Jefferson County Christian School Newsletter

February 2018

Dear JCCS School Family:

Have you heard about the challenge going around on Facebook where young people are daring one another to eat a laundry detergent pod??? Now here is the shocker concerning that story…kids are actually doing it!!! To me, whether to follow the crowd and eat a poisonous detergent pod is a fairly obvious choice to make, but what about the Facebook fodder that is not so obvious to discern?

Because of the prevalence of media in children’s lives today, there are so many voices in their ears. How will they know what to reject, what to embrace, what to commit, what to omit, what to do, what not to do? In chapel, we have learned that in all choices, the final filter is the Word of God. In other words, the voice that they should follow is not that of the thief and the robberwho seek to destroy,but that of The Good Shepherd, the one who will seek to supply them, protect them, nourish them, care for their wounds, recover them, and guide them only to their good.

“And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” John 10:4 “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” John 10:14

Whose voices are your children listening to and who will they choose to follow? Here at JCCS, it is our hope, in addition to all of our academic goals, that our students will learn to know and listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd, and always… follow Him.

Right behind the Right One,

Diane Hutchison

Administrator

NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

REPORT CARDSwill beissued to our students tomorrow on Thursday, February 1st. We extended our second grading period by one week due to all the snow days in January and to allow our students to finish their midterms and wrap the quarter in a strong way. They are to be signed by a parent on the signature line and returned by Wednesday, February 7th. Thank you.

RE-REGISTRATION BEGINS NOW: Re-registration forms for next year are enclosed in this packet. Please take note ofthe re-registration process:

  1. All current families receive first priority for registration into the available spaces for next year’s classes from now until March 15th. Students will reserve a space in the class in the order that the re-registration forms are received.
  2. ALL families that re-register students will be charged a $25.00 re-registration fee per family due when the re-registration form is returned to school. Re-registration will remain at that rate until March 15th. All Re-registration forms from current families received after March 15th will be assessed the regular application fee of $50.00 per family.
  3. Class sizes may be limited. When a class is filled, all other students applying for that grade go on a waiting list to be enrolled.
  4. Enrollment into the available spaces in each class for next year will be opened to new and prospective families on April 1st. New students will be admitted and reserve a space in next year’s classes in the order that the application is received.
  5. Current families can still re-register after April 1st, however, the re-registration form will be placed in order with the applications of the new and prospective families, and the charge will be $50.00 per family to apply.
  6. Families who are not current in their tuition payments for this year as per the financial contract cannot re-register until the account is made current and the re-registration fee is paid.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR ACSI DISTRICT SPELLING BEE WINNERS! We had many of our JCCS students participate in and “place” in the ACSI District Spelling Bee at Victory Christian School on January 12thth. The results were as follows: Grade1: CaydenKopras 4th place. Grade 2: Daniel Welsh 1st;AnnalieseDefrank 4th. Grade 3: Brooke Patterson 3rd; Jocelyn Saltsman participated. Grade 4: Kylie Moffat 1st; Mary Alkaed, 2nd. Grade 5: Wyatt Hervey 4th; Thomas Search participated. Grade 6: Mark Alkaed 2nd place. Grade 7: Elijah Foster 2nd; Mason Gump 3rd. Grade 8: Chase Hervey 2nd place. In addition to these fine results, MARK ALKAED took 2nd place in the SPELL-OFF CHAMPIONSHIP round and will advance to the ACSI Regional Bee! Job well done, Mark! Also, Chase Hervey was our representative to the Indian Creek District Spelling Bee on January 10th. He was in the top ten and advances to the Scripps-Howard Jefferson County Regional Bee that takes place on March 10th. The winner of that Bee will go on to the National Scripps-Howard Spelling Bee in Washington, DC! Congratulations, Chase! Thank you to Mrs. Linda Nicosia, our spelling bee coordinator, for all of her work and time dedicated to facilitating this great event.

The IN-SCHOOL SPEECH MEET for Grades 1-6 was held on Thursday, January 18th. The in-school speech meet is a special event where our students memorize and present Scripture verses, poems, patriotic pieces, and even original speeches to be judged and earn ribbons. Students who received the top scores in each grade will once again be going onto an ACSI District Speech Meet at Lake Center Christian School in Hartville, Ohio on February 23rd. The results of the Inschool Speech Meet are as follows: Blue Ribbon/Superior = *Lee Gump, *Jonah Shoemaker, *AnnalieseDeFrank,*Jaylyn Eddy, Kloe Riley, Tyson Lewis, *Livia Crew. Red Ribbon/Excellent = *Joshua Grimshaw, *Eva Groman, *JJ Riley, Katie Selai, *Jordan Crew, Kylie Moffat, Paige Ellenberger, *Phillip Arbaugh, Cheyanne Friend, Franco Barcalow, *Ashlyn Pinkerton, Seneca School, Jocelyn Saltsman, Kaelan McGuire, Emma Grimm, Elliana Adams, *James Johnson, *Daniel Welsh, Jameson McDonnell,Mikah Taylor. White Ribbon/Good= Jacob Burdick, Noah Kostelny, ChasityStevey, Mary Alkaed, Calla Groman, Elle Truax, Noah Ossman, Megan Hay.(Students with an asterisk at the front of their names will go on to the District speech meet.)The students who participated did a wonderful job. I would like to thank Mrs. Moro and Mrs. Miller for planning the event, our guest judges for volunteering time, and also our parents for their support!

