October 24, 2025

Dear Heritage Families,

I hope you are all enjoying the cooler temperatures (though perhaps not the wind earlier this week!).

It has come to my attention that our student dress code needs a small clarification. Beginning Monday, October 27, pajamas, pajama pants, and slippers will be reserved for special dress-up days or class reward days only. Students should refrain from wearing these items on regular school days.

We appreciate your support in helping remind your child about appropriate school attire and in reinforcing this update at home. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a positive and respectful learning environment.

All School Thanksgiving Chapel & Pie

On Friday, November 21st, we'll be having our annual All School Thanksgiving Day Chapel. This is 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.

NEW THIS YEAR: instead of lunch, we invite families to come for chapel at 1:30pm followed by a slice of pie and fellowship together. Bring a blanket and we'll sit on the floor and the bleachers. You are welcome to take your students home afterwards.



We will provide the pie (planning for pumpkin and apple but we're at the mercy of what Costco's inventory is), and ask that if you are able to join us and would like a slice of pie for yourself or your child, please indicate that on the lunch order that went out this week ($1 per slice) or contact the office so we know how many pies to order. Those orders must be submitted by Thursday, October 30th. If you have any questions, please contact Brenda Wichhart or Erica Wallace in the office.

Halloween



We encourage you to celebrate Halloween at home, if you choose to do so, in a manner that you find appropriate for your family. Please do not send your children to school dressed up in costumes or with candy/treats for the purpose of celebrating Halloween. 

Our non-participation is not a judgment on the holiday itself or those who celebrate it, but rather a judgment on the best use of school time.



Thank you for your understanding

H.A.N.D.S. Meeting November 5th

Join us Wednesday, November 5th for our next Heritage H.A.N.D.S. meeting. We'll meet in the teacher's lounge after drop off in the morning. All are welcome!

Lost and Found



Be sure to stop by the Lost and Found in the hallway when you're in the building. There's plenty of quality items that would love to return to their home!

Parent Teacher Conferences - November 24-25



Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 24th and 25th. Please watch your email the week of November 3rd for a signup genius link to sign up for a time with your child's teacher.

Enrollment for 2026-2027

Enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year at Heritage Christian School will begin Monday, November 3, and priority will be given to current families for the first month. This is open to any new students (PreK-8th) desiring to enroll at Heritage. If your child already attends Heritage, they are automatically enrolled for the next school year. When enrollment begins, you will apply through your FACTS Family Portal.

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

Veterans Day Celebration Photos



If your child(ren) is new to Heritage Christian School and he/she has a relative that is a veteran or currently enlisted in the United States Armed Forces, please send a picture (preferably electronic) to Erica Wallace at wallacee@hcs-nl.com. These pictures will be added to a slide show and to a wall recognizing the families that have sacrificed for the security and safety of our nation. Please send all photos by Friday, October 24. All hard copy photos will be returned. Pictures submitted in previous years do not need to be resubmitted as we have kept electronic copies of them.

Please include the following information with your photo:

·        Name

·        Branch of Service

·        Years of Service

·        Relationship to Heritage student

Veterans Day Celebration

You are invited to join us for this very special annual community event held at Heritage on Tuesday, 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.

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

Volunteers Needed



If you are a volleyball parent, love the game of volleyball, or just want to serve at Heritage, we are looking for volunteers to be line judges, run the scoreboard, and work concessions at our volleyball games. All the jobs are easy to learn and any training needed before the game can be provided. If you like to volunteer, please use the sign-up genius link below. High school students can also volunteer in any of these roles for silver cord hours.

Volleyball Volunteer Sign-up

Operation Christmas Child

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 14 and November 7. 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

Pray for the Nations

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!

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)

Sports Update

Volleyball Recap

The Heritage Eagle volleyball teams played Trinity Cedar Rapids this past week. The JV showed improvement in hustling after the ball and we had a few three pass volleys before sending it back over the net. We served well in the first set, but couldn’t quite overcome a skilled Trinity team. The second set was close and back and forth, but the Eagles didn’t pull it out in the end, losing in two sets, 19-25 and 21-25. This was the second time the Varsity team had faced Trinity, so we knew they had tough servers. We played more relaxed in the first set, so if we got behind by several points, we were able to string together a few points to even up the score. But their tough serving got us in the end and the Eagles lost in two sets 16-25 and 9-25. Heritage has two home games next week, Monday and Thursday, that we invite you to come out and cheer on our volleyball players!

Volleyball Schedule

Monday – 4:30/5:30 JV/V game vs. LIS @Heritage

Tuesday – JV Practice 3:30-5:00

Wednesday – V Practice 3:30-5:00

Thursday – 4:30/5:30 JV/V game vs. Trinity Davenport @ Heritage

Basketball Update

We are looking to kick-off our basketball and cheerleading season in a few weeks. Here is a bit of information and players’ parents check your email for more information regarding forms and schedules.

• JV (5^th/6^th) girls team will be coached by Charlie Ruess.*
• JV (5^th/6^th) boys team will be coached by Chris Voss.*
• Due to low numbers, we will not be having a Varsity (7^th/8^th) girls team this year.
• Varsity (7^th/8^th) boys team will be coached by Tony Greazel and Eric Vanderhorst. 
• Cheerleading (5^th-8^th) will be coached by Susan Sanchez.

We are currently looking for an assistant coach for the JV boys and an assistant coach for the JV girls 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 you are interested, please contact Sarah Franje (franjes@hcs-nl.com) by October 31.

Upcoming Events

Operation Christmas Child

October 14th - November 7th

Middle School Lock In

Friday, October 24

Enrollment Opens

Monday, November 3rd

Parent Survey Window

Nov 4-17

Veterans Day Celebration

Tuesday, Nov. 11th

9:15-11:15am

No School

Monday, Nov. 17th

Teacher In-Service

Picture Retakes

Friday, November 20th

All School Thanksgiving Chapel & Pie

Friday, Nov. 21st

1:30-3:00pm

Report Cards go home

Friday, Nov. 21st

Parent Teacher Conferences

Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 24th and 25th

No School

Thanksgiving Holiday

Wednesday - Friday, Nov. 26th - 28th

No School

Quick Links

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2025-26 School Calendar

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Heritage Business Guide

2025-26 Class Supply List