COVENANTCHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
MR.  RICHARD NOORMAN, PRINCIPAL

MARCH 2012

Dear Parents,

It has been a very interesting and busy time here at CCHS since the first of the year.  We have had a lot of good experiences, including Homecoming Week and we have seen our students continue to perform well in the classroom.   I wish I could tell you about everything but there just is not enough ink or paper to cover it all.  I intend to just touch on a few things in this Communicator. 

Mrs. Bartelds is Back!—We are glad to report that Mrs. Bartelds is back to work and has had a good week in the office.  She is beginning to feel much better and is glad to be back at school.  She is working to get caught up on some of the things that were laid aside for her and she is making good progress.  Just a reminder: even though Mrs. Bartelds is back, we would appreciate it if everyone would continue to use the new office email address for school communication.  That address is: office@covenantchristianhs.org.

Book Bills—One of the details that Mrs. Bartelds and Mrs. Van Uffelen have worked to complete is the billing and credits for textbooks, fees, and charges.  A current book bill, along with a complete accounting for each of the students since the return of books last spring, is being sent in a separate mailing.  We would really appreciate it if these bills could be paid by March 30.  If special arrangements are desired, please call Mrs. Bartelds or stop in the office during Parent/Teacher Conferences.  Credit balances are refunded at the conclusion of the Senior year.

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on March 15 in the afternoon and evening and also on March 20 in the evening only.  A schedule of appointment times will be sent to all parents via email.  If you do not receive a schedule, please contact the office.

Annual Society Meeting—Don’t forget that March 26 is the date for our annual Society meeting.  This meeting will be held in the school gym beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Student of the Month—Congratulations to Nathan Vander Woude for being named Student of the Month in the Information Technology program at Kent Career/Technical Center.  Nathan is the son of Tom and Linda Vander Woude.  We appreciate the work that Nate does to bring him to the top of his class.

National Merit Scholarship Awards—We were notified that two of our students have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship program.  Joel Rau, son of Mike and Elaine Rau, has been named a Finalist for the Scholarship.  Of the 1.5 million students who take the PSAT/NMSQT test in the fall of their Junior year, only 1%, 15,000 students are named Finalists.  Joel is now in the running for one of the 8,400 scholarships available.  Erik Moelker, son of Todd and Lynda Moelker, was in the top 2% of students who took the test and he was named a “Commended Student”.  Congratulations to these fine students!

Concerts—The Music Department has two great concerts coming up for our school groups.  On March 21 the two Choirs will give their Spring Program at Grandville High School Auditorium beginning at 7:30 p.m.  The following night, March 22, our Band will present their Spring Concert here at Covenant.  This program also begins at 7:30 p.m.  We hope that you will be able to join us for these concerts.

Spring Break—The dates for Spring Break are April 2-6.  March 30 is a scheduled school day therefore if students will not be at school they must get a planned absence.  Parents must start this process by calling the office and giving us the dates. 

Trips—The week after Spring Break the Concert Choir will be heading to Northwest Iowa to take part in the Midwest Choral Festival at Dordt College.  We plan to leave late Wednesday night, April 11 and return by around noon on Saturday, the 14th.  Along with the Festival we will be able to do a combined concert with the Choir from our sister school, Trinity Christian High School in Hull.

Course selection sheets—Students who have met with Mr. Haveman regarding classes for next year should return the form, signed by parents, as soon as possible.

Dress Code—If  you get our daily announcements, you may have seen the following clarification of our dress code:  As of next Monday any young lady students who would like to wear leggings or yoga pants to school must also wear a top that meets the dress code length; mid-thigh or fingertip length.  The general statement from the school dress code says, “Students should come to school dressed neatly, modestly, and appropriately.  Students dress should be consistent with our efforts to establish a wholesome, Christ-centered learning environment.”  We hope that this clarification will help us maintain this portion of our dress code.  If you have any questions or concerns about this please feel free to contact me.

New Teachers Contracted —The Education Committee and School Board have been making arrangements to staff our school with enough teachers to handle all the new students coming in next year.  At this time we can announce that we have 4 new teachers under contract to start here next year.  The new teachers are: Mr. Kyle Bruinooge, who currently teaches in the Junior High at Adams, Mr. Dan Kuiper, who teaches at Heritage Chr. High in Dyer, IN, Mr. Joel Noorman, also currently teaching at Heritage in Dyer, and Mr. Jon Van Dyke, who is currently teaching at Illiana Christian in Lansing, IL.  We hope to sign two more teachers by the middle of April.  Once things become a little more settled, we will give you a more formal introduction to all the new staff members.

Grandparents Day—Every two years we invite the grandparents of our students to come and visit classes and stay for chapel and lunch.  We will hold our Grandparents Day on Friday, April 27.  If you would be interested in helping to serve coffee and lunch that day or willing to make a dessert we ask that you contact Sue Noorman at 457-6087.

Student Assembly: On February 27, we held a student assembly.   During this assembly Congressman Bill Huizenga from Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District was presented with an award from the Family Research Council for his consistent record of supporting policies that advance faith, family, and freedom.  During the assembly we heard speeches from Genevieve Wood who represented the Heritage Foundation, and Tom McCluskey, who represented the Family Research Council.  Rep. Huizenga also addressed the students for a few minutes and then answered some questions from students about his work in government and his positions on various issues.  It was an interesting day that helped focus our attention on the work that goes on in government.  It also reminded us of our responsibilities as citizens to be aware of what is going on and to pray for those who are in such positions over us.  Thanks to Mr. Rick DeVries whose contacts with the Congressman made this possible. 

Foundation Dinner—Look for details soon about the upcoming CCHS Foundation Dinner.  The date is April 19 and the featured group this year will be the Robotics teams.  We encourage you to come for a good meal and find out more about this award-winning program.