Dear parents,
Thank you so much for your Christmas gifts. It is very thoughtful of you to choose each gift for me. I really appreciate you, and I enjoy them very much. I hope you all had a great Christmas. Happy New Year to all of you!

Information and Reminders:

Wonderfully Made: Gibson Geurink Jan. 9-13 Max Harris Jan.16-20
Please finish and send your child’s timeline the week before your child’s special week. During your child’s special week, it is a wonderful opportunity to have lunch with your child, bring in pets, or share special talents your family members may have been blessed with. Just inform me ahead of time what is your plan.

January Birthday Celebrations:
Owen Wickstra Thursday, January 12
Willem Haveman Friday, January 13

From the Immersion Coordinator
The extra days off from school often bring our students out into the community a little more. If your child has an opportunity to use Spanish or Mandarin outside of school during the holidays, I would love to hear about it. It is stories like these from parents that add value and purpose to the incredible language development that we see in the classroom. I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas! 

Greetings Staff and ZCS Mandarin families, 
We will be celebrating on January 14th from 6:30 – 8:30 (or so) at ZCS. We would love to have you and your families join us for dumpling making (and eating) and good conversation. We also can’t wait to “ring” in the new year with the “bubble wrap fireworks,” which are always a highlight. Here is the sign up for the event
https://docs.google.com/a/zcs.org/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8mDUXg0mNZhu1CdVTLQqrTdqgRq-kouDypgduPWizo9uY1w/viewform?c=0&w=1

We hope you can save the date and join us!
Dana Moeller
Carrie Traver 
Kristi Van Dyk

First Grade Field Trip: Lollipop Concert, Tuesday Jan. 24 at Zeeland East High School Thank you to Jane Klingenberg, Erin Harris, Meredith Geurink and Dana Moeller for driving the field trip.

Curriculum
Language Arts
-Reading Strategy:
We will continue our read aloud called Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. Each week we will focus on one or two reading strategies to help us understand plot and settings of this book. This week we will focus on 1 comprehension strategy.

-Chapter-End Stop Signs: Each chapter will have at least one important event. At the end of the chapter, stop and jot about what the most important event is.

-Writers’ Workshop: We are going to learn about nonfiction writing. We will learn to write a how-to book which will teach or instruct people to do things. During the first week, we are going to read a few samples that were written by previous students. We will also going to brainstorm ideas to write our books.

Math
-First Grade: We will spend more time to practice make ten strategy. This is an important strategy of solving additions.

-Second Grade:We will wrap up our current unit, review 2-digits addition, solving story problems, and money calculation, and also take the unit assessment this week.

Social Studies
we will review the economics concepts and have a unit test.

Science
-First Grade: We will use student learning about magnets, sinking and floating, and water to make boats.

-Second Grade:We will take a look at ZCS’s trash this week as part of our study of using resources wisely. We will also discuss problems that we see and start brainstorming possible ideas for our science PBL.

Bible
This week we will go back to old testament. We will talk about crossing the red sea; the ten commandments and building the tabernacle.

Information and Reminders:

Wonderfully Made: Gibson Geurink Jan. 9-13 Max Harris Jan.16-20
Please finish and send your child’s timeline the week before your child’s special week. During your child’s special week, it is a wonderful opportunity to have lunch with your child, bring in pets, or share special talents your family members may have been blessed with. Just inform me ahead of time what is your plan.

Jingle Jog: Wednesday, Dec. 21 9:00-9:30

December 23 No a.m. or p.m. bussing and No hot lunch

Each student will need to bring 50 cents by Wednesday, Dec. 21 to buy Christmas cards made by classmates. All the income of selling cards will goes to the fund of supporting Hana Carmen from Grace Community Christian School in the Philippines.

Christmas Party: Friday, December 23 1:00-2:00pm

January Birthday Celebrations:
Willem Haveman & Owen Wickstra Friday, January 13

Greetings Staff and ZCS Mandarin families, 
We are eagerly anticipating a great celebration for Chinese New Year. This comes up pretty quickly after the Christmas Break, so we thought we’d give you a little advance notice! We will be celebrating on January 14th from 6:30 – 8:30 (or so) at ZCS. We would love to have you and your families join us for dumpling making (and eating) and good conversation. We also can’t wait to “ring” in the new year with the “bubble wrap fireworks,” which are always a highlight. More details will be coming as the date approaches.

