Red Note - HLA Newsletter
We had a fantastic start to the school year, welcoming new families and seeing many familiar faces back at Holland Language Academy! It's been wonderful to see our school community come together, and we are excited for all the learning and growth ahead.
We also introduced our new PODER expectations, part of our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiative. Starting this year, our school will be implementing PBIS, aligning with our district's elementary schools to foster a calm, safe, predictable, and nurturing learning environment. We're transitioning from HOLA to PODER, focusing on positive behaviors that support our students' success.
Here’s what PODER stands for:
- P: Participo (I participate) - I engage in learning and use active listening.
- O: Orgullo (Pride) - I do my best work and keep our classroom clean.
- D: Decisiones Sabias (Wise Decisions) - I think before I act and follow classroom rules.
- E: Encargarse de sus acciones (Take Responsibility for Actions) - I take responsibility for my behavior and am honest.
- R: Respeto (Respect) - I use kind words and actions and care for others.
Thank you to everyone for making the first week so successful! Please see below for important updates and reminders for the coming weeks.
Arrival: Whether your child arrives by bus or is dropped off, they have two options upon arrival: they can either have breakfast or join their classroom teacher’s line that is outside the cafeteria/ main office. This area will be supervised by adults from 7:45 to 8:15.
Boys & Girls Club: (programming begins on Tuesday, September 3rd)
- It costs $5 for a child to become a member for the year. At the beginning of each new school year the member must submit new paperwork (bgch.org/members) and pay the $5 fee.
- Children may only become members when they are enrolled in 1st grade
- In general, we follow the HPS school calendar. We occasionally have events that alter our hours, but typically:
- September—June hours are:
- Monday—Friday after school to 6:30 p.m. (1st—4th)
- Half Days: NO TRANSPORT PROVIDED
- * Elementary Half Day (time of dismissal—3:30 p.m.)
- No School • Elementary (9:30 a.m. —3:30 p.m.) NO TRANSPORT PROVIDED
- September—June hours are:
- Here are some important dates for September and October:
- Tuesday, September 3rd- first day of club programming
- Thursday, October 17th- half day hours
- Friday, October 18th- no school hours
Books & Games: This free program provides students with an hour of supervised reading, homework help, and games, plus free breakfast an hour before school starts each morning.
Students participating must be dropped- off between 7:15-7:30. Students are expected to follow ALL school rules while attending the Before-School program.
End of Day Procedures: As usual, our dismissal procedure will be based on last names: A-L will be dismissed and picked up at the main entrance off 20th Street, while M-Z will be dismissed and picked up on 19th Street. We appreciate your patience as we navigate the increased traffic due to the closure of Van Raalte Avenue.
Picture Day: is Tuesday, September 3
School Shirts: Thursday, September 5 is the final day to place your shirt order. The next shirt sale will be sometime during spring. These shirts are color-coordinated by grade level and will be used as field trip attire. A portion of the sales will also support our school as a fundraiser. Place your order here.
Shirts will be delivered by September 23rd. Here are the colors for each grade:
Kindergarten - Yellow
First Grade - Blue
Second Grade - Red
Third Grade - Black
Fourth Grade - Green
Fifth Grade - Purple
Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation!