March 12, 2010
Newsletter Name Change
We have been trying to come up with a catchy name to identify our newsletter… Although dirt often has negative connotations – something that is in need of cleaning – it also is essential for plants to grow. Full of nutrients, it protects and nurtures the entire plant. Not only that, but it has a catchy sound to it. I imagine I hear people saying, Have you checked out the Dirt this week? or perhaps, Did you see the Dirt? Why not make it something to look forward to! So here it is. The dirt… the earth… the day to day of TCJA.
Interactive Art Fair
On Thursday, March 18, our gym will be the site for an interactive art fair. There will be about a dozen booths for students and parents to enjoy creating art in a variety of mediums. Come between the hours of 5:30 and 7:00 to enjoy a fun evening with your student!
Mission
We had a group of students set to go on a mission trip to Tesopaco when the U.S. Government issued its directive advising
American citizens to limit travel to or through certain parts of
2010-20 ABC
Every Spring, about this time of year, the ABC comes to town with all kinds of special deals for you. Food and books are discounted for this spring sale and this is a great time to stock up for summer barbecues and summer reading. Books make a great gift for birthdays, etc., as they tell our children of the value we place on reading. Come on by and check out the deals tomorrow from 7:30-9:00.
For your convenience, our biology students will be providing supper. For $5.00 you can get a chili-dog, fries, juice and desert – and help them raise some funds towards their trip to
Purchase Books for TCJA
If you go to the ABC book sale Saturday evening, you may notice a stack of books beside the till. Every year when they come to town, I walk through with Herman (the ABC Man) and he recommends the latest greatest reading that they have to offer. I pick a few and stack them, where you can buy them, one or two at a time, as a donation to the school. What you don’t buy, I spring for, but your donations really help stretch our dollars for books. Thank you for checking this out.
11 Registration Has Arrived
Registration fees for next year’s grades 1 through 10 will remain as they were last year. You may register as early as March 29. Below, are the discount deadlines. Earlier registration saves you money and helps us be organized for the new year.
- Early bird Special – $165…register by April 9 to maximize your savings
- Regular Discount – $215…register After April 9 but before May 10 and still save
- Standard Registration – $265…Register after April 10 but before June 10 to ensure your spot
- Hold Your Place – $315…Register after June 10 but before August 11 to line up for positions that become available.
- Late Registration – $365… All registration after August 12. Places are subject to availability.
Kindergarten registration deadlines run the same dates, however the amounts are different. These variances are as follows:
- Early bird Special – $155
- Regular Discount – $175
- Standard Registration – $195
- Hold Your Place – $215
- Late Registration – $230
Summer Day Care Registration
We are on track to have our final inspection completed later this month and be open at our new facility by the start of the summer. We will begin taking applications for the summer program early in April. Watch for news as it is released.
Three Sets of Parent Teacher Meetings?
This year we tried one set of parent teacher meetings each quarter. At the staff level, the meetings have met with mixed reviews, and we are wondering, as we set up our calendar for next year, what do parents like? Our rationale for the extra set of meetings is that while first and third quarters do well as midterm reports for the high school, the second term marks the end of the first semester. At that point, a meeting changes nothing and grades are final. In the elementary, however, that second meeting is a good time to note whether a student is on track to make the year, and can be more productive that a third term meeting. What do you, the parents think? We will have a questionnaire available at the parent teacher meetings this next term (April 7-8).
Philippians 4:8
And finally Brethren… whatsoever things are of good report… think on these things.
A young man wanted to come to our school for high school. His parents in talking it over with him, wanted to be sure of his commitment, so they enrolled him on the condition that he would get a job and pay for half of his schooling. Partway through the year, he found that part time job at a fast food place, and we all know what those jobs pay. Nonetheless, he began paying down his bill. He continued making steady payments, even after he was done at TCJA. And then one day, he made his last payment. Half of $4,800 is a lot of money for a kid to come up with, and I for one, am impressed. Here is a student who has learned the value of his word. Allow me to ask other high school students if they have learned how to sacrifice for Christian education?
