Monthly Archives: March 2019

Weekly Blog

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Tell your parents about your trip to the planetarium. Give them at least 3 facts that you learned. There is a constellation call sextan 😄 There is a lot of phase of the moon  there could super nova but we would not notice it.

What was your favorite part of the week(besides going on break today)! being two days away from break.

Good morning!

I hope you excited about spring break! I’m looking forward to a bit of family time. Kathy and I are going to The Ark and the Creation Museum in Kentucky, and then I am going to be helping my son get his nursery ready for the June arrival of our first grandchild!

We took a trip to the planetarium this week, and it was very enjoyable for some, and pretty boring for others. My feeling is, if there are 10-15 kids in our group that were fascinated by it, then it is a worthwhile trip. That coupled with the material they saw, ties in nicely with our study of the solar system in science! Mr. Hutt is moving toward the Revolutionary War in social studies with the first shots being fired at Lexington and Concord! The kids seem to be very interested in it. In Math, the kids will be once again switching teachers after spring break. The kids I had will be continuing on long division and it’s real world applications. The other class is in the middle of the chapter on measurement and geometry. In Bible, we are continuing on with the early life of Christ. In ELA, the students finished up with their informational writing pieces, and will be starting personal narratives after break. I gave the kids a break this week with no spelling or Bible memory verse. They were given a new verse, but will have until the Friday after break to recite it. They should be practicing the first 3 verses of Ephesians 2 over break.

Below, you will see a letter from Mr. Nagelkirk about the availability of sports physicals for 5th graders. If you even think your son or daughter might be interested in sports, then please take advantage of these inexpensive physicals.

Hoping and praying that you have a great week with your kids! Blessings to you all, Paul

Hello 5th Grade Parents,

Below you will find the Sports Physical Sign-Up that will take place at City on a Hill on April 20 for $10.  This will be needed if your child plans on playing a sport during the 2019-2020 school year.  If this date does not work, then you can also have the Physical done at Holland Christian, or by your doctor at any time before the first practice.

Below you will see the list of sports that your child may participate in next year as a 6th grader:
Fall: (Sept.-Oct.)
– Boys and Girls Cross-Country at Holland Christian
– Girls Tennis at Holland Christian
Early Winter: (Nov.-Dec.)
– Girls Swimming and Diving at Holland Christian
– Girls Cheer at Holland Christian
Late Winter:(Jan.-Feb.)
– Boys Swimming and Diving at Holland Christian
Spring: (April-May)
– Boys Tennis at Holland Christian
– Boys and Girls Track at Zeeland Christian

ZCS Sports Physical Sign-up Link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4CAEAA22A64-zcssports

Holland Christian Schools athletic department will offer athletic physicals for the 2019-2020 school year on Tuesday, April 30, from 6:30-9:00 at Lakeshore Health Partners South Washington facility. The cost is $15 and signups will once again be online through SignupGenius. Stay tuned for more details.

Thanks,
Joel Nagelkirk
Athletic Director
Zeeland Christian School

Weekly Blog

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Explain to your parents something you learned about the endocrine system. I learn that you have a lot of gross glands.

Tell your parents what you did in Family groups today. I made a card for donor of ZCS.

What was the best part of your week? I did not have one.

Hello, and once again, Happy Friday!

Once again, it has been a very busy week for my 5B classroom! Lots to bring to your attention. I think spring fever(March Madness) is starting to make its way through the 5th graders, as the hints of warmer weather and next week’s spring break are getting them a bit more wound up than normal. Nothing bad, just a bit more enthusiastic! 🙂 I mention March Madness because we have quite a few kids who are college bball fans, and I let them fill out a bracket to see if they can beat my bracket. Any student who beats my score, will get a turn of the candy machine. About as close to betting as I would ever get!

Yesterday, we were asked to go to the 8th graders’ PBL(project based learning) on Christian Persecution around the world. Very sobering and saddening to see their displays depicting what our Christian brothers and sisters have to endure in other parts of the world. They came away with a new appreciation for just how fortunate we are in the United States.

Academically, we are moving right along. In ELA, the kids are turning in their Informational Writing pieces that they have worked diligently on for the past 3 weeks. Across the board, they are very impressive! Hopefully, you have had a chance to read them and help in the proofreading. My math class is in the early sections of long division, and are actually making good progress. Mr. Hutt’s class is working through the geometry chapter. In social studies, Mr. Hutt is progressing through the events leading up to the Revolutionary War, fascinating material! In science, we have completed our relative size and distance lab for our solar system. If you get a chance, stop by and look at the display on my window wall. Both classes did quite well. We spent one day going over the endocrine system in preparation for Thursday’s talk about their changing bodies.  In regards to “the talk” by all accounts it went well, and I think most of the 5th grade came away a bit more knowledgeable about their bodies! In Bible class, we are progressing through the birth of John the Baptist, and of Jesus. We had a good discussion of the kids’ ideas concerning angels.

The kids might have told you that I am providing them pizza for lunch on Monday. We recently won the coin contest, and to reward them, I told them I’d buy them pizza. I did tell them they were responsible for their drink. I also told them no pop or juice boxes(school rules). I also  mentioned that it is my way of celebrating my 60th Birthday(woohoo)!! They have been such a joy to teach this year, and for the first time in many years, I am not really looking forward to spring break. Sure, I’ll enjoy it, but I am not feeling like I need a break from them. Great kids!  We are heading to the planetarium in the morning, and will eat when we get back.

Kathy and I want to say how much we enjoyed the music program Tuesday night. It was so refreshing to hear the kids singing praises to Christ. Kathy was especially moved by hearing the little kids singing prior to the 3-5th graders. Something about the innocence of their young voices was very moving!

