God Has Been Faithful

The MS and HS blogs are identical so you do not have to read both if you have a MS and HS student.

November is just around the corner, and we are nine weeks into the first trimester. Students and staff have adjusted to the “new normal” under COVID at school. Classes and other activities are going well, and we have had no reported cases of COVID-19. Praise God!

As we get to the end of the trimester (November 23), I encourage you to be checking your child’s grades on FACTS, and, if you have any concerns, contact your child’s teacher(s). Better to be proactive than 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 23 and 24 right before our Thanksgiving break which is November 25 to 30. Students will not have school on the 24th, but teachers will be at school for conferences. We will have COVID protocols for parent/teacher conferences.

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 23 (afternoon and evening) and November 24 (daytime.)

CCS Annual Mission Project

In spite of COVID, God has enabled us to continue to fulfill our vision and mission as a school. This past week the National Honor Society (NHS) shared in both MS and HS chapels about our annual all-school mission project. This year NHS has taken on the leadership of facilitating Operation Christmas Child. Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan's Purse International where shoeboxes filled with toiletries, school supplies, coloring books, small clothing items like socks, etc. are delivered to children in third world countries.

More importantly, the Gospel message is shared in a booklet, The Greatest Journey, which is given to each child. Children also have the opportunity to attend 12 classes about The Greatest Journey.

  

MS and HS students will have the opportunity to pick up brochures and shoeboxes today after school. Participation is voluntary. The brochure as well as Samaritan's Purse's website explain the ministry and give ideas of what to and what not to put in the shoeboxes. Shoeboxes will need to be returned to the school by Thursday, November 19.  

This is a wonderful opportunity for you to shop together with your child(ren) in serving Christ and promoting the Gospel through Operation Christmas Child. Below is a link to the video that NHS shared at our chapel with the students. I’ve also shared with you a video on how to pack a shoebox.

https://video.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child-overview-2020-short/

https://video.samaritanspurse.org/how-to-pack-a-shoebox-2020/

Book Fair

CCS invites you to shop our Online Book Fair and support our school! The Fair runs for 14 days from November 2-15. Our Fair will feature a Virtual Fair walk through so you and your students can experience the magic of the school shopping experience: Browse titles by grade, meet popular authors, and much more! All purchases will ship directly to students’ homes and will benefit our school directly (25% back in rewards!). This is a great opportunity to get a few Christmas gifts for your children. Don’t miss these two weeks of events, fun, and books.

  

The Scholastic Homepage link is https:// www.scholastic.com/bf/ conestogachristianschool.

Appearance Code Reminder

The year seems to be passing by quickly and the weather is turning colder. This coming Monday is the 1st of November. This is a reminder that between November 1 and April 1, shorts are not to be worn to school unless the temperature forecast for Morgantown is 60 degrees or above. To find the forecast for Morgantown, you can go to www.accuweather.com and type in 19543 in the search field to get the forecast.

Finally, remember to turn your clocks back an hour before you go to bed this weekend on Saturday, October 31.

Dates to Remember:

October 30 Teacher In-Service

November 16 Picture Retakes

November 19 Operation Christmas Child Boxes Due

November 23 End of Trimester 1

November 23 & 24 Parent Teacher Conferences

November 24 No School for Students  

November 25-30 Thanksgiving Break

December 8 Instrumental Recital

December 9                                     Trimester 1 Report Cards

December 16 Choir Concerts

December 23-January 3 Christmas Break

We're Halfway Through the Year

The MS and HS blogs are the same for this issue. So, if you have students at both levels, you only need to read one of the blogs.

The School Year is Half Over

January 15 marked the midway point of the second trimester as well as the midway point of the 2019-2020 school year. (Yes, it is flying by.) If you have not been checking your child’s grades on the Family Portal for FACTS SIS (the new name for RenWeb), I encourage you to do so.

If you have any concerns, please contact the teacher so that you may work together for your child’s success. Also, remember that you should be able to see what your child is studying in each class as well as his/her homework for each class under the lesson plan in FACTS SIS.

