~ Principal's Perspective ~
|
|
Dear Friends,
You will be happy to know that there are no winter doldrums here! There is an enthusiastic and excited hum in our corridors, where you might see 4
th
graders absorbed in creating just the right kind of columns for the Fine Arts Building, or researching cameras of 1893 in order to build a perfect replica. You hear students talking about Buffalo Bill, Nelly Bly, Bertha Palmer and President Cleveland during their snack time and in the halls. They know their buildings, their people, their mid-way attraction and they are even talking about what authentic food to make. What’s going on around here?
Preparations for our re-enactment of the
Chicago World’s Fair are in full tilt for Friday, January 24
th
. To a untrained eye this might appear as a fun day to dress up and pretend the year is 1893.
To us, it is the culmination, expression, and application of an entire term of learning
. It’s a day when all the people they’ve studied, the inventions and science they’ve explored, and the concepts of change that provide the cognitive framework for the year, all come together. Each child is taking on the persona of a real person, either famous or someone from their family tree. Having researched that person, they will dress and act like that person all day long. They need to have about one-minute worth of oral information available to share with others.
Each participant will be equipped with a Fair Guide/autograph book in which they will keep track of those they met at the fair, the buildings they visit and interesting information they learn. By doing this, our students will know who was a contemporary of whom, who knew and collaborated with whom, and what part each played in the history they have already studied. We want them to remember and apply their learning, not just write it down for a test and forget it.
Each classroom is also responsible to
recreate a building or event
for the fair. Our gym will be turned into the White City and the Community Room will be the Midway. The following are the assignments.
PK- The Mines and Mining Building
K-The Government Building
1-The Horticulture Building
2-The Transportation Building
3-The Electricity Building
4-The Palace of Fine Arts
5- The Agriculture Building
6- The Manufacturing and Liberal Arts Building
7-The Machinery Building
8- The Women’s’ Building
Each class will represent what went on in the building in some way. As with any big fair, there will be lots to see, eat, drink, and purchase! The tentative schedule will go as follows:
|
|
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
- As you can see the day not only promises to be a memory making, fact connecting, and an unbelievably fun day, it is also a great deal to prepare. The entire body is built up as each part does its’ work and each part is well underway. We could use as much help as we can get however, on January 24th, parents and grandparents are welcome to participate with your child. Home-schoolers are also welcome to participate with a parent. They need to call HCA to make a reservation! We’d love to have lots of help simply escorting our younger students around the fair. We also need help on fair day with set up, clean up, food preparation and distribution as well as help in the exhibits.
- Please help your child research and dress like their character. Figure out how old their character was at the fair and dress accordingly. Props that represent your child’s character would be great conversation openers. For example, if your child is playing an artist, provide a sketch pad and pencil. A composer might be whistling a tune and an inventor would be fascinated by the thoughts and ideas of the other inventors and would certainly be taking notes!
- Simply costumes can be purchased at Goodwill, Savers or the Salvation Army. Long skirts or dresses for girls, dark pants and bowler, derby or top hats for boys. Hats are available at HCA for $2.00. The 8th grade girls will be running a hat shop in the Women’s building and old hats, feathers, ribbons etc. would be appreciated by January 16th.
- Bring in older objects that might have appeared at the fair. Each classroom is planning to create an authentic display. See attached list.
- Your child will need about $8.00 in change. Our math classes are working on authentic admission and prices for admission, food, shows, and souvenirs. They will be paying as they go.
Since this is the first time half of our teachers are doing this fair, there are undoubtedly many details we will figure out along the way and we will most likely sent out a few SOSs. Please be patient with us.
In closing, I am inviting you to join in on the learning and fun. A critical aspect of our philosophy is that we work in partnership with parents and that we want to inspire lifelong learning. They are dozens of wonderful websites, books, and even free DVDs (Amazon Prime) on this important fair that nearly ½ of the population attended! Your children have taken the plunge, so jump on in and enjoy the water (Lake Michigan maybe…???) God bless you all as we enter this exciting time in our school year!
Gratefully in Him,
Susan Hayward, Principal
|
|
|
|
Did You Give It Away Yet?
Your children were each given a
bookmark
on Monday and instructed during Chapel to
give the bookmark away to someone with children who might like to attend HCA. Did you give it away yet? Please consider families who participate in extracurricular activities with your children or a friend in Sunday school who might value a Christian education.
