As the 2018-2019 school year gets underway, we thank God for providing the funding for a number of school building improvements as well as new equipment and furnishings. New carpeting was installed in seven classrooms, including Mrs. Hoover’s 4th grade classroom (pictured above left). We showed our teachers some love by renovating the first floor Teacher Workroom with new flooring, paint, and furnishings. New soccer goals were erected on the athletic field used by our girls’ high school and middle school soccer teams. Pictured below in front of one of the new goals are the 28 girls who tried out this week for the Middle School  soccer team and Coach Casey Hopwood. What a great way to start off the school year!

Students and parents were welcomed with smiles, hugs, and high fives by faculty, staff, students, and our Cougar mascot as they arrived by car and school bus on the first day of school on September 5. Students in kindergarten and in the senior class posed for special pictures to mark the day as a milestone in their lives. Thank you to our Student Ambassadors and to members of our Parent-Teacher Fellowship for volunteering to be part of the welcome team.  Our 2018-2019 school year is off to a great start, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store!

CLICK HERE FOR THE PHOTO GALLERY

The fall schedule of After-School classes is set to get underway with Art Studio and Model Railroading beginning next week. Band, Gymnastics, Soccer, Karate, and much more will also be starting soon! Registration flyers will be sent home as start dates for the various activities get closer.

CLICK HERE FOR PROGRAM LIST AND DESCRIPTIONS

New rules are in place for this school year that limit after-school access to the school building and the Extended Care program has been moved to a new location.  To ensure security for the school building, all entrance doors to the main school building are locked and are not to be propped open at any time. Students are not permitted to enter the school building after 3:30 p.m. unless granted access by a teacher, staff member, or coach.

Extended Care is available for a fee to students from K to 6th grade who remain after school, beginning  at 3:30 p.m. Students in Extended Care will be in the Multi-Purpose Room or on the playground until 4:00 p.m. From 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., Extended Care students will be in a new location — in Annex Building #5, the front building next to the Fitness Center, facing the school parking lot (see photos above).  The entrance door to Extended Care is locked and monitored by a security camera.

Extended Care is not available for students in 7th to 12th grades. Any of these students who remain on campus after school must be in the Multi-Purpose Room by 3:30 p.m. and may only remain there until 4:00 p.m. After 4:00 p.m., 7th-12th grade students will be asked to exit the school building and will be permitted to remain outdoors or go to Annex Building #5, where the Extended Care program is located. During basketball season, students will be permitted to be in the gym after 4:00 p.m. when home games are being played.

The new rules restricting after-school access to the school building particularly impact students playing soccer or baseball/softball after school, who will not be allowed to re-enter the school building after 3:30 p.m. unless accompanied by a coach.  Coaches must accompany their players back to the school building after practice to give access to the building so that athletes may retrieve their belongings from the locker rooms. Please remember that cleats are to be removed before entering the school building.

Fall and spring athletes will not be permitted to return to the school building to use the bathroom facilities. During practices and games, athletes are to use the bathrooms in the Fitness Center or the Porta-Potty located near the fields.  Athletes who must leave practice early will need to take their belongings with them to the field.  Thank you for your cooperation.

The Middle School and High School Soccer Teams will play their season openers on Monday, September 10. The Middle School Boys’ and Girls’ teams will play at home against Pilgrim Academy, games starting at 4 pm.  The High School Varsity teams will travel to Burlington, New Jersey to play Life Center Academy. Games start at 4 pm. Come out and root for our Cougars! Information on all upcoming games can be found on the High School and Middle School Calendars posted on the ACS website under the Athletics tab.

Hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, drawstring bags, and sports water bottles are all for sale by the ACS PTF. All SpiritGear sports the ACS Flame or Cougar Paw Logos, and bags and water bottles can be personalized. Sweatshirts are approved for school wear except of chapel days.

CLICK HERE FOR ORDER FORM

Click HERE to visit the PTF page.

