Conferences Next Week and More

The MS and HS blogs this month are the same. So, if you have a child in both schools, you only need to read one.

Parent/Teacher  Conferences

Parent/teacher conferences are next week on November 23 & 24. Mrs. Lodge sent out instructions last Friday about how to sign up for conferences. If you did not receive that information, you may click here to download the instructions.

As you approach conferences with the teachers, if you have specific issues or concerns that you would like to discuss with any of them, I would recommend that you send them a brief email in regards to what you would like to discuss so they may be better prepared to address your concerns.

Also, if a teacher has several of your children in their classes, you may want to book two consecutive time slots to have adequate time to discuss your children.

The Value of Perseverance

As parent/teacher conferences approach, parents often reflect upon their children’s abilities, successes, failures, progress, as well as their futures, especially if they are graduating in a year or two. Questions often arise as to what determines or what can be done to facilitate growth and success. What research is beginning to show is that it is determination and perseverance through struggle (grit) that brings growth and success. In a short Ted Talk, former teacher and now psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth shares what research has shown. Click here to see her Ted Talk.

It is only natural that we as parents do not want to see our children under stress, in pain, or struggling in life. (We want the best for our children and want them to be happy.) For many of us, often our first reaction is to try and alleviate the pain and suffering or try to remove what is contributing to the stress or unhappiness whether it be in academics, sports, work, or other areas of life. However, in doing so, we may be unintentionally preventing our children from learning the value of struggle and perseverance and enabling a pattern of avoiding or giving up when struggle or suffering occurs.

The scriptures teach that God uses perseverance and suffering for our growth and sanctification. They also teach that Christians are to come alongside and support one another in perseverance and suffering:

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing . . . . We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 & 14

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.  Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. Ecclesiastes 4:10-12

Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

As your children struggle with homework, projects, and material in various subjects or in a sport or performance, I encourage you to push them to persevere and continue to work at it. (We will do the same here at school.) If you can, guide them in working it through, but don’t do it for them. If you don’t know how to help them (after Algebra 1, I’m pretty useless for help in math), encourage them to see their teacher, coach, or director and arrange to get help after or before school, during lunch or a study hall,  during Wednesday Workout, or at practice or rehearsal. Feel free to contact teachers with your concerns about how you can work together with the teacher, coach, or director to assist your child. If the teachers do not know your concerns, they cannot address them.

Our country is growing more and more hostile to Christians, and our children are likely to face more challenges to their faith than believers have in the past. Our prayer is that their time at CCS will prepare them not only for college or future employment but for the challenges of life---the challenges they will face in this world and from the evil one as they are part of God’s calling to serve Him, fulfill the Great Commission, and establish His Kingdom.

Long Term Substitute Needed

Conestoga Christian is seeking a long-term substitute, preferably with a social studies or history background, for Mrs. Kolb who will be going on maternity leave in January for 9-12 weeks. If interested, please contact Ken Parris at 610-286-0353 or ken.parrris@conestogachristian.net for more information.

Upcoming Events

Nov. 20 Middle School Social

Nov. 23 End of Trimester 1

Nov. 23-24 Parent/Teacher Conferences

Nov. 24-Nov 30 Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 1 Trimester 2 Begins

Dec. 4-5 Cougar Classic

Dec. 10 TCS HS Christmas Concert

Dec. 17 ES/MS Christmas Program

Drama, Conferences, Thanksgiving, Hunting

After all the preparation, energy, frenzied and productive activity for last week’s auction, students and teachers returned to a normal school week without missing a beat. It’s hard to believe that we are almost through the month of October.  Before we blink, parent conferences and Thanksgiving will be upon us. But before the holiday arrives, there is much happening at CCS.

Starting November 1, students are no longer to wear shorts to school unless the forecast for Morgantown, PA, is 60 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

On November 5 & 6, middle and high school students will perform an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for our fall drama at 7:00 p.m. each night.  Cost is $6.00 for adults and $4.00 for students.

Students will be off school November 12 and 13 while teachers will be engaged in professional development to serve your children more effectively in fulfilling Conestoga Christian’s vision and mission.

Early in November CCS will be contacting patrons about scheduling parent conferences for November 23 and 24. Look for more information in future issues of the Cougar Update.

Finally, please note that our Thanksgiving break is from Tuesday, November 24, until Monday, November 30 (the first day of hunting season). Students return to school on Tuesday, December 1.

Middle School: A Time of Change

Middle school is often a turbulent time in a student’s life with the many changes that entry into adolescence brings. Not only are students changing physically, but they are also changing emotionally and spiritually.  Often this leads to a crisis in their lives, which will manifest itself here at school. The faculty and staff want you to know that we are here for you and your child(ren) if a crisis arises.  Your child should know that he/she may talk with any teacher, with me, or with Mr. Parris.  If boys would rather speak with a man, they can speak with Mr. Greenly, me, or Mr. Parris. If girls have a concern or issue for which they need to talk with an adult but do not feel comfortable talking to a man, any of our female teachers are more than willing and available to talk with them.

