A Busy School Season

4. 
   
   A Busy December

   As we are well into December, Christmas is just around the corner, yet we have a busy remaining two weeks before the break with many of the following school activities:

   
   

   Cougar Classic

   This Friday and Saturday, December 8 and 9, is our annual Cougar Classic where our varsity girls and boys basketball teams compete for the tournament championship.  On Friday night the girls take on Christian School of York at 7:00 p.m., and the boys take on Christian School of York at 8:30 p.m. Come out and support the Cougars.

   
   

   Next Week is Spirit Week

   Next week the MS and HS have their annual winter spirit week.  There are special activities to foster school unity and spirit. Each day is a different dress-up day. The days are as follows:

   
   

   M - Crazy Hair/ Christmas Hat day

   T - Jersey/ Cougar Gear Day

   W - Comfy Day

   Th - Twin Day

   F - Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

   
   

   Annual Christmas Concert

   December 14 is the annual CCS Christmas Concert which features our choirs from grades K-12 and our school band.  The festivities begin at 7:00 p.m. at Community Evangelical Free Church in Elverson. For more information visit the CCS website.

   
   

   Last Day of School before the Break

   Friday morning, December 20, we will have an all-school Christmas chapel, and afterward the HS and MS will have joint activities all morning to foster school spirit, unity, and leadership. In the afternoon, the middle school and high school will have separate activity options.

   
   

   Getty Worship Workshop and Irish Christmas Concert

   CCS is hosting a worship workshop led by Keith Getty, a modern hymn writer and renowned worship leader, on December 21 at CEFC Elverson at 2:00 p.m. For more information click here.

   
   

   That evening at 7:00 p.m. Keith, his wife Kristyn, and a slew of talented musicians (including CCS’ IHL concert choir) will present an Irish Christmas Concert at the Santander Performing Arts Center in Reading, PA. Tickets are still available. For more information click here.

   
   

   Report Cards

   Yesterday report cards were distributed to all CCS students to take home. Please make sure you sign and return the envelope in which you received the report card. You do not need to return the report card.

   
   

   RenWeb Home

   RenWeb Home has a phone app that you can download for free and, for an annual subscription fee of $4.99, can link to the school's ParentsWeb. With this feature you can choose a "week at a glance" and see all of your child(ren)'s assignments that are due that week as well as check grades and take advantage of many other features.

   
   

   Delayed Openings, School Closings, and Early Dismissal for Inclement Weather

   Winter is upon us, and if we have any inclement weather, you will be informed of any school delays or closings by our automated RenWeb Parent Alert.

   When school is delayed, parents must also listen for an announcement of the plans of the school district of residence. If your public school district transports your child(ren), they will be transported to and from CCS on the public school district schedule.  When your school district closes or delays school and CCS does not, if possible, please arrange for your child(ren) to be at school on the CCS schedule.  If it is not possible to provide transportation, please call the school office to inform the school of your child(ren)’s absence.  When CCS delays school and your district does not, do not send your child(ren) on the bus. There will be no one at school to supervise students before 9:30 a.m. Families will need to provide transportation for their children. As above, if it is not possible to provide transportation, please call the school office to inform the school of your child(ren)’s absence. When there is a two-hour delay, classes begin at 10:10 a.m.

   Please carefully monitor all of the above for accurate information as changes may occur throughout the morning.

   Early Dismissals:

   1. If CCS closes early and your district is on a normal schedule, students will be supervised until transportation arrives for them.
   2. If your district announces an early dismissal, student drivers in that district will be dismissed along with the bus riders.
   3. CCS will activate the automated Parent Alert system where you will receive an email, text, and phone call.

Off to a Great Start!

The MS and HS Blogs contain the same information, so you just need to read one if you have children in both MS and HS.

The students arrived yesterday with smiling faces and much enthusiasm. As I talked with teachers and students, I believe we had a great first day of school. This year we have 68 new students and 42 new families at CCS! We praise God for the opportunity to serve them and you, their parents. 

You or your child may have questions about your child’s schedule. If your child is a high school student, you should contact Mr. Greenly. You may call him here at the school or email him at jack.greenly@conestogachristian.net. If your child is a middle school student or is taking an online course (MS or HS), you may call me at the school or email me at randy.hepler@conestogachristian.net.

By the third week of school, you should see some grades appearing on ParentsWeb in each of your child’s classes. Under lesson plans, you should be able to see what activities your child is doing in class as well as when he/she has homework, quizzes, tests, and projects due. I encourage you and your child to check ParentsWeb daily. If you do not yet have access, you can find instructions on how to set up ParentsWeb by going to www.conestogachristian.net, clicking on Resources, and then clicking on Current Families. There you will not only find information on how to set up ParentsWeb but also a lot of other useful information. If you have trouble accessing ParentsWeb, please contact our Director of Technology and Media, Ginnie Lodge, at virginia.lodge@conestogachristian.net, and she will assist you.

One of the keys to your child’s success is communication. With ParentsWeb we are trying to provide you with information that will enable you to work and communicate with your child for his/her success. However, if you have any questions or concerns about class, please contact your child’s teacher before contacting me. If after talking with the teacher you still have a concern, then contact me.