ACS celebrated the accomplishments of twenty 8th grade students at a promotion ceremony on Thursday, June 14 in the school’s gymnasium. The ceremony began with Amber Ramos, Faith Gracia, and Elisha-Michelle Epps leading the pledges to the American flag, the Christian flag, and the Bible. Following prayer by Elizabeth Alford, Samuel Cooney and Kaley Thelismond read Scripture. Selected by his classmates, by Aaron Glancey gave the Christian character address followed by a challenge from Class of 2018 valedictorian, Luke Mouliert. Before the presentation of awards by Chief School Administrator, Karen Oblen, middle school teachers Deanna Bailey, Sara Coates, and Lisa Dye shared heartfelt farewells to the class.

A number of students were recognized for their accomplishments in academics, music, physical fitness,  citizenship, Christian character, and service. Athletic Director Pam Hitchner presented Glancey (pictured at right) with the Cougar Award, given to a student who has demonstrated Christian character, leadership, and responsibility in athletics. Five students received a special gift from the Parent Teacher Fellowship for having attended ACS since kindergarten — Elisha-Michelle Epps, Joshua Guevara, Kaley Thelismond, Alexandra Friend, and George Harmon. PTF President Terry Vogel thanked the parents for choosing to send their children to a Christian school, saying “you have made an eternal investment in them.”

• Academic Awards for Highest GPA in Bible, History, Language Arts, Math, and Science ($25 per award) — Elizabeth Alford; Alford, Markus Lewis, and Kenneth Park also received certificates for  for highest academic honors for earning a 3.8 or higher GPA and Haley Whedbee received recognition for earning a 3.5 or high GPA.
• Christian Education Essay Scholarship ($250) — Elizabeth Alford
• Citizenship Award, for service to others and to the school — Elizabeth Alford, Aaron Glancey
• COMPASS Award, for displaying the fruits of the spirit in everyday life — Julianna Nardone, Markus Lewis
• Cougar Award ($250 each) —Aaron Glancey
• Parent-Teacher Fellowship Scholarship, for the best essays describing their experience at ACS as aligned with Biblical teaching — George Harmon, 1st place ($400); Cole Lewis, 2nd place ($250); Elizabeth Alford and Julianna Nardone, 3rd place, tie ($50)
• Thomas H. Heist Community Service Award, for demonstrating the “give back” spirit by volunteering in three community service activities ($150) — George Harmon

Click here for the photo gallery on the ACS website of the 8th grade promotion program.

Hundreds of family members, friends, faculty, and staff gathered to celebrate a great year of learning and growing at the Promotion Programs for Kindergarten on June 11 and for Early Education on June 12. The programs, filled with smiles and songs, allowed students to demonstrate their accomplishments and praise God for His faithfulness through the school year. At the kindergarten promotion ceremony, Early and Elementary Education Director Gail Alford presided over the presentation of diplomas to 42 kindergarten students, who proudly posed with their white graduation caps. Kindergarten teachers Haley Price and Julie Reilly presented the students with special awards for achievement in science, math, language, penmanship, Bible, and Christian character. At the Early Education Program, 47 PreK4 students received diplomas and warm hugs from their teachers, Teresa Bird and Jennifer Kelley.  Click here for the photo galleries on the ACS website of the PreK and K promotion programs.

Students in Miss Williams’ and Miss Vogel’s 2nd grade classes presented a delightful collection of original puppet skits in our June 8 Elementary Chapel. The students worked in teams on this month-long language arts project — writing eight original, fanciful stories and learning how to move the puppets and use their voices for the characters. The stories featured magical animals, kings, queens, and princesses, and often included a moral lesson.

CLICK HERE to see video highlights of the show on our Facebook page.

Fourth graders in Mrs. Melody’s and Mrs. Hoover’s classes celebrated immigration into the United States by exploring and learning about new cultures. Each student selected a country to research and spent several days learning about that country’s culture, geography, industry, customs, and contributions to American culture. A key component of the research was an interview each student conducted with a friend, acquaintance, or family member who shared the story of how they, or their ancestors, arrived in the United States. To give their presentations, many students dressed in authentic clothing from their country of choice and brought ethnic cuisine to share with their classmates. According to Mrs. Hoover, “From their research and our study, students gain an appreciation for America and the blessings we have as citizens.”

