The kindergarten classes enjoyed a sunny, fun-filled day at Storybook Land on October 7, the perfect ending to a month spent learning all about nursery rhymes. The stories of Humpty Dumpty, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Little Red Riding Hood, and other favorites were recreated as part of the rides and attractions, the same stories the students had heard during story time and explored in various arts and crafts projects. The students also went on a hayride and spent time picking pumpkins. Thank you to kindergarten teachers Gail Alford and Julie Reilly, kindergarten aide Priscilla Garner, and our parent chaperones for helping make great memories with our students.

Looking for an opportunity to meet with other ACS parents and family members and lift up our school community in prayer? Join the ACS Family Prayer Group that is meeting weekly on Tuesday mornings from 8:30-9:30 a.m. in Room 200, the school’s prayer War Room. For more information, contact Lina Lomangino (609-517-1818) or Sharon Griffith (609-214-2136).  All are welcome to attend. Please stop first in the school office to get a visitors’ pass.

Two new after-school classes will get underway next week — Fall-Themed Ceramics and Model Railroading. The class registration form is available on the school’s website and in the school office. A minimum of five students is required for a class to be held.  Please send payment with the registration form to the school office or bring to the first class. The full schedule of fall classes is also posted on the website. Classes are open to ACS students and non-ACS students.

Fall-Themed Ceramics (One-day class – Monday, October 17): Paint your own pottery! Students from PK4 to the 5th grade will have the opportunity to choose different fall-themed pottery to paint and then have glazed and fired. Choices will include pumpkins, leaves, candy bowls, and more. The class will run from 3:15-4:15 p.m. and is being taught by Meredith Punt, owner of the Clay Station. Class fee: $25.

Model Railroading (Begins Tuesday, October 18):  Gain experience in model railroading during this 6-class session, including learning to build a train layout and basic engineering that integrates science, math, general problem-solving, and organizational skills. Open to students in 6th-12th grades. Class fee: $45.

Shop at Boscov’s and Support the ACS Missions Club — Only a few days are left to get your 25% discount shopping passes to use this coming Tuesday, October 18 at Boscov’s. Purchase a $5 pass from any Missions Club member or faculty member Dave Genter and save on all your purchases that day. Your support will help fund three missions trips planned for next spring.

2017 Chick-fil-A Cow Calendars –– Buy a 2017 calendar from ACS and get a Chick-fil-A sandwich, bowl of soup, or other menu item for free each month. Buy one for your family and buy more to give as gifts. These fun and popular calendars are available in the school office for $9 each. Help support ACS by participating in this Parent-Teacher Fellowship fundraiser.

ACS Family T-Shirts — Created new this year for our school parents and other family members are adult-sized ACS T-Shirts with the school’s spiritual development theme verse — Romans 12:10 — scripted on the back. The T-shirts are $10 each and can be purchased in the school office.

The Varsity Girls’ soccer team continued its winning streak this week and extended its undefeated record to 6-0 in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference. The Lady Cougars beat Baptist Regional 4-0 at home on Tuesday and bested Cumberland Christian 9-1 away on Thursday. The top scorers in both games were senior Dakota Hitchner (Baptist-2, Cumberland-5) and junior Abby Vogel (Baptist-2, Cumberland-2). Sophomores Rebekah Darragh and Lola Oguntuase each had one goal in the Cumberland match. Senior goalie Shannon Murphy had 6 saves in the Baptist game and 3 defending against Cumberland.  The Varsity Boys’ team lost its two games against Baptist and Cumberland Christian.

In Middle School action, the MS Girls played at home against Upper Township on Wednesday and lost 0-2.  Hats off to 8th grader Shelby Einwechter for making 20 saves in the goal. The girls play again away on Friday at Somers Point.  The MS Boys’ team lost its two games against Cape Trinity Catholic and Crest Memorial.

