Off to A Good Start

We've gotten off to a good start this week at CCS. Students are settling in , learning their schedule, figuring out the combination to their lockers, and getting into the rhythm of school. 

As school progresses, you may have questions or concerns about a class your child is taking. If that is the case, please reach out to the teacher. If after contacting the teacher you still have concerns, please feel free to contact Mr. Hepler and he can arrange to meet together with the teacher and you to resolve any concerns. that you may have.

If there are other general questions or concerns that you have about the MS, please contact Mr. Hepler and he will gladly talk or meet with you.

Wednesday, September 11 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.is a CCS Parent Information Night. This is a parents only event where parents can meet their student's teachers to learn about their classes, goals, expectations, classwork, assessments, resources, and philosophy of education. To help us prepare better for the night, Mrs. Turner and Mr. Hepler will be sending out an invitation and RSVP form in the near future to get an idea of how many people will be attending.

Get Real Conference on September 12

On Thursday, September 12, during the school day, the MS/HS will be sponsoring a Get Real Conference. The goal of the Get Real Conference is to challenge our students to get real about their faith. If students are already a believer, the goal is to challenge them to make Jesus number one in their lives and live a life surrendered to Him.  If students are not yet believers, we desire that they would surrender their lives to Christ and trust in Him as their Savior and Lord.

For more information on Get Real Conferences check out the conference organization at the link below.

GET REAL CONFERENCE  PROMO VIDEO

GET REAL CONFERENCES

GET REAL CONFERENCES STATEMENT OF FAITH

MS/HS Grandparents Day on September 27

Because CCS' student body has grown so large, we are no longer able to accommodate all of the grandparents on one day for Grandparents Day. As a result we are having two Grandparents Days.  The first is the MS/HS Grandparents Day on September 27.  The second is the PS/K-5 Grandparents Day on May 9, 2025.

Please mark your calendars and be on the lookout for more information as we get closer to September 27.

As we move into the month of September, you should be able to see grades, attendance, and homework (in lesson plans) posted in your child's classes through the Family Portal in FACTS, our school management system. If you have not already set up your Family Portal for FACTS, click here for instruction to set up your Family Portal account.

If you are not sure how to navigate the Family Portal in FACTS, please contact Mr. Hepler or Mr. Smoker, CCS' Director of Technology.

Learning Support Plans

You may have a child in MS that has learning needs for which CCS has developed a Learning Support Plan (LSP) that identified the educational strengths and weaknesses of a child and recommended accommodations to be used in the classroom.

Other children who are new to CCS may come with an Educational Evaluation and/or an IEP.  In either case, for the beginning of school, the educational needs and recommended accommodations of the present LSP, Educational Evaluation, or IEP have been shared with a child's teachers.

In late September/early October, Mrs. Moffa, our Director of Assessment, will be reaching out to the parents of students who presently have an LSP and the parents of new students with an Educational Evaluation/IEP to schedule a meeting with a child's teachers and the parents. This meeting will be to update any present LSPs or write new LSPs (for new students with IEPs) based upon teacher input and other documentation we have on a child.

If you have any questions about the process and how your child's needs are being met at CCS, please feel free to contact Mr. Hepler.

The First Days of School 2024-25

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This Thursday is Back to School Night. We encourage all MS families and students to visit the school and catch-up with classmates and other families. MS students will report to their homerooms (MS Homeroom Lists) and meet their homeroom teachers as well as pick-up their schedules and receive their locker assignments. The schedule for the evening is as follows:

• 5:30-6:30 - Family Picnic Out Back of the School
• Bring your family, food for the family, and some lawn chairs and fellowship with other families
• 6:30-6:50 - School Gathering in Gymnasium for CCS Important Updates and Introductions
• 6:50 - 8:00 - MS Students report to homeroom to pick-up their schedules and locker assignments
• Families and students drop-in classrooms and meet the students' teachers
• Parents who pick-up their children at the end of the school day get their dashboard signs in homeroom
• Families and students may also drop off school supplies

On the first day of school, Monday, August 26, MS homeroom will begin at 8:00 a.m. Please note the following for arrival in the morning:

• Students arriving before 7:50 a.m., either by bus or parent drop-off, should report to the gym in the high school building.
• Parents who are dropping off their children should leave early enough that their students will arrive to school by 7:55 a.m.
• Traffic is really busy on routes 23 and 10 and parents dropping off their students and student drivers are often delayed.
• Students report to homeroom
• Teachers will have student schedules available for students who did not attend Back To School Night and students who may have left their schedules at home.
• Students will start the day in prayer.

