Category: News

On Tuesday, April 2, Dr. Powell discussed the topic of school choice with members of the Winter Garden Rotary. He partnered his independent school experience with his experience as an Orange County administrator to explain the many facets of school choice.  In appreciation for Dr. Powell sharing his time and knowledge, the Winter Garden Rotary made a donation to the Rotary International Foundation. Next on the speakers’ circuit: May 1^st at the Kiwanis Club of South Orlando.   If you are a member of a civic/service organization in Orange County, Dr. Powell would welcome the opportunity to speak with your members. Please contact Theresa Opsahl to schedule.

Middle School

Swimming

First Swim meet is Thursday, April 11, 6:00 p.m. start at Trinity Prep.

Next practice is Friday, April 5, 4:15 p.m. at Lake Highland.

Bring a towel and your goggles.

Lower School

3^rd & 4^th grade Girls Volleyball

It’s time to warm-up your serve!!

Clinic days are April 9, 10 & 11, 3:35 – 5:00 p.m. in the gym.

Tennis Program

Spring Session I

Next class will be Wednesday, April 3, 4:00 p.m. at Fort Gatlin.

Swimming

First Swim meet is Thursday, April 11, 6:00 p.m. start at Trinity Prep.

Next practice is Friday, April 5, 4:15 p.m. at Lake Highland.

Bring a towel and your goggles.

Soccer

Next games:

Saturday, April 6

2^nd grade boys – 10:00 a.m. at Trotters #10

Please check RenWeb for all athletic contests, announcements, forms and information.

Forms and information flyers can be found under Resource Documents.

For all athletic questions please contact Coach Wiborg.

Congratulations to Emily Saffran, Hallie Millard, Katie McCree, and Logan Kimble who each received an “Award of Excellence” from the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival. Great job and thank you for sharing your talents! All of the artwork is now on display in the Library/Media Center art gallery. Stop by for a viewing!

Congratulations to Emma and Ashlyn, for their participation in The Orlando Repertory Theatre’s production of Honk! Jr.  Many of our TCS students and families came out to support them and cheer them on.  Emma played “Maureen”, the ducklings’ Aunt, while Ashlyn played “Webbie”, one of the ducklings.  As a rising 9^th grade student, this was Emma’s last performance with the Youth Academy.  Emma has been a positive influence on Ashlyn and the two young ladies have developed a special relationship that will remain even as Emma moves on to high school.  Thank you to Emma and Ashlyn for being positive, Christian leaders in our community.

On Wednesday, April 3, TCS middle school will host Mr. Bassem Chaaban, Director of Operations of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, as the special chapel speaker.  Mr. Chaaban will share about Islam and the mission of his organization. During the middle school study of Islam, the seventh grade students expressed an interest in visiting the Islamic Society.  In lieu of the visit, Mr. Chaaban was invited to The Christ School. We will, as always, open/close with prayer and participate in worship songs. Please pray that his visit to TCS is educational for our students and, more importantly, that we are a blessing to Mr. Chaaban.

On Wednesday, April 24 the seventh grade students will be presenting a special middle school chapel in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day*. This presentation will be a culmination of our study on genocide, human behavior and God’s grace. *Holocaust Remembrance Day begins the evening or April 7 and ends the evening of April 8.

Middle School chapel begins at 9:00 a.m.

Middle School

Swimming

Next practices are Friday, March 22 and April 5, 4:15 p.m. at Lake Highland.

Bring a towel and your goggles.

Lower School

3^rd & 4^th grade Girls’ Volleyball

It’s time to warm-up your serve!!

TCS is offering a volleyball clinic for our current 3^rd and 4^th grade ladies. Clinic days are April 9, 10 & 11, 3:35 – 5:00 p.m. in the gym.

Clinic registration can be found on RenWeb under Resource Documents and is due March 22.

Tennis Program

Spring Session I

Next classes will be Wednesday, March 20 and April 3, 4:00 p.m. at Fort Gatlin.

Swimming

Next practices are Friday, March 22 and April 5, 4:15 p.m. at Lake Highland.

Bring a towel and your goggles.

Soccer

Our spring soccer teams started their season last week with a ROAR!!

