April 4, 2017 - In This Newsletter
DATES TO REMEMBER:
 
April 7: Good Friday Celebration
April 10-14: Easter Break
April 22: Auction


GLIMPSES OF MCS FROM MRS. OBBINK
Separated

We are entering the Easter Season at MCS. The teachers have planned meaningful activities for Friday. The students will be visiting each classroom and working their way through a book written by Ruth Moblard DeYoung, The Temple Curtain. Mrs. Froelich and the 8th grade students are planning a reflective celebration for Chapel.
 
In preparation, the teachers are reading The Temple Curtain in their classrooms this week. I stopped by one classroom as the teacher was explaining why the curtain in the temple was torn from the top to the bottom, based on Mark 15:37-39.
 
37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,[a] he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
 
The students listened attentively. Then the discussion began. They understood that only God could have torn this curtain. They understood that the priest was offering incense on behalf of the people and that the curtain separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place as God instructed his people in Exodus 26:31-33. The teacher explained the curtain was torn just as Jesus proclaimed, "It is finished." The tearing of the curtain represents God giving us instant access to His very presence (the Most Holy Place)! That's when the questions began and the confusion became evident. "But we can always talk to God." "What do you mean that we were separated from God?" "I don't understand."
 
The teacher went on to make connections with Bible stories that the class has studied earlier this year; Bible stories beginning with Adam and Eve and their fall and the stories that followed: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. The students understood a need for a savior. They just didn't understand that Old Testament people couldn't come into God's presence then like we can come into His presence now. They didn't understand the separation that sin caused between a Holy God and his fallen creation.
 
But isn't that the joy of Easter? A glorious reminder of the price that was paid; a price that required so much from God Himself and so little from us. Pray for the students as they encounter this sacrifice on Friday. Join us for Chapel on Friday afternoon at 2:00 as we celebrate our salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus! Pray that we will live like Easter people: full of genuine gratitude and authentic thankfulness, remembering the price paid for our deliverance, and praise for complete and instant access to the very heart of our Father!

GOOD FRIDAY CELEBRATION - APRIL 7
Please arrive to school on time. We will begin our Good Friday activities at 8:35. Snack will be at 9:45. TAPP will serve popcorn. In addition, MCS is offering chocolate milk and a small treat. Please send in $2.00 to cover the festivities of the day. Join us for chapel at 2:00 at New Hope Fellowship.
ANNOUNCING THE NEW MCS WEBSITE!
Check it out at www.monroechristian.com! (Please note that we are now "com," and not "net" or "org.")  More content will be added, of course, but LAO Web Design did a fabulous job in coordination with Jennifer Simpson to make this site professional, user-friendly, and informative. THANK YOU!! Thank you also to Roy Barron and Nathan Cassano for the technical work involved to launch the site and increase our online presence with enhanced SEO! Please share the site with anyone who may be interested in MCS!
AUCTION RSVP
We have a few seats remaining for the auction. If you have not yet returned your RSVP, please do so by this Friday.
AUCTION NEWS!
We are looking for 18 more desserts for the dessert dash. These desserts can be homemade or purchased from your favorite dining restaurant such as a key lime or peanut butter pie from Cabbage Patch or the "Mother Load" from Claim Jumper. If you haven't had time to donate to the auction and want to contribute, please contact Pete and Abby Horvath at cowboypete@comcast.net or aahorv00@gmail.com to donate a dessert.
 
Have you seen the huge jar of JELLY BELLIES in the office? It will be raffled off at the auction, $5 will buy you 5 chances to win!
  
Looking for some beautiful GERANIUMS for your garden? Wells-Medina Nursery is providing 25 flats (8 plants/flat) of these beauties at $40/flat, available in the church foyer, so reserve yours upon your arrival!
TRACK & FIELD NEWS

Volunteers Needed!

