Goodies with Grandparents, Sept 28  

CDS cordially invites all grandparents of CDS students to attend our special Grandparent's Day events on Friday, September 28. There will be an Open House with refreshments in the classrooms from 1:30 until 2:10. A program will follow beginning at 2:15 in the Worship Center. Parents are invited to email photos of grandparents and great-grandparents for a slide show. Please email photos to Teri Ford at teriford@centraldayschool.com. We must have those no later than Friday, September 21. If a student doesn't have a grandparent that can attend, we invite grandparent "stand-ins" like aunts, uncles, friends-even mom and dad. All grades will participate in the program in the Worship Center. Students will sit with their classmates and teachers. Parents are welcome to attend the program as well. 

Attire for Goodies with Grandparents

Mrs. Land would like to request that all students dress in 1950's attire to go along with the theme of our program. Girls may wear dresses, poodle skirts or other longer skirts, cropped jeans and blouses or shirts or sweaters with accessories such as scarves, pins, etc. reminiscent of that era. Boys may wear jeans, khakis, plain T-shirts, Oxford cloth shirts, jackets, and sweaters representing the 1950's. Both boys and girls must wear shoes and socks . No sandals or flip flops. These may be worn to school on Friday, Sept. 28 as a part of our program. All uniform guidelines pertaining to the appropriateness of the clothing will be applied. If a student chooses not to participate he/she must wear their school uniform. However, their participation in the program is not optional unless there is a medical reason. Mrs. Land is requesting additionally that students bring a pair of sunglasses to wear in the program on that Friday if they have them. Please direct any questions to Mrs. Land at susanland@centraldayschool.com.

 National Junior Honor Society

Congratulations to the seventh and eighth grade students who have met the requirements of the Central Day School Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society - a 93 cumulative GPA, service towards God and others, demonstration of leadership, and extra-curricular involvement. These students will be inducted in a ceremony on Thursday, September 13 at 8:30 a.m. in the Worship Center. Parents and grandparents of the inductees are invited to attend. The inductees for the 2012-2013 school year are: Brett Amazon, Alexandria Bennett, Colton Binkley, Hunter Chambers, Lauren Dones, Evyn Graham, Sadie Haentzler, Danny Jones, Matthew Mihalko, Dwight Moore, Kaylee Mosley, Kyler Neely, Rana Rad, Rasa Rad, Tay Thomas, and Allison Turner.

 Student Council Elections 

CDS offers the opportunity for students in grades 4 - 6 to develop leadership skills, a heart for service, and good character by serving as a Student Council classroom representative or officer. Student Council also promotes school spirit by sponsoring a pep rally each semester. Through service activities, students also raise funds to support the school in various ways. Students may pickup a form from their homeroom teacher beginning next week if they would like to run for classroom representative.

A Special Thank you!

Thank you to Mrs. Rebecca Jacques, grandmother of Second Grade student Jackson Jacques, for her donation of several reams of copy paper to the school. Our parents and grandparents are the best!

Alumni Note

Christi Pugh, daughter of Spanish teacher, Mrs. Gaby Pugh, has been elected Vice President of the Spanish Honor Society at Germantown High School, and she is also Key Club President. Congratulations to Christi!  

Instant Messages by Cheryl Gradone 

Let's Talk about Obedience

A little over two years ago I was given an adorable 5-month old Black Lab. She was out of control! I immediately found myself at the local library searching for books on dog training. After pouring over those books, I put my plan into action. She was going to be obedient if it was the last thing I did! It took months, and even now, she needs constant reminders. She is still in training to ignore those pesky squirrels and neighborhood dogs. We are making headway! Not only that, but I have had great fun watching this unintelligent creature learn to obey. (She does talk back sometimes, but, there is her crate for that!) What about your children? In the same way that you would not want my dog jumping at you or running around your neighborhood out of control in your trash, your child needs even more careful training in obedience. Their soul is at risk! Obedience is the one command given to children. The cool thing is that it is the first command given with a promise and that promise is for kids. That promise is this: that all will go well for them; and that they will live long on the earth. Wow! As you have most likely learned by now, obedience does not come naturally, even for a dog! We were all born "wild" so to speak, and need to be changed. The Bible does tell us that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are even told that there is not one good person, ever! (Romans) Obedience must be taught. Your child does not come programmed for it. YOU MUST train your child in obedience. Is it for your sake that your child must obey? No! It is for the glory of God. He commands you as a parent to train your child in obedience so that he will ultimately learn the joy of obeying his Heavenly Father and escape the wrath of God through obedience to Him. Even in ancient times God told His children that it was obedience he wanted, not sacrifice. Obedience is the demonstration to Him that you are totally submitted to Him in trust, faith, provision, protection, etc. This is what love looks like. Even God disciplines His children. For what purpose? So that we will have the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Why does God say that children must obey? It is the right thing to do. (Ephesians 6:1-2) When your child asks you why, you must explain carefully that it is because it is the right thing to do, not because you say so. How do you go about teaching obedience? First, you must assess your child's obedience level. How well have you taught obedience? Does he respond quickly when you call? Does he carry out the commands you give? Obedience training for your child involves not only the task, but the issues of the heart. If you have neglected obedience training, you may be in for a rough ride at first. It begins with a command: make the bed. He is required to keep this command. Teach him how. Practice until perfected. Even in the practice stage, it is required of him to obey. This may take quite a while. It requires 100% commitment from you. Along the way, you will want to give plenty of encouragement. Make gentle corrections as needed. Be careful about giving prizes or rewards. Your praise and encouragement is much more satisfying to him. But, you may have a fun surprise sometime. (I took my kids out randomly for ice cream, just because they had tried so hard.) Eventually, your child will learn that this is expected. He should learn the joys of doing the things you teach. It is especially a joy to watch as my grown children are still doing much of what they were trained to do. What is awesome about obedience training is that in the end you gain the heart of your child. They know that you will be there to help and teach. They will know that you are giving the authentic help for their life in the future. They will be wise beyond their years. (You want this.) This is a great picture also of what we learn when we, as parents, learn to obey the commands of the Lord. He is faithful! He is trustworthy! His Word will bear fruit in your life and in your child's life, if you will be careful and diligent to keep it. Psalm 19 tells of the beauty of keeping the law of the Lord. Here is an excerpt of that Psalm. Read it in its entirety. It will bless you. The Commands of the Lord:

They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.