Music, Maracas, and Movement

All learning at BCCS can point us toward finding roles in God’s Story. Music class in elementary school is a great place to explore music, practice foundational skills, prepare for performances, and above all, worship. It is a place for meaningful learning! 

This year, Mrs. Vieu’s and Mrs. Visser's preschool classes were learning to be Earth Keepers by studying recycling and other ways to care for creation. To practice reusing and recycling,  students created maracas out of recycled materials for music class and used them for movement stations in the classrooms. 

At the same time, our kindergarten music classes were exploring solfege (do, re, mi, fa, sol, etc). The kindergarten classes decided to use this method to compose a song for younger learners. What topic would make for a fun and quirky preschool song? A song about litter, of course! Our kindergarten music classes used their new knowledge of solfege to compose the melody for "The Litter Monster.” A recording of the full song was created and shared with the preschoolers, who were able to play their maracas with their new song! This partnership reinforced concepts from both the preschool unit on recycling and the kindergarten music unit.

Teachers at BCCS continuously collaborate to deepen learning, and learning is enriched when students have a chance to do meaningful work with newly-learned content. In this case, it was sharing and making music together!

Visualizing the Story

What does Byron Center Christian School do with empty wall space, creative students and teachers, and a call to See the Story and Live the Story? We invite our middle school art classes to engage in some creative work! Our campus needed a way to visually share God’s Story and beautify the hallway space. A four-piece canvas set would be the perfect way to do it!

Our students interact with the grand narrative of God’s Story (Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration) all throughout their elementary years, so our middle school learners had the necessary background understanding for this artistic endeavor. The challenge was to find a way to show the four elements of God’s Story in a way that was beautiful, intentional, and connected. 

In order to gather all unique student voices, our art teachers invited every middle school student to sketch one element of their choice. From there, the teachers took bits and pieces of those designs to create the four-canvas series. For example, Molly created the galaxy, Kennedy drew the creation hands, Greydon sketched the snake, and Masynn painted the trumpet. The goal was to allow students to practice true collaboration. Masynn commented, “God made us to have different ideas, and we had to talk together so that everyone was able to use their different ideas.”  

This project allowed our students to draft and refine based on feedback. The hands, lightning, and tomb are the end products of multiple tries. In addition to practicing artistic skills, these lessons also led to important reflections about God’s Story. For example, how can we use lines or patterns to show this story in a connected way? Does the Fall canvas have to be dark? How does Redemption look visually? What colors should we use for the tomb to show victory over death?

Multiple sets of colorful canvases now hang in our hallways. They serve as a reminder of the story that unites us here at Byron Center Christian School. God has written a beautiful story, and we each have a unique role to play in it. Art class can be a great way for us to create beauty so it is shared! 

Congratulations Class of 2023

Congratulations to our eighth-grade class of 2023! On the evening of June 1, parents, grandparents, and friends gathered to enjoy a graduation ceremony which included musical performances, student speakers, and teachers sharing about each graduate.

While there are many special moments for our students at BCCS, one highlight is their final cornerstone project. Prior to graduating, students spend time reflecting on the entirety of their learning and select faith-forming memories from a variety of classes. The cornerstone project has a visual element where students design and create something that summarizes their learning, along with a written explanation. The students then share with small groups of classmates and their parents about their personal faith journey. Our middle school years help prepare students for the next step of high school, but our greatest desire is that their faith truly becomes their own as their relationship with Christ grows.

Graduation recognizes the accomplishments of our students, but more importantly, is a celebration of God’s faithfulness and the work He is doing in their lives. It is a blessing to partner with parents during the formative years of their children’s lives. As our mission states, our desire is to provide an excellent education, rooted in God’s Word, so they are prepared for lifelong service in God’s Kingdom. May God richly bless each of our graduates as they continue to See the Story and Live the Story. 

From the Desk of Someone: School Choice

In West Michigan, families are blessed with a variety of school options for their children. Opportunities include public, private, charter, homeschool, and more!

This is an important decision for parents and there are many factors to consider. This article below from the Center for the Advancement of Christian Education (CACE) is a helpful resource for reflection!

If you want to learn more about why BCCS may be a great option, contact us today!

Andrew Reidsma

Director of Operations and Family Relations

Third Grade Pen Pals

All year long, the third graders have been pen pals with a senior friend or relative. It ties in with their writing curriculum and their desire to serve God. The students love getting mail from their pen pals and the senior pen pals often mention how much they appreciate it. 

