School News

Trinitas is registered for the National Geographic GeoBee! The GeoBee is designed to inspire students’ curiosity about the world. Our school bee will be held the last week of January, and all students will be participating. Grades K-2 will get a taste of the GeoBee with classroom activities and quizzing, including grade-level appropriate questions. Grades 3-8 will compete in classroom rounds much like the Spelling Bee. The questions are oral, prepared by National Geographic, and cover a wide range of geographic topics. While 3rd graders will get one year of practice, 4th-8th graders will compete for slots in the school finals. Our school champion will advance to the next level of competition, an online qualifying test to determine competitors in the State GeoBee.

Tips to prepare for the GeoBee, for Grades 3-8 (and eager, younger students):

Start with a world map, globe, and atlas – become very familiar with the continents, countries, states and provinces, then the largest islands, largest bodies of water and other major physical features (mountain ranges, deserts, lakes, rivers), and major lines of latitude and longitude.

Use blank outline maps of the world, continents, and states – test yourself by attempting to fill them in. The GeoBee Study Toolkit contains some outline maps, as well as sample GeoBee questions. The Toolkit is a great place to start.

Take as many practice quizzes as possible – there are countless multiple-choice, online geography quizzes and games. National Geographic offers a daily, online GeoBee Quiz, a free app called the GeoBee Challenge App, and more at https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/student-experiences/geobee/study/.

Prepare flashcards or another technique to memorize the capitals of the countries, capitals of the fifty United States, and state nicknames. And memorize basic earth facts, such as the highest, lowest, and deepest points around the world, and other earth “extremes.”

Build your knowledge – A good atlas or geography reference book makes maps come alive with other information that can be beneficial to know for the GeoBee, such as population, religions, languages, animal and plant life, climate, economics, and monuments unique to different parts of the world. Knowledge of world history is also a bonus.

It is a Trinitas tradition to partner with a charitable organization during the holidays as a way to express our gratitude for the Lord’s many blessings and a way to bless others in need. This year we will again be sending a financial gift to the School of Promise in Thailand.

We are excited to see how the school has grown since we first developed a relationship with them. The founder of the school visited Trinitas a few years ago and spoke at our chapel. The school is actively working to break the cycle of poverty and oppression in Thailand by providing an excellent school rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Thai students learn from Christian teachers who truly love them and who share God’s love with them inside and outside of the classroom. Our collection will go directly to the school to support their wonderful ministry.

Gifts may be brought to the office. If giving cash (no coins, please), mark the envelope with your family name. Checks should be made out to “Hope International Schools”. During Morning Prayer, your student will be able to place an ornament on our tree in recognition of your donation. Our students will also make cards for the School of Promise students and will pray for them!

Click here to learn more about the School of Promise.

We continue to focus on HONESTY this month. The upcoming Thanksgiving break would be a good time to read together from The Book of Virtues and to talk about what it means to be honest and a person of integrity.

Click here for the recommended readings and “Try This” ideas for putting honesty into practice!

School pictures were sent home last Friday. All students received a proof sheet with a portrait ID and access code that allows you to view photos and place orders on the Lifetouch website. Retakes are scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, December 4. Please let the office or your classroom teacher know if you wish to have a retake.

All Lands’ End orders will be 50% off from November 23 to December 3 when you use the promotional code ADMIN50 and PIN 1203. Grand Rapids has a new Lands’ End store located in the Shops at Centerpointe. They do not carry uniform items in the store, but if you order from their kiosk, you will receive free shipping.

Now is the time to order your Trinitas t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets from our online store. The store will close on December 4.

Girls in 6th-8th grade are invited to join the West Michigan Lutheran middle school basketball team. There will be a parent meeting on Monday, November 25, at 5:50 p.m. in the school gym. Please contact the office if you would like more information or the game schedule.

Thank you to everyone who came to hear this year’s Speech Meet. We hope you enjoyed the wonderful recitations. Congratulations to all our students on a job well done!

We would also like to thank our judges: Jeff K., Marcy B., Marty G., and Merideth V.

2019 Speech Meet Classroom Finalists

Winter road conditions are predictably unpredictable, so please allow yourself extra time for the trip to school on those icy or snowy days. If you haven’t already done so, take this opportunity to sign up for Remind texts for snow day and late start notifications.

Students will go outside for recess unless the wind chill is below zero. Please remember to pack sufficiently warm outerwear, including snow pants if students want to play in the snow.

Inclement Weather School Cancellation Policy:

In the event that roads are deemed to be too dangerous to travel on because of heavy snow or ice accumulation, school will be cancelled or delayed for a specified amount of time. You will be informed of this through regular television and radio news broadcasts. You should look for “Trinitas Classical School” to appear on the television screen for local TV news (channels 3, 8, 13), or to be named on a local radio station. You can also sign up at www.woodtv.com to be notified by email, pager, or cell phone in the event of delay or closing. Usually, when Grand Rapids Christian schools are closed, Trinitas is too, but check to be sure.

Our virtue focus for November is HONESTY: being truthful and trustworthy. Our final Speech Meet performance on Wednesday was a lesson in truth-telling. Ask your child if he or she can remember what happened to poor Matilda. (Hint: It’s similar to the boy who cried wolf.) You can read the tragic tale together in The Book of Virtues, ed. by William Bennett. If you don’t have a copy at home, it would make a great Christmas gift!