Thursday, May 29, 2008

MACSA Development Institute

Confidence in Your Christ . . . Confidence in Your Calling
Therefore, do not cast away your confidence,
which has great reward. Hebrews 10:35

November 5, 2008
Lancaster Host ~ Lancaster, PA

The MACSA Development Institute is designed for a full day of
Inspiration ~ Information ~ Networking
with Christian school administrators, development officers and board members
Cost: $50 per person - registration forms will be sent late summer/early fall.

Thanks to Ambassador Advisors for their sponsorship of the
2008 MACSA Development Institute

Click here to visit the Ambassador Advisors website.

Four Distinctive Tracks ~ Sixteen Workshops
Stay "on track" or mix and match throughout the day!
Check back for specific workshop titles and descriptions!

· Where Do I Begin?
Basic topics in development - for schools just starting out in "development" and/or for the administrator who needs to "do it all".

· Marketing and Promotion
Including the importance of the admissions process and the "re-recruitment" of current families.

· The Nitty Gritty
A series of workshops designed for the seasoned Development Officer.

· Fundraising That Works
In depth discussion on specific events, programs and techniques - including a panel discussion on "Events Work".


Schedule
8:00 am
Registration, Coffee, Networking
9:00 am
Opening Session
10:05 am
Workshop Session I
11:10 am
Workshop Session II
12:15 pm
Lunch :
Round table discussions during the lunch break
1:30 pm
Workshop Session III

2:30 pm
Workshop Session IV
3:45 pm
Questions and Answers ~ Networking

Extend your stay and attend the 60th Annual MACSA Convention on Thursday and Friday, November 6-7

For more information, please contact
Ruth Hennigh, MACSA Development Institute Registrar
717-671-8112
MACSADev@yahoo.com



Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Apathyitis - Don't Get Bitten by the Bug

The school year is winding down to a close. It has been a long year and everyone is looking forward to the activities and events that mark the end of a good school year! But . . . BEWARE . . . lurking in the background is a disease waiting to wreck havoc with your best laid plans! Most commonly seen in students ages 17-18, symptoms include a desire to cut class, poorly done assignments and repeated uttering of “I can’t wait til June!”

It’s contagious, but rarely fatal. It’s apathyitis (kin to the more commonly known “senioritis” bug) . . . and beware, it might even “attack” YOU!

But . . . before apathyitis can be adequately diagnosed and cured in the students . . . the faculty and staff must do a self examination! And a true self examination will probably find that we all have at least a mild case of the disease! There is, however, good news for the infected . . . there is a cure and it comes straight from the pages of Scripture!

REMEMBER
Remember your call – It comes directly from God.

God himself has called you and has placed you in your current ministry.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

. . . and He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Ephesians 4: 11+

RECOMMIT
Renew your commitment – Find that “Beginning of the Year” enthusiasm

Remember how you felt at the beginning of the year – it was a year filled with promise and with excitement. Dig deep – recapture that “First Day” enthusiasm.

Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work . . . strengthened with all might . . .for all patience and longsuffering, with JOY! Colossians 1:10

RENEW
Renew your strength – The God who called you will sustain you!

Let us not grow weary . . . Let us not lose heart . . . but when we do, remember, He gives power to the weak . . . He increases strength. Exchange your weariness for God’s strength.

Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, theyshall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

RUN
Run with endurance the race set before you!

What will hinder you from finishing strong? What will ensnare you and rob you of your joy? Lay those things aside and FINISH STRONG! We expect nothing less from our students – let’s show them nothing less!

We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus . . . Hebrews 12:1-2

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving!
Colossians 3

An Encouragement to Finish Strong


A Charge to Keep I Have
Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788
Music: Lowell Mason, 1792-1872
Tune: BOYLSTON, Meter: SM
Click here to listen

A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify,
a never-dying soul to save, and fit it for the sky.

To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill;
O may it all my powers engage to do my Master's will!

Arm me with jealous care, as in thy sight to live,
and oh, thy servant, Lord, prepare a strict account to give!

Help me to watch and pray, and on thyself rely,
assured, if I my trust betray, I shall forever die.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Student Activities – MACSA Bible Quizzing 2009

The quiz passages for the 2008-2009 school year are Ruth, Proverbs 4 and Ephesians. Several quiz locations are still to be determined. The dates, however, have all been set as per the schedule below. The Finish This Verse list will be sent at the beginning of the school term this fall.

Saturday, January 17, 2009
Invitational Tournament for New Schools
Cumberland Christian School ~ Vineland, NJ
Quiz Passages: Ruth, Proverbs 4

Saturday, January 31, 2009
Quiz-a-Thon
Location to be determined
Quiz Passages: Ruth, Proverbs 4, Ephesians 1 & 2

Thursday, February 12, 2009
Regionals Quiz-a-Thon
Locations to be determined
Quiz Passages: Ruth, Proverbs 4, Ephesians 1-4

Thursday, February 26, 2009
Quiz-a-Thon
Calvary Church ~ Lancaster, PA
Quiz Passages: Ruth, Proverbs 4, Ephesians

Wednesday – Friday, March 11-13, 2009
Quiz Retreat
Black Rock Retreat Center ~ Quarryville, PA
Quiz Passages: Ruth, Proverbs 4, Ephesians

Student Activities – MACSA Bible Quizzing

Another year of "seed sowing" and investment in the lives of young people is history. Thanks to each Bible Quiz coach for making this another fruitful year.
Mr. Amos King, MACSA Bible Quizzing

Congratulations to the following retreat winners:

Junior High AA
1. Rockville – Brass
2. Fairhaven – Towers
3. Pequea – Mist

Junior High A
1. Weavertown –Doves
2. Ephrata – Thunder
3. Pequea – Firstlings

Junior High BB
1. Cornerstone
2. Linville Hill – Flaming Swords
3. Shalom – Flames