On Wednesday, June 6, Mrs. Coates’ sixth grade Social Studies class took a field trip to visit the Battleship New Jersey in Camden. The students took a tour that taught them about America’s most decorated battleship. They climbed to various decks to learn about enlisted personnel and officers in the Navy and to visit where they ate, slept, lived, and worked while assigned there. The class learned about Navy navigation, communication, and defense techniques on the Battleship which served in five different wars/conflicts before it was retired from service. Lunch was eaten in the mess hall where the sailors ate, and the day wrapped up with the students having a lively question and answer time with a Navy veteran who spoke about his experience in the service.

On Sunday, June 3, the High School Select Ensemble had the privilege of singing special music at the Ocean City Tabernacle for two worship services. ACS choir director Lee Martin, who is also the Worship Leader at the Tabernacle, introduced the group which sang one of their signature songs, “Not Unto Us,” featuring soloist Lola Oguntuase.

Pictured above, from left to right, are Lola Oguntuase (11th), Emily Elgersma (10th), Ashleigh Martin (10th), Dalton Sage (10th), Imohimi Unuigbe (11th), Vernon Yang (12th), Amelia Sray (2017), and Sydney Pearson (9th).

Middle School and High School students and parents may now access the 2018-19 Course Selection Guide and submit Course Selection Requests online through the ACS website. An email has been sent from the school office to students and parents with instructions and a verification code that will be needed to activate the online form.  If you did not receive the email, please contact Mrs. DeNick at sdenick@acseht.org to obtain a verification code.

To view the Course Selection Guide and access the Course Selection Request Forms for Middle School, please CLICK HERE.

To view the Course Selection Guide and access the request Course Selection Request Forms for High School, please CLICK HERE.

Our PreK4 classes threw special Mother’s Day tea parties on Friday, May 11 to show their moms how much they are loved. There were lots of smiles and hugs as the students performed songs and skits and presented their moms with handmade cards and gifts. Mrs. Bird’s class had a “T” party, enjoying food that starts with the letter “T” — turkey, tacos, tortillas, tomatoes, and of course, tea.

Thank you to our PreK4 teachers and aides — Mrs. Kelley, Mrs. Bird, Mrs. Winkel, and Mrs. Jones — for preparing delicious snacks and desserts to enjoy, and to the dads who supported the effort behind the scenes.

Happy Mother’s Day!

ACS sports teams will be recognized and individual athletes will be honored for outstanding seasons and careers at our annual Sports Awards programs. The high school program will be Friday, June 1 at 6:30 p.m. and will include appetizers, desserts, and drinks. The middle school program will be Monday, June 4 at 2:15 p.m. and will include an ice cream social. Parents are invited to attend both programs.

Friday, May 25 is Bike Day for our Early Education students in PreK3 and PreK4. Students can bring their bikes to school for a ride around the track at 9:30 AM. Every child MUST have a helmet and should wear sneakers with their class t-shirt. Students who are not usually in school on Fridays are welcome to participate.

Close to 100 high school students enjoyed an elegant evening of dinner and dancing on Friday, May 11 at the Greate Bay Country Club in Somers Point. Door prizes and a photo booth made the evening both fun and memorable.Thank you to the parents, students, and friends who continued the enchanted garden theme by decorating the ACS gym with trees and twinkling lights for the After-Prom. Thank you also to the individuals and local businesses who donated lots of great prizes for our students, including a kayak. CLICK HERE for a gallery of photos from the evening.

Following our exciting Legacy Gala with Carson Wentz, two more celebrity athletes will visit the ACS campus next week. On Friday, American Ninja Warriors Daniel Gil and Jonathan Horton will share their faith in a K-12 assembly at 12:45 p.m. Family members are invited to attend! In addition to appearing regularly on the popular television show, Gil is a singer, dancer, and worship leader while Horton was an Olympic silver medal gymnast.

