THE LIGHTHOUSE - December 16, 2009
2009-2010 Theme Verse
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."John 13:34-35
NEWS AND UPDATES
From our Head of School Dr. Ted Chamberlain
Christmas at South Shore Christian Academy
Christmas at South Shore Christian Academy is the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus. The Parent Fellowship has done a wonderful job decorating the school for Christmas with nativity scenes, a tree, wreaths and poinsettias all of which, along with our Christmas program, help to remind us about Christmas.
Last Thursday we celebrated the birth of Jesus with our annual Christmas program. Our gym was packed; it truly was "standing room only." Under the direction of Nancy O'Connor, our students performed magnificently.
For Christians, gift giving and receiving can certainly be appropriate, however much it pales in comparison to the gift that God has given us in the person of Jesus. Unfortunately, the gifts, the decorations, the trees and the parties all too often obscure the real message of Christmas. Hence the theme of this year's SSCA Christmas program, "Keeping Christ in Christmas."
Simply put, the real message of Christmas is the incarnation...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. At Christmas, we are reminded that God sent His Son Jesus to reveal Himself to us and to be our Savior. "And the word became flesh and dwelt among us." That is the Gospel... it is the Good News. If by faith we accept the gift of Jesus and if we commit our lives to serve Him, we then have the gift of salvation and of eternal life.
At South Shore Christian Academy, when we say "Merry Christmas," we are heralding the arrival of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. And for us, because we are a Christian school, we celebrate our faith in Jesus not only at Christmas but happily, we celebrate the incarnation everyday.
Mid-Year Examinations (Upper School)
Students in grades 7-12 will take mid-year exams on Dec. 18-22 for
classes that meet five days a week. The exams are cumulative per semester and approximately two hours long for grades 9-12 and 1 1/2 hours long for grade 7-8 students. There are no mid-year exams for elective subjects in grades 7-8.
Below is the schedule for students in grades 9-12:
Friday, Dec 18
English 8:00-10:00
History 10:30-12:30Monday, Dec 21
Tuesday, Dec 22
Science 8:00-10:00
Bible 10:30-12:30
Math 8:00-10:00
Spanish 10:30-12:30
Students in grades 7-8 have a slightly revised schedule:
Friday, Dec 18
English 8:30-10:00
History 10:30- 12:00Monday, Dec 21
Tuesday, Dec 22
Science 8:30-10:00
Bible 10:30-12:00
Math 8:30-10:00
Students should report to their exam room fifteen minutes before each exam is to begin. It is imperative that students be on time; students will not be admitted to their exam room once testing has begun. Students should come prepared with the appropriate materials. They are required to stay in the exam room until the end of the exam period. If a student finishes early, they may bring reading material or study for another exam.
A brief snack time will be held between exams on the stage. Students are to supply their own snacks. There are no privileges for seniors during this time.
Students will be dismissed at the end of the second exam of the day unless they do not have a second exam; they will then be dismissed after the first exam. Students are not required to be in school until their first exam of the day, but should be in the exam room fifteen minutes before the beginning of the exam.
Students should contact Mrs. Warner if they have a conflict with the test schedule or need to make-up an exam due to illness.
There will be a study room available in the morning for students in grades 7- 8 who need to carpool with older students or need to arrive early. The room will be open at 7:45. Students in grades 7- 8 will not have a Spanish exam and should be picked up at 10:00 on Tuesday.
Please contact the Main Office if you have any questions or concerns.
Miscellaneous Items
There will be no hot lunch served this Friday, December 18th.
Report cards
Report cards will be sent home through the mail to all families on
Monday, January 4th.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Lower School - There are two days scheduled for parent teacher conferences: Wednesday, January 6 from 1-3pm and Thursday from 6-8pm. Please call the Main Office to schedule time to meet with your student's teacher(s). There is a half day of school on Wednesday due to conferences with dismissal at 11:40. Aftercare will be provided. If you do not use Aftercare on a regular basis, please contact the Main Office to make a reservation for that day.
Upper School - Upper School has a full day of school on Wednesday, January 6. Parent teacher conferences for Upper School are scheduled for Thursday from 6-8pm. Please call the Main Office to schedule appointments with your student's teachers.
End of semester schedule
The last full day of school for Lower School is this Friday, December 18. Dismissal will be at the regular time (2:30). Aftercare will also be provided that day.
The last full day of school for Upper School students is this Thursday, December 17. All Upper School students will then take their mid-year exams on Friday, Monday and Tuesday. Please see the information regarding exams for more details. Students start the second semester of school on Tuesday, January 5.
College Acceptances
Andrew Guenard - Texas Christian University ($7,000 merit scholarship), Union University, Virginia Tech-Early Decision (all to the engineering program)
Meghan Hallinan - Bridgewater State College, Nova Southeastern College
Jesse Loughlin - Bowdoin College-Early Decision ($43,000 merit scholarship)
Abby Rota - Curry College ($6,500 merit scholarship), Palm Beach Atlantic University ($6,000 merit scholarship), Simmons College (all to the nursing program)
Our Elementary Teachers Wish you a very Merry Christmas!!
Elementary Students Share the Love at Christmas
Students in grade four shared holiday cheer with the seniors at Colonial Village Apartments in Weymouth. After playing games and sharing a snack, everyone joined in a round of Christmas carols. One resident even brought and played his harmonica! This is the fourth year that fourth graders have shared God's love with the residents.
Fourth Grade at Colonial Village Apartments
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On Monday December 14th the Kindergarteners, First, and Second grades went to Union Towers and sang their songs from the Christmas concert and went caroling through the tower floors. The children had made handmade cards and distributed the cards and candy for the residents. They were a big hit. Mrs. O'Connor led the class songs and Miss Mara Herrera, a senior from SSCA, accompanied the children on the piano.
