SCHOOL NEWS
From the Desk of Principal Andy Evans It was great seeing so many familiar and new faces during Jump Start. Many of our fourth graders are making a return back to Holland after a one year hiatus. Monday was the final Jump Start day, then Tuesday was the first day of school. Students can be released from their cars at 7:15 am.
Please take a few minutes to review the handbook. Cell phones are not permitted for use once they enter the building. Hoods and hats are not permitted unless given permission. Students are not to bring in equipment for recess or cards (Pokemon) for trading. Thank you for respecting these long established guidelines.
Finally, students have three options each day for lunch. Menus are not sent out as practice in the past. Instead, you can access all information on the district food service page.
A message from Mr. G...
I hope everyone enjoyed the final days of summer break. I loved seeing so many familiar faces and new ones during our Jump Start days. If you follow the district newsletters or Facebook accounts you may have seen that the high school has received the district’s first Facility Dog to provide new support to the building’s students. I mention this because Holland Intermediate is being looked at as the next building to possibly house a Facility Dog; with that there is a lot of planning that goes into this. One thing to plan for is allergies. You will find a quick survey for us to identify any student with a dog allergy or fear of dogs. The only people who will see detailed information will be myself and Mr. Evans. We are very excited for this opportunity and we hope you are too. For the survey go to forms.gle/T7ons2khsVZ6kf A8.
Two more things I am very excited about. The first is my partnership with Penta, who created lesson kits on several career pathways that I will be using during my class lessons. Second, I am very excited to announce our continued partnership with the Springfield Area Prevention Coalition. This year we will be working together by turning our Kindness Club into the Share the Shine Club. The new club’s goal is to have students work on developing positive life skills, building communication skills and continuing the legacy of the Kindness Club by enacting projects throughout the school building. More information will be given to students in early September. Grant Toepfer-Gaver M. Ed. School Counselor, Holland Elementary (419) 867-5654
Office Depot School Supply Drive Last spring, Holland Intermediate was adopted by Office Depot for their Round Up Program. Every time someone cashes out they have the option of rounding up to donate money to Holland. The first quarter ended and we recently received a gift card for $1,900 to use toward supplies for our teachers and students. I’ve also been told that we will be getting even more the next time around. Please be sure to recommend friends and families to Office Depot. Their support for Holland Intermediate has been amazing.
Important Dates
Monday, September 4: no school, Labor Day.
Thursday, September 7: fall pictures.
Friday, September 8: Back to School Bash, 6 to 8 p.m.
Social Media Awareness and Concerns This is my fifth year in our building and each year we have increasing issues come up with social media, and parents often ask for support/suggestions from the school. As a result, I spent some time this summer attending a Safe Schools Summit in Columbus and came away with a lot of resources to share with my counselor, staff and parents. One may think that our students are too young to be exposed to these things, but all of the current data would disagree. Moving forward, we will try to provide links and apps to be aware of for our children.
Apps our students may be using: Instagram, Google, YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok, Readit, Kik and Discord.
Apps that may be hidden: Keepsafe, Line, Whisper, Kik and Smart Hide Calculator.
Back to School Bash
We are excited to welcome all new and former Holland Intermediate students and their families to the Back to School Bash, on Friday, September 8, from 6 to 8 p.m.
This will be a fun way to connect with other Holland families and kick of the new school year with some fun.
We will host some food/ dessert trucks as well as have yard games and bounce house opportunities.
