My Blog is Moving...

Over the summer, we updated the school's website (www.macombchristianschools.org). One of the features of the new site is that I can post my blog directly on the site. If you click on Parent Resources, then Blogs, and finally Ms. Nelson's blog, you will find it. From now on, I will be posting my blog entries directly on the school's site. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and I hope that you will continue to.

Labor Day Weekend

I pray that this weekend many have been able to find time to rest and gear up for the busy school year ahead. I heard many people say how much they enjoy being able to ease back into the school year with several short weeks. This weekend I have spent much time praying and asking God to continue to guide and direct Macomb Christian throughout this school year.

Ephesians 3:20-21 says, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen." We know that God is able to do "immeasurably" more than we could even think of. It is my prayer that throughout this school year all of us would have a "big" view of God and see the Holy Spirit at work at MCS.

The First Few Days of School

The 2011-2012 school year is officially underway and off to a great start. It was so great to see all of the students and their families at school Monday evening for the Back to School Event. It was also great seeing everyone for the first day of school on Wednesday. There was definitely a lot of excitement and anticipation for the first day of school. The first few days of school seem to be going well as everyone transitions into a school routine.

The varsity sports teams have been practicing for several weeks now and the junior high teams will begin practicing tomorrow. Please pray for the safety of our students as they practice and play in games. Please also pray that the students would enjoy the opportunity that they have to play team sports and interact with their classmates.

I am so grateful to God for the wonderful start to the school year we have had. I pray that we will continue to follow His leading at Macomb Christian Schools.

Back To School!

It is hard to believe that summer vacation is over and the students will be returning to school on Wednesday to begin the 2011-2012 school year. This summer has been filled with many preparations to make this school year a great year. We have been praying that God would continue to lead the ministry of Macomb Christian Schools.

Tomorrow evening is the big Back to School Event that you do not want to miss. There are many different activities going on including an athletic meeting, senior parent meeting, opportunities to meet the teachers, and much more. A detailed schedule is available on the school's website.

The first day of school for students is Wednesday. It is a half day of school so everyone will be dismissed at noon. The high school student council will be providing donuts and juice in the gym before school to welcome all the students back.

Please be praying for the teachers over the next few days as they are making final preparations for the start of the school year. Please also join with me in praying for all of the students (new and returning) that they would be challenged to grow closer in their relationship with God throughout this school year.

The Last Week of School

I can hardly believe that there are only 5 school days left in the 2010-2011 school year. When I think back over the past year, I cannot believe how quickly it went by. I am also amazed at the ways that God continues to work at Macomb Christian. This makes me very excited to see what God has in store for the future of MCS.

This last week of school will be very busy with many year-end activities. The secondary students will be participating in "J-Term" this week where they will have the opportunity to take 2 different enrichment classes that are different than our typical curriculum. This is a fun week that the teachers and students always look forward too.

The 4th-6th grade students will be going on a trip to Mackinac on Wednesday and Thursday. Please be praying that they would be safe and have a great time on their trip. We will also be having Commencement for the class of 2011 this Friday at 6:30 pm. Please pray for our seniors as they prepare for graduation and also as they prepare for the life that God has for them after MCS.

As we finish up this school year, I cannot help but think to next year and the future of Macomb Christian Schools. My prayer for MCS is that we would be united in allowing God to direct the plans for Macomb Christian. John 17: 21 says, "That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

Welcome to May!

As we begin the month of May, we are also starting the last month of the 2010-2011 school year. The students only have 3 more weeks of school left, but these weeks will be very busy with many different activities.

Friday, May 13 is our annual Walkathon. This is a great opportunity for our students to get outside, have fun, and raise money for the school. Please be praying with me that we would have beautiful weather for this event, and that everyone would have a safe, fun time.

Our elementary students will be participating in field day on Monday, May 16. Field day will be in the afternoon from 1:00-3:00 pm. Please be watching for more information to come home soon. We will need help from several parents to make this event possible, so please let Mrs. Schnepper know if you are able/willing to help.

There will be 3 different assemblies to celebrate the hard work of the students this year. The secondary honors assembly will be on Tuesday, May 10 at 7:00 pm in the gym. The Early Education Center will have their achievement ceremony on Friday, May 20 in the gym. The elementary awards assembly will be held on Friday, May 27 at 10:00 am in the gym.

The Last Month of School!

As we begin the month of May, we are also starting the last month of the 2010-2011 school year. The students only have 4 more weeks of school left, but these weeks will be very busy with many different activities.

Tomorrow, we will be having an Open House for prospective families. If you know anyone that you think might be interested in Macomb Christian, please tell them to stop by or bring them for a tour. The teachers will be there from 6:00-8:00 pm to answer their questions and tell them more about MCS.

