Newsletter May 3, 2013

MAY 3, 2013

THE WOODLANDS

C H R I S T I A N

A C A D E M Y

THE WOODLANDSCHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Head Of School Notes

5800ACADEMYWAY.THEWOODLANDS,TEXAS77384.936-273-2555.WWW.TWCA.NET 9

Our theme for this school year is grateful, and our scripture verse comes from Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV):

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;give thanks to him and praise his name.For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Indeed, we serve a mighty God who is worthy of praise, and I am overwhelmed by His abundant blessings to Woodlands Christian over the past 19 years. His hand is so evident on this campus and in the lives of our school community. Without a doubt, He has brought the most giving families, the most passionate teachers and the most wonderful students to Woodlands Christian. As we have sought to clarify God’s vision and direction for this school, I am particularly grateful for you, the supportive families who have trusted us with your children’s education. We are so thankful for your prayers, your kind notes, your friendship, your partnership, and the privilege of teaching your children. Together, we are creating a student-centered school where children can grow in a challenging and nurturing environment to be servant leaders for Christ. Thanks to the generosity of so many families, we will break ground on a $3,500,000 classroom building on Monday! Weather permitting, we will move our 1st through 8th grade students into this

new permanent structure in approximately six months. Please plan to join our students at the construction site on May 6 at 2:45 p.m. as we celebrate this historic event! In the coming years, we look forward to completing construction of our entire master plan and offering state-of-the-art facilities for all of our students and programs. Our senior class has been offered $2,802,394 in merit-based college scholarships, averaging over $112,000 per student and breaking all records for our school and others in our community! These soon-to-be-graduates have been accepted into competitive universities nationwide including Elon University, Liberty University, Wheaton College, Georgia Tech, the University of Miami, Samford University, the University of Alabama, Baylor, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M, the University of Texas, Colorado School of Mines, and Biola University. Our school’s reputation continues to rise in the community. Strong retention rates and daily admission inquiries have filled many of our grades, and waiting pools are growing. It is an honor to serve such a thriving community, and I am grateful for the gifts of time, talent and treasure that each of you shares with your children’s school. Woodlands Christian would not be able to grow its ministry of equipping Christian leaders without each one of you. We are grateful to the families listed on the following page for supporting our Build. Grow. Excel. campaign to construct a new classroom building!

MAY 3, 2013

AdamsAllenAmblerArmstrong/BeheAtkinsonBajoyoBarhamBennettBentoBirdwellBoyleBrandBrassBrownBryantBryngelsonButcherCarrowayCarsonChamblissClemCopelandCulbersonDewDumitruDuroyDwyerEarleEdmondsonForbesFreetFroelichGalasinniGarnerGeorgeGettysGilbreathGoodwinGreer

GuilbeauGuthrieHallHaniganHarkinsHarveyHassellHobbsHowardHudson (Dan)HunterJohnsonJordanKeniskyKestersonLangenbergLeppertLunsfordLusk (Chad)MardagaMartinezMcBrideMcClureMcCoyMelber MichelMilianMittelstaedtMonteroMortensonMortonMueckNewcombO’ConnorOwens (Charles)Owens (Eric)PalauPerryPeters

PhanPlataPowell (Michael)Powell (Jack)PowersRadvanskyRagsdaleRayRegierRhameRobinsonRogersSacksSeaboltSheddenSievertSpahrStibbs SurberSweetTatumTurnerVan Horn (Chris)VanderPolVanTilVargaVeldekensWassellWelshWilliams YanochikYearwoodYork Young (Scott)Young (Shawn)Zeal

We sincerely appreciate all those who have given so generously to our capital campaign. Thank you for helping Woodlands Christian to truly build, grow and excel!

The Woodlands Christian Academy5800 Academy Way, The Woodlands, Texas 77384 | T 936-273-2555 | F 936-271-3115www.twca.net

Please contact Kellie Armstrong, Director of Development regarding any errors or discrepancies in this list. [email protected] or 936-273-2555, ext. 1010

Lower School News

MAY 3, 2013

If You Don’t Know Mobicip, Read This!