Next games will be:

Saturday, March 23

2^nd grade boys- 12:00 p.m. at Trotters #10

2^nd grade girls – 11:00 a.m. at Trotters #10

Saturday, April 6

2^nd grade boys – 10:00 a.m. at Trotters #10

Please check Renweb for all athletic contests, announcements, forms and information.

Forms and information flyers can be found under Resource Documents.

For all athletic questions please contact Coach Wiborg.

The Kindergarten children and faculty witnessed some very strange happenings during the month of March. Funny little voices were heard throughout the day, supplies for science experiments were left overnight and the computer screens were playing tricks on our eyes. We decided it must be visiting Leprechauns responsible for the odd occurrences.

The children tried to trap a few of these mischievous wee friends, but were not able to outsmart them. Students and teachers discovered they were locked out of the rooms upon arrival at school on Friday morning. Not even Dr. Powell or Captain Bill Herlong could gain admittance with their master keys. The secret to opening the classrooms was finally revealed, but the messes awaiting us in class were unbelievable!

During our clean up mission we found yummy treats left behind by our little friends and decided that hosting leprechauns was actually rather fun!

The annual Middle School Science Fair allows TCS middle school students the opportunity to dig deep into the world of science through research, project design and presentation. Congratulations to all of our Middle School Science Fair Winners!

Best of show – Will Dobson, “Metal Madness”

8^th grade winners:

1^st place-Sarah Berger, “Box Busters”, an experiment on acceleration and momentum

2^nd place- Dominick Orlando,“Hot or Cold”, an experiment on magnetic strength

3^rd place- Hallie Millard, “How Much C in Citrus”, an experiment on which fruit has the most vitamin C

 
Honorable mention- Austin Williams, “Renewable Insulation Materials”, an experiment on different forms of insulation

7^th grade winners:

1^st place- Cara Eakins, “A-Viary Tasty Tweet”, an experiment on color preferences of birds

2^nd place- Luke Gidus, “Filtering It Out” an experiment on sand and Brita filters

3^rd place- Sydney Haselden, “Dietary Ducklings”, an experiment on weight gain in ducklings

 
Honorable mention- Emma Schrago, “All the Dirt on Pollution”, an experiment on where Orlando has the most air pollution

On Wednesday, April 10, The Christ School PTF invites all women in our community to the annual spring luncheon with special guest Sperantza Adriana Pasos, author of Hope in Present Danger and inspirational speaker. This is an excellent opportunity to invite neighbors, friends and coworkers.  By telling her moving story, Adriana’s greatest passion is to share hope with those she encounters, and the reassurance that we have been created for a purpose much greater than any one of us can imagine. The luncheon will begin at 11:45 a.m. in King Parlor.  Please contact Stacey Dilley to RSVP or return the registration form and payment to The Christ School office.

Second grade teacher, Mrs. Leadbitter, and enrichment teacher, Mrs. Smith, collaborated to form a second grade book club. The students finished reading the adventurous book Escaping the Giant Wave. Not only was this an exciting story, the group also learned about Tsunamis. The students loved the book and are excited to read the next one…Turtle in Paradise.

Shop the Used Uniform Closet for great buys on TCS uniforms!

Tuesday, March 12

Tuesday, March 19

Tuesday, April 9

Tuesday, April 16

8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

We are always looking for gently worn and clean used uniforms and have a special request for small shirt hangers and pant hangers.

Looking for a special, hard-to-find piece?  The Used Uniform committee has started a binder for those special requests.  Simply record your name and contact information, the item(s) and size(s) in the binder located in the store and the committee will contact you when the piece is donated.  For more information on the Used Uniform Closet, please contact Jen Jones or Angela Lee.

TCS 4^th grade boys brought home the second place ACYS basketball trophy.

Way to Roar, Lions!

Middle School

Congratulations middle school for a job well done out on the competition track, fields and courts.

Our tennis team roared this past Saturday in their tournament, placing fourth in the Greater Orlando Athletic Conference.

Parker Mealey shined playing through to the final round and placing second in the tournament.

Both our girls’ and boys’ track & field teams placed a strong fourth at Monday’s conference championship meet. So many ribbons to count and personal best records!

Thank you to our coaches and athletes for ALL your hard work and dedication to the Lion’s Pride.

We are so proud of your work! Way to Roar, Lions!

