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February 2, 2012
|  Vol 21, Issue 8 |
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The CommuniK-8or
A newsletter dedicated to news from and about
Bryn Athyn Church School |
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Presidents' Day Winter Break
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NO SCHOOL
Friday, Feb. 17 or Monday, Feb. 20.
Students will have a long weekend winter break. Teachers have an in-service on Friday, and Monday is the national Presidents' Day holiday.
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SAPTE LESSON Kindergarten
| Thursday, March 9 - SAPTE Lesson for kindergarten
Remember that you are welcome to preview materials in School Pastor, Phil Schnarr's office.
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Valentine's Day FUNd raiser - We Love BACS
|  Beginning on Monday, February 6, Valentine hearts, 50¢ each, will be available to purchase from secretaries and classroom teachers throughout BACS to decorate the school. Purchase a Valentine (or two or three) to show your love for our school. You can write a sentiment or a few words of appreciation on your valentines if you wish, or you can simply add them to the display. All funds raised will be donated to "Pennies for BACS".
Each valentine purchased will come with a raffle ticket for a drawing. The prize will be a pizza party for the winner's classroom of choice. Put your name on the raffle ticket and the classroom you would like to be the winner. The drawing will take place on Valentines Day. Let's see how much love we can plaster up on the walls; this should be a blast.
Join the fun, celebrate Valentines Day, and maybe even win a pizza party!
Kelly Asplundh & Lee Allen
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Bryn Athyn Church School Holds First Open House For Prospective Parents
| Well, we did it. We held our first BACS (Prospective Parent) Open House.
I want to thank everyone who worked very hard to make this event happen, especially Lindy, Joanne, Reid, Kirsten and Liz. I also want to thank the many people who have given input and support during the planning process including (but not limited to because I will probably forget someone) Sarah, Cara, Gail, Nathan, Lucas, Carol, Jody, Judy and Carla. And lastly a special thanks to those teachers who volunteered to open their classrooms for brief visits during our tours including Greg, Aline, Beth and Nathan.
So, how did we do? I think that it was a good start. We had 5 families in attendance and they were split between those interested in the Pre-School and those interested in K-1st. With the Open House occurring during the school day the prospective parents had an excellent opportunity to experience the sphere of our school. I do not believe that their presence presented a disruption to the flow of the school day, and I believe that we could have hosted another 5 families before we needed to be concerned about school day disruption. That said, our next event is scheduled for a Saturday so this will not be an issue.
As we look at what did and did not work we are looking to ways we can improve the experience and the reach of our Open House events. If you would like to help with the next event or if you have any thoughts for improvement please feel free to contact me.
Our next event will be Saturday February 25th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Please share this event with young families you feel would benefit from a New Church education.
Rev. Howard A. Thompson
Director of Enrollment
Bryn Athyn Church School
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Courageous Heart - Art for and by Kids
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Parents might want to note that February 5th will be the opening event for the "Courageous Heart - Art for Kids and by Kids" show at Orchard Artworks. The event is from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and will feature cards created by students at BACS as well as other children. All proceeds from the sale of children's art will go to Loving Arms Mission. In addition, the artist members of Orchard Artworks will donate 10% of total sales on that opening day. Patrons can shop for the Valentines in their lives while supporting the great work of Loving Arms Mission.
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From the Headmaster
| Diversity Problem?
"Is there a race problem at Bryn Athyn Church School? Does BACS need a Diversity Team?" A thread popped up recently on the Bryn Athyn Church website posing these questions in response to our Diversity Team convening a Diversity Forum. Are you surprised that the answer to both these questions is: "Yes!"? No, BACS hasn't experienced a racist event like the one that led to the closing of the Valley Club. But each of us develops biases and stereotypes as we grow up. Through explicit teaching of New Church ideas and modeling them we can help our students, and one another, develop the skills necessary to break down biases. We are developing a New Church education that teaches each of us to do more than act with good will toward the neighbor. The New Church education of the future will provide us a broader range of skills and knowledge to act as responsible, culturally competent citizens of our increasingly diverse world.
Did you know that children's perceptions of race can begin developing as early as the age of four? This and other research findings were presented at the Forum through a New Church lens. The Diversity Team, lead by 4th grade teacher Carla Reuter, helps each of us achieve two key New Church education student outcomes, the formation of:
1) a loving relationship with the Lord and
2) a loving relationship with the neighbor.
As New Church teachers we are charged with helping children develop a loving relationship with the Lord. Part of having a healthy relationship with the Lord is understanding Him in His infinite variety (NJHD 26). Children must see a place for themselves in His heavenly kingdom. To create a vision of heaven while we are still on earth, students must see people who they identify with reflected in images around our school and in our curriculum. Through professional development our Diversity Team raises our awareness of the Lord's infinite variety and our effectiveness in presenting the Lord as Someone each student can love.
Additionally, New Church schools are charged with teaching our children how to enter into loving relationships with the neighbor. Really loving the neighbor requires us to step back and see good things through the eyes of others. It means understanding the experiences of those we love. In our society today, race and culture consciously and unconsciously influences human interactions. We are working towards providing our students the skills to break down the biases and stereotypes that can cause harmful conflict in healthy relationships by teaching them to see the neighbor as they wish to be seen. We aim to prepare students to be culturally competent friends, citizens, colleagues, spouses, and parents.
We are a better school because of the ongoing work of our Diversity Team and the way that the team helps us to focus on the needs of each of our students. We can, a bit more clearly, see and appreciate the unique skills and gifts the Lord has provided others. The Diversity Team helps our students to develop loving relationships with the Lord and neighbor. I want to thank the team for the important function they are serving in our school.
Dr. Reid Prichett, Headmaster
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Thanks to 7th Grade Parents
| BACS Faculty and staff enjoyed a delicious array of food last week brought in by the parents of our 7th grade students. We enjoyed a spread of healthy eats mingled with just enough sweet treats to satisfy every taste and preference. Thank you so much for providing us with this wonderful selection.
Sincerely BACS Faculty and Staff
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Uniform Information
| We received communication from Robert Rose at Rose Uniforms in Willow Grove that the store is closing. Rose Uniforms has joined Flynn & O'Hara. There are two locations for Flynn & O'Hara, one in the North East, and one in Spring House. Flynn & O'Hara Uniforms 800-441-4122
where you can order online 24 hours a day. Liz Childs also has a few catalogs on hand, if you wish to stop by and look through them at any time. |
| Next Director's Council Meeting: Wed. February 29, 7:30 p.m. | |
Parent Reps:
Jenn Asplundh Sean Connelly Taney Friend Christina Irwin
Kym Brock David Cooper Melinda Friesen Tor Pitcairn
Cameron Childs Jenny dePadua Naomi Haus-Roth
Teacher Reps:
J. Soneson Primary Unit Carol Nash Upper Unit
Cara Dibb Intermediate Unit Sharon Neiger Specialist Unit
The purpose of this council is to provide a communication link between the school and parents, and to discuss any issues affecting the school. Please contact a member of the council if you have thoughts or suggestions.
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| BACS Google Calendar |
BACS now has a Google calendar for school events available at http://www.brynathynchurchschool.org/calendar.html. The calendar is printable and is viewable in week, month and agenda style formats. To link it to your Google calendar or for other subscription options click the "+ Google Calendar" in the bottom right corner.
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February 2012
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| Valentine Love/Pennies for BACS go on
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| SAPTE Kindergarten
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Valentines Day FUNd raiser Pizza Drawing
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| Teacher In-service,
NO SCHOOL
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