It usually happened in fourth grade. The teacher would be teaching a small group of students while others worked in centers around the room and one group would be a little too intensely interested in the dictionary. Further inspection would reveal that someone in the group decided it was a great idea to look up THAT word…you know…there are a lot of THOSE words in the dictionary, and it is funny to sneak a peak at those definitions. It is actually a normal part of the curiosity of children and can be handled with a simple discussion, but this normal curiosity is a bit more dangerous today. The problem is that the paper dictionary of the past has been replaced by the Internet and Google searches! This is a great thing if you are looking up George Washington, but not so much if you are looking up…well, you know. Children of today’s information age can get graphic information at the touch of a button…literally…pictures and video…and they don’t even have to use dictionary skills! Please know, our technology department’s firewalls and blockers take care of this at school, but there are so many other opportunities for this to happen, and we want you to be prepared! It is our job as parents to help protect our children from such events and to set boundaries early. Start out with tight restrictions when your child is young and as he matures, you can loosen those restrictions based on your child’s needs. Let’s get this straight. Your children will not like restrictions on their phone or iPad. They are going to fuss with you and tell you that you don’t trust them. It isn’t about trust, but about accountability. You trust that your children will not intentionally get into any website that is inappropriate, so the restrictions you have on their technological devices only protect them from things they may

accidentally encounter. Further, as wise parents, you also know that children are children and teens are teens. We need to know what they are doing so we can counsel, not lecture…not blow up in anger…but counsel them toward the future God has planned for them. If you are not involved, how do you know what to counsel? There are some great tools out there. I was recently made aware of a couple of neat apps that work on mobile devices as well as home computers. KidZui is a great, kid friendly browser

for younger children and Mobicip works well for older children through high school. These are alternate browsers and replace Safari or similar web browsers. KidZui is fun and kid-

friendly while Mobicip has the same look and feel as Google. I’ve actually been using Mobicip on my iPhone, and I love it! Both can be downloaded as an

app on your iPhone, iPad or Android device or on your home computer. These

applications allow Internet searches and only permit the more wholesome, age-appropriate content to appear. That means that the kid who uses foul language when talking about how to do things in Minecraft will not appear in your child’s YouTube search! What an awesome tool! For further information on KidZui, click here. For Mobicip, click here. Also, think about at what age you will allow your children to use social networking sites. Pictures and content can help predators find your child. They need to be old enough to monitor themselves in that light. No matter what the age, it is important that you have access to your child’s accounts. Next week, I will share some tips on social networking safety.

Editor’s Note - This is the first of two articles on Internet and social networking safety.

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT NEWS

MAY 3, 2013

Warrior baseball took the first step toward qualifying for the TAPPS 3A state championship baseball tournament with a 7-5 win over Bay Area Christian on Tuesday, April 30. This was the first game of a best of three series. The second game is tonight at Woodlands Christian. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. If necessary, the third game will be played on Friday, May 3 at Northland Christian at 6 p.m. The winner of this series will compete in the regional round of the

playoffs with the opponent, location and game time to be determined.

The first 100 fans purchasing tickets for tonight’s game will receive a special commemorative ticket featuring team members from the Class of 2013. Per TAPPS rules, booster club memberships, student and faculty passes are not valid for playoff games. Tickets are $5/adults and $3/students.

Come to the game tonight and support your Warrior baseball team!

Warrior Baseball Playoff Game Tonight!

Up to the minute schedule information for your favorite teams is just a click away!

Varsity Baseball . Varsity Track

The Warrior golf team earned a third place finish at the TAPPS 3A golf tournament in Killeen, Texas on April 29. Congratulations to Justin Jeggle and James Ray who tied for 8th place in the individual scoring.

Warrior Golf Places Third In State Tournament

For the second consecutive year, our girls’ track team dominated the rest of the district and won the district championship (see photo at left). We also qualified more athletes in more events than we have ever done before. In addition, the athletes have reached the peak of their performance -- setting personal best marks or school records. The boys' team finished in 6th place overall in the district competition. The top four finishers in each event qualified for the regional meet to be held Saturday, May 4 at Northland Christian. This is the first time our regional meet will be held locally. Click here for directions. Come to the track meet on Saturday and cheer on your Warriors! Submitted by Coach Tom Earle

Warrior Girls’ Track Team Repeats As District Champs