Dear HCA Family!
Welcome to the first issue of Pathways for the year. This is our primary mode of communication with you and we are happy you are reading this.
This opening page is for information that applies to everyone.
Please
make sure to scroll down
all the way to the end so that you won’t miss a thing! Also,
please click on your child’s
Classroom Happenings
page
for grade/team specifics.
Last spring, when I first learned of so much change for this year (funny, that the theme of this year is CHANGE!), I felt a bit overwhelmed and wondered how we could possibly replace four beloved teachers and Afterschool director, as well as find new staff for our expanding Preschool and Afterschool programs. After praying about it, I had the sense that God was saying, “I’ve got this”. I love it when God inserts His peace into a stressful situation. Because I then knew that this change was His will and that He was directing His school, I could get on board God’s roller coaster, fasten my seat-belt, and enjoy the exhilarating, yet scary, ride! Have you ever noticed how ‘exciting’ and ‘scary’ almost always go together? The fear drives us to trust and that results in peace.
Not surprisingly,
God did it!
All the teachers were hired before the summer really began and they have spent the summer getting oriented, preparing their rooms, and getting to know the rest of the staff in a deeper way. Our Preschool is well staffed with fabulous teachers and aides, and our Afterschool programs are up and running. We presently have two interim staff serving in Afterschool, and are actively seeking God to hire permanent staff. Please spread the word as God so leads. Interested applicants may contact the school office for more information.
In summary, we are off to a fabulous start! It is actually a tremendous blessing to be able to watch God do His thing and provide for our needs.
Your children are gifts from God and hand chosen by Him to be at HCA.
They appear to be less tired than they were the first week, as they are settling in to their new schedules and routines. It takes the teachers and staff a little longer!
PARENT NIGHT
is going high tech! Staff intros will be a
video
.
We are playing
KAHOOT!
with our phones.
Please download the
Kahoot!
app before you come in order to be able to play a game designed to cover important school-wide data you need to know!!!
I asked some veteran parents
what they would like for Parent Night
and they said,
“More time to talk with other parents,”
so we have added a slower
start at 6:30
to enable time for chatting, signing up for things, drinking coffee and doing an activity for your child to see on Friday.
Parent Night next Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019
6:30-8:30pm
- 6:30-7:00 Opening Welcome in Community Room- coffee, nametags, visiting, activity
- 7:00-7:10 Meet the staff video
- 7:10-7:40 Kahoot & all school info.
- 7:45-8:15 Classrooms
- Grade specifics for each class
- Classroom Handouts
- Daily class schedule
- Developmental Highlights for this grade/age
- Year at a Glance
- Parent/Student Handbooks
- Directories
- at 8:15 Office will announce “HCA will be closing in 10 minutes”,
We realize that some Parent Nights are intended to be conferences specific to students, but
the intent of
this
night is to understand the school and its resources, programs, and curriculum specific to this year
. If you desire a personal phone call from the teacher or mini-conference for specific, unique circumstances, please call the office to make that request. We look forward to seeing you next Thursday at 6:30 pm!
Lastly, a big
THANK YOU to those who have already responded
to the
Sign-up Genius for the REACH Conference
on Oct. 3-4. Hosting a national conference (international, if you include the educator coming from India!) of like-minded educators is a blessing. It is a privilege to be able to serve in this way. Last October, four of us went to St. Louis for the first Center for Redemptive Education’s (REACH) conference. On the evaluation at the end I wrote that the conference was like
a
balm for a hurt I didn’t know I had
. This is the first (and only one that I am aware of) group of educators who share our basic philosophical approach. The acronym they use is
BRIE
.
- B=Biblical
- R=Relational
- I=Integral
- E=Experiential
This year, Nancy Pearcey, author of “Love Thy Body”,
will be the keynote speaker.
She will be giving us some help to compassionately
think through the ubiquitous issues of
transgenderism
homosexuality &
abortion
Nancy Pearcey has been hailed in
The Economist
as “America’s pre-eminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual.” Nancy’s latest book, Love Thy Body, will be central to this conference. In addition to writing four books of her own, she has co-authored a book with Chuck Colson, appeared on countless TV programs, is a professor, an editor and two-time winner of the ECPA Gold Medallion Award.
If you, your pastor, youth worker, homeschooler, or friend would like to attend the keynotes on Thursday and Friday late afternoons from 4:00-5:00, in the Community Room.
Fees
- HCA/HC family is $25 per keynote.
- Non HCA/HC is $35 per keynote.
- Groups of five or more are $25.
And Don’t forget!
HCA’s own
Food for Life Program
will be a featured workshop
.
Our book’s promo will be debuted, and God willing, the entire book will be in print by the end of the year!
WOW! Sorry this is so long! Blessings to you all and your precious children,
In Him who is ABLE,
Susan Hayward, Principal