Next Week’s Games:  On Monday, the Varsity teams will play away at Life Center Academy in Burlington, New Jersey. The Varsity Boys will play at home on Wednesday against Kings Christian and both the Boys and Girls teams will play at home against Pilgrim Academy on Friday. The MS Boys will face Cape Trinity at home on Monday and the MS Girls will play at home against Northfield on Wednesday.  Both the MS Girls and Boys teams will play Pilgrim Academy away on Friday and then participate on Saturday in the Crusader Classic Tournament hosted by Cumberland Christian School. All MS games start at 3:45 p.m. and Varsity games at 4:00 p.m.  Additional details on the games can be found on the school’s website under the “Athletics” tab.

Box Tops for Education — Next Wednesday, October 12 is the deadline to send in all the Box Tops you’ve been collecting. Please send them in to your child’s classroom teacher or drop them off in the school office. Thank you for supporting this simple and easy fundraiser. Funds raised will be used by the Parent-Teacher Fellowship to purchase school equipment.

Shop at Boscov’s and Support the ACS Missions Club — The ACS Missions Club is selling 25% discount shopping passes to use on Tuesday, October 18 at Boscov’s as part of its popular annual “Friends Helping Friends” day.  The passes are only $5 and can be used to save on all your purchases that day. To buy a shopping pass, see any student in the Missions Club or contact Mr. Genter at
dgenter@acseht.org. Your support will help fund three
missions trips planned for next spring.

2017 Chick-fil-A Cow Calendars –– Buy a 2017 calendar from ACS and get a Chick-fil-A sandwich, bowl of soup, or other menu item for free each month. Buy one for your family and buy more to give as gifts. These fun and popular calendars are available in the school office for $9 each. Help support ACS by participating in this Parent-Teacher Fellowship fundraiser.

Thank you to the Parent-Teacher Fellowship (PTF) for donating a new, LED scoreboard to the Athletic Department, the school’s first outdoor scoreboard. Athletic Director Chris Eaton said he was excited to have the new scoreboard for this year’s soccer season and also plans to use it during baseball/softball season.  The scoreboard posts the home and guest scores and has a running game time-clock and a half/period indicator with a loud buzzer. Eaton also noted one important practical feature of the 4′ x 5′ scoreboard is its portability, which stands close to 7 feet high on a wheeled base.  PTF Board President Terry Vogel said various PTF fundraisers held last year, such as the Shoprite Gift Card and Box Tops for Education programs, provided the some $3,300 to purchase the high quality scoreboard. Past PTF gifts of equipment to the school have included stage curtains and a commercial ice maker and refrigerator for the school kitchen.

The votes are in and 23 high school students have been elected to the 2016-2017 Student Council. Faculty Advisor Dave Genter congratulated the students at their first organizational meeting, held during lunch on Tuesday, October 4.  The students, who are holding various positions as class officers, will help plan school and community service activities, strive to enrich the spiritual atmosphere of the school, and raise money for their classes’ senior trip.

12th Grade Officers [below, top left]: (Back row, from left) –Joanna Noto, President; Tola Oguntuase, Class Representative; Jasmine Feliciano, Secretary/Treasurer; Josh Burns, Chaplin; (Front row, from left) — Julia Murphy, Class Representative; Mikayla D’Anna, Vice President

11th Grade Officers [below, top right]: (From left) — Kelsey Kern and Kaitlyn Kelley, Class Representatives; Tommy Taylor, Vice President; and Mariyah Black, Secretary/Treasurer and Chaplin. Not pictured: Victoria Matt, President.

10th Grade Officers [below, bottom left]: (From left) — Joshua Mizrahi, Chaplin; Jacob O’Brien and Teddy Housel, Class Representatives; Lola Oguntuase, Vice President; Rebekah Darragh, President; and Rose Shaw, Secretary/Treasurer.

9th Grade Officers [below, bottom right] (Back row, from left) –Lauren Harmon, Class Representative; Ashleigh Martin, Secretary/Treasurer; Ben Noble, Chaplin; (Front row, from left) — Ian Iaconelli, Class Representative; Josie D’Anna, President; Paige Hoover, Vice President.

