Beginning Our Fourth Week

Today is the 15th day of the trimester. That means we are one quarter of the way through the trimester and one twelfth of the way through the year. Auditions have been held, parts have been assigned, and rehearsals have begun for the fall drama, A Christmas Carol. Our soccer and volleyball teams have been competing and representing Conestoga Christian well in both victory and defeat. Check out our athletic schedule at http://www.ccaconferencepa.org/g5-bin/client.cgi?G5genie=683&school_id=3 and come on out and watch a game or two.

Later this month the JAARS helicopter will be landing on the CCS soccer field on Tuesday, September 29, at 10:45 a.m. JAARS stands for Jungle Aviation and Radio Service. JAARS is a non-profit organization that helps organizations around the world get practical, day-to-day support for Bible translation. To learn more about JAARS, visit https://www.jaars.org/about. The JAARS pilot will be sharing with the entire student body about the helicopter and the role of jungle aviation in missions. CCS patrons are invited to join our students in this exciting opportunity. The program will be about 45 minutes. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be cancelled.

One of the new technological features for this year that all high school teachers are implementing is 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, have him/her 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.

If ever you have any questions or concerns about any of your child’s classes, please contact his/her teacher first before you contact me. Our teachers are open and willing and want to be available to you to discuss your child and his/her classes. The easiest way to contact teachers is by e-mail. You may find links to their e-mails  in ParentsWeb under the links for each of their classes. If, after you have contacted them, you still have concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Please note the following events and dates:

September 23 See You at the Pole

September 24 Picture Day

September 29 JAARS Helicopter Visit

October 14 PSAT/Aspire, HS Powder Puff

October 16-17 Chicken Barbecue and Country Auction

It's a New Year

Yesterday students returned to school with much anticipation, excitement, and perhaps some apprehension.  As they moved through their schedules, they met some teachers new to CCS in the persons of Mrs. Starr (Art), Mrs. Beagle (Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2), and Mr. Turley (Applied Science).

As I circulated the buildings, students were transitioning smoothly from class to class, while teachers and other students were helping those students who had questions. This year we have five new international students, and their new classmates welcomed them and came alongside to assist them when they had questions or problems.

As always there were questions concerning schedules and some changes that needed to be made.  Students may change their first trimester courses during the first week of school. They should see Mr. Greenly in reference to schedule changes.

I also met with all of the high school students and went over some policy reminders. We discussed schedule changes, cell phones, electronic devices, parking for student drivers, technology forms, dress code, and lunch clean-up.  (This information and various forms can be found in ParentsWeb as links or in the Parent/Student Handbook under “Resource Documents.”)

ParentsWeb is set up, and you should be able to check lesson plans. This year all of our teachers are using Google Classroom. All assignments, handouts, rubrics, and other classroom information can be found there. Your child will have to give you access to it.

Just a reminder that Monday there is no school because of Labor Day.

It is great to have the students back and as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.

Randy Hepler

In the Home Stretch

Grade 9-11 Final Assessment Early Dismissal Permission Slip click here

The weather has finally broken, and the days of winter are behind us. In fact we are starting to use our air conditioners to make sure students have a comfortable learning environment. If it gets much warmer, we may have to turn on the new air conditioning in our gym.

With the warm weather comes a flurry of activities and an imminent end to the school year. Below is all that is happening between now and the end of school.

• The MS/HS musical this year is Narnia and will be held March 14-16. There are still plenty of tickets left. Contact the school office for more information.
• Our annual Athletic Banquet is on Tuesday, May 19, at 5:45 p.m. at Shady Maple Banquet Facilities.
• On Wednesday, May 20 HS Academic Awards will be presented during chapel. Parents are invited to attend. Chapel is from 8:20 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
• On May 22, our band and IHL are traveling to Hershey Park to compete and perform at Music in the Park. Students will be gone from school all day.
• Final assessments are May 26-29
• Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are expected to be in school all morning during end-of-the-year assessments.
• Students may leave with parent permission. 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 at the top of the page 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:

HS Final Assessment Schedule 2015

Grades 9-12

Date	8:25-9:48	9:51-11:14
May 26	Period 7 Final Assessment	Period 8 Final Assessment
May 27	Period 1 Final Assessment	Period 3 Final Assessment
May 28	Period 2 Final Assessment	Period 4 Final Assessment
May 29	Period 5 Final Assessment	Period 6 Final Assessment

• June Term is June 1-4
• Senior Trip is June 1-4
• Graduation is June 5, and it is a half day with an 11:30 a.m. dismissal.

