Dear Parents,
 
It has been a great summer of hiring, updating, and preparing and we are excited about what God has in store for us as we get closer to the start of the 2016-17 school year.  As with any fresh beginning, this year will present many opportunities for your children to make new connections.  We anticipate social connections to increase as children make new friends and reconnect with old ones.  We expect academic connections to form, as teachers challenge students to develop new skills and build upon existing abilities.  We pray for deeper spiritual connections as students are drawn to the love of God and learn more about what it means to live out the teachings of Jesus. 
 
Our theme verse this year is John 16:33 - "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  This verse was chosen because of the promises it offers to each of us who humbly place our trust in Jesus Christ who is intimately connected to the Father.  When we pray in Jesus' name, knowing that we belong to God, we are empowered to face life's troubling circumstances with a renewed sense of hope and peace. Very often our children can teach us something about taking promises at face value.  I'm looking forward to exploring this passage with them, talking about how we can find hope and peace through our connection to God through Jesus Christ and growing together in our understanding of this verse as a learning community.
 
Below you will find detailed information regarding the start of school.  Thank you for being part of the Sarasota Christian School family.  Please join us in praying for our school, students, faculty, and staff.  Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we look forward to seeing you at school in August.
 
Sincerely,
 
Ryan N. Lehman
Superintendent
BACK-TO-SCHOOL EVENTS
NEW FAMILY DINNER (K-12th)
Thursday, August 11
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
(gym) 

New kindergarten through 12th grade students and their families are invited to enjoy "sandwiches & sides" together with school administration, PTA members and student ambassadors.  Kindly RSVP when you receive your email invitation.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT (K-12th)
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (K-12th)
Monday, August 15

School Start & End Times 
Elementary School: 8:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Middle School: 7:45 a.m. - 3:05 p.m.
High School: 7:45 a.m. - 3:05 p.m.
PRE-K MEET THE TEACHER NIGHT
Thursday, August 18

Pre-Kindergarten families are invited to meet your child's teacher and get familiar with our program. The All Day Class (A) and Morning Class (B) will be at 5:30 p.m.  The Afternoon Class (C) will be at 6:30 p.m.  Orientation is for both students and parents.  Kindly RSVP when you receive your email invitation.   
PRE-K FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Monday, August 22

Class Start & End Times 
All Day Class (A): 8:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Morning Class (B): 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Afternoon Class (C): 11:45 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED
FOR BACK-TO-SCHOOL
AFTER-CARE
After-care is available after school until 6:00 p.m. for students Pre-K-8th grade. details
ATHLETICS
All 6th-12th grade students who plan to participate in SCS athletics must have the FHSAA forms below completed prior to tryouts.   Athletes simply bring their completed FHSAA forms to tryouts.  Each coach will schedule a parent/player meeting, before the first official game, to discuss the team expectations, policies, procedures, schedules, volunteer opportunities, playing time, etc.

Please contact our Athletic Director, Kevin Landrum, if you have any questions at [email protected] or 371-6481, ext. 219.

BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE (BYOD)
All middle and high school students are required to have a device with them on a daily basis that meets a minimum set of specifications for our "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD) Program.
 
CAMPUS SAFETY
The well-being of our students remains a top priority, and the following measures are an important part of our commitment to campus safety.

Parents & Visitor Check-In
All parents, volunteers and visitors to our campus are required to have their driver's license scanned at the front desk in order to obtain a visitor/volunteer badge to be on campus. details

Front Door & Gate Locking
Please be aware that our campus gates are locked during school hours.  If you need to park your car during drop-off, please park in the front parking lot so that you won't be locked in.  Also, as an additional safety measure, our main building front doors remain locked during school hours.  Visitors will be granted access via a "buzz-in" system at the front doors. 

Student Drop-off/Pick-up Locations & Traffic Flow
Please see the link below outlining traffic flow and pick-up/drop-off locations for the various grade levels.  details
GET INVOLVED
SCS relies greatly on volunteers to help in our success, make a difference in the lives of our students, and reduce expenses.  Each family is responsible to volunteer a minimum of 10 hours each year and asked to serve some of those hours at the annual Auction & Festival on February 17th & 18th. 

Watch your email inbox for volunteer opportunities or contact Amy Schlabach at [email protected] or 371-6481, ext. 201 for more information.


Don't forget to log your service hours through RenWeb (under the family section) or fill out a service hours form at the front office each time you volunteer.  Families with no record of service hours will be assessed $100 in May, so please make sure you turn in your hours every time you volunteer.
HEALTH FORMS & REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Students may not start school until all state required documents listed below are received.  Please make sure you've turned in the necessary documents to the front office. 
 
All new students must have a physician complete a physical exam documented on a DH3040 form. 

Immunizations DH680
 or Religious Exemption DH681 Form (form provided by doctor)
All new students must have the required immunizations for their grade level and submit a DH680 or DH681 form.  Returning students in grades K & 7 have an additional immunization need at those grade levels and will need an updated immunization record. 
All new students, returning students in grades 1, 3, 6 and 9, and returning students whose health history has changed must submit a health history form.  
 
