May 2016 - Sioux Center Christian School

MAY 2016 The mission of Sioux Center Christian School is to disciple God's children by equipping them with a knowledge and understanding of Christ and His creation
so that they can obediently serve God and others as they work and play.
PRINCIPAL’S CORNER
Two years ago at this time, our neighbors’ houses were being moved away from the school. Last year at this time, the construction of our new building was nearing completion. This year, we have much less that is visible to the passing eye; however, the work has continued. Numerous meetings and countless hours have been dedicated to a tremendous amount of work, but the end result is much less costly. As Mr. Bowar addresses in other articles in this publication, we have spent a good deal of time formulating a strategic plan and a school improvement plan. In addition, the Board has decided to transition to a model of Mission-­‐Directed Governance. Now that the groundwork has been laid, each of these plans will give us at SCCS a roadmap for the future and the details will become clearer in the next few years. At the last board m eeting, a proposal from PACE to discontinue the pizza/popcorn sales, the ice cream sales, and the bake sale and replace them with a softener salt fundraiser in the Spring of each year was approved. We are very grateful for the $42,000 that PACE contributed to special projects that were not included in the budget for the past year. PACE has also decided to have only one business meeting each year that will be held in the Spring. Our school continues to be very sound financially. While we have been able to hold our expenses slightly under what was budgeted for the year thus far, we all need to stretch our giving just a bit as we are approaching the end of our fiscal year with a rather healthy balance remaining to be paid. Thanks for making regular payments to your tuition accounts and/or through the Fair Share Program. As we approach the end of the school year, we bid farewell to four teachers who are leaving our school. Mr. Michael Groenenboom has taught music for the past year. He plans to be married this summer, and he and his bride (Kristen Raygor) will move to Sioux Falls where Mr. Groenenboom will teach grades 7-­‐12 instrumental music at Sioux Falls Christian School. Mrs. Angela Hannigan, who taught Spanish here for two years, has accepted a position at Netherlands Reformed Christian School in Rock Valley. She and her family will continue to live just a block from school, and the children will remain part of our school family. Mrs. Maggie Rozenboom recently accepted a part-­‐time teaching position in TK at Sioux Center Community School. She has been teaching at our school for the last five years. After teaching PE part-­‐time at SCCS for the past 16 years, Mrs. Marg Fedders has decided to avail herself of more family time at home and being more able to follow her children’s activities. Two teachers have decided to retire from teaching at the end of this school year. Mrs. Trena Van Wyk spent seven years teaching th
in Illinois, Indiana, and North Carolina before coming to SCCS to teach at the 6 grade level for a few years. She then agreed to teach st
th
1 grade where she is concluding her 24 year of service to our school. Throughout the years she has served on numerous committees, and we thank her for her dedication to Christian education and commit her retirement to the Lord of her life. Mr. Steve Crull is concluding 42 years of teaching junior high mathematics at SCCS. Mr. Crull has held most school positions over the years including coach, intramural director, bus driver, set designer for plays, and vice principal as well as classroom teacher. He will long be remembered as a teacher who managed to point out the intricacies and order found in mathematics, but at the same time he shared with the students the enjoyment of finding a solution to a problem that seemed “out of reach”. We thank Mr. Crull for dedicating his life’s career to teaching our children, and we wish him God’s richest blessing as he transitions into his retirement years. The SCCS A nnual Society Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 14, at 7:00 p.m. in the First CRC of Sioux Center. Everyone is invited to attend to approve the budget and elect a new board member representative from Faith CRC. Nominees include Liz De Groot and Andrea Westerbeek. More information will be shared at the time of the meeting. M a y 2 0 1 6 Harlan De Vries, Principal T h e B u l l e t i n B o a r d P a g e | 1 F A I R SH A R E R E P O R T … 8/1/15 – 5/16/16… 79.2% of fiscal year C H U R CH
Fi r s t C R C
Bethel
Covenant
Fa i t h
B r id g e o f H o p e
P a rt n e r S o c i e t y
A cc u m u l a t e d S h o r t a g e
Total
B U D G ET
$ 22 1, 94 9
$ 31 8, 05 5
$ 14 8, 77 9
$ 31 3, 81 8
$ 78 ,8 61
$ 13 4, 14 5
$ 47 ,4 59
$ 18 1, 60 4
R EC E I PT S
$ 15 7, 9 49
$ 31 8, 05 5
$ 10 5, 57 0
$ 22 9, 00 0
$ 59 ,1 46
PE R C EN T
7 1. 2%
1 00 %
7 1%
7 3%
7 5%
$ 12 6, 63 0
*6 9 .7 %
*p e r c e n t a ge i n c l u d e s sh o rt a ge
FORWARD IN FAITH CAMPAIGN UPDATE
Rich Koele, Development Director
As we head toward the end of a school year, it’s time to reflect on just how much we
have enjoyed our new building addition. We couldn’t be happier with how the
building is supporting our educational program! We are pleased to announce that
the final costs of the building project are in, and the project was finished on time
and under budget. God has been faithful! Now it’s time for the final push to the
finish line. The capital campaign has come a long way, but there are some funds yet
to be raised. Thank you to all who have supported our project so far with financial
donations, volunteer time, and prayer.