Junior High B
1. Woodlyn – Rams
2. Maranatha
3. Woodlyn – Warriors

Junior High C
1. Fairview
2. York – White
3. Lititz

Senior High AA
1. Rockville – Doves
2. Pequea – Bones
3. Heritage – Skins

Senior High A
1. Pequea – Giants
2. Faith – Ravens
3. Terre Hill – Gophers

Senior High B
1. Followers of Jesus
2. Faith – Skins
3. Greenwood

Senior High C
1. Manheim – Fountains
2. Greenwood – Camels
3. Conestoga - Bones

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

What’s on Your Bookshelf

Suggested Summer Reading
The following books have submitted by MACSA teachers and administrators as suggestions for your Summer Reading List. The "editorial" descriptions are from www.ChristianBook.com and/or www.Amazon.com and are provided to give you an overview of the contents of the book.

The books are not specifically being endorsed or recommended by MACSA.

Because Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in our Schools - National Writing Project and Carl Nagin (Jossey-Bass)
Timely and persuasive, “Because Writing Matters” offers classroom teachers, administrators, and those who work with pre-service teachers more than encouragement; it provides a ‘so what’ plus the ‘how to’ necessary to make real changes in the ways writing is taught and assessed. One of the book’s greatest strengths is the way relevant information is succinctly presented. —English Journal

Engaging Readers & Writers With Inquiry: Promoting Deep Understandings in Language Arts and the Content Areas With Guiding Questions (Theory and Practice) - Jeffery D. Wilhelm (Scholastic)
What makes a good relationship? How does flight influence behavior for humans and birds? Is it ever permissible to lie? Reframing our units and lessons with questions such as these makes learning more exciting for students. Wilhelm debunks the myth that teaching through inquiry is hard. He shares practical, easy ideas for turning state standards into engaging authentic questions that propel students toward deep understandings. Includes sample lessons, discussion techniques, and questioning schemes for all the content areas. For use with Grades 4 & Up.

Excused Absence: Should Christian Kids Leave Public Schools? - Douglas Wilson (Canon Press)
Should Christians send their kids to public schools as "salt" and "light," or to home and private institutions shaped by a distinctively biblical worldview? Founder of the acclaimed Logos School, Wilson argues that because our children belong to God, we mustn't "render them unto Caesar" but instead surround them with divine truth.

Reclaiming the Culture of Christian Education - Albert Greene (Purposeful Design)
This rich work is a walk through the philosophical and cultural history of education, emphasizing the unique goal of Christian education--to prepare young people for a fulfilling life under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Set Apart - Kent Hughes (Crossway Books)
R. Kent Hughes builds a case for godliness in the church—a case that echoes the biblical call to holiness. The church can reach the world only if it keeps itself from being ensnared by the world. Hughes is not simply urging Christians to say no to worldliness—he is calling the church to say yes to Christ and to his call to reach our lost world.

Shepherding a Child's Heart - Tedd Tripp (Shepherd Press)
Many parenting books are based on hit-or-miss theories steeped in secular thinking. This one draws from Pastor Tripp's seasoned experience as a father-and from God's Holy Word. Grounded in the Bible's divine plan for parenting, this guide defines your goals as a parent and provides the Scriptural methods for accomplishing them.

The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life - Parker J. Palmer (Jossey-Bass)
This book builds on a simple premise: good teaching cannot be reduced to technique but is rooted in the identity and integrity of the teacher. Good teaching takes myriad forms but good teachers share one trait: they are authentically present in the classroom, in community with their students and their subject. They possess "a capacity for connectedness" and are able to weave a complex web of connections between themselves, their subjects, and their students, helping their students weave a world for themselves. The connections made by good teachers are held not in their methods but in their hearts — the place where intellect, emotion, spirit, and will converge in the human self — supported by the community that emerges among us when we choose to live authentic lives.

The God Who Smokes: Scandalous Meditation on Faith – Timothy Stoner (Deliberate)
“The God Who Smokes” is an unwavering answer to the postmodern cry for an authentic, knowable truth that is compassionate and courageous, demonstrated in sacrificial commitment to a life of righteousness and justice.

The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools - Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz and Judy H. Mullet (Good Books)
Can an overworked teacher possibly turn an unruly incident with students into an "opportunity for learning, growth, and community-building"? If restorative justice has been able to salvage lives within the world of criminal behavior, why shouldn't its principles be applied in school classrooms and cafeterias? And if our children learn restorative practices early and daily, won't we be building a healthier, more just society? Two educators answer yes, yes, and yes in this new addition to The Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding series. They urge a focus on consequences rather than punishment. They insist that relationships-far more than rules-are central to building community, and that community fosters caring and belonging. They put up with no hypocrisy: teachers and administrators must live restorative practices, too. So how does it all work? Stutzman and Amstutz offer applications and models. Among them are class meetings for 5th graders; reintegration of 7th- and 8th- graders who were suspended; circle processes, which offer space for all voices to be heard, and also quiet tensions that are building; and community conferencing when trouble shapes up between students and neighbors. "Discipline that restores is a process to make things as right as possible." This Little Book shows how to get there.

Worldly Amusements: Restoring the Lordship of Christ to Our Entertainment Choices - Wayne Wilson (Winepress Publications)
Do we love movies more than God? Have we compromised God's standard by letting Hollywood assault our minds and hearts with sensuality? "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8

Student Activities – MACSA Track

Click below for the results of the MACSA High School Track meet held on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at Messiah College.

Track Results – Senior High

Student Activities – MACSA Spelling Bee

Click here for the results of the 2008 MACSA Spelling Bee held on Friday, March 7 at Eagle's Nest Christian Academy.

Spelling Bee Results