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CCS Connection Spring Newsletter
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COVENANT CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Highlights
From the Heart of Dr. Nina
Bissett
CCS Annual Huntley Brown &
CCS Choir Concert
CCS Alumni Update
Parent Testimony by Karen
Robbins
CCS Quarterly Recap of
Events
Dear CCS Family and Friends:
Donor Section
Welcome to our SPRING e-Newsletter. I hope everyone is enjoying our
beautiful weather although I know occasionally it does not feel like spring
but quite summery. Anyway, no matter how the weather feels like CCS
wishes everyone a blessed day and happy reading. We hope you enjoy our enewsletter. We suggest that you kindly share our newsletter with friends
and family.
Contact us
From the Heart of Dr. Nina Bissett
Announcement
THE POWER OF COVENANT
CCS "Behind the Scene"
Rincón de Español (Spanish
Corner)
Check our website
covenantchristianaurora.org
Annual Terra-Nova
Achievement Tests
Grades K-8
April 2-5, 2012
NO SCHOOL
Good Friday
April 6, 2012
Spring Break
April 9-13, 2012
2012-2013 Enrollment
has begun...
Covenant Christian School received the name of
Covenant Christian School for a reason! This
"covenant" can be viewed as a mutual and
impenetrable "hand-in-hand" hedge of protection
around our students formed by parents and
teachers. Covenant nurtures, trains, prepares,
restores, renews, shields, and transforms all of
those in this covenant relationship into invincible
weapons in God's hands against the enemy.
Dr. Nina Bissett,
In the Bible "Covenant" served as the foundation for
Principal
all of God's promises to mankind. Genesis contains
the roots of Covenant: Adam's covenant, Noah's
covenant, Abraham's covenant, and David's covenant all of which pointed to
the arrival of Christ Jesus as the Promised One. God is a covenant keeping
God. He makes lots of promises and He keeps them all. Covenant is
powerful!
Quick Links
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Likewise,
the
name
Covenant Christian School
is not an accident! Its
preservation is
not an
accident! Your being a part
of Covenant Christian School
is not an accident. You have
trusted and believed in God's
promises on behalf of your
children. At CCS we trust and
believe with you! Consider
the following reasons for why
COVENANT Christian School
is vital for your family and other Christian families in our generation during
these challenging times:
GREAT TRAVELERS
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Covenant creates and preserves strength of unity in our marriages
and families (Eccl. 4:9-12) in a time when families are in crisis.
Covenant harnesses the power of unity among men to the power of
God (Gen. 11:4-8 II Cor. 4:7). Contrary to the narcissistic trends of
our society, CCS students are encouraged to make a name for GOD
over and above making a name for themselves.
Covenant is God's most powerful evangelism tool (I Cor. 13). The
Covenant LOVE of God at CCS between families, staff, and students
is the ultimate living "gospel" presented to a generation longing for
belonging.
God uses Covenant to heal the broken-hearted, protect the weak,
and restore the hurt and wounded (II Cor. 1:3-6). CCS teachers have
experienced and been trained in educational and life situations from
which they can competently and knowingly instruct, comfort, and
nurture our students.
Covenant is God's school of training for worship and ministry,
training students to submit to authority and to become great leaders
with servant's hearts in a day when morality and ethics of those in
leadership are on the line.
God publicly confirms His Covenant to believers and unbelievers
alike. How? By transforming the lives of ordinary people to do
extraordinary things in His name. Those in the Aurora community
have witnessed the unprecedented unity, holiness, and singleness of
purpose demonstrated at CCS because of God's mighty work among
us.
Covenant creates accountability and keeps us moving forward with
covenant partners to keep us from falling short individually and
corporately (Prov. 27:17). We need each other to reach our full
potential in Christ and to stir up a personal hunger that moves us
deeper into God's presence. (Adapted from The Power of Covenant by
Kingsley Fletcher)
A COVENANT THAT GOD TOUCHES WITH HIS POWER ENDURES FOREVER!
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(Eccles. 3:14)
CCS Annual Huntley Brown & CCS Choir Concert
Thank-you so much for your
support of Saturday's awesome
concert! The evening included
the inspiring performance of
concert pianist Huntley Brown
backed by an outstanding
orchestra conducted by Gary
Boyd with concert master
Susan Starrett. The CCS
faculty and more than 100 CCS
students with choir director
Justine Hasulube, joined over 600 guests for a fabulous evening of
celebrating the King of Kings and the Name above all names.