The 2018 ACS Spring Art Show, “Seasons of Art,” opened Thursday evening with artwork by students in Kindergarten through 5th grade on display throughout the building. Sketches, paintings, weavings, sculptures, and more depicting scenes of Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer adorned first floor walls and display tables. Guests strolled the hallways enjoying the exhibits before and after the Elementary Spring Concert.

Additional artwork by Upper School students will be added prior to the May 24th Middle School and High School Spring Concert. The creative works of our tallented students will remain on display until the Art Show closes on Friday, May 25.

On Thursday evening, students in Kindergarten through 5th grade presented their annual Elementary Spring Concert with instrumental and vocal selections from the 1st-3rd grade music classes under the direction of Stephanie Rosie and performances by the Elementary Band under the direction of Shirlene Perini. Also featured were several instrumental duets, trios, and ensembles.

The program, entitled “Let All My Works Praise You,” focused on how we can all use whatever roles we play in life to work hard for Jesus.  The children wore brightly colored clothing with hats and props to perform their music as farmers, construction workers, doctors, and more. Their songs ranged from “What a Mighty God We Serve” to “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” One humorous highlight included staff members Luis Andjuar, Lee Martin and Jay Rivera who “played” the hammer, drill, and ratchet along with the band’s performance of a song called “Garage Band.”

CLICK HERE for an online photo gallery of the concert.

On Friday, May 4, ACS welcomed the Puppet PALS ministry team for a special assembly performance for Kindergarten through 12th grade. The Puppet PALS team, made up of high school students studying puppetry in an elective course at Salem Christian School in Macungie, PA, presented a fun-filled, race car themed program called “Race to Win.”

With the championship on the line, two competitors enter the final race of the season with high hopes of winning. When Hotrod Hanson, who races for money and fame, suffers a blown engine, his arch-rival Speedy Cheney gives him her backup engine to keep him in the race. When asked why she would potentially sacrifice the championship for the sake of her opponent, Speedy teaches everyone an important lesson about grace and racing for the glory of Jesus.

With memorable characters, upbeat music, and an engaging story line, “Race to Win” delivered a clear Gospel message for all ages and challenged ACS students to live their lives for the glory of God.

ACS 3rd graders had the pleasure of a visit from Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak on Tuesday, May 1. Andrzejczak, a U.S. Army veteran, spent an hour with the class discussing his two tours of duty in Iraq including how a battlefield injury sustained in 2009 led to the amputation of his left leg. In addition to a Purple Heart he received for his injury, the 25th Infantry Division sergeant was also awarded the Bronze Star Medal of Valor.

Following his discharge from the Army, Andrzejczak entered the field of politics to fulfill his continued desire to serve his country. In the New Jersey General Assembly, he often sponsors bills for veteran affairs to improve the lives of U.S. military veterans. During his visit, the Assemblyman presented personalized certificates from the state to each of the 3rd graders.

The 2018 ACS Yearbook is now on sale. Order forms are available in the main office. The price is $35 per book and quantities are limited, so don’t miss your chance to get a copy of this great keepsake! Orders are due with payment to your student’s homeroom teacher by Friday, May 18. If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Smith at ssmith@acseht.org.

Here is the schedule of events for Spirit Week which will take place Monday, May 7 through Friday, May 11…

MON, 5/7 – TWIN DAY: DRESS AS A TWIN WITH A FRIEND

TUE, 5/8 – CRAZY SOCK OR SHOE DAY: STUDENTS MAY WEAR JEANS

WED, 5/9 – TRACK MEET: STUDENTS MAY WEAR ACS P.E. CLOTHES ALL DAY

THU, 5/10 – GREEN AND WHITE DAY & PEP RALLY

FRI, 5/11 – COLLEGE T-SHIRT OR SWEATSHIRT DAY: FREE HOT DOGS AT LUNCH FOR ALL WHO PARTICIPATE

Points will be awarded to classes each day for participation.  The class with the highest point total will win a pizza party!