Eagle Eye 1-15-2017

January 15, 2017

Comfort Zone
It’s 8:00 a.m. on a Friday morning and I am already out of my comfort zone. In downtown Atlanta for a day of meetings, I have taken a seat in a coffee shop geared toward college kids and others far more “current” than I. An earthy whiff of freshly brewed coffee is about the only familiar thing here. Some sort of music thumps from large speakers under the “Order Here” sign, but I can’t make out a melody or understand a single word the artist is saying. “It’s afro-cuban rap, man. So fresh”, says the twenty-something barista. She has what appears to be a chicken bone protruding through a gaping hole in her left earlobe. It goes nicely, I suppose, with the feather tattoo that stretches from her ear, down her neck, and disappearing beneath the collar of a t-shirt that looks like it needs washing…or burning. With cup in hand and my back to the wall, I take in the scenery. Even if I were thirty years younger, I’m not sure I would feel at home in a place like this but the truth is, that’s on me. Different as every thing and every person in this place is from my life, I feel welcomed and unjudged. Despite my bowtie and jacket, chicken-bone girl isn’t giving me the stink eye. In fact, she asks to warm up my coffee when it reaches the halfway point. The frumpy fellow in a GSU hoodie sitting across from me asks if I can watch his stuff while he steps out for a smoke, as though we were lifelong friends. “Sure”, I offer. And with that I decide it’s time to enjoy my coffee, get some work done, and settle into an unsettling place.

I am rapidly approaching a half-century on this earth and one thing that experience has taught me is that comfort zones are awful places for growth. In our work, our friendships, our marriages, even in our faith, it feels good to nestle in to what is safe, and familiar, and comfortable. But comfort is a lot like Memphis...a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there (sorry Memphians). If we’re open to God’s best for our life and more importantly, open to being used by Him in the most powerful ways, we’re going to have to risk being uncomfortable. In the speech class I teach to our juniors, my students are often faced with discomfort as they share in front of their peers. Would they skip the class if I let them? Most of them, yes. But I know something they don’t - they will likely never grow in their confidence as communicators without learning these tools and stretching themselves into uncomfortable places.

As we prepare for a new week, let’s resolve to pay special attention to that quiet voice urging us to do or say something that seems uncomfortable. If we do, we might find ourselves visiting with the homeless, going on a mission trip, taking food to someone who is homebound, or simply greeting someone who feels unnoticed and unloved. God wants to use each of us as part of His redemptive plan and if we are willing to put our comfort at risk, He will. May it be true for us all this week, amen.

Blessings,

Jim R. Callis

Head of School

Dates to Remember

Monday, January 16: Martin Luther King Day - No School

Tuesday, January 31: Re-enrollment Ends

Friday, February 10: Munchkins with Mom

Friday, February 17: You Fed Me Event

Development

GOAL Update
Thank you so much to the 88 Georgia taxpayers who submitted a 2017 tax credit application to GOAL allowing them to redirect a portion of their state income tax to MBCA for tuition assistance. Please read below for more information about how the overwhelming, statewide interest in GOAL affects your approved tax credit application.

What Happens Next?
1. GOAL Submits to DOR.
On January 3, 2017, GOAL submitted your application to the Georgia Department of Revenue.
2. Approved to Contribute.
GOAL and DOR will notify you of tax credit approval and amount in early January 2017. Because applications far exceeded the statewide cap of $58 million, your approved amount will be prorated at 49.495%.
3. Make Payment.
Pay GOAL by check or credit card by the deadline of March 10, 2017
4. Take the Credit.
In May, GOAL will send you a Form IT-QEE-SSO1 (tax receipt) for claiming the credit on your 2017 Georgia income tax return (Note: you will take the credit when you file your 2017 taxes in April of 2018).

Thank you so much for partnering with us to provide critical funding for qualified MBCA students in need of tuition assistance.

If you have any questions, please email Alison Stephens or call 678-202-4056.

