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News & Announcements

Ada Connection - April 24, 2024 April 24th, 2024

A Note From The Principal

  • God Seeing Us Through

This Week

  • Moms in Prayer

Now You Know

  • Grand Friends Day
  • Fine Arts Night
  • Make Friends With A Book
  • Travel Opportunities

Action Needed

  • Grand Friend's Day
  • Electronics Policy
  • School Lunch Negative Balances

Summer Opportunities

  • Summer Camps & Tutoring
  • Summer Covenant Care

PTO Happenings

  • Walk-a-thon

Athletics

  • PurePlay

Mark Your Calendar

Requested Announcements

A Note From The Principal

God Seeing Us Through

Many years ago, my father-in-law made a statement that I will never forget, “We were built for change.” I asked him what he meant by that. He proceeded to share how even Jesus in His human form took the shape of a baby, became a child, an adolescent, then a man. Those physical changes are natural and happen under the power of God. We all go through them. 

Our lives change on a dime. We can plan and plan and plan, but God’s timing is not our timing and His ways are not our ways. There is a season for everything under the sun. Despite all those changes, God is constant, never changing, always there and loving everlasting. We know there are storms. We know that in this world we will have trouble, but we can take heart, because He has overcome all of that! He promised He will be with us and see us through the storm. Keep the faith. Hold on - to Him!

(Thank you to the person who shared this picture with me)

This Week

Moms In Prayer

Join us for Moms in Prayer on Thursday, April 25 from 8:00-9:00am in the back ACS conference room. Our attribute this week is "God is Our Strength". We will be praying specifically for our front office support staff. Contact Kristen Yeh at any questions. Younger siblings are always welcome.

Now You Know 

    Fine Arts Night

    Fine Arts Night
    Thursday, April 25
    6:00-8:00 pm

    Come celebrate both the visual and performing arts! Stroll the hallways to see how they have been transformed into an art gallery! Each student has at least two pieces of art displayed throughout the campus.

    Our middle school band and orchestra will also have performances throughout the evening to display their musical craft. 

    6:30pm - 5th & 6th band & orchestra

    7:15pm - 7th & 8th band & orchestra

    We hope to see you and your friends at Fine Arts Night! Come see all of the hard work your students have put in this year.

    Make Friends With A Book

    Dear Ada Christian School Parents,

    Thank you so much for supporting my Make Friends With A Book project by purchasing and donating books during the recent ACS Spring Book Fair. 

    As a result of your participation dozens of fantastic picture, easy reader, and chapter books will find their way into the hands and hearts of children/families living in the city of Grand Rapids.

    Gratefully,
    Mrs. Alphenaar

    Travel Opportunities - Australia, New Zealand & South Africa

    Has your family always wanted to go to Australia and New Zealand? Perhaps you have dreamed of going on safari to South Africa? 

    Join fellow ACS families for an adventure of a lifetime!  

    The trips will be taking place the following dates:

    - June of 2025 is Australia and New Zealand
    - July of 2025 is South Africa

    There will be an informational meeting, hosted by World History teacher, Betsy Rybarczyk, on May 7 at 6:00pm in the library for those who are interested in learning more. Many people have already enrolled on the trip, so there are limited seats available.

    Please RSVP!

    *Please note that travelers must be 7 years or older to join the trip.

    If you have any questions before the informational meeting, please feel free to contact Betsy Rybarczyk at .

    Action Needed

    Grand Friend's Day - Volunteers Needed

    We look forward to welcoming Grand Friends to our school on May 3. There will be a chapel, fellowship, classroom visits and a time to explore the school and grounds. We've included a digital copy of our invite for your convenience if you prefer to pass it along via email. Leading up to Grand Friends Day, we'll provide further instructions including a Q&A to ensure smooth coordination for our guests. We're eagerly anticipating this memorable day!

    We are looking for several volunteers to help us welcome and serve our Grand Friends. 

    Volunteer Sign-Up

    Electronics Policy

    Please help us in enforcing our electronics policy. If a student needs to contact parents during the day they are encouraged to call from the school phone.  

