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.

MS/HS Grandparents Day on September 26

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 26.  The second is the PS/K-5 Grandparents Day on May 8, 2025.

Please mark your calendars and be on the lookout for more information as we get closer to September 26.

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.

Today's technology through computers, tablets, and other smart devices (phones) has given our children access to a virtual world where many danger await.  Protect Young Eyes is an organization created to educate parents on how to defend your children from online dangers. There are a plethora of resources available to parents to help them as they try to keep their children safe from the dangers of the virtual world. If you have not seen it already, I would encourage you to watch Childhood 2.0 a documentary on YouTube put out by Protect Young Eyes on the dangers of social media. Keep an eye out for more information to follow.

Back to School In Two Weeks

 

In two weeks students will be entering the doors of Conestoga Christian School. Below is some important information as you prepare for the new school year.

Next Thursday, August 21, 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:

• 6:00-6:30 - Family Picnic Out Back of the School
• Bring your family, food for the family, and some lawn chairs and fellowship with other families
• 6:30-7:00 - School Gathering in Gymnasium for CCS Important Updates and Introductions
• 7:00 - 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 25, 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 - "United in Christ"
• For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. - 1 Corinthians 12:12
• The them song for the year is United in Christ by The Songwriter Initiative.
• Our prayer 10:05 a.m. prayer initiative continues - 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
• Reminders of 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 25                            First Day of School

August 29                            No School

September 1                        Labor Day - No School