Students in Mr. Carney’s high school geometry class are taking a stand — at their new, standing desks, that is.  And so are students in his Algebra II, Statistics, Pre-Calculus, and SAT Math Prep classes. Instead of spending some 40 minutes in class sitting at a traditional desk,  up to eight students in each of his classes can choose to stand and do their work.  Mr. Carney can already notice a difference. “It’s helping students be able to concentrate and focus better,” he said. Some research also indicates that test scores increase with this innovative alternative to classroom seating.

Mr. Carney first heard about the health and educational benefits of standing desks a year ago at the NEXUS teachers’ conference sponsored by the Association for Christian Schools International. An accomplished carpenter who also teaches a woodworking class at ACS, Mr. Carney decided to build his own desks. He installed two, 8-foot-long standing desks in September and had his woodworking class sand and stain one of the them. If all goes well, he plans to add a third standing desk in January, which would give up to half of the students in his classes the option to stand. “The students who have tried it so far seem to like it,” Mr. Carney said. “It’s a healthy alternative and if it helps them do better at math, then the desks will be here to stay.”  

Two new after-school classes will get underway in two weeks — Fall-Themed Ceramics and Model Railroading. The class registration form is available on the school’s website and in the school office. A minimum of five students is required for a class to be held.  Please send payment with the registration form to the school office or bring to the first class. The full schedule of fall classes is also posted on the website. Classes are open to ACS students and non-ACS students.

Fall-Themed Ceramics (One-day class – Monday, October 17): Paint your own pottery! Students from PK4 to the 5th grade will have the opportunity to choose different fall-themed pottery to paint and then have glazed and fired. Choices will include pumpkins, leaves, candy bowls, and more. The class will run from 3:15-4:15 p.m. and is being taught by Meredith Punt, owner of the Clay Station. Class fee: $25.

Model Railroading (Begins Tuesday, October 18):  Gain experience in model railroading during this 6-class session, including learning to build a train layout and basic engineering that integrates science, math, general problem-solving, and organizational skills. Open to students in 6th-12th grades. Class fee: $45.

Congratulations to the Varsity Girls’ soccer team for beating Gloucester County Christian School 4-3 on Tuesday to remain undefeated in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference with a 4-0 record. Way to go, Lady Cougars! Junior Abby Vogel led in the scoring with two goals, and senior Dakota Hitchner and sophomore Lola Oguntuase each scored one. Hitchner also had two assists and senior Tola Oguntuase had one. Senior goalie Shannon Murphy made five important saves.

The Varsity Boys lost to Gloucester 8-1, with sophomore Suhyan (Danny) Lee scoring the only goal in a penalty kick.  In Middle School action, the MS Boys lost 4-0 to Crest Memorial on Tuesday and 2-0 at  home on Thursday to Bishop McHugh.

Come out on Friday afternoon and cheer on the Varsity Boys as they play at home in a non-league game against Holy Spirit. The game begins at 4:00 p.m.  The MS Girls will be playing away on Friday afternoon against the Belhaven Avenue School in Linwood. Start time is 3:45 p.m. Go Cougars!

Next Week’s Games:  The soccer season will be in full swing next week, culminating with four Homecoming games on Saturday, October 15.  The MS Boys will play away on Tuesday and at home on Thursday, while the MS Girls will play at home on Wednesday and away on Friday.  The Varsity Boys and Girls play at home on Tuesday and away on Thursday.  All MS games start at 3:45 p.m. and Varsity games at 4:00 p.m.  Additional details on the games can be found on the school’s website under the “Athletics” tab.

Some 50 ACS students, teachers, staff, parents, and even a few grandparents gathered around the school’s flagpoles during the early morning of September 28 to pray for ACS,  for the local community, and the leaders of our country. The special time of prayer was part of  “See You at the Pole,” a national event held on school campuses across the country. High school praise and worship band teacher Dakota Mason opened the gathering with several worship songs. Young people and adults took turns at the microphone to pray, some giving thanks, others mentioning specific needs, and some asking for God’s mercy and forgiveness. High school Bible teacher Joe Rowell reminded those gathered of the importance of prayer as described in 2 Chronicles 7:14 — “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Later in the morning, students in the preschool classes and their teachers also made their way to the flagpole area to spend time in prayer.