The first day of school will be a regular school day with 8 periods where MS students will attend their 5 core classes and 2 rotation classes. The 8th period of the day Mr. Hepler will meet with the students to review several initiatives and policies. Below is a list of several things that we will go over:

• Our School Theme - "Stand for Christ"
• Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. - Ephesians 6:10-11
• The them song for the year is Stand by Newsboys
• Our MS Theme - "Surrender to Stand"
• And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." - Luke 9:23
• Our prayer 10:05 a.m. prayer initiative - The whole school pray silently everyday at 10:05 a.m. for two minutes.
• We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ . . .  2 Corinthians 10:5
• Christ likeness in relationships.
• Phone policy
• Chromebook cases & Use
• Block day breaks
• Clubs, Study Hall, Choir, and service
• Changes to the consequences for the MS Discipline Policy
• Appearance Code
• And Much Much More.

The school day ends at 2:39 and students go to their lockers and then report to homeroom. Students will then be dismissed at various times depending whether they are bus riders or car riders. Below are the procedures for dismissal:

• Parents/grandparents who arrive early before the buses have emptied the school parking lot (around 2:45) should get in the car line at Conestoga Mennonite Church. 
• Parents/grandparents are not to park in the Re-Uzit parking lot waiting to pick up their student.
• Parents/grandparents should not stop on route 23 in front of the school waiting for the buses to empty the parking lot. 
• This backs up traffic and makes dismissal much more chaotic.
• Parents picking up only MS and/or HS students should pull into the first lane as they enter the CCS parking lot.
• Parents/grandparents in this line should exit onto route 23 only turning right.
• Parents picking up only ES and/or MS/HS students should form two lanes in the lane closest to the HS building in the CCS parking lot. 
• Parents/grandparents in these lines should exit in front of the MS building and exit the CCS property turning right onto Short Rd.
• Make sure when picking up your child, make sure you display your dashboard sign with your student's name to make it easier for the parking lot supervisors to quickly and safely get your child to you.

Over the years I find that parents have the same questions that they frequently ask.  Click here to see some of those questions and answers.

Click here for the school calendar for the year and see below for a few upcoming dates.

August 26                            First Day of School

August 30                            No School

September 2                        Labor Day - No School

School is Just Around the Corner

 

It’s hard to believe that the month of August has arrived. It’s only a few weeks until the beginning of school. Vacations will be ending, school shopping started, athletic practices commencing, and parents rejoicing that the kids are back in school. 😁

We at CCS are busy getting ready for the return of teachers and students. As the first day of school approaches, you may want to access the school calendar to plan your year. As a school our goal is to communicate clearly and regularly to keep you informed of all that is happening at CCS.

A couple of ways we communicate with parents about events in the school are through our head of school's and principal's 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 student for his/her success, volunteer opportunities, and more.

We will also use FACTS SIS to periodically get information out to parents or to ask for help with various projects or needs of the school. The Family Portal is a feature of FACTS SIS 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 Family Portal account, you can learn how to create one by clicking here.

All MS schedules have been entered into FACTS SIS for the 2024-25 school year except for MS Clubs, 7th and 8th Grade Service, and 7th and 8th Grade Choir. All 6th grade students must take choir, but 7th and 8th grade students may choose between Choir and Study Hall/Service which are 8th period on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in the schedule. Simply go to the CCS Website and click on the Family Portal tab. The, select "Student" and then "Schedules" to see your student's schedule.

Middle school students with scheduling issues should contact Mr. Hepler at randy.hepler@conestogachristian.net .  

CCS 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. This includes the appearance code, Google Classroom - Information for Parents, Inclement Weather Info, the Pre-Planned Absence Form, & the Sports Physical Form. While on the website, take time to search the entire site to learn more about the school.

MS Boys Soccer (August 14) and MS Girls Volleyball (August 19) will be starting later this month. If your child is interested in playing either of those sports and has not done so already, they should contact Mr. Yoder our Athletic Director at phil.yoder@conestogachristian.net . You may view our sports schedule by clicking here. Please note that students must submit a completed sport's physical form to participate in practice and games.

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

• August 22 is our Back to School Night.  Parents and students can meet at 5:30 p.m. to fellowship and enjoy a meal together before the main meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. (Bring your own meal.) The open house ends at 8:00 p.m.
• August 26 is the first day of school. School supplies lists and our Parent/Student Handbook can all be found on our website under “Resources” and then “Current Families.”

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. When shopping for school supplies, you can reference the school’s supplies lists on the CCS website.

As we enter the new year, please click here for answers to MS Frequently Asked Questions. We look forward to seeing you and your children in the near future.