We hope you can save the date and join us!
Dana Moeller
Carrie Traver 
Kristi Van Dyk

Curriculum
Language Arts
-Reading Strategy:
We will continue the read aloud—Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. Each week we will focus on one or two reading strategies to help us understand plot and settings of this book. This week we will focus on one comprehension strategy.
-Chapter-End Stop Signs: Each chapter will have at least one important event. At the end of the chapter, stop and jot about what the most important event is.

-Writers’ Workshop: We will talk about different ways to improve our writing: write high frequent words in a snap; write small moment story; and write to make my partner understood.

Math
-First Grade: We will talk about doubles and how doubles can help us with addition. We are also going to represent 2-digit numbers with cards and drawings.

-Second Grade:We will explore quarters and dollars, and use different methods to find addends for 100. We will also work on subtraction word problems using students-generated methods.We will focus on deciding when to ungroup and when not to ungroup.

Social Studies
we will continue doing the economic project by turing our classroom into Christmas cards factories and shops so that students will learn the concepts of producers and consumers. During the week of Dec. 12-16, students will work on making cards in their factories. During the week of Dec. 19-23, students will buy cards from other shops.

Science
-First Grade: We will observe water as a solid keeps its own shape. We will also plan and conduct a simple investigation into melting ice. We will also going to observe the downward flow of water.

-Second Grade:We will make a list of problems that we observed regarding Terracyling/recycling at school, discuss possible solutions for all the problems we found. We will also start focusing on topics we want to tackle to improve our resources usage.

Bible
This week we will talk about the angles and shepherds as well as the star and the wise men.

Information and Reminders:

In lieu of exchanging Christmas gifts among the kids, we will collect new kids size hats and mittens for Hats and Mitten Ministry at His Harvest Stand. Please bring them before December 16. Thank you for those who already brought hats and mittens in.

Our class (both first graders and second graders) will participate in the 2nd-4th grade musical on Tuesday, March 14 because they have music class together. Please turn in the order for musical by Friday, December 16. Thank you for those who already turned it in.

Wonderfully Made: Andres Duran Dec. 12-16 Gibson Geurink Jan. 9-13
Please finish and send your child’s timeline the week before your child’s special week. During your child’s special week, it is a wonderful opportunity to have lunch with your child, bring in pets, or share special talents your family members may have been blessed with. Just inform me ahead of time what is your plan.

Jingle Jog: Wednesday, Dec. 21 9:00-9:30 the Jingle Jog is a 12 minute run that the children do each year to raise money for our sister school in the Philippines.  Parents are invited to attend and cheer as their children run or even run with them.  Children dress in festive, Christmas colors for the run and some even wear props like deer antlers, flashing necklaces, etc.  None if this is required, but children do enjoy it and really get into it.

December 23 No a.m. or p.m. bussing and No hot lunch

Each student will need to bring 50 cents by Wednesday, Dec. 21 to buy Christmas cards made by classmates. All the income of selling cards will goes to the fund of supporting Hana Carmen from Grace Community Christian School in the Philippines.

December Birthday Celebrations:
Eli Larsen Thursday December 1
Gibson Geurink Monday December 19
Megan Pyle Wednesday December 21

Christmas Party: Friday, December 23 1:00-2:00pm

Greetings Staff and ZCS Mandarin families, 
We are eagerly anticipating a great celebration for Chinese New Year. This comes up pretty quickly after the Christmas Break, so we thought we’d give you a little advance notice! We will be celebrating on January 14th from 6:30 – 8:30 (or so) at ZCS. We would love to have you and your families join us for dumpling making (and eating) and good conversation. We also can’t wait to “ring” in the new year with the “bubble wrap fireworks,” which are always a highlight. More details will be coming as the date approaches.

We hope you can save the date and join us!
Dana Moeller
Carrie Traver 
Kristi Van Dyk

Curriculum
Language Arts
-Reading Strategy:
We will start a new read aloud called Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. Each week we will focus on one or two reading strategies to help us understand plot and settings of this book. This week we will focus on 2 comprehension strategies.
-Title power: We will pay attention to titles of each chapter and think about what events connect back to the title.
-What is the problem: To find the problem, think about a problem a character might have with another character; think about something the character has but can’t have;or think about the setting is causing the problem.

-Writers’ Workshop: We will talk about different ways to improve our writing: write high frequent words in a snap; write small moment story; and write to make my partner understood.

Math
-First Grade: We will compare teen numbers. We will also use visuals to help us understand teen additions. A strategy we will use is using drawings to make a ten.