Don't keep the good news to yourself! Give it away!
|
|
Chicago World's Fair Needs:
We have many needs of donations for our reenactment of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. We would also like to borrow a few items for the fair (noted with: "to be returned". For those items, please be sure your name is on them.) Items would be appreciated during this upcoming week, Jan 13-16. Please see the list below and also visit the
Sign-Up Genius to let us know what you can bring:
- Cardboard
- Newspaper (lots needed!)
- Cans of Baked Beans
- Ground Bison & Hamburg
- Flour
- Kosher Salt (for pretzels)
- Aunt Jemimah Pancake Mix & Syrup
- Light Fabric Swatches to be used as Kerchiefs
- Potted Plants & Flowers (real or artificial)
- Oranges, apples & pears (real or artificial)
- Greenery, florals and garlands
- Hats for decorating
- Hat embellishing materials: feathers, fake flowers, cool buttons, buckles, old brooches, etc (outrageous is good!)
- White small lights
- Time-period (late 1800's) meters, pumps, engines, etc. (to be returned, please label)
- Children's electrical circuit boards (to be returned, please label)
- Old mechanical / electric motors for display (to be returned, please label)
- Old fashioned tools (to be returned, please label)
- Old fashioned farm equipment (to be returned, please label)
|
|
From the Art Room
Art Room Needs:
We are still looking for scrap wood for 2 art projects in term 3, which is fast approaching! If you have any leftover wood please
|
|
From the Enrichment Coordinator
Next term we are offering a Loom knitting class - of hats (and maybe scarves) to donate to the charity “Keeping Worcester Warm” which is a small program that provides refuge seasonally as an “overflow” emergency shelter to keep our homeless neighbors safe from the cold.
For more information on this charity Visit :
Katherine Calano - Homeless Projects Mgr Worc Dept. of Health & Human Services
Office: (508) 799-8483
I would love it if folks could donate:
- Any size or shape knitting looms and tools that they are no longer using...
- Any new yarn (Bulky weight 5 preferred - but any kind welcome)
These donations will limit the amount of product we need to buy and will keep the fee lower for the class.
Kind Regards,
Corey LH Lee
|
|
- Jan 10 - Term 3 Development Day - HOME-SCHOOL DAY
- Jan 20 - MLK Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL
- Jan 24 - Chicago World's Fair of 1893
- Jan 24 - Term 2 Ends
- Jan 27 - Read-a-thon Begins
- Feb 13 - Innovations in Learning Open House (7pm - 8pm)
- Feb 17-21 - Mid Winter Break - NO SCHOOL
- Feb 29 - Read-a-thon ends
- Mar 13 - ACSI Early Ed Conference
- Mar 17 - Spring Picture Day
- March 19 - Open House with guest speaker Clare Walker Leslie
- Mar 27 - Term 3 Ends
|
|
Square 1 Art
DID YOU MISS OUT ON ORDERING KEEPSAKE GIFTS
THAT DISPLAY YOUR CHILD'S ARTWORK?
It's not too late to order. Holden Christian Academy will still benefit from your order. Use the art access code located in your order packet or contact Customer Care at
Service@Square1Art.com or 888.332.3294 to receive your access code.
You can still order and the school will benefit!
|
|
2020 Vision
Read a Thon
Coming soon to a school near you! Actually, it is so close we can see it!
HCA will be launching our annual fundraising Read a Thon January 27
. The read a thon is a time when our students and staff raise money while reading for the whole month of February. Last year our readers read over 139,000 minutes and raised over $14,000. This year we are stepping out in faith and are challenging ourselves to
raise $20,000 in 2020!!!
We are looking for people who have a passion for both reading and Christian education to become matching donors. If you have connections to publishing companies, businesses or individuals who would be interested in partnering with us please contact the HCA office.
New this year only, We are also offering the
2020 Challenge
to any of our families. The goal is to enlist
20 sponsors to donate $20 each
. We will be giving out the Herman Snellen award for those who meet the 2020 challenge. Herman Snellen??? LOOK him up!
Read a Thon packets will be passed out to families the week of January 21. Packets will include details pertaining to logging in minutes on Reading Rewards, important dates to post on your fridge, sponsor sheet forms, sample email letter and FAQ’s. 2020 is the year of Vision. Our vision for HCA is to
FULLY fund our school,
FULLY fill our classrooms with students and to
FULLY answer the call to be a long-standing light shining
FaithFULLY
in this dark world.