The current campaign numbers and project costs are:
Total Cost of Project:
$6,801,000
Total Pledges and Donations
$5,075,000
(includes funds from Trail’Raiser 2015 and Trail’Raiser 2016)
Funds Yet To Be Raised (Debt)
$1,726,000
The debt is something that we need to eliminate in a timely manner. We ask that all
supporters of Christian education prayerfully consider how you can help our school
community pay off our building debt so that we can continue moving our school
program forward. We are grateful for the faithful support that we have at SCCS. In
faith, we began. In faith, we move forward!
T R A IL ’R A IS E R N IG H T 2016
Amy Vander Berg, Trail’Raiser Committee
TEACHER POSITION
OPEN:
Applications are being
received for a First Grade
Teacher for the 2016-17
school year. Check our
Website for the employment
materials.
Hannah Landman, 8th Grade Student
This year at SCCS, we studied the names
of God. I can’t pretend to know
everything because I’m an eighth grader,
and despite most of the activities being
for admittedly younger kids, I did learn.
God is many things at once – He can be
the Creator, the Paraclete, and “I Am” at
the same time. God is omniscient, and
omnipotent. He is many things – the
Bible has more than 200 names for Him.
The crazy thing is: God fits all of His
names perfectly. Yahweh: “He is” or “I
Am”. God is who he is – strong and
mighty; a king, and yet a friend. We can’t
change God no matter how hard we
might try. While studying the names of
God, we learned about many things –
different kings and how they all were
proud and weak in comparison with
Jesus; how creative God is, and how
much He delights in us. As I mentioned
before, the activities we did in our groups
may have seemed applicable only to
younger children, but if we look hard
enough into anything in life we can see
God and His love. We are never too old
to learn, and sometimes getting older
just means we have to look harder.
We want to give FIRST thanks and praise to God, our Provider, for the success of the
2nd Annual Trail’Raiser Night! We are blessed to report that through the faithful
support of our ENTIRE SCCS community, Trail'Raiser Night (which included an Auction, Crafts and Baked Goods Bazaar, Gourmet
Cupcake Stand, Freewill Supper, Prayer Pens, Concession Stand, and the Trailblazer Gala) has raised $165,000 to reduce the debt
on our new building addition and provide for school technology at Sioux Center Christian School! Of that, $110,000 (2/3) will go
toward paying off the debt and $55,000 (1/3) will be used for school technology advances over the next couple of years.
Hundreds of businesses and individuals made donations to the event…PLUS over a thousand people participated by attending
the events, purchasing items, and donating! EVERY GIFT – no matter the size – added up to an amount that we really didn’t even
dream possible! With last year’s first Trail’Raiser Night bringing in $105,000 (which was wonderful!), a $60,000 increase is
staggering and serves to remind us that we can make many plans and have many ideas, but it is our God who generously blesses
SCCS through His people!
You have shown your generous and obedient hearts toward Christ and His school through your response to this fundraising
event! THANK YOU!
