Welcome Back to HLA

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 7:55 to 8:15.

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.  Please sign up here.

Breakfast: will be served daily from 7:45-8:10

Bus Transportation during Construction: Due to the ongoing construction on Van Raalte, buses will be rerouted to 19th Street. Buses will now travel eastbound on 19th Street for student loading and unloading. As a result, parking on 19th Street will be extremely limited to ensure buses can safely travel towards Washington Street. We kindly ask for your patience and cooperation to help make this temporary transportation plan successful.

For your reference, morning buses are expected to arrive between 8:00 and 8:15, and afternoon buses are expected between 3:15 and 3:21. For your reference, you can see all bus information (number, stop, pick up and drop off time, etc.) on Infinite Campus (Parent Portal account). Click on “More” and then “Transportation.”

If you have any questions about parking during construction, please contact Principal Iliana at ivasquez@hollandpublicschools.org for all your transportation needs, please contact (616) 494-2950.

Class Placements: Each year, our dedicated teachers invest a significant amount of time and effort into creating class lists. These lists are carefully crafted based on teacher recommendations, with the aim of ensuring a balanced and supportive learning environment for all students. Our teachers consider a variety of factors, including academic needs, social-emotional development, gender balance, and first language, to the best of their ability.

As the school principal, I want to emphasize that I fully trust and respect the expertise of our teachers. They spend each day with your children and have a deep understanding of their individual needs and dynamics within the classroom. For this reason, I very seldom override the decisions they make regarding class placements.

I appreciate your understanding and continued support in helping us create the best possible learning environment for our students. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out.

Classroom Parents: We greatly appreciate parent involvement in our classrooms. If you're interested in being the room parent for your child's class, please contact Claudia Smith at csmith1@hollandpublicschools.org or you can text (269) 512-4904. Your support makes a big difference in creating a positive and engaging learning environment for our students!

End of Day Procedures: As you may know, Van Raalte Avenue is currently under construction, which will inevitably cause increased traffic during dismissal on both 19th and 20th Streets. The situation on 20th Street will be especially challenging, as we’ll need to accommodate both cars and buses. 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.

If you need to communicate a change of plans for your child at the end of the day, please make sure to do so at least 30 minutes before dismissal. This helps Mrs. Huerta manage her responsibilities effectively, as last-minute messages can be challenging to handle and may require her to move around the school to relay information. To ensure that your plans are followed smoothly, please discuss any changes with your child and their teacher at the start of the day.

First day of School Parade: One of our favorite traditions at Holland Language Academy is our First Day of School Parade. This event sets a positive tone for the school year as we celebrate each other and the personal, academic, and emotional growth we’ll experience. It’s a cherished event for our families, and we can’t wait to share it with you!

On our first day of school, Thursday, August 22nd, our main parking lot will be closed to all traffic. The lot will be organized with signs for each teacher, and students should stand by their teacher’s name until it’s time to enter the school. This is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen our HLA community as we cheer on our children as they begin a new school year.

Expect heavy traffic—parking and walking to the school will be the only option. We’ll begin the parade by calling in each grade to enter the building, starting with fifth grade. Last but certainly not least, our kindergarten friends will join us. For parents sending your firstborn to school, it’s sure to be an emotional moment as you reflect on how quickly time has passed. While parents cannot accompany their kindergartners inside the building to ease the transition, rest assured that your child is in the most caring hands.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Free Meals for Students:  For the 2024-25 school year, HPS is once again participating in the Michigan School Meals Program, ensuring that all students receive breakfast and lunch each school day at no cost. Families still need to complete the application at https://holland.familyportal.cloud/. Please note that milk-only purchases and à la carte items must be paid for at the time of purchase with cash or funds in their account. For any food service-related questions, call 616-494-2245.

Mark your Calendar:  We’ll keep you updated as new events are added because your involvement is important to us. Stay tuned for our calendar of events, and we look forward to having you join us!

• Open House, Tuesday  August 20, 4:00-6:00 pm

• HLA Reading Night, Tuesday September 17, 6:00-7:00 pm 

• District-wide STEM night at Holland High School, Thursday September 26, 6:00-7:30

• Trunk or Treat, Thursday October 24, 6:00-7:00 pm

• VIP day, Friday November 8  (during the school day) 

• Math Carnival, Thursday March 20, 6:00-7:00 pm

• Glow Dance, Friday  April 18, 6:00-8:00 pm 

• Talent Show, Friday  April 25  (during the school day) 

• Fifth Grade Graduation, Wednesday  May 28, 6:00-7:00 pm 

• Field day, Monday, June 2 (during the school day) 

Additional information will be forthcoming as events are added. 

Open House: We look forward to welcoming you to Holland Language Academy on Tuesday, August 20, from 4-6pm. This time is set aside for students and families to explore the building, visit classrooms, and meet their teachers. We are eager to meet you! 

PBIS (PODER) : Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). We are excited to announce that beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, Holland Language Academy  will be implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) that are aligned with our district's elementary schools. We are switching from HOLA to PODER. 

Our school uses School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) to create a calm, safe, predictable, and nurturing learning environment. Our school-wide expectations are PODER which is further described below.

