ACS eighth grade students capped off their recent class assignment of reading Charles Dickens’ classic novel, “A Christmas Carol,” by seeing the story performed on stage at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. Middle School Language Arts teacher Caitie Lee organized the field trip on December 11. After the play and lunch, the students went to Macy’s (the old Wanamaker’s building) to see the Dickens’ Village and light show. Faculty member Patty Scardelli and two international students also went on the trip. “The students enjoyed seeing the special Christmas sights in the city and experiencing the novel come to life in the play production,” Lee said.
As the sacred season of Christmas unfolds this month, the good news of the birth of a Savior, Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, is being joyously celebrated at ACS. We are very grateful for the prayers and donations from ACS parents, grandparents, alumni, alumni parents, current and former faculty and staff, churches, businesses, and many other community supporters that have made it possible for us to boldly proclaim the name of Christ during Christmas and in everything we do throughout the year.
Christmas shopping doesn’t have to be a chore! On Saturday, December 15, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., let the students in the ACS Bahamas Missions Team provide a safe, fun evening of Christmas activities for your children (age 3 – grade 5) while you shop till you drop!
Thank you to our ACS basketball coaches and parents for participating in our winter 2018 Coin Drop fundraiser on Saturday, December 1. Dressed in festive Christmas hats, the ACS representatives greeted drivers at the intersection of Zion Road and Ocean Heights Avenue from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., asking for donations to support our middle school and high school athletics program. In just six hours, the coaches and parents collected $2,083.52 from our generous community members.
ACS students and teachers have begun decorating their classroom doors for the Christmas season as classes compete for prizes based on Facebook Votes, Student Involvement, Spiritual Message, and Originality.
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As the basketball season gets underway, our Cougar Den concession stand in the gym is in need of donations. We need large cans of cheese, chips, hot dogs, Gatorade, and soda. Anyone who donates at least 3 large items will receive a season pass for all home basketball games. Please bring all donations to the Athletic Office in the gym. Thank you.
The Freshman Class will be selling Christmas-Grams next week, from December 10-17. For just $1.00, a student, staff member, or school family member can send a personalized message with a candy cane to spread joy to friends, teachers, students, coaches, and more! Orders are due by December 17, and forms are available in the main office. Your support helps our freshmen raise funds for special class activities.
As the Christmas season quickly approaches, it is easy for us to get caught up in our “to do” lists.” In the busy-ness of life, we can sometimes forget those who have greatly impacted the lives of our families and children the most, in particular the wonderful teachers and staff here at Atlantic Christian School. In the near future, we will have the opportunity to show them how much they mean to us and to our children through the “Christmas Love Offering” that we will take at each of the upcoming Christmas concerts on December 13 and 14. Through the Love Offering, we have the chance to bless our ACS teachers and staff and show them our deep appreciation for all they do to educate our children and train them up in the Lord.
Thirteen middle school and high school students are part of this year’s cheerleading squad, coached by staff member Mrs. Kelly Flynn. Practices got underway this week to begin preparing for a busy season with plans to cheer at both home and away games to support our middle school and high school teams.
With the completion of tryouts this week, the basketball season for our middle school and high school girls’ and boys’ teams is now underway. The first home game of the season will be this Friday, November 30, starting at 5 pm. The High School Varsity Girls’ team, under ACS alumnus Kaylee Breunig (’12) in her 2nd year as head coach, is hosting Abundant Life Academy from Nutley, NJ. The Varsity Boys, under Dan Carney in his 3rd year as head coach, will be playing Friday and Saturday in a tournament at Doane Academy in Burlington.
Twelve ACS high school students attended a leadership conference November 18-20 in Washington, DC that focused on human suffering around the world and how to respond to that suffering through the lens of God’s Word. The annual conference was sponsored by the Association of Christian Schools International and drew over 400 students from Christian high schools in the Northeast.
Thank you to the parents, faculty, staff, local businesses, and friends of ACS that purchased beautiful poinsettia plants for the Christmas season. The net proceeds from the poinsettia sale will support the Junior Class and the high school “Take Note” Choral ensemble’s exciting trip to New York in January, where they will be performing with Christian solo artist Lauren Daigle. The poinsettias purchased will be decorating the ACS stage at our December 13 and 14 Christmas concerts. Anyone who purchased a plant will be able to pick them up after any one of those concerts. Thank you for your support.
On Wednesday, November 28, Dr. Christopher DiSanto, Associate Professor at Stockton University’s School of Arts and Humanities, visited ACS to work with 4th and 5th grade band students in a clarinet workshop. DiSanto, who was invited to ACS by Music Director Jaron Beadle, teaches music appreciation, music theory, and conducting at Stockton. He is also the Principal Clarinetist of the Bay Atlantic Symphony and director of its Music Mentorship program. This initiative affords selected Stockton music students the opportunity to be paired with musicians from the Bay Atlantic Symphony who act as mentors in a unique setting as visiting instrumental specialists in local middle and high school music programs.
Over 450 grandparents visited the ACS campus on Friday, November 16 for our annual Grandparents’ Appreciation Day. The PreK4 students warmly welcomed the grandparents as they sang “Happy Grandparents Day” to open the all-school chapel. The chapel program continued with students from elementary through high school praising God through musical presentations, scripture recitation, and prayer. There were also some humorous highlights, including a student in a turkey gobbler costume running around the stage as the kindergartners sang “Turkey Time,” under the direction of Mrs. Shirlene Perini.