The New Family Tailgater was a banner event!  The weather was excellent, a record number of new staff and families attended, and the food was tasty tailgate fare.  As the crowd of 175 people enjoyed hot dogs, grilling beans, chips, and cold beverages, we hope new friendships were forged.  Conversations, hand-shakes, and laughs all made for an enjoyable event.  We sincerely welcome all the new families and staff to Des Moines Christian.  We are delighted you chose DMCS! An extra special thank you goes to school parents and owners of ABC Sign and Display, Kevin and Phoelisa McGuire, for sponsoring the event. Their generous donation of a new event banner and their underwriting the cost of the food was greatly appreciated. Kudos go to all the staff, school board members, and volunteers who served at this event. Current school dad Tim Hall and son Owen, a DMCS sophomore, get a major pat on the back for packing and hauling all kinds of heavy stuff to the field.  Tim was the first to arrive and one of the last to leave after clean-up.  Credit goes to Janet Dreher, Kurt Lettow, Bret Duda, Rob Lane, David Swanson, and Molly Repp for lending a hand with our tailgater.  Your service was a huge blessing. Go Lions!

You need to know more about the life of Samona Yentes, Director of Development at Des Moines Christian.  Mona is an amazing person.  She is the youngest of 14 children!  She grew up in Southwest Minnesota. She and all of her siblings attended Christian schools, K-12!  Her parents were awesome people, supporting DMC, several other Christian schools, and numerous missionaries as well!  Mona is married to Kirk, an incredible man of God who has a very rich vocabulary as a fellow English major! Mona's degree is in Business/Marketing from Upper Iowa University. She's the mother of three DMC graduates -- Brian Smit and the former Molly and Melissa Yentes, both of whom are now very happily married.  Mona has answered the Holy Spirit's calling to two major vocational opportunities -- as a lobbyist for Iowa Right to Life and the Christian Schools in Iowa, and in her current position as DMC Development Director.  She is VERY skilled in navigating the murky and turbulent waters of the Iowa legislature, so she has been an invaluable asset when confronted with proposed legislation which is not spiritually and/or financially healthy to DMC; we are fortunate to have access to such a skilled "purveyor of politics," although she is definitely NOT a politician!  Mona loves the Lord, her husband, her children, her two grandchildren (Taylor and Jack), life, and Christian education.  I can't think of a person more sold-out for DMC and the cause of Christ-centered, biblically-directed education. I'm trying, but I can't catch up to her!  Now you know a bit more about Samona Yentes than what you might have known previously.  Please pray for her opportunities to convince others to invest their time, talents, and treasures in DMC!

We just wanted to update everyone on a special blessing the school will be receiving at the end of the year -- all through the Campbell's Labels for Education program!  This program allows the Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF) to purchase art, science, and physical education items for DMCS.  Some of the last items purchased were jump ropes, rubber balls, basketballs, and calculators. They have a contest going right now, during which any school that increases its label submission in the 2012-2013 school year by either 10%, 25%, or 50% from their previous year's submissions will receive a bonus of either 10%, 25%, or 50%!  Our account is currently at 4,495 points.  The amount we needed to hit the highest level awarded of 50% was 2,411 points. GUESS WHAT? Our students do not waste time!  We surpassed it now in the third week of school by 665 points!!!  Our 50% will be calculated at the end of the school year, and we will receive a 50% bonus of this year's total collected labels to be credited to our account on August 15th.  Now that's something to praise God about!! We love "free money!

Are you ready to have some fun at DMCS?  Becoming a Homeroom Parent is fun and easy!   Put a smile on your child's face, and be a part of organizing the classroom parties.  Please contact Pam Baker at 250-5584 if you are interested or have questions.  PTF is here to help!

McTeacher Night

• Tuesday, October 2nd
• 4:00-8:00 p.m. at the McDonald's on 50th Street in Clive (11400 Forest Lane). 
• Ronald McDonald will attend.  (He is HILARIOUS!)
• Elementary and Early Education will both be involved. 
• The Parent Teacher Fellowship is overseeing this event.
• You will not want to miss this opportunity! We had a grand time in 2011!