THE WOODLANDS THE WOODLANDS
C HRISTIAN CHRISTIAN ACADEMY A C A D E M Y
AUGUST 24, 2012
Head of School Notes -- by Julie Ambler Welcome back to school! It has been a busy summer, and we are overjoyed to see everyone back on campus. We’ve hired an incredible faculty, welcomed wonderful new and returning families, and further enhanced our curriculum and programs. Undoubtedly, 2012-2013 will be our best year yet. The caliber of our faculty and the strength of our academic departments are superb. We’ve hired four highly qualified new classroom teachers, all of whom hold master’s degrees. As a matter of fact, 48% of our faculty holds master’s degrees, with an average tenure of 16 years in the classroom. We have continued to raise standards (spiritually, academically and socially) in our Admissions Office and denied admission to more than 33% of the students who completed applications. Even so, enrollment rose 12% this year and 30% since 2009-2010. We are pleased to have retained 93% of our existing students this year and to welcome 99 impressive new students. We’ve enhanced many of our services on campus. Catering for Kids provides hot lunches cooked on-site daily for our students. We’ve outsourced concession sales to free our parents from selling snacks during sporting events. If you have not yet visited The Armory, please come see our new store. We are excited about offering spirit wear, uniforms, parent resources, and supplemental classroom reading. The theme for the 2012-2013 school year is Grateful and, in some ways, it ties to last year’s theme of Edify. We want to build up and encourage our students, but we also want to help
them acknowledge their abundant blessings and express their appreciation to God and others. Additionally, we want to let you, our parents, know how much we appreciate your support and encouragement. The scripture verse comes from Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV) “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” I love both the elegance of this passage and the physical description of approaching God. I especially like the reminder of why we must approach Him in all situations with a thankful heart - because He loves us and is faithful to us forever. At Woodlands Christian, we are committed to offering your students an exceptional college-preparatory education. However, the reason we exist is to help young people to know Christ, to find their unique gifts and talents, and to lead others – spiritually, academically, physically and socially – for the glory of God’s kingdom. Thank you for allowing us to partner with you in the education of your precious children. We believe that your investment here will yield eternal rewards.
5800 ACADEMY WAY . THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS 77384 . 936-273-2555 . WWW.TWCA.NET
Lower School News Vision Trust International Dominican Republic School Supply Drive
Our friends in the Dominican Republic.
As many of you know, we have a special partnership with Vision Trust International’s Dominican Republic Christian School. Our spring mission project has met the needs of the school lunch program for most of the year! There are also needs at the beginning of the school year. Mrs. Betsy Mabry, our Vision Trust sponsor, has made us aware of their need for school supplies, in particular white board markers and pencils! Through the next week, we will collect white board markers and pencils in the MPR for our Dominican Republic friends! Let’s make an impact in the lives of these children!
Pre-K Tours Campus Students in the pre-kindergarten classes recently took a tour of the Woodlands Christian campus to learn more about their new surroundings. Stops on the tour included Mrs. Ambler’s office (left) and the school clinic (below).
Pastor Brian’s Chapel Challenge Hello! I am Pastor Brian Dunn, and each Wednesday I have the privilege of leading our lower school students in chapel. This year I will be giving the students a Chapel Challenge so that they may apply what we have learned in chapel. This week we talked about Psalm 100:4-5 which says that we are to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. I shared how one of the Pastor Brian Dunn
greatest gifts we can give to God is our thanks or gratitude. The Chapel Challenge this week is to take five minutes during your car ride going to school in the morning and have each person share something for which they are thankful. Keep going around until five minutes have elapsed. Hopefully, you will discover that there truly are a lot of things for which we can be thankful. God bless,
Pastor Brian
AUGUST 24, 2012
Upper School News Principal’s Notes -- by Steve Zeal Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year! Let me begin by thanking each and every one of our families for your willingness to partner with us in building a school that is positively impacting young lives for Jesus Christ. Together we are truly shaping the lives that shape the future! As our tremendous growth in enrollment shows, The Woodlands Christian Academy continues to build a reputation as a school that offers a strong educational program designed to challenge each of our students to reach their full potential in Christ. A school that unapologetically teaches students from a Christian perspective where God’s Word is held up and clearly demonstrated to be the true compass and guiding light in all areas of life. This passionate pursuit of a Christ centered, college preparatory education for our students continues to produce good fruit. Last year our senior class received 133 college acceptances and received a total of $2,405,192 in merit based scholarships. That averages $77, 586 per student! In addition to some great Texas schools, our seniors will also be attending Purdue, the University of Alabama, Colorado State University, and the University of Arkansas.
Our Advanced Placement (AP) scores continue to be strong. In 2011-2012 we saw an increase of 20% in the number of AP exams taken with almost 70% of the students receiving a passing score of 3 or above. Twenty-seven percent of our AP students scored at the highest levels, with a score of 4 or 5. In addition, we achieved a 50% increase in the number of students earning the highest AP honor designation, AP Scholar with Honors. Christian education can never be a case of academic mediocrity in a sheltered environment; rather, it involves caring for and knowing each student, recognizing in each of them the image of God, then strategically teaching, nurturing, and challenging them to be all that Christ has created them to be. At Woodlands Christian we believe in preparing the child for the path not the path for the child. I look forward this year to joining hands and hearts as together we mold our children according to the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
UPPER SCHOOL PARENT INFORMATION NIGHTS Middle School
Tuesday, August 28
6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Meet in MPR then visit classrooms
High School
Thursday, August 30
6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Meet in MPR then visit classrooms Parent Information Nights are important and attendance is strongly encouraged. As these evenings are designed for parents, student attendance is not required.