-Second Grade:We will wrap up our current unit, review 2-digits addition, solving story problems, and money calculation, and also take the unit assessment this week.

Social Studies
we will continue doing the economic project by turing our classroom into Christmas cards factories and shops so that students will learn the concepts of producers and consumers. During the week of Dec. 12-16, students will work on making cards in their factories. During the week of Dec. 19-23, students will buy cards from other shops.

Science
-First Grade: We will observe water as a solid keeps its own shape. We will also plan and conduct a simple investigation into melting ice. We will also going to observe the downward flow of water.

-Second Grade:We will take a look at ZCS’s trash this week as part of our study of using resources wisely. We will also discuss problems that we see and start brainstorming possible ideas for our science PBL.

Bible
This week we will talk about Joseph and the birth of Jesus.

Dear parents,

We started our PBL of making cards to sell them to Ditto in order to raise money for Hana Carmen from Grace Community Christian School in the Philippines. We talked about Ditto needs child-made thank you cards for their volunteers, but they could not find them on the market. Therefore, we will serve as producers to solve the problem of scarcity of child-made thank you cards. We hope to get all the cards done this week, and a first grade teacher will send them to Ditto.

After this project, we will continue doing the economic project by turing our classroom into Christmas cards factories and shops so that students will learn the concepts of producers and consumers. During the week of Dec. 12-16, students will work on making cards in their factories. During the week of Dec. 19-23, students will buy cards from other shops. Therefore, each student will need to bring 50 cents by Wednesday, Dec. 21 to buy cards. All the income of selling cards will again goes to the fund of supporting Hana Carmen from Grace Community Christian School in the Philippines.

Just for your information, students do not have to make cards at home. We will make all the cards at school. Thank you!

Information and Reminders:

Wonderfully Made: Jude Allen Dec. 5-9 Andres Duran Dec. 12-16
Please finish and send your child’s timeline the week before your child’s special week. During your child’s special week, it is a wonderful opportunity to have lunch with your child, bring in pets, or share special talents your family members may have been blessed with. Just inform me ahead of time what is your plan.

December 9 No p.m. busing and No hot lunch

December 23 No a.m. or p.m. bussing and No hot lunch

December Birthday Celebrations:
Eli Larsen Thursday December 1
Gibson Geurink Monday December 19
Megan Pyle Wednesday December 21

Thank you so much for encouraging your kids to donate to Ditto. Dana Moeller and Meredith Geurink helped with dropping the donations at Ditto. Thank you both! We will continue of our project of giving. We will collect new hats and mittens
for Hats and Mitten Ministry at His Harvest Stand. Please bring them before December 16. Thank you for those who already brought hats and mittens in.

Greetings Staff and ZCS Mandarin families, 
We are eagerly anticipating a great celebration for Chinese New Year. This comes up pretty quickly after the Christmas Break, so we thought we’d give you a little advance notice! We will be celebrating on January 14th from 6:30 – 8:30 (or so) at ZCS. We would love to have you and your families join us for dumpling making (and eating) and good conversation. We also can’t wait to “ring” in the new year with the “bubble wrap fireworks,” which are always a highlight. More details will be coming as the date approaches.

We hope you can save the date and join us!
Dana Moeller
Carrie Traver 
Kristi Van Dyk

Curriculum
Language Arts
-Reading Strategy:
Fluency-Snap to the next line. Only pause at punctuation.

-Writers’ Workshop: We will talk about different ways to improve our writing: write high frequent words in a snap; write small moment story; and write to make my partner understood.

Math
-First Grade: We will talk about place values. We will count by tens and add 10 to decade numbers; we will also represent teen numbers with drawings and equations.

-Second Grade:We will wrap up our current unit, review 2-digits addition, solving story problems, and money calculation, and also take the unit assessment this week.

Social Studies
We will make cards for Ditto in order to raise tuition for a student from the Philippines. In this PBL, we will tie in the concepts of consumers and producers; needs and wants as well as scarcity.

Science
-First Grade: We will observe the properties of water. Water is tasteless, colorless and odorless. We will also going to observe water as a liquid takes the shape of its container.

-Second Grade:We will take a look at ZCS’s trash this week as part of our study of using resources wisely. We will also discuss problems that we see and start brainstorming possible ideas for our science PBL.

Bible
From this week, we will talk about Christmas stories. This week we will talk about John the Baptist and Mary.