As the school year continues, your child may come home and share with you something that happened in a class or in school that gives you concern. If it has to do with a specific class, please call the teacher and share with him/her what your child has told you, so that the teacher can verify the information you have received. If it is something that has occurred in school in general, please contact me and I will investigate the concern. One of my former bosses once stated that “one’s perception is one’s reality.”  Often the perception our children have of what is going on in class or school is inaccurate, and the Scriptures indicate that we should have a spirit of discernment, slow to judge and quick to listen, as we approach life’s circumstances.

Next Monday marks the halfway point of the first trimester on the calendar. Students will be switching to new rotation classes 6th and 7th periods. In addition to new rotation classes, students will also be starting new electives unless the elective they chose for the first trimester was designated to be 12 weeks. Please also remember to check ParentsWeb to check on your child’s progress in his/her classes. If you have any questions about his/her grades, contact his/her teachers.

Below are some important upcoming dates:

October 16          CCS Chicken Barbecue

October 17          CCS Country Auction

Volunteers are still needed for both the chicken barbecue and the auction. If you have not signed up yet, we could use your help. Also please encourage your MS child(ren) to sign up to volunteer. You and your child(ren) can sign up to volunteer by going to the CCS website.

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 middle 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 class. 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 16-17 Chicken Barbecue and Country Auction

It's A New Year

Back to School

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) and Mr. Turley (7th grade Math and Math Extension.) 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.

As always there were questions concerning schedules and some corrections that needed to be made. Several students had not turned in their middle school elective selections sheets and had to be reminded to do so by Thursday so they will have an elective class to attend.

I also met with all of the middle school students and went over some policy reminders. We discussed technology and elective change forms (found on ParentsWeb under “Resource Documents”), dress code (also on ParentsWeb), electronic devices, and lunch clean-up.  We also discussed the issues of respecting each other and each other’s property, building each other up, kindness, and courtesy.

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

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.
• On May 20 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.
• 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 27-29 for the 8th grade. Grades 6 and 7 do not have final assessments. Below is the final assessment schedule for grade 8.
• Wednesday, May 27 - Science (Pd. 1) and Language Arts or Algebra 1 (Pd. 3)
• Thursday, May 28 - Bible (Pd. 2) and Social Studies (Pd. 4)
• Friday, May 29 - Language Arts or Pre-Algebra (Pd. 5)
• June 1-5
• Students will be rotating through various classes/activities over the five days as well as taking several trips.  This week, from June 1-5, is in lieu of MS theme week which we have had in the past. The cost for the week includes major transportation, cost of activities, and supplies for activities. Permission slips were distributed to students as well as emailed permission slips to MS parents. They should be returned to me by May 27.

  Students have been divided into groups of  12 or13 mixing 6th - 8th grade students.  They will rotate through the various activities on June 1-3 and all students will be together on June 4.  (Some of our teachers may be contacting you to see if you might be available to help with transportation for the groups of 12-13 on any of the days on June 1-3). On June 5, the half day, 8th grade students will be going to Shady Maple for breakfast and then bowling.  6th and 7th grade students will be going roller skating.

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

Things Are Happening so Fast

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 middle school students are competing at the TSA state competition. Several of our middle school students are participating in track and several of our students are 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 8th grade students at the meeting. An information packet was given to those students who attended the meeting.  If you have any questions or want 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 child’s grades as well as assignments. What your child is doing in class and when assignment are due can be found under “Lesson Plan” for each class.

Next week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings, middle school students will be taking achievement tests. These tests provide us with valuable data which gives us feedback on the progress of students in learning and can be helpful in how we plan and implement instruction.

In the past middle school has had a theme week during the school year. This year we are having end-of-the-year enrichment activities for the middle school. Our teachers are busy planning, and more information will follow as we get closer to the end of the school year.

As you plan your schedule for the next two months, mark your calendar with the following events:

April 16, 21-23 - Achievement Testing

May 1 - Race for Education

May 6 - National Day of Prayer Chapel

May 14-16 - Narnia, The Musical

May 25 - Memorial Day

May 27-29 - Final Assessments for 8th Grade

May 29 - Evening of Science and Arts

June 1-4 - End-of-Year Activities

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 led 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.

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

Middle 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 middle school results:

109 Dragster State                        Place 1 Ben Dayton

110 Electrical Applications             Place 1 Caleb Schreier

                                                    Place 2 Ethan Vannoy 

114 Flight                                   Place 3 1087-003 Dawson Carter

                                                Place 4 1087-018 Jaeden Schreier 

117 Invention and Innovations Place 1 Dawson Carter, Ben Dayton, Caleb Schreier 

122 Problem Solving                    Place 1 Dawson Carter, Jared Jones 

125 Structural Model                    Place 1 Dawson Carter, Ben Dayton 

127 Tech Bowl                              Place 1 Ben Dayton, Caleb Schreier, Ethan Vannoy

                                                      Place 5 Dawson Carter, Christian Colon, Scott Kimball 

129 Video Game Design             Place 1 Spencer Colon, Mark Combs and Zachary Johnson 

131 Website Design                     Place 3 Spencer Colon, Mark Combs and Zachary Johnson 

162 Tech Bowl - Written              Place 3 Ethan Vannoy

                                                      Place 4 Caleb Schreier

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