November 1, 2024

Pick up Reminders

Just a few reminders about student pick up at the end of the day:

• You must either drive through the carline or park in the parking lot (in a designated parking spot) and walk into the building to pick up your student(s).
• Students should not leave the classroom until their number or name is called over the walkie talkie.
• Parents should not just wait in the parking lot and text or tell their student to just come out and look for them.
• Students should not cross the line of traffic to the parking lot without an adult. Only cross the line of traffic straight out from the building and sidewalk to avoid pedestrians weaving through traffic at various places.

We realize the carline can require much patience but for the safety of our students and families, please follow these procedures, take a deep breath, and enjoy a few quiet moments in your car waiting! :-)

Parent Teacher Conferences - November 25-26



Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 25th and 26th. Please watch your email the week of November 4th for a signup genius link to sign up for a time with your child's teacher.

Enrollment for 2025-2026

Enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year at Heritage Christian School is open to any new students, and we wanted you to be the first to know! Please note that if you would like to enroll a PreK student for next school year, please apply by December 2, as open enrollment for PreK families will begin the following day.

To apply, sign into your current FACTS Family Portal. From the left navigation menu select the following:

• Apply / Enroll
• Application
• Click to here to open Application
• Create a New Student Application

Please email Sarah Franje (franjes@hcs-nl.com) or call the office at 319-626-4777 if you have any questions.

Veterans Day Celebration

You are invited to join us for this very special annual community event held at Heritage on Monday, November 11th. We are thankful for our veterans, and we look forward to honoring them. The event's prelude will begin at 9:15am and will conclude by 10:45am. Please join us outside after the ceremony for an honorary flyover at 11:00am. Please note that this is a full day of school this year.

Our guest speaker this year is retired Air Force Major Kent Christen. Kent "Frag" Christen grew up in Guttenberg, Iowa and graduated from Guttenberg High School in 1988. He attended the University of Iowa and graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in History in 1992 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force the same day. Kent entered active duty at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas to attend the Intelligence Applications Officer Course. After graduating, he served for 20 years at duty stations in Korea, Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Illinois with temporary assignments to Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. During his career, he served as a flight instructor and evaluator, a formal schools instructor, Group Senior Intelligence Officer, ROTC instructor, and as the analyst for a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, Kent deployed twice for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001 and 2009 and once for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007. Along the way, he earned two Bronze Star Medals, a Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three Meritorious Service Medals, Air Force Non-rated Aircrew Wings, a Master Intelligence Badge, and a Combat Action Badge. Kent retired in 2013 and worked for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for six years before moving with his family to Coralville and going to work for the City of Cedar Rapids as an analyst. Kent, his wife, and his two adult sons attend Grace Community Church in North Liberty.

Feel free to spread the word to your friends and neighbors so that we can once again celebrate and honor the brave men and women that have served our country.

You're Invited! Parenting Workshop

Compass Church (who currently worships in our gym on Sunday mornings) is hosting a parenting workshop on Sunday, November 17th at Heritage and you're invited to attend. The details are blow:

Compass Church Parenting workshop

Parents of children 4^th grade and younger

Sunday, November 17^th, 4-6pm @ Heritage Christian School

• 75 minutes of training, encouragement, prayer, and connecting with other parents
• Childcare provided
• Resources for parents
• Pizza dinner for parents and children afterwards
• Seating/Space is limited
• To register or for more information visit compasschurchia.com and hit the link for Parenting Workshop
• $10/family

All School Thanksgiving Lunch

Friday, November 22nd, will be our annual All School Thanksgiving Day Lunch. Again this year we'll have an opportunity for the entire school community to come together at the same time to give thanks through worship, eating, and fellowship. We look forward to spending time acknowledging together how God has blessed us as individuals, families, and a school.

Parents and grandparents, you are encouraged to arrive at school by 11:20am to join your child(ren) in the gymnasium for chapel, beginning at 11:30am. Following chapel, we will enjoy lunch "picnic-style" on the gym floor at 12:00pm. Recess will follow outside from 12:30-1:00pm.

