Week of February 9 to 13

What We Learned this Week:

Bible: This week, we looked at the moment God’s people split into two nations. After King Solomon died, his son Rehoboam took the throne. When the people asked him to be a kind and fair leader, he chose pride over compassion. He threatened to be even harsher than his father, causing ten tribes to rebel and form the Northern Kingdom (Israel) under a leader named Jeroboam. Fearing he would lose control, Jeroboam built golden calves for the people to worship instead of God. This act of idolatry led the nation away from the Lord and resulted in God’s judgment on Jeroboam’s family. Leadership requires a servant's heart. When we choose pride or fear over God’s wisdom, we hurt the people around us.

In an effort to provide sufficient study and preparation time, I am sharing the materials needed to review for our upcoming Unit 11 Bible Test.

This test is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, February 24. To help your child prepare over the next two weeks, please find the following resources below:

• Link to English Study Guide: This guide is designed to help parents support their student's review at home.

• Link to Spanish Study Guide: The students will also receive a physical copy of this in class very soon.

• Link to Blooket Review Games: A fun and interactive way for students to practice their knowledge!

Happy studying!

Math: This week, we reviewed for the Unit 4 Equations and Word Problems Test and we took the test. The students ended the week by working on their test revision. Next week, we will start a brand-new unit on Unit Measurement.

Reading: Next week, we will begin a brand-new reading unit focused on Analyzing Characters. In this unit, students will dive deep into their texts to study character traits, motivations, and growth.

To get the most out of this unit, it is essential that every student selects a chapter book that meets the following criteria:

• Genre: It should ideally be a fiction book. This allows students to better analyze "unseen" traits like thoughts and feelings that drive a character's actions.

• Appropriate Level: The book should be a good fit for both their reading level and their interests.

• Strong Characters: The story needs well-developed characters that provide plenty of material for analysis.

• Consistency: The goal is for students to stick with this one book throughout the entire unit. We want to avoid students switching books frequently, as this eats into our "precious time" for deep thinking and completing their daily reading diaries.

I am encouraging students to start looking for that "perfect" book now! They are welcome to browse our classroom library or the school library. If they are having trouble finding a book they love at school, I highly recommend a trip to the public library this weekend to find a title they are excited to stick with for the next few weeks.

Thank you for helping your child find a story they can truly get lost in!

Writing: This week, we have been working on finding a section in our books where we can effectively describe the setting (time, place, and season). We found that we could most effectively do this in our introduction paragraphs before jumping into the main body of our writing. We talked about descriptive words and phrases that we could use to describe the setting to our readers.

Social Studies: We have began to study human geography and how the movements of people through-out the United States have formed connections and relationships with each other and the physical world around us. We kicked off this unit by reading the short story "Just a Dream" and analyzing its themes related to humans polluting the earth and the consequences that come with it. 

Spelling: Here is the link to next week's spelling list!

From the Office:

• Upcoming Dates:

• February 13 & 16: No School

• Running Club! It's time to think about Spring activities again! Rose Park will again have a Rose Park Running Club for 3rd - 5th graders this spring. The program will run from February 17 - May 2. Runners must be signed up to participate, click here!

• Community Opportunities: 

• The below list of organizations are not necessarily affiliated with Holland Christian Schools but have requested the sharing of these community opportunities.

         

SmugMug Link

From the Music Room:

We are off to a great start with Recorder Karate. There are some very motivated students that are eager to progress through the belts. There are also others who may need some encouragement/support to get going in their recorder work. In case you missed it, click on this link  for a resource doc containing links to all the music, practice tips and video resources to support your child. Thank you so much for your support with at-home practice, and feel free to email me with any questions or to request additional paper copies of our material. Thanks so much!

Stacey Rietman

srietman@hollandchristian.org

Exciting News: Our Students are Becoming Published Authors!

I am thrilled to share some very exciting news with you: Our students are going to become published authors! We are beginning work on a professional class book, and more information about the project and how you can order a copy will be coming soon. Right now, our students are hard at work creating the actual pages of our book.

The Illustration Phase

Each student has been assigned two pages to illustrate their part of the story. I have sent home the official paper that the publisher requires for these drawings today. Because this is a professional printing process, there are a few very important rules we must follow:

• Stay Inside the Lines: Students must keep their drawings and coloring strictly within the designated box on the paper. Anything outside of that box will not be scanned or printed.

• Materials: Please ensure students use washable markers for their illustrations. This provides the best color saturation for the printing press.

• Deadline: Please have your student bring their completed drawings back to school by Tuesday, February 17.

I can't wait to see their creativity come to life in a real book! Thank you for your support in making this project a success.