"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"  Psalm 119:105

This week marks the end of the first semester of studies at our new school and the beginning of the second half of the year!  Amidst a year of turmoil, uncertainty and change in the world around us, the Lord has given much.  He has truly been an unchanging God, Whose faithfulness is new every morning.  As staff, students, parents, board and volunteers we wish each of you the Lord's blessing in the year we have just entered.    

Our first Christmas Program

On the snowy evening of December 17, 2020 we were able to hold our first Christmas program in the chapel at DLIGR.  It was a special evening, shared with friends and family, near and far.  The evening began with some instrumental pieces by several students, including clarinets, trombones, violins and a cello.  Following the reading of a Christmas meditation, the kindergarten, elementary, and secondary students sang a variety of Christmas songs together, many favorites and some new.  The students had been practicing the memorization and parts of the music for many weeks, and it was so nice to hear them sing!  In addition, the students recited different parts of Scripture, poems, and pieces related to the Christmas season and the changing of the year.  The program finished with all staff, volunteers, board and parents joining in the final two songs.  As all of us come and go at the school throughout the weeks, in various capacities and responsibilities, it was very special to also sing together.  Following the program, everyone was invited to join for refreshments in the gym.  It was a memorable evening!

A few news highlights from Kindergarten and the learning centers

Kindergarten

The Kindergarteners look forward to each new day at school.  They are working through learning to recite Psalm 23 by memory, and already know quite a few verses.  They learn a new Psalter and additional Bible text that corresponds with each new letter they learn.  After learning their weekly word family, the little students have begun to read little stories that go along with them!  In the past few weeks, they have finished their first real writing activity, where they wrote their own sentence and completed it with an illustration.  In Math, the Kindergarteners are working on adding, counting by two's and tens, practicing flashcards and memorizing number facts.  A highlight of the day is their Science work.  They've learned about bears and why they hibernate, penguins and about bird migration.  Between their school work, some gym time with the elementary students, art projects and story time on the soft rug by the teepee - the school day is over before they're ready!

Elementary

Half of the school year has already passed!  It has been so rewarding for the students to see their progress charts filling up with stars, showing how many PACEs they've completed.  In Church History, the Elementary students have learned about Augustine, how he was changed from "the Snorting Horse" into "the Brave Warrior in God's Church".  The students have been working hard, and are learning about a wide variety of things between the different grades...  elephants, magnets, rocks and minerals, stars and constellations, the country of China and the ins and outs of grammar.  Two girls enjoyed reading the book Heidi, another student is completing a book study on Shiloh and the fourth graders started Charlotte's Web.

Art is always something the students all look forward to!  They've been busy creating some different winter scenes and trying out unique art supplies like water color paints and chalk pastels.  While applying the concepts of perspective and depth progression the students drew and painted the northern lights and a 3-D mountain scene.

With the arrival of the snow, the students have thoroughly enjoyed sledding at recess time, snowball fights and sliding on the slippery parking lot!  During P.E. we made a big pizza shape in the fresh snow behind the school and played Pizza Tag, with the teachers as favorite targets! They also very much enjoy some animated games of Block Soccer in the gym and working on personal fitness goals that they challenge themselves to meet.

Top left:  scoring their work                 Top right:  learning about Kenya

Bottom left:  Pizza tag in the snow.  Run! Run!         Bottom right:  painting penguins on an ice floe

Secondary 

The Secondary Learning Center has been busy as we closed out our first semester and began the second half of the year!  Bible class has finished the study of Genesis and began with the book of Romans, looking at groups of chapters and important doctrinal foundations, supplemented with sections of Matthew Henry that relates to the study material.   The 7th graders finished a book study on the Secret of Andes and tried their hand at Incan weaving as a final project.  They made small looms out of cardboard and used colorful yarn to make miniature rugs!  The Spanish 2 students have been working on their fluency in the language through immersion sessions with a native speaker from Bolivia using online video conferencing.  Besides the authentic speaking practice, they also get to see some different aspects of South American food and culture.  

The Home Ec students finished the surgical caps and ended their sewing unit with a decorative pillow.  They learned a lot in a few weeks and now look forward to transitioning into cooking class!  Watch for the next update on the delectable dishes they'll produce!  The shop class continues going full steam ahead with numerous different projects.  Some of the recent ones have included body work on a Yukon, fixing generators, weed trimmers, snow-blowers and a log-splitter.  