M a y 2 0 1 6 T h e B u l l e t i n B o a r d P a g e | 2 A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Josh Bowar, Assistant Principal
The mission of Sioux Center Christian School is to disciple God's
children by equipping them with a knowledge and understanding
of Christ and His creation so that they can obediently serve God
and others as they work and play. Out of this mission, you can pull
three main words: disciple, equip, serve.
The board of trustees-appointed long range planning team is
pleased to share that our school now has a completed strategic
plan that will assist us in discipling, equipping, and serving! This
plan came about in order to fulfill one of the goals that we set for
ourselves during the CSI accreditation process. Through several
surveys, discussions, brainstorming sessions, and revisions, we are
excited to share these five goals and objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Encourage and promote a culture that is Christ-centered.
a. Remain true to our Reformed Christian perspective.
b. Provide a holistic and organized faith experience to
students at SCCS.
c. Remain focused on educating and supporting the
whole child.
d. Maintain a “dream list”, a place to document possible
future plans for SCCS.
Provide for inclusivity through meeting student needs and
remaining accessible.
a. Provide enrichment for students who need it.
b. Implement a special education program.
c. Remain accessible to all families seeking to enroll their
children at SCCS.
d. Increase the SCCS Foundation in order to provide
affordability for current and future students.
Strengthen a dedicated, collaborative, and caring faculty and
staff.
a. Provide flexible spaces for faculty and staff to
collaborate with each other, parents, and students.
b. Promote teacher collaboration that focuses on meeting
student needs.
Provide opportunities for faith nurturing at all levels.
a. Align and define faith nurturing and service
opportunities at all levels, including inside and outside
the school walls.
b. Strengthen the connection between the church, home,
school, and broader community.
Remain focused on strong academics.
a. Provide support and enrichment for students.
b. Support teachers in their professional calling.
c. Develop a technology plan that supports academic
need.
d. Review cultural awareness opportunities provided to
students.
e. Strengthen curriculum scope and sequence
documentation.
f. Develop a facilities plan that supports academic need.
STEM GRANT AND SCIENCE KIT
Jill Van Soelen, 1st Grade Teacher
Ellen Korver, 3rd Grade Teacher
Teachers and students explored a new science curriculum this year.
While rooted in our Christian worldview, learning touched on areas
of physical science, life science, earth science and engineering, as the
instruction aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards
(NGSS).
Our science teachers from kindergarten through junior high
understand the importance of engaging students in the process of
‘doing’ science in order to grow in their understanding of scientific
content. This school year has seen many new ways of ‘doing’ science
at SCCS. For example, Grade One teachers at our school received
training to use a science kit titled “Animals Two by Two.” The teachers
spent multiple hours planning and developing the unit, including
ways to incorporate science notebooks into their lessons. All the
developing and planning culminated in Grade One classrooms that
teemed with creatures for students to observe and study. Students
had no problem answering the essential question, “How does the
animal kingdom show God’s care and design?” as they observed and
compared goldfish, guppies, pill bugs, sow bugs, earth worms, red
worms, water snails, land snails, and chicks.
Some grade levels were awarded a Stem grant to help them in the
‘doing’ of science. For example, Grade Three received a Stem grant
that allowed them to purchase a kit called Pinball Designer. This kit
provided the third graders with a meaningful context in which to do
scientific research as they gained the knowledge needed in order to
successfully design a pinball game. The students had a great time
working together as they proposed explanations and then tested
them. They learned a lot about the laws of motion, and about
working with others. It was a great engineering design experience!
We give thanks for this new curriculum and the kits that have been
such a great resource for us as we seek to teach our students more
about creation and its Lord.
We seek to move SCCS forward in God’s world through these goals and believe that they will continue to strengthen the Christian
education we offer each day. Stay tuned for more details about the plan coming next year.