Charitable Giving Summary Letters
Year-end giving statements will be mailed later this month. If you have an immediate need, please contact the Development office and we will happily email your statement to you. Thank you for all of your support in 2016!
alison.stephens@mtbethelchristian.org
678-202-4056

Admission

Don't Forget to Re-enroll for the 2017-2018 School Year!
Re-enrollment for the 2017-2018 school year is underway and can be completed online. To view your re-enrollment contract, please log in to your My Backpack account (see Community Login under Quicklinks on the MBCA website) and click on "Enrollment/Re-enrollment." To secure your child's placement for 2017-2018, all current families will need to sign and submit the re-enrollment contract along with a tuition deposit equal to 10% of Full Tuition (not Single Pay) by Friday, January 31. Families with multiple children enrolled will sign a contract and submit a deposit for each sibling. The deadline to secure your child's placement for next year is January 31 . If you've already submitted your re-enrollment contract/s without payment, your tuition deposit must be received by January 31 to reserve a spot. Please note: to view your re-enrollment contract, you must first review, update AND submit your Family Profile located in the Enrollment/Re-enrollment module.

If you're having difficulty locating your re-enrollment contract, please contact Jackie Grasty, Director of Admission for Lower and Middle School or Cal Boyd, Director of Admission for Upper School. We look forward to partnering with you again for the upcoming school year.

Now Accepting New Applications for 2017-2018
Applications are now being accepted for new students for the 2017-2018 school year. Siblings of current students applying for the first time will also need to submit an application and schedule a shadow day. Students applying to Junior Kindergarten through 5th grade will be assessed for admission on March 4. New applicants interested in 6th through 12th grade will need to register to take the SSAT (school code is 5260). The SSAT is administered monthly at our upper school campus.

For more information, contact Jackie Grasty, Director of Admission for grades JK- 8th or Cal Boyd , Director of Admission for the Upper School.

MBCA Siblings
For our current families, if you will be applying a sibling for admission for the next school year (a rising Junior Kindergartner, Kindergartner or unenrolled sibling), please go to our Admission page on our website to begin the application process. Siblings of current students applying for the first time will need to submit an application and schedule a shadow day. We love seeing brothers and sisters join the MBCA family!

Financial Aid
For families anticipating a need for financial aid next year, the deadline to apply is Friday, February 24. Plan accordingly, as your completed 2016 Federal Tax Return must be submitted before a request for aid can be considered. The Parent Statement of Need will also need to be submitted to Jackie Grasty, Director of Admission. If you received financial aid this school year and will need assistance again next year, please note that you must reapply. Link here to begin the application for financial aid. For more information, contact Jackie Grasty .

Save the Date

Munchkins with Mom

Friday, February 10

It's now time for mom to have munchkins with their loves. Join us for Friday morning fun in the Fellowship Hall for our annual Munchkins with Mom!

Middle School: 7:15-7:40

3rd - 5th Grade: 7:40-8:05

JK - 2nd Grade: 8:05-8:30

Spring Fling

Saturday, March 25

Pavillion at Olde Towne

Save the date for MBCA's annual Spring Fling on Saturday, March 25 at the Pavillion at Olde Towne. The Spring Fling, formerly known as the Gala, is a wonderful event for the school! Funds raised from past events have been used to purchase playground equipment, AV studio and equipment used for the MBCA morning news, e-readers and a bus used for sporting events and commuting students. Please consider attending as this is the only social event exclusively for parents held for the school.

Announcements

Congratulations Spelling Bee Winners

The winner of the 4th-8th grade MBCA Spelling Bee is Charlie Gandy (5th) and runner up is Caitlin Foster (7th).

The Georgia Independent School Association's next level of competition will be held at Cumberland Academy on February 9.

Congratulations Charlie and Caitlin!

MBCA’s Invitational Art Show

We Need Volunteers
The Show is April 21, but there are many jobs that need to be done ahead of time! Five schools will be participating in art displays, workshops, lunch and an awards ceremony. We will need parent volunteers to help with:

Procuring prize donations—usually some kind of art supply (4 for Best in Show awards)
Set up on April 20, 2017 AM
Hosting our Judges April 20, 2017 PM
Tabulating results April 20, 2017 PM
Registration April 21, 2017
Lunch coordination (ordering and serving)
Photographers
Greeters
Workshop assistants
Clean up and take down

If you are interested in helping in any of these areas or want more information please email Bette Cardell. She is planning to have an organizational meeting on Thursday, January 19. More details to follow!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Engineering for Kids Club

Registration

Inspiring the next generation of engineers! Engineering for Kids brings the wonder and excitement of STEM education to children ages 4-14 through a variety of hands-on learning experiences. Limited enrollment, so register by January 20 . Program fee is $252 per student. Please link here for more information.

