This year, prospective families exploring our school have not had the opportunity to meet many teachers. However, we highly recommend viewing the videos below to gain a better understanding of who our teachers are and how they will work with your child to ensure they can succeed at BCCS!
We have seen exciting growth in our preschool program in the last two years. This is due to our excellent, highly qualified staff who invest in the individual success of students. Especially in early education, each child develops differently than their peers and at their own pace. As we look ahead to kindergarten, teachers focus on the unique path each preschool student is on. Academics are a component of that path, but whole child development is also fostered through large and small group learning, inquiry-based lessons, small and large group activities, praise and worship, devotions, and prayer.
Our full-day preschool program has created a solution both for working parents and for students who need more time in school. Students have thrived in a learning environment full of play, hands-on activities, social interaction and more.
Kindergarten is now the largest grade level in the school with schedule options to fit each type of learner. Whether a child needs the gift of time to spend a year in junior kindergarten, whether they only need to be in school part of the time, or if they need to progressively add days to their week, or if they require being in school full time, we have the program!
In kindergarten, core content is provided on days when all students are in our classrooms and reinforcement and enrichment is given on days when students in progresssive or part-time kindergarten are not present. This schedule creates flexibility for parents, consistency for teachers and, most importantly, strong classroom communities for students.
We are excited about the continued growth and success of our early education programs. Contact us today at 878-3347 or reidsma@bccs.org to learn more!
Each year, the graduating class leaves our school with a parting gift. In 2019, the eighth grade class gifted funds for a mural in our sensory room. The gift was in honor of their classmate, Sydney Potjer, who passed away during their kindergarten year.
Sydney was an energetic student, determined to live fully in spite of the effects Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) had on her body. She had many friends in the classroom at BCCS and was an inspiration to those around her. The way Sydney lived her life was a reminder that God has created each of us uniquely and that we should (as Sydney often reminded us) “never, ever, ever give up” in striving to be all that God has created us to be.
All teachers at BCCS team with our educational support services department and work to ensure each individual has equal opportunity to succeed in the classroom in our Christ-centered environment. This includes academics, but also must include helping our children grow socially, emotionally, and spiritually. We want to help our students learn to never give up and to never stop becoming the person God created them to be!
Sydney’s life is honored by the BCCS Never Give Up Fund, which provides equipment, technology, and other supplies that are needed to enrich the lives of all BCCS students by enabling children with all types of abilities to participate in the classroom. To support the Never Give Up Fund, please mail your gift marked “Never Give Up Fund” to BCCS, 8840 Byron Center Avenue, Byron Center, MI 49315.
Parents often have questions about the educational path for their children and what class might be best after preschool. Here at BCCS, our teachers serve as a primary resource to partner with parents in that decision. Together, we work to find the best outcomes for each individual child.
Grand Rapids Kids recently shared some great information about not only what to look for but also noted the way young children learn (through experience and play).
We encourage parents to consider the academic progress of their child, but also consider their social skills, emotional readiness, and their ability to be independent. At BCCS, we also want our young learners to know God’s love for them and know they have a place in His story.
While it is an outside resource, the article provides helpful guidance for parents. Check out the full article by Liz Leo below.
The school theme for the 2020-2021 school year is God’s Got This and our school verse from Proverbs 3:5-6 reads “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
This theme was chosen due to its applicability both today and for the future. Here and now, our school and students face the challenges of COVID-19, the turmoil surrounding an election, and a country working through racial division. Students are also looking to the future, to the next grade level, to high school, and starting to explore career/calling.
An essential part of our mission is to ensure our students are rooted in God’s Word and prepared for lifelong service. This means we want our students to wrestle with the problems our community faces, but also rely on Christ and His guidance at all times. We want our students to be active members of their communities and find solutions to unrest, political division, and racial brokenness, but to do so with their faith as the foundation of their actions and while pointing others to Christ with their actions.
This is accomplished both in the daily interactions and relationships teachers build with students and by providing them real-world learning opportunities. Teaching becomes impactful only if they are able to take what they learn and address problems in their own lives and the lives of others. On our own, we make mistakes and fall short, but thankfully our theme reminds us that God’s Got This.
Our challenge to our students this year is to remember that God’s Got This. God has a plan for each individual student here. He has a plan for their family. He knows the best path for our school. In an ever-changing, uncertain, divided world, we can both rest and act on the knowledge that God’s Got This.
Byron Center Christian School has been blessed and challenged throughout 2020. We have
been blessed by your continued prayers and support in the midst of celebration and difficulties.
We have been blessed with an increase in enrollment and have welcomed several new families
to our Christ-centered community. We have been blessed to be in school full-time and in-
person for the first quarter of the school year. God is good, and we continue to place our trust
in Him.
