November 16, 2009

Dear Elementary and Middle School Parents,

Following our last high school football game of the season, Friday night, I woke up Saturday morning to coach our second Varsity basketball practice. At the gym, I encountered all the familiar sounds and smells of the basketball season. Squeaks, swooshes and whistle blasts paired with the smell of old leather and cold, musty air. Outside, the leaves are changing and falling off the surrounding trees and the mornings are getting brisk. Whether we are talking about sports seasons, weather seasons or the seasons of life, they will inevitably change into the next and each one should be cherished and enjoyed. I hope that the Lord is with you in whichever season of life you are in.

This marks our last full week before Thanksgiving break and the schedule looks relatively low-key. Our second quarter will end before Christmas break, which means that there are really only four more full weeks left until the quarter is over. With that in mind, this would be a great time to check in with your children to see how they are doing academically and give them that extra boost of encouragement to finish strong.

There are also a couple of great service opportunities available as we head toward the end of the calendar year. We are looking for a willing volunteer to help with the Middle School yearbook. We use a program that allows us to drag and place the pictures we have taken into pre-set layouts. There are volunteers willing to train anyone interested and it should be a very straight forward project. Please contact Natalie Spencer at the Matmor office if you are interested. Also, if you are an elementary parent with a few spare minutes on Monday mornings, we could use some help setting up the carpool cones at the beginning of each week. I meet with the Middle School staff Monday mornings and our teachers are busy preparing for the week. It is about a fifteen minute process that we would like to have set up by 7:30 a.m. If you are interested in volunteering in this capacity, please contact Teri Arnold or Lisa Taylor in the West St. office. We appreciate your help.

A few reminders before closing:

1. Sally Foster orders will arrive, Wednesday, November 18th. Orders will be taken to the classrooms.
2. Volleyball Playoff Game, Tuesday, November 17th: There will be a rooter's bus for Tuesdays Varsity Girls Volleyball playoff game at Bradshaw Christian. The cost is $8.00 for the bus. Students and parents must pay in the High School or Elementary office before in order to reserve a spot on the bus. Students will need an additional $5.00 to get into the game and adults are $7.00. Those using the rooters bus will need to be at the school by 5:00 pm. This bus is open to elementary families as well. (A parent or adult must accompany elementary students).
3. Book Fair Tuesday through Friday, November 17th - 20th, in room P1. Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Thursday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Friday 8:00 am - 1:00 pm.
4. Thursday, November 19, meet the new band teacher, David Boughton, 6:00 to 7:00 pm in room A5 Matmor Campus.
5. The 10th grade Bible class is having a coat drive. They will be collecting gently used coats, hats, scarves and gloves to give to two charitable organizations in Woodland (Salvation Army and Wayfarers Center). See attached letter.
6. The Robotics Team raised $275 at the Round Table Fundraiser. The Robotic Team greatly appreciates everyones help!
7. MS Operation Christmas Child boxes are due by Friday, November 20.

We also have an update on our Emergency Responder personnel cookie basket project:

Emergency Responders' Cookie Baskets:

Due to an unexpected, significant increase in the number of Emergency Responders originally estimated, the WCS Outreach Committee must, unfortunately, scale back our cookie basket project. At this time, we will only be able to supply cookie baskets to the Police and Fire department. With all of the families who have volunteered to bake cookies, we will be able to provide baskets to cover all Woodland Police Department officers and administration; as well as every person on every shift at each, Woodland Fire stations. WCS will be presenting the baskets at the Police vs. Fire flag football game this Saturday evening at WHS. Representatives from the Police and Fire department will accept the baskets of cookies at half-time from WCS administrators.

We would like to thank all of the families who have already volunteered to bake cookies and if anyone else would like to supply cookies for our Police/Fire men and women, please contact your students' room-parent or Kimberly Rodegerdts (kavail@ucdavis.edu), we would be happy to accept more to make the baskets more plentiful!

Also, as a reminder, WCS families have been personally invited by our former D.A.R.E Officer, Jeff Henderson, to come out to support Woodland Police Department by wearing blue, to the Police vs. Fire football game at WHS stadium on Saturday, November 21, at 6pm. Admission is free, and a canned food donation is appreciated. Kimberly Rodegerdts

Thank you so much for all of your support of our staff and students. Unlike any other school, the families of Woodland Christian go above and beyond to provide the best environment possible for our young people to grow spiritually, socially and academically. We ask for your continued support in prayer for the school and for staff. Even though the year seems to be flying by, we still have a long way to go and will need all the energy we can get. Have a great week and enjoy the season of your life. Its only roughly 270 more days until next football season.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

Thank You,

Justin Smith
K-8 Administrator

Attachments
book fair.pdf
HS Winter Coat Drive.pdf