orange (no sweatpants or jeans with holes) and be in their classrooms between 6:30 and 6:45 p.m.  This is a mandatory performance for all K-5 students.
3. Everyone is invited to the All-School Gifts Assembly this Thursday, March 22 at 8:40 a.m. in the gym.
4. HCS parent and Prayer Group Leader, Mrs. Koutz, invites students and parents for a time of prayer on Wed., March 21 at 8:00 a.m. in the HCS Prayer Garden.  If you are not familiar with the Prayer Garden, it is in front of the school to the west of the main entrance.  This prayer initiative is being encouraged at all Highland schools.
5. Smile.amazon.com donates 0.5% to Association for Christian Instruction:  Your purchase at AmazonSmile will earn Highland Christian School great rewards!  AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com.  The difference is that when customers shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to Highland Christian School when you select us as your charitable organization.  HCS is listed as the “Association for Christian Instruction.”  BONUS:  Amazon Smile is granting 3 times the points now through the end of March.  1.5% of every purchase designated to Association for Christian Instruction will go to Highland Christian School.
6. Reminder:  If you choose to have your child share a birthday treat with his or her classmates, please send it in a package that can be put in the children’s backpacks at the end of the day to take and enjoy at home.  This practice allows us to preserve valuable learning time and also allows parents to decide if the treat is consistent with the dietary choices appropriate for their child.

TRIP NEWS
1. Toys R Us has filed for bankruptcy and will be closing all of their U.S. stores.  If you have any gift cards for this store use them immediately!
2. Zandstra’s Greenhouse gift certificates will be available for sale beginning the week of April 9th.
3. Interested in buying Cash & Carry gift cards from the TRIP office before spring break?  Contact the TRIP office at trip@highlandchristian.org or call 219-838-0356, ext. 199 with a list of cards you would like to buy.
4. Countdown to Spring Break!  This week is the last week to place a TRIP order before Spring break.  TRIP orders are due (paper and online orders) on Thurs., Mar. 22nd by 10 a.m.
5. Current Bonus Rebates (week of Mar. 19):  Bass Pro Shops – 11%; Game Stop – 4%; JCPenney – 5%; Meijer – 5%; Shutterfly – 10%; The Home Depot – 6%; Domino’s – 10%; Red Robin – 10%, TGI Fridays – 9%.
6. Team B (Kathi Fulton, Suzanne Van Ek, Amy Jellema, Lisa Long) will be putting the TRIP orders together on Tues., Mar. 20th.  Orders will be ready for pick up in the school office on Tuesday at 2:45 p.m.
7. TRIP Teams for Stuffing Orders:  Team C – Mar. 27; Team D – Apr. 17; Team A – Apr. 24; Team B – May 1

COMMUNITY NEWS
1. Men of A-Chord Christian Men’s Chorus is pleased to announce our annual “Night of Song” Concerts.  There will be FOUR men’s choruses participating in TWO concerts this year!  Saturday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 29 at 2:00 p.m.  The concerts will be held at First Christian Reformed Church, (16248 South Park Ave., South Holland, IL).  Everyone is welcome to join us for a time of praise to God our Savior.  There is no cost to attend.   For more information see our website at www.menofachord.org.
2. GEMS FUNDRAISER: Visit Culver’s in Highland on Saturday, April 7, from 11am to 8pm and they will donate 10% of sales to our New Life’s GEMS Club! Enjoy a delicious meal, benefit a great cause & feel good all over! Please remember to mention GEMS when you place your order.
3. Now Hiring Accountant: Barnabas Foundation seeks an Accountant to join the finance team in its Crete, Illinois office.  The accountant’s primary responsibilities are to support the Accounting Manager in the recording and reporting of financial transaction, and to administrator all aspects of trust and gift annuities from the initial proposal for clients up until the final distribution of the residual account balance to charity.  Qualifications for this entry level position include: desire to apply accounting skills in Christian nonprofit setting; trustworthy with confidential information; excellent attention to detail and accuracy; positive attitude and ability to work well with others; ability to multi-task in an organized manner; excellent keyboarding and computer skills. A four-year degree in accounting is desired, and prior experience in non-profit accounting is helpful.  Interested candidates should email a resume to jobs@BarnabasFoundation.com.  To learn more about Barnabas Foundation and view details of the job description go to www.BarnabasFoundation.com/careers.
4. Please join us at Illiana Christian High School on Tuesday, April 24th, for the annual “Evening for Illiana” fundraising dinner.  This will be the final dinner at the Lansing campus and we have some special things planned!  Dinner will be served in the upper gym from 5pm until 7pm.  Farewell Lansing campus tours will be guided by former and current teachers and staff from 5pm to 6pm.  Fine Arts displays will be open during dinner and the Fine Arts program, featuring competition winners, will take place in the chapel at 7pm.  No reservations needed, but we would appreciate knowing if you are coming!  RSVPs can be sent to nicoles2947@aol.com or please call Nicole Smit at 708-946-6669 to let us know you are coming.  Donations will be accepted at the door.  We would love to see you there!