Congratulations to 13-year veteran staff member Susan Smith who has a new title this year — Upper School Principal. She took on this important leadership position overseeing students and teachers in grades 6-12 after serving for four years as the Director of Student Services and six years as Director of Special Services and Guidance Counselor. She will continue
to serve as Guidance Counselor.

Mrs. Smith first came to ACS in 2003 as a middle school teacher. She has also taught the high school life skills class and overseen the National Institute for Learning Disabilities program. Over the years, she has been involved in many extra-curricular activities, including serving as yearbook and senior class advisor, overseeing the National Honor Society and Junior National Honor Society, serving on the strategic planning committee as part of the school’s accreditation team, and coaching the Varsity Girls’ softball and the Varsity and JV Girls’ basketball teams.  Mrs. Smith earned a Bachelor’s degree in social work from Stockton University and holds a Master’s in Education from Liberty University. She and her husband Mark have two children, Tyler and Hunter (’18).

We rejoice with two faculty members who became new parents this year.  High school language arts teacher Ariel Richvalsky and her husband Tim, both ACS alumni, welcomed a baby girl, Eden Hope, on June 9. Mom and nearly 4-month-old Eden were warmly welcomed at the Back-to-School BBQ on September 16. High school history teacher and Vice Principal Gregg Laskow and his wife Caitlin (a former ACS 3rd grade teacher) are thanking God for the gift of a healthy baby girl on September 28 – Madison Eliana.  Congratulations and best wishes to both families.

Mrs. Erlandson’s PreK3 class went on a bear hunt today – a teddy bear hunt, that is. After reading Michael Rosen’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt together in circle time, they headed out into the school hallways to look for paper cut-out bears hidden in different locations. It was all part of their weekly class theme. Class activities also included sorting bears by color and size, counting bears, and even taking the bears to the boo-boo clinic in their classroom.

On Wednesday, the students brought in their own teddy bear (or other favorite stuffed animal) and wore pajamas to school – a fun activity that all the other preschool classes participated in as well.  “It’s all about making learning interesting and interactive,” said Mrs. Erlandson.  In Mrs. Bird’s PreK4 class the focus this week was on learning about apples, a favorite fall harvest fruit. The students taste-tested red, green, and yellow apples, made applesauce, and created art with apples by dipping halved slices in paint to see the star shape that the seeds make on paper.

Yankee Candle Sale — Want to get a head start on your Christmas shopping? The Senior Class is selling Yankee candles to raise money for its spring senior trip. Order deadline: Friday, October 7. To place an order, catalogs are available in the school office or by contacting school parent Lina Lomangino: lloman41360@aol.com or 609-517-1818.

Shop at Boscov’s and Support the ACS Missions Club — The ACS Missions Club is selling 25% discount shopping passes to use on Tuesday, October 18 at Boscov’s as part of its popular annual “Friends Helping Friends” day.  The passes are only $5 and can be used to save on all your purchases that day. To buy a shopping pass, see any student in the Missions Club or contact Mr. Genter at
dgenter@acseht.org. Your support will help fund three
missions trips planned for next spring.

Box Tops for Education — Keep clipping those Box Tops. In two weeks the Parent-Teacher Fellowship will be collecting all Box Tops from classroom teachers and the school office. Collection deadline: Wednesday, October 12. The funds raised from this simple and easy fundraiser will be used to purchase school equipment. Be sure to  place your Box Top labels in a ziploc bag and write your child’s name and grade on the bag.