Operation Christmas Child - Next Friday is the last day!

Operation Christmas Child (sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse) helps provide for needy children worldwide and is a great opportunity to give out of the abundance that God has given to us. This year, each PRE-K – 5th GRADE CLASS will be filling two shoeboxes to send, and collections will take place between October 15 and November 8. Here’s how you can help: 

• Each class will fill two shoeboxes (one for a girl and one for a boy)
• We are asking every Heritage student to bring in $3 (or MORE to cover for those students that don’t bring money in) to help cover the shipping and handling cost ($10 for each shoebox).
• Ideas for what to include in shoeboxes can be found at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/what-goes-in-my-shoebox-suggestions/
• Donate any of the following items by bringing them to the school (check your child’s classroom newsletter for details):
• SMALL toys (that can fit in a small shoebox) – small cars, dolls, stuffed animals, yo-yos, jump ropes, toys that light-up or make noise, etc. PLEASE, NO WAR-RELATED TOYS OR BREAKABLE ITEMS.
• School supplies – pens, pencils and sharpeners, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, coloring books, writing pads or paper, solar calculators
• Hygiene items – toothbrush, mild bar soap, comb, brush, washcloths, etc. (NO TOOTHPASTE)
• Other miscellaneous items that a child would enjoy – watches, picture books (no words), sunglasses, flashlights (with extra batteries), ball caps, socks, T-shirts, hair clips, etc. (NO CANDY OR FOOD of any kind!)
• DO NOT INCLUDE: USED OR DAMAGED ITEMS, WAR-RELATED ITEMS, CANDY OR FOOD, TOOTHPASTE, LIQUIDS OR LOTIONS, MEDICATIONS OR VITAMINS, BREAKABLE ITEMS SUCH AS GLASS, OR AEROSOL CANS
• Please note that we will NOT ACCEPT TOOTHPASTE or CANDY/FOOD 

Missions - Mrs. Pretorious & Kossigan

Please continue to pray for global workers Michael and Mary Pretorious and for our Compassion International sponsored child, Kossigan, from Togo. Students are welcome to contribute towards Kossigan’s sponsorship (through Compassion International) by giving money in their classrooms or the office. Thank you!

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Please pray for:

·        Protection (physical, spiritual, emotional, etc.)

·        Boldness (to share Jesus authentically and powerfully)

·        Peace (people of peace to help share the Good News)

·        Assurance (that God is with them and is for them)

Basketball and Cheerleading

After gauging interest from students at school, it is looking like Heritage will have two boys basketball teams and two girls teams this season. The teams will be divided as follows to accommodate numbers:

• 5^th grade boys
• 5^th grade girls
• 6^th through 8^th grade boys
• 6^th through 8^th grade girls

In addition to the basketball teams, Heritage will also have a cheerleading team for 5^th through 8^th graders.

We are currently in need of a coach or coaches for our 5^th grade boys basketball team. Coaches at Heritage are volunteers and do not need a state certificate or license. We do ask that our coaches agree with our school’s statement of faith, pass our school’s volunteer background check, take a quick concussion course and agree to some basic coaching guidelines. Organizational skills, communication skills and background or experience in the sport of basketball help. If we do not find a coach or coaches, we will unfortunately not be able to field a team. If you are interested, please reach out to Mr. Harshman via email or schedule a meeting and we can discuss the details (harshmanj@hcs-nl.com).   

Forms/Fees: Due Wednesday, November 13 (All forms were emailed.)

• Athletic Participation Fee Form and $60 for basketball and $40 for cheerleading
• Athletic Contract
• Insurance Waiver
• Emergency Medical Authorization
• Athletic Physical (these are good for 13 months, if you do not know whether your son or daughter’s physical is still good, check with the Heritage office)
• Concussion Form

If your son or daughter is planning on participating in either basketball or cheering this season, please email Mr. Harshman (harshmanj@hcs-nl.com) so he can begin compiling rosters for the coaches.  

