The days are getting chillier! Please remember to send sufficiently warm outerwear and accessories for recess time. Mittens and hats (and even coats and boots) often land in our lost and found, so we strongly recommend labeling items for easy identification.
Please also remember that beginning November 1, shorts may not be worn to school. Navy or gray leggings (no black) may be worn under skirts and jumpers.
As stated in the Parent Handbook, Trinitas does not observe Halloween, but students will have the opportunity to wear a costume to school later this year on Book Character Day. On that day, students may come to school dressed as their favorite book characters (or Biblical or historical figures). It is a fun-filled day, and the students come home eager to read new books.
More information will be available in a few months, but it’s never too early to start thinking of ideas for your character. You could even develop a Halloween costume with Book Character Day in mind! Please note that ideas must be submitted to the classroom teacher for approval.
While we are sad to see Mrs. Reif leave, we are grateful that beginning this week, our art teacher, Mrs. Roossien, will also be our music teacher. Mrs. Roossien is not only experienced in the visual arts but also in music having been a band director for Lamont Christian, Allendale Christian, and Grace Homeschool Association, as well as a General Music teacher for Lamont and Allendale Christian. In addition, she is a private piano teacher and is in her 10th year as accompanist for the Grand Rapids Christian schools.
We are looking forward to Mrs. Roossien expanding her role in the fine arts with us!
The final 3rd/4th team-building session, “True, Noble, Admirable”, was centered around Philippians 4:8.
Parents, here are some follow-up questions:
What is one kind thing you could say if someone is being unkind to you?
What is one helpful thing you can do if you see someone being mean to someone else?
What is one area in which you could strive to be more noble (respect of teachers, treatment of siblings, etc.)?
In our last CCEC, we said that a tenet of classical Christianity is that God’s perfect self-giving love perfects our human nature. His love restores our nature to its original design and enables us, through grace, to love God and our neighbor. We observed that practicing the virtue of compassion requires us to begin with prayer (even for our enemies) and with accepting God’s own gift of love. What might be some next steps for developing the virtue of compassion?
St. Thomas Aquinas, following St. Augustine, thought about compassion as a virtue having two parts: an affective part (heartfelt sympathy) and an effective part (an act of the will to relieve another’s suffering). So how can we develop both of these?
Dear Families,
As you are almost certainly aware, the number of COVID-19 positive cases is on the rise in Kent County. Kent County Health Department recently shared the following information with schools:
Our numbers of people testing positive that are related to schools is rising. Our middle school and high school numbers are significantly higher than the elementary numbers. The rate of positive cases in elementary age children is about half of the rate for people age 12-17 years (both nationally and in Kent County).
Through our contact tracing, we are seeing very limited transmission of the virus from the classroom setting. Most of the new infections among students can be traced to social activities and sports activities.
The number of close contacts which have to be placed in quarantine is rising. During the month of September, the average number of close contacts per positive case of COVID-19 was 6.4. During the week of October 11-15, the average number of close contacts per positive case was 9.3.
Dozens of school superintendents across Kent, Ottawa, and Muskegon counties are appealing to their districts to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines outside of school, and I am making a similar plea. (You will find their letter and a related article on the local news.) Regardless of your political convictions, your stance on government orders and individual rights, or your opinions about coronavirus, our ability to keep children in the classroom depends on you doing your best to keep them healthy and, when not healthy, keeping them home.
This post contains additional content available to members only. Please log in to view the full post.Lifetouch will visit Trinitas next Wednesday, October 21, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Order forms will be sent home with students today. Parents will also be getting email reminders and order links directly from Lifetouch. Homeschool partners are welcome to join us anytime during those hours.
Students may wear “every day” or dress uniform attire for their photos. Blazers are available for students to borrow for pictures only. If you would like your child to borrow a blazer, please contact the office before Tuesday morning.
Our 7th and 8th graders will have their pictures taken when Lifetouch returns for retake day.
Our annual Speech Meet has been scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, November 18. While we will not be able to welcome guests to attend this year, we are looking into ways to record the speeches so families can view them.
Selections are due next Friday, October 23. All selections must first be approved by the classroom teacher. For ideas, consult the Speech Meet binder in the office or this list that was found by a Trinitas parent. Students were given a handout with the Speech Meet guidelines. Please note the selection form at the bottom which should be submitted for teacher approval.
Modified Dress Uniform for Speech Meet:
Boys: khaki pant and belt, white Oxford shirt and tie,* uniform socks and dress shoes
Girls: plaid skirt or skort, white blouse, uniform socks or tights** and dress shoes.
*Ties will be distributed a day or so ahead of Speech Meet and will be returned by the end of the day.
**No leggings
Parent-teacher conferences are required for all full time families. A sign-up form will be sent soon. Please note that we plan to offer some in-person and some Zoom meetings on both days, though in-person conferences are subject to change if the virus situation changes.
N.B. The conference days are half days. Dismissal will be at 11:35 a.m. on both Thursday, November 12, and Friday, November 13.
PSF plans to host a 2-day sale event for our parents, featuring an array of classical education books and Uniform Closet stock. Trinitas received a donation of materials from another classical school, including many books that nicely complement our curriculum. Books will be available for purchase at the sale for only 25 cents each! In addition, Uniform Closet items will be sold at reduced prices.
The sale will take place on Thursday, October 22, and Friday, October 23, 2:30-3:15 p.m. Please stop by and check it out! Plan to park in the upper lot. Sales should be wrapped up by 3:15 pm for prompt student pick-up. Exact change welcome.