• P: Participo
  I participate in learning and use active listening 

• O: Orgullo
  I do my best work and keep our classroom clean

• D: Decisiones sabias

I think first, then act and follow classroom rules

• E: Encargarse de sus acciones

I take responsibility for behavior and be honest

• R: Respeto
  I use kind words and actions and care for others

PBIS Family Donations:  (Letter to be shared during Open House) Our staff is dedicated to continuing our school-wide PBIS program, and we need your support! We estimate that a contribution of $10 per family will help us fund the planned activities for the 2024-2025 school year. If your family is able and willing to contribute, please send your donation to the main office by Tuesday, September 3rd, so our leadership team can begin planning.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Picture Day

• Tuesday, September 3

REMIND: Our entire district uses the REMIND app as a two-way communication tool. Please ensure you're connected to your child's class so you don’t miss any important updates from the classroom teacher or Principal Iliana. The REMIND app also allows you to directly contact your child's teacher, making communication easier and more efficient. 

School Supplies: The following items are needed for all classes.

• Tissues    

• Box of bandaids    

• Hand Sanitizer

• Disinfecting wipes (Clorox)

• Ziploc baggies (gallon and sandwich)

• Extra black Expo markers

Here you can find the individual supply lists per class. 

School Shirts: We’re excited to offer Holland Language Academy shirts for sale! 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.

Additionally, we have a limited number of gently used shirts that have been donated back to the school. If you’re interested in one, please contact Ashley Golin, our Community Coordinator, at agolin@hollandpublicschools.org or (616) 494-2635.

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!

Spanish Language Expectations: At Holland Language Academy, our 90/10 Two-Way Bilingual Immersion program is designed to foster bilingualism by immersing students in both Spanish and English. When you choose HLA, you’re committing to supporting bilingual education at home as well. We value this partnership with parents, as it is crucial for creating a positive and effective learning experience in our Spanish Immersion setting.

To maximize language growth, each class has designated "Spanish-only" times where students are expected to communicate entirely in Spanish with both their peers and the teacher. This immersion is essential for increasing language output. However, we sometimes encounter students who resist speaking Spanish. We ask for your support at home by discussing the importance of this expectation with your child. The goal is for students to actively produce both spoken and written Spanish.

If your child is struggling to meet these language expectations, their teacher will reach out so we can work together to support them, whether through encouragement or an incentive plan. Remember, if we aren’t using Spanish, we aren’t growing.

As a reminder, our 90/10 model means that in Kindergarten and First Grade, 90% of lessons are delivered in Spanish and 10% in English. This gradually shifts: 80/20 in Second Grade, 70/30 in Third Grade, 60/40 in Fourth Grade, and 50/50 in Fifth Grade.

If you have any questions, please contact Principal Iliana at ivasquez@hollandpublicschools.org.

Start and Dismissal Times

• 8:15am-3:21pm

• Half Day Dismiss 11:20am

• Early Release on Wednesdays  2:21pm

Specials Classes: Each student will have one special class per day on a rotating schedule. The specials are:

• Art with Mrs. Meredith Ridl

• Music with Mr. Chris Taylor

• Physical Education with Mr. Connor Fowler

• STEM with Mrs. Nicole Bigler

Swimming Schedule: We are thrilled to have free swimming lessons back for all K-5 students. 

Weeks of October 28- November 8

8:50, Kinder Mrs. Marroquín

9:50, Kinder Mrs. Mercado 

10:50, Fourth grade, Mrs. Hernandez & Mrs. Meyer

November 11-November 22

8:50, First grade,  Ms. Snoeyink & Mrs. Peñaloza

9:50, Second grade, Mrs. DeBoer & Ms. Reichert 

10:50, Fifth grade, Mrs. Morin & Mrs. Holland-Anderson

12:20, Second grade, Mrs. Gallegos

1:20, Third grade, Mrs. Urbina & Mrs. Rodriguez 

Technology Policy: Holland Language Academy K-5 Technology Policy

We strongly discourage bringing personal devices to school, including wearable technology. There may be occasions when a teacher allows a personal device to be used for educational purposes, but this will always require prior approval from the teacher. If a device has not been approved, please keep it at home.

All use of electronic devices on school grounds and all district electronic resources must be strictly for educational purposes. This includes both school equipment and personal devices. Educational uses of technology may include activities such as conducting research online, creating multimedia projects, reading eBooks, word processing, or using calculators and graphing software. Non-educational activities, such as playing games, using apps, taking pictures, or texting, are not permitted at school. 

Any devices, including cell phones and wearable technology like smartwatches or gaming devices, brought to school without teacher approval or used for non-educational purposes will be kept in the office for parent/guardian pick-up.

For students wearing Gizmo watches, if they need to communicate with a parent about being picked up, it is essential that this is communicated to the teacher first. This ensures that the teacher is aware of any changes to the plan. There have been instances where parents arrive at the main office to pick up their child, and no one is aware of the arrangements because the plans were made solely between the child and the parent. To avoid confusion and ensure a smooth process, please make sure to inform the teacher of any changes in pickup plans.

Toys : We strongly encourage you to keep toys at home. Bringing toys to school often leads to them getting lost or causing disruptions, which takes away from valuable learning time. 

We want to ensure that our time is spent wisely, and we are confident that each classroom has all the tools your child needs to be successful. If your child requires a sensory fidget, please discuss this with their teacher. By keeping toys at home, you help us focus on your child's academic and social-emotional growth. Thank you for your support!

Volunteers: For the protection of your children, all volunteers must undergo a background check. Please complete this volunteer form to ensure you’re cleared to participate in any school-related activities. This background check is required once per year as part of district policy.