"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

Leilen Shelton

MCS Heroes of the Week

Jennifer Crowell

 

Congratulations to this week's Heroes Leilen Shelton and Jennifer Crowell! We hope you enjoy your up-close parking spot. 

 

A Note to Leilen Shelton, 7th Grade History Teacher:

"You are so innovative and creative with your students. I deeply value you both as a co-worker and friend. Thank you for always listening and pushing me to be my best (3 hearts)."

 

"Leilen (AKA Layla): I love your zeal for teaching! You make the classroom fun and you remind students how to look up for strength and guidance. You are such a blessing to both students and staff!"

 

"Leilen Shelton should be celebrated as a hero. She's a passionate, knowledgeable, and engaging educator. She is doing amazing things in her History class. In fact, that whole department is amazing. They really do make history come alive. One of the things I appreciate about her is that she goes out of her way to make learning fun for her students. She never settles for the status quo. Her creativity is out of this world! She even manages to make completing a worksheet fun! Besides making learning fun, she helps students see their potential. Her students trust her to guide them on the right path, and they love her because she always speaks the truth in love. As a teammate, she's top notch. You can always count on Leilen to be excited about what's happening, and she's always game for a random flash mob! In addition to being a great teacher and teammate, Leilen is a good friend to all who know her. She's supportive and encouraging. I am proud to work with her."

 

A Note to Jennifer Crowell, Outdoor Director: 

"She is awesome and a hard worker who always shows and lives a positive attitude to her co-workers and all of the students! Her smile and support are such an inspiration and it is evident that she seeks to please God with her words and actions. We (all the Aides) love her and are so honored to be a part of the 2017-2018 Aide Team!"

"Mrs. Crowell, You are an amazing leader and I appreciate all that you do for the students and staff! Thank you for always encouraging and supporting us and leading by example."

"Mrs. Crowell, She is a light. Always leading by example. Having God in her heart. Always there for her staff. Always a blessing to the many students in ALL grades."

"Jen Crowell is a joy to work with. Your heart for God and students is evident in every interaction! You Rock!"

  A letter from our Admissions Director Ashlee Cowell

Dear MCS Families -

I hope you are off to a great start for the 2017/2018 school year! My children are settling in nicely and enjoying their new classrooms and routines. I cannot believe I have an 8th grader this year! I am truly seeing the fruit of her years here at MCS, and will launch her off to high school confident that she knows who she is in Christ and knows her own giftings... click here for the continuation of the letter.

Parents in Prayer Meets Weekly on Monday | 8:15AM Sibling Applications for 2018-2019 Now Open MCS Annual Fund Campaign | Now through December 31 Thanksgiving Break: No School | November 20-24 TK-5th Grade Parent Teacher Conferences | November 27 - December 1st Spirit Wear Pop-Up Sale | December 1st Under The Tree Shopping Spree | December 1 and 2 All-School Christmas Toy Drive | December 4 - 11 TK-3rd Grade Christmas Program | December 7th, 6:30PM 4th-5th Grade Christmas Celebration | December 12th, 6:30PM

Have a JoyFULL and Thankful break. School resumes on November 27th.

November 30th and December 1st Early Student Dismissal/Carpool Schedule

• *TK-K Dismissal/Carpool: Students dismissed at 11:55 & cars dismissed at 12:10
• 1st-3rd Dismissal/Carpool: Students dismissed at 12:00 & cars dismissed at 12:10
• 4th-8th Dismissal/Carpool: Students dismissed at 12:30 & cars dismissed at 12:40

ASP Available Complimentary During Your Conference Time

ASP for MCS students is available at no cost during your scheduled conference time only. No appointment is necessary. Simply sign your children in to ASP during your conference time. Should you need your child to stay in ASP either before or after your conference, you will be billed at the normal rate.

Note to Parents of TK and K Students :  Please email our ASP Director Mrs. Nakamoto at [email protected] if you plan to have your child attend ASP on early dismissal days so we can be prepared.

Reminder: Choice Lunch will NOT be available on November 30th and December 1st. If your child will be in ASP, please provide a sack lunch. Thank you!

Our next sale will be held on Friday (12/1). Make sure to stop by the Spirit Wear Pod by the lunch tables anytime between 8AM and 3PM. 

All orders turned in to the front desk prior to the shop days will be available for pick up during shop hours only.  

If you have any questions, please contact Kristi Eisenberg at [email protected].

 

Coming up on Friday, December 1st and Saturday December 2nd, over 30 of your favorite boutiques will gather in one spot to make your holiday shopping a breeze!!   In addition to the shopping, stop by the food trucks and even enjoy a painting class taught by the one and only Timree.  It's going to be two days of shopping you won't want to miss!!   Please check out our Facebook page for more details at marinerscs.org/christmasboutique or with questions email us at [email protected].

We will be continuing our partnership with Project Giving Light in December through a Christmas Toy Drive. Families are invited to donate an unwrapped toy or gift card ($10-$20 value). Drop boxes will be conveniently located outside of the front lobby and outside of the gym.

Recommended ages to purchase for are 5 years old - 14 years old. Middle School's December Share to Wear (December 11th) will be an unwrapped toy or gift card in conjunction with the Toy Drive.

 

What does it mean to take something for granted? 

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for what we have. It is about how our heart sees things. Look around your house the next couple days and see/think about what you have to be thankful for.... What if it disappeared?! The TK-5th grade students watched a short video about what happened to a man that took some things for granted.