Parent Note – March 12, 2018

PARENT NOTE – March 12, 2018
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
Matthew 5:41

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
Larry Lezotte, in his work about the Correllates of Effective Schools, cites a safe and orderly environment as highly important.  There are two generations of safe and orderly and both matter.
The first generation deals with things like fire drills, severe weather drills, locked doors and now, of course, Lockdown Drills.  Each year Continue reading Parent Note – March 12, 2018 →

Parent Note – March 5, 2018

PARENT NOTE – March 5, 2018
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
Matthew 5:41

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Dear Parents;

For those of you with students in Grades 3-8 taking ISTEPs, last week went well.  The technology worked and the students are using their full amount of time to check their work.  As you probably know from the news, this is the last year for these tests as they are being replaced with ILEARN.  Whereas ISTEPs have a test window in February/March and again in May, ILEARN will only have one window in May – hopefully a good thing!

Here are a couple of mid-year reminders about our Drop off and Pick up procedures:

1) No hand held devices while driving – this applies to EVERYONE – and, yes, I realize that all caps in an e-mail is the equivalent of yelling.

2) Morning Drop off – if you need to walk your child/ren in, please park in the lot to the east of the school.  If you park in the diagonal spots opposite the front door, you and your children are crossing against the drop-off line.

3) Pick up at the end of the day – if you choose to park, park in the lot to the east of the school and then walk over.  Parking alongside the driveway by the garage is not an option.

Thanks for looking after these details!

There will be an e-mail tomorrow, but here’s a heads-up that we have a Late Start this Wednesday, March 7th.

SCHOOL NEWS

  1. Reminder: This Wednesday, March 7 is a late start.  School will begin at 10:00 on this day.
  2. Kindergarten Readiness Day for the 2018/2019 school year is scheduled for next Wednesday, March 14. If you have a kindergarten-age child for next year and are considering kindergarten at HCS, please contact the school office.
  3. HCS Preview Day is this Friday, March 9 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. If you know of anyone interested in learning more about HCS, please extend an invitation to them or have them contact the school office at 219-838-0356.
  4. Early Enrollment: Please login to OnCampus to view and accept the 2018-19 Highland Christian School Enrollment Contract for your child(ren).  Early enrollment is in effect until March 31.  Early enrollment and payment in full of your August bill by 8/15/2018 qualifies you for a credit of $50.  The guidelines for the enrollment fee credit are available on the student billing resource board in onCampus.  Please note that both parents on record must login individually to accept the contract and finalize enrollment.  If you need assistance with your enrollment contract or login credentials, please contact Jodi L. at 219-838-0356 x165.
  5. The Science and Engineering Fair is this week Friday! Fifth and seventh grade students will be presenting their projects during school on Friday and an open house will be held Friday evening from 6:00-7:30pm to show off their work. Come on out and see the great work our students have done!
  6. We need more judges! We are still in need of a few more judges for the science fair on Friday. Judging will take place between 8:30am and 1:00pm. No science background is needed and even if you cannot stay the entire time, any time you can give would be a huge help! Please contact Mr. Van Dyke as soon as possible if you are interested and able to help out. Our students really benefit by having someone other than their teachers assess their work!

