Greetings Lower Campus Families,
I hope each of you is doing well and that you have enjoyed an amazing summer with family and friends. I can’t wait to see you all soon and to begin the new school year with your children!
Since you were last here, we have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming school year. Our amazing Facilities Crew has scrubbed and shined every last inch of our building and brightened up the walls with fresh paint as needed. They have also worked with us to add several new safety features, including a protective film over the glass in our front lobby and an extra set of doors separating our lobby from the main hallway, which will remain locked at all times and require a fob for access. In addition to this, we have purchased several new two-way radios to make communication among members of our school safety team faster and more efficient during school hours, and we will be adding a privacy screen to the front side of the playground fence (as well as some additional shade screens over the top of the playground area). We are so grateful for our facilities team; and, we thank YOU for making these renovations and purchases possible through your charitable donations to our GRACE Annual Fund!
Teachers have also been hard at work over the summer. Each of them has read Biblical Worldview, by Josh Mulvihill, and we will be digging deeper into the content of this book as a staff during the coming school year. It provides valuable insight related to the development of worldview among children, as well as practical tools for helping them establish a lifelong faith in Jesus. Many of our teachers have also taken advantage of other professional development opportunities in the form of webinars, conferences, and workshops during their time away; and, they have all been busy with the usual planning and preparation of curriculum timelines and enhancements for the upcoming school year. Regardless of how they have spent their summer, we know that they have lots of valuable learning experiences planned for your children!
Summer is always a busy time for the leadership team, and one of the most important things we do during this time is to prayerfully consider staffing. The Lord has sent us some amazing new faculty and staff members for the coming school year, and He has made a way for some returning team members to utilize their gifts and talents in new ways at GRACE. A comprehensive list of new additions and changes on our campus is provided below.
Please welcome the following new individuals to GRACE:
- Jazmia Inserillo - Director of Safety and Security
- Cooper Evans - School Nurse
- Lael Mills - Lower Campus School Counselor
- Jacqueline Gray - Lower Campus LEAP Director
- Carrie Semke - LEAP Learning Specialist
- Beth Stikeleather - First Grade Teacher
- Emilie Servi - First Grade Assistant and Before Care Coordinator
- Liesl Sines - First Grade Assistant
- Jillian Curtis - Second Grade Teacher
- Mandy Casbon - Third Grade Teacher
- Kayla Simms - Third Grade Teacher
- Reilly Hendrickson - Fifth Grade Assistant
- Emmalee Greene - Math 6 and Pre-Algebra Teacher
Please note the following individuals moving into new positions this year:
- Christi Schwalk - Lower Campus Curriculum Director (previously Third Grade Teacher)
- Mary Claudia Huntley - Intervention Specialist (previously First Grade Teacher)
- Lindsay Miller - First Grade Assistant (previously Second Grade Teacher)
- Katie Roof - Third Grade Assistant (previously First Grade Assistant)
- Lee Topal - Sixth Grade Assistant (previously First Grade Assistant)
- Margie Propes - AfterCare Director (previously AfterCare Staff Member)
Everyone returned to work this week, and we have already begun praying for each one of our students by name. The teachers are preparing their classrooms, and we all look forward to seeing you and your families soon!
Please be sure to mark your calendars now for the following events:
- Lower Campus Parent Orientation - Monday, August 14th, 4:30-6:00 pm
*Parent Orientation is for Parents ONLY - Students will not be permitted to attend.Parents will attend one session per student. Fifth-grade teachers and sixth-grade teachers will present as a grade-level team, so you will not need to attend multiple sessions for students in these grades, even though the students have multiple teachers. Session times are:- 4:30-4:40 - Stop by lobby tables and make your way to the classrooms
- 4:40-5:00 - Session 1
- 5:05-5:25 - Session 2
- 5:30-5:50 - Session 3
- 5:50-6:00 - Wrap up and exit
Due to the number of students in 6th grade, we are encouraging parents to attend sessions as recommended below according to the first letter of their last name. This is simply a request (for 6th-grade parents ONLY), not a requirement. Our hope is that it will make seating and discussion a little easier within each session.- A-G - 4:40-5:00
- H-N - 5:05-5:25
- O-Z - 5:30-5:50
- Meet the Teacher - Tuesday, August 15th, 4:00-6:00 pm
- First Day of School (Staggered Entry)
- Last names A-G only - Wednesday, August 16th - Early Release at 11:45 am
- Last names H-N only - Thursday, August 17th - Early Release at 11:45 am
- Last names O-Z only - Friday, August 18th - Early Release at 11:45 am
- First FULL day of school for everyone - Monday, August 21st
- Back-to-School Bash and Football Game - Friday, August 25th
Thank you so much for the opportunity to partner with you in educating your children and equipping them for a life that will impact their world for Jesus Christ. What an honor and a blessing it is to work with you in this endeavor.
Looking forward to an amazing year ahead!
Warmest regards and blessings,
Lynnae
Lynnae Morris
Lower Campus Principal
Phone: 919-747-2020
Email: [email protected]
www.GRACEChristian.net