Chcs News December 2013

DECEMBER 2013

C O L L E G E

CHCS News H E I G H T S

C H R I S T I A N

S C H O O L

Middle School Students & Veterans Local students honor veterans at Spring River Christian Village today. Students in sixth through eighth grades at College Heights Christian School wrote roughly 200 letters to former soldiers thanking them for their service to our country. At the ceremony, they presented the letters and placed medals of honor on each veteran. Hundreds of residents and family members gathered to listen to music and speeches. Teachers at the middle school say this event is a great way for the students to get involved with the community.

“Our students jumped at the chance to write letters and were very humbled to honor our veterans by handing them the letters they wrote along with ribbons and medals,” said Nancy Ohmart, History Teacher.

“The veterans are very appreciated by all Americans and I think they need to know that, because I am really thankful for what they did for our country,” said Annie Secker, 7th Grade Student.

December DATES TO REMEMBER

9 . . . . . . . . 7-12th Instrumental Christmas Concert 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Breakfast with Dad (Pre3-5th) 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MS and HS 7th Hour Final 18 . . . . . . . . . . 1st and 2nd Hour MS and HS Finals 19 . . . . . . . . . . 3rd and 4th Hour MS and HS Finals 20 . . . . . . . . . . 5th and 6th Hour MS and HS Finals All Students Early Dismissal 11:00 a.m.

Homecoming Events at Ozark Christian College 6:00 p.m.

The ceremony was the first time the school has written letters and presented medals to veterans in person. Those honored at the event say they feel blessed that students came out to recognize their service.

Annual Fund Kick Off CHCS will kick off the 2013-2014 Annual Fund this month. This year’s fundraising effort, Opportunity & Excellence, will focus on three main areas. Technology, Tuition Assistance and Furniture & Equipment. It is our hope that we will be able to raise $52,000 toward improvements in these areas. To contribute to the Opportunity & Excellence Annual Fund, please see our website at collegeheights.org or call Anita Zarrabi at 417-782-4114, ext. 227.

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Truman Library Visit 8th GRADE The CHCS 8th graders took a field trip to the White House Decision Center at the Truman Library. The students were well prepared for their trip. Prior to going, they worked hard studying and learning facts about the center and the library. They had their trip postponed due to the government shutdown a few weeks prior, so this made the trip even more memorable.

R.E.A.C.H.

The REACH (Reading Enrichment At College Heights) Store was open on November 22 for all elementary students to enjoy. Students have worked hard to earn “dollars” since the beginning of school for reading books and then taking a comprehension/vocabulary test.

They are given an opportunity to spend their “money” on fun toys, games, candy, and more. It’s a great way to motivate their love of reading.

Veteran’s Essay Winner Congratulations to Kolleen Gladden!!! She was the winner in the 1012th grade division of the Joplin Globe’s contest for Veteran’s Day. The challenge was to write an essay on how you would explain the importance of Veteran’s Day to a child. Koleen’s essay, Daddy’s Sacrifice, won first place which included a $100 prize.

High School Play High School Drama Department presented The Importance of Being Earnest, British playwright Oscar Wilde’s best known comedy. The show ran Thursday through Saturday (Nov 21-23).

A couple of CHCS alumni joined the cast to create a memorable event.

Rapha House is a ministry that strives to eliminate human trafficking as well as supports the healing process of children who have been rescued from this horrible crime. Students collected a special offering on November 14th. The goal was to raise $10,000 to assist in the purchase of a new vehicle to be used in Cambodia. In addition to the collection, girls participated by gathering sponsors during No Makeup November. The CHCS gentlemen are currently doing their part by participating in Dress Up December. To date we have raised $8,563. You can still donate by sending funds to CHCS labeled Rapha House. Many thanks go out to all those who have supported this mission.

Thanksgiving Food Drive The annual Thanksgiving Food Drive sponsored by the Student Council was a huge success. This awesome experience allowed us to use God’s provision to help school families in need.

STUCO collected food items and delivered them to 18 families.

The competition between students and faculty was fierce.

Bringing the most food items, the students won! Coach Jordan will be making an appearance in the banana suit soon.

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SPORTS UPDATES

Boys Soccer

Cross Country

The CHCS Soccer Team completed their season as District Runner Up. Congratulations to All District Team Selections: All District – 1st Team: Dalton Zarrabi, Christopher Taylor, Dylan Zarrabi, and Brady Bishop.

All District – 2nd Team: Kellen Grantham, Jacob Cawyer, and Lijah Sparlin. The soccer team had a great season winning the Thomas Jefferson Classic for the fourth year in a row. Way to go Cougars!

The CHCS Boys Cross Country Team and Kolleen Gladden (girls team) represented CHCS at the State level this year. Congratulations also to Kolleen Gladden, Ryan Beaver, Paul Sherrod, & Jonathan Johnson all selected to the All District Team. Congratulations!

Volleyball Victories!

Elementary Cross Country

The Lady Cougar Volleyball Team completed their season taking Second Place in District Play.