One bit of advice someone gave me in the past is that if I have a major concern about something, I should not email but instead should call or set up an appointment. Often, emotions or assumptions can be read into emails that were not intended by the one writing the email. With conversation, there is the opportunity to hear the tone of voice, see body language (if conferencing in person), ask questions, give feedback, and more quickly and easily resolve an issue.

We are now in our third year of all high school teachers using Google Classroom. This application offered by Google allows teachers to upload documents such as assignments, projects, and rubrics, as well as share with students other information and resources for the class. If your child has not shown you how Google Classroom works, he/she can take you to a class and show it to you. This feature may also give you the information needed when assisting your child with an assignment.

Many of our students are participating in sports, the fall drama, and worship team. Starting on Tuesday, September 26, we will be checking for eligibility for all participants. Students who have failing grades in any of their classes will be ineligible for a period of time. If you have a student in any of these extracurricular activities, you may want to remind him/her of this and together be checking ParentsWeb.

Over the next month, we have several events happening here at CCS. If you haven’t done so already, mark your calendars for these events:

August 30 -31 8th Grade Retreat

August 31 HS Trip to French Creek State Park

September 1 & 4 No School

September 20 Picture Day

September 21 NHS Retreat

October 11 11th Grade PSAT

October 20 Half-day of School

October 20 & 21 Annual Chicken Barbecue and Country Auction

October 25 Health and Vision Screening

Randy Hepler

MS/HS Principal

Conestoga Christian School

2760 Main Street

Morgantown, Pennsylvania 19543

610.286.0353

randy.hepler@conestogachristian.net

It's August Already!

The MS and HS blogs are the same, so you only need to read one if you have children in both MS and HS.

It’s hard to believe that the first day of August is here. It’s only a few weeks until the beginning of school, and we are busy here at CCS getting ready for the return of teachers and students. As the first day of school approaches, you may have several questions if you are new to CCS or if you are a veteran family. You may have questions about things listed on the calendar the week before school as well as the first week of school.  

One of the ways we inform parents of what is happening at CCS is through our Cougar Update, which during the school year is a weekly newsletter that is emailed to all of our patrons.  A summer edition of the newsletter just went out this past week. If you missed it, you can access it by clicking on Cougar Update in the first sentence of this paragraph.

Another way we communicate with parents about events in the school is through our head of school's and principals’ blogs.  Periodically, I and Mr. Parris will be sending out a blog to inform you of upcoming events, reminders of changes in policy, information that can help you work with your students for their success, volunteer opportunities, and more.

We will also use RenWeb periodically to get information out to parents or to ask for help with various projects or needs of the school. ParentsWeb is a feature of RenWeb that allows parents to access their student’s schedule and grades as well as other information about their student and the school.  If you do not yet have a ParentsWeb account, you can learn how to create one by clicking here.

CCS also has a wealth of information for our families on the CCS website.  Simply go to www.conestogachristian.net and click on “Resources” and then on “Current Families” to find a plethora of information and forms needed for the school year.  While on the website, take time to search the entire site to learn more about the school.

High school students who have scheduling questions should contact me through August 18.  Starting August 21, they should contact Jack Greenly (jack.greenly@conestogachristian.net), our Director of Student Life, who is also our HS guidance counselor.

Middle school students with scheduling issues should contact me.  Students who have not turned in their Middle School Elective Description Sheet, should do so by August 14.

In looking at our calendar, we have a few events coming up the last two weeks of August.

• August 24 is our Back-to-School Night.  Parents and students can meet at 5:45 to fellowship and enjoy a meal together before the main meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. You may access more information as well as order a Chick-fil-A meal by going here.  (Meals must be ordered by August 21.)
• August 28 is the first day of school. Transportation forms to set up busing with your district, student parking space request forms, school supplies lists, and our Parent/Student Handbook can all be found on our website under “Resources” and then “Current Families.” If you are planning on using bus transportation through your district, it is imperative that you get your request in as soon as possible because it can take a week or two for districts to process your requests.
• August 30-31 is the 8th Grade Retreat at High Point Camp in Geigertown, PA. Students will leave on Wednesday after chapel and return on Thursday before the end of school.  More detailed information about the retreat, the cost, and permission forms will be sent out in the weeks ahead. Keep a look out for it in your email. If you have any questions, you may contact our Director of Student Life, Jack Greenly, who is organizing and planning the retreat. He can be reached at jack.greenly@conestogachristian.net.
• August 31 is a High School Day Retreat away from campus in order to foster a community spirit and fellowship among the high school student body. All HS students will be bused to French Creek State Park for the day where they will have several options of activities that will encourage relationship building.  Our Director of Student Life, Jack Greenly, will be sending out more information in the weeks ahead.  If you have any questions, you may contact Mr. Greenly, who is organizing and planning the retreat, at jack.greenly@conestogachristian.net.

