Post Tagged with: "Preschool"

Students, Staff Gather to Worship the Newborn King at All-School Christmas Chapel on Dec. 23

Students and staff gathered to worship and celebrate the birth of Jesus at an all-school Christmas Chapel on December 23. Students from preschool to the 12th grade participated in the chapel program with drama, vocal, and instrumental presentations. Event Coordinator and high school Bible teacher Christian Delacruz encouraged everyone in his chapel message to be thankful for the best Christmas gift of all — the gift of grace, love, and eternal life made possible through the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Event Coordinator Christian Delacruz presented the chapel message.

Gail Alford, the Elementary Principal and Early Education Director, opened the chapel with prayer and then introduced Mrs. Meza’s 2nd grade class, who presented a dramatic skit about four words that embodied the Christmas story — sacrifice, seek, shout, and share. Mrs. Meza challenged everyone to take the opportunity during this Christmas season to share the salvation message rooted in the Christmas story with family and friends.

The PreK3 and PreK4 classes then took to the stage to joyously sing and dance to “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

The PreK3 and PreK4 classes sang and danced to “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

An Upper School Instrumental Worship Ensemble performed two Christmas songs, featuring 12th grade brothers Hyeonjin (Isaac) Choi and Hyeonbin (Joseph) Choi on violin, 8th grader Rowlee Murphy on cello, and 12th grader Haley Whedbee on flute.

CLICK HERE to view a video of the Upper School Instrumental Worship Ensemble’s performance.

The 5th grade Worship Team got everyone on their feet to sing and dance along with them as they performed “Feeling Like Christmas” and “Born is the King.” The Middle School and High School Worship Teams followed suit, as they encouraged the students and staff to sing along as they performed “Carol of the Bells” and several other Christmas carols.

CLICK HERE to view a video of the Middle School and High School Worship Teams performing  one of their carols during the Christmas Chapel.

There were several light-hearted moments during the chapel. The winners of the 6th-12th grade Christmas Door Decorating Contest and the K-5th grade Christmas Tree Decorating Contest were announced. Mrs. Flath’s 9th grade class won the Christmas Door Decorating contest, that included decorating several doors and adjacent walls with a Charlie Brown theme.  The elementary Christmas Tree Decorating Contest focused on a Christmas Around the World theme and Mrs. McCarthy’s 3rd grade class won with a tree decorated as Christmastime in the tropics.

A group of faculty and staff closed the chapel with a surprise song-and-dance routine.

The audience also participated in an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest, cheering loudly as they voted for their favorite students to win first place. The winner from the 6th to 12th grade classes was 12th grader Mia Liggins and the K-5th grade winner was kindergartner Felicity Macpherson.  The chapel concluded with a surprise — a song-and-dance routine performed by an energetic group of faculty and staff.

 

 

ACS Participates in Read Across America Week with Fun, Creative Educational Activities

Preschool and elementary students ate green eggs and ham, counted and matched rainbow goldfish crackers, and wore wacky, mismatched socks to school as part of fun and educational activities they enjoyed from March 1-3 as part of Read Across America Week.  Some classes watched the “Cat in the Hat” movie, others made Cat in the Hat kebobs of bananas and strawberries for snack, and the librarian played music from “Seussical” as students choose from a variety of books on display in the library.

“Our students and teachers really look forward to Read Across America Week and celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday every year because they get to dress up for Cat in the Hat Day or Crazy Sock Day and come up with creative projects that make reading fun,” said Elementary Principal and Early Education Director Gail Alford. “The goal is to get our students excited about learning.”

Reading Dr. Seuss books was a favorite activity throughout the week and a large bulletin in the school library hallway was decorated with the covers of various Dr. Seuss books.

In Mrs. Kelley’s PreK4 class, they read Dr. Seuss’ “Put Me in the Zoo” and then made the dog from the story as an art project. The students also made “Thing” hats, recited their numbers up to 20, and chose a number to write on their hat.

Mrs. Fosbenner’s 3rd grade class read Dr. Seuss’ “Bartholomew and the Oobleck,” and then created their own version of Oobleck as part of a science experiment observing how liquid ingredients when mixed together can change into a solid form.

CLICK HERE to see additional photos from Read Across America week.

 

 

 

See What’s New Around the 37-Acre ACS Campus

Work crews are converting our grass soccer field to an artificial turf field expected to be ready by mid-April.

With spring around the corner, we thank God for providing funding for a number of improvements now underway on our beautiful, spacious 37-acre campus, including new security fencing, an artificial turf soccer field, and a new outdoor toddler playground also covered with artificial turf.

“We are so excited about these new upgrades to some of our outdoor facilities that have been made possible through donations and grants,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “Our students from preschool to high school will be benefiting from these improvements for years to come.”

New security fencing will soon surround outdoor play areas, made possible by state security grant funding for non-public schools. Progressive Fence began installing the green support poles for the fencing in January. The height of the fencing will range from 6- to 10-feet high, and will include several lockable gates at entry points to the track. Oblen said additional new fencing is planned for the next school year to go along the property lines near the baseball and softball fields.

Several weeks ago, work crews from Clayton Companies began removing the grass on the main soccer field used by the Varsity Boys’ and Middle School Boys’ soccer field to replace it with artificial turf. The turf field and the labor is being donated by Clayton Companies and is expected to be ready by mid-April. Oblen said the turf field will have better drainage and will be significantly less costly to maintain than the grass field.

