5th Grade Forest Program: March 13, 2026

UPCOMING EVENTS AND REMINDERS

No school on Monday, March 16

Collecting Change for Change!

For the next 2 weeks ( March 16-27) Pine Ridge kids will be collecting coins to benefit Gateway Mission.

Here’s how it works:

Bring coins in to your teacher. She will collect them in a jar.
At the end of the two weeks, the class at each grade level with the most $ amount in their jar will win 10 extra minutes of recess!
The money raised in the jars will go to buy supplies so we can pack hygiene packs for Gateway Mission’s Women and Children' s Shelter.

The Holland Christian Jazz Bands and the Old Timer’s Jazz Band are proud to present:

Swingin’ the Night Away in the HCHS cafeteria on Friday, March 20, from 6:45 to 9 pm. Admission is $5, and goes to support the music programs at HCHS. Dance instructors will be on hand from 6:45 pm-7:30 pm to teach the basic steps of swing, so the evening can be enjoyed by novice and experienced dancers alike. Not in the mood for dancing? Come socialize, indulge in some delicious desserts, punch, and enjoy the music of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and more. Sign up HERE if you'd like to bless us with a dessert or help out with the event!

Lost & Found: The lost and found album is updated regularly. Please keep checking it out and having your child claim the things that belong to you!

Going Home with a Friend who Rides a Bus? Please Read!

Requests from a non-bus riding student to ride a bus route (or a bus riding student to ride a different route) must be written from that parent and the parent of the student whose house they are going to. Please write these emails directed to the bus driver and/or Director of Transportation by using transportation@hollandchristian.org. This informs the bus drivers of the change. Bus drivers will not transport a student without permission from both sets of parents. Thank you for helping to keep our students safe!

* Learning Opportunities for Parents

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.

Mar 17, Lenore Skenazy, "Raising Kids in a Digital World"

* Living Hope Showcase 2026: Vintage Vibes: Groovy Songs of the '70's on March 13 and 14 @ 7 pm in the HCHS Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now! Join us in celebrating the iconic songs of the '70's. From Disco to Rock, Folk to Funk, Showcase will be a groovy time! Tickets are available at https://hcs.ludus.com/200517255. $1 of every ticket will benefit the Community Action House.

March Is Reading Month!

As part of the national celebration of reading month, West Michigan WhiteCaps is providing a free optional Reading Tracker/Ticket Order Form.

Students and/or their grown-ups keep track of reading minutes in March.
Those who participate are eligible for 2 free tickets to select WhiteCaps home games.

All information regarding this incentive and how to order free tickets is included on the WhiteCaps 2026 Reading Club Form.

Curriculum Highlights

BIBLE: Our next unit will focus on the life and ministry of Jesus during His final days on Earth.

MATH: We have been working hard on dividing multi-digit numbers. This takes careful work!

We also celebrated the math constant pi on Wednesday (a bit early) and Friday, March 13 (almost 3-14). We read an informational text on pi, tried to figure out the area of a variety of circles we created in the sand, and enjoyed some delicious homemade pies! (Thanks Mrs. Hendershot!)

READING: To help us grow our skills as nonfiction readers we took a closer look at different text structures that we might find in our reading. This week our focus was on problem and solution. We read a variety of texts using graphic organizers to help us keep track of our learning.

SCIENCE: This week we took a look at how energy is transferred within an ecosystem. We learned about the 10% rule.

We continue to see how each part of the ecosystem is dependent on each other and how each part as a specific role (niche). We reflected on the community we are part of and the role that God has for each of us.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We opened up some textbooks, read and watch some digital resources to discover the geography, resources, industries, and important people of the Middle colonies.