Parent Communicator

COVENANTCHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
MR.  RICHARD NOORMAN, PRINCIPAL

April 2013

Dear CCHS Parents,

The last marking period has begun and we are making many arrangements for our end of the year activities.  This will be the last Parent Communicator for the year and we will soon be saying our goodbyes to the Seniors.  These young people came to us in September of 2010, a short three and a half years ago.  A comparison of their 9th grade graduation pictures with their senior picture shows only the outward development that has taken place during their time at CCHS.  Change and development has occurred in these young people in many different ways.  It is our hope and prayer that God will use the efforts of the teachers, the classwork, the chapels and special events, the extracurricular activities, and the relationships that have been developed here to fashion these young people into those who are willing and able to serve Him in His kingdom.  Each class that comes into CCHS presents us with challenges.  These challenges may be in the area of academics, behavior, social development, or spiritual maturity and growth.  Each class also presents us with those who are blessed with the ability to be leaders and who will be an encouragement to those around them.  As our graduates leave us, our prayer is that our work, which is an extension of your work in the covenant home, will help them to love and serve God in all that they do. 

RETIREMENT—Mrs. Cindy Bartelds, our office secretary, will be retiring at the end of this school year.  Mrs. Bartelds began working at CCHS in the library in 1987 and then moved to the office in September of 1990.    During her time working in the CCHS office she has had daily contact with parents, students, staff and coaches, performing many tasks that have made things easier for all.  We cannot minimize the influence that she has had in making CCHS a great place to learn, work, and play.  She is certain to miss the students who were always a source of joy for her but she probably will not miss having to meet deadlines for all the jobs that just have to get done.   Her 25 years of service have been greatly appreciated and we wish her well as she moves on to the next phase of her life. 

We are currently taking applications for this position.  Anyone interested is encouraged to send in a resume or contact me at school for more information.

2013-2014 TEACHING STAFF—We glad to report that all of our teachers, with the exception of Miss Kristin Prins, will be returning for next year.  Miss Prins will be moving in June to Northern Ireland and getting married to Mr. David Crossett, a member of our sister church in Ballymena.  Even though she was only with us as a full time teacher for one semester, we have come to appreciate the work that she has done with our students in the Spanish program.  We wish her God’s blessing as she begins to acclimate to a new way of life in a new country.

ANNUAL SCHOOL SOCIETY MEETING—We held our annual Society meeting on Monday, March 25.  At this meeting the budget for 2013-14 was approved and three new Board members were elected.  Those elected were John Flikkema III, David Moelker, and Kevin Van Overloop.  Thanks were expressed to our retiring members, Phil Baas, Sid Miedema, and Karl Van Oostenbrugge.  The annual secretary’s report will be published in the next issue of the Courier.

CAREER DAY—Our Bi-annual Career Day was held last Friday.  As of this writing preparations were being made and we were looking forward to the day.  The morning started with a Chapel led by Rev. G. Eriks and ended with a general session led by Mr. Jon Huisken.  In between those meetings each student attended 3 sessions led by people from the community who gave the students information regarding their line of work.  It is good to give students an exposure to various careers and help them to take some time to consider their future.  We hope that you will use what we do on this day as a springboard to discussions at home.  Our thanks go to Mr. Haveman and Mrs. Linda Van Uffelen for making all the arrangements of the day.

JUNIOR/SENIOR BANQUET—Our annual Junior/Senior Banquet will be held this Friday evening, May 3, at Georgetown PRC.  Punchbowl is set for 6:30 and the Dinner at 7:00 p.m.  We will have a half-day of school with dismissal at 11:45 on this day so that preparations can be made.  We hope all will have a good time at the banquet.  A parent run after-banquet activity will be held at the Spartan Stores YMCA later that evening. 

