Welcome to Holland Language Academy

Holiday Break begins with a HALF DAY on Friday,  December 20.

• HMS Dismiss at 10:35am
• HHS Dismiss at 10:50am
• HTS & HLA Dismiss at 11:20am
• JEF & West Dismiss at 11:35am

NO SCHOOL on December 21- January 5

This month read more about:

• HPS Nutrition Service is awarded grant to provide students with locally grown fruits & vegetables
• Thank you to local food providers!

REMEMBER: All HPS students are provided Breakfast & Lunch at no cost!

This week we talk with Patty Beatty, Director of Early Childhood at HPS, about all the great things happening in our pre-school classrooms.

• Listen Now!

As the Winter Athletic Seasons gets underway in the Dutch Dome (and Holland Aquatic Center), here is a reminder about some of the rules and expectations for students and families who attend games/meets:

• Middle school age and younger MUST be an accompanied by an adult
• No student backpacks
• No re-entry for any spectators
• All school rules apply during events 
• The Dome and the parking lots are a drug free school zone which includes any vape products.

#GoDutch

HPS GOAL: Engage and Inform parents and community members through consistent two-way communication.

HPS continues to work on engaging parents and the community through effective communication.   This has included using Remind, My Ride K-12, and Parent Portal.

The next level of work will be to 

• Gather feedback from parents so we have an understanding of what they need and want
• Streamline the enrollment and registration process
• Create standards for communication so that parents are not overwhelmed with the number of messages received

We'll also host focus groups of parents on:

• Thursday, January 9

If you are interested in participating in the Communication Focus groups, please drop us an email.

REMIND is the best way to get “Snow Day” announcements from HPS.

Holland Recreation and Holland Public Schools are excited to partner together to offer a new After School Basketball Program.  The after-school basketball practice option is being offered for the 3rd/4th grade levels.

• PRACTICE: December 9 - February 10 - Mondays & Wednesdays | 3:45-5:15pm
• GAMES: Thursdays, January 9 – February 13. | 5:30 and 6:30pm

There are still spots available for 3^rd and 4^th grade girls to register for this program!

Starting in January, Holland Public Schools will have an exciting opportunity to offer preschool programming to families in our community who have children turning 3-years-old on or before December 1st, 2024. 

• Children will be enrolled in our current preschool classrooms at HLA, West and Jefferson. 
• Full days 
• 5 Days/Week
• Spots will be limited!

Top Ten Reasons to Try School Meals

1. Studies prove that children perform better academically with a balanced meal at both Breakfast & Lunch.
2. It saves time grocery shopping and packing lunches.
3. It saves money and extends your household budget.
4. Breakfast and lunch is a great time to spend with friends.
5. Whole Grains, Protein, Fruits, Veggies & Milk are offered with all School Meals.
6. Meals include kid-friendly national brand name items, but with lower sodium, fat & saturated fat.
7. Our delicious menus have calorie and sodium limits and zero grams of trans fats.
8. You are helping your local school Nutrition Program stay fiscally sound.
9. It is convenient for Students & Parents.
10. Breakfast & Lunch are FREE for all HPS students.

Don’t miss this chance to connect, learn, and celebrate our community together!

• Thursday, November 14, 5-7pm at Jefferson Elementary (open to ALL HPS family)
• Enjoy engaging social-emotional learning activities hosted by our community partners
• Sign up for holiday gift assistance with the Salvation Army. 
• FREE food for everyone!

The Michigan Alliance for Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death of the Young is recognizing HPS as a MI HEARTSafe School District.  West, Holland Heights, Jefferson, and Holland Middle School received the award for the first time, HLA was awarded last year, and Holland High School has been awarded a HEARTSafe designation four times.

• To receive the award schools must have:
• A Medical Emergency Response Plan
• A Medical Emergency Response Team
• CPR/AED Training for staff
• Accessible and Maintained AEDs

In the last year, over 130 staff members have been CPR/AED trained with another 70 for the near future.

Students and Staff at HPS are safer because of the hard work of our Holland Hospital School Nurses, the Holland Fire Department, Safety Director Joe Soto, the Michigan Alliance for Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death of the Young, and Project Adam (Automated Defibrillators in Adam' Memory)

We're talking about Friday's 4th Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Community Celebration. 

Listen now!