Lower School

Basketball

Thank you to Coach Garris and the 4^th grade boys’ team for bringing home the second place trophy.

Nice work, Lions!

Congratulations to all our basketball teams and coaches for a great tournament!

All our teams battled with the spirit of a LION!

Way to Roar, Lions!!

3^rd & 4^th grade Girls’ Volleyball

It’s time to warm-up your serve!

TCS is offering a volleyball clinic for our current 3^rd and 4^th grade ladies. Clinic days are April 9, 10 & 11, 3:35 – 5:00 p.m. in the gym.

Clinic registration can be found on RenWeb under Resource Documents and is due March 22.

Tennis Program

Spring Session I

Next class will be Wednesday, March 13, 4:00 p.m. at Fort Gatlin.

Swimming

Swim team practice will start Friday, March 15, 4:15 p.m. at Lake Highland.

Bring a towel and your goggles.

Soccer

Next practice is Thursday, March 14, 4:30 p.m. for the boys and 5:30 p.m. for the girls at College Park Presbyterian.

Please check Renweb for all athletic contests, announcements, forms and information.

Forms and information flyers can be found under Resource Documents.

For all athletic questions please contact Coach Wiborg.

“It’s Showtime” is a new Middle School music elective this semester. Students in this class are preparing for the musical production “Seussical, Jr.” by hosting auditions, designing sets and costumes, and learning music and choreography.  The next few months will be busy with preparation for the first preview at “Night of the Arts” on April 19.  In the midst of all the planning, TCS Dad, Sam Sinns, came and spoke to the class about his career as a dancer at Disney and the steps he took to get there. TCS Mom, Alexis Kramer, also shared her love of musical theater and gave our Middle School students an example of what to expect at auditions.  Students were amazed to learn about the different places both had worked, all the behind the scenes work, and what it takes to make acting and dancing a career.

Middle School

Basketball

Our 6^th grade ladies head into Tournament play

Saturday, March 9, 11:00 a.m. at Master’s Academy

Let’s Roar Ladies!!

Tennis

It’s tournament time!

Our tennis team hits the courts at Sanlando for their final competition of the season.

Saturday, March 9

Track & Field

Our track teams are ready and roaring forward to their Championship meet:

Monday, March 11, 4:00 p.m. at The First Academy.

Let’s Roar Lions!

Lower School

Basketball

More TCS teams heading into tournament play!

Check out game day and times:

Friday, March 8

3^rd/4^th Grade Girls’ White Team, 6:00 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

Saturday, March 9

4^th Grade Boys, 9:00 a.m. at Master’s Academy

5^th Grade Girls, 12:00 p.m. at Master’s Academy

Tennis Program

Spring Session I will start Wednesday, March 6, 4:00 p.m. for Beginners, 5:00 p.m. for Intermediate at Fort Gatlin.

Swimming

Swim team practice will start Friday, March 15, 4:15 p.m. at Lake Highland.

Bring a towel and your goggles.

Please check Renweb for all athletic contests, announcements, forms and information.

Forms and information flyers can be found under Resource Documents.

For all athletic questions please contact Coach Wiborg.

In recent years, a student’s use of social media and digital communication has risen quickly. In their world, gadgets, online access, and available technologies are growing rapidly. Most of it is fun, social, and normal communication between friends. At the Florida Educational Technology Conference in January, Digital Citizenship education was a big topic. The Christ School has added Digital Citizenship to its technology curriculum this year.

Suggestions for parents of all age students:

• Talk about the apps they are loading onto their phones, itouches, ipads and other devices. You will be surprised at how much they are communicating with the outside world.
• Teach them about privacy settings, how to set them, how to check them and why they are needed.
• Have them look at the “terms” on the app since they did have to agree to follow them. Guide them so that their app choices are developmentally appropriate.

A great website recommendation for parents and teachers is www.commonsensemedia.org. The website is a free tool for educators and parents. A parent can type in any game, app, movie, or other media and commonsense has an age recommendation and explanations as to why that age was suggested. Technology teacher, Teenie Reddeck, says, “I like that the site offers recommendations from other parents and students with their explanation as well. I use this site often as a parent and as a teacher for our technology classes. There is also an app for your device to look up movies, television shows, games, and other apps. The website offers more than just ratings, there is a great amount of digital education available for parents and students.”