CHRISTMAS COLORS DRESS DOWN DAY
This Thursday there is a Red and/or Green dress down day. Students should wear a top with red or green or both colors and can wear jeans or similar pants (no sweats). Students should remember to follow the dress code rules of modesty. There will be no fee charged to participate. Anyone not participating should dress in regular school dress code-no exceptions.
SPORTS NEWS
GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL
South Shore Christian Academy Warriors defeated Westport High School 55-53 in a see saw battle that saw both teams run off 15-0 rallies and 12 lead changes until senior captain Sarah Colligan iced the victory with 2 clutch free throws. The Warriors were led by Katie Warren of Hull and her 21 points. Sophomore Leah Perera scored a career high 15 points and Juju Atwater threw in 12.
CAA BASKETBALL
Coaches McPherson & Fernandes:
We had several people on our team score...Domenic DePaoli, Micah Veth and Bennett Forkner. Our team quickly learned teamwork by passing and giving everyone a chance to touch the ball. It was a first for many, but they all had fun and want to play next week.
Coaches Vazquez & Caldwell:
The team played a great game - they came back from a fourth quarter deficit to win by 6. For several students it was the first game of their career and they played very well. The passing game was especially impressive and the team had some great defensive stops.
Coach Dagley:
We had a great game against the other SSCA team. It was close the entire time, and we pulled away at the end. 5th grader Luke Dagley had 16 points and 6th grader Claire O'Connor played a terrific game as well.
Coaches O'Laughlin & DeAmicis:
We are very proud of our Stone Mountain Players. We look forward
to a fun season of basketball this year. High fives to our offensive
player of the game - Samantha Veth and our defensive player of the game
Allegra Dziedzic.
Note to parents:
Please send your players to practice and games with water!!! Please notify your coach if your player will not be attending a practice or game. Thank you for your support.
Sports Program Fund Raiser
To help raise money for the sports program the girls varsity basketball team is selling long-sleeved, black t-shirts. Order forms are in the Main Office, or can be seen below; all orders must be in by Friday, December 18th. All shirts are a 50/50 blend and will cost $15.00. If paying by check please make it out to SSCA. For more information, please contact Becky Marotta at beck8593@aim.com or 774-274-0719.
SouthShoreChristianAcademy Warrior Basketball T- Shirt Order Form
Name: ___________________________________________________
Youth: Small:_____ Medium:_____ Large:_____
Adult: Small:_____ Medium:_____ Large:_____ X-Large:_____ XX-Large:______
All shirts are $15.00
Total Number Ordered: _______ Total Amount: $ ____.____
Please make checks payable to SSCA.
AP Biology students are at it again!
How can jellyfish shed light on the subject? Our AP Biology students recently found out while conducting a lab experiment at Eastern Nazarene College. Under the guidance of Mrs. Stiles and Dr. Waterman from ENC our students incorporated the gene for Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) into normal E. coli bacteria. This is the gene that causes jellyfish to be bioluminescent, or glow under UV light. We were very successful; here is a picture of several colonies of our transformed bacteria.
South Shore Christian Academy SAT Prep Class
Date: January 23, 30; February 6, 20, 27; March 6
Time: 10 am-1 pm
Cost: $225. This fee includes payment for the required College Board SAT I prep book. Please deduct $25 if you already have this book. Checks should be made out to South Shore Christian Academy.
Course Expectations: While weekly attendance is important, there is an expectation that students will do the required homework. Students should expect to take a full practice test each week that will be graded and scored. Although SAT tips will be taught, the proven way to get results is to do the practice tests.
Instructors:
· Mrs. Atwater (Critical Reading/Writing)
· Mr. Carter (Math)
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Please fill out the form below and return with payment to the Main Office by January 11 to reserve a seat for this class.
Student's name _____________________________
Cell phone # _______________________________
Parent signature ____________________________
Elementary Spanish Classes
Dear Parents,
The end of the first semester is here and we would like to plan for the Spanish Enrichment Program for the second semester. We need to know if you would like your child to continue. Please fill out the bottom portion and return it as soon as possible to his/her classroom teacher.
The second semester Spanish classes will start the week of January 12 and go until the week of May 4 for experienced students (Tuesday/Thursday) and May 12 for the beginner students (Wednesday/Friday). Classes will not be held the week of February 15 and April 19 due to school vacations, and there are no classes on March 12, March 24, and April 2. The cost will be $200.00; please make checks out to South Shore Christian Academy and return to the Main Office by January 5.
We welcome any suggestions or feedback about the program. Please write them on the space below. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Anny Jameson
Spanish Enrichment Program teacher
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Name of student ____________________________________________
Grade: ___________________
_____ I would like my child to continue with the Spanish Enrichment Program.
_____ My child will not be able to continue with the Spanish Enrichment Program.
Comments:
Parent Signature ____________________________________________
Lost and Found
Once again, many items have accumulated in the Lost and Found.
Please check for lost items prior to leaving for Christmas break.
Remaining items will be disposed of over the break.
Thank you.
SAVE THE DATE!!!!!!!!
Saturday, February 6th - SnowBall Winter Semi for 9 - 12th grades.
More information to follow!
Inclement Weather Policy
In the event of inclement weather or an emergency, please check the school web site as the first means of notification. In addition, South Shore Christian Academy's name will be announced on major television stations for no school/delay of school announcements. The third means of notification will be the Honeywell "Instant Alert" system. Please be sure your Honeywell information is up-to-date.
The decision to cancel, delay, or release school is not taken lightly, and is decided primarily for the safety of the students. If, as a parent, you feel that the driving conditions are unsafe due to inclement weather and school has not been canceled, please call and notify the Main Office. This will be considered an excused absence.