With the start of warmer weather this month, ACS students in toddler preschool classes have come outdoors to explore their new play area, which has been fenced in and covered with artificial turf. “The children were all smiles and the turf is a safe surface that is easy to keep clean,” said Elementary Principal and Early Education Director Gail Alford. Recently completed asphalt-covered walkways along the perimeters of the playgrounds are also providing easier access to the play areas and the track.

ACS Students: We Love Our Pastors

Over 50 pastors and ministry leaders from 30 area churches were the honored guests at Pastor Appreciation Day on Wednesday, February 12. The special day began with a complimentary breakfast for the pastors followed by an all-school chapel program that featured students from preschool to the 12th grade.

Senior Ashleigh Martin shares her faith journey at the Pastor Appreciation Day Chapel.

The students sang and danced to songs of praise and worship and recited Bible verses that incorporated the steps to salvation. 12th grader Ashleigh Martin shared how serving God on ACS missions trips to Houston and the Bahamas helped her grow in her faith.

The program also included a video that featured dozens of students talking about why they love their pastors and church and thanking them for the important role they play in their lives. ACS also presented the pastors with a special ACS mug and handmade valentines created by the students in the Servant’s Heart Club.

During breakfast, Pastor Mike Bult of Mainland Baptist Church, spoke on the challenges facing the church in reaching Generation Z with the gospel. He emphasized the importance of building relationships and using the tools of social media to connect with young people. He also talked about the power of prayer and for pastors to encourage parents to pray regularly with their children.

After chapel, the students had fun taking pictures and talking with their pastors. This week was Spirit Week at ACS and many students were wearing cowboy hats, boots, bandannas, and other Western wear attire to fit the day’s theme.

CLICK HERE to see a photo gallery of Pastor Appreciation Day including group photos taken of our students with their pastors.

Pastor Appreciation Day — February 12

We love our pastors! Atlantic Christian School students and their families worship at over 100 churches across South Jersey and each year we set aside a day to recognize and thank the important role that pastors and others working in church ministry play in the lives of our students. This year, Pastor Appreciation Day will be held on Wednesday, February 12.

The day’s activities will begin with a breakfast for the pastors, with Pastor Mike Bult of Mainland Baptist Church in Galloway as the featured speaker. After breakfast, the pastors and ministry leaders will attend our student-led All-School Chapel at 10 a.m. in the gym, where students from preschool to high school will show their appreciation for their pastors through choral, instrumental, and oral presentations. Invitations have been mailed to pastors at their churches. We are asking pastors to please RSVP to Mrs. PJ Santos, Assistant Director of Development and Communication, at 609-653-1199, ext. 302 or to psantos@acseht.org.

ACS Opens Two New Indoor Playrooms for Preschool Students

Our preschool students have two new, exciting indoor playrooms to enjoy during the cold winter months, made possible through a large donation of play equipment and the efforts of ACS facilities staff and volunteers, who finished setting up the rooms in December.

On the morning of Friday, January 3, faculty member Jennifer Kelley took her PreK4 class to the new playrooms, which are located in one of the Annex Buildings facing the school parking lot. In one playroom, designed to be an open space to run and play games, the students spent time with PE teacher Kaylee Breunig. They played “Tails,” a fun tag game with scarfs, and developed their motor skills and coordination as they caught, threw, spiked, and kicked multi-colored balloons.

In the second playroom, the children enjoyed exploring a wood playhouse, riding the Step2 toddler roller coaster, serving up make-believe ice cream and vegetables at an Ice Cream Cart and a Farmer’s Market, and climbing and sliding on a large jungle gym. The playroom also features a giant-sized dollhouse and table and chairs. We are grateful to the English family for donating many of the items in the playroom last summer. Their young children, Jack and Addisyn, attended ACS before they moved to Alabama.

“We’re thrilled to be able to give our youngest students age-appropriate, creative, and safe places to run and play during the winter months,” said Early Ed and Elementary Principal Gail Alford. “The kids love it.”

Meet Our New Preschool Teachers

The ACS Early Education Department is excited to welcome back three of its own in new roles this year. Joanne VanAcker (left),  Brittany Correa (center), and Nicole Warriner (right) are all former ACS Early Ed aides who have moved up to be classroom teachers after completing their Child Development Associate certification earlier in 2018.

VanAcker (PreK3) is a former daycare director who teaches Sunday school at New Life Assembly. She and her husband, Jamie, have three children who attend ACS. “I am so excited to be a teacher at ACS,” she said. “It is so rewarding to watch the 3-year-olds blossom throughout the year. I love seeing the children’s faces when they learn something new or fall in love with a new book we have read in class.”

Correa (PreK2) attended Masters Commission ministry school and serves in the children’s programs at Praise Tabernacle. She and her husband, Damien, have three children who attend ACS. “My vision is to give young children an opportunity to be in a safe, loving environment and develop an excitement for learning,” she said.

Warriner (PreK2) comes from a background of helping others in tough situations. Serving in the U.S. Army and the Salvation Army, she was a first responder during both Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy. As a member at Mainland Baptist Church, she ministers in Kids Club, nursery, and special events. She and her husband, Jason, have three children who attend ACS. With enthusiasm and motivation shining through, she said, “I love watching the kids grow and learn new things even at the young age of 2! My goal is to continue my education, get my bachelor’s degree, and see where God leads me at ACS.”