“Shop To Give” — it’s a new page on the ACS website under the “Giving” tab that provides an easy-to-read guide on ways to give to ACS without giving extra. The guide lists the names of local stores, restaurants, an online app, and retail websites where you can shop and ACS will receive a percentage of your total purchases.  This handy guide was part of an information packet given to parents at our Back-to-School Nights, but if you were unable to come, the information is now available on our school website. And you don’t have to be a parent to participate. Share the information with your family and friends and they can shop and support ACS as well.  Places to shop include: ShopRite, Amazon (through its smile.amazon portal), Red Robin, and Shoparoo.  Any questions? Contact Jessica Martin at jmartin@acseht.org.

At the Spiritual Emphasis Retreat on September 22 and 23, ACS Middle School and High School students were challenged to surrender their lives to God so that He can use them to be culture-changers and history-makers. That was the message from retreat speaker Jay Trainor of Infuzion Ministries. He used the Bible story of Jonah to illustrate that when a person decides to obey and follow God he or she can be a destiny-changer, just like Jonah who helped save the city of Ninevah from destruction.  The two-day retreat held on the ACS campus and Sleepy Hollow Family Campground also included a variety of fun, team-building activities and time for singing and worship, led by Dawson Coyle, a 17-year-old rising Christian artist from Vineland.

In an Amazing Race contest on September 22, students and their teachers competed by class to complete a variety of tasks in the fastest time, such as using straws to sip a large bowl of root beer,  throwing tortillas to land in a target zone, and using chop sticks to pass live earthworms to each other and into a bucket.  Another class competition involved building a large boat out of cardboard and duct tape and then rowing the boat across a small lake. The 6^th grade team even built their oars out of cardboard.  The 12^th grade class came in first with the fastest time of 49 seconds in their impressive cardboard canoe.

On September 23, students competed in a musical lip sync contest, created paintings on canvas, and participated in various athletic activities including ping-pong and volleyball. At the closing assembly, the 8^th grade was recognized for placing first among the Middle School classes with the most points earned in the team competitions, and the 11^th grade took first place among the High School classes. Both classes will be treated to a complimentary breakfast brunch.  The 12^th grade class received a special recognition as the class demonstrating the most school spirit during the retreat.

Click here to view the Spiritual Emphasis Retreat Facebook album.

ACS is pleased to welcome eighteen new faculty and staff to the school family this year, including four alumni and two former students. We praise God for the significant growth in our enrollment and the new classes that have been added at every level, from preschool to high school. Our Back-to-School Nights give parents an opportunity to meet these highly qualified, dedicated Christian teachers and staff and hear their stories about how they came to serve at ACS.

Pictured above, back row, from left: George Dickson, MS Math and Bible; Matt McKinnon, Computers; Dena Johnson, MS/HS Spanish; Morgan Gibson, Human Resources Manager; Deanna Bailey, MS Language Arts; Amy Vogel (’09), 2nd grade; and Kelly Schlundt, Resource Room Specialist. Pictured above, front row, from left: Jessica Martin, Events Coordinator; Simone McKinnon, 3rd grade; Casey Harper, MS Language Arts; Kathy Costello, elementary aide; Kelsea Bonek Chambers (’12), PK2; and Stephanie Rosie, elementary music and PK1 infants. Not pictured: Karissa Evans Costello (’07), PK3; Ruby Lewis, Culinary Arts; Dakota Mason (’09), Worship Team; Harry Peterson, Custodian; and Pat Taylor, Art.

Congratulations to the ACS Early Education Center for receiving  The Press of Atlantic City’s 2016 Readers’ Choice Silver Award, recognizing it as one of the best child daycare centers in South Jersey. ACS celebrated this accomplishment with a special cake served at the Back-to-School BBQ on September 16.  The Early Ed Center, which works with children from 6 months to 4 years old, also received the Silver Award last year and received the Bronze Award in 2014.

Over 500 parents, students, faculty, and staff came out for the 13th annual Back-to-School BBQ on September 16, our largest turnout ever. What a great way to start off the school year! There was something for everyone and picture-perfect sunny skies. A variety of fun activities engaged students and their families, including a climbing rock wall, ga-ga ball, 9-square in the air, a hay ride, a bounce house, and old-fashioned carnival games.

