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Holiday Program: December 12, 2019

Our ANNUAL School  Holiday Program is held at:

Fair Haven Ministries just down the road from Georgetown Elementary at the corner of Baldwin Street and 28th Ave.

Why is it held at a church?  Our elementary schools have grown so big that we need a big space to perform!  We are too big for the High School or Freshman Auditoriums.  Fair Haven seats about 1500 and graciously allows Hudsonville schools to rent their auditorium for our performances.

What time do students need to be there?
Students need to report to their assigned classroom 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE PROGRAM.

  • 6:30 – 7:00   K-2nd     (Students report at 6:15)
  • 7:45 – 8:15   3rd-5th   (Students report at 7:30)

It is very important not to be late so teachers have enough time to line students up in their riser orders, pass out props and make sure everyone who has a special part is accounted for. Please do not send your child to the classroom unsupervised or prior to their scheduled time.  Please keep their coats with you.

Where does my child need to go when they get to the church?
There will be signs directing you to your child’s classroom.
Below are the room assignments by grade along with a map of the rooms.

  • K and 5th – Family Life Center 
  • 1st  and 3rd –  100 Wing
  • 2nd  and 4th –  400 Wing

 

How long will the program be?  Each group will perform for about 30 minutes. There will be 45 minutes between the two programs for K-2nd grade students to leave and upper elementary students to arrive for the next program.

What order are the grades singing? The grades are singing in order of age: Kindergarten perform first, then 1st/2nd grade, then 3rd grade and finally 4th/5th grade.

Can we save seats earlier in the day? No. The only reserved seats will be marked off and are for the directors, students and teachers.
Seating is first come first serve when the doors open.

PLEASE be respectful and courteous to other families. Everyone wants a good seat and we will do our best to fit everyone into the auditorium.  Please try to keep young children on your laps and not to take up unnecessary seats in order to leave more space for others.

Is food or drink allowed in the church? Absolutely no food or drink is allowed in the church. This is strictly enforced.

Do the students need to wear anything special? No. Most students love to dress up and will wear special holiday dresses or outfits, but there is no requirement. The exception to this is if your child has a special part. Some parts require special costumes. Many costumes are provided, but some may have to be brought from home. If your child has a special part, they should have brought home a “congratulations” letter that would say if they need to wear or bring anything special. Please note that if your child has a special part that requires a costume, they will NOT have time to change in between songs and will need to wear their costume for the entire performance.

How do students get special parts? For most parts, students audition during the school day. Sometimes simple parts are randomly chosen by pulling a class number from a jar or assigning my ipad to randomly pick a name. I also keep track of every student who has ever had a Christmas program part from Kindergarten through 5th grade. Whenever possible, I try to give parts to students who have not ever had parts or who have not had parts in the past couple years. Typically, I will have about 50-100 students audition for one part! I narrow the students down to about 20 and put those names in a bowl and draw a lucky winner. Although I would love everyone to have a part, having almost 600 students and only a handful of parts each year is very difficult. I discuss this with the students and they realize everyone cannot have a solo part, but that EVERY single person is important to the success of the program. Most songs have special props or motions that involve everyone as well.

How do we order a DVD of the performance? WCET TV records the performance each year.  They sell DVD’s for $15.

Please fill this form out and return to office.Holiday DVD Form 2019

Who do I contact if I have questions? Please email Mrs. Bretz at abretz@hpseagles.net.  This is usually the fastest way to communicate with me- especially the day or two before the program.   I am often out of my classroom during dress rehearsals so phone messages are not always able to be checked.

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