Congratulations to All Conference Players: 1st TeamHannah Fuller, Sarah Vainio, Sarah Kent; 2nd TeamRaven Paige, Erika Larkin. All District Players: 1st Team-Hannah Fuller, Sarah Vainio; 2nd Team-Sarah Kent. Nice job Lady Cougars!

The youngest of the CHCS athletes had their first Cross Country meet on October 18th. Elementary Cougars from third through sixth grades participated in the mile long course. Awards were given for 1st through 3rd place.

Great job CHCS Cross Country Elementary Team!!!

Tennis Season Ends The CHCS Tennis team had a great season and improved to 5-6 record. They won first round in Districts.

Ashley Roberts, Senior, finished 10-1 in Singles. Great job Lady Cougars!

College Signing Senior Hailey Riesenmy signed a letter of intent on November 18th to play softball at Colorado Christian University, in Lakewood, CO. CCU is an NCAA Division II athletics school. Hailey is the team leader with a .400 batting average and 92 runs scored in her career.

Congratulations Hailey - the students and staff of CHCS are proud of your accomplishments!

A NOTE FROM SUPERINTENDENT NELSON HORTON… The first semester is nearly over as we approach the halfway point of the 2013-2014 school year. Enrollment is strong again this year, currently standing at 596. This is a little ahead of last year’s number which was significantly higher than the previous year. It is great to have approximately 130 new students this year, and to see how they have been welcomed by veteran students into the CHCS family. I have been impressed with the way students and parents who are new to CHCS have stepped up to get involved, serving shoulder to shoulder with those who were here before you. Thank you, whether you are new this year or a veteran family, for exemplifying the kind of servant leadership that is at the heart of our mission. By working together and maintaining a strong partnership between home, church and school, we can be true to our mission statement which declares, “CHCS glorifies God through excellence as a Christ-centered learning environment that produces servant-leaders with a biblical worldview.” As you read this newsletter I hope you will pause to praise the Father and celebrate with us the success of our kids as they seek to glorify their heavenly Father through pursuing excellence.

INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY

The following system is in place to notify our families in case of a school cancellation due to inclement weather:

n School email sent to all school families n Cancellation information posted on KODE, KSNF, KOAM, FOX14 CHCS makes our decision regarding school cancellations independently. We do not necessarily follow any local school districts.

FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student COLLEGE CORNER Aid which includes Pell Grant, can be filed any time after January 1, 2014 and will be based on the parent’s 2013 tax information. Missouri Southern is hosting a FAFSA frenzy event on Sunday, March 2, 2014, 2:00-4:00 pm. All parents and students are invited to attend.

It is NOT only for MSSU students. Southern is a national site for FAFSA workshops and have set the date in March to allow additional time for parents to collect and prepare their tax information. Students need to be diligent about filing their FAFSA forms by April 1st which is the Missouri cutoff date for state monies. Many colleges require any student receiving scholarship money to file a FAFSA form. This includes academic, athletic and performing arts scholarships. The FAFSA is federally funded and if students file before the Missouri cutoff date of April 1st, he or she may qualify for additional state money. The FAFSA worksheet is available at www.fafsa.gov and will greatly assist in preparation for the actual filing process.

REMINDER: There are many deadlines either passing or rapidly approaching. Seniors should have applied to the colleges or universities in which they are interested in attending next fall. Any senior who has not taken the ACT needs to do ASAP. Be sure to check with the individual institutions for scholarship deadlines. If essays are required, assistance is available in the guidance office. Students who are planning to live on campus also need to complete dorm applications. Timing is critical for dorm reservations which often involve down payments, some of which are non-refundable.

SCHOLARSHIP REMINDER: Students interested in additional scholarship money should check the CHCS Guidance Website on a regular basis. Updates for verification are frequently made. Start at collegeheights.org then go to the Guidance Center then Scholarships where there is a choice of the following tabs 1) Scholarship Searches, 2) Financial Aid, 3) Programs and Contests, 4) Local, 5) College and Universities, and 6) National & Corporate. Note: All the scholarships of which we are aware are listed in green print. As confirmation of their activation for the current year is made, they are changed to black print.

Renweb Parents, don’t forget to take advantage of Renweb, our online school management system.

You can check homework assignments, lunch menus, student grades, school calendar, etc. If you are having problems accessing Renweb or have not set up your account, please contact the school. A Renweb phone application is now available. This is a great tool to use to stay informed about your students’ progress.

CHCS Annual Fall Blood Drive Thanks to everyone that came

out to support the CHCS annual fall blood drive. It was our best blood drive to date. We had 99 donors register and 83 pints donated. Our previous record was 82 pints.

ECFA ACCREDITED – On November 12, 2012, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability announced the accreditation of College

Heights Christian School. Accreditation is based on the ECFA’s Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship, including financial accountability, transparency, sound board governance, and ethical fundraising. When an organization is accredited by ECFA, it demonstrates its willingness to follow the model of biblical accountability.

MISSION STATEMENT

CHCS glorifies God through excellence as a Christ-centered learning environment that produces servant-leaders with a Biblical worldview.

COLLEGE HEIGHTS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL n 4311 E. NEWMAN ROAD n JOPLIN, MISSOURI 64801 n 471-782-4114 n WWW.COLLEGHEIGHTS.ORG