M a y 2 0 1 6 T h e B u l l e t i n B o a r d P a g e | 3 C O N G R A T U L A T IO N S M A T H B E E T E A M S
Rebecca De Smith, TAG teacher
On April 21, two 6th grade math teams were among 26 teams participating in the Northwest AEA 6th
Grade Math Bee. The competition consisted of five rounds of individual math tests and one team
problem solving round. The students who participated in the math bee were: Isaac Baart, Isaac
Bandstra, Kylie De Boer, Amy De Groot, Sam Eppinga, Tage Hulstein, Caleb Van Ginkel, Kyson Van
Vugt, Connor Visscher, and Rylee Visser. Connor received an award for scoring in the top 20
individual tests. These sixth graders did a great job of using their math skills and representing SCCS!
On May 9, SCCS participated in a math bee for 4th and 5th grade students, hosted by Dordt College. This
math bee was modeled after a nationwide math competition, and its goal was to encourage and
develop math skills. The students were involved in two rounds of testing: one round of individual
problem solving and one round of team problem solving. After each round, the solutions were
reviewed with everyone to promote understanding of the various problems. The 4th grade team consisted of: Jaeda De Goei, Caleb Douma, Titan Hulstein, Dylan Koelewyn, and Cambri Zonnefeld. This
team placed 7th out of 15 teams, and Dylan and Cambri were recognized for being in the top twenty
individual scoring 4th graders. The members of the 5th grade team were: Jonathan Breems, Tyce Van
Beek, Tate Van Regenmorter, Kryn Vander Berg, and Trevor Wieringa. This team placed 1st out of 18
teams, and Tyce, Tate, and Jonathan were recognized for being in the top twenty individual scoring 5th
graders. Congratulations to all of these mathematicians! They did a great job of representing SCCS !
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN UPDATE
Josh Bowar, Assistant Principal
We've planned the work. This year, it was time to start working the plan! During the 2014-15 school year, we worked through the process of
becoming accredited through Christian Schools International (CSI). Never before had the State of Iowa allowed independent accreditation
through an agency other than the Iowa Department of Education. We very much enjoyed the work that goes into CSI accreditation! We are
currently accredited through CSI until 2020, when we'll work through the process again (and every 5 years after that). And we are thrilled to
share that the sunset clause of the legislation has been removed, which means that CSI accreditation will continue to be an option for our
school for the foreseeable future. Our task for the next five years is to work through our finalized School Improvement Plan (SIP). The SIP
guides the work of our teachers, staff, administrators, and school board. The SIP is the result of many surveys, group discussions, planning
sessions, feedback from the accreditation site visitors, and prayer. Check out the progress we have made in the 2015-16 school year!
Goal #1 We will focus on strategic, visionary planning for the future.
• The board created a long-range planning task force.
• The board has produced a measurable, time-sensitive, and clearly defined strategic plan that addresses all organizational domains.
Goal #2 We will investigate and alter our governance model.
• The board participated in several trainings and discussions related to Mission-Directed Governance, based on a book written by
Len Stob. Len also worked with our board this past fall.
• The board has chosen to transition to the Mission-Directed Governance model starting fall 2016.
Goal #3 We will implement a curriculum mapping system that provides accountability and support in horizontal and vertical alignment.
• We have chosen to use Curriculum Trak, with the tool being implemented next year.
Goal #4 We will focus on strengthening a school culture that intentionally nurtures faith.
• A team of early adopters has been active learning more about and applying the Teaching for Transformation model into
their curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
• The entire faculty will be participating in Teaching for Transformation training and application during the next school year.
• We continue to refine our Trailblazer Behavior Plan.
Goal #5 We will strengthen a culture of accountability with support.
• The executive team of the board is putting together a formal process for administrator evaluation.
• The board will be completing a self-assessment based on their shift toward Mission Directed Governance.
• A team of early adopting teachers will participate in a new faculty development model during the next school year.
We are very thankful for the work that has been accomplished during this school year and look forward to continuing to implement our
plan during the 2016-2017 school year. We covet your prayers as we continue to seek God’s will for SCCS. Thank you for your support!
S i o u x C e n t e r C h r i s t i a n S c h o o l │ 6 3 0 F i r s t A v e . S E │ 7 1 2 . 7 2 2 . 0 7 7 7 w w w . s i o u x c e n t e r c h r i s t i a n . c o m │ s c c s o f f i c e @ s i o u x c e n t e r c h r i s t i a n . c o m