Top Left:  the seventh grade girls trying their hand at some Incan weaving

Top Right:  The surgical caps the Home Ec girls made for Spectrum Health Hospital staff

Bottom left:  The Spanish 2 students on their zoom call with their Bolivian friend

Bottom right:  Shop class shenanigans

Extras!

This past Wednesday was a huge highlight for the secondary students!  Dr. Willekes, a local heart surgeon at Spectrum Health (Mrs. Verhoef's dad!) and Mr. Tom Fluit (RNFA -Registered Nurse First Assistant - working alongside the heart surgeons) were able to provide a very unique, hands-on learning opportunity to dissect pig hearts, supplied by Medtronic.  It was both a thorough anatomy lesson of the heart and a glimpse into various healthcare career paths within this one experience. Complete with surgical gowns, gloves, hats, operating head lamps, an array of scissors and scalpels and one pig heart per two "surgeons", the students got to work at their operating tables set up in the gym.  They were guided through the different features of the pig hearts, which are anatomically similar to the human heart.  The students had to identify the different valves within a heart and try their hand at cutting through only a single artery, using a pair of specialized glasses straight from the OR!   The morning ended with Dr. Willekes and Mr. Fluit demonstrating a bypass procedure and valve replacement surgery on the pig heart.   Two students were asked to step in as First Assist and Scrub Tech, experiencing very quickly how important teamwork is in a surgery!  The students were so impressed with the microscopic glasses of the surgeon, the minute details within the heart and the speed and agility needed to simply tie sutures.   

The kindergarten and elementary students recently enjoyed a beautiful afternoon sledding on a nearby hill.  There was plenty of sparkling snow, rosy cheeks and steaming mugs of hot chocolate to enjoy.  Even the teachers and the mothers were coaxed into a few wild rides down the hill! 

A few other tidbits of news:

• The library continues to grow!  We recently had two donations of boxes of books for which we are so grateful!  We also had a cupcake sale fundraiser for purchasing a few other specific library book series the students have had their eyes on.  We were able to purchase quite a few off the list, much to the student's delight.  The shelves are filling up and we currently have over 800 books!
• Our gym activity selections have grown with the addition of a pickleball game, kindly donated by one of our staff members!  It's similar to tennis, played with paddles and a light-weight ball.  Even the younger elementary students enjoy this!
• Over Christmas break we upgraded all our chrome books for both elementary and high school students to accommodate the math program we are using.

Teaching Position Opening(s)

At DLIGR, we have been blessed to begin a new school under very tight deadlines and with minimal operating overhead. This was made possible largely through the use of a fully developed, self-paced Christian curriculum supplemented with tutor assistance.  As we look forward to the 2021/22 school year, we hope to transition a few courses to in-person instruction. These courses include English/Language Arts, Literature and possibly Bible.  In light of this, we are currently seeking applications for a teaching position at DLIGR.  Ideal applicant(s) would be a certified teacher (elementary or secondary), capable in those subject areas, but specialties in other areas would be gladly considered. This position could also include school administrative opportunities. Applicants must be a member of the NRC denomination, have a love for the truth according to God’s Word, the doctrine adhered to by the NRC and display a lifestyle in accordance with the same.

We invite interested individuals to contact us for more information: 

Mr. Stan Fluit:  (616) 893-5337

or email: info@dligr.org

Information Evening

As the spring months approach, we are beginning to plan for the 2021-2022 school year, D.V.  Understanding that attending a new school is a big step to take, we would like to invite all interested parents to attend an information evening at the school, to be held on March 19, D.V.  We hope to provide some background information on the school, familiarize you with the curriculum we are currently using and go through what the days look like for our students in the various learning centers.  There will be ample opportunity to tour the facility, see the actual set-up of the learning centers and allow us to address any concerns or questions you might have.  Please click below for more information and to RSVP.  

INFO AND RSVP

If you ready to enroll your students in DLIGR for the 2021-2022 school year, please below and follow the prompts to complete the forms online.

ONLINE ENROLLMENT