Guests included the CCS
School Board, former CCS
students, CCS friends and
families, representatives from
schools
such
as
Aurora
Christian School, and pastors
and
members
of
area
churches. Jerry and Shirley
Rose from TLN (Total Living
Network) (www.tln.com) not
only conducted an interview
with
Attorney
John
Neuenkirchen, a CCS graduate, but introduced the new school video that
TLN produced on behalf of the school.
Tim Wilhite, Associate Director
of
ACSI
(Association
of
Christian Schools International)
was also in attendance. He later
emailed the following comment:
Thanks so much for inviting me
to come to the concert Friday
night. My wife and I had a very
enjoyable
evening!!!!
Your
students can really sing. I've
heard choirs from much larger schools that didn't sound nearly as good as
your students did Friday evening... had they left the stage sooner they
wouldn't have been there to end the concert with Joy in My Heart. Wow!
That was outstanding. Please send me an invitation for the concert next
year...Thanks for your faithfulness in serving our God at CCS. May He bless
you abundantly!!!!"
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Parents also contributed many
generous comments including
the following:
The concert was outstanding!
I am glad my daughter is part
of
CCS
and
had
the
opportunity to perform with
Huntley
Brown
&
his
orchestra. My family is much
honored and everyone did an
amazing job. The kids sang beautifully, and I salute Mrs. Justine Hasulube
for her patience in teaching the kids and for her performance at the
concert. The orchestra did great and of course, Rev. Huntley Brown who has
graciously given his time and effort to bless Covenant Christian School! My
family is looking forward to the next concert!!! More power to CCS! - John
& Charie Leopold, CCS Parents
Other CCS supporters showed their appreciation by generously donating over
$18,000 with one individual contributing a "matching gift" on behalf of his
company for a total of $3,000. What a tremendous blessing!!!
And the list goes on.......................with gifts still coming. Thank-you for
all the prayers and continued support and belief in the Christian impact of
CCS in our community, nation, and world.
CCS Alumni Update
FEATURING CCS 1993 GRADUATE, JOHN NEUENKIRCHEN
Recently, CCS received an
announcement regarding the
acceptance of John's thesis,
"Plurality Decisions, Implicit
Consensuses, and the Fifth
Vote Rule under Marks v.
United
States,"
for
publication in Widener Law
Review. John is a Juris Doctor
graduate of DePaul University
College of Law, summa cum
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laude, and is currently an
attorney at Jordan Law Firm
in Aurora. It's extremely rare
for a recent J.D. graduate to
get selected for publication.
Attorney Neuenkirchen shared
with us: "I think the key to
becoming a lawyer is you have
to be able to read and you
have to be able to write-those are far more important
than speaking. I definitely did
a lot of both at CCS, and
developed much in both."
He gave Mrs. Bissett the
following reasons for his
willingness to let us share the
Atty. John Neuenkirchen,
news of his thesis publication
CCS Alumni
with our CCS constituencies: "
1) You can share in my joy in
seeing a CCS product contributing to academia and the development of the
law (I really think this [article] will be used by lawyers, courts, and other
academics) and 2) I had to share it with someone who has a professional
doctorate as well (most people don't understand what the big deal is and why
I am so excited! That's just as well, though, keeps me humble.). I really
prayed from the start of working on this product that God would provide an
outlet for this paper to get run. It did! PTL!"
At CCS our students consistently hear God's Word encouraging them: "The
hand of the diligent makes RICH" (Proverbs 10:4b). We pray that the Lord
will continue to use Attorney Neuenkirchen's skills and testimony in our
community for His glory.
Parent Testimony by Karen Robbins
Covenant Christian School provides a
strong foundation for our children.
Building their core knowledge on biblical
truths allows them to be rooted and
established in the love and knowledge
of Jesus Christ. They will stand firm
when troubles come, and the views and
cares of the world invade. The caring
nature of the teachers and staff at CCS
is quite evident.
I am pleased to
have our girls learning from biblically
minded, God focused, prayerful people
of God. I pray that this school would
remain prayerful and true always to
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God's Word.
Robbins Children
(Alexis & Jessica)
CCS Quarterly Recap of Events
CCS Valentine's Day Dessert Social Love is in the Air!!!!