Deb Lucier
Literacy Specialist/Librarian
|
|
HCA 5K Sponsorship
Do you know a business owner, or own a business yourself? We are currently looking for
business sponsors for our 5K in May
. Although more information about participating in the 5K will be coming out this spring, now is the time to help us secure business sponsorships!! Please contact
Ms. Graham
agraham@holdenchristianacademy.org
for a packet to bring to local businesses, or to fill out a sponsorship form yourself. Thank you for helping us connect with local businesses to make this event a success.
|
|
Family Referral Incentive
Your family and the new applying family both
qualify for a $100 referral incentive! For any family that applies for this current year, names you on their application, and is accepted, provided you are both up to date with your tuition payments through FACTS. This $100 check will be issued at the Spring Concert in May. (If more than one family is named, the referring families will split the $100.)
Any family that applies for next year, names you on their application, and is accepted, will qualify you for next year's referral incentive, as long as you are both up to date with your tuition payments through FACTS. Next year's incentive is to be determined by the School Committee and will be communicated to parents soon!
|
|
#getoutanddosomething
Do you want to help us promote our amazing school by showing off ways you and your family are experiential learners?! Ms. Graham has been working diligently to show off the very best of our school on social media, and
she's looking for your help
! Over weekends, school vacations, and the summer
please get in the habit of
emailing her
pictures of you getting out and doing something
!
Taking a hike? Going to a zoo? Ice skating? Doing something creative like building a fort? Going to the theater to see a play? Wearing your HCA apparel in a foreign country, or on a tropical island?
Email Ms. Graham
a picture of your family, or your children,
GETTING OUT AND DOING SOMETHING
and you will help us promote our school! Extra points (and a better chance of her choosing your photos!) for anyone
wearing HCA logo items
in the pictures! :-). We look forward to spotlighting your families on our Instagram/Facebook accounts - showing our students GETTING OUT AND DOING SOMETHING!
Recap of the "rules":
- *photos must include at least 1 HCA student or family member!
- *photos must relate to the hashtag "get out and do something" and show how we learn by DOING
- *HCA apparel is appreciated but not required!
- *email pics to agraham@holdenchristianacademy.org to get them to Ms. Graham
- *in addition to submitting photos we can use on non-school days, feel free to tag @holdenchristianacademy anytime you're posting on your own personal social media account!
Thank you.....and now, please
#getoutanddosomething
! (Just don't forget to take a picture!) :-).
|
|
Follow Us on
Instagram and Facebook
WE NEED YOUR HELP
to share the good news of HCA!
- Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook.
- Like and Comment on our posts
- Share our posts on your page
- Share our posts to any groups where they would be welcomed
- Invite your contacts to our Events
- Mark yourself as "Going" to our Events or "Interested" if you can't go or are unsure (ask your friends to do the same!)
Increased activity on HCA's social media pages will boost our ability to appear before a broader audience. Thank you for partnering with us!
https://www.instagram.com/holdenchristianacademy
|
|
AmazonSmile
If you are an AmazonSmile customer, you can now support Holden Chapel Inc in the Amazon shopping app on your Android device! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations.
- If you have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping App, open the App on your Android device.
- View Settings and select AmazonSmile.
- Follow the in-App instructions to complete the process.
If you do not have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping App, update your App. Click
here
for instructions.
AmazonSmile is not currently available for iOS users. We will notify AmazonSmile charities when it becomes available.
|
|
Help Wanted
Look here for service hours opportunities:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0848ACAC2CAAFD0-help
|
|
Teacher Wish List:
HCA greatly appreciates your donations of useful items. However, if you have something you think we may have use for but is not listed here, please call first to see if it is needed and that we have a place to store it until it is used. Thank you all for your continued generosity!
- Team B - empty Pringles cans for a project
- Team A - spoons and forks
- Team B - decaf tea
- Art Room - Scrap Wood
|
|
The Giving Tree
We would like to thank our generous
Giving Tree, Legacy Partners who have committed to sustaining monthly gifts! To join them and have your own leaf engraved for our tree, visit our
Giving Tree page. It’s easy and painless and once set up it is automatically sent to us right from your bank!
Visit our
Support page and click on either the "Give Now" or "Subscribe" button and commit to monthly donations for a minimum of one year, and your name will be engraved on a leaf on our Legacy Tree to be installed soon in our main entrance.
|
|
Share with Us
Sending photos to this email address indicates your permission to have them shared on the school's social media pages including
Facebook
and
Instagram
, as well as our
website
.
Thank you for sharing your photos, liking and following our pages, and sharing our posts with your friends online.
|
|
Forward to a friend, relative, grandparent... encourage them to subscribe to stay up to date!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|