SAY GOOD-BYE TO BLOGGER

After a year and a half of blogging our school news through blogger, we have made the switch to a new website which includes a newsletter blog as one of its features. You can now stay on top of all of our Upper School news by logging into our website at www.fredericksburgchristian.com. The top stories will be displayed on your landing page, and you can access the full newsletter by clicking on "Academics" and then "Upper School." Thank you so much for visiting our newsletter here, and we hope you enjoy all the features of our new website!

MIDDLE SCHOOL "TRUTH" SHIRTS AVAILABLE SOON

If you ordered a middle school "Truth" shirt, they should arrive sometime within the next week.

MIDDLE SCHOOL REFORMATION DAY IS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26TH

Our middle school is starting to get ready for one of the big events of the school year - Reformation Day! Students will come to school dressed as a Reformation period (Middle Ages) character: king, queen, knight, peasant, princess, nun, monk or any other appropriate character from the period.

We need a tremendous amount of help from our parents to make this day special. If you are willing to help, please fill out the volunteer form going home with middle schoolers this week or contact the school office. Plans for the day are to have a medieval feast in the Great Hall, compete in chess or checker competitions, creat a work of art, participate in festive gams, put on short presentations and much more! Parents are needed to help prepare the meal, decorate, help with various activities and clean up.

Thank you for your help! We're looking forward to a great Reformation Day!

GET READY FOR FRUIT!

The Fruit Sale is coming! From October 5th - 9th we will have our annual fruit sale to benefit Athletics. Be on the lookout for order forms that will go home next week.

STANDARDIZED TESTING NEXT WEEK

The Upper School is scheduled for standardized testing Monday, October 3rd - Thursday, October 6th. Friday, October 7th is a make-up day for students who miss any part of the test.

Testing will take place in homerooms during the first two hours of the day. We strongly encourage all students to be here on time, to get a good night's sleep and to eat breakfast. We will spend the rest of the day on a delayed opening schedule which will give students time in all of their classes. It is possible that students will have light homework during the week.

Seniors are expected to be in school, on time Monday through Wednesday. On Thursday, Seniors will participate in an off-campus breakfast and will report to school by 10:10 a.m.

Thank you for your assistance in making standardize test week go smoothly!

FIFTH FRIDAY TOMORROW!

We are excited about our first 5th Friday tomorrow, September 30th! Seniors get jeans days every Friday; 9th - 11th graders get to have jeans days the 1st and 3rd Fridays; but on 5th Fridays everyone gets a jeans day!

High schoolers - follow dress code guidelines. Middle schoolers can wear jeans (according to wardrobe guidelines) and regular uniform shirts. Middle schoolers who are in Intro to French or Intro to Spanish can wear the t-shirts they made in their classes instead of uniform shirts. Staff members get to break out their "See the Promise" t-shirts featuring our theme and logo for the year. Happy 5th Friday!

A GLIMPSE INSIDE

High School 

The National Prayer Event, “See You at the Pole” was emphasized today as High School students formed a large circle in the gym to pray for our nation and our leaders. After a time of worship, Pastor Denny Glusko and his wife Diana came forward and called 18 students to the front. As everyone counted to 10, Pastor Denny stated that every 10 seconds 18 people die. Every day, 155,000 people die. He asked how many of those go to heaven. The Sermon on the Mount reminds us that the way to heaven is narrow. He asked,“Where would you be if no one shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with you?” He challenged students to press in to know the Savior so they can carry out Acts 1:8 and share Christ with a dying world.

Middle School

Chapel began with worship, led by 8^thgrader Annie B. Students then discussed last week’s chapel and the year’s theme – “Got Truth? Absolutely!” Students recalled the name of God“Elohim” discussed last week and learned more about how that name reveals Him to be mighty, the Creator, a covenant maker, and one being, yet a plurality.

