A Note From The Principal

Day 100!

Our full-time kindergarten students celebrated day 100 this past Monday. Each year, we go to the library to stack 100 books on top of each other to see how high it gets. Teachers and Tall Sall stand next to the books so students can compare different heights. After stacking the books, we line them up on the floor to see how long of a path 100 books makes. Students get to guess how long the path is. This year, the mezzanine served a great purpose for students to be able to look from that higher vantage point.

While this event seems a bit trivial, it is one that the students absolutely love. Day 100 is a fun celebration of the blessings God has given us.

This Week

Lost & Found

Lost & Found items will be out on display during parent teacher conferences. Stop by the front lobby to look through the items. 

Action Needed

Enrollment Forms Due Mar 1

Enrollment for the 24-25 school year is now open! We have included a comprehensive breakdown of 24-25 tuition rates and fees. 

Each family received an invite email on Monday afternoon with an invite to start a Blackbaud account. If you need help finding this email or logging into Blackbaud please email Dani Buchanan, gro.naitsirhcada@nanahcubd

Once you are logged into Blackbaud:

• Review and submit contracts (enrollment forms) for each of your children entering grades K-8. You can find the contracts in the top yellow banner.
• At the start of the contract you will be prompted about a Tuition Management account. Please select "No, I do not have an existing Tuition Management account." as we are switching all of our enrollment process over to Blackbaud. 
• For families needing additional tuition assistance, you may follow these instructions and complete an online application through Blackbaud Financial Assistance. We respectfully request that the deadline for tuition assistance applications, May 6, 2024, is met, as this is a time sensitive process. Qualifying families will be notified of the assistance amounts by June and adjustments to your tuition total will be made at that time. 

Staffing Updates & Employment Opportunities

Miss Kimbra Filippini will be transitioning into a leadership role in our Educational Support Services department for the 24-25 school year. She has a wealth of knowledge in reading intervention and we are excited that she will be able to continue mentoring our teachers in reading instruction. This leaves a vacancy in 1st grade. After posting the position internally Mrs. Shelly Slauer expressed a desire to return to lower elementary where she spent many years of her career. We are excited to have Mrs. Slauer join our 1st grade team this fall. 

We are excited to add Connor Kok to our existing 56er team for the 24-25 school year. Mr. Kok served as our long-term substitute for middle school math last spring and 3rd grade this past fall. A note from Mr. Kok:

I have grown up in the traditional Christian household. I attended Moline Christian and then went on to South Christian. Faith has always been a part of my life and has been instilled in me from a very young age. It was not until recently that I realized how important this education was for me. A couple of years ago I realized how important this relationship was for me and this Christian education was such a vital part in that. 

I finally started to see God in everything and all that I had learned was finally evident to me. Because of this I am able to understand, as a teacher, the importance of what we teach and how we act around students. I believe that students watch teachers with an extremely close eye.

I am excited to join the 56er team at ACS. 

We currently have openings in the following positions for the 24-25 school year:

• 4th Grade Teacher
• Y5s-1st Music and 7th/8th Choir Teacher
• Elementary Math Interventionist
• Band/Orchestra/Music support
• Sub bus driver

Parent Teacher Conferences - Feb 14

We look forward to seeing you tonight! 

K-4th grade: Please review the sign-ups for conferences to plan for your time 

5th-8th grade: These conferences will take place in 5 minute “round robin” sessions. Please take a moment to let us know which night you plan to attend. 4:30-7:30pm

Now You Know

Robocats

Congratulations to the Ada Christian Robo-Cats who represented our school at 2 Vex Robotics tournaments and 4 League events (which is one tournament divided into 4 nights). This year was the first time Ada Christian hosted official Vex teams which meant each member and coach were rookies as we learned to build, code, strategize and become a community of problem solvers. The coaches are proud of each member who put their heart and soul into the season:

Team A: 8th graders Henry, Graham, and Ian and 7th grader Barron.  
Team B: 5th graders  Elise, Addi and 4th graders:Finn and Noah
Team C: 7th graders Lukas, Tayaun, Addison and 6th grader Corban.
Team D: 5th graders: Royce, Nathan and Dylan

We would like to congratulate 2 teams for being recognized for the following awards. Look for their certificates outside the Studio:

• Think Award: Team clearly explains their programming management process. Students worked together to develop their robot programming. The team interview demonstrates effective communication skills, teamwork and professionalism.
• Judges Award: Team distinguishes themselves in some way at the event that may not fit in other award categories. Team displays special attributes, exemplary effort, perseverance and student-centered ethos at the event. Team overcomes an obstacle or challenge and achieves a goal or special accomplishment.

The coaches would like to encourage motivated 4th-8th graders to consider applying for the team next year. The team would like to thank Mr. Jorgensen and Mrs. Lineberry for their hard work and dedication as coaches!

Statements of Belief

We believe that God established a covenant with parents and their children and that according to that covenant parents must provide for the Christian education of their children (Genesis 17:1-16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9). 

