Parent Note: Parent Note – February 5, 2024

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Academic and spiritual growth are the two cornerstones of an excellent Christian school. To ensure growth, school administration and the HCS board monitors several key data points and indicators to validate school progress.

To track academic progress, we closely monitor building wide assessments, like the NWEA tests. After receiving scores back last week, we are proud to share that our students showed a 143% growth in math and 131% growth in reading against normed expectations. Consequently, our stretch goal to see 70% of our students at the 70th percentile or above improved from 53% to 60% in math and 54% to 55% in reading. God continues to bless the incredible efforts of each student, staff member, parent, and community member who is invested in seeing our children find success!

Meanwhile, spiritual outcomes and opportunities continue to expand, as students are being reached for Christ. This past month, a record number of constituents joined our Saturday Serve at ETC with over 50 volunteers. Later this month, on Saturday, February 17, another opportunity will be available for students, parents, and staff to feed our community by filling a number of local giving boxes. While events like this are important, this is not to underscore the impact students are making at school every day. We see the evidence of this through compassion in sporting events, including others during class and recess, and encouraging language to those in need.

It is an exciting time to be a part of the Highland Christian School community. While the year continues to go well, we are excited to continue to dream as we live into our vision to academically equip, Biblically ground, and spiritually nurture to impact the world for Christ. 

SCHOOL NEWS

This Wednesday, Feb. 7 is a late start day. School will begin at 10:00.

The all-school skating party is next Thursday, Feb. 15 from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at Lynwood Sports Center, 2030 Glenwood-Dyer Road, Lynwood, IL.  Admission is $3.50 and skates are available for $3.00.  Parents and siblings are invited to join the HCS students for a fun-filled evening!

Sonshine Enrichment Center, the preschool of Highland Christian School, is having a Parent Preview Day this Friday, Feb. 9 from 10:00-11:00 a.m.  If you know of someone who is interested in learning more about our preschool, please extend an invitation to them.

7^th Grade Parents:  It is time to start planning for our 8th grade trip to Philadelphia in May of 2025! Mrs. Groen is hosting an open house meeting about this trip on Monday, Feb. 12 at 6:00p.m. in her classroom. The official presentation will be at 6:00 but you may come to school between 4:00 and 6:00 if you cannot make the presentation. The purpose of starting at this time of year is to spread out payments and fundraising as much as possible.  This year, we will have 3 official fundraisers, our snack day on Wednesdays, parking on the 3rd and 4th of July, and a coffee fundraiser that we will have in May. Worldstrides is the company we use to plan the entire trip. Please reach out to Mrs. Groen with any questions as we are in the thick of planning for our trip in May as well and will have answers to your questions. We are looking forward to another year of planning for this 8th grade trip!

8^th Grade Parents: If you are planning on enrolling your student in Illiana Christian High School next year, please do so soon. Illiana is giving priority to feeder school families, however, they are filling up and cannot hold the spot for long.

PTO NEWS

This week is counselor/student support services appreciation week. Families blessed by these services may wish to write a note of thanks or send a small token of appreciation to these HCS staff members.

ATHLETIC NEWS

Monday, Feb. 5 –     6^th & 8^th basketball vs. Oak Lawn – AWAY – 4:00, 5:00

Tuesday, Feb. 6 –     7^th basketball vs. Lansing – AWAY – 4:15

Thursday, Feb. 8 –   6^th, 7^th, 8^th basketball vs. Calvary – AWAY – 4:00, 5:00, 6:00

TRIP NEWS

TRIP Quarterly Tuition Credit:  Two important dates coming up for TRIP – March 31^st for online orders and April 18^th for physical gift card orders.  Those dates will be the last time you can receive TRIP tuition credit for parents of a K-7^th grade student not returning to HCS for the next school year, or an eighth grader not attending Illiana next fall, or an Illiana student graduating this spring.  Coordinate your last tuition payment/TRIP credit for the 23/24 school year with Roberta Huitsing or April Vander Meyden at HCS or Kathy West at Illiana.  Contact Ann Lynch at [email protected] if you have any questions.

TRIP orders (paper and online) are due this Thurs., Feb. 8th by 10 a.m.  TRIP will be accepting physical gift card orders on Feb. 15, 22, 29, Mar. 7, 14 and 21.  Online ordering is available 24/7.  Contact Ann Lynch at [email protected] for more information.

TRIP Teams for Stuffing Orders:  Team B – Feb. 13; Team C – Feb. 20; Team D – Feb. 27; Team A – Mar. 5