South Shore Christian School

Dear Parents,

This is just a reminder that there will be NO SCHOOL on Monday, September 3, in observance of Labor Day.

We pray that you will have a blessed long weekend and we’ll see you on Tuesday, September 4, bright and early at 8:00am.

Washington, DC

August 31, 2007

No Child Left Behind Briefing: This week, the AACS Washington office co-sponsored a Capitol Hill briefing for Congressional staff and members of the education community to discuss the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act.  While this law is designed to improve the education of American public school children, serious implications exist for those students who are educated in religious and home schools.

AACS worked in conjunction with two groups to co-sponsor the briefing: the Association of Christian Schools International (ASCI) and the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).

When the No Child Left Behind Act was first passed in 2001, specific language was included which prohibited the establishment of a national curriculum, national testing, and mandated national teacher certification. AACS stressed at the briefing the need for including this language in NCLB reauthorization. ”It is critical that the reauthorization of this piece of legislation includes language that ensures the freedom and protection for Christian educators,” said AACS Legislative Director Maureen Wiebe.

Bad News in Iowa: Yesterday, Polk County Iowa Judge Robert Hanson ruled against the state prohibition on same-sex marriage. He struck down a state statute banning same-sex

marriage on the grounds that he believes the law to be unconstitutional. He also ordered the Polk County Recorder to issue marriage licenses to several homosexual couples, including the six who brought suit to have the ban overturned.

Roger J. Kuhle, an assistant Polk County attorney, believes that the judge exceeded his jurisdiction by issuing his ruling. The county is expected to appeal the ruling to the Iowa Supreme Court.

Changes to NCLB on the Horizon: This week, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) released a discussion draft of Title I of No Child Left Behind. The draft includes several substantive changes to the current language of the law. Many of the changes focus on testing and increased accountability measures for schools.

According to Sarah Sparks, staff writer for Education Daily, “the notion of tailoring sanctions and reforms for schools based on the number and groups of students struggling has gained broad popularity on the Hill and in the field.”

The new changes would divide schools into two categories: (1) high priority-schools that failed to meet NCLB established benchmarks, and (2) schools that had only a subset of their school populations fail to meet the benchmarks.

Specifically, the new language would require public schools to align their standards and curriculum with the state standards. It would also require local and state educational authorities to provide mentoring for teachers and to ensure that students do not spend two consecutive years being taught by novice teachers or by teachers who are not teaching in their main academic fields.

Nina Rees, an executive from the Knowledge Learning Corporation and former U.S. Education Department staffer, is concerned about the lack of choice in the new language of NCLB. She told Sparks that “What we won’t have is the element of choice and the options that parents get currently with SES (Supplemental Educational Services), in schools not designated high priority.”

Rees believes that the new language “would . . . make it easier for districts to pick and choose the providers they want to have a relationship with, rather than the providers that parents would choose.”

An Object Lesson for American Christians: A Mennonite community in Quebec is preparing to leave the Quebec province for Ontario due to provincial government demands that their school’s curriculum includes positive instruction about evolution and homosexuality.

The small Mennonite school currently offers lessons in traditional academic subjects such as science and geography, but it is not educating students on the topics of homosexuality and evolution. The two provincial requirements are that all teachers, public and private, must be certified and that schools must abide by the provincial curriculum.

Ronald Goosen, a spokesman for the Mennonite school, told LifeSiteNews.com that the school and the Mennonite community as a whole refuse to meet either demand. Goosen said, “We have pulled our students out of public schools and by asking us to have certified teachers they are asking us to send our teachers to public school. So basically they’re asking something of us that we don’t feel we can do.” 

Goosen also objects to the mandatory implementation of the provincial curriculum, saying that “some of the things . . . would be problem.” He cites these problem issues as “the theory of evolution, . . . the attitudes portrayed, the lifestyles we don’t ascribe to, making it look that single motherhood is fine, that alternate lifestyles are fine—gay ‘marriage.’”  He adds, “We’d be very much against that.”