Tuesday morning will be Kindergarten Round Up for all of our incoming kindergarten families. This is an opportunity for the students and parents to visit the classroom and learn more about kindergarten from Mrs. Leslie. Tuesday evening will be busy with the PTC having their monthly meeting at 7:00 pm in the library. The elementary and junior high sports award night is also Tuesday evening at the school.

On Wednesday some of our seniors will be taking the AP Calculus exam so please keep them in your prayers. Our students and staff will have several opportunities to recognize the National Day of Prayer on Thursday. Some of the secondary students have been planning a special chapel service for all of our students Thursday morning. In the afternoon, all of our students and staff will be participating in a prayer walk around our neighborhood.

Our students will be displaying the gifts and talents that God has given to them at our annual Celebration of the Arts this Friday. The hallways are beginning to be filled with artwork that the students have been working on this school year, and the music classes are busy practicing for their performances. This is always a fun night that you will not want to miss.

My Favorite Time of Year!

This week is one of my favorite times of the year. I always look forward to going to church, but I especially love going to church on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. I am reminded of the magnitude of Jesus's sacrifice for us and my response is overwhelming gratitude.

This past Monday several of our high school students came to school very excited after attending the EACH Youth Rally last Sunday evening. I enjoyed seeing so many of our families at the EACH Prayer Walk on Saturday. It is so encouraging to me to see our students with such a passion for serving God and making a difference in their community.

I am sure that this week will be another busy week at Macomb Christian. Several of our high school students will be participating in the Oakland Christian School Math Competition tomorrow. This is an exciting opportunity for our students to compete against other students. The junior high students have been working hard on their science fair projects, and on Tuesday evening they have invited their parents to come see their hard work. Don't forget that their is no school on Friday, April 22 or Monday, April 25. Happy Easter!

It Finally Feels Like Spring!

I hope that you are all enjoying the beautiful weather today as much as I am. It is nice to have such warm weather on the weekend when we can really enjoy it.

The students finished up the Stanford Achievement Testing on Friday, and I know they are glad to be finished with it. The spring sports teams are busy with practice and games when the weather cooperates. Check out their schedule on the school's website and come support our teams.

Tomorrow, the Parent Teacher Congress (PTC) will be hosting Munchy Monday at Applebee's. Be sure to print out the flyer before heading over to eat. The flyer is available on the MCS website. The spring play is this coming weekend and the students are very busy getting ready for it. The performances are April 15 and 16 and will begin at 7:00 pm.

On Thursday, April 28th, MCS will host Dr. Doug Carpenter as he presents "Safe Homes." This informative seminar on Internet safety is free and open to all MCS parents.

Signs of Springtime

The weather outside might still be a little chilly, but there are many signs of spring around MCS. The baseball, softball, and golf teams have been busy practicing for several weeks now. Be sure to check out their schedule of games and come support the teams. The students and teachers are in the fourth quarter of this school year with many projects and assignments being completed. I’ve also heard many students give daily updates as to how many days of school we have left.

The month of April is a busy month for our Parent Teacher Congress (PTC). They will be hosting their monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 5 at 7:00 pm. This is a great opportunity to find out what is going on at MCS and how you can be involved. PTC will also be hosting our Munchy Monday on Monday, April 11 at Applebee’s. Be watching for more information on this. We will be having the MCS Family Bowl on Saturday, April 30. This will be a fun event with many different activities that you do not want to miss.

The end of the school year is always a very busy time, and we will do our best to communicate with you about everything that is happening and any changes. Please be watching our website and your email for the latest information.

March Update

The month of March is more than half over and it has been a busy month at MCS. Last weekend several of our secondary students along with many parent volunteers went to the ACSI Music Festival in Illinois. This is always a great opportunity for our students to be part of a "big" band and choir. I have heard wonderful things from the parents that were able to attend the concert last Saturday.

This past Friday night, the sophomore class sponsored the MCS Talent Show. There were many great acts to watch throughout the show. After the Talent Show, many people had the opportunity to put a pie in the face of some of our teachers.

As we look ahead to the rest of March, many of our students will be involved in standardized testing. The 8th grade class will be taking the EXPLORE test this Wednesday. Other students will begin taking the Stanford Achievement Tests on March 28. Please be in prayer for our students while they are taking these tests.

The Final Stretch

Tomorrow, the students and teachers will begin the fourth quarter of the 2010-2011 school year. As we get ready for the final stretch filled with many activities, we have so much to thank God for and to ask for His guidance.

Praise God for:

*the 2010-2011 school year

*blessing us financially so that we can pay down our debt

*the students He has brought to MCS

Pray for:

*students to finish strong and not give up

*seniors as they make plan for after graduation

*patience for the teachers as the students get excited for summer break

2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Psalm 136:1, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."

MCS and EACH

There are many churches and ministries in the metro Detroit area that have joined together for the EACH campaign. Several Christian schools, including Macomb Christian, have been working together to see what we can do to be a part of the EACH movement.