Link to register.

Friday Morning Breakfast

At the Main Campus
Come early and join your classmates for breakfast. All profits go toward the 8th grade mission trip. They start selling no later than 7:30 a.m. Tables will either be outside or in the main foyer of DeVore Hall. Students should be sure to finish their breakfast before going to class.

We will offer:
$3 - Chick-fil-A Biscuits
$3 - Chick-fil-A Minis box
$1 - Donuts (glazed and chocolate glazed)
NEW $3 - Gluten Free Scone from Cherry on Top Delights Bakery

Questions? Contact Nancy Ostergard or Paige Valentine 678-907-0779.

Chick-fil-A Breakfast

At the North Campus

The Upper School will be selling Chick-fil-A biscuits and calendars at the North Campus on Friday mornings from 7:30 – 8:10 a.m . All profits go toward the Upper School Mission Trips.

We will offer:

$3 - Chick-fil-A Biscuits

$7 - Chick-fil-A 2017 Cow Calendar with coupon card which includes 12 FREE food and drink coupons.

Class News

Fourth Grade

Creation of Sounds
Fourth graders started off the new year learning about how sounds were made. They completed 5 experiments using tuning forks, drums, rubber bands, glasses with water, and rulers to learn that vibrations make sounds. Now they are working on adjusting the volume and the pitch of each experiment. This unit will culminate with the students making their own musical instrument and explaining what they have learned about sounds.

Fifth Grade

"I Have a Dream" - Martin Luther King Jr.

Students in 5th grade spent time watching Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. They discussed how he used not only his words but his body language and voice to convey his passion and persuade others to take action. Each student then had the opportunity to write and record their own personal speech. By discussing their hopes and dreams for the nation, the country, the school, their families, and themselves, they looked at God’s world through a variety of different lenses. Here are just a few examples:

From Parker Prevost: “I have a dream that my school would stay united as one and continue to influence and encourage the dreams of children. I have a dream that my school would stay on the path of Christ and follow Jesus. We will not only talk the talk, but walk the walk as well."

From Sadie Parkerson: “I have a dream that I will be a noble and righteous influence to the world, spreading God’s word in brotherhood. Hopefully, one day everyone will know that God has a plan for them and won’t be afraid to be born again as a child of God. I have a dream that I would make a difference in the world and do what God has called me to do.”

From Joshua FitzPatrick: “I have a dream that my country will not fight to be feared, but fight to be one. We will be one family that fights for peace and freedom. We will not throw our bombs around like toys; we will keep them locked up and never use them. We will all be nice to each other and do what God would want us to do."

Chromatography

Fifth grade classes did an experiment with Chromatography. Chromatography means “color writing”. It is a way of separating out a mixture of chemicals, which are in gas or liquid form, by letting them creep slowly past another substance, which is typically a liquid or solid. It is used today in forensic science and in studying pollution.

Middle School
Latin Awards on National Exam
Twenty-three Mt. Bethel seventh and eighth grade Latin students earned top honors on the National Classical Etymology Exam ! The online exam is sponsored through the National Junior Classical League. It is designed to test a student’s knowledge of both Latin and Greek derivatives and their usage in the English language. Over 5,200 students in grades 6-12 participated nationwide. Congratulations to our MS Latin students!

Gold Medal
Dillan Lott
James Paine
Caroline York

Silver Medal
Samuel Alarcon
Elisa Burba
Caitlin Foster
Aston Hunter
Katie Morgan
Matthew Njaa
John Ostergard

Bronze Medal
Nicole Adegoke
Olivia Bechtel
Madison Gant
Caitlin Garcia
Kyle Hampton
Sara Kate Jacobs
Colin LaSure
Aaron Linde
Andrew Savula
Brenna Sculac
Rachel Valentine
Patrick Villarreal
Hillary Zetrenne

House Points
Fortes - 5,733

Veritas - 5,698

Servimus - 5,040

Integritas - 5,035
Fidelitas - 4,790

Humilitas - 4,747

Sports

Middle School

Basketball
All four MS teams were in action on January 10. The A teams played host to Perimeter Christian in the CAC and both came away with big wins. A Girls’, 51 - 24 and A Boys’, 70 - 32. The B teams were on the road to Ridgeview Charter. The B Girls’ led the entire way. Final score was 21 - 14. The B Boys’ suffered their first loss of the season, 19 - 22.