Our verse for the year comes from Proverbs 3:5-6 which states, “Trust in the Lord with all your
heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make
your paths straight.” This verse speaks to all of us as we have navigated several ever-changing
challenges throughout the year. And as we move forward through uncertain times it will
continue speaking to us. “God’s Got This” is our theme this year and is fitting for the times in
which we live. Our staff and students are echoing that phrase every day by showing resilience,
grit, and dependence on God to set our path. It is reassuring to know where our help comes
from and that He has all things in His hands.
An excellent Christian education rooted in God’s Word is as important now as it has ever been.
We are blessed to be able to partner together to prepare another generation of children to
serve God in His kingdom. This year has changed many circumstances, bringing blessings and
challenges, but at Byron Center Christian School, we continue to remember and rely on the fact
that “God’s Got This.”
As you give gifts before year’s end, please consider donating to the BCCS annual fund or in
support of tuition assistance. Every contribution to the annual fund directly supports our
mission and helps keep tuition rates lower. Tuition assistance gifts are used to help specific
families meet tuition needs.
Gifts may be mailed to Byron Center Christian School 8840 Byron Center Avenue SW Byron
Center MMI 49315. Also, you may give on line at www.bccs.org/support-us. Please mark your
gift “annual fund” or “tuition assistance.”
Thank you for your faithful support of Byron Center Christian School.
Psalm 118:24 reads “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
I sang this with my class recently.
It was the end of a busy day and we were getting ready to pray and dismiss. The kids echoed my song, and as we rejoiced together, the music cheered my soul.
Feeling joyful, I began singing, “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands…” The kids smiled, sang, and clapped along! I thought to myself, “I bet they can handle stomping their feet,” so I began verse 2. That’s when I noticed a scuffle in the back of the class. The singing and stomping continued, while two boys began tugging on a piece of paper, back and forth. “If you’re happy and you know it…” give it to me!... “then your face will surely show it…” rip!...look what you did!...the song screeched to a halt and two boys were in tears. I headed over to the scene to investigate.
It turns out one of the boys received an invitation, and the other boy did not. He acted out in his hurt, tried to grab the invitation to look at it, and ripped it. As I taped it up, I realized that these little ones are learning life lessons, and it’s hard sometimes. Should I really be that surprised that he reacted impulsively, like a 6-year-old boy? God placed me here in this classroom to come alongside him, and 21 other 6- and 7-years olds, who are learning life lessons too. I am here to lead and guide them to see their value in the eyes of Christ and to help them make wise choices. I am reminded every day that I am called to more than teaching math and science. I am called to love, to offer grace, to model forgiveness, to nurture kindness and peace. I am called to spread God’s love.
This is a big undertaking, a huge responsibility, and a wonderful privilege! It’s a gift! Each day is an opportunity to meet the children where they are to love them, love & logic them, teach them, and encourage them.
This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Even if my song gets interrupted.
-BCCS Teacher
Recently, the Center for the Advancement of Christian Education (CACE) released an article called “Nurturing the Caterpillar: Ten Characteristics of Young Learners" that described and explained the way young children learn incredibly well. It was written by education consultant Steven Levy.
Listed below are the ten ways from the article, but it is worth reading in its entirety!
Young children find security in rhythm, ritual, and repetition.
Young children learn through play.
Young children want to belong to a community that is safe, beautiful, and good.
Young children explore the world with wonder.
Young children discover the world first through their bodies.
Young children seek independence and mastery.
Young children thrive in the natural world.
Young children use stories to construct meaning.
Young children seek patterns in the world around them.
Young children learn by imitation.
When we think about helping the whole child succeed, it is so important to understand how they learn and who they are! At BCCS, we know our young learners are uniquely created by God and we have to meet them where they are to ensure each individual child can learn and grow!
2nd through 8th-grade students at Byron Center Christian School (BCCS) started their NWEA MAP testing this week. These are an important tool for our school to track student progress and to improve our instruction. However, these assessments are not like the standardized assessments of the past. Check out the video below for a short overview!
The assessments are adaptive, meaning they change based on the answers students are giving. They also allow us to focus on each individual student to make sure their learning needs are being met. Follow the test, teachers are also able to analyze their classroom data to recognize trends and assess areas of their teaching that need alteration or improvement. We use the MAP test to make sure our students and teachers are growing!!
Welcome to the 2020 Apparel Sale! You can order online, your items are sent to school, and we will distribute it to families (or anyone else who makes a purchase). Make sure all orders are in by September 30, as the store will close after that date! All orders will arrive in October and these items will make great gifts.
You can choose your colors, sizes, and some items can have a custom print (the last name is common) on the back. Check out the pictures below for a preview of the many great items!
Share this site with friends, family members, or anyone else you think might want to purchase BCCS apparel!
