Newsletter

The Woodlands Christian Academy

Auction & Gala

The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Saturday, April 13 7:00 p.m.

GOING, GOING, GONE...

Your final opportunity to purchase 2ckets is FRIDAY, April 12 at 8:00 a.m.

Individual 2ckets are $165. Purchase your 2ckets here!

Fabulous Items Available At The Gala!

Michael Kors ‐ Give your wardrobe a makeover with an exclusive Michael Kors shopping experience. Shop in a private session with a sales associate at the Michael Kors store at Market Street. Value ‐ $10,000

Reserved Sea2ng ‐ Secure your reserved seats at these Woodlands Chris4an events: Lower school musicals (six front row seats to the 2013 spring and Christmas musicals); Gradua4on 2013 (six premium seats); Homecoming 2013 (four reserved seats to the football game on September 20, 2013). Value ‐ Priceless

Market Street Parking ‐ Looking for a place to park at Market Street? Enjoy your very own preferred parking space on Level 1 of the Market Street parking garage from July 1 ‐ September 30, 2013. Includes a $100 giR card to any Market Street store or restaurant. Value ‐ No parking headaches for three months!

Unable to aQend the gala? You can s2ll get in on the excitement by purchasing an opportunity to win one of the following:

Fiat 500 conver2ble ‐ Courtesy of Northside Fiat Tui2on for the 2013‐2014 school year Purchase online here!

5800 ACADEMY WAY . THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS 77384 . 936-273-2555 . WWW.TWCA.NET

Lower School News A Note From Mrs. Allen Examine me, O Lord, and prove me. Test my heart and my mind! Psalm 26:2 Testing! If you are like most people, you have some experience with that word and the mention of it may invoke some sort of physical response, usually not of the positive kind. It really shouldn’t be that way though. When done well, assessing our students can give us valuable information about our students, where they are excelling and where they may need some assistance. It usually confirms what we have already seen in the classroom and at home.

When it doesn’t, we use that opportunity to analyze why. A test is simply a snapshot of what a child knows at a particular time and should not be a reason for anxiety.

The problem with assessment is when it becomes the sole purpose for education. When the reason we go to school is to pass the test, it creates anxiety, limits creativity and, frankly, limits good teaching. Teachers end up giving worksheet after worksheet, mini-assessment after mini-assessment in order to prepare for the test. One of my favorite education books is titled, Jesus Didn’t Use Worksheets by Dr. Joyce Armstrong Caroll. How true!

At Woodlands Christian, we teach children, not a test. We believe that if we teach our objectives well, children will learn and be able to apply that learning to any situation, even a test. Our philosophy works. Our children regularly perform at or above their ability, most in the top percentiles of their agelevel groups. They do not need to be drilled all year long. They need to have experiences that will teach them grade level objectives, teach them to think independently and at high levels.

If we teach them well, students only need to learn test format a short time before the assessment.

You may have seen an increase in these types of activities recently. The intent is not to drill, but to get our children familiar with test-taking formats and strategies. The skill of taking a test well is a skill our college preparatory students need to master, but it is not rocket science and does not take very long.

Next week our kindergarten through eighth grade students will participate in the Terra Nova, an achievement test. The Terra Nova is different from the public school STARR assessment. The STARR is a minimum skills test. In other words, it measures that a student has mastered grade level material at a minimum level. For our college preparatory standards, we desire more information than that. The Terra Nova ranks our students with other same-age children, allowing us to use the data in a more meaningful way. We use the information gathered in the Terra Nova to help individual children, but also to modify our curriculum when we see a need. You will receive a letter from your grade level teachers outlining the testing schedule.

So, take a deep breath. Your children take cues from you! Here are some strategies that will help your child prepare for next week: 1. Get plenty of sleep! There will be no homework this week, so no excuses. Students need to be well rested to do their best!

2. Have a good breakfast. Protein stays with kids longer and keeps away those grumbly tummies.

Try to limit sugary breakfasts high in carbs that may make your child tired sooner.

3. Get to school on time. A child who is late will feel rushed and flustered, adding to any anxiety she may already feel. Getting to school in plenty of time will allow her to talk with friends and relax before the assessments begin. Teachers will be starting quickly. A child who is late may miss instructions.

4. Relax! Your child has the knowledge to do well on the test; let him know that! Say, “I know you are going to do your best!” or “Show what you know!”, and then give him a hug and a kiss and let it go! Drilling your child with test strategies right before a test increases anxiety and research shows that anxiety decreases test scores. Leave your child with your vote of confidence and assurance that he will do his best.

APRIL 12, 2013

Friday, April 26, 6:00-9:00 PM

Summer Camp

Blastoff

Lower School News

Everyone Kinder - 5th Grade is invited!

