Winter 2015 Lansing Christian School Pilgrim Journey Newsletter

PILGRIM Journey Winter 2015

Christian Community at LCS

By Wendy Hofman, Head of School

The word “community� is used often in Christian organizations and in society at large. What does community mean in the context of Christian education?

What does community mean at LCS? For some, community implies connection to one another. For others, it might imply working on a task of mutual interest to get something done. In these cases community is a good thing because it brings people together. For LCS, community has deeper implications that impact how we learn and live together at school.

God designed us to live in community. As Christians we believe that community is about living in service to one another. In Christian education we honor one another as unique image bearers of God and we honor the gifts God has given each student, teacher, faculty and staff.

Living in community at LCS means we need one another in order to accomplish our best work. It means we acknowledge the limitations we have individually and utilize the gifts and abilities of those around us in service to one another, to God and to His kingdom.

Living in community at LCS is also about cultivating relationships that honor individuals for who they are as image bearers of Christ. Cultivating caring and respectful relationships must be integral to everything we do in our Christian school.

The Lansing Christian School Board of Trustees Gillian Granger, Chairperson Brad Banasik, Secretary Stephanie Buchalski Tamara Cutler Ken Howard Laura Moody Scott Wagoner Rina Woodland Lori Wortz

How are we working to develop community at LCS? In this edition of the Pilgrim Journey you will learn about how our teachers are learning to work together in new and meaningful ways in order to benefit student learning. You will also learn how teachers are teaching students to bring their individual gifts, ideas and abilities together in ways that maximize learning and cultivate relationships that honor God and one another.

I invite you to read more about how we are working to cultivate Christian community at LCS.

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RIGOROUS AND RELEVANT LEARNING Connected Mathematics

By Jamie Wernet, Math Department Head, Middle School Math Teacher

The goal of our middle school math curriculum, Connected Mathematics, is to help students develop a conceptual understanding of mathematical ideas alongside skills and procedures. One of our recent daily problems in 7th grade math called “The Wumps” was a great example of the kind of task that can achieve that goal. Students had the opportunity to practice operations with integers as well as some algebra skills like evaluating expressions and graphing coordinates. The big idea of the lesson, however, was to explore the concept of mathematical similarity and engage in proportional reasoning.

The students worked hard to discover who were in the Wumps family and who the imposters were. I think they had fun doing it! We wanted to share with you what we did and what we learned.

A Day in 7th Grade Math

By Grace Carey, Brianna Franck, Brianna Sweet, and Maliya Wayner, Middle School Students

Have you ever heard of Mug, Zug, Lug, Bug, and Glug? This might seem a little strange to you, but if you’re in our 7th grade math class, it makes perfect sense! We have been graphing computer game characters, and our daily activities include things like studying Mug Wump’s new hat and other features. And, we do it like real animators…plotting coordinates.

We realize that this work can be tedious, but when you imagine the job of a real game designer, we’ve got it easy! After we plot the coordinates, we have to catch the imposters!

Characters in the Wumps family are similar to the main character, Mug Wump, and imposters are not similar. We have learned to look for similar images like same angle measures and same general shape. Also, we look for a consistent scale factor between corresponding sides. We could tell who the Wumps were because they had the same angle measures and their shapes were just multiplied or divided by a certain value-the scale factor.

If you want to understand this better, and join in the fun, then you’ll just have to come check out our math classes at Lansing Christian School!

RIGOROUS AND RELEVANT LEARNING

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Elementary Math Program

By Betsy Jackson, 1st Grade Teacher

In 2005, Lansing Christian elementary adopted the Everyday Math program. Since then we’ve used it to interactively teach math in our K-5 classrooms. This research based program was created by educators at the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project. Each grade’s content is based on national math standards that spiral in each lesson, so our students are constantly practicing what they’ve learned. Teachers especially like how hands-on Everyday Math is for our students. Students enjoy learning by playing games, using manipulatives, and working on iPads. It differentiates learning by offering students multiple ways to problem solve.

Everyday Math is a fun way for our students to become successful mathematicians!

Math-R-Rama

By Cynthia Trygier, Academic Enrichment Coordinator, Math-R-Rama Coach

Math-R-Rama, a math meet sponsored by the Lansing School District, provides an excellent opportunity for Lansing Christian students to pursue their interest in mathematics, be a part of a team and demonstrate their Christian character beyond our walls. We have the chance to show Jesus to the community by our conduct, sportsmanship and kindness to others, as we develop and strengthen the talents God has given us.