It was CCS's first annual Valentine's
Day Dessert Social fundraiser and for
a first timer, the event was a huge
success. They managed to raise over
$650 for CCS. The guests enjoyed a
wide variety of sweets ranging from
cookies, cakes and rice krispies to
pies, cheesecakes and chocolate
covered fruit. The door prizes were
awesome as well... Golden Corral,
Chrysalis spa, Hollywood Palms movie
passes, Tinseltown, Avon baskets and
much more. They had Minister
Dorothy Hurst of New Horizon
Christian Fellowship as guest speaker with the courtesy of Trina Smith's
invitation as a CCS Parent. The meeting was very enriching from the sweets
to the Word of God!
Pastor's Luncheon
This year's Pastor's luncheon went really well. CCS celebrates this event
annually with joy where CCS students invited their Pastor's to come visit
their school and eat lunch with them. It was a memorable moment for our
students and their Pastors. CCS prepared a sumptuous meal for the Pastors
while our students brought their favorite pack lunch. It was a great time and
there were approximately 15 area churches represented. To bless all the
Pastors that participated, our students rendered a special song number in
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honor of them. One of the pastors,
Pastor Mike Thomason from River of
Life in Aurora, mentioned that
although CCS is a mid-size school, they
have a pretty good Choir! Pastor Mike
was quite impressed with our students.
Well, way to go CCS choir!
TLN Television/School Taping
Finally, the finish product has arrived. CCS has a new video that premiered
at the Huntley Brown concert. Thank you TLN for blessing CCS and to
all parents, staff, and students (and Cisco Cotto!) who helped to make the
filming day so special! If you have not seen our video you can watch it by
clicking the link (http://vimeo.com/39522158). Share CCS with others.
Fine Arts Festival/Open House
At this yearly CCS event our students
shared their talents, with our beginners
and advanced band performing and our
students exhibiting their works in Arts,
Reading, Science, and Math. It is also a
special time where we welcome friends
that would like to be part of the CCS
family.
Leap Frog Day
Every 4 years our CCS Leap Frog comes hopping through CCS to join our
students in celebrating God's marvelous invention of time from the
beginning of Creation to the end. "Kermit", came to visit our students with
lots of fun, hugs and goodies for everyone. All our students gave Kermit a
big warm welcome! He will return to CCS again on February 29, 2016!
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ACSI Speech Meet
What is Speech Meet? It is a speech competition amongst students and
other schools on Bible Memorization, Fables and Folklore, Dramatic Bible
Prose, Patriotic Oration and Poetry. This year the students went to compete
at Calvary Church in Naperville. CCS applauds all our WINNERS! Great job!
-Janiya Childress -Gabriella Raimondi -Nadia Brown -Christa Leopold
-Breyona Smith -Karen Contreras -Lawrence Nyong -Andrew Hasulube
-Xarea Jackson -Tarius Prentiss
-Haley Warren -Stuthi Arulanandam -Emily Baker -Joshua Hasulube
-Erik Corral -Arely Soto -James Warren -Eren Dultra -Hannah West
Parent/Administrator Forum
This forum is an annual event to give
CCS Parents an opportunity to bring
their comments, and suggestions. This
year's meeting was positive, meeting
and understanding the heart of our
parents and bringing as well CCS's
heart to parents. The meeting was led
by Dr. Nina Bissett, Principal. She
discussed
parents
previewing
a
new CCS Bible Curriculum, the new
TerraNova Testing, CCS Sports, After
School Programs and the recent ISBE
Evaluation Report. Parents were eager
to share their ideas and suggestions and their discussion expanded to the
creation of the Parent Survey that was sent out recently to all Parents. CCS
values our parent's ideas and comments as we partner with them in training
their children by providing a Christ-centered academic education. If you
have not sent your voice to CCS, make sure you check your email and let us
hear from you.
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CCS Sports
CCS would like to give a big THANKYOU to
our Golden Warriors
basketball
team.
Our
children
practiced and played well. They are
glad to take this opportunity to play
with other Christian schools. They
have the honor to play with
Resurrection in Sugar Grove, Cross
Lutheran,
Immanuel
Lutheran,
Downers Grove, and Faith in Geneva.
It was their fun way to outreach and
make friends. With all the fun, CCS
would also like to thank our girl's
coaches Huntley Brown, Jamie Warren and Trisha Warren and the boy's
coaches Steven Hapner, Michael Hapner, and Troy West for a great year.
