Keeping You Connected

Details from the Dean

In order to ensure student safety, it’s important that students are in supervised areas of the building throughout the school day. Therefore access to the Center for Arts and Worship, Quest Center, office spaces and locker rooms is limited throughout the day. Students should plan to be in their assigned classroom spaces and common areas. Students know that if they leave the classroom, they always use a hall pass. This helps us limit students out of class and helps us keep our building safe and secure. It’s important that we follow similar safety and security guidelines before and after school as well. We maintain the following before/after school policies. 

The building is open to students each morning by 7:15 am. Students can arrive at this time and find quiet places to work in both the upper and lower town square. They can also access breakfast at 7:15 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays and at 7:45 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

After school, students must exit the building by 3:15 pm, unless they have a supervised extracurricular activity that meets right after school. If a student has a supervised school activity, they must report to the assigned meeting location by 3:15 pm. If a student has an activity scheduled later in the afternoon or evening, they must leave the building by 3:15 pm and return at the time of their scheduled event. For the safety of students, it’s important that students aren’t waiting around in the gyms and common spaces unsupervised after school. 

These hours and guidelines are in place to ensure student safety. There is no supervision for students after 3:15 pm, so it is very important that students follow these building hours. Thank you for partnering with us, as we work to keep our school safe. 
 

Stronger Together

Grace Winkle received the Eagle Spotlight award under the Eagle Blueprint category of “Community.” Grace has used her skills in public speaking for our Debate team and video editing technique for Student Congress videos. Furthermore, the nominators are grateful for how Grace uses her talents to make chapel more enjoyable. Overall, she spreads God’s light wherever she goes, and everything she organizes is completed to the highest standard. Thank you, Grace, for contributing in a positive way to our community. 

For the Eagle Spotlight, also under “Commitment,” we’d like to celebrate Ariana Dusabe. Ariana was selected as a College Board National Recognition Program awardee for the National African American Recognition Award. She earned the recognition because of her academic achievement in school and outstanding performance. She accomplished this milestone during an immensely demanding period of her high school career. Ariana, we celebrate you for using the skills God has given you. 

—Rona Das

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High School News

School Calendar Change

Please note an important change to our spring high school calendar. School Day Testing/Senior Service Day will move from March 8 to March 22. Therefore, March 8 will shift a full day of school (B day) and March 22 will be a half-day for all students. Students in 9th-11th grades will be engaged in PSAT or SAT testing and it will be Senior Service Day for all 12th graders. Please see our updated A/B schedule here.

End of Semester Finals

Book Collection 📚

Books for single-semester classes must be turned in to the Learning Commons Bookstore during finals week. Students should keep books for year-long classes. 
A daily $1 fine will be assessed if books are turned in late. Fines will start on Tuesday, January 3, and continue until books are returned. If you have a missing or damaged book, please email our Bookstore Manager, Mrs. Casey Jorritsma, at cjorritsma@grcs.org.

Finals Schedule

First-semester finals are Monday — Thursday, Dec. 12-15, with Friday the 16 being a make-up day in case of illness or inclement weather. Two finals are scheduled each day. Students should arrive 10 minutes early to ensure they are in their seats by the start time.

• The first final begins at 8:30 am and ends at 10:00 am. Students must stay until 9:45 and can stay as late as 10:00 am. 
• The second final begins at 10:15 am and ends at 11:45 am. Students must stay until 11:30 and can stay as late as 11:45 am.

Students are only required to be present for the finals they have scheduled (e.g. if a student has a first-period class and a second-period study hall, they may leave for the day at 10:00 am.) Switching times are not permitted, in case of illness or emergency please contact Elizabeth Hoving or Brad Mockabee. 

Buses will run on their normal morning schedules and will depart from GRCHS following the second final. 

Grades will be posted on ParentVue and StudentVue on Wednesday, December 21.

Schedule for finals Dec. 12-15
Monday: 1st and 2nd hr
Tuesday: 3rd and 4th hr
Weds: 5th and 6th hr
Thursday: 7th and 8th hr

Parking Reminders for Student Drivers

Parents, we currently have a large number of unregistered cars in our lot. Please help remind your student drivers that all cars parked in our lots must be registered. There is no cost to register. If your student's car does not have a current 2022-23 sticker on it, they must stop in the office as soon as possible. Unregistered cars are being ticketed and repeated offenses may result in loss of parking privileges per our handbook.  