Come get a taste of the amazing fun that you could have every day this summer at Warrior Camp 2013!

Friday, April 26, 6:00-9:00 pm The Woodlands Christian Academy SLC 3 hours of intense fun!

Pizza $25 Admission

space is limited registration and payment due by 4/24 Students are welcome to bring money for the Snack Shop!

Join Coach Daysha and Coach Nate for some super summer fun before summer gets here! Bring a friend!!!

Detach here

YES! I want to come to BLASTOFF! on Friday, April 26th Student Name: _________________________________ Grade: ________ Parent email: _________________________________________________ Attach $25 payment - make checks payable to “Warrior Camp� Thank you

APRIL 12, 2013

Upper School News Students Welcome Guest Speaker

History came alive for upper school students as they welcomed Dr. David Gottlieb as a special chapel speaker on Monday, April 8. At the age of 17, Dr. Gottlieb was a sailor aboard the Colonel Josiah Wedgewood, one of the ships tasked with transporting 32,000 Holocaust survivors to Israel between 1945-1948. He also related the story of a 150 year old Torah that survived the Holocaust and today is owned by Congregation Beth Shalom here in The Woodlands.

Dr. Gottlieb is the founder of the organization The Actions of One, dedicated to telling the stories of remarkable individuals who act on behalf of others without regard to reward, religion or their own safety.

Click here to learn more about The Actions of One.

Rotary Club Students Of The Year

Congratulations to the Rotary Club Students of the Year from The Woodlands Christian Academy. This prestigious award is given to students based on their character, leadership skills and academic success. The Students of the Year are as follows: Freshmen Riley Farra Garrett Wolforth (not pictured)

Juniors Margaret Echols Tristian Suayan

Sophomores Kyle Kontor Jessica Robinson

Senior Lauren Lunsford

APRIL 12, 2013

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT NEWS Booster Club Bar-B-Que Bash On Tuesday, April 9 the Booster Club treated Warrior fans of all ages to a delicious bar-b-que dinner. Along with dinner, fans enjoyed games by the Woodlands Christian baseball and softball teams.

Special thanks to our smokin’ chefs Curt Mortenson, Dustin Ellis, David Brignac and Randy Hollas. Thanks also go out to Stacie Phillips for decorations, Daysha Sanford and the Warrior Junior Cheerleaders, and Steve Winnon for announcing both the softball and baseball games.

Warrior Golf Wins Second Consecutive District Championship

The Warrior golf team earned their second straight district championship on Monday, April 8 at the April Sound Country Club golf course. The team ended the tournament with a score of 335, thirty-nine (39) shots ahead of second place team, Beaumont Legacy Christian. James Ray finished in second place overall with a score of 77, and Davis Galasinni tied for third place with an 83.

The team will next compete in the regional tournament on Monday, April 15 at the Panther Trail Golf Club here in The Woodlands.

Go Warrior Golf!

APRIL 12, 2013

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT NEWS Warrior Tennis Player Advances To State Tournament Jessica Robinson, competed in the TAPPS 3A district tennis tournament on Monday, April 8 at the Lee LeClear Tennis Center in Houston. Robinson placed 5th overall in the girls’ singles bracket earning a trip to the state tournament as an alternate. The TAPPS 3A state tournament will be held April 24-25 in Waco, Texas.

Congratulations, Jessica!

Warrior Baseball The Warriors are now 5-1 in district and will face Rosehill Christian at home on Friday, April 12. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

The district portion of the season is wrapping up with only two regular season home games remaining! The games are as follows: Friday, April 12, 6:00 p.m. vs.

Rosehill and, Friday, April 19, 6:00 p.m. vs. Faith West (Senior Night).

Warrior Softball The Warrior softball team will honor the Class of 2013 in their final home game of the regular season on Friday, April 12 against Rosehill Christian. Scheduled start time is 4:30 p.m.

The team will close out the season on the road so come out and support your Warrior softball team and honor our seniors on Friday!

Warrior Track It was an exciting week for the Warrior high school and middle school track programs. The varsity team competed in the John Cooper Invitational on Saturday, April 6. The Warriors were the smallest school represented and the high level of competition brought out the best in the team. New school records were set in the 800m run (Logan Shearer, 2:04.10); the mile run (Luke Shearer, 4:51.60); 300m hurdles (Logan Shearer, 42.34), the discus (Luke Hudson, 107’ 4”); and the high jump (Jeremy Swisher, 5’ 10”). (See photos below left and center.)

For the second consecutive year, the middle school track team earned the boys’ and girls’, and overall NHAL district titles held on April 5 at Northland Christian. Forty-eight (48) athletes scored points for the Warriors in this meet to help the team to another district title. In the team competition, the Warriors outscored the second place finisher by 140 points! Way to go middle school track! (See photo below right.)

APRIL 12, 2013