    Cell phones, headphones, iPads, smart watches or any electronic devices are not to be in use by students during the school day without special teacher permission. If your student needs to take any of these items to school they must be silenced and out of sight. Teachers will take any items in use and bring them to the office where the item will remain until the parent comes to pick it up from the principal.

    School Lunch Negative Balances

    We are asking parents to catch up on their student's negative balances. All positive balances roll over to the next school year.  If you have a student graduating we will transfer their balance to a sibling's account or a designated person you want to gift them with. When catching up on balances, please remember to add extra to get your student through to the end of the school year.  

    You can make a deposit at grchristian.familyportal.cloud, there is no charge to make a payment with a credit or debit card. Questions, please email Jill at ;

    Check out the menu and plan for the month of April!

    Summer Opportunities

    Summer Camps & Tutoring

    Every year it seems like our list of summer opportunities grows even bigger! Led by ACS teachers camp activities will ordinarily take place at ACS unless special approval has been granted.

    Several Ada Christian teachers will be offering tutoring this summer. These tutoring sessions will be hosted at Ada Christian School.

    Details, Dates & Signups

    Summer Covenant Care

    In Summer Covenant Care students will experience the summer alongside friends and participate in enriching activities. Care will be available Mon-Thurs, June 10-August 8.

    Sign-up

    PTO Happenings

    Walk-a-thon

    The annual Walk-a-thon is coming up on Friday, May 10! Grab a Volunteer Spot for this fun event!

    We have a fundraising goal of $30,000, which we can reach if each student gathers $50 in donations. You can send checks in the donation envelopes or give online! Donations are due Wednesday, May 8.

    Check out the great prizes students can earn:

    • The top-earning middle school homeroom gets to douse their teacher in color powder!
    • The top-earning grade earns a popcorn party! (Highest per-student average.)
    • Classes with 100% participation in collecting donations earn a pajama day!
    • The top fundraiser from each grade earns a $20 Target gift card! (Ties broken by drawing.)
    • For every $50 brought in, students have their names entered in a drawing for the top prize of four tickets to Michigan’s Adventure!
    • Thank you for your generosity, which allows the PTO to support the staff and sponsor a variety of events and programs that enrich the student experience.

    Athletics

    PurePlay (K-4th)

    Soccer

    Saturday April 27  Girls @ 9; Boys @ 10:30.

    Track Wednesday: 3:00-4:15pm

    Mark Your Calendar

    Apr 25 - Fine Arts Night 6:00-8:00pm
    May 3 - Grand Friend's Day
    May 6 - No School (Teacher In-Service)
    May 10 - Walk-a-thon
    May 27 - No School (Memorial Day)
    June 4 - 8th Grade Graduation
    June 5 - Last Day of School (Dismissal @ 11:30am)

    Looking ahead: 24-25 Calendar

    Requested Announcements

    Free Mile Race for Kids!

    Ages 5 TO 14 Tuesday, May 21 - start time 7pm
    Grand Rapids Christian High School Track - 2300 Plymouth Ave. SE Grand Rapids
    All Kids Receive a t-shirt, backback & medal.

    More information

    2024 Summer Calvin University Golf Camp at Indian Trails Golf Course

    Come join us for Calvin Golf Camp 2024! These camps are for beginning & intermediate golfers and include instruction and on-course competition for boys and girls ages 9-14.                                                                                                                                           
    Dates/Times                                                                               

    Session A: M-Th, June 4-7, 8:30am-10:30am
    Session B: M-Th, June 4-7, 11:00am-1:00pm CAMP FULL
    Session C: M-Th, June 10-13 8:30am-10:30 am
    Session D: M-Th, June 10-13, 11:00 am-1:00pm                                                                                                                                

    Cost                                                            

    All Sessions: $200.00 – deposit: $50.00 Includes a t-shirt and a nine-hole tourney Thursday

    Location

    Indian Trails Golf Course, 2776 Kalamazoo Ave SE, Grand Rapids 49507                       

    For age exception requests please contact Coach Bolt at

    Register

    Whatcha Doin' Out There!? - Nov 2023 December 05th, 2023

    OE News

    November was a month in which the weather transitioned quickly. There were many very warm days in November, but we also found ourselves in some cold, rain, and snow. As the weather turns we are able to consider what happens as creatures get ready for winter. We also wrapped up some of our fall activities like cider and began the transition into Christmas preparation. K-2nd grade made ornaments that will be on display at the Festival of Trees at Legacy Park in Ada for the Christmas season. Check out the ACS tree and the others if you're in town.  

