WCS Administrator Newsletter

Woodland Christian School - Summer 2008

Dear WCS Families,

This has been a great year for our school.  Twenty-five seniors graduated and are finalizing plans for furthering their education, teachers have completed grades and organized their rooms for the summer break, the principals are firming up their plans for beginning of school in the fall, and the students, I am sure, are enjoying their summer break from school.  At Woodland Christian this is always a bittersweet time of the year.  It would be very unrealistic to say that the teachers and staff are really depressed that the school year has ended.  At the same time, we do miss the hubbub of the school day with chapels, recess, lunch times, and, most of all, students who are learning. 

We all know, of course, that every ending is a new beginning and that there are always things happening, even when they are not happening to us.  That is no less true for our school and its staff.  As we neared the end of the school year, Mrs Robyn McBurney experienced the death of her husband.  That death was paralleled by the birth of a son to Mrs Jennifer Hernandez a few weeks later.  These were significant life changes for these families.  Our faculty also experienced a loss in another way, yet no less significant as we said goodbye to Miss Sue Ingels who has taught at WCS for about 32 years.  She is dearly loved and appreciated by everyone and her departure is a big loss for our school.  At the same time, we are thrilled that she has embraced a new challenge of teaching at Vacaville Christian School next year.  Our loss is their gain! 

Also, Mrs Kelly Ruiz, while taking a break from teaching in our Elementary School next year, will still be involved in our school as a teacher’s aide.  Mrs Samatha Sorbello will not be returning to our High School as she and her husband are expecting their first child.

These losses are paralleled by some additions to our staff.  Mrs Amy Cederborg will begin teaching full-time in the fall and is scheduled to be our fourth-grade teacher.  Some of you may remember that she substituted for Mrs Austin who was on maternity leave.  This year, Mrs Jennifer Austin, who came to us with six years of first grade teaching experience, will be teaching one of our two first grade classes, and Mrs Jennifer Hernandez, who taught band classes and other classes in our Middle School last year will return as our full-time fifth-grade teacher.  Her band responsibilities will be assumed by Mr Greg Dennie, who has been teaching at a Music Academy in Vacaville and is a well-trained and proficient musician with B.A. and M.A. music degrees.  He is a great addition to our program and brings not only a wealth of knowledge and experience, but also a passion for students to learn to love music as he does.  At this time, we are unable to announce the name of Mrs Sorbello’s replacement in the High School as our English teacher; we will do so before the beginning of the school year.

We have also experienced other significant changes. We have created a full-day option for our Kindergarten program.  While the regular half-day program is fully sufficient to prepare a child for the first grade, this structured learning environment will add to a child’s educational experience.  Mrs Debbie Simpson has been hired to teach the afternoon class.  A further change to our Elementary School is the move of our sixth grade to the Woodland Christian Middle School in anticipation of our eventual unified campus on Matmor Road.

Some may be interested in the developments of the sale of our West Street property.  At this time, the interested developer has not proceeded with the City.  For that reason, there is not much to report on that front.  We are moving ahead with the necessary civil engineering studies that are required, as well as continuing plans that include our 600-seat Worship Center.  This facility will not only allow First Baptist Church to continue expanding its ministries, but will also allow Woodland Christian School the use of a large and very nice space as a multi-purpose facility.

It has been my pleasure to have served in the leadership of Woodland Christian Schools, even while serving as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church.  The passionate commitment of our teachers and staff to our school has made a profound impression on me.  That is a huge encouragement as we move forward into the future and press forward with a renewed and more invigorated commitment to “excellence in education.”  Thank you for entrusting your child to us; we consider it a privilege to partner with you in the development of your child.
As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or email me at jcrandall@fbcwoodland.org.

Working for the best of every child and looking forward to another great year,

Dr John Crandall