They have poured their hearts into our teams. Our CCS coaches ROCK! After
the basketball season, soccer season will be taking off again April 9th with
coaches Greg Bodgan, Jamie Warren and Trisha Warren. It is going to be
another fun event. Go Golden Warriors!
CCS "Behind the Scene"
Hello... My name is Kathy Thomas and I am the
Office Manager at Covenant Christian School. I
have been at Covenant Christian School for 23
years. I came to work here as secretary when my
children were here. I thought that when they left
that I would also leave...but here I am, many years
later--- for many great reasons.
Mrs. Kathy Thomas,
Office Manager
I am usually the first person you see or hear when
you come to the school, which to me is a
tremendous responsibility and honor.
I love meeting new families and also connecting
with current parents and students on a daily basis.
That is the favorite part of my job! I always tell Mrs. Bissett that if I could
just be on the phone with parents all day, that would be the perfect job.
And then there are the children...our most precious students. Each one is so
different and so special. There is one sweet fifth grader who tries to be the
first one in school when I unlock the door each morning. She just loves
being in school!
And the staff...what can I say about them except they are the most
wonderful people to work with. We even like each other enough to be
together outside of school on various occasions!
Then, aside from the people, the rest of my job entails correspondence,
answering emails, various bookkeeping duties---all of which I believe the
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Lord has called me to do with excellence for His praise.
Rincón de Español (Spanish Corner)
Vale la pena esforzarse para que los niños reciban la mejor
educación (Por Monica Soto)
La población de Covenant Christian School es
multicultural, uno de los grupos representativos es
el hispano, en su mayoría cada día enfrentan una
batalla por mantener a sus hijos en una institución
privada, (ante la difícil situación económica), pero
gracias a la fe en la provisión de Dios y la
seguridad de que la formación e instrucción que
reciben sus hijos es de la mejor calidad, siguen
adelante, seguros de que vale la pena el esfuerzo
con tal de dejar la mejor herencia a para los hijos.
Mrs. Monica Soto,
Ante realidades cada vez más caóticas que viven la
Spanish Teacher
niñez y la adolescencia en la actualidad, los padres
de familia consideran que una educación basada en
la fe en Jesucristo será la principal fortaleza con que cuenten sus hijos para
enfrentar a un mundo necesitado de esperanza y de valores.
En un pequeño sondeo realizado entre algunos padres de familia se les
cuestionó sobre las principales causas por las que ellos prefirieron registrar
a sus niños en Covenant Christian School, en su mayoría comentaron que la
instrucción bíblica es fundamental, ya que al permitir que sus hijos estén
expuestos a la palabra de Dios diariamente, va formando un caracter e
identidad en los primeros años.
Sonia Corral,
CCS Parent
Para Sonia Corral, el corazón de amor que los maestros tienen por su tarea
educativa, que realmente ven la labor de enseñar como un ministerio " es
una de las principales razones de que mis hijos estén en la escuela".
También mencionó quea sus pequeños les encantan las clases de personajes
de la Biblia.
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Eugenia Cervantes,
CCS Parent & Office Aide
Por otra parte, Eugenia Cervantes indicó que le gusta mucho el área de
"recursos" (en su traducción resources), es el tiempo de apoyo que se les
brinda a los estudiantes para ayudarlos a avanzar en las áreas que les
parecen más difíciles. "Estoy contenta porque no me preocupo de que
ninguno de mis hijos se pueda ir quedando atrás porque se que en la
institución hay un área de apoyo"
Y reconoció que le gustaría que CCS ofreciera programa extracurriculares
como danza, pintura,gimnasia (alguna actividad para las niñas que no les
gusten los deportes.
Zoraya Rodriguez,
CCS Parent
Para Zoraya Rodríguez, es importante la dinámica que el profesor de los
últimos grados tiene implementada, que es el abordar temas de actualidad y
de interés para los adolescentes desde una perspectiva cristocéntrica, pero
además le agrada que los chicos pueden expredar sus opiniones sin temor a
la burla o al rechazo. "El maestro los está enseñando que sus ideas son
importantes, valora sus pensamientos, y eso les ayuda a expresarse".
La señora Rodríguez comentó que la comunidad hispana, en CCS, se vería
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beneficiada si pudieran contar con un área que sirviera de nexo entre
padres de familia y la escuela, pero que fuera atendida por una persona que
hablara español, porque de esa forma la comunicación sería más clara y
directa.
