God's Promises: This week we are beginning to read and talk about the Patriarchs in the Bible, that is, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendents. We have been talking about God's promises to His people waaaay back then that still hold true for us today. What a beautiful, tangible reminder of God's steadfast love on Tuesday morning when God greeted students with a beautiful rainbow over South Side. Praise God!

                                             Busy writers with so much to say in their stories.

The students are wrapping up their first unit in writing. Here you see three students laying out all of the stories they have written in the past few weeks. They have selected one of their favorites. Next week, we will work to "fancy them up"....a.k.a. editing the story, to prepare for publication. Writing time is a favorite for many students. I can't wait for you to see your child's stories!

Thank you for your participation in the walk-a-thon fundraiser!!!!  What an amazing success. An unbelievable $27,000 was collected by the families at South Side and Pine Ridge. Your support takes my breath away and I know I speak for everyone who is a part of the educational process at South Side and Pine Ridge when I say "thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!" On that note, our class won the pizza party due to your support!!!! Your child will enjoy pizza for lunch next Friday, the 28th. No need to pack a lunch on the 28th. I'll send a reminder email the night before. Thank you for your efforts!

Our children will partake in Discovery Assessements, which is a district-wide assessment tool adopted by Holland Christian this year. The students will take the reading portion of this test in our media center on the computers Tuesday morning. The following Tuesday we will take the math portion of the test. The format is multiple choice and should take about 30 minutes for each test. I will not use the term "test" with the students as there is no need to raise the level of anxiety. I'll simply ask them to do their best to answer the questions and show what they know. I will share your child's results with you at conferences. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

A few important dates: 
September 28: Pizza Party--No need for lunches from home.
October 10: Grandparents/Friend Day
October 12-23: Fall Break/Conferences--No school