Attention ALL school families! MCS is hosting our 6th annual home track meet, and we need LOTS of helping hands to make the day go smoothly. We will be hosting our meet on Saturday, May 6th, at Monroe High School, and we will begin set up at 8:00 am. There are jobs that range in commitment from 1 hour, 2 hours or up to the whole meet if you want to spend a fun day with our MCS family. From gate control to concessions, timers to set up or clean up, we have tasks for just about anyone. You also earn service hours for this, so get a jump on next year's requirements. Please contact Janel Klingsheim at: janelklingsheim@hotmail.com if you would like to know more or to volunteer.

 

Track practice this week is on Thursday from 4:45-6:00 pm and Saturday at the High School from 10:30-12:00 (please note time change from past weeks).
 
The countdown has begun, only 10 practices until the first meet. Mark your calendars for April 20th at 5:40pm for our pre-meet athlete and parent meeting!

PGMTT
Our PGMTT (Please Give Mine to Them) campaign spans spring break. This is the perfect time to practice generosity. We hope MCS students will put their PGMTT cup in their family car to remind them of people who are in greater need.

 
    
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Application deadline is April 14.
MEDIA DISCLAIMER
Parents, please review our social media pages and website often. Let us know if there are any photos you would like us to remove.  We do our best to adhere to the few privacy requests that we have, but as our enrollment and media presence grow, and we ask for participation by parents, it becomes difficult to check each photo. We never post names of students unless a parent requests us to do so in relation to a post. Any requests for removal of photos will be addressed immediately. We thank you for participating and sending in your awesome pictures. Please keep them coming!  
LOVE & LOGIC TIP
At the Love and Logic Institute, we've recently had a rash of S.O.S. calls regarding smelly kids. Most of these involved little ones refusing to take baths, but there have been a few pertaining to older ones.
 
Sharing control in the form of plenty of small choices can go a long way toward solving the problem. Parents who demand, "You smell. You need to take a bath!" typically achieve less fragrant results than those who ask questions such as:
 
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"Will you be getting cleaned up now or in a few minutes?"
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"Will you be taking a bath with your boat or your Ninja Turtles?"
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"Are you going to take a bath or a shower?"
 
Setting limits with Enforceable Statements is another piece of the puzzle:
 
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"Feel free to join us for dinner when you smell pleasant to be around."
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"I read to kids and play games when I don't have to smell dirty feet."
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"I tend to find it easier to do things with people who use soap and deodorant."
 
Natural consequences are often the most effective teachers. Some kids just seem to struggle with grubbiness until they reach the cusp of puberty and realize that their peers are not impressed by their hygiene or lack thereof.
 
Some never become like Mr. or Mrs. Clean on the outside. Fortunately, the quality of one's heart is far more important than the quality of one's hygiene. We've met wonderfully clean and effective parents who did everything they could to raise well-bathed kids. Because of factors beyond their control, their kids turned out very sweet on the inside... but a bit unkempt on the outside. One mother put it well: "Who cares? Far worse things could have happened!"
 
Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward it to a friend.
 
Dr. Charles Fay
 
SPRING CLEANING?
Are you working on spring cleaning at your home? Let us help you out!

Prescription Eyeglasses: We have a collection box in the office for used eyeglasses. Bring yours in and they will be donated to the Global Eyeglass Ministry. To read more information regarding this cause, please use this link: Global Eyeglass Ministry.

Children's Clothing: A collection bin is in the hallway for "God's Closet." Donated clothing is given to families in need at their "Free Shop Day" events. For more information, Please use this link: God's Closet.

Sight Connection Collection Bin: Use our collection bin in the round-about at any time to donate used clothing and household items.
EASTER BREAK ACTIVITIES
Searching for Easter week activities for your kids? Check out what our community has to offer!
  • April 8: Easter Egg Splash at the YMCA
  • April 10-14: Spring Splash at the YMCA
  • April 15: The 21st Annual Community Easter Egg Hunt at Lake Tye Park beginning at 9:00 am
  • Area churches are offering Easter Sunday Services