Grandville Christian School www.gosquires.org

GCCS 2019-2020 Theme: "The Wonder of the Story"   Theme Verse: "O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do." Psalm 71:17 SEPTEMBER ART OF THE MONTH: WONDER OF BELONGING Verse for September and October : "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well." Psalm 139:13-14

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK . . . .  As another week closes, we are again thankful for all of your support and collaboration with us in the academic and spiritual development of your children. It is a constant team effort between school and home to build all of the skills our children will need to be lifelong learners and stewards of God's creation. Today we were reminded of this as we spent time in the morning practicing for our Grandparents Day performance coming up next week. As students sang and practiced, it was clear that not only were they getting ready to celebrate for our special guests next week, but they will be celebrating along side them as family members that place a high value on a Christian foundation for education in their lives. It is indeed a celebration that we can work together toward this goal each and every day in a partnership with Christ as the focus. Thank you again for partnering with us at Grandville Christian School! In Christ, Derek Braman

NEW INFORMATION FOR SEPTEMBER 20

GRANDPARENT'S DAY VOLUNTEERS: We need your help!!! There are still several volunteer opportunities available. Please consider helping out on this special day! We are most in need of BARS & COOKIES, as well as help with setup and clean-up! We could also use your help in our parking lot, directing traffic or assisting as a crossing guard! AND you'll have a blast seeing grandparents enjoy our school and students! Click here to view the Sign Up Genius.

PLEASE NOTE: There will NOT be hot lunch on Grand Parent's Day

GCS is Hiring! We are currently accepting applications for a part time Administrative Assistant position in our front office. Applications can be found and completed HERE

The Calvin Christian HS volleyball teams are hosting Wyoming for a "PINK OUT" fundraiser game. The games will take place on Monday, September 23 with Freshmen starting at 5:00, JV 6:00, and Varsity at 7:00. All proceeds and donations for the night will go to the American Cancer Society for breast cancer research. We will also have some items for sale, a raffle and some other activities too! We would LOVE to have you join us and have a large crowd wearing PINK in support of this great cause!

FALL SOFTBALL CAMP: 2nd - 6th grade girls are invited to attend a 3-day camp to learn more about softball no matter your skill level. Camp will take place on October 7-9 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM. Click here to view more information and to print off the sign up form. Copies are also in the office.

HERITAGE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL 3-ON-3 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: For boys and girls in grades 3rd through 8th! (Teams must be 4 people, of same grade and same gender.) Tournament date is November 2, 2019 at Heritage Christian School for 3rd-8th graders. Registration is open until October 11. Click here for the registration form or it can be found at  www.heritageprschool.com  under the Forms tab. We would love to have you join us!

SPIRIT WEEK --Next week (September 23-27) is Spirit Week! Join the rest of your GCS friends in these fun days of dress! MONDAY- Mismatched clothing day TUESDAY- Squire Day (wear your school colors or Squire gear) WEDNESDAY- Pajama Day THURSDAY- Monochrome Day (wear all one color!) FRIDAY- Grandparents Day FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL GAME! Come cheer on the Calvin Christian Squires football team at Grandville Middle School's Davies Field. There will be activities for students from 6:30-7:30, and kickoff is at 7:00pm. See you there!

Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences for all JK-5 th grade students   Tuesday, October 15, 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Thursday, October 17, 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Friday, October 18, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.   A conference request form will come home with your youngest child next week (one form per family). Please return the form by Friday, October 4 . Look for a confirmation slip to come home the following week listing your conference time(s). Childcare will be available in the GCS Childcare room Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Friday morning at the times listed above.

GRANDPARENTS DAY REHEARSAL INVITATION FOR PARENTS:  Parents, you are welcomed and invited to the elementary gym to come to hear and see your child on Friday morning, September 27. 2019, as we polish our performance for our grandparents later that afternoon.  1. The K-2 grades will rehearse and present their program from 8:40 -9:15 AM. (The Junior Kindergarten students will not have a rehearsal that morning.) 2. The 3-5 grades will rehearse and present their program from 9:20 -10 AM. We are so excited to have our grandparents and if your child would like, please encourage them to dress up a little bit more spiffy that day. Please do NOT go out and get a new outfit for this.

