Welcome Back:

·         FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR:

   The faculty and I express our hearty thanks to all of you who gave greetings or expressions of love in the form of gifts at Christmas. God is very good to us in giving us this wonderful school and the students and parents who support this school. Your expressions of gratitude and thanks are heartwarming and we echo once again the words of the apostle Paul in II Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.”

   I am reminded too at this time of the year of the words of God to us in I Corinthians 13:1ff. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels: and have not charity, I am become as a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

    Our prayer for you in this New Year of our Lord, 2006, is that God will be with you all and bless you.

    Our prayer is that we will all realize more and more that we are all baptized into one body whether we be black or white, bond or free because we have been made to drink into one Spirit, the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ. (cf. I Corinthians 12.)

·         STATEMENT OF SYMPATHY: As a staff and community of believers who support Eastside Christian School we express our sincere sympathy to Judie and Jack Feenstra in the passing , December 24, of their brother, Henry “Pete” Meulenberg. Before his death he had selected Psalm 73:24, “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” What a great comfort to the family and all of us who attended the funeral to hear these words of everlasting comfort and joy. We pray that God, according to His promise, will be with Jack and Judie and the family in this time of need.

·         HOT LUNCH will be served THIS week FRIDAY. Amy Flikkema and the Junior High will be serving Pizza, Chips, Ice Cream Bars, and Pop. Snack Sale providers are Kathi Holstege, Mary Kamps, and Kim Lee. Please have all snacks individually wrapped. Thank you.

·        BASKETBALL GAME: There will be a Basketball game here at Eastside THIS Thursday, at 3:45 p.m. The 7^th and 8^th graders will be playing Adams 7^th grade.

·        TRIP:  Until further notice, we will only be taking orders for TRIP. We are unable to offer Cash and Carry sales at this time. We will be placing an order on Monday, January 9 which will be distributed on Friday, January 13. Order forms will be sent home today. Please remember to place your TRIP order payment in an envelope clearly labeled “TRIP”. We will keep you advised of future order dates as well as when Cash and Carry sales will once again be offered.

·        INTERNATIONAL AID: We are sorry to report that the collection of toothpaste, soap, and toothbrushes was taken by “those” who broke in on Sunday, January 1. They left the towels and the shampoo. So that we can have an equivalent number of each item, we are asking that you continue to help us in this campaign. We hope to be able to take a field trip to International Aid in Spring Lake sometime during the month of February. You will be notified of the exact date and some of you may want to come along. Let us know how you can help un this important campaign.

v           OTHER NEWS:

·         2006 HOPE TRAVELOGUE SEASON: The first series is scheduled for Saturday, January 14 entitled “China-The 21^st Century”. All films begin at 7 p.m. at Grandville Middle School Auditorium.

·         ELEMENTARY GIRLS B-BALL LEAGUE: Russ Zwak, Covenant’s girls varsity basketball coach will be hosting an instructional youth basketball league for elementary age girls in 3^rd through 6^th grades. The league will be on Saturday afternoons, 12:00-4:00 p.m. from January 14-February 18 at Heritage Christian School. The cost is $30 per player and includes a T-shirt. Registration deadline is Friday, January 6. Please pick up a registration form from your school or call at 662-8128.

·         JUNIOR HIGH GIRLS B-BALL LEAGUE: Russ Zwak, Covenant’s girls varsity basketball coach will be hosting an instructional basketball league for girls in the 7^th-9^th grades on Saturday mornings from 7:30-9:00 at Covenant Christian High. The league will be for 6 weeks beginning January 14. The cost is $30 per player. Registration deadline is Friday, January 6. Please pick up a registration form from your school or call at 662-8128.

v           EASTSIDE SCHOOL CALENDAR:

§        January 4                          School Resumes

§        January 20                        Records Day, No School

§        February 1                        Spelling Bee, 8:30 p.m.