If your student receives a parking ticket they have 30 days or until the end of the semester to pay (whichever comes first). Unpaid fines will result in exams being held, so get those cleared up before Friday, December, 9! Thank you for your help!

Seniors — Cap and Gown Orders

Class of 2023, it is time to order your caps and gowns for graduation! Click here for ordering details. Orders are due by Dec. 9.

Buy a Yearbook

Order your yearbook today!

Tis the season! You're invited to participate in a choral celebration of the Christmas season!

The 7-12th grade choirs will hold their Christmas choir concert on Wednesday, December 7 at 7:00 pm (please note the slightly earlier than usual time). Invite friends and family to hear familiar hymns, new arrangements, cultural songs, and fun favorites. Students need to arrive at the DeVos CAW at 6:30 pm for warm-up, wearing their concert attire.

Travel to Spain

EdConnect Immersive travel is excited to announce a family-style Group Adventure to Madrid, Spain this coming June 2023. This 10-day program allows GRCS Spanish Immersion families to immerse in Spanish culture, connect with each other and locals, and provide a new setting for our students to practice their language skills. Contact kelsey@edconnect.us for more information.

Lost and Found

Please remind your students to check the lost and found for any missing items!  Items that are not claimed by the end of the semester are donated to our resale shop, New2You.

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From the Counseling Department

Please visit the Counseling Department website for the latest information from the GRCHS Counseling Department, including curriculum and class information, ACT and SAT testing information and prep classes, college planning guides, and much more.

Get Registered on SCOIR

We are pleased to introduce you to SCOIR, a service designed especially for students and families. SCOIR is a comprehensive website that you and your child can use to help in making plans about colleges and careers. SCOIR will allow you to get involved in the planning of post-high school years, research careers and colleges, request transcripts/teacher recommendations, and track college applications. 

All parents, we ask you to register for an account on SCOIR  because it's the only avenue through which we communicate with you and send our emails. Please contact Jill Anderson at JAnderson@grcs.org in order to sign up for an account and download the Parent App. 

Senior Parents

Please join us in thanking the many teachers who have written college recommendations for you this fall!

The counseling office is organizing a THANK YOU event on Friday, December 9, and we would love your help. All of the teachers who have diligently worked on writing glowing recommendations for many of our seniors will be able to come together to share some treats together and celebrate the end of a successful semester. 

Please use this form to donate so we can buy some amazing treats for our incredible teachers. Thank you for helping us to say THANK YOU!

Career Focus Time Opportunities

One goal of the counseling department is to increase student awareness of the wide range of careers available by providing opportunities to explore different options during our school day. We utilize our focus period to offer students the opportunity to speak with professionals in our community about their work.

We would like to invite you to schedule a 25-minute visit to GRCHS to share with students about your career, describe a typical day in your field, and explain how you got to where you are. We have sessions available on Fridays from 1:10 pm — 1:35 pm for the remainder of the school year.

If you or someone you know is interested, please fill out this career FT form. Feel free to share this form with those outside of our GRCS family! We thank you in advance for your willingness to spend time with our students and open a window into a potential career path.

Junior Parent/Student Conferences

Counselors are offering each junior student and their parents the opportunity to meet and discuss college plans with your counselor. The conferences are optional and are scheduled between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm. Parents must fill out the Junior Parent Questionnaire in SCOIR before scheduling a Junior Conference. Please call Jill Anderson at 616-574-5651 or email her at janderson@grcs.org to make an appointment with your son or daughter's counselor. We will be offering both Zoom and in-person conferences. 

Scholarship List

The counselors have put together a Scholarship List where students and parents can find access to GRCHS, Local, State, and National Scholarships. Check it out. Deadlines vary!

Upcoming Saturday ACT dates: 

• February 11, 2023
• Registration deadline is January 6
• See ACTstudent.org to register. 

Upcoming Saturday SAT dates: 

• March 11, 2023
• Registration deadline is February 10
• Register at collegeboard.org.

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Coming to the DeVos Center for Arts and Worship

Christmas Pops Concert

Bring the whole family to this musical celebration of Christmas, featuring the best of the Grand Rapids Christian High School Music Department and Special Guest Artist Richard Fracker, Tenor. Saturday, December 10, 2022, at 7:30 pm. Reserved tickets
are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Tickets are available by phone (616.574.5600) or online at www.dcaw.org.