A Letter from Superintendent Nick Cassidy - Summer 2024
Dear HPS Families and Neighbors in the Holland Community,
There is a buzz in our community about the great things happening at Holland Public Schools. It started in the classrooms and hallways of our schools, but it continues to grow because you are re-telling the stories of great kids doing great things at HPS. Here are a few more celebrations you can share as you run into neighbors and friends during this summer break.
Stabilized Enrollment
Over the last 2 years enrollment at Holland Public Schools has stabilized and started to grow. This is happening because of the support of parents and community members who are seeing that Holland is a small school with big opportunities. Stabilized enrollment allows us to:
- maintain the number of sections in each grade-level
- increase student-participation in clubs and athletics
- reduce the movement of teachers across the district
We are able to provide the best learning experience for students and retain teachers! We look forward to continuing these enrollment trends.
Facility Upgrades:
As part of our Build 2021 Bond, we are seeing facility upgrades across the district.
- Demolition is underway at Holland Heights Elementary. When it opens in 2026, families in the Holland Heights neighborhood will have a state-of-the-art facility, built for Nature-Based education. (In the meantime, students at Holland Heights will move to our Longfellow Building at 24th and State St.)
- We will repurpose the Air Conditioning units from Holland Heights to cool the Dutch Dome at Holland High!
- Holland High School is also receiving upgrades to the Science classrooms and the Media Center will get renovations to support HVRT and to provide quiet learning spaces for students.
- Parking Lot improvements are being done at Holland High School
- New classroom furniture will be delivered at Holland Middle School.
We cannot thank the Holland Community enough for supporting this important work. You are providing our students with the facilities they deserve and can be proud of.
Before and After School Programming:
We continue to work with community partners to provide before and after school for our students and have expanded offerings for the 24/25 school year.
- Books & Games will continue this year at all of our Elementary Schools. Once students are signed up, parents can drop students off at their elementary school 1-hour before school starts for supervised activities, homework help, and breakfast at NO COST to families. (A digital sign-up sheet for Books& Games will be available soon on the district website.)
- Boys & Girls Club will continue to operate after-school programming at the Southside location on VanRaalte Ave. and at Longfellow Elementary (serving students from Holland Heights). This after-school program costs $5 for the entire school year. Families need to attend an orientation class before students can attend.
- Holland Parks & Recreation will offer after-school programs on Tuesday and Thursday for 3rd and 4th graders at West Elementary from afterschool until 5:15pm. The fall activities will will be Soccer and Flag Football. The winter activities will be Basketball and Wrestling. The cost is $55 per season. Transportation will be provided from the other elementary buildings.
- LAUP (Latin Americans United for Progress) will expand their after-school programming for HPS elementary students. The ¡Aquí Jugamos! Play Program is designed for HPS students at Holland West Elementary and HLA in grades 1st-5th. This program is free of cost and will be held on early release Wednesdays afterschool until 4:30. Students in the program will:
- Enhance peer bonding
- Build community
- Foster and support student physical and mental health
- Increase problem solving
- I Am Academywillcontinue their I Am Genius afterschool program at Jefferson Elementary. I AM Academy empowers Black and multiracial youth to see their own potential, experience joy, become confident leaders, and drive positive change in our community. This program will be held on early release days after school until 4:00.
Safety and Security:
Joe Soto, HPS Director of Safety and Security, has been working with teachers and principals in our schools and first responders in Holland to make sure our buildings are safe and secure for our students and staff. This fall, we will launch a Safety Committee for HPS parents. This committee will identify safety and security concerns and help the district come up with solutions. If you are interested in being part of this committee, please contact Joe Soto
Holland Educational Foundation
The Holland Educational Foundation (HEF) exists to improve educational opportunities for all students of Holland Public Schools. HEF has new leaders and lofty goals of supporting our staff and students:
- Increasing student engagement
- Ensuring equitable funding for experiential learning
- Attracting and retaining teachers to the district
- Building for the future through the funding of the HEF Endowment
Learn how you or your business, can get involved with the foundation by exploring their website.
We are so excited to welcome your kids back to school in just over a month. School starts Thursday, August 22. In the meantime, continue to engage them in learning experiences and encourage them to read.
Have a great summer,
Nick Cassidy, Superintendent
Related News Articles
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.
There is much to celebrate in this season of Thanksgiving and much to bring hope as we begin to look towards a new year.
Listen to HPSPodcast 5.16 with Superintendent Nick Cassidy
As we head into Thanksgiving break, I want to express thanks and gratitude for our talented educators who inspire and nurture the potential in every child, for our committed staff who keep our schools running smoothly, and for our students who remind us every day why we do what we do. I am equally grateful for our families and community members, whose trust and investment in our schools enable us to provide opportunities that shape the future.
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)
Inspire Award: This award was presented to Holland Public Schools, a cornerstone of education in the Holland community since 1848. They inspire the community by uniting around the success of every student, creating trailblazing programs for staff and students, and providing meaningful opportunities in and out of the classroom to ensure academic and personal growth.
This week we talk with HEF President John Johnston to learn more about how the Holland Education Foundation plans to celebrate their 40 years of serving students and families in the City of Holland.
All HPS Students and Families are invited to join Gentex for a districtwide S.T.E.A.M. Night (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics)on Thursday, September 26, 5-7pm at Holland High School
- Chemistry demonstrations
- Robotics programming
- Math games
- Engineering challenges
- Art projects
- Fun games,
- PRIZES... and more!
We welcome Martin Veliz to the Holland Schools Board of Education.
Veliz is a dad of a student at Holland Middle School and a leader in the community (LAUP, Jubilee Ministries, and Southshore Village Business Improvement District).
Veliz will serve on the Board of Education until the general election in November 2026. He is filling the seat left vacant by Linda Falstad who retired from the Board of Education in August.