Tuesday, October 25, 2016

From Auction Into A Busy November

The MS and HS blogs are identical this month.


This past weekend God provided us with a wonderful chicken barbecue and auction.  On Friday, the chicken barbecue was sold out a little after noon, and we had to turn walk-ins away. (Last year we had 250 half-chickens left over.) On Saturday the gym was packed with people there to both serve and support the school. While a final tally has yet to be determined, God blessed us with a great time and much success. Thanks to all who served and participated.
Last Friday, our 3rd - 12th-grade students visited nursing homes, Christian camps, churches, a library, and other ministries for a morning of service. The feedback we received from the ministries and students has been fantastic. What a joy it is to serve our Lord and serve those in our community! If you haven’t yet, ask your child about his/her day of service.
It is hard to believe that we are only a week away from November and a month away from the end of the first trimester. I encourage you to be checking your child’s grades on RenWeb, and, if you have any concerns, contact your child’s teacher(s). Better to be proactive than have to react after report cards have come out at the beginning of the second trimester.
With the end of the marking period, CCS has its annual parent/teacher conferences on November 21 and 22 right before our Thanksgiving break which is November 23 to 28.  Sign-ups for parent/teacher conferences will be online again this year. We will be sending out information in the Cougar Update and most likely parents will receive at least one email reminder with easy-to-follow instructions about how to sign up. We encourage all parents to make a connection with at least one teacher during conference times: November 21 (evening) and November 22 (daytime.)
November brings our first all-school open house of the year on November 2 from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Yes, people are already looking to next year for Christian school for their children. Families will have an opportunity to participate in an all-school chapel as well as get a tour of the school. If you know of any families that are looking into Christian education, please let them know about the open house. Remember, if you refer a family and they enroll at CCS, you get a tuition credit of $600 the year they enroll.
November also brings to CCS a visit from that invisible rabbit, “Harvey,”  in CCS’ annual fall play, Harvey, on the evenings of November 3 and 4.  Harvey, the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway and Hollywood comedy, pulls laughter out of the hat at every turn. Elwood P. Dowd is charming and kind with one character flaw: an unwavering friendship with a 6-foot-tall, invisible white rabbit named Harvey. When Elwood starts to introduce his friend to guests at a society party, his sister Veta can't take it anymore. In order to save the family's social reputation, Elwood's sister takes him to the local sanatorium. But when the doctor mistakenly commits his anxiety-ridden sister, Elwood and Harvey slip out of the hospital unbothered, setting off a hilarious whirlwind of confusion and chaos as everyone in town tries to catch a man and his invisible rabbit. Ticket information is available on our website at http://www.conestogachristian.net/harvey or you can buy your tickets at the door. Come join us for an evening of fun and laughter.

In each blog, I would like to highlight part of the Parent/Student Handbook. In this blog, I am highlighting parts of the attendance code. You may find the full attendance code starting on page 34 of CCS’ Parent Student Handbook found at http://media.wix.com/ugd/2bdfd2_ba657fed7cb54db58451d003727ab161.pdf. Below is part of the attendance code.

Notifying the School of Absences  
  • A parent or guardian is expected to call the school office with the reason for the absence as soon as possible on any day a student is absent. Messages can be left on office voice mail at any time. A staff person in the CCS office will be responsible to call for information regarding any absent student for whom no information has been received.  If a student is reported absent by the homeroom teacher, and there has been no contact from a parent, a call will be placed by office staff to the home phone to determine the reason for the absence. If the call is answered by an answering machine, a message will be left stating that the student has been recorded as absent and the parent needs to call the school office to verify the absence.
  • If parents would like to request an excused absence, they need to notify the school within three days. While notification does not automatically excuse the absence, no absence will be excused without notification.

Excused Absences  
  • Absences are excused for sickness, doctor/dentist visits which cannot be scheduled before or after school hours, death in the family, funerals/memorial services, and household emergencies.  In order for any absence to be considered as an excused absence, a parent/guardian must notify the school of the reason for the absence.
  • While notification does not automatically excuse the absence, no absence will be excused without notification.

Unexcused Absences  
  • Requests to be excused to work a job are not honored as a general rule.  
  • Three unexcused absences, without penalty, are allowed for each student each year.
  • After three unexcused absences, grade reductions occur for each additional unexcused absence for middle school and high school students.
  • The penalty for subsequent unexcused absences in middle school and high school is a 1% grade reduction per class for each day missed. Grade reductions are made at the end of a trimester.
  • Unexcused absences, including those resulting from unexcused tardies and/or early departures, are cumulative for the year.  Work missed during an unexcused absence must be completed.

Unexcused Tardies and Early Departures  
  • In order for any tardy or early dismissal to be considered excused, a parent/guardian must notify the school of the reason for the tardy or early departure.
  • While notification does not automatically excuse the tardy or early dismissal, no tardy or early dismissal will be excused without notification and explanation of reason from the parent/guardian.  
  • When a student has accumulated three unexcused morning tardies or unexcused early departures, parents are notified.  
  • If a student accumulates four unexcused morning tardies or early departures, those unexcused tardies or early departures are changed to a half-day unexcused absence.
  • A half-day unexcused absence is counted for each additional accumulation of four unexcused tardies or early departures.  
  • Excessive unexcused tardies or early departures may result in an after-school detention or an in-school suspension for middle school and high school students.  
  • Unexcused tardies and early departures are cumulative for the year.
Finally, remember to turn your clock back an hour before you go to bed on Saturday, November 5. There is no school on Friday, November 11, because of a teacher in-service.
Dates to Remember:
October 31                                                 Picture Retakes
November 2                                               All School Open House
November 3 & 4                                       Fall Play - Harvey
November 7 - 9                                        HS Spiritual Life Retreat
November 11                                             No School, Teacher In-Service
November 21                                            End of Trimester 1
November 21 - 22                                     Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 23 - 28                                     Thanksgiving Break
December 9-10                                         Cougar Classic
December 15                                            All-School Christmas Concert