Goosen also pointed out that the Mennonite curriculum used by the school is accepted in seven other provinces.  The Ministry of Education has made some conciliatory overtures but has not officially relented.

The Mennonite families who patronize the school plan to move to Ontario where they will be permitted to teach their own curriculum. The mayor of Roxton, the town in which the school exists, is upset about the prospect of losing the families. He believes the loss of the families “hurts economically, but it also hurts here because everybody loves these people, and we’re saying, ‘Why? Why is this happening?’”

-The Washington Flyer Staff Writer: Jennifer Groover

-The Washington Flyer Editor: Maureen Wiebe

Dear 2nd and 3rd grade parents,

 We have successfully finished our first three days as a class this year. I want to thank you for the privilege of teaching your delightful children. Already, I can tell that we are going to have an enjoyable year. I have just a few reminders that will help you and I make this year a success for your child.

 First, you should have already seen your child’s orange folder. I will send important correspondence home in this folder each week. Although I will usually send it on Fridays, you may see it occasionally on a different day of the week. Please read each item enclosed carefully and sign where indicated. Please return any item that needs your signature.

 Second, each student should have a standard composition notebook. Please provide one for your child if he or she does not have one. This will be the homework notebook for the year. Please sign the homework page each night. If there is no homework, your child will write “no homework” on the page for that day. The most common homework will be reading homework that needs to be completed with at least one parent listening. Occasionally, I will use this composition notebook to write notes to you. Feel free to correspond with me this way also.

 Finally, beginning on Tuesday, September 4, please expect your child to have nightly homework and weekly tests. Our main testing day will be on Friday. Your child will be notified if this must be changed for some reason.

 Thank you for all of your support. You are the most important ingredient in the education of your precious children. With the Lord’s help and your encouragement and involvement, your child can have a very successful year.

    In Christ’s Love,

    Mrs. Thompson

It’s wonderful to see school beginning once again!  We’re off to a great start so far and are looking forward to seeing what God will do this school year. 

Important Reminders:

 Tonight, August 29, 2007, is South Shore Christian School Night during our opening revival services.  We are pleased to have with us Evangelist Byron Foxx of Bible Truth Music.  You will want to come out tonight to hear Brother Foxx’s wonderful singing and preaching from God’s Word.  The class with the most in attendance (percentage-wise) will receive a free ice cream treat next week in school!  The service begins at 7:00pm.  There will be NO KIDZ CLUB tonight because of this service.

 Please be sure to fill out and return the attached updated contact information sheet.  This will help us keep in better contact with you. 

 Remember that classes begin promptly at 8:00am.  Please make it a point to be on time.  Those who are late need to report to the office and obtain a late slip.  After a student is late five times in one quarter, a demerit will be issued with each tardy for the rest of that quarter.

 If your child is absent for any reason, he must bring a note signed by a parent with him upon returning to class.

 As we desire to ensure the safety of each child under our care, no student will be released from aftercare until a parent (or someone else listed as an approved pick-up person) has come to the door, and personally signs the student out.  A signature is required, and a photo id may be requested.  This is for security reasons. 

Let’s work together to make this the best school year ever!

1.  When coming into our parking lot, please enter in through the Snell Street entrance and exit through the Main Street exit.  Remember while in the parking lot that small children are around, be very careful.  Also be mindful of other drivers who are also in a hurry just like you.  Do not park your car in the stream of traffic.  Please park your car in a parking space, and then escort your child into the school.

2.  School begins promptly at 8:00am each morning.  Please be on time as this is important in the education process.  If a child arrives any time after 8:00am, have your child report to the office for a late slip.  The downstairs doors will be locked at 8:00am exactly.  Students are afforded five tardies per quarter, after this, one demerit for each time late will be issued.

3.  Each week, your child will come home with a folder.  Please read all contents in the folder, and then sign and return the folder with your child the very next day.  This is our way to communicate with you.