Our speaker at chapel today was evangelist Rashem Poudel of Nepal. Mr. Poudel was raised to be a Hindu priest in Nepal. At the age of 30 someone gave him a Bible. He read if for himself and was saved. For the last 49 years he has shared the gospel message with the Nepalese people (mostly Hindu). When he started preaching there were around 300 Christians in Nepal; there are now over one million. Mr. Poudel has been imprisoned twenty-five times, a sum total of about five years, for preaching the gospel. He’s had his legs broken (and miraculously healed) in an attempt to stop him from sharing God’s Word. He spent his time this morning encouraging the students to know God’s Word well. He had them read from Psalm 119:99-100 which says, “I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.” Students ended chapel by fielding questions to evangelist Poudel. What a blessing it was to hear from the “Billy Graham” of Nepal this morning!

BLACKOUT FOR SPORTS!

Tomorrow the entire Upper School is encouraged to participate in a blackout for our sports teams. Everyone in high school can wear black clothing items within dress code guidelines (no sweatpants; black jeans are permitted; Go Eagles t-shirts can be substituted for a black shirt). Middle schoolers are invited to wear black shirts within dress code guidelines or a Go Eagles t-shirt. We have a lot of teams participating in games tomorrow and want to let them know that we are behind them all the way - go green and black! Go Eagles!

NEW YORK CITY TRIP INTEREST MEETING

An interest meeting for the NYC trip in April will be held Tuesday, October 4th at 6:00 pm in Modular 2 at the Upper School Campus. At least one representative per family should try to attend. Cost, deadlines, and other details will be discussed. Please email Dr. Barham at cbarham@fcschools.org for questions or if you are seriously interested but unable to attend.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP TREAT UPPER SCHOOL TEACHERS & STAFF TO LUNCH?

We are planning to have a special luncheon set up for the teachers and staff four times this year – one per quarter.  The dates are Friday, October 7, Tuesday, November 15, Friday, February 10 and Tuesday, April 24.  If you are interested in providing an item for the luncheon, or helping with set up, serving or clean-up, please contact Mary Bock at (540)834-2245 or bockmw@msn.com.  We are hoping for enough volunteers so that each would only need to help once, unless, of course, you would like to do more. Thank you!

MIDDLE SCHOOL WINTER SPORTS TRY-OUTS

Boys’ and Girls’ MS Basketball tryouts will be November 28, 29, and Dec. 1.

Girls’ MS Cheerleading Tryouts will be Nov. 14, 15, and 17. 

Locations are still TBD.

GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS AT VALUES VOTER SUMMIT! SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE!

The 2011 Values Voter Summit is just around the corner on October 7-9 in Washington, D.C., and we have some terrific student events happening! Are the students in your life attending? President Ronald Reagan rightly declared that, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." Our children, grandchildren and their friends are the emerging first line of defense in the battle for the soul of our nation.

Student registration is $50; however, we have a limited number of student scholarships still available! Students can apply at www.valuesvotersummit.org/students.

The theme for this year's student events is Our Turn to Lead: Why Young Conservatives Must Engage to Shape the Debate.

There are two student-specific sessions in addition to the general sessions (confirmed speakers include presidential hopefuls Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum along with Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Steve King of Iowa, talk-radio hosts Bill Bennett and Mark Levin and many more):

Friday night mixer and networking event with Lila Rose, President of Live Action, who led undercover investigations of Planned Parenthood. Students can enjoy free pizza as they network with other like-minded young conservatives.

Saturday breakout session about campus and national student activism with Lila Rose; Jason Mattera, Editor of Human Events; and Tom Peters, a young blogger with CatholicVote.org.

We have put a great effort into cultivating a more connected student community this year. We hope you will send the students in your life to the 2011 Values Voter Summit so they can be part of our growing student community. Please visit www.valuesvotersummit.org for more information.

Standing (Ephesians 6:13),

Tony Perkins
President

REGISTER NOW FOR GIRLS' CHEER CLINIC

FCS will hold its annual cheerleading clinic on Friday, October 14th from 12:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the Lower School gym. Girls in kindergarten through 8th grade are invited to participate. The cost of the clinic is $30.00 and includes a t-shirt (you must register by October 6th in order to guarantee that your student will receive a t-shirt). Registration forms are available here. Complete the registration form and make checks payable to FCS with "Cheer Clinic" in the memo line. Forms and payments need to be directed to Mrs. Reinhardt.