SENIOR TRIP/EVENTS—Graduation for the Class of 2013 will take place on June 7, at 7:30 p.m. at Fair Haven Ministries in Hudsonville.  Before graduation there are a number of other important events that will take place.  The Seniors will be going on their Class Trip on May 23-24.  They will be travelling to Oak Hill, West Virginia to spend a day whitewater rafting through the New River Gorge.  They will return to school by around 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.  The next two Senior events will be held on Thursday, May 30.  The Senior Chapel will be held at 11:25 a.m. and the Senior Honors Convocation will be held that evening at 7:30 p.m.  Both events will be held in our gym and are open to parents, grandparents, and friends.  Graduation day begins with Senior Breakfast which will be held at Faith PRC at 8:30 a.m. The breakfast is followed by a mandatory rehearsal at Fair Haven Ministries.

CHOIR/BAND TRIPS—The Chamber Singers took a trip at the end of March to give concerts at Crete PRC and Randolph, Wisconsin.  They were joined in the Crete concert by the Choir from our Heritage Christian High School.  The following day they travelled first to downtown Chicago where arrangements were made for them to sing at the Fourth Presbyterian Church.  This huge stone church had wonderful acoustics and the students thoroughly enjoyed singing there.  That afternoon they travelled to Randolph, Wisconsin where they gave an evening concert as part of the annual school fundraiser dinner for Faith Christian School.   This concert was much appreciated by those from Randolph who attended.

The Band took a trip to Northwest Iowa to participate in the Dordt College Band Festival.  Plans had been made to spend some time with the students at Trinity Chr. High in Hull and then give a combined concert with their band at night.  We arrived at Trinity at noon just as a winter storm was rolling into the area.  The evening concert ended up being cancelled so the students were able to spend the night relaxing at the hotel.  The Dordt College event went as planned on Friday.  Our Band played very well during their individual sessions and they certainly enjoyed the combined band rehearsal and the performance at night with nearly 500 players.  This large band included 6 high schools and 2 bands from Dordt College.  These trips are great musical experiences for our students and also a great time to get to know each other better and grow together as a group.

CONCERTS—There have been some changes made regarding our year end concerts.  The latest information published is correct.  The Combined Schools Band Concert will be held at Allendale High School Auditorium on Wednesday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m.  The final concert for the CCHS Choirs will be held at Fair Haven Ministries on Wednesday, May 29, at 7:30 p.m.

SPORTS PHYSICALS—We have scheduled our annual sports physicals night for Thursday, May 2 between 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.  Grand Rapids Family Practice Resident physicians, along with Dr. Brian Decker, supervising, will be at school to administer physicals to all those intending to participate in athletics next year.  The cost of a physical is $15 and appointments should be made through the office.  If you are not able to make it this night or would like to use your own doctor, we ask that you pick up one of our physical forms and have the doctor complete it.  All student athletes must have a physical form turned in before the first practice of the season.

SENIOR EXAM POLICY—For Seniors to be exempt from taking second semester exams their grade must be a B+ or better in that class and they can have no grade lower than a C-.  Students should check with their teachers to make sure that they have met the requirements before assuming that they do not have to take the exam. 

CALENDAR:
May 3                          Junior-Senior Banquet (1/2 Day of school  Hours 1-4)
May 22                        All Schools Band Concert @ Allendale HS
May 23-24                   Senior Class Trip
May 29                        CCHS Choir Concert @ Fairhaven Ministries
May 30                        Senior Chapel at 11:25 a.m.
May 30                        Senior Honors Convocation 7:30 p.m.
June 3-6                      Second Semester Exams
June 7                         Graduation @ Fairhaven Ministries

FINALLY, it has been a year of many changes and new things, but it has been a good year.  As a school and as teachers we appreciate all the support and patience that you have shown throughout this year.  We ask that you continue to remember the work of the school and the needs of our youth in your prayers at home.  We constantly depend on God’s grace for the work that we do and we know that prayers in regard to this work will not go unanswered.

In Christ,
R. Noorman