Many of you have heard the analogy of the three legged stool: home, church and school. As we enter the season of enrollment we are reflecting once more on the importance of this partnership. Our hope is that each year during re-enrollment you reflect on this partnership as well. God has given us the commandment in Deuteronomy to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” As your partner in Christian education are partners in this commandment.

Sticky Faith Small Groups

This past fall, we had the privilege of hosting Dr. Chap Clark, the esteemed author of "Sticky Faith," at our Foundation Dinner. Dr. Clark delivered a motivational speech, emphasizing the vital role parents and other influential figures play in our children's spiritual journey.

In continuation of this inspiring message, we are excited to invite you to participate in small groups where we will read and study "Sticky Faith" together. This is a wonderful opportunity to delve deeper into the concepts discussed by Dr. Clark and explore practical ways to strengthen the spiritual foundation of our children.

Sponsored by the ACS Promotions Committee, we are offering a complimentary copy of the book to interested parents. Additionally, you have the option to be partnered with other parents for a more enriching and collaborative experience.

The small groups will be a short term commitment with the group members deciding the duration, timing and location of the meetings. 

If you are interested in receiving a free copy of "Sticky Faith" and learning more about this opportunity, please fill out this short questionnaire. We will be hosting a special kick off at school on February 22 at 6:30pm. Childcare will be provided. Chap Clark will join remotely and help with the launch. 

We believe that coming together as a community will not only enhance our understanding of the book but also foster meaningful connections among parents, faculty and staff.

We look forward to embarking on this journey with you and creating a space for insightful discussions and shared insights. 

_{The promotions committee helps carry out marketing and promotion strategies for ACS. They also provide opportunities for building a sense of school community among parents of Ada Christian School students.}

Unicycle Club

The ACS Unicycle Club is for 1st-8th grade students who would like to learn how to ride a unicycle or progress in other unicycle skills. We are offering the club one last time this school year.

We will meet the first four Tuesdays in March after school from 3:05pm-4:00pm starting on Tuesday, Mar 05.

We provide the unicycles, and you provide the rider. The club will be capped at 20 members. Although unicycles are provided, you may bring your own if you prefer.

The cost is $30 for new riders and $10 for returning club members who can ride on their own and will be bringing their own unicycle. Use this link to sign up online. If you are registering multiple children, please fill out an individual form for each child.

Members will be admitted on a first come, first served basis. Students who have not participated in a previous Unicycle Club will be given priority. If the club reaches capacity, a waiting list will be started. Questions? Contact:

Mrs. Boerman (gro.naitsirhcada@namreobl) or Coach DK (gro.naitsirhcada@enielkeds).

Exchange Student Program

During the fall of this school year, Ada Christian had the opportunity to participate in a cultural exchange program for Guatemalan students and we are excited to continue the program this coming school year, 2024-2025.

The Faces And Our Cultures program is designed to provide Guatemalan students the opportunity to spend seven weeks in our community. We are looking for host families to host students this fall. Each participant will attend Ada Christian for seven weeks as a full-time student, have their own schedule, and will participate in all aspects of the school day.  These student ambassadors are fluent in English and will arrive on Sunday, Oct 20 and depart on Saturday, Dec 14.

All the school related costs will be covered by the Faces Program.  

Host families kindly provide homestay and make them part of their family's routine for seven weeks.

Each child will need a host home. The assigned child will be the same age and gender of the host child.

To learn more please complete this form.

School Lunch Program - Feb Menu

Check out the menu and plan for the month of February!

Visit adachristian.org/hotlunch for details or to apply for lunch assistance. For questions on your hot lunch account please contact Jill Zondag, gro.scrg@gadnozj

Looking Ahead

2024-2025 Calendar

Please note this calendar is for next school year (2024-2025).

Aug 20 - First ½ Day (Dismissal @ 11:30am)
Aug 30-Sept 2 - No School (Labor Day)
Sept 30 - No School (In-Service)
Oct 17 & 22 - Parent Teacher Conferences
Oct 23-27 - No School (Fall Break)
Nov 27-Dec 1 - No School (Thanksgiving Break)
Dec 21-Jan 5 - No School (Christmas Break)
Jan 20 - No School (In-Service)
Feb 6 & 12 - Parent Teacher Conferences
Feb 13 - No School (In-Service)
Feb 14-Feb 17 - No School (Winter Break)
April 3 - No School (In-Service)
April 4-13 - No School (Spring Break)
May 2 - Grand Friends Day (Dismissal @ 11:30am)
May 5 - No School (In-Service)
May 26 - No School (Memorial Day)
Jun 3 - 8th Grade Graduation
Jun 5 - Last Day of School (Dismissal @ 11:30am)

Athletics

PurePlay (K-4th)

Wildcats (5th-8th)

Spring Sports

Spring sports sign-ups are now open. Please register by Feb 19. 

Mark Your Calendar

Feb 8 & 14 - Parent Teacher Conferences
Feb 12 - K-8 Enrollment Opens
Feb 15-19 - No School (Winter Break)