::ENGLISH::
It is worth every effort we can make to assure
that our children rec eive the best possible
education. Translation by Diana Winters
The population of Covenant Christian School is
multicultural. One of those groups represented is
Hispanic; the majority of whom face daily battles
to keep their children in private schools in these
difficult economic times. But because of their
faith in the provision of God, and their security in
Diana Winters,
the
fact that the formation and instruction given
Asst. Spanish Teacher
the children is of the highest quality --- they
& Extended Care
continue forward with confidence that it is worth
the cost to guarantee the heritage of the children.
In light of the increasing chaos of the world in which the children and
adolescents have to live, the parents consider an education based on faith
in Jesus Christ to be the principal strength with which their children can
confront a world with hope and valor.
In a small survey completed among the parents, we asked what were the
principal reasons they preferred to enroll their children in Covenant
Christian School. The majority commented that the Biblical instruction is a
fundamental reason for their choice, because the children are exposed to
the Word of God on a daily basis. This is crucial for character formation,
and a sense of identity, which are so important in their younger years.
For Sonia Corral, the heart of love that the teachers have for their work of
education, and their true approach to their labor as a ministry, "is one of
the primary reasons that my children are in this school." She also mentioned
that her little ones love the lessons about all the characters in the Bible
stories.
In another interview, Eugenia Cervantes indicated she really loves the
resources of the school; the hours when they offer help to the students who
struggle, to help them advance and succeed in every area. "I am happy
because I am not worried that any of my children will be left behind because
they are in a school where there is so much support for them." She
mentioned also that she appreciates the extracurricular activities, (such as
dance, painting, gymnastics) among other programs for children who are
not able to be on the sports teams, or who are not on the sports teams.
For Zoraya Rodriguez, what is so important, is the dynamic between the
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teacher of the higher grades and their students. They approach themes of
real life and areas of interest of the children from a Christ-centered
perspective.
But they also allow the children to express their opinions with out fear of
mockery or criticism. "The teacher is teaching them that their ideas are
important and that their thoughts are valuable; and he helps them learn
how to express themselves."
Mrs. Rodriguez commented that the Hispanic community at CCS, can be
enhanced, as communication between the school and the parents is
mediated through a translator, (such as in this article); making the
information more clear and direct.
Donor Section
DIFFERENT WAYS TO SUPPORT COVENANT CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
There are many different methods in which a
person can support a charitable organization such
as Covenant Christian School. The purpose of this
article is to provide you with an introduction to
these methods and some basic information as to
how you can best use them in supporting Covenant
Christian School.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Cash or check
Life Insurance
Tangible personal property
Appreciated assets
Bequeaths
Trusts
John Post,
SNT Member
In this article we will consider the first two ways of financially supporting
CCS. First, the most basic way to help is to donate to CCS by giving cash or
a check. Either way is simple, quick and it provides immediate support. It
is also easy to obtain a tax receipt for income tax purposes. Always check
with your tax advisor with questions about how charitable giving may
impact your taxes.
A second way to support CCS is through life insurance. Yes, you can use life
insurance to give to CCS. One simple way is to name CCS as a beneficiary
of all or part of your life insurance policy. This can be done with both whole
life and term insurance policies. If you have a small policy that does not
enter into your estate planning, then consider CCS as the beneficiary. Or
you can buy a new policy and do the same thing. Please consult with your
agent and tax advisor when considering using life insurance in your
charitable giving plans.
There are many different methods in which a person can support a
charitable organization such as CCS. We can look at the other ways listed
above in the next newsletter. As always please contact your tax advisor and
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financial planner for specific advice that meets your individual financial and
tax planning needs.
Contact us
For questions and more information
contact Covenant Christian School.
Phone: 630-801-7955
Email: ccs4jesus@aol.com
Save
$100
credit
CCS TUITION VOUCHERS - There are several ways in which you can reduce your tuition
payments for next year. One of the most effective is that of school vouchers for referrals.
Referrals can be made in the following ways:
Email and forward the new CCS School Video to friends and family! (Or refer them to
this link: http://vimeo.com/39522158)
Pick up this year's enrollment flyers outside the school office to give to prospective
families or church members.
Share the school's web site (www.covenantchristianaurora.org) and Facebook postings.
To receive this discount, the family must write YOUR name in the "referred by" box on the
enrollment application. Also, the family must enroll by the first day of school.
Forward email
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