Friday, January 9, 2026

January 9, 2026

 UPCOMING EVENTS AND REMINDERS

*Are you looking for a way to volunteer? As a school, we would love to give you the opportunity to volunteer and supervise our class for lunch. You would arrive at 11:25, take students through the hot lunch line, and then supervise the class as they eat lunch. Students would be dismissed to the playground for recess at 12:05. If you are interested in helping, please check our sign up! Thank you!

* The ODC Network is launching a meaningful 4-part speaker series in 2026 featuring nationally-renowned experts who will explore how technology is reshaping our lives and offer practical ways to restore balance for ourselves, our families, and our communities.

Through the generosity of local donors, tickets for the talks in Holland are free (one per email address) and can be reserved HERE.


* Kirk Cousins football camp: For boys entering 4th-6th grade on June 24 and 25 from 9AM-3PM at Holland Christian High School. Kirk says "Football camp is designed to help young men grow in their understanding of the game while helping them to grow in leadership, faith and integrity. Competition is a great way to develop perseverance and confidence. Through team activities, drills and scrimmages, we help the campers develop their skills and their character. And we make sure they have fun!”  Sign up here


* Winter reminders: 

-Snow gear should be brought and taken home daily. This helps keep our students warm, dry and the lockers smelling nice.  

-Snowballs are only allowed to be thrown at the maroon wall. Students who need more than a few reminders will need to spend time reviewing the expectations before heading out for the following recess. 

-No sleds or other snow tools are permitted at school or the playground for the safety of all students.


* Be prepared to play outside:

  • Less than 50 degrees; all students must have a jacket outside and we will go out for the normal duration of outdoor time.

  • 10-0 degrees we will go out for a maximum of 15 minutes. 

  • Less than 0 we will enjoy recess inside.


* Running Club Opportunities

Do you have a love for youth fitness? Are you looking for a way to invest in the students at Pine Ridge? This spring, we hope to have running clubs for both girls and boys.


TTQ is a fun, high energy after school program designed exclusively for boys in 3rd-5th grade; it incorporates strength and stretching exercises, activities designed to help develop a healthy lifestyle along with training for a 5K. The Spring season begins the week of March 16th, with a final 5K on May 16th. This  TTQ Flyer has the contact information for Kristen Chan to sign up to be a coach.


For girls, there is Pine Ridge Girls Running Club; a club organized and run by parent volunteers. It follows much the same organization of TTQ with 2 practices a week, held right after school. This running club will culminate in the Tulip Time Run on Saturday, May 2. Please contact the Pine Ridge office if you can help us by being a coach for this event!


* Personal technology reminder

Personal technology is not necessary in a school setting and disrupts the learning environment. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Cell phones

  • Smartwatches

  • personal laptops

  • MP3 players

  • any other non-school-issued personal technology.

These items are not allowed to be used or be visible from the time a student enters school in the morning until the final bell rings. Do not send personal technology to school including smartwatches. If such items are seen by a teacher, the student will be asked to put them in their backpack for the remainder of the day and take them home; if seen a second time, the item will be placed in the office for a parent to pick up at the end of the day. If parents need to communicate with their student, they can send an email to or call the office to have a note delivered. Thank you for helping us make learning a priority!


Curriculum Highlights
BIBLE: Psalm 1 is our memory work for the month of January. We will review this passage at school but it would also be helpful if students practice it at home.

We have started our unit on the Parables of Jesus. Students are working hard on their parable packet. In their packet they are illustrating the parable and then writing a personal connection about what the parable means to them. 



MATH: This week we have been comparing, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions and mixed numbers. AND if that wasn't enough we have also been working through word problems determining what operation we need to use in order to solve it. 


Look for a multiple choice math practice test coming home with your child today. Students should complete the test as homework, check it with the answer key found attached to this week's parent email, and re-work any incorrect problems.  This homework is due in class on Wednesday morning, 1/14.


OUTDOOR LEARNING: We started our week with some snowshoeing and some Math. There were mixed reviews on the snowshoeing ... 










We also spent some time building tarp shelters to help keep us warm while we finished some Math work. 











READING: We have started our study on nonfiction texts. Our focus has been on text features and how they prepare us to dig into the reading. As we looked at those text features we thought about what we already know about the topic (our prior knowledge).


SOCIAL STUDIES: We have started reading about the first settlements in the New World. We have become quite curious about the Lost Colony - Roanoke.

TECH TIME: Andrew and Louis led us in a lesson about how to change our home screens on our lap tops.


WRITING: We have been creating a piece of nonfiction text about ourselves using a variety of text features.

OUTDOOR LEARNING SCHEDULE FOR NEXT WEEK
Monday: Sledding at Van Raalte - School norms require students to wear a helmet.
Tuesday: on campus
Wednesday: Sassafras Ridge
Thursday: on campus
Friday: on campus