Dress Code Reminder
· Just a couple of reminders... shirts need to have collars and be buttoned properly.
· T-shirts worn over polos, are not considered appropriate dress.
· Clothing is to be clean and free of holes. Patches are fine, however duct tape and pinned patchwork is not acceptable.
· With warmer weather, students will be planning to wear shorts. As of April 1, that is acceptable. Please remember that athletic type shorts (basketball, etc) are not appropriate for classes other than PE. Remember also, that shorts need to extend beyond the hands as they hang naturally at the sides.
· Please remember that students who are deemed inappropriately dressed will be asked to change out.
· For the most part, the dress code has been observed. Thank-you.
Cell Phone Update
We are in ready to change how we rule regarding cell phones, as they can provide a service when parents need to get ahold of children. This is the new policy:
Students:
· May turn phones on to vibrate after school, when in study hall.
· Phones may be used to receive calls from parents or to return calls to parents.
· Phones are not to be used to hang out with friends, to text friends or to play games.
· Phones are for personal use, not for giving to friends to make calls (we have a hall phone)
Parents:
· Please refrain from calling when your child is in class
Remember: Phones may be taken at the discretion of faculty.
Principal’s Corner
Why Missions?
Every year that we plan a mission trip, I hear some of the same questions, and they are valid questions. The two most prevalent are, “Why do we go off to other places to spend money and time that we could spend here at home when our needs are so great, too?” and “Do we really need to take students to foreign countries to teach about sacrifice and missions? Can’t they do outreach at home and get the same benefit?”
The answer to both is not so easy to put together because the questioners bundle too much together when they ask. And they are right. The needs here are as great as the needs elsewhere. So why go elsewhere? Here is my convoluted attempt at a response.
When Jesus spoke the words that Matthew attributes to him in chapter28 (verses 19 and 20), he is reaching out to man’s inherent need to make a difference. Let’s face it – the Lord who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10) needs neither our money nor our labor to accomplish the end of his work, but he invites us to partner with him in ending this work and in so doing basking in the knowledge forever that we have made a difference.
Something happens to the faith of a child when he or she has the opportunity to see God at work in a place that is not home. Don’t get me wrong, home has its needs, and we ought to help out there, too. But somehow, decisions for Christ are often made or reinforced when we leave the comforts we normally know, and we spend a little time or a little energy making a difference for others – folks who neither we owe nor who owe us anything. Interestingly, it doesn’t matter if the time away is short-term or longer. One and two-week mission trips can be as effective as whole years of service when it comes to making an initial upsetting of the apple-cart of our normal priorities. Ask Laura Day why she wants to go again or ask Justin Jakeway why he wants to give a whole year of his life to serve at Tesopaco. Or ask Sharla Schroeder when she returns home this fall or ask Bryan Brashear the next time he is home. Ask them what happened in their lives? Ask them how they feel about their church, their God, their family members, their homes…
Are mission trips worth the investment in time and money?
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This is just a short note to thank all those who have volunteered at the school this past year. Without your generous and tireless support, there is no way this school could offer the quality of education that it does. Thank-you for your vision and for your ideals. May God reward you for your generosity.
M13 | ABC | 7:30pm |
Biology Fundraiser (supper at above sale) | 7:00pm | |
M14 | Daylight Savings Time (set clocks forward) | |
M16 | WASL | |
M17 | High School | 9:00pm |
M18 | Interactive Art Fair | 5:30-7:00pm |
M19-23 | Spring Break – No School | |
A5 | TCJA Pre-K through 2nd Grade Visitation Day | |
A7 | Parent Teacher Conferences (short day) | 2-7:00pm |
A8 | Parent Teacher Conferences (short day) | 1-5:00pm |
A9 | Early Registration Best Discount Deadline | |
A13 | WASL Math (10th Grade) | |
A15 | WASL Science (10th Grade) | |
A16-23 | Student-led Week of Prayer | 8:30am daily |
A26 | Annual Constituency Meeting | 7:00pm |
