You should have received an email message from HC administration this afternoon about the upcoming 40 days of prayer. While most school districts find themselves subjected to constraints from state regulations and national mandates, Holland Christian, by and large free from these constraints, is able to provide children with a unique and exceptional educational experience. Through intentional experiences, discussions and lessons, our children are free to grow deeply in love with God our maker and to explore how this relationship applies to their lives.

Your child may have told you that I was missing from the classroom on Friday afternoon. They were in good hands :) Mrs. Dreyer led the children through meaningful learning experiences while I was gone. With a team of HC teachers, administrators and board members, we are beginning to talk about the bright future at Holland Christian. With your and my prayerful consideration, we are seeking the guidance and wisdom of God in terms of some innovative choices in front of us. One area we would like to make more present is how our children can learn from and make a difference in our community. Part of Holland Christian's mission is that our children would be equip to transform the world for Jesus Christ. This leads me to my point (phew!). We are starting a nice collection of Valentine's cards for children at the Holland Rescue Mission. Right now we have 10 boxes of cards that we have collected. That means there are 10 children, who typically dread Valentine's Day parties at school, who will be able to proudly walk around the classroom delivering "fancy cards" just like their peers. While this doesn't seem exactly like transforming the world for Jesus Christ, it sure is a step in the right direction. These are 10 children who will know and may remember the love and support of their brothers and sisters at Holland Christian. I wish all of our children could take the afternoon to deliver the boxes in person, play some games together and both sets of children could realize they're really not that different from one another. For now, we'll be content with simply sharing our blessings with those in need. Thank you for helping your child affect another's life in the name of Christ. We have until the 25th of January to donate a box of Valentine's Day cards or candies for our collection.

This week and last we've been doing a good deal of both one-on-one and whole-group assessing in preparation for our report cards which will come home next Friday. I SO enjoy seeing the fruits of our labors. Thank you for supporting your child's academic growth at home by helping with homework, practicing spelling words and encouraging daily reading. Confession time: in all that we did this week, I didn't take a picture of anything! Not even Wacky Hair day :) I'm so sorry. I'm the type of mom that packs everything but the kitchen sink when we head for the zoo for all of the just-in-cases, and the camera just sits in the backpack as all the Kodak moments come and go. I'm afraid I'm plagued with the same tendencies as a teacher! Next week I'll post some stellar pictures of weather explorations in the snow.

We have a few important dates coming up:
Monday, January 21--No School. Records Day
Tuesday, January 22--Reading Minute Incentive Blue Form due
Wednesday, January 23--Wacky Wednesday. Pajama Day!!
Thursday, January 24--Homework due
Friday, January 25--Spelling Test and Library Books due. Report Cards home. Valentine collection culminates.