Students compete four times in year, from January to May. Each meet has a mental math activity and a set of grocery store problems. In addition, there is a problem solving component, requiring students to solve challenging problems without a calculator.

This year, we have four teams of eight consisting of a mix of 4th and 5th grade students. Each student works individually, and then the scores are added together for a team score. This allows each student to increase their own math skills, but compete as a team. We are excited as we pursue this academic challenge and work together to form lasting friendships.

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NUTURING FAITH

Living the Christian Life through Vocation and Calling

By Wendy Hofman, Head of School

God calls each of us to unique and important work in His world. Helping students understand God’s desire to use their gifts, abilities and passions to serve His kingdom is what Christian education is all about.

Weekly chapels give us the opportunity to help students see what it means to live the Christian life through the lives of others in our community.

During the months of February and March, middle and high school students will learn from Christians who are called to vocations where they use their God-given gifts and abilities to serve real needs and influence our community and world for Jesus Christ.

Living a Christian life does not have to be separate from work and vocation. Our upcoming chapel series, “Living the Christian Life through Vocation and Calling,” is about helping students understand that God is calling His people to serve in a variety of vocations like video production and film, emergency medicine, social work, entrepreneurship and athletics.

Building Nurturing Relationships

By Carrie Belanger, 2nd Grade Teacher

Each morning, as students enter their elementary classrooms at Lansing Christian, they are greeted at the door with welcoming handshakes and warm smiles from their teachers.

This is just the beginning of our efforts to build nurturing relationships among students.

Our elementary teachers are trained in the Capturing Kids’ Heart model which is an educational strategy focused on developing healthy and effective relationships within the school community. Teachers use this program to create classroom environments where students feel safe, are able to trust one another, and know they are cared for and valued. Students are challenged and trained to work as a team to build motivation in learning and take responsibility for their actions and performance. Students commit to treat one another with respect and hold each other accountable for high standards of learning and community.

As leaders in a Christian school, our teachers believe developing caring relationships with students and encouraging Christian community within the classroom is essential. Teachers also model their faith and provide biblically integrated instruction which nurtures students’ personal faith in Christ. Lansing Christian elementary students develop as Christian young men and women as they are nurtured, challenged, and held accountable through the strong relationships developed among their peers and teachers.

NUTURING FAITH Chapel Teams – Working in Christian Community

By Tim Blamer, Dean of Students

At LCS, chapel gives students an opportunity to worship and hear God’s Word together in community. It also gives students an opportunity to build a Christ-centered community at LCS and become spiritual leaders within the school.

At the middle school level, each Bible class takes a turn leading chapel and sharing what they have been studying. The Bible teachers work with the students to help them plan and prepare as they come up with creative ways to share the Bible through the use of technology, drama and singing.

In the high school, chapel planning is done by rotating teams of students.

This year, 35 high school students participate on the chapel team. They represent each grade level and take ownership of Friday chapels. These chapels often involve praise and worship and students sharing what God is doing in their lives and through His Word.

This year, we are cultivating more connection between middle and high school students in our chapel program. In November, middle school students led high school chapel and shared their experiences with serving others in the community and around the world. The high schoolers were inspired to hear how younger students were living out their faith and making a difference in their community. In December, high school students led worship in an Advent series for middle schoolers and also shared how they have experienced the love of God. It is exciting to see middle and high school students growing and learning from each other.

We are blessed to see so many students leading and taking responsibility for chapel and the spiritual growth of their peers. Our chapel program is growing because students are invested and care about the spiritual climate in their school. Faith is nurtured not only by the adults in the school, but by young people living out their faith and desiring to see others grow as well.

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LIVING AND LEARNING IN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY Kindergarten and Senior Buddy Program

By Sheila Dykstra, Elementary Principal

Being together in one school provides us with the unique opportunity to have students at different grade levels interact in meaningful ways. To help cultivate relationships between students at different levels of the school, we have initiated a new Kindergarten and Senior Buddy program. Each of our 12th grade students was assigned a kindergarten buddy. Every month, our seniors join our kindergarten students for a special activity. As students who are in the final stage of their educational journey at LCS, they have the opportunity to engage in the spiritual, emotional and intellectual development of students just beginning their educational journey. Our kindergarteners adore their senior buddies and love spending one-on-one time with them. We are overjoyed with the significant relationships forming between these two groups of students.