    Kindergarten - In kindergarten we began November with a review of recent letters of the week A,D,S,L. Activities included Act like animals, Dig in the sand, Strolling, Skipping and Sprinting, and Launching Leaves. Later in the month we took a look at wind and made pinwheels as instruments to measure wind, just like an anemometer.  We then shifted to making ornaments that will be displayed at the Festival of Trees in Ada.  First we made a triangle shape out of sticks and then the sticks were wrapped with yarn and decorated with mini ornaments of their own.  

    1st - First grade took a turn with cider making one week and a couple weeks later had a special visitor. Johnny Appleseed met them in the woods to read about his life and enjoy some of the great cider that they made. First grade also learned about animal shelters and made some small places for animals to hide in the woods. To end the month they began Christmas preparations by making ornaments. Students made ornaments by decorating pine cones with ribbon and bells. The ornaments will be on display in the “Festival of Trees” in Ada.  

    2nd - A big theme in second grade was Pioneers. They began with a turn at the cider press. Then they enjoyed some pioneer games to see what kids did for fun long ago.  They also pushed their wheelbarrow wagon through the woods during the Oregon Trail simulation facing many challenges along the way. Lastly they used their pioneer skills to make candles which will serve as ornaments in the Festival of Trees in downtown Ada. Go check it out!

    3rd - Third grade took some time to review the great lakes in an activity where we put the numbers into perspective. Volume of water, perimeter and depth were all compared with the lakes and we reflected on the importance of 20% of the world’s surface fresh water that is in the 5 great lakes. We began to learn about the Native Americans by learning about the three sisters' planting method and clearing out that section of our garden so it is ready to plant in the spring. Lastly, we played games that the native americans played to practice balance and strength.   

    4th - Fourth graders had multiple science connections in OE. To begin we did a simulation that looked at food availability affect population size by searching for food in the form of colored straws. The next week we considered how animals used their senses in an activity in which students had to find animals of their own species by listening for the same sound while blindfolded. It was a challenge to listen to the specific sounds while others were also making sounds and predators were on the prowl. We introduced the topic of Community Supported Agriculture. We took inventory and decided to attempt our first Farm Fresh Box for thanksgiving. They were able to produce enough products for 12 families! Lastly, we talked about soil temperature tolerance and its practical application on the farm. The students learned how to take soil temperature samples and determine by reading the back of a seed packet if the seed would germinate in that environment.

    5th - This month we took a deep dive into the internal anatomy of a chicken. We studied the path of digestion and egg production. We learned how chickens break down their food and absorb nutrients. We learned what the “grade” of an egg means on the outside of an egg carton. Then we cracked some ACS eggs and studied the color/ shape/ and consistency of the yolk to decide what grade eggs our chickens lay. We rounded out the month with some Fun Farm Games. Kids learned how strong you need to be to do daily farm tasks in a fun and silly competition.

    6th - Our 6th graders have spent the month learning external anatomy of a goat. To encourage them to really understand the shape and muscle structure of a goat we learned how to draw one realistically. Now we have a great base understanding as we get more specific with anatomy in December. We rounded out the month with Farm Games and learned how to set product prices for SEED Market.

    7th - November in 7th grade OE involved students mapping out the memorial trees on our campus which will later be available as an interactive map with links to more information on the trees. We then turned our attention to composting. Students began learning about composting. We talked about the importance of composting as well as the basics of what materials are best including a balance of browns and greens. We are now collecting lunch scraps from 7th and 2nd grades for a compost bin here at school to put what we learned into practice.  

    8th - November was a month to transition to the Legacy Project for 8th grade. We began with a tour to see projects from previous grades and considered how well they met the needs of the school and what they offered to students. We then presented students with some potential legacy projects for this year. Now students are researching these topics to see what logistics will be necessary to make this happen.