AUGUST 24, 2012
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT NEWS Cheerleaders Attend Camps And Learn New Skills In preparation for the upcoming sports seasons, The Woodlands Christian Academy high school and middle school cheerleaders attended private camps led by the Universal Cheerleaders Association. Both teams learned new cheers, sideline routines, stunts and pyramids to add to their repertoire. High school cheer team members earning All American honors are as follows: Laura Freet, Iliana Giorgi, Hannah Gray, Adriana Woodlands Christian Golf Lusk and Sam Thomas.
Middle school cheer team members also had the opportunity to earn All American honors. They are as follows: Darby Baker, Destiny Brass, Logan Lusk and Annie Shook. In addition, these All American honorees received an invitation to participate in the Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade sponsored by Macy’s. The high school and 2012-2013 Varsity Cheerleaders middle school cheerleaders will perform at the Booster Back row - Isabel Vargas, Jessica Robinson, Club Fall Pep Rally on Adriana Lusk, Laura Freet, Hannah Gray, Baylee Wednesday, August 29 at Rubich, Lauren Hobbs 6:30 p.m. Front row - Samantha Thomas, Iliana Giorgi, Brianna Guthrie, Alex Greer, Morgan Young, Grace Winnon 2012-2013 Middle School Cheerleaders Back row - Erica Owens, Anna Berent, Mikaela Sweet, Melissa Martinez, Lauren McCleary, Katherine Kasparek Middle row - Jordan Andrus, Kennedy Kesterson, Ivy Fowler, Logan Lusk, Annie Shook, Sloan Allen, Darby Baker Front row - Raquel Lusk, Bailey Greer, Destiny Brass, Reagan Ray, Meagan Allen, Sarah Mirbahaeddin, Katelyn Hassell Not pictured - Rylie Ray
Booster Club All School Fall Pep Rally Wednesday, August 29 6:30 p.m. SLC The Booster Club would like to invite all Woodlands Christian families to kick off the fall sports season with a great evening of food and fellowship! Submarine sandwiches and drinks will be provided for all who attend. Come out and meet your Warrior cheerleaders, football, volleyball and cross-country teams! If you haven’t already joined the Booster Club or would like to register for the golf tournament, Booster Club representatives will be on hand to answer your questions.
AUGUST 24, 2012
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT NEWS The location of the golf team parent/player meeting scheduled for Thursday, August 23 at 6:30 p.m. has been changed. The new location is the lecture room in the Timothy Administration Building. Questions? Contact Coach Leppert at gleppert@twca.net.
1st annual Woodlands Christian Booster club golf tournament Wednesday, September 26 Shotgun Start at 1:00 p.m. Panther Trail Golf Course The Woodlands, TX For more information or to register Contact: boosterclub@twca.net
Upcoming Events August 23
MS football scrimmage v. John Cooper/Northside
6:00 p.m. HOME
August 24
Varsity football scrimmage v. Snook High School
6:00 p.m. HOME
August 23-25
Varsity volleyball @ Covenant Christian Tournament
August 28
JV volleyball v. Rosehill
5:00 p.m. HOME
Varsity volleyball v. Rosehill
6:00 p.m. HOME
MS gold volleyball v. Rosehill
4:30 p.m. HOME
MS green volleyball v. Rosehill
5:30 p.m. HOME
MS football v. Northland Christian
5:00 p.m. AWAY
JV football scrimmage v. John Cooper
6:00 p.m. HOME
August 31
Varsity football v. Austin Regents
7:00 p.m. HOME
September 4
MS gold volleyball v. Faith West
4:30 p.m. AWAY
MS green volleyball v. Faith West
5:30 p.m. AWAY
JV volleyball v. Faith West
5:00 p.m. AWAY
August 30
Complete schedules for all teams can be found on the Team Pages of our website. Did you know that you can receive text message and email alerts for athletic events? Click here for instructions.
AUGUST 24, 2012
All School News Woodlands Christian Band Night At Chick-fil-A Thursday, August 23 5:30-7:30 p.m. Freestanding Chick-fil-A on Lake Woodlands (in the Best Buy shopping center)
All proceeds from meals purchased during this special event will benefit our band program.
PTF Ladies Bible Study The PTF is hosting a ladies Bible study beginning Wednesday, August 29th at 8:30 a.m. in the library. The subject of the study is James - Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore and will last approximately seven weeks. Study guides are available in The Armory. To sign up or for further information please contact CeCe Ray, PTF President, rcmray74@gmail.com.
School-Alerts.com Throughout the school year, if a weather or school-wide emergency occurs, Woodlands Christian will make every effort to communicate information regarding school closings. Communication efforts include, but are not limited to, email, school website, telephone and local media outlets. To receive automatic emergency alerts from Woodlands Christian via email and text message, register your email address and cell phone number at www.school-alerts.com. Our school can be found on the login page under Woodlands Christian Academy. Please note: Information from School-Alerts will be sent as long as cell phone service and Internet access permit.
AUGUST 24, 2012