Spirit Week

By Andrew Kleyn, Academic Dean

Spirit Week at Lansing Christian School is truly a unique experience. Students new to LCS tend to say things like, “We had Spirit Week at our old school, but not like this!� The level of participation and passion is remarkable. Still, the week is more than fun and games for the students; it is closely tied to the mission and identity of LCS. At LCS, we recognize students learn through different means and can express their learning and abilities in a variety of ways. Spirit Week is one opportunity students have to express creativity and talent that may not always fit the classroom. Spirit Week allows the uniqueness of students to shine, and it is intentionally designed to engage as many students as possible.

What is so impressive about Spirit Week at LCS is the way students with diverse interests, talents, ideas, and personalities can collaborate to accomplish common tasks. The students come together as a class, and the classes come together as a school. Students work with each other, help each other and cheer for each other. It is a lot of work. It is a lot of fun. It is another aspect that is unique to this school and helps make LCS an example of Christian community.

LIVING AND LEARNING IN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

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Student Ambassador Program Grows to Include 8th Grade

By Wendy Hofman, Head of School

During the 2014-15 school year, 15 new students enrolled in the freshman class.

In our efforts to continue to provide assistance and support for new students, we have decided to begin a new Junior Student Ambassador Program for 8th grade students. When prospective freshman schedule a shadow visit day during the next several months, 8th grade Junior Ambassadors will be ready to provide welcome, guidance and connection to peers that will serve as an investment for the beginning of high school in 2015-16.

Effectively engaging new students into our school community continues to be a priority at LCS. The Student Ambassador Program now includes fifty 8th – 12th grade students ready to welcome new students to Lansing Christian School!

2015 Black & Gold Celebration

will be held at the Michigan Historical Museum Thursday, March 19 6:00pm – 8:00pm This fundraising event is for members of the LCS community and the Greater Lansing community, with the singular purpose of raising funds for student scholarships.

This year’s Black and Gold fundraising goal is $150,000 for student scholarships.

We warmly invite the LCS community to be a part of this annual fundraising event by participating in the online auction or by attending the Black and Gold Celebration on March 19. We also encourage LCS community members to invite people outside of LCS, with the goal of making Christian education affordable for more families in our Greater Lansing community.

Visit this link to purchase tickets to this year’s event https://lansingchristian.ejoinme.org/reservations.

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EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS

A flourishing fine arts program is important to Christian education, where our priority is preparing students to live lives of worship and service to God. In a time when many schools are reducing or eliminating art and music programs, Lansing Christian continues to offer an excellent fine arts program. Educating the whole child involves helping students understand, appreciate and develop the many gifts God has given them.

Lansing Christian Celebrates Fine Arts

By Sheila Dykstra, Elementary Principal

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31.

When God created our world with all its beauty, He also created each of us in His own image. In creating us, He gave us the ability to create.

On January 22, elementary students had the opportunity to exhibit their creative gifts in writing, art, music and Spanish. Parents were invited to join their children in this celebration of the arts.

Student artwork, creatively framed and on display through Art Shows

by Artomé, created a stunning display of pattern and color. Individual piano performances were showcased early in the evening, followed by whole class music, choir, band and Spanish performances. The entire evening was a celebration of the creativity that God instills in each of us.

EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS

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Alumni Artist

By Cathy Bowden Bytwerk ’69, Alumni Coordinator

Over the past few months I’ve had the privilege of hearing from many of our alumni. They span in time from the early beginnings of the school to the most current graduating class. Keeping in touch with our alumni is important as it maintains a bond with the school that encourages those who are yet to graduate as well as keeps alumni informed about the ongoing progress of education at their Alma Mater. To read the latest alumni news, visit lansingchristianschool.org.

One of our alumni, Dane Porter ’14, demonstrated exceptional artistic talent while at Lansing Christian School. He continues to explore and use his talents as a freshman at Siena Heights University majoring in fine arts. He recently created a sculpture especially for the Granger Construction Company called; Under Construction. We are excited to see Dane use and develop his talents for the glory and honor of God.