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

This Year Has Flown By

Where has the year gone? We are almost half way through the third trimester and seven weeks away from the end of the year; yet there is much learning and many activities that will be packed into that time. Right now through Saturday, several of our high school students are competing at the TSA state competition. Several of our high school students are participating in baseball, lacrosse, and track as well as rehearsing for the CCS presentation of Narnia, The Musical.

This past week we held an interest meeting for a high school mission trip to the Dominican Republic next November. Present 8th-11th grade students were invited, and we had a significant number of students at the meeting. An information packet was given to those students who attended the meeting.  If you have any questions or would like further information about the trip, please contact Mr. Hepler

As often happens with the change of season into spring and approaching the end of a school year, students can lose their focus on academics. I encourage you to continue to check ParentsWeb regularly for your student’s grades as well as assignments. What your child is doing in class and when assignments are due can be found under “Lesson Plan” for each class.

As we approach the end of the year, mark your calendars for the following events:

May 1 - Race for Education

May 6 - National Day of Prayer Chapel

May 7 - Faculty/Student Softball Game

May 8 - Junior/Senior Banquet

May 14-16 - Narnia, The Musical

May 25 - Memorial Day

May 26-29 - Final Assessments

May 29 - Evening of Science and Arts

June 1-4 - Senior Trip and June Term

June 5 - Graduation

Marching On

After an intemperate, cold February, things are beginning to heat up here at CCS. This coming Wednesday we are having an all school chapel lead by Mr. Parris.  The chapel will begin at 8:25 a.m. in the gymnasium and all present patrons and prospective families are invited to join our students in worship.  The Chapel will be followed by an open house where refreshments will be served, present and prospective families may hear what exciting things are happening at CCS, and prospective families may tour the school.

The following Wednesday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. you are invited to a special parent meeting in the multipurpose room to share the value of an education here at CCS.  Our school has been working with Ovus Ater, a marketing organization, for almost a year and we have been focusing on what makes Conestoga Christian the school we are over the past two years.

The month of March is the last month to re-enroll your children at CCS for the next school year without a fee. Starting on April 1, re-enrollment will cost $175.00. So, don’t delay; re-enroll today. It’s easy. Simply go to ParentsWeb and follow the the steps below:

• Click on “Web Forms.”
• Click on “Re-enrollment Information.”
• Verify and update all the information for each of your children as well as parents and grandparents.
• Click on “Save” at the bottom of the page for every category you review and update

If you have any questions about re-enrollment, contact Michelle Parris here at the school.

In spite of the weather, next week is the official beginning of the baseball, lacrosse, and track seasons.  If your child has not participated in a sport already this year, they will need to have a sports physical to participate. Click here for the PIAA Physical Forms you and your physician will need to complete.

Finally, two of our international exchange students were entered and placed in the Tel Hai art exhibition. Simon Wei placed 1st in sculpture and Nao Uesugi placed second in painting. Sari Smoker, another CCS student, received an “Honorable Mention” in ceramics. Congratulations to all of these students.

Mark Your Calendar

Things are starting to pick up again as we head towards spring.  Below is a list and dates for upcoming events:

March 4 - All School Chapel and MS and HS Open House

March 6 - End of Trimester 2

March 8 - Daylight Savings Time

March 11 - MS and HS Open House

March 20 - Founders Day Event with Dr. Ben Carson

March 26 - TCS Fine Arts Festival

Only 5 More Weeks of Winter

High School

As we endure the frigidness of winter, there are some things that have been happening and that are coming up that warm our hearts and minds.