Reminder about Delayed Openings, School Closings, and Early Dismissals for Inclement Weather

Winter is in full swing, and we have already had inclement weather that necessitated an early dismissal and a delayed opening. You were informed of the closing and school delay by our automated FACTS SIS Parent Alert. Below is a reminder of how those procedures work. Hopefully, we won’t have to use them too often for the rest of this winter.
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), students will be transported to and from CCS on the public school district schedule. When your school district 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’s absence. When CCS delays school and your district does not, do not send your child on the bus. Families will have 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’s absence.

Below is information on early dismissals and school that is canceled for the day:

Early Dismissals:

If CCS closes early, and your district is on a normal schedule, students will be supervised until transportation arrives for them.

If your district announces an early dismissal, student drivers in that district will be dismissed along with the bus riders.
CCS will activate the automated Parent Alert system where you will receive an email, text, and phone call. When there is a two-hour delay, classes begin at 10:10. 

School Canceled for the Day:

When school is canceled for the day due to inclement weather, you will be informed by our Parent Alert System. The closing will also be posted on the Conestoga Christian website.

When school is canceled, MS and HS students will be assigned work on Google Classroom for the core classes (including HS Spanish and HS Health) that they have on the snow day, depending on whether it is an eight-period day or a four-period block day. Assignments will be posted by 9:00 a.m.

Because students may have no access to wifi and/or a computer, may be without power, or may have extenuating circumstances, students will have 3 school days to turn in their assignments. The deadline can be extended due to extenuating circumstances (power out for a week, etc.). Parents should contact teachers if such situations arise.

CCS’ Family Is Expanding

Recently Mr. Smoker, one of our HS math teachers, and his wife Laura welcomed a new addition, Owen Jacob Smoker, to their home.  Owen and the rest of the family are doing well.

Mrs. Hertzler and Mrs. Stone are expecting in the coming months and will be taking maternity leave. Mrs. Hertzler’s last day, unless baby Hertzler comes earlier, will be February 21. Mrs. Stone’s last day, unless the Lord has an earlier timeline, will be March 13. Mrs. Hertzler plans on being out for 12 weeks; Mrs. Stone plans to be out through the end of the year.

Substituting for Mrs. Hertzler is CCS graduate Mrs. Summer Houck (nee Stoltzfus). Mrs. Houck graduated from CCS in 2015. While at CCS, Mrs. Houck participated in three sports, served on Student Council, and graduated with honors. Mrs. Houck recently graduated from West Chester University with a Bachelor of Science in Education with an emphasis on MS English Language Arts. We are excited to have Mrs. Houck back serving at CCS.

Substituting for Mrs. Stone is Miss Rachel Allen who hails from the state of Massachusetts. Miss Allen is a recent graduate of Lancaster Bible College (LBC) with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education. Miss Allen has a love for teaching music as well as a love of theater. Miss Allen will not only be teaching our HS and MS choirs and music classes but will be directing our spring musical. We are thankful to have Miss Allen serving at CCS this spring.

Open Houses

Open houses for grades PK-12 are coming in February and March. Below are the dates and times for the open houses:

February 26 and March 25 from 8:15 - 9:30 a.m. - Interested and prospective students and families for grades 1-12 may join us for chapel and a tour of the school.
February 21 at 9:30 a.m. - Our kindergarten will have a Sneak Peek Open House.
February 27 and March 26 from 9:45 - 10:30 a.m. - Our preschool will have a Story Time Open House.
If you have friends or acquaintances who may be thinking about Christian education, tell them about the open houses. If they are planning to attend, they should RSVP the school at michelle.parris@conestogachristian.net. 

Also, remember that if you refer a family to CCS and they enroll in any grade level, you are eligible for a $600 tuition discount for the year. Click here or contact Mark Detwiler in the business office if you have any questions about our referral program.

Do You Know What Your Children Are Reading and Seeing in Anime?

Webster’s dictionary defines Anime as a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes. This animation can be found in books as well as video series.

Recently I discovered that many of these books may contain images that would be considered pornographic. If you have a child who is into Anime, please be aware that what he/she may be seeing is harmful and detrimental to one’s faith.  

Of course, books with these types of images in them should never be brought to school.

Upcoming Dates and Events

Below are some dates and events to remember. Further information will follow in future blogs and the Cougar Update.

January 20 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
February 6 - Pastors' Luncheon
February 8 - TSA Regionals
February 17 - Presidents’ Day - No School
February 18 - Music Recital
February 26 - All-School Open House 8:15 a.m.