Hope you all have a great weekend!  Paul

Weekly Update

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Tell your parents at least 3 facts from your informational writing piece.  Bobby Orr is the best player in the NHL

Red Wing were founded in 1926

A goalie glove is also called a catcher.

Explain to your parents how Mr. Schoen-Tanis explained that many children in Africa do not have access to clean water. That is why we donated money to make sure they have clean water

Explain to your parents how the coin war worked. Coin help the student in other places.

Good afternoon, and once again, Happy Friday!

It has been a busy week, with lots to report! The kids came in Monday and were all excited about having seen the play, “Peter Pan”! It really was a solid production, and many kudos to Mr. Commeret and his crew! Last Friday, my son Jeff stopped by to say hi and meet the kids that I had been talking about so much. He had a great time with the class, and is looking forward to his next visit. He is a product manager for Herman Miller, and often comes to the Zeeland offices for meetings.

Academically we are moving right along! Mr. Hutt is in the midst of the early colonization of American, touching on the Boston Massacre this week. He is covering Geometry with his class, and I am finishing up multiplication of whole numbers and decimals in my class. Next week, long division! Another plug here for having the kids work on their times tables. It will make this next chapter much easier. I spent some time yesterday explaining why it was National “Pi Day”. I showed them the principle that a diameter of a circle will wrap around the circumference of the circle three times plus a bit more, no matter what size circle you have.  Mrs. Keyser is working with the kids putting finishing touches on their Informational Writing pieces. We are asking they print out a B/W copy for final revisions(most have done this already in school), and then next week after revisions are complete, if you have a color printer, please print out their copy to turn in and I will place it in their file. In Science we are working on a project for display on our window wall that shows both the relative size and distance of the planets in our solar system. Fun Stuff! In Bible class, we are going through the events surrounding Christ’s birth. Please continue to have the kids practice their spelling words and Bible memory verse at home every day.

Wednesday, the kids were treated to a presentation of this year’s Destination Imagination groups, including some students from our class. Yesterday, we were enlightened by a presentation from the illustrator of the book, “Lulu and the Long Walk”, Joel Schoen-Tanis. He talked about the plight of many areas in Africa that don’t have clean water to drink. The class and I found him very interesting. He challenged all the K-5 students to try to think globally as they get older, and to be willing to listen to God’s calling to help the less fortunate. Thanks to those of you who supported him by purchasing his book, or by making a donation to the Blood Water Mission!

Speaking of money, I am pleased to announce that our class won the coin war for our sister school in the Philippines! We raised over $260, part of a very impressive $900 for the entire 5th grade! To put that in perspective mathematically, we raised 29% of the funds with only 19% of the 5th grade! Thanks to all of you that donated your change to the cause!

Next week, the 8th graders are putting on a PBL(project based learning) presentation on how Christians today are still being persecuted. We are going to take the kids to see it. The teachers of the 8th graders are also collecting donations for “Open Doors”, an organization that helps support Christians around the world who are currently being persecuted. It seems like I am always asking money for things, but if you have a dollar or few, please send it in with the kids. I am planning on making a donation for the class if you don’t remember to do it. I have also included a few pictures from the week for you to look at! Hope you all have an incredibly restful weekend! Blessings, Paul

I’ve been asked to provide the following information about Tuesday’s music program at Community Reformed Church:

Notes to parents(From Mr. Schonewill):

We love the support you show to your students! We hope you will enjoy their gifts and spirit as you watch and listen to them. Here are some guidelines to help you plan for the evening:

Please don’t plan to save seats in the auditorium or to come incredibly early. It creates additional supervision issues for staff. We will need the students in the auditorium at least 15 minutes prior to start time. Performing students will be directed to sit with their class and homeroom teachers. There should be plenty of room for all.
There is no ‘uniform’ for the evening. Students should wear something ‘nice, clean, and bright’. It’s a night of celebration and joy!
Please don’t feel obligated to stay for both programs if you don’t have students in both. In fact, we would encourage you to exit the building quickly to make room for others.
Parents, no matter which program you are attending, please keep all of your non-performing children with you. In the past, we have had supervision and even vandalism issues caused by unsupervised students roaming the building. We do not want to jeopardize our great relationship with the church

Weekly Update

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Explain to your parents what “Snow Treasure” was about.  It was about WW2 and the gold of Norway.

Explain to them how the movie and the book had some major differences in the storylines. In the book they use sheds but in the movie they use ski.

What was your most challenging thing you did this week. This can be academically, or personally. The hardest thing was finish spelling in time.

Tell your parents why you now like the Elvis song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love”! 😉 I like it because Mr. Keyser sang It.

Hello, and once again, Happy Friday!!

Well, I changed my mind and found a few minutes to put this blog together Thursday afternoon.  Academically, we are pretty much where we were last week. The students in each of our math classes are coming to the close of their respective units on Multiplication and Long Division. We will be switching this next Wednesday.

We had a very good Worship gathering on Wednesday, and in addition to singing some great Praise and Worship songs, we had a fun lead in to “March is Reading Month”. The theme this year is from the very popular, “Where’s Waldo” series. I am asking that if you have any of those books, or any of the books from the “I Spy” series at home, that we could borrow them for some of our activities. This next Wednesday will be a comfy PJ day, and the class is encouraged to bring in a flashlight and wear their PJ’s.

I spoke with a woman who ran into Mrs. Hall a couple of days ago, and she said that things were so much better. She is doing some part time work with a corporation that puts on seminars, and she is also working part time at her church. So good to hear that she is doing well.

I have included an informational link about a book that can be ordered that would be a great addition to any family’s library, and one that the monies raised will go to a very worthy cause!

Hoping and praying you all have a very nice weekend! Very Sincerely, Paul Keyser