GRCMS Campus News 

Meet Us in the Middle 

Do you have friends or family who may be interested in learning more about Grand Rapids Christian Middle School? This event is designed for prospective students. Please invite them to attend our next Meet Us in the Middle event happening on Friday, January 24th. Visiting students are able to shadow and see what it's like to be a student at GRCMS for the day.

Prospective parents can find out more about what makes our school such a great place to grow, achieve, and thrive, and then take a tour of the campus.

Registration is required ahead of time so we can match visitors with host students.

To find out more, visit grcs.org/middle to see the daily schedule and register, or contact Linda Vellenga, Director of Admissions, at 616.574.6015 for more information. 

Middle School Variety Show 

Come out for a fabulous night of entertainment and fellowship this Thursday, January 23 at 6:30 pm at the DeVos Center for Arts & Worship (CAW). Enjoy the extraordinary talents from our very own middle schoolers!

Tickets are on sale now! Buy early to save money and a long wait in line, $5 at the school office or online at www.dcaw.org. Or pay $6 at the door (in the long line). These tickets are general admittance.

Report Cards 

First-semester progress reports will be posted to your ParentVUE account on Wednesday, January 22. 

This report card informs you of the progress and growth your child has made in the various content/subject area skills and concepts taught during the first semester of school. 

As a reminder, ParentVUE and Parent Portal can be accessed by going to grcs.org/parents. The PDF version of past report cards can be found under Documents.

Grand Rapids Christian Schools 2020 Annual Meeting

You are invited to attend the Grand Rapids Christian Schools 2020 Annual Meeting on Monday, February 18 at 6:00 pm at the James and Shirley Balk Center for Administrative Services, 2400 Plymouth Ave SE.

At the meeting, the proposed 2020-21 budget will be reviewed and GRCS members will be asked to approve the budget for the new school year.  In addition, three new board members will be elected.  

The board looks forward to seeing you on February 10.

If you are unable to attend, please complete the absentee ballot found in the 2020 Annual Meeting Notice and return it to your school office or as indicated on the absentee ballot page.

Box Top Challenge!! 

Box Tops for Education Challenge starts January 21st and goes through February 15th. Turn in TUESDAYS on the 21st, 28th, 4th, and 11th.

• Who: You and your family
• What: Box Tops
• When: Turn in Tuesdays!
• Where: Your Homeroom
• Why: Earn money for your GRCMS PTO

The Homeroom that collects the most Box Tops each week gets the Box Tops Trophy and candy delivered by Mr. Burgess.

The Homeroom that collects the most Box Tops will win pizza, ice cream or candy party with their class. Box Tops must be sorted into bags of 50 without expired ones to be eligible for prizes.

• 1st Place– Pizza Party
• 2nd Place– Ice Cream Party
• 3rd Place– Candy Party

Questions? Contact: Kelli Corl at 616.745.2444 or kellicorl@gmail.com

Science Olympiad  

Attention students (Grades 6 – 8) interested in being a part of Science Olympiad! There was a meeting today at lunch. If it was missed, please see Mr. Katerberg.

We are planning to use the 7th/8th Focus Time during the week for practices, with 1 or more afternoons until 4:00 (Likely Wednesdays). We are hoping to begin practices next week. Students who want to participate in the competition MUST be available Saturday, March 28, 2020. 

The competition is at GVSU from 8:00 am til 2:20 pm, with other team and event ceremonies until 6:00 pm. Parents and students, please contact Derek Katerberg at dkaterberg@grcs.org with any questions!

GRCMS Yearbook Ordering Information — Now through January 31, 2020

Although our yearbook doesn’t come until May, the time to order your yearbook is now! We try to order some extras each year, but we sell out fast & on a first-come, first-served basis. In the past, we have run out!

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES THAT AN EXTRA YEARBOOK WILL BE AVAILABLE IN MAY, SO ORDER NOW!

HOW TO ORDER: Our goal is that all yearbooks will be ordered online this year!

• Go to: www.balfour.com
• Type: "Grand Rapids Christian Middle School" into the search bar and click on "yearbook"
• Proceed to the payment process

If for some reason you are unable to order your yearbook online, there are hard-copy order forms available in the front lobby by the school office.

COST: Yearbooks are again being offered for $25 each— a reasonable price for a hardcover, 96-page, full-color yearbook!