All students must turn in an emergency care consent form. 
 
Students who need access to medications during school hours must make arrangements through the school clinic.  Students are not permitted to have medications on their person or in their backpacks.   
 
A medication authorization form, signed by a physician, must be completed each year for prescription medications.  Medications must be retained in the school clinic in their original containers, and are available to the student according to directions outlined by the parent on the authorization form.

All students must submit this form.

Questions?  
Contact Director of Health Services, Amy Schlabach
at [email protected] or 371-6481, ext. 201.  
IMPORTANT DATES
A wall calendar of 2016-17 Important Opening & Closing Dates will be available at Back-to-School Night.  You can also download a list of the dates above.
LUNCH PROGRAM
Monthly order forms and menus will be available at Back-to-School Night and are due Thursday, August 18th. details

Lunches for Pre-K - 8th grade students will be available beginning Monday, August 22nd. 

High school students may purchase lunch beginning Monday, August 15th, on a cash and carry basis.

Volunteers are needed daily to help with the lunch program.  Please contact our Lunch Coordinator, Bonnie Shine at [email protected] for more information about volunteer needs.
STUDENT SCHEDULES
Elementary School - Parents will receive an email notification of their child's teacher in August, prior to the start of school.  
  
Middle & High School - Student schedules will be available through RenWeb in August, prior to the start of school.  Parents will receive an email notification when schedules are available and they can then log into RenWeb to access their child's schedule.  

Returning middle and high school students can also access their schedule by logging into RenWeb. New students will not be able to access their RenWeb account until school begins because they need to receive their SCS email account, which is required to obtain access.  However, until then they can simply have their parents access it through RenWeb for them.
 
SUPPLY LISTS
 
High School Student Vehicle Registration Form - This form must be completed by high school students who will be driving to school and turned in to Principal Conner.
UNIFORMS
Pre-ordered uniform shirts will be available for pick up during Back-to-School Night on August 11th.  If you would still like to place an order, return the order form below, together with your payment, to the front office by July 18th. Orders placed by July 18th will be ready at Back-to-School Night.
 
Please select the correct size and color when ordering, as refunds or exchanges are not available.  To see or try on sample sizes, visit the front office Monday-Thursday between 9:00am and 2:00pm.  Since we do not maintain inventory, uniforms must be ordered by July 18th to have them in time for the first day of school.
 
Contact PTA Uniform Coordinator, Bonnie Vannucci at [email protected] should you have questions regarding ordering. 
 
Uniform Policy Changes
This year every Friday will be Spirit Day for all students (instead of just once a month)! 
Fridays will also remain a Jeans Day, where students may pay $1.00 to wear jeans instead of uniform bottoms, which provides funds for elementary class auction quilts, middle and high school student council special events/projects, and high school Global Family schools.
 
Monday through Thursday, student uniform shirts and sweatshirts must be the approved apparel with the school logo and purchased through the school.   Note: Team sweatshirts/outerwear may only be worn on Fridays unless principal permission has been given.  

STAY INFORMED
Below are a variety of ways to stay informed about school events, activities, and news throughout the year. 

ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS: Email is our main method of communicating with parents, so please ensure we have your current email address. The Blazer News is sent frequently and is packed full of valuable information. Links to all Blazer News issues can be found on the SCS website and the most current issue is posted on the website homepage. Additional emails for events and activities are also sent periodically throughout the year.

SCHOOL CALENDAR: A link to the calendar of upcoming events and important dates can be found on the school's website home page and in each Blazer News email. Sporting events are listed on the athletics schedule calendar (see below).


 
ATHLETICS SCHEDULE: A link to the athletics schedule calendar can be found on the school's website.  The athletic calendar includes practice and game times, dismissal and departure times, directions, and game results.  You can also sign up to become a fan and get alerts about game time or practice time changes/cancellations etc for specific sports.  You can even subscribe to a specific sport's calendar and have it automatically appear on your calendar. 

RENWEB: Access your child's grades, homework assignments, and more at your convenience through RenWeb's online portal.  Simply click the link on the school's website to login.  You can also download the
RenWeb app, which will allow you to stay logged in and have quick access to information in a mobile-friendly format.


SCS Website WEBSITE: Sarasotachristian.org provides links to the items mentioned above and more to help you with any information you need.




Share on Facebook FACEBOOK: "Like" the Sarasota Christian School page and see what's happening around campus as well as tons of photos throughout the year.




TWITTER
: Follow @SRQChristian on Twitter to get campus news and follow @BlazersSCS to get athletic scores and updates.




TEXT & VOICE MESSAGING: SCS is able to send text and voice messages for special announcements and in case of emergencies.  Text messages will come from a 5-digit number such as 341-66 and display Parent_Alert: before the message.  You can opt out of receiving these messages by contacting the front office.

Prayer Requests
PRAYER REQUESTS: Do you have a prayer need for yourself or others?  We want to pray for you.   Email us at [email protected] or click the prayer request link on our website home page.