4.  The first day of school for Kindergarten students in September 4.  We do ask that parents to refrain from entering into the classroom with their student.  This can be a distraction and makes it more difficult to begin class. 

5.  Because accidents will happen, Kindergarten students must bring a change of clothes with them to be kept in the classroom.  While these clothes do not necessarily have to be school uniform, they should adhere to basic dress standards (girls cannot wear pants and boys cannot wear shorts).  We suggest clothes be brought in a zip-lock bag.

6.  Please fill out all necessary paperwork.  No student will be allowed to go to class without health immunization forms.  Birth certificates are needed as soon as possible. 

7.  Updated Contact Forms do need to be filled out completely each quarter.  This helps us communicate with you in times of emergency.  You can download this form here (updatedcontactform.pdf) and will be available for download on the resources section of this blog.

Washington, DC

August 10, 2007

Bush’s Veto Promise: This week, White House spokesman Tony Fratto reaffirmed to Washington Times reporter, Jon Ward, that President Bush would assuredly veto any legislation that would expand the definition of “hate crimes” to include sexual orientation, even if it meant vetoing a defense appropriations bill.

The White House comments were in response to Senator Ted Kennedy’s hate crimes amendment to the defense authorization bill.  Although Senator Kennedy’s office states that the bill “punishes violence, not speech,” Fratto points out that “the qualifications are so broad that virtually any crime involving a homosexual individual has potential to have hate crimes elements. The proposals they’re talking about are not sufficiently narrow.”

The White House did not speak to any religious liberty concerns about hate crimes legislation, but many religious leaders across the country are deeply troubled by the implications of Senator Kennedy’s amendment. Bishop Harry Jackson, the head of the High Impact Coalition, a group of African-American pastors who oppose the hate crimes amendment, expressed his thoughts about the bill directly to the White House and found them “receptive” to his message.

Chuck Colson, a former Nixon aide and the head of Prison Fellowship Ministries, is also lobbying against the bill. He declares, “The bill is not about crime prevention or even civil rights. It’s about outlawing peaceful speech—speech that homosexual behavior is morally wrong.”

ACTION: Contact your Senators and urge them to vote against any hate crimes legislation. Contact information can be obtained at www.senate.gov. (The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed the “hate crimes” legislation, so the bill currently lies in the Senate.)

Leaving the Church—Temporarily: According to a recently released study conducted by LifeWay Research, more than two-thirds of college-age students who attended a Protestant church while in high school will drop out of church for at least a year before they turn 22.

The researchers questioned the church practices of over a thousand adults between the ages of 18 and 30. All had attended church while in high school, but they gave a number of different reasons for dropping out of church, even if only temporarily.

Some of the reasons given include the following:

• Transition from high school to college (25%)
• Heavier workload (23%)
• “Too busy” (22%)
• Too far away from old church (22%)
• Wanted to spend free time with nonchurchgoing friends (17%)

Ed Stetzer, the director of LifeWay Research, believes the results of the study reflect directly on the careless attitude that many evangelical Christian parents have regarding the theological instruction of their children.

Stetzer contends, “We have a very casual approach to that covenant community called church. Ephesians 3:10 reminds us that God has chosen the church to make known His manifold wisdom in the world—and I think we have to help people connect better to the church.”

Churches don’t escape Stetzer’s criticism either. He says that modern believers have created a “consumer-oriented” church culture in which members say “if you don’t meet my needs here, I’ll go somewhere else. And when you do that, you create a culture where people can say ‘I love Jesus, but I don’t love his wife.’ I think we need to begin to see that this covenant community called church is not an option in the Christian life. But to be fair, that’s what we’ve made it in North America today—and perhaps these young adults are reflecting to some degree the church culture in which they were grown and discipled.”

Freedom for Firefighters: Four firefighters for the city of San Diego have launched an official complaint against the San Diego Fire Department for requiring them to participate in a gay “rights” parade or face disciplinary action. Although the firefighters did not want to attend the parade, they knew from policy that they would risk demotion and even suspension if they did not participate.