VALENTINE’S DAY parties will be held on Wednesday, February 14that the discretion of the individual homeroom teachers. You will receive information through your student.

BOX TOPS CONTESTandA NOTE FROM MINDIE RILEY: “Hello everyone!! Spring is approaching fast, so that means that it’s time for another BOX TOP CONTEST. On February 16th, I will place the Big Brown Bags in each classroom. You may start the contest on that day, seeing that there is no school on Monday the 19th. The contest will run until Friday, the 23rd of February. I will collect the bags just before school is out that day. As always , the class with the most box tops turned in will receive a special prize. Fifth Grade was the winner of the fall contest…so who is it going to be this time???” Thank you for your support!

FEBRUARY 19th is Presidents’ Day and there will be NO SCHOOL on that Monday.

FEBRUARY 22rd is the day for PROGRESS REPORTS: Please remember that paper progress reports will no longer be sent home due to the ability of parents to continually check grades on Headmaster Online. However, parents are welcome to request a hard copy progress report through the office at 275-4326.

DRESS DOWN DAYS ARE COMING UP! See the enclosed flyer! When students dress down they must always follow the guidelines in the Non-uniform Dress Code or the Gym Gear guidelines for “what to wear.”

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST iscoming to the JCCS ROYAL THEATRE on April 12, 13, AND 14th and we want you to BE OUR GUEST! Preparations are underway and we are glad that so many students are able to participate this year. Come to see this “tale as old as time” come to life as we learn that genuine love can transform even a beast. Sponsorship information is in this packet and tickets will go on sale in March!

GO T-E-A-M: Please come on out and support the Royal Basketball teams as they finish up the season. SENIOR NIGHT will be celebrated Friday, Feb. 9th, at our home games at the Milsop Community Center in Weirton, WV. All senior athletes will be honored that night for their contribution to the JCCS sports program.

SNOW DAY DECISIONS: Well, it is that time of year, isn’t it? The time when 4:30 AM wake ups and the Snow Bird dance tune become all too familiar for me. I just wanted to share with you how the decision is made to call a two-hour delay or cancel school. Our students come from 8 different school districts. Six of those districts provide busing to our students. I must take into consideration all of these factors and make the best decision for the care and safety of all of our students and staff. And… I pray over every snow day decision!

WHAT ABOUT MAKING UP SNOW DAYS? The State of Ohio has changed the way that allowable snow days are counted. Previously, we were permitted to have up to five calamity days that did not have to be made up and as well time lost to two-hour delays did not have to be made up. Now, there are no “given” number of calamity days. Instead, there are a minimum number of hours that schools must be open for instruction. Due to the fact that our regular school days are already scheduled for more than the required number of hours, we are actually scheduled for 91 hours in excess of the minimum for the year. This gives us approximately 15 possible days that school could be missed before time must be made up to meet the minimum. Under this new system, instructional time missed due to two-hour delays counts against the minimum required time. For these reasons, we should not need to make up days but if that does become necessary in this winter season, we will use the “make-up” days scheduled on the school calendar.

WHAT ABOUT ASSIGNMENTS GIVEN ACROSS SNOW DAYS? Even though we may not have to make up days, our teachers may become concerned with the amount of instructional time missed due to snow days and how it is affecting the education of our students. Teachers may give assignments for students to work on when a snow day occurs in an attempt to preserve the integrity of the curriculum. This has long been our practice and our students are aware that they may have schoolwork to do at home on a snow day in order to “keep moving” through the curriculum. In the case of many snow days, teachers will continually adjust lesson plans and work to ensure that your student is prepared to move forward with success. Please trust our teachers as they wisely and knowingly make these assignments for your child’s good and gain.

IMPORTANT JCCS UNIFORM CODE REMINDERS: Folks, I am beginning to see a lot of laxness and non-compliance concerning the wearing of our JCCS uniform. Remember, if everybody can choose to wear whatever they want, how they want, when they want, then it is not a “uniform.” I am offering these reminders now so that students will not be penalized for being in violation of the uniform dress code in the coming weeks.

  • Pants/shorts MUST be ordered from Schoolbelles or Walmart “George Uniform” line. Not just any black pants/shorts will do.
  • Leggings are not permitted
  • Boots are not permitted. Although on snowy days, students may wear boots to school and change to shoes.
  • Non-uniform jackets/sweaters/hoodies cannot be worn for class.
  • Socks must be all black and/or white or gray. No colors.
  • Hairstyles and make-up cannot be extreme.
  • Hair accessories must be neutral colors (black, brown, gray, white, silver, or gold) or one of the colors in the uniform. No bright colors.
  • The only hoodies that can be worn to class are the black zip up hoodie with the embroidered logo sold by the school. Not all Royal Wear sweatshirts or team shirts are permitted for class.

PTF NEWS: Our JCCSPTF is on the move. See the enclosed flyers!

SAFETY FIRST: REMEMBER TO DRIVE SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY IN THE PARKING LOT AND FOLLOW THE PRESCRIBED PLAN TO KEEP ALL OF OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES SAFE.

PLEASE FOLLOW US on Facebook and Twitter at “Jefferson County Christian School.”

PRAY to GOD for *Continued financial provision for our ministry.

*Protection for our school families both in and out of school.

*Guidance for our seniors as they make decisions about their future.

PRAISE God for * His financial provision for our ministry.

*His continual watchcare and protection.

* His sweet saving grace and the privilege of prayer.