TSA Students Shine at the Regional TSA Competition

The weekend, before last, Mr. Everhart took 27 middle school and high school students to the regional TSA competition in Lancaster.  Our students performed admirably against much larger schools, most of which were public. Those students placing 3rd or better qualified for the state competition.  Below are the high school results:

207 CAD 2D, Architecture                              Place 6 Nobuo Takahashi 

208 CAD 3D, Engineering                               Place 4 Michael Boerman

216 Extemporaneous Speech                        Place 2 Michael Boerman 

224 Prepared Presentation                             Place 6 Carissa Earnest  

230 Technical Sketching and Application       Place 1 Michael Boerman

                                                                        Place 3 Aaron Carter 

231 Technology Bowl                              Place 3 MIchael Boerman, Tyler Brenner, Aaron Carter

232 Technology Problem Solving                     Place 3 Tyler Brenner, Aaron Carter

240 PA - Bio Medical Essay Contest     Place 1 Michael Boerman

262 Technology Bowl - Written              Place 1 Michael Boerman

CCS Students on Average Perform Well on the SAT

Miss Whisler, our Director of Reporting and Assessment, did some research and developed a comparison of SAT scores between CCS and the busing districts from which our students come. Note that on average, our students scored 1st or 2nd in each category and 1st over all. To see our scores simply click here.

Open Houses

Coming in March are our MS/HS open houses. On March 4 and 11 and April 15 and 29, from 8:15 - 9:30 a.m., interested students and families may join us for chapel and a tour of the school. If you have any friends or acquaintances who may be thinking about Christian school, tell them about the open houses.  If they are planning to attend, they can RSVP the school at office@conestogachristian.net. Also, remember that, if you refer a family to CCS and the student(s) enroll, you are eligible for a $500 tuition discount for the year. Click here or contact Mark Detwiler, Business Manager, if you have a question about our referral program.

Mark Your Calendar

Things are starting to pick up again as we head towards spring.  Below is a list and dates for upcoming events:

February 24 - Music Recital for Private Lesson Students

March 4 - MS and HS Open House

March 6 - End of Trimester 2

March 8 - Daylight Savings Time

March 11 - MS and HS Open House

March 20 - Founders Day Event with Dr. Ben Carson

March 26 - TCS Fine Arts Festival

We're Back!

After a much needed break, students and staff returned to school with anticipation for the new year. The break not only allowed for students to reflect upon and celebrate the coming of our Savior with their families, but also it allowed for the many contagions that had invaded CCS before the break to dissipate. Today was the first day in a significant amount of time that students did not come to the office sick needing attention.

Also returning was our Spanish teacher, Mrs. Garcia.  After almost 4 months of maternity leave caring for her firstborn son, Marcus, she dove back into the classroom. Please pray for her as she adjusts to being back in the classroom.

CCS wishes to thank Mr. Jared Park who filled in admirably for Mrs. Garcia. Jared and his wife, Naldy, are preparing to leave for Chile in the near future to be involved in a church planting and camping ministry. To follow and pray for Jared and Naldy as they serve the Lord there, go to http://www.jaredpark.org/. The Lord has graciously provided all of their support, and they are now waiting for Naldy’s U.S. citizenship to be finalized which will allow for Jared’s permanent residence in Chile. Please pray that it happens soon.

January 21 marks the midway point of the 2nd trimester as well as the midway point of the school year. (Yes, it is flying by.) If you have not been checking your child’s grades on RenWeb, I would encourage you to do so at that time. If you have any concerns, please contact the teacher so that you may work together for your child’s success. Also, remember you should be able to see what your child is studying in each class as well as his/her homework for each class under Lesson Plan in RenWeb.

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

January 19 - Martin Luther King Day - No School

February 7 - TSA Regionals

February 12 - All School Pastors’ Luncheon

February 16 - Presidents’ Day - No School

February 17 - Music Recital