Fire Captain John Ghiotto and three other firefighters filed a sexual harassment complaint claiming that during the gay activism parade, they were made the objects of licentious remarks and obscene gestures. Ghiotto said in the formal complaint that they were “humiliated, embarrassed and offended by this event.”

One of the firefighters, Jason Hewitt, said in his written statement that the complaint “has to do with people in the workplace being threatened, sexually harassed, and forced to participate in a parade that isn’t like other parades, and the behavior demonstrated by the public and some of its participants are what are found to be offensive.”

Hewitt added, “I was forced into a situation that would compromise what I hold true and what I believe in, my reputation, my character, my integrity, my morals and my religion.”

Brian Rooney, an attorney for the Thomas More Law Center who is representing the firefighters, feels “the damage has already been done. By participating in this parade wearing the uniform, the perception is clear that they support this type of parade and that is not what they want to convey to their community, their wives and children and their churches.”

The firefighters have a strong desire to change the policy so that other firefighters will not face the same situation.

The Washington Flyer Staff Writer: Jennifer Groover

The Washington Flyer Editor: Maureen Wiebe

Dear Summer Program Parents,

It’s hard to believe that next week will be our FINAL week of our Summer Program.  The students have really enjoyed all the different themes as we hope you have too.

For our FINAL outing on FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, we will be walking to Dairy Queen. 
Attached you will find a menu for you to choose an item for your child.  We would ask that you RETURN this menu with your child and the money no later than THURSDAY, AUGUST 16 .

Please make sure that ALL payments have been made in the school office by FRIDAY, AUGUST 17 so we may close out ALL SUMMER PROGRAM ACCOUNTS before the start of the school year.

Again we thank you for allowing us the opportunity to get to know your children this summer and we look forward to seeing them when school starts in a couple of weeks.

You’re Invited to a Choir Clinic

with Evangelist Byron Foxx 

Saturday, August 25 at 1:00 PM at North Baptist Church

of Brockton, Massachusetts

Revival Meetings Each Evening

Monday, August 27 through Wednesday, August 29

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 508-580-1400

on the web: www.nbc-sscs.org or  

bibletruthmusic.com

Byron Foxx was born January 8, 1964. He has lived most of his life in his hometown of Newport News, VA, where he also currently resides.

Brother Foxx was saved May 18, 1972. He received Jesus Christ as his Savior that night following a message preached about the crucifixion of our Lord.

At age 12, Brother Foxx yielded to the call on his life to full-time Christian service. He began playing the piano for his church at age 13, and began preaching at age 15.

He married his best friend on earth, Renee Parisher, July 9, 1983. They have two children: Micah and Rachel.

He attended three Bible colleges, then served 12 years on staff at Bethel Baptist Church, in Hampton, VA. He started Bible Truth Music in 1987 and serves today as president/founder.

Since Oct 21, 1994, Brother Foxx has worked full-time as an evangelist. He preaches about 500 times per year, being in 1-3 churches every week.

The Foxxs’ are members of Calvary Baptist Church of Smithfield, VA. Their pastor is Brother Dan Gray.

Bible Truth Music serves 3,000 churches with new churches coming on board weekly. BTM publishes music for choir, gospel songbooks, Christmas and Easter cantatas, piano books and recordings. The music is Christ-centered, Bible-based and evangelistic. Some of the finest music writers and arrangers today are published by BTM, including: Harold DeCou, W. Elmo Mercer, Glenn & Jan Christianson, Mike Zachary, Brett Bedwell, Dennis Stremming, Larry Brubaker, Larry Carrier, and Byron & Renee Foxx.

Click here for Brother Foxx’s Itinerary

The new SSCS Summer Update is now available here online. 

sscsupatesummer2007final.pdf

This latest update has already been mailed out to hundreds of homes in our area.  If you know of anyone interested in a Christian schoo, please feel free to send them this link!