Social media is not bad, it is a tool for marketing, communicating, selling, sharing and more. Our students will continue to use it and many will likely work in a field that it will be a large part of their job. As adults, we want to teach them to be wise and make good choices with how we choose to spend our time on our devices. Mrs. Burchak’s God Sighting’s is a great example of using the social media tool for a great means!

On Wednesday, April 10^th, The Christ School PTF invites all women in our community to the annual spring luncheon with special guest Sperantza Adriana Pasos, author of Hope in Present Danger and inspirational speaker. This is an excellent opportunity to invite neighbors, friends and coworkers.  By telling her moving story, Adriana’s greatest passion is to share hope with those she encounters, and the reassurance that we have been created for a purpose much greater than any one of us can imagine. The luncheon will begin at 11:45 a.m. in King Parlor.  Save the date for the luncheon and watch for more details in March.

This past Saturday was the Odyssey of the Mind regional tournament at Seminole High School. Congratulations to TCS team, The Jolly Ranchers, for earning third place in their division. Odyssey of the Mind is an international competition in which teams of students compete to solve age appropriate problems by exercising creativity and using their knowledge and skills to reach solutions with style. Some of the skills this team learned include: independence, accountability, resourcefulness, designing, building, sawing, drilling, mixing concrete, assembling PVC pipe, hot gluing, script writing, stage performance, project management, problem solving, how to work together as a team, and how to compete!

Black History Month continues to be celebrated at The Christ School with today’s special chapel speaker, former Orlando Police Chief and recent candidate for Congress Val Demings.  Mrs. Demings encouraged TCS students to reach for their dreams and to not allow naysayers to direct their paths.  She spoke about the blessing of a solid Christian education, always preparing for the next challenge (going above and beyond expectations) and taking advantage of opportunities.  Mrs. Demings was one of seven children born to a poor family in Jacksonville.  Throughout her journey from Jacksonville, to Florida State for college, to Orlando as a patrol officer working the midnight shift in Orlando’s west side, she heard her mother’s voice of encouragement and knew her path had been bathed in prayer.  Mrs. Demings saw her dream to serve her community fulfilled when, in 2007, Mayor Dyer appointed her the first woman Chief of the Orlando Police Department.  The Christ School is honored to have had three great Americans share their stories with our community this month.

“Next thing you know, Billy Big grabbed that gator by its tail and flung it all the way to Alabama!” If you pass by a fourth grade classroom in the next week or two, you might just hear a tall tale being told. During their unit on tall tales the fourth graders have learned about such legends as Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and many others. This project combines the study of Florida in the 1800s and language arts, as the students create their very own tall tale hero and story. After sharing their tall tales with grandparents, reading buddies, and classmates, these fun and unique tall tales will be on display in the fourth grade hallway. Stop by for a smile!

Middle School

Basketball

Our 6^th grade ladies’ next game:

Saturday, February 23, 2:00 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

Tennis

Next tennis matches:

Thursday, February 21, 4:00 p.m. at Lake Mary Prep

Friday, February 22, 3:30 p.m. at Lake Highland Prep

Monday, February 25, 4:00 p.m. at Trinity Prep

Wednesday, February 27, 4:00 p.m. at Sanlando

Track & Field

Next meet:

Monday, February 25, 4:00 p.m. at Lake Highland Prep.

Let’s Roar Lions!

Lower School

Basketball

Our teams have a break this week.

Next game day and times:

Saturday, February 23

2^nd Grade Boys’ Gold Team, 2:00 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

2^nd Grade Boys’ Green Team, 11:30 a.m. & 12:20 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

2^nd Grade Boys’ White Team, 1:10 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

3^rd/4^th Grade Girls’ White Team, 12:00 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

3^rd/4^th Grade Girls’ Green Team, 1:00 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

4^th Grade Boys, 2:00 p.m. at Master’s Academy

5^th Grade Girls, 3:00 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

Tennis Program

Next class for Winter Session II:

Wednesday, February 20, 4:00 p.m. for Beginners, 5:00 p.m. for Intermediate at Fort Gatlin.

Registration is open for Spring Session I & II.

Swimming

Registration for Spring Swimming is due February 27.

Registration forms may be turned into The Christ School office.

Please check RenWeb for registration and information flyer.