Swimming
Middle school swim team traveled to St Francis Day School on Wednesday, January 4. St Francis is the NAML swimming powerhouse that has won the NAML Swim Tournament for the last 5 years and Mt. Bethel showed very well against this very good team. Our MS girls’ won 53 - 44 and our MS boys’ were outscored 53 - 38 resulting in a meet total of St Francis 97 to MBCA 91. Congratulations to all swimmers on a strong performance!

More importantly, the Meet Official approached Coach Morgan near the end of the meet to tell her how impressed he was by the manners and sportsmanship of our team. In his own words, “I see these teams every week of the season and I just want to say that your team is one of the nicest I’ve had the pleasure of calling a meet for. Please pass this on to your kids, their parents and your school.” Nothing could ever make a coach prouder.

Top Time Droppers
Hannah Leerssen -6.79 secs; Alexis Rogers -4.49; Olivia Bechtel -3.94; Andrew Rothwell -3.89; Mason Herrmann -2.69; Michael Herrmann -2.45; Andrew Herrmann -1.87; and Evie Papenhagen -1.55. The majority of these swimmers were ones who attended multiple practices over the Christmas Break - your hard work is certainly paying off with improved times.

Notable Top Finishes
First Place – Boys’ Medley Relay (A. Herrmann, M. Herrmann, Smith, Shaw); 100 Freestyle - Claire Petersen; 100 IM - Nate Smith; 50 Freestyle - Su Lin Cox; 50 Butterfly - Nate Smith and Brenna Sculac; Boys’ 200 Freestyle Relay (A. Herrmann, M. Herrmann, Smith, Lanneau); Girls’ 200 Freestyle Relay (Wood, Morgan, R. Servaes, Papenhagen); 50 Backstroke - Andrew Herrmann; 50 Breaststroke - Su Lin Cox

Second Place – Girls’ Medley Relay (Petersen, Sa Cox, Sculac, Papenhagen); 50 Freestyle – Andrew Herrmann and Saena Cox; 50 Butterfly - Sawyer Lanneau and Olivia Bechtel; Girls’ 200 Freestyle Relay (Rogers, Leerssen, Taulbee, K. Servaes); 50 Backstroke - Claire Petersen; 50 Breaststroke - Michael Herrmann and Saena Cox; Girls 400 Free Relay (Sculac, Bechtel, Sa Cox; Petersen)

MBUMC News

SCREAM

4th and 5th grade Spiritual Retreat

Sign up now for SCREAM retreat, March 17-19, at Sharp Top Cove in Jasper, GA. Children’s Ministry will be transporting 4th and 5th graders and a few chaperones by bus in the afternoon on Friday, March 17 and returning on Sunday by 1:30 p.m. There will be worship speakers, live worship bands, outdoor lake activities, comedy characters, high energy interactive games, great food and fellowship. Early bird cost is $185 (February 1 cost increases to $200). Sign up online at http://mtbethel.org/event/scream-retreat/ by February 15 to participate. SCREAM stands for Students Celebrating and Rejoicing Enthusiastically in the Almighty Messiah. For more information, please contact Becky Tolbert .

DNOW 2017 Registration is Open for All!

February 10-12

DNOW 2017 Registration ends January 16! Students in grades 6-12 come together for the biggest event MBUMC has all year for Mt. Bethel Student Ministries. Students: sign up quickly to reserve your spot for crazy good music, a dynamic speaker, mission projects, and a deepening of your faith. Adults: they can’t do this without you. They are in need of Host Homes, volunteers for the weekend, donations, and much more. To register, volunteer, or contribute to DNOW 2017, go to mtbethel.org/event/dnow/.

Christian Activity Center

Winter Class Schedule

Come and try a complimentary fitness class across the parking lot in the Christian Activity Center. The CAC has 22 classes per week including barre, strength, cardio, pilates and yoga. Link to view the winter schedule.