Recently, the third graders invited their pen pals to a time of worship, fellowship, and making a craft. The afternoon was enjoyed by both the young and not quite as young. Several of the seniors mentioned how much they enjoyed getting the mail, the students’ beautiful singing, and the bonds that were created or strengthened. 

One senior pen pal shared her special story. She explained that her walking mailman would hold up her letter and bring it to the door. She would then show it to him in excitement (they even plan to keep writing after third grade)! 

Not only are the third graders practicing letter-writing skills, but they are also learning how God can use that skill for reaching others as they grow in His kingdom.

From the Desk of Someone: Kindergarten Science

In kindergarten, our teachers work to develop confidence, independence, and a love of learning as children grow. Recently in science, our students learned about weather, living things, seasons, and the sun. Within these topics they studied how animals and people protect themselves from the sun. 

As summer approaches, the teacher, who recently had skin cancer, wanted students to consider a real need and understand the importance of sun protection. To make this learning meaningful, she invited one of our parents, a true expert in skin cancer research at Pfeifer Laboratory– Van Andel Institute, into her kindergarten classroom. She was able to share her knowledge and deepen student learning. 

Following their learning, students wrote lists comparing the sun and God's Son. They were reminded that the sun has positives and negatives, but God’s Son has all positives. They attached these lists and an informational sheet about how to protect yourself from the sun to a pair of sunglasses. They each took one pair home and also got to hand one out to other people  with the attached lists and helpful information. Our students were able to share what they learned as a way to meet the needs of those around them. This fit in with their class Storyline “Let Your Light Shine,” as students were able to help people protect their skin and share the good news that Jesus is the light of the world.

This is a great example of how we connect learning (science, seasons, the sun, and living things) to real people (bringing in an expert and sharing the information with others). This is one way we deepen learning at BCCS. Not only will this help students remember what they learn, but they will also see why it is important!

Andrew Reidsma

Director of Operations and Family Relationships

Community Building in First Grade

Recently, our first grade teachers read The Girl in the Yellow Dress to their students to go along with their devotion theme of kindness. This book is about a child who fills her dress pockets with food in order to feed her family. Students were quite bothered by this story and the concept of hungry children. After talking with their teachers, they were eager to take action and help hungry kids right in our own community. Teachers invited a representative from Hand2Hand to share about their ministry of feeding hungry kids in Byron Center. The first graders were inspired to be the hands and feet of Jesus. 

To deepen learning, our first grade teachers paired this opportunity with curricular standards. They reframed their informational writing lessons and had their students compose a letter to their parents explaining the ministry, sharing their desire to help, and requesting specific food items.  These writing lessons hit the learning target of clearly communicating using writing. Families read the letter and were excited to respond with mac and cheese, cracker packs, meat sticks, and Ziploc bags.  After the items were collected, students further practiced writing skills by adding jokes to be placed in the goodie bags. (Our first graders love to tell silly jokes!) Next, the first graders visited Hand2Hand, learned more details about the ministry, determined what food needed to go in each bag, and packed the items themselves. 

The teachers later commented, “We found purpose in writing, rather than just learning isolated skills. This experience will also be helpful to reflect on when we study needs and wants in social studies soon.” Thinking about the children who would receive the food packs, the students reflected, “They will feel God in their hearts!” “They’ll think people care about them.” “The kids are going to smile.”

The long-term goal was to empower young learners to make a difference in God’s world. Students were community builders by meeting the needs of hungry children and by using their words to encourage those around them. To connect learning to that goal, they used their new writing skills to make it happen!

From the Desk of Someone: Writing and Bible

Are Christian schools different simply because we offer Bible classes, prayer, chapel, and other faith-related practices during the day? While those are vital aspects of helping our students be deeply rooted in God’s Word, our goal is to ensure learning not only helps students see God’s story but also helps them discover ways to live it. 

For example, in 4th grade, teachers recently worked through a writing unit. Short-term goals centered on effective writing using the elements of poetry such as feelings, similes, rhythm, haikus, etc. However, the long-term target for the unit was “I can use my words to discuss and celebrate God’s story” which is also connected to a Bible learning target of “I can use poetry to express my thoughts and feelings about God.” The class was given the opportunity to share their work during chapel so that they engaged with a real audience. Ultimately, we wanted them to practice expressing their faith through writing.


We want our students to be effective writers and gracious communicators. We want them to be able to discuss and articulate their faith to those around them. The above excerpt is just one example of how we design learning so that we are intentionally working to be excellent, rooted, and prepared at Byron Center Christian. That is why we are here.

Andrew Reidsma

Director of Operations and Family Relationships