Art teacher Pat Taylor and her husband Glenn shared their talents doing face painting and the Shoreline Railroad Club had their model train display open for viewing in one of the annex buildings. The BBQ also gave various school organizations a chance to promote their activities, including the ACS Boy Scout Troop 389, the Missions Club, the Parent-Teacher Fellowship, and the Senior Class.

Thank you to all the ACS parents, Board members, teachers, and and students who helped make the BBQ a success by volunteering or donating food. We would also like to thank several area businesses who donated — Big Time Vending, Elite Fleet Catering Services, Inc., Gregory’s Bar and Restaurant, Herr’s, ShopRite Somers Point, Sleepy Hollow Family Campground, Stroehmann Bakeries, Sysco, and Utz Snacks. We were also pleased to add Paige’s Italian Water Ice to the BBQ menu. Click here for pictures.

Check out the “Nurse’s Nook,” a blog site under the Parents’ tab on the ACS website, for information and instructions regarding the health and safety of your child in the 2016-2017 school year. School nurse Lara D’Anna updates the blog monthly with current news and tips on how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Also please read the important email message sent out on Tuesday to parents from the nurse’s office. A reminder from School nurse Sandra Settles to all Early Education parents — please be sure your child gets the flu shot by December 31. We look forward to working alongside you to ensure the health and safety of your child during this school year.

The ACS 2016-2107 theme verse for spiritual development in Romans 12:10 can be summarized in four words — “Tell me somethin’ good.”  That’s how Upper School Principal Susan Smith described it at the first middle school/high school chapel of the year last Friday.  Students, as well as faculty and staff, are being challenged to show God’s love to each other at every opportunity — in the lunch room, in the classroom, in the school office, on the athletic field, and elsewhere.   “This verse is what we must aspire to be,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “We want to be looking for the good in each other — whether we are a teacher, an administrator, or a student.”

The words of the theme verse can be found all around campus — on posters and bulletin boards in the school hallways and even on the backs of new ACS staff T-shirts. A large bulletin board in a second floor school hallway has been designated as a place to post messages that say something good about a fellow student or teacher.  To start off, teachers will be posting messages on the board during the month of September. In October, students will join the effort. New messages will be posted each month.

An after-school drama class and JPS soccer are getting underway next Wednesday. The first day of intramural cheerleading began today and will continue for the next five Friday afternoons. Don’t miss out!   The registration form to sign up for classes is available on the school’s website and in the school office. Please send payment with the registration form to the school office or bring to the first class.  The full schedule of fall classes is also posted on the website. Classes are open to ACS students and non-ACS students.

The Intramural Cheerleading class, which began today, is open to students from kindergarten to the 5th grade. Led by ACS staff member and former ACS Varsity cheerleading captain Morgan Gibson, the class will meet weekly in the Multi-Purpose Room on Fridays until October 21. This six-session class includes cheering at the Senior Day home soccer game on  Tuesday, October 25. The class fee is $65.

The Dynamics of Drama class, for students in the 4th-12 grades, will begin on Wednesday, September 21 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Annex Building, Unit 1. This class, led by Amy Culleny, an ACS staff member and a Sojourn Productions Show Director, will be held weekly on Wednesdays for 10 weeks until November 30. The students will present a drama showcase for parents and friends on December 6 at 6:30 p.m. The class fee is $99.

GPS Juniors will teach the fundamentals of soccer to students from PreK4 to the 5th grade beginning on Wednesday, September 21 from 3:15-4:00 p.m. in an outdoor grassy area near the gazebo. The class will meet weekly for six weeks. The class fee is $60.

A new construction project got underway this week on the ACS campus with the digging up of the infield on our Middle School Boys’ Baseball Field. The project will result in significant improvements to the field, including a grass infield with irrigation, a new pitcher’s mound, and infield resurfacing. If all goes as planned, the work could be completed by the end of October. The upgrades will be a welcome benefit to our Middle School Boys’ Baseball team next spring, and will also benefit local community youth baseball leagues that use our fields for practices and games.