OCCS News and Announcements
October 16, 2019
October Hymn: I Will Extol You, O My God
Verse: "I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever." Ps. 145:1-2
Strings Festival
All 6th-8th Strings students will be involved in the Strings Festival on Tuesday, October 29 at Western Christian High School. There will be rehearsals during the school day and a short concert at Western at 4:00 pm. Everyone is invited. See emails from Mrs. Wielenga for more details.
NICSTO Donations
Northwest Iowa Christian School Tuition Organization (NICSTO) is still receiving contributions to provide tuition assistance to those who qualify. Anyone who contributes will receive a 65% tax credit up to the total amount of Iowa income tax that he/she pays. For example, if you donate $2,000 to NICSTO, your state income tax liability will be reduced by $1300 while NICSTO uses your contribution to help qualified students attend a Christian school. Our school still needs close to $160,000 before the end of the year. We encourage you to participate. It’s a win-win situation, for those who give and to those who receive! What a privilege to be able to use some of our state tax dollars for non-public education! You may also donate non-cash items such as grain, stocks and securities. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Kramer at Unity 737-4114 (NICSTO Treasurer) or Mr. Alons at 737-2274 or stop by the school office. The donation forms are also available on the school website under "About Us", "Support Us", then "NICSTO Contribution Form."
Support OCCS through AmazonSmile
You can still support OCCS through AmazonSmile. We have earned $1,521.47 on purchases made through AmazonSmile. Our organization is listed as Orange City Society for Christian Instruction. You can use your existing sign-on to Amazon and you can use gift cards purchased through TRIP.

Recently Amazon announced that you can now access AmazonSmile through the Amazon Shopping App on an Android device. See the following instructions to set it up:
  1. If you have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping App, open the App on your Android device.
  2. View Settings and select AmazonSmile.
  3. Follow the in-App instructions to complete the process. 

Thank you for supporting OCCS in this way!
Late Starts/Early Dismissals
There is the possibility of school cancellation or late starts with the weather turning colder. We will be sending out text messages to anyone who gave us a cell phone number at registration. We will be sending any late starts, early dismissals or cancellations as soon as we know about them. You can also listen to radio stations: Sioux Center-KDCR-FM (88.5); KSOU-AM (1090), or KSOU FM (93.9); for information. Please avoid calling the school
office as it is a busy time. Have arrangements made for your child(ren) if
we would have an early dismissal so they know what the plan is. Here at OCCS, days missed because of snow vacation will be made up, if necessary, according to available dates on our school calendar. When school starts late,
we have a special "late start" schedule that we follow.
Appropriate Clothing for the Weather
With the colder weather approaching, please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the day's weather. Children are required to go outside for recess. Students should have a warm coat, gloves/mittens and something to cover their head. A sweatshirt does not qualify for winter outerwear. When riding on a bus or in a car, a winter coat is needed. There is always the possibility of break downs. Snow pants are required for younger students in grades K-5 once the snow flies, but snowpants can be worn to keep your child warm even without snow. All students must have appropriate snow boots. Boots are required when the “Boot Sign” is posted by Mr. Kroese’s janitor’s closet. If the temps are in the 50’s students are required to wear long sleeves, 60’s short sleeves. If the temps are below 50, students are required to have an extra layer to wear. Remember that the temps forecasted for the day are not the temps at our morning recess time. Please make sure your child comes with appropriate layers.