Holland Heights

Athletics Info for 5th Grade Parents and Guardians

Dear Parent/Guardian of 5^th Grade Student:

Believe it or not, your child’s 6^th grade school year is just around the corner and with that comes the opportunity to participate on a number of school-sponsored athletic teams. The purpose of this letter is to provide you with information regarding those opportunities and also provide some details related to the athletic physical that is required of all participants.

The first requirement for participation in school-sponsored athletics is that each child must have a completed physical on file in the athletic office prior to the first day of practice or tryouts. We know that many insurance companies will only cover one physical per calendar year, so please keep in mind that in order to be valid for school-sponsored athletics for the 2019-20 school year, the physical must have occurred on or after April 15, 2019. We often hear from parents who are not aware of this cutoff date, so please plan accordingly.

In order to assist with the athletic physical requirement, we will offer an Athletic Physical Night for HPS students at South Washington Family Medicine on Wednesday, April 24^th. The cost for the physical is $15.00. More information will be distributed as we get closer to the date.

Below is a list of sports offered to 6th-grade students and the seasons in which they are held. Please note that we do offer a number of additional sports for 7th and 8th-grade students, but due to conference guidelines are only able to offer the sports listed below to our 6th-grade students. Sign-up information for each sport will be distributed to students and parent/guardians as we approach each season.

Fall Season (Late Aug-Mid Oct)	Early Winter Season (Mid Oct-Mid Dec)	Late Winter Season (Mid Jan-Mid March)	Spring Season (Mid March-Mid May)
Boys/Girls Cross Country	Girls Swimming & Diving	Boys Swimming & Diving	Boys/Girls Track & Field
Girls Tennis		Wrestling	Boys Tennis

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at bfarkas@hollandpublicschools.org or 616-494-2251. I look forward to working with you and your child during their careers as Dutch student athletes!

Respectfully,

Ben Farkas, CAA
Athletic Director
Holland Public Schools

Holland Heights December Newsletter

From the Principal
Thank you to all who have volunteered their time in many of the school activities at this point of the school year. We do have more events and activities coming up that volunteers will be needed. Please make sure to fill out the volunteer form in the office and let us know when you would be available to volunteer. We would love to have you come and spend some time reading or working on math with many of our learners. The more the merrier!

One last thing, please make sure to remind your child every day that they must come to school “Ready to Learn.” That means they are on time and prepared with all of their materials for the day. This also means that they are mentally ready to listen to their teacher and do their best on whatever task they are asked to complete. We have told all of our learners that school will be hard at times, but they can do “hard things” when they give their best effort. Research has shown that just by giving “effort” with a good “attitude” here at school, achievement will improve.

School Mornings
Please remember that the school building isn’t open until 8:10 AM. Make sure your child is dressed in their warm coats, boots, gloves and hats when they leave your home in the morning. We do go outside in the morning and at other times during the day, and I want to make sure your child is dressed for the weather. We do have some donated winter weather items, so let us know if there is something we can help you out with.

STAR Testing
Shortly after returning from our Holiday break, all of our learners will be taking the second round of STAR testing in Reading and Math. These tests show us where your child is academically in those subject areas. This second test will show us how much your child has grown since taking the first test. These tests are very important in helping your child’s teacher determine areas of strength and areas of needed support. Please remind your child about always doing their best on these tests so we are better able to support them here at school. If you have any questions about the STAR test, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or me. Thanks again for supporting the staff here at Holland Heights.

POWER Expectations
Continue to work with your child around our POWER expectations here at school. Take Pride in what they do, Own their actions (even if they make a mistake), make Wise choices, be Engaged in their learning and show Respect to everyone here at school.

December Dates to Remember
Dec. 14 – Family Movie Night – 7:00 PM -
Dec. 21 – Last day of school before the Holiday break
Jan. 7 – First day back in school after the break

Holland Heights November Newsletter

Notes from the Nurse

When Your Child is Ill

With flu season right around the corner this year, keeping sick children home from school is more important than ever. While prevention is the key, there may be times when your child does become ill with the flu. In order to protect the health of other students and school staff, children who are sick should not attend school. Students who are sick should remain home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicines. Keeping your child home allows your child to rest and recover. If you child’s symptoms become severe, you should contact your child’s health care provider. Thanks for your help in keeping our school as healthy as possible.

Winter Reminders

As we near the cold winter season, it is very important that we make sure our children are coming to school with the appropriate clothing. We will be going outside during the school day, so please be sure to have your child dressed for the weather. A winter jacket, gloves/mittens, hat, and boots should be worn to school each day. Your child can bring a pair of shoes to wear during class time in their backpack or they can leave them here at school in their locker or by their hook. We do have a few donated winter weather clothing items, so let us know if there is something we can help you out with.

Thanksgiving Break

Nov. 21 – 23 No School – Enjoy time with your family!!

Dad’s Night w/Mr. Derr for Holland Heights Dads – Monday Nov. 26

Monday Nov. 20 will be our second Dad’s night with Mr. Derr. Plan to meet from 5:30 – 6:30. We will again have a meal together and spend some time discussing how the Dads of Holland Heights learners can impact our school. Please call the main office (494-2750) or email Mr. Derr to let us know if you are able to attend so we can plan for the food that night.

Holland Heights October Newsletter

A Note from Principal Derr: School Wide Behavior Expectations Reminder!!