10-for-10 is a movement designed by several administrators and Bible teachers in metro Detroit's Christian schools seeking to be engaged in the EACH movement. The mission of 10-for-10 (www.10for10now.com) is simple: To present the Person of Truth, Jesus Christ, through people of Truth to a people who have not heard Him or seen Him expressed through the Christian community. To do this we are aiming to reach 10,000 people with 10,000 hours of compassion and service and do all of this in 10 weeks.

Some of our secondary students have been meeting to brainstorm some opportunities for our students to demonstrate service and compassion to our community. We are looking for ways for our entire school to be involved. One thing we can all do is pray. Pray for unity, pray for effectiveness, pray for the open doors and the people God will touch as they see His story, the Good News of love in action.

The End of Winter Break

The students will return to school tomorrow after a week off, and it is also the last day of February. There are many different activities that will be going on during the month of March. Please be in prayer for our junior class this week. They will be taking the MME (Michigan Merit Exam) along with the ACT on March 1-3. Pray that the students would do their best and not get too overwhelmed or frustrated.

This Saturday, March 5 is our annual auction. This is always a fun event with lots of different activities. The silent auction begins at noon and the live auction should start around 4:00. More information about the auction can be found on the school's website.

The sophomore class has been busy planning for the talent show they are hosting on Friday, March 18. They will be holding auditions this week, so be sure to sign up if you want to participate. The talent show is always a fun time for our students to display the gifts and talents that God has given to them.

February Update

The month of February is sure to be another busy month with a welcome break near the end of it. On Monday, February 7, we will be having an Open House at the school from 6:00-8:00 pm. If you have any friends or relatives that might be interested in learning more about Macomb Christian, please invite them to the Open House.

Re-enrollment for the 2011-2012 school year has begun. If you have not received your re-enrollment packet yet, please contact the school office. Re-enroll before March 1^st and get half off the re-enrollment fee.

Our annual auction is coming up on Saturday, March 5. Please plan on attending and bring some friends with you. This is always a fun day at MCS. More information on the auction including how you can register for the auction is available on the school’s website.

A Very Busy Week

It is hard to believe that January is almost over. There have been a lot of activities going on at Macomb Christian, so I think that has made the time go by faster.

This past week was Spirit Week, and it seemed like the students really enjoyed all of the activities. Each day I was amazed at the creativity of some of the costumes of our secondary students. There was also a lot of excitement and energy at the pep rally today.

Today was the ACSI District Spelling Bee. The students that represented MCS were Isaiah Florendo, Tabby Maluzhinsky, Kendall Mustola, Josh Evans, Mikayla Mitchell, Nathan Lloyd, Nick Townsend, and Hannah Schultz. These students won their class spelling bee here at MCS to qualify for the district bee. All of our students did an excellent job at the District Bee. Hannah Schultz won 1st place for 8th grade and Nick Townsend won 2nd place for 7th grade, so they were able to move on to the Spell-off. Nick won 3rd place in the Spell-off and will move on to the ACSI Regional Bee. Congratulations to all of our students!

Current Happenings

This past Tuesday, we held our school spelling bee. The winners and runners-up from 5th - 8th grades competed against one another. The winner of the school spelling bee was Nathan Lloyd and the runner-up was Shaina Rawls. All of the students did an excellent job. I was surprised with how many rounds the spelling bee went. Nathan will represent Macomb Christian in The Macomb Daily spelling bee in February. Each class from grades 1 - 8 have a class winner that will compete in the ACSI spelling bee on January 28.

The junior class sponsored the Student/Faculty games on Friday evening. This was a fun event for everyone in attendance. The "jail" seemed to be very busy for most of the night.

This coming Thursday, January 20, will be a very busy evening at MCS. It will start at 6:15 pm with a time of prayer in the library. Please come join us as we lift up our school and the students to God. Starting at 7:00 pm in the gym will be the all parent, re-enrollment meeting. This meeting will be an opportunity for you to hear about some of the exciting things that God has been doing at MCS. At 8:00 pm Mrs. Scott will be meeting with all of the junior parents in 1A, and Mr. Myers will hold an informational meeting in the science lab for the junior high parents regarding the science fair. I hope to see all of you on Thursday!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I pray that you all had a wonderful Christmas and were able to enjoy the break from school. There was a lot of excitement at MCS when the teachers and students came back to school on Monday to see all of the painting that was done over the break. If you haven’t seen it yet, please stop by to check it out. Thank you to all of the volunteers that worked on it!

There are several things happening at Macomb Christian during the month of January. The junior class will be sponsoring the Student/Faculty Games on Friday, January 14. This is always a fun time. Thursday, January 20 will be our Re-enrollment Meeting. This will be an opportunity for you to hear about some of the exciting things that God has been doing at MCS. The last week of January is Spirit Week with our Homecoming Game on Friday, January 28. Be sure to check the school’s website and your email for more details on these and other events.