MSUFCU Art Exhibit Participating in art competitions allows students to present their artwork to an authentic audience and receive genuine feedback. This year, 8 of our high school students have entered artwork in the Michigan State Federal Credit Union Art Competition. Their art work can be viewed online at msufcuart.com/vote. Please take a moment to vote for the artwork of our talented LCS students. Voting ends on February 25, 2015.

Student Artists

2015 Spring Musical A Year with Frog and Toad

By Michael Partridge

This spring, the Lansing Christian High School choirs have the privilege of presenting A Year with Frog and Toad on April 24 and 25 at 7:00pm.

The stories of Frog and Toad have been around since 1970, and many have had the opportunity to enjoy the fun stories of this amusing duo. The musical, nominated for three Tony awards in 2003, follows Frog and Toad through a year of adventures, from flying a kite, to making cookies, to telling scary stories, to celebrating Christmas. Join us for a delightful evening of storytelling, music and fun for all ages. Look for information about ticket sales on the LCS website during the month of April.

Hannah Meyers Nikki Rakestraw Christina Dunham Kelsey Blood Eden Wen Carl Wang Drew Schooley Lena Shuptar

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PURSUING VICTORY AND HONORING GOD Student Athletic Council

By Zach VanDuinen, Athletic Director

Lansing Christian School has a new group of students who are working hard to enhance athletics on and off campus. The operation of a successful athletic program fosters spirit, identity and a sense of pride within the LCS community. It also provides talented student-athletes with the opportunity to enrich their middle school and high school experience through participation in a challenging and competitive athletic program.

Creating a student athletic council has allowed us to increase student involvement at athletic events through the organization of themes and special activities for home games.

Some recent themes include: Red, White and Blue Night, Christmas Season Celebration and a Black Out. The energy in the student section keeps increasing, giving our LCS teams quite the home court advantage.

Another way the council has sought to promote our athletes is through a Student Athlete of the Week program. Each week, an athlete is highlighted who represents their sport positively and demonstrates success on the court and in the classroom. We appreciate this team of students as they work diligently to serve the community, run pep rallies and organize themes and activities at sporting events.

LCS Athlete of the Week Recipients Natalie Crandell - Diving Grace Haley - Basketball Granger Hanks - Bowling Matt Havey - Basketball

PURSUING VICTORY AND HONORING GOD

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#LCSShareYourStory

LCS recently starting sharing parent, student, teacher and alumni stories on Facebook and Twitter.

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Todd Granger ‘88 who serves as the LCS 7th grade basketball coach.

What do you love about LCS? All subjects are taught from a Christian world view.

Why do you like coaching at LCS? I love the kids. I want to help them improve and experience joy when playing the game.

What motivated you to become a coach at LCS? I wanted the opportunity to coach so I could transfer my love and knowledge of the game to the next generation.

What is a unique experience, talent or interest that you bring to your athletic arena to help shape the learning experience of your students?

Because I am an alumnus of LCS, I have a history with the school and I bring a unique perspective. I know where we have been and I also know how it should be done.

What sets LCS students apart from students in other schools?

It’s the personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The way that plays out in athletics is Sportsmanship. Are we competitive and do we want to win? Absolutely! But once the game is over, I believe we do stand out in our gracious attitudes with our opponents.

The same goes for coaches and parents.

How do you coach to the mission of LCS? I honor our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in the way I acknowledge our dependence on Him, that gifts & talents come from Him, and no one can do anything without His grace and mercy.

What do you want your students to gain from having known you?

As a coach, I want the students to know how much I care about them as individuals beyond the basketball court.

Spring Sports at LCS Boys Baseball Lacrosse

Girls Soccer Tennis Water Polo Coed Golf Track & Field

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SAVE THE DATE

March 19: Black & Gold Celebration March 26: MS/HS Fine Arts Night April 24/25: High School Musical May 1: Spring Fling May 29: High School Graduation For information on all upcoming envents, visit lansingchristianschool.org Follow us on Twitter @LCSPilgrims and FACEBOOK

#LCSShareYourStory "You're not going to find a better education than you'll find at LCS. Better academics, smaller classrooms, athletics, arts... all the things people are looking for are available here at LCS... I just feel they're done a little bit better here." The Wayners