~ Principal's Perspective~
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Dear Friends,
Your kids are awesome. They worked hard on the snow days and Development Day and are mostly caught up in all their subjects. Now they have jumped right back into their African studies and we are at a fever pitch in our prep for Africa Day!
If you know me well, you are aware that I am a big picture person. That is why I love our Big Days so very much. As you know,
Africa Day
is next Friday, April 6
th
. It really is right around the corner! Now it is the time
to focus on the details.
This is where we rely on our creative families, you! Our Big Days are not shows to attend, but rather
they are events to enter into together
. Everyone dresses up, participates, and benefits as together we recreate the cultures and countries that we have been studying this term.
We need lots of help
in just about every area. I will describe, on the enclosed schedule, what is relevant to everyone and the teachers will make specific requests for each grade so
please refer to your child’s team page
.
PLEASE read it all very carefully
as it contains the answers to many questions. Thanks in advance for all your help. I hope that you will all be able to at least stop by for a little while as these days are hard to describe. The joy, enthusiasm and knowledge displayed by your children is impressive and I know they will long remember what they learned! Praise God for the freedom to teach in a way that honors Him (and is really fun!).
We are praying that you all have blessed time this Easter.
In Him who rose from the dead so that we might have life as well,
Susan Hayward, Principal
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Africa Day Schedule:
On Friday, April 6th, school opens regular time and the festivities will start in Chapel around 8:45 AM with worship songs and a panel discussion with our African families. The students will then go on an expedition across the African continent visiting the nations of each classroom and also presenting on their own classroom country.
At around 12:30 PM, the children will get to shop in an African Market and eat lunch at an African Cafe. The Market will be filled with items, handmade by the children, of things you would find for sale at a market in their country, and also fruits that grow in their region. (NOTE:
ALL children will need $2 - $4 in
QUARTERS and a shopping
bag.) For the Cafe, each class is preparing a dish from their country to share ... this will be the children's lunch!
After the Market and Cafe, at around 1:30 PM, we will have an African Arts Celebration. Children will be presenting plays, songs, dances and drumming along with an African Fashion Show.
Clean-up will begin around 2:15 PM and dismissal will be at regular time.
If you can help in any of the areas/time-slots mentioned above, please contact your child's classroom teacher. Participation in this event is eligible to count towards service hours. And don't forget, EVERYONE should
come in costume for this special day ... students, teachers AND volunteers. (So much fun! Can't wait!!)
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March 29 Term 3 ends (Team A field-trip)
March 30-Apr 2 Good Friday/Easter Monday (No School)
April 6 Africa Day
(service hours available)
April 9-13 Terra Nova Testing (grades 2 - 8)
April 11 Parent/Teacher conferences
April 16-20 Spring Break (No School)
April 26 Read-a-thon Winners' Limo Ride
May 3 National Day of Prayer / Middle School Science Fair
May 4 Hearing Screenings
May 7-11 Garden Clean-up week (service hours available)
May 12
HCA 5K Run/Walk
May 14-18
Scholastic Book Fair
May 17
Art Show / Spring Program
May 28
Memorial Day (No School)
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Spirit Night Success!
Thank you to all who were able to join us for Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A in Worcester on March 20. HCA alumni and current families kept the place full from 5 - 8 p.m. and we were told that our school had the highest sales for that type of event that they've seen! Thanks to you, we received a check for $240 from Chick-fil-A. The owner also told us that we were a great group to work with :-)
A big
thank you
goes to Mrs. Graham and Mr. Wadsworth for coordinating the student help throughout the evening, and to all the students who helped greet at the doors and clear and clean tables. It was great to see so many families enjoying fellowship even outside of our walls here at school.
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Ice Cream Fridays
Ice Cream Fridays will return on April 13th! Students may purchase an ice cream treat for $1.00 after lunch on Fridays. If you would like your student to have this treat, please send them in with $1.00 cash on Fridays.
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HCA Open House:Animal Adventures
Our Animal Adventures Open House was a HUGE success. Thank you to all who came and brought friends.
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After School Fun
After School Kids are still concentrating on eating the rainbow. Sometimes, we talk about why certain foods with their colors are good for us--what vitamins they hold or benefits we can get from eating them. Most of the time, we just
enjoy
them and I try to imagine what it will look like to see a Tree of Life giving us twelve manner of fruits...paradise! Today I will be cutting a fresh pineapple among other things for them.
Our children love to run around in the gym every day in After School. However, with the warmer weather coming I am hoping we can
get outside
much
more often. Some of them forget to
bring boots or wet weather clothing
, so please remind them that we will be going outside as mush as possible. They always tell me they don't want to go out--and then after twenty minutes of that fresh air, they don't want to come back inside! There is such a lifting we get when we spend time among those tall pine trees, the blue sky, the green (or soon to be green) field. It's a natural high!
Our other project is making a
Scrapbook
. Some of you have sent in photos for us and that's great. Please remember to
send in either photos or other memorabilia
like a program from an event you enjoyed. The book includes our after school kids and activities but can also just be about your family times and memories. They will take it home in June to keep so don't worry about losing precious memories--you will have them all back.
Finally, I just want to thank you for nurturing your children in
prayers
. When they pray as we all sit together during snack time, I am always impressed with the
faith, confidence and love
they show toward God and toward one another. It's like a little heaven on earth and you are the parents to praise for encouraging your children to love God. It is a joy to see that growth each day.
Happy Spring...may we all get that healthy lift we need from a change in the weather.
With love and care,
Marilyn Ravina
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HCA 5K Business Sponsors Needed
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The third annual HCA 5K RUN/WALK will be held on
May 12th, 2018 at 9 am. Please help us recruit businesses to participate as a
sponsor for this fun, community event. Our school is integrating fitness, nutrition, and gardening into all aspects of our curriculum. This event brings together students, their families and the community.
We are expecting between 250-300 runners and an additional 300+ supporters and volunteers. Supporting this event is a great way to put your organization’s name in front of hundreds of families. Sponsor’s names will be printed on many of the items that runners treasure as keepsakes. There are several sponsorship levels designed to fit your organization’s budget. In addition to financial support, you can help by encouraging your employees/colleagues to
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Service Hours Opportunities
- Africa Day Volunteers - classroom assistants, cafe servers, marketplace helpers, clean-up crew - contact your child's teacher to learn how you can "plug in"
- Paint Garden Boxes
- Spread peastone in garden pathways (peastone provided. we need volunteers to spread it out along the pathways)
- Garden Helpers (especially the week of May 7th)
- Recess Monitors (11:30-12 pm; 12:30-1 pm)
- Before School Monitor (7:30-8 AM)
- Parent Prayer Team Weekly (see: Parent Prayer Team, below)
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Team A News (Kindergarten, Grades 1 & 2)
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Team B News (Grades 3 & 4)
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Team C News (Grades 5 & 6)
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Team D News (Grades 7 & 8)
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Do you believe in the power of prayer? Has God laid a burden on your heart to pray for our school? The parent led HCA Prayer Team meets Thursday mornings immediately after drop-off at the Holden Chapel prayer room. Feel free to send prayer requests directly to the school office.
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Did you know that you can help HCA as you make your purchases from Amazon? When you shop at
smile.Amazon.com, and indicate Holden Chapel, Amazon donates. Learn about all the ways to support HCA on our
website.
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From BoxTops, to Read-A-Thons, to running a 5K, there are many ways you can help support HCA. Even shopping on
smile.Amazon.com
, can earn cash for our school, with no extra effort or expense. Find out all the ways to participate on our Support HCA page!
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