POWER Matrix:

HPS is committed to a positive school climate that improves learning outcomes. At Holland Heights, our behavior expectations are described in the matrix P-O-W-E-R. Our staff has been teaching what POWER stands for so that every student can memorize, recite, and demonstrate positive behavior.

We believe it is important for each parent to be aware of these expectations so you can support our efforts at home. Watch for a paper going home this Friday which will be a fun way for you to learn with your child(ren). Here’s what POWER stands for:

P-Pride (We care about self, others, work)
O-Own Your Actions (We are responsible and honest)
W- Wise Choices (We think before acting)
E- Engaged (We are focused and involved in learning)
R-Respect (Be Nice)

We want to improve on these as learners every day here at school. We must work together, as a team, to teach our children these expectations.

Traffic Safety Note:

Just a reminder, when dropping off on the back drive in the morning, the lane nearest the sidewalk is for drop off only. The outside lane is for those who have dropped off to pull out and exit the parking area. Please do not stop in that lane to drop off your child. Also, please note that when exiting you are in the correct lane for going right or left. Thanks for being patient with each other at the busy times of the day when dropping off and picking up your child.

Parent-Teacher Conferences –

Please make sure to plan on attending during your scheduled time. We have lots of great things to share with you about your child and how we can help them grow as a learner together.

Tuesday Oct. 9 – 3:50 – 6:50 PM -
Thursday Oct. 11 – 12:00 – 3:00 PM - School dismissed at 11:40
Tuesday – Oct. 16 – 3:50 – 6:50 PM -

Dads Night w/Mr. Derr – Oct. 22

ATTENTION HOLLAND HEIGHTS DADS!!! Clear your calendar for Monday Oct. 22 for an hour of food and discussion with Mr. Derr. This event begins at 6:00 and will end around 7:00. We will spend some time having a meal together and then Mr. Derr has a few things he would like to share with you. So, Dads of Holland Heights, make sure to put this date and time on your calendars so you don’t miss this event. Please call the office or email Mr. Derr to let us know if you will be attending, so we can plan for food that night. Remember, this is for the Dads only. We will have a few events with kids later in the school year. Thanks.

Volunteer forms

Please make sure to fill out and turn in your volunteer form for this school year. We need this in order for you to help us out here at school or to chaperone on field trips. We want you involved as parents or guardians, so make sure to fill this out and return it to the office. Thank you.

Holland Heights September Newsletter

A Note from Principal Derr: Heights Power Expectations!!

The learners at Holland Heights have started the year learning about the new POWER expectations, to help them make a positive difference in their school. There are five expectations we have of every learner here at Holland Heights around the acronym POWER: Pride, Own your actions, Wise Choices, Engaged and Respect. All of the learners at Heights will learn about the POWER acronym, and we believe they will have a big impact on the climate and culture here at school. We can only improve the climate and culture at school with your continued support of the expectations we have of your children.

We are off to a great start this fall and the expectations are high for ALL of our learners at Holland Heights. Thank you for allowing the staff at Heights to teach your child every day. We look forward to partnering with you this school year to help your child be the best they can be!

School Safety Procedures

Please be sure to check in at the office if you have specific business at the school. You must have a school issued ID badge in order to enter the main building. You will need to provide some type of collateral in order to get a badge. This ensures that we will get the badge returned before you leave. If you plan to be in the building with your child for a specific purpose, you must have an approved volunteer form on file in the district. Forms have been sent home or you can pick one up in the office. We want all of our children to be safe, so please support us in making your child’s school as safe as can be.

Traffic Safety Note:

Please be alert when dropping off your child in the morning. Please do not park in the staff parking lot during the school day, especially in the morning when staff is coming to work. Please use the parking spots on 12^th Street if you need to come in the building. At the end of the school day, please do not park on the road across the street from the school or stop in the road to pick your child up. Instead, meet your child out in front of the school and walk with them to your car. Thanks for your cooperation with this safety matter.

Parent Participation Committee News – Volunteers Needed!

Many exciting activities are being planned for the school year. In order for these events to take place, the PPC is in need of volunteers. Many of you signed up during open house to help on the PPC and I will be contacting you soon to attend our first meeting. This group will help plan fundraisers for our school, staff appreciation events and other supportive activities for our school. From this group we will need two people to lead the group in the roles of President and Treasurer. Please consider filling one of these roles and at our first meeting we will select two people to fill those roles. Please plan to meet Monday Sept. 24 at 7:00 PM, right after our Title One Parent meeting.

Mark your Calendar:

Dad’s Night w/Mr. Derr – Sept. 17, 5:30 – 6:30 pm

This will be our kickoff night for Dad’s Night with Mr. Derr during the school year. We will spend our first night having a meal together and getting to know each other. All dads/stepdads/grandfathers or guardians of Holland Heights learners are invited to attend this event. Please call the office at 494-2750 or email Mr. Derr by Sept. 16, to let us know you can attend so we can plan for how much food we will need. This is a Dad’s only event. We will plan a few events that include the kids later in the school year. Thanks.

Title One Info Night – Sept. 24, 6:00 – 6:30 pm

From 6:00 – 6:30 there will be a parent meeting in the media center to discuss what it means for your child attending a Title One School.
This is also the time of year where your child’s teacher will be sending home information about where your child is starting the year academically. Your child has taken assessments during the first month of school, in Reading and Math, to determine areas of strength and areas needing support. Please make sure to look this information over and contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions. We want all of our learners to be successful and this can happen if we work together in supporting your child. Your child’s teacher will be able to share with you what you can do at home to help your child continue to grow as a learner.