BAND and ORCHESTRA STUDENTS - PRIVATE LESSON OPPORTUNITY! Though not required, something as small as 6 private lessons for your student will help them build the proper foundations for life-long success on their instrument. Mrs. Bouwman and I cannot, CANNOT,  CANNOT, speak highly enough of this amazing opportunity. Lessons can boost a struggling student's confidence, supplement a gifted student preventing becoming bored, encourage growth/leadership skills that are invaluable to our young adults.  Mrs. Horton has a few openings on Mondays after school for clarinets (contact her for more details), but "Ms. Rachelle" runs a  top-notch music studio near the corner of Burlingame and 44th street. Mrs. Bouwman's own daughter takes lessons there. She's fabulous! Please, please, please contact her for lesson availability! Information below: Swank Music Studio 1582 44th St SW, Wyoming MI 49509 swankmusicstudio.com r-swank@hotmail.com, 616.780.8199 Rachelle Swank (and 7 other highly qualified music instructors)

GRANDVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT OPEN HOUSE: Join us at the Fire Department on Tuesday, October 8 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Click here to view the flier.

CALENDAR ITEMS

September 27: GCCS GRANDPARENTS DAY! - 12:50 pm here at GCS September 27: No afternoon Grandville Public Busing October 4: Praise and Worship led by 5th grade October 18: No School (Conferences) October 24 & 25: No School (Staff Professional Development) October 30: Picture Retakes CLICK HERE for the 2019-2020 GCCS Printable Calendar PLEASE NOTE: Grandville Public Schools will not be busing our elementary students home on the following afternoons at 3:30 PM: September 27 December 20 February 20 March 20

ELEMENTARY EVENTS

MOELKER ORCHARD DAY IS COMING! Join us on September 21 from 12:00 - 3:00 PM at Moelker Orchards and Farm Market. Moelker Orchards will donate 10% of fruits sales to GCCS on this day!! Click here to view more information.

ODYSSEY OF THE MIND: Teams will be formed SOON! If you're interested in more information, please email Sue Vos at svos@gccsmi.org. This is for children in grades K-5. We would love to have some new students involved this year!!

COMMUNITY FOOTBALL NIGHT Please join the GCCS community to cheer on the Squires at the Calvin Christian HS football game on September 27, played at Grandville Public Middle School (3535 Wilson Avenue). No ticket needed for families that attend our school. There will be face painting and an activity for students from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. The game begins at 7:00 pm. We hope to see you there!

GRANDPARENTS DAY: Mark your calendars for Friday, September 27 and tell your parents / grandparents! Grandparent Day festivities will begin at Grandville Christian in the afternoon at 12:50 pm. The Schedule is as follows: 12:50 - 1:25 PM - 3rd - 5th Grade Program 1:30 - 1:50 PM - Classroom Visits (grades 3-5 only) 1:50 - 2:25 PM - Junior K-2nd Grade Program 2:30 - 3:00 PM - Classroom Visits (grades Jr. K - 5)

Little Squires Fall Date Night -- Friday, October 18, 2019 at 6:30 - 10:00 pm GCS Gymnasium 3934 Wilson Ave SW Grandville, MI 49418 Enjoy a night out on us!! Families with children age 1-12 are invited to sign up for this donation-based child care service. We ask that you register your child NO LATER than Sunday, October 13th and please have your child eat dinner before arrival, and a minimum donation of $10 per child to help cover the cost of supplies. 60% of profits will be donated to the GCCS Tuition Assistance Fund. We will be accepting cash or check (made out to Alisha Bruggema). Your child will enjoy a Fall themed snack, crafts, and group activities while you catch a movie, go out to dinner, or catch up on laundry! **Please look for the flyer in the GCS office or click here to view it online.

PARENT CLUB CORNER

PARENT CLUB IS ON FACEBOOK! Follow us here to stay up to date with news, events, and volunteer opportunities at GCS.

KEY CARD BOOKS FOR SALE: Key card books are available in the office to purchase for $25.00 These make great gifts and offer many discounts around Grand Rapids! Click here ( https://qrkeycard.com) to view the new book. The proceeds go to our GCS Parent Club.