ETC NEWS

  1. Next Thursday, March 15 is sort night at etc for 1st grade from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

ATHLETIC NEWS

  1. Tuesday, March 6 – boys volleyball vs. Lansing – AWAY – 4:15

Thursday, March 8 –    boys volleyball vs. Tinley Park – AWAY – 4:15

Saturday, March 10 –   Boys Volleyball Tournament at Crown Point – TBA

TRIP NEWS

  1. Countdown to Spring Break! There are only three TRIP order dates left before spring break (Mar. 8, 15, 22).  Are you traveling for spring break?  Check out the shopwithscrip.com website to see what retailers are located near your vacation destination or on the way to it.
  2. The next TRIP Cash & Carry Gift Card Store will be this Thurs., Mar. 15th from 8:15 to 9 a.m. and 2:30 to 3 p.m.
  1. TRIP orders are due (paper and online orders) on Thurs., Mar. 8th by 10 a.m.
  2. Current Bonus Rebates (week of Mar. 5): Bed, Bath & Beyond – 7%; Boston Market – 13%; Cabela’s – 11%; Carter’s/Osh Kosh – 10%; Lowe’s – 5%; Jewel – 4%.
  3. Next week’s Bonus Rebate: Domino’s – 10%; Red Robin – 10%; TGI Fridays – 9%.
  4. Team D (Shelly Witham, Linda Balkema, Amy Yonkman) will be putting the TRIP orders together on Tues., Mar. 6th. Orders will be ready for pick up in the school office on Tuesday at 2:45 p.m.
  5. TRIP Teams for Stuffing Orders: Team A – Mar. 13; Team B – Mar. 20; Team C – Mar. 27; Team D – Apr. 17

COMMUNITY NEWS

  1. PREVIEW ILLIANA: This Tuesday, March 6, 2018, at 7:00 p.m.  Open the door to Illiana Christian High School. Parents and students are welcome! Meet with faculty and administration, observe live teaching, get a sneak peek of the musical, hear the latest about the new campus, and have all your questions answered. No pre-registration necessary. Please invite neighbors, friends, family, and anyone else to this great event! Any questions can be directed to Admissions Counselor Marie Limback at 708-474-0515 Ext. 49 or marie.limback@illianachristian.org.
  2. Men of A-Chord Christian Men’s Chorus and Illiana Christian High School Choir are pleased to present our annual “Harmony of Generations” Concert on Saturday, March 17, 7:00 p.m. at First Christian Reformed Church, (16248 South Park Ave., South Holland, IL).  Everyone is welcome and there is no cost to attend.  Proceeds from a free-will offering will benefit the Illiana Christian High School Choral Department.  For more information see our website at www.menofachord.org.
  1. Men of A-Chord Christian Men’s Chorus is pleased to announce our annual “Night of Song” Concerts. There will be FOUR men’s choruses participating in TWO concerts this year!  Saturday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 29 at 2:00 p.m.  The concerts will be held at First Christian Reformed Church, (16248 South Park Ave., South Holland, IL).  Everyone is welcome to join us for a time of praise to God our Savior.  There is no cost to attend.   For more information see our website at menofachord.org.

 

 

Parent Note – February 26, 2018

PARENT NOTE – February 26, 2018
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
Matthew 5:41

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
Parents,
This morning, I had the opportunity to lead devotions for our faculty.  I shared with them an excellent book I am reading called Canoeing the Mountains.  The book is for Christian leaders and it draws on the experience of the Lewis and Clark expedition.  They were canoers, but once they passed the headwaters of the Missouri, Continue reading Parent Note – February 26, 2018 →

Parent Note – February 20, 2018

PARENT NOTE – February 20, 2018
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
Matthew 5:41

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
Dear Parents,
We often refer to HCS as a Professional Learning Community – a PLC. While this refers specifically to instructional and assessment practices, it also can be applied to us as adults.   Friday was a day of learning for us as we explored ways to help our students switch from Continue reading Parent Note – February 20, 2018 →

Parent Note – February 12, 2018

PARENT NOTE – February 12, 2018
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
Matthew 5:41

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
I hope you all enjoyed the extra time with your children this weekend – or at least had some extra help with shoveling. The upcoming weekend will also be long due to Friday’s In-service for teachers and Presidents Day on Monday. At the In-service, teachers Continue reading Parent Note – February 12, 2018 →

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