Please check RenWeb for all athletic contests, announcements, forms and information.

Forms and information flyers can be found under Resource Documents.

For all athletic questions please contact Coach Wiborg.

TCS founder and alumni parent, Susie DiDea, visited 7th grade science this week to share her passion for scuba diving. The 7th grade recently completed their unit on underwater studies and Mrs. DiDea’s knowledge helped bring the text book and lessons to life. Mrs. DiDea has logged hundreds of dives and was excited to share her experiences, especially her Bonaire dive trips, with our students. She explained the importance of dive equipment and focused on the amazing underwater world created by our Lord. Thank you, Mrs. DiDea, for being so generous with your time. Do you have a specific passion that will help bring an academic area to life for our students? Please contact Heather Robinson or Susan Chisari in the Academic Office to be a guest speaker.

Shimmy on over to our “Roaring Twenties” event this year, complete with chef-inspired fare, toe-tapping entertainment, silent and live auctions, and a few swanky surprises along the way.

Our TCS Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF), serving as hosts to this year’s festivities, will be transforming The Country Club of Orlando into a glitzy 1920’s backdrop of flapper fashions, jazzy entertainment, and plenty of spirited “fun-raising.” If you would like to get involved or can help supply auction donations, please contact Amy Powell.

What is the Mane Event? Now in its 17th year, Mane Event serves as our school’s signature fundraising event and annual platform for TCS families and friends to strengthen connections – while ultimately providing educational enrichment for our K-8 students. Each year, the auction proceeds help to enhance our classrooms with the latest technologies and resources, as well as provide ongoing professional development for our faculty and staff.

What Should I Wear? To celebrate our theme, we encourage anything from 1920’s costumes to business casual attire – ranging from zoot suits and fedoras to flapper dresses and feathery boas. Have fun in the spirit of the Roaring Twenties, or simply choose to dress up in your Saturday night best.

How can I support the Mane Event? There are countless ways for you to help make our event a success. Recently, information was sent home with your child about sponsorship opportunities and auction donations. Helping us secure sponsorships and donations for the auction are some of the best ways you can support The Mane Event.

Formal invitations to follow soon with additional information on individual/reserved tickets for the event.

Our 4^th and 5^th grade Enrichment Group is preparing for the 2013 Odyssey of the Mind tournament on February 23^rd. TCS will be among 100 teams at the tournament hosted by Seminole High School.

The Odyssey of the Mind teaches students to learn creative problem-solving methods while having fun in the process. By tapping into creativity, and through encouraging imaginative paths to problem-solving, students learn skills that will provide them with the ability to solve problems — great and small. Students learn how to identify challenges and to think creatively to solve those problems. The creative problem-solving process rewards thinking “outside of the box.”

Middle School

Basketball

Our 6^th grade ladies have a break this week.

Next game:

Saturday, February 23, 2:00 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

Tennis

Next tennis match:

Tuesday, February 19, 3:30 p.m. at Windermere Prep

Track & Field

Next meet:

Tuesday, February 19, 4:00 p.m. at Trinity Prep.

Let’s Roar Lions!

Middle School athletes please remember to return your uniform washed in a bag marked with your name at the end of your season.

Lower School

Basketball

Our teams have a break this week.

Next game day and times:

Saturday, February 23

2^nd Grade Boys’ Gold Team, 2:00 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

2^nd Grade Boys’ Green Team, 11:30 a.m. & 12:20 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

2^nd Grade Boys’ White Team, 1:10 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

3^rd/4^th Grade Girls’ White Team, 12:00 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

3^rd/4^th Grade Girls’ Green Team, 1:00 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

4^th Grade Boys, 2:00 p.m. at Master’s Academy

5^th Grade Girls, 3:00 p.m. at First Pres. Maitland

Tennis Program

Next class for Winter Session II:

Wednesday, February 13, 4:00 p.m. for Beginners, 5:00 p.m. for Intermediate at Fort Gatlin.

Swimming

Registration for Spring Swimming is due.

Registration forms may be turned into The Christ School office.

Please check RenWeb for registration and information flyer.

Please check RenWeb for all athletic contests, announcements, forms and information.

Forms and information flyers can be found under Resource Documents.

For all athletic questions please contact Coach Wiborg.