Box Tops for Education = FREE MONEY! Click here to view how you can help!

MUSIC NOTES Click here to view the Music Calendar of Events for the 2019-2020 school year. "Playing music is the brains' equivalent of a full body work out. Playing a musical instrument engages practically every area of the brain at once, especially the visual, auditory, and motor cortices ." Dr Anita Collins, Neuromusical Educator

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AND WAYS TO HELP IN OUR COMMUNITY

GET INVOLVED AT GCS We know that parents are busy so we offer a variety of ways to get involved at GCS: You can volunteer at school or from home, during the school day or during evenings or weekends. Those who can't commit time can help out by purchasing items to celebrate the teachers during staff appreciation week or to provide meals for the staff during parent/teacher conferences. Please click here to view the volunteer opportunities.

LIBRARY: The library is looking for parent volunteers during class times. Please contact Janna Slot ( jslot@gccsmi.org) with any questions. Please click here to view the opportunities and sign up.

PLAYGROUND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY!: We are in need of additional volunteers for playground duty before school in the morning. It is truly one of the easiest (and FUN!) ways to give 30 minutes of your time to our students! Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nannies... anyone can do this! You can volunteer once a month, every day, or anything in between. Our greatest need right now is on Wednesdays and Fridays, but any help is appreciated! *Please contact Jill Francisco ( jfrancisco@gccsmi.org) for more information and to see how you can help.

VOLUNTEER BACKGROUND CHECKS: In order to ensure student safety at GCS, an annual background check must be submitted and approved for all volunteers. If you plan to volunteer this year, please bring your state ID to the main office so we can complete the process and give you a volunteer ID badge. If you are unable to visit the office during school hours, we can process the information over the phone.

HOT LUNCH NEWS To set up your hot lunch account visit www.sendmoneytoschool.com. If you need your student's ID number, contact the office. Please make sure you check your account balance and keep it updated for hot lunch or send money in.   If you have specific questions, please contact Whitney TeBos in Grandville Food Service at wtebos@gpsbullogs.org or 616-254-6404. Click here to view the website and monthly menu(s).

HOT LUNCH MENU ALLERGY CONCERNS: Please contact Jeff Ward, our GPS Food Service Director, if you have any questions or concerns relating to menu items that your child may be allergic to. His number is (616) 254-6525, and he is more than happy to discuss allergy policies and procedures with our hot lunch program.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS FIND US ON FACEBOOK: We love to share what’s happening in our classrooms! Search for  Grandville Christian School on Facebook to see more!

MEDIA RELEASE:  We have many exciting events at GCS and take photos to show our friends how cool our school is! However, If you would prefer that we NOT share videos or photos with your student in it on social media or in other publications, please be sure that we have documentation of this by filling out this  form and returning it to the office by September 6.   Extra forms are also available in the office. PESTICIDE INFORMATION: Occasionally, pesticides are applied to the GCS grounds. if you would like notification prior to pesticides being applied, please return this form to the office by September 6. Extra forms are available in the office.

ALLERGIES AND ASTHMA PLANS: GCS keeps a detailed Allergy Action Plan and Asthma Action Plan for each student who may need one. If your child is at risk of having an allergic reaction or an asthma attack, and you have not filled out one of these forms, please do so ASAP. Copies are also kept in the office. MEDICATION INFORMATION: If your child takes prescription or over-the-counter medication that needs to be administered during school hours, and you have not yet filled out a Medical Authorization Form, please fill one out and bring it to the office.

COMMUNITY EVENTS CRAFT SHOW: Mark your calendars because Septemberfest is right around the corner. Come out and support Hudsonville Christian School at the annual arts and crafts show on September 21st from 9 am to 3 pm at the Hudsonville Fairgrounds. This will be your one stop shop! Come and get your doughnuts in the morning in one of the barns, from Post Family Farms, and shop our 170+ vendors in all five barns along with Farmer’s market items outside, and get lunch at the Hudsonville Christian booth and/or HC Concessions. Tickets are $2 with kids 12 and under FREE. Strollers are welcome. Parking is FREE. 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!