Sports Update



Last Saturday, the Heritage 7/8 team participated in Trinity Lutheran’s Net Fest Tournament. The Eagles went 3-1 on the day, claiming a 2^nd place finish. The first match in pool play was a familiar opponent, Trinity Lutheran. The Eagles took care of business winning 21-15 and 21-12. They followed that match with another win, this time over Bethel Lutheran, winning in two sets 21-17 and 21-13. The Eagles earned a first round bye in bracket play and faced Pathway in the semi-final round. The Eagles had lost to Pathway back in September in their opening match of the season but have since grown in both skills and confidence in their roles on the court. This time, the Eagles dug themselves out of a hole in the first set winning, 21-18, and then winning a convincing second set 21-5. The Eagles had to face Trinity Lutheran once again for the championship. The first set was back and forth at the beginning, and we couldn’t string together many points in a row, falling 18-21. The girls didn’t let that discourage them in the second set, and they came out with tough serving, easily winning the second set 21-11. In the third and deciding set the girls found themselves behind. They faced a tough server from Trinity, and it is hard to get back on top when only playing to 15. The girls fell 5-15. Despite the day ending not quite like we would have hoped, the girls had a lot of fun together, persevered, and demonstrated great sportsmanship.

For the last home game of the season, the Eagles competed against Trinity Lutheran from Davenport. In the 5/6 match, all three sets were needed to declare a winner, and scores were fairly close throughout. The Eagles served well and hustled after each ball, coming out on top with scores of 25-21, 20-25, and 15-10. The 7/8 match found two undefeated teams in conference play facing off against each other. The Eagles played with confidence and energy, winning in two sets 25-18 and 25-20.

On Tuesday, Heritage traveled to Newhall to play Central Lutheran. The 5/6 match took three sets to declare a winner. The first set found the Eagles on top 25-17, but lost the second set 12-25. In the third and deciding match, the Eagles found themselves in a hole. They slowly climbed out, but found themselves down 11-13. Emma Van Otterloo tied it up with two strong serves, causing Central to call a timeout. Emma remained calm and confident at the serving line to serve two more strong serves to win the set and match 15-13. The 7/8 match to follow was also a close set, taking three sets to decide the winner. Heritage was ahead in the first set, but Central came back at the end and the Eagles fell 24-26. The second set was close as well, but the girls persevered to win long volleys and tough plays at the net, coming out on top 25-20. Strong serving in the third set, found the Eagles pull away early and not look back winning the set 15-6, Kaelyn Van Otterloo and Grace Barnes led the team with 5 kills and 3 ace serves each. 

Volleyball Schedule

Tuesday, Nov 5 - Volleyball Game @ Davenport 4:30 & 5:30pm

Wednesday, Nov 6 - 5/6 Practice 3:30-5pm

Thursday, Nov 7 - 7/8 Practice 3:30-5pm

Saturday, Nov 9 - Conference Tournament at Central Lutheran

Upcoming Events

Operation Christmas Child

October 15th - November 8th

Veterans Day Celebration

Monday, Nov. 11th

9:15-11:15am

Picture Retakes

Friday, November 15th

No School

Monday, Nov. 18th

Teacher In-Service

All School Thanksgiving Lunch/Chapel

Friday, Nov. 22nd

11:30-12:30pm

Report Cards go home

Friday, Nov. 22nd

Parent Teacher Conferences

Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 25th and 26th

No School

Thanksgiving Holiday

Wednesday - Friday, Nov. 27th - 29th

No School

Current Family PreK Registration

Monday, Dec. 2nd

Open Family PreK Registration Begins

Tuesday, Dec. 3rd

Quick Links

Website

2024-25 School Calendar

Web Calendar

Heritage Business Guide

2024-25 Class Supply List

Parent Student Handbook