UPCOMING COLLEGE VISITS

The following schools will have representatives visiting FCS in the next few days:

• October 19th - Saint Leo University (11:30 - 12:00)

DON'T MISS IMPORTANT ALERTS!

We are pleased to report that all of our new families have been added to the Honeywell Instant Alert System. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience over the last few weeks. Please follow the instructions below to activate your account.

All returning families are encouraged to review their profiles at the beginning of each school year to ensure it reflects the most current information.

Once again, FCS will use the Honeywell Instant Alert System to notify families in the event of an unscheduled early dismissal, delay, or closing. Occasionally, the system will also be used to relay other important school announcements. Since Honeywell is the primary means used to convey important school information, it is vital for all school families to register with the system and keep their profiles up-to-date.

You may access the Honeywell site here. There is also a link under “Parent Links” on the FCS website.

All new families must register on the Honeywell site. To register, click“Parent” under the “New User? Sign Up Now!” heading. Select Virginia/Fredericksburg Christian and enter your child’s name and date of birth. Finally, enter your name and set up your user-name and password. You will then be able enter your contact information. You may also manage the types of alerts you wish to receive.

All returning families are asked to review their profiles at least once a year to ensure their information is up-to-date. This is especially important if you have moved, changed jobs, changed email addresses, or obtained a new cell phone since you last checked your account. Parents are responsible for maintaining their Honeywell account, so please be sure to update your profile if your contact information changes. Returning families will use their ID and password from last year.

When there is uncertainty as to whether it will be necessary to dismiss early due to weather, please be aware that campus offices are not notified in advance of the Honeywell alert. The best way for you to ensure you receive the very latest information is to maintain your Honeywell profile. Thank you for your assistance with this vital communication tool.

MAKING CHANGE FOR STUDENTS

If your student plans to make any cash purchases at school please make sure he or she has exact change or small bills. Since we've gone to a cashless kitchen, we do not have cash to make change for students. Thank you!

FCS POCKET CALENDARS ARE HERE!

FCS pocket calendars are now available for $3.00 in the school office. The pocket calendars are the same as the full-sized school calendar except in a small, convenient purse/pocket-size. If you're interested in purchasing one of our pocket calendars, please stop in the school office.

FCS WILL OFFER THE PSAT ON SATURDAY, OCT 15TH FROM 7:45 – 11:00 A.M.

The PSAT is the best preparation for the SAT.  Students who take the test in 11^th grade and meet other program entry requirements may enter the National Merit Scholarship Program.  Also, any 10^th grader that is interested in taking AP classes next year should take the PSAT.  Signups are in the office beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 6^th.  The $18 payment is required at signup to reserve your spot – only 80 spots available!  Please make checks out to FCS.

A NOTE ABOUT EMAILING...

It is our goal to respond promptly to the questions and concerns of parents; however, emails from parents sometimes land in the junk mailboxes of our staff members. If you have not received a response from a staff member within 48 hours of sending an email, please call the school to follow up. Thank you!

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

***From interaction with their peers to the instruction and correction that they receive at home, children interpret their experience from a worldview that seeks to answer their fundamental questions: Who am I? What do I exist for? Where can I find joy?  We need to provide our children with a consistent, persuasive, biblical framework for understanding the world God has made and their place in it. Thus, Instructing a Child’s Heart is an essential companion to Shepherding a Child’s Heart. The instruction that you provide for them not only informs their mind; it is directed to persuading their hearts of the wisdom and truthfulness of God’s ways. Impress truth on the hearts of your children, not to control or manage them, but to point them to the greatest joy and happiness that they can experience—delighting in God.  Dr. Tedd Tripp will be presenting the Instructing a Child’s Heart seminar on October 14-15, 2011, at Stafford Baptist Church.  For additional information and registration, please visit www.cctcinc.org or call 804-358-1343.  This seminar is sponsored by the Christian Counseling and Training Center, Inc.  (see attached brochure if you want to attach it)

*** The BJ’s offer expires September 30, 2011.  IMPORTANT:   It does not matter when you last renewed, 15 months will be added to your current expiration date.