ADVERTISING: If you are interested in advertising your business in the GRCMS yearbook, please contact Heidi Zylstra, yearbook advisor, at hzylstra@grcs.org      

8th Grade Baby Photos

Don't forget, if you'd like to have a baby photo in the yearbook, they are due by January 31, 2020. Please submit digital copies to grcmsyearbook@gmail.com

Yearbook Dedications 

ONCE AGAIN, WE ARE OFFERING A DEDICATIONS PAGE IN THE YEARBOOK!

Parents can use these dedication boxes to post a message of encouragement or congratulations to their child, which will be published in the yearbook. 

DEDICATION BOXES COST $15 EACH & MESSAGES MAY BE UP TO THREE LINES.

DEDICATIONS ARE DUE BY JANUARY 31*

Please turn in the form (found within the Yearbook Dedications link) with payment to the GRCMS office by the due date. *Note that this is the same due date as the yearbook ordering deadline.

Geo Bee Results! 

The 2020 GRCMS Geo Bee included 23 eager participants. After seven preliminary rounds, we trimmed the number of finalists down to eight. In the end, our school champion was Jerry Benedict (7th grade) with second place going to Micah Brubaker (5th grade) and third place to John Bakker (7th grade). Thanks to all of this year's participants.

Part-Time job opening at GRCMS  

GRCMS is looking for a part-time student support team member to work with students in the 7th grade. As a student support aide you will work with students in small groups, one on one, and as push-in classroom support. This position will be about 20 hours a week. A teaching background is preferred.

Please contact Sian Zylstra at SZylstra@grcs.org to submit your letter of interest and resume. We will accept applications until the position is filled.

Homework Club 

December invoices and any outstanding balances have been sent out. Please submit payment via mail or drop off to the school office. Thank you!

Grand Rapids Christian Day at Calvin University

Please join us on Saturday, January 25, as Northwestern Mutual is sponsoring the Calvin University basketball game at 3:00 pm. Come watch three Eagle graduates who now start for the Knights basketball team as Alex Bos (2015), Thad Shymanski (2017), and Emmett Warners (2017) take on the Hornets of Kalamazoo College. Adults can pick up free tickets at GRCHS or GRCMS main office. Kids 18 and under are free so just adults need tickets. Don't miss this chance to enjoy great basketball, see your friends, and support GRCHS graduates!

Middle School Orchestra All-State Congrats! 

Congratulations to 7th grader Hannah Chun on her outstanding performance in the MSBOA Middle School All-State Orchestra this past weekend during the Michigan Music Conference. Hannah went through a rigorous audition process and was one of only 32 violinists selected from across the state to participate. The orchestra had an intense rehearsal schedule on Thursday and Friday, January 16 and 17, and the performance was on Saturday, January 18 at DeVos Hall. Bravo, Hannah, on this impressive accomplishment!

Protecting Young Eyes 

Parent Presentation on February 4 at 6:30 PM. GRCMS Village Square: Digital Trends 2019-2020 — Equipping Kids to Thrive in an Increasingly Hostile Online World

Preschool-High School parents are invited to attend. 

We love technology, and we know kids do, too. This popular presentation will address YouTube (can it be controlled?), social media (our expertise), pornography (let’s talk about it!), gaming addiction (is this a real thing?), screen time (what’s the right amount?), tricky people (stranger danger in the digital age), and so much more.

Participants will leave with a whole list of steps they can implement immediately to better equip their kids to make better online choices. Don’t miss this valuable opportunity to hear from internet safety experts. 

Click here for a short video about this event.

Lost & Found 

All lost, but never found items were donated to New 2 You over Christmas break! 

Outdoor Recess

Cold weather is here! ❄️

With cold weather and snow, just a reminder to make sure your child comes to school with warm clothing appropriate for being outdoors! Students are still expected to be outside during lunch break.

Spanish for the Week

Te cubrirá con sus plumas, y bajo sus alas hallarás refugio.  Samos 91:4

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. Psalm 91:4

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Hot Lunch News & Updates

Attention Parents: Meal Magic Accounts 

A friendly reminder to take care of any outstanding balances and get reloaded for the New Year! If uncertain what the balance is, you can check that out here!

Come volunteer in 2020 to help serve Hot Lunch!

Monday through Friday volunteers are needed from 11:25 am — 12:15 pm.

To help with serving hot lunch, please sign up here!

Take a look at your schedule – join us – we could use the help!