Ephesians 5:20 (NLT) says to give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Family Question: What would you write on a BIG POST IT NOTE to yourself so you would NOT take for granted what Jesus did on the cross?

Thank you to our students and families for answering the call to bless Project Giving Light and help fill the food pantry that serves families in need right here in our local community. We had such an incredible response that we were not only able to provide Thanksgiving food baskets for these families and stock up the food pantry, but we were also able to make some food donations to some families in need in the Shalimar community as well.

This year, our newsletters will align with our service focus for the month. We hope that these newsletters will not only provide your families with the logistical details of the service opportunities being offered, but also with a resource that will allow you to dive a bit deeper into conversation (around your tables, in the car, etc.) about the area of focus. It will also provide an introduction to the organization we are partnering with in this area.

In this month's newsletter you will see that our monthly focus for both November & December is on "local families in need" and we are thrilled to partner with Project Giving Light, a local organization determined to bring light to homeless children's dark world. We will be partnering with Project Giving Light by hosting a Fall Food Drive in November and a Christmas Toy Drive in December.  

The 2017-18 Difference Maker service initiatives are absolutely optional. We recognize many of our families are actively involved in serving in this capacity within their local churches. We hope that your family will be blessed to partner with us, and look forward to unveiling the other incredible opportunities the Lord has begun to prepare for us over the upcoming months.  

As always, God says it better than we can, so I will leave you with this encouragement from Isaiah 58:10:  "Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as the noonday sun."

Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]  if you have any questions.

Blessings,

Family CommUNITY Connection Newsletter

Ali Bray

Community Connector

This list is provided to you by our Parent Teacher Fellowship.

Happy Birthday Michael. Looks like you and your Dad enjoyed painting your Birthday Rock! Wishing you a wonderful 11th Birthday and year in the Lord.

Thank you Hailey for the beautiful Happy Thanksgiving greeting for all to enjoy. Blessings to you and your family. 

Please email a photo of your special rock design and person to  [email protected]  so that we can feature them weekly.

Thank you to our Parent Teacher Fellowship for providing this opportunity to celebrate milestones in the lives of the MCS Family. If you have not yet had the chance to sign up to paint the rock, please view the calendar and sign up at this link. There are a few spots left.

This Monday's middle school chapel was our first Lion Pride chapel of the year. Lion Pride is awarded to students who demonstrate strong Christ-like character in word and in deed. In 6th grade, students are chosen based on character traits of RESPECT. In 7th grade, students are selected based on how they demonstrate the BEATITUDES. And, in 8th grade, the award is based on LEADERSHIP and those who follow the example of Joshua who choose to follow the Lord daily. We are so proud to share the Lion Pride Award recipients for the first quarter of the 2017-18 school year.

6th Grade Harry Bagramian Callen Bray Kate Cafferelli Kiana Giunta

7th Grade Maddie Champion   Sara Hammond Marta Harrison Preston Schmidt

8th Grade Rachel Boaitey Eszter Cowell Ben Holton Holden Swanson

A special thank you to all middle school students and MCS families who participated in the Fall Food Drive and November Share to Wear!  This month our share item was food donations to help stock the food pantry at Project Giving Light.  In return, the students could wear Western Day attire.  It looked like the Wild, Wild West on our campus Tuesday!  The food drive lasted for one week, with the pinnacle taking place on Tuesday, our Middle School Share 2 Wear day!  The MCS community rallied hard and brought in loads of donations to help feed needy families at Project Giving Light.  Thank you to all who participated, as we seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us.

Be on the lookout for fall progress reports and conference letters. It's hard to believe it but we have completed the first quarter of the year! It's been an amazing, fun filled, memory making start to the year. We are proud of all middle school students have done so far! First quarter progress reports and fall conference letters were sent home last Friday with middle school students. A signed copy of both is to be returned to the homeroom teacher. Celebrate the success and accomplishments your child has achieved!

JSerra Catholic HS Are you ready to start applying to high schools?  Be sure to register for the High School Placement Test Review on Dec.2nd from 9:00-12:00 with JSerra Catholic High School.  JSerra Catholic HS offers the High School Placement Test on Jan.20th and Feb.3rd from 7:30-12:00.  Dr. Courtney Harkins will give a talk during each testing session entitled, "My Teen is in High School- Now What?" and campus tours will be available.  Be sure to check out JSerra Catholic's Open House on January 21st from 2:00-4:00.  It's not too late to sign up for a shadow day!  Shadow days are offered weekly and we tailor the experience to fit your students' interests.  Come visit us to learn more about the exciting opportunities available at JSerra Catholic High School!  https://www.jserra.org/admissions/visit-jserra. We hope to see you there.

Pacifica Christian High School: For Admissions information, view their website at: www.pacificaoc.org Questions, email [email protected]

Orange Lutheran High School Prospective Student Open House: Wednesday, November 8, 2017 from 6:00-9:00PM. Fo r details about OLu Admissions, click here .

 

Crean Lutheran High School Admissions has begun: Click on this link for details.

Corona Del Mar High School Prospective Parent Night: Monday, December 4th. This is an informational meeting for any parents who are considering trasitioining their student to CdMHS for 2018-2019. For more details, please contact Julie Bentwood at [email protected] or visit their website at:  http://cdm.nmusd.us/.