As we approach the beginning of the school year, if you have any questions, please contact the school office.  If you are doing some shopping for school clothes, remember to refer to our school’s appearance code which can be found here and in the CCS Parent/Student Handbook. Remember, it is still not too late to enroll, and if you have friends or family who are interested in CCS, they can contact Michelle Parris at michelle.parris@conestogachristian.net. We look forward to seeing you and your children in the near future.

Randy Hepler

MS/HS Principal

Conestoga Christian School

2760 Main Street

Morgantown, Pennsylvania 19543

610.286.0353

randy.hepler@conestogachristian.net

A Busy End to the Year

MS and HS  blogs are the same, so you only need to read one if you have children at both levels.

Due to predicted heavy rain on Friday, May 5, the Race for Education has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 9.

For grades 8-11, we are in the process of scheduling classes for next year. I am scheduling students new to CCS, and Mr. Greenly is scheduling 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students.  If you would like to set up an appointment to discuss your child’s schedule or have questions, please contact us.

Below is information on final assessments. Grades 9-11 need to turn in permission slips to leave early on finals days. There is a link below to the form. Please get those forms to me by May 26.

May is an extremely busy month for the HS and MS. Below are some of the major events occurring in the upcoming days and weeks including information on final assessments:

• Our annual student-faculty softball tournament starts on May 8.  The student champions will take on the faculty on May 16 starting at 11:04 a.m. Rain date or alternative date is Thursday, May 18.
• May 9 is our annual Race for Education. The Race starts at 12:45 p.m.
• Senior Presentations are on May 11 starting at 7:00 p.m. Arrive early. No one will be able to enter the rooms once the presentations have started.
• May 12 is the Jr/Sr Banquet.
• The MS/HS musical this year is The Secret Garden and will be held May 18-20. Tickets will soon be available. Keep a lookout for the Cougar Update for more information.
• Our annual HS Athletic Banquet is on Tuesday, May 23, at 5:45 p.m. at Shady Maple Banquet Facilities.
• On Wednesday, May 24, HS and MS academic awards will be presented during chapel.  Parents are invited to attend.  Chapel is from 8:20 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
• May 25 is our annual Evening of the Science and Arts for the MS and HS from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Art, Science, and Tech exhibits may be seen from 6:30 to 7:30; our band and choirs will perform from 7:30-8:30.
• On May 26 IHL is traveling to Hershey Park to compete and perform at Music in the Park.  Students will be gone from school all day.
• May 30 is our annual MS Sports Reception here at CCS at 7:00 p.m.
• HS final assessments are May 30 - June 2.
• Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are expected to be in school all morning during end-of-the-year assessments unless they have permission from the administration not to attend or leave early.
• Students in grades 9-11 may leave after final assessments have ended each day (11:15 a.m.).  Students who do not have a way home will stay for the day and will have a supervised study hall. A permission slip to leave early was emailed to students.  See the link below for the early dismissal permission slip.
• During assessment periods, seniors only need to be on campus when they have assessments.  Seniors who are exempt from assessments or who do not have a scheduled assessment during an assessment period do not need to be on campus during that assessment.  They do, however, need to sign in and out as they come and go for their assessments.
• Seniors may be exempt from a final assessment in a class in which they have a cumulative average of 95% or higher.
• Below is the Final Assessment Schedule:
• Grade 9-12 Final Assessment Early Dismissal Permission Slip click here

Final Assessments Grade 9-12

Date	8:25-9:48	9:51-11:14	11:50 - 1:13
May 30	Period 1 Final Assessment	Period 3 Final Assessment
May 31	Period 8 Final Assessment	Period 7 Final Assessment
June 1	Period 2 Final Assessment	Period 4 Final Assessment
June 2	Period 6 Final Assessment	Period 5 Final Assessment

June 5 - All-School Field Day Grades K-11

June Term - June 6-8

Senior Trip - June 5-8

Grade 8 final assessments are June 6-8. Below is the schedule for that day.

Grade 8 Final Assessments & Grades 6-7 Schedule

Date	8:25-9:48	9:51-11:14	11:50 – 1:13		1:16-2:39
June 6	Pd. 1 8th Grade Assessment Pd. 1 6th/7th Grades	Pd. 3 8th Grade Assessment Pd. 3 6th/7th Grades	Pd. 5  6th-8th Grades		Pd. 7  6th-8th Grades
June 7 Monday Bell Schedule	Pd. 1 & 2 6th-8th Grades	Pd. 3 & 4  6th-8th Grades	Pd. 5 & 6 8th Grade Assessment Pd. 5 & 6 6th/7th Grades		Pd. 7 & 8 - Grades 6th-8th
June 8	Pd. 2 8th Grade Assessment Pd. 2 6th/7th Grades	Pd. 4 8th Grade Assessment   Pd. 4 6th/7th Grades	End-of-year Activities		End-of- year Activities

• Last Day of School - June 8
• Graduation - June 9; no school

As always, if you have any questions, please contact the school.

Randy Hepler

MS/HS Principal

Conestoga Christian School

2760 Main Street

Morgantown, Pennsylvania 19543

610.286.0353

randy.hepler@conestogachristian.net