01/22/2020
(Wed. 11:25 am — 12:15 pm) **Volunteer Needed

01/23/2020
(Thu. 11:25 am — 12:15 pm) Megawati Hartono

01/24/2020
(Fri. 11:25 am — 12:15 pm) **Volunteer Needed

01/27/2020
(Mon. 11:25 am — 12:15 pm) **Volunteer Needed

01/28/2020
(Tue. 11:25 am — 12:15 pm) Kate Hilts

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PTO News 

Magazine Subscriptions make great gifts all year long!

Interested in giving a subscription for a gift? Visit APMags.com.  Click SHOP.  Type in WA8617 for code. Type in 'grcms' in the Student First Name box and then in the Student Last Name Box. You'll be able to pay with a credit card. GRCMS PTO will earn 40% of all sales done within the school year. 

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GRCMS Athletics and Youth Sports 

Attention 5th — 8th Graders:

Sign up for WINTER 2 sports!!

WINTER 2 runs from January 6 — March 7 and includes Girls Basketball, Wrestling, and Ski Team. To sign up, click the name of the sport you are interested in.

• Girls Basketball
  • Practices will start on January 6 and run through March 7
  • The goal is for each grade level will have its own team.
  • 5th & 6th Grade teams will meet 3x per week (including games/scrimmages)
  • 7th & 8th Grade teams will meet 4x per week (including games/scrimmages)
• Wrestling
  • Practices start the week of January 6 and run through February.
  • Participation is a 5th
  • 8th-grade group combined
  • Practices are at GRCHS 2-3 days per week.
• Ski Team
  • Practices start Wednesday, January 8 and meet every Wednesday and Saturday through February 12.
  • Practices are at Cannonsburg - Wednesday is 6:30-8p and Saturday is 3:00-5:00p
  • Pay to participate is $200/athlete + you will need to purchase a season pass from Cannonsburg's website
  • Please sign up and pay the participation fee by clicking the link above.

Recreation Programs are Open for Registration  

Recreation Programs are Open for Registration!  Most programs are run by GRCS High School Coaches. For more detailed information go to www.grcs.org/youthsports  

Register Now:

• Boys Youth Wrestling:  Mondays, Jan. 6-30     LATE SIGN UPS WELCOME
• Coed Sports Performance Training:  Mondays and Wednesdays, Jan. 13-Feb.5
• Girls Softball Clinic:  Saturdays, Jan. 25-Feb.8
• Boys Lacrosse Stick Stringing:  Saturdays, Jan. 11 & 18
• Boys Lacrosse Open Gym:  Thursdays, Jan. 9-Feb. 27
• Boys Lacrosse Learn to Play and Drills:  Tuesdays, Feb. 11-Mar. 3
• Boys Lacrosse Spring Leagues - SIGN UP NOW
• Girls Lacrosse Learn To Play:  Saturday, Feb. 28
• Girls Spring Leagues: Mondays & Wednesdays, March-May
• Girls Lacrosse Open Gym — Saturdays, Jan. 11 - Feb. 8
  * NOTE TIME CHANGE 2:30-4 pm

Register at www.grcs.org/youthsports.  Your password AND username is your email address.

GRC Softball Camp 

Would you like to improve your softball skills and prepare for your season? Would you like to learn from experienced instructors and enjoy competition in a Christian context? GRCHS Varsity Coach, Danae VanTimmerman, would love to help!

• DATES: January 25–February 8
• DAYS: Saturdays
• TIME: 1:00–3:00pm
• GRADES: Girls in 5th–8th
• COST: $35 (includes T–shirt)
• SITE: All City Gym Lobby at GRCHS

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Requested Announcements 

LIttle Eagles Night Out

This is a fundraiser for the Varsity Basketball program that has been extremely popular.  Whether your child is involved in Youth Basketball or not, you may drop off your child for free babysitting.  You could get Christmas shopping done or go out for Valentine’s Day.  The Varsity Boys Basketball team will entertain your little one with movies, basketball, games, and snacks. No registration needed. Sign in and out at the door. 

• Where: Quest Center
• Who: Boys & Girls ages 5–12
• When: Saturday, February 8, 2020
• Time: 6–9 pm
• Cost: FREE!! (suggested donation $10/hour) 

For questions, contact Stacey Boender at Sboender@grcs.org or 616.574.6024.
Office Hours are Wednesdays and Fridays 8:00 am — 2:00 pm.