MCS E-Newsletter | March 26, 2021
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MCS YEARBOOK! MARCH 29TH!

This year, with remote learning as a major part of many of our students' lives, we would love to highlight their resilience and adaptability in the yearbook. Whether your student was a remote learner for most of the school year or just a few days, we want to include pictures of their experiences. If you have any pictures of your child sitting in front of their screen, a screenshot of them learning with their class, or a fun project they did while at home, please send pictures of it all! Please email us at yearbook@marinerscs.org by Monday, March 29th so we can include these fun memories in this year's yearbook. 
LOST AND FOUND!
PICK UP BY MARCH 31ST!

Lost and found will be placed outside the front lobby Monday March 29th - Wednesday March 31st, from 8:30am - 2:00pm for parents to have access and assist in finding lost items. The Lost and found items that are not picked up by Wednesday, March 31st will be donated. If your student is missing an item (sweatshirt, water bottle, lunch box, etc.), please have them check the Lost and Found by Wednesday, March 31st. If they need assistance, please have them ask an aide during recess or lunch. In addition, please have your student’s belongings labeled with their first and last name and grade and class or home room. For example, Jennifer Crowell 4K. Thank you! 
MCS SPORTS CAMPS GO UNTIL APRIL 1ST!
The after school sports camps, girls' volleyball and boys' basketball, are up and running! Our teams just finished week 4 out of 6 and they are coming up to their mini tournaments in the camp. They have been showing much improvement in their athletic skills, developing their fitness, and growing their team bond week after week. We are looking forward to being able to celebrate all that our student athletes have accomplished during this camp with a team party, which will take place during the week of March 29 - April 1st. Go Lions!
MCS ATHLETIC PROGRAM 'RETURN TO PLAY'
MCS TRYOUTS CONTINUING THROUGH NEXT WEEK!

MCS will rejoin the Christian Athletic League of Orange County for the upcoming Spring season! This will feature 6th, 7th & 8th grade Girls Flag Football along with 6th, 7th & 8th Grade Boys Volleyball...

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WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY!
APRIL 14TH-MARCH 12TH!

More than any other book in the New Testament, James places the spotlight on the necessity for believers to act in accordance with our faith. How do your actions mirror the faith that you proclaim? Join us for a 4-week Love God Greatly Bible Study on the book of James, and take a deeper look into God’s wisdom when it comes to suffering, the power of prayer, the importance of controlling the tongue, and the danger of wealth. 
Wednesdays April 14 - May 12 @ 9:30am

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE BOOK

Please contact Jill Gunderson with any further questions you may have.
LET'S BE KIND DAY! APRIL 26TH!

Join us as we champion KINDNESS by celebrating LET'S BE KIND DAY at MCS and beyond!!!  

Let’s Be Kind Day was originated in 2018 by a student named Rebekah at Costa Mesa Middle School simply because she noticed a lack of kindness on her campus and wanted to create change! She decided one day to bring pizza and share Let’s Be Kind t-shirts for her classmates, and the response was astounding! The movement sparked kindness on her campus that spread into the families and surrounding Newport Mesa schools! Just 3 short years later, Newport Mesa Unified has now adopted Let’s Be Kind Day, and each school in the district is celebrating by promoting kindness, inclusion, encouragement, and respect on their campuses. To learn more about Let’s Be Kind Day, click here:

On Monday, 4/26, MCS will celebrate KINDNESS in the following ways:

  • Each student who ordered a LET'S BE KIND t-shirt will both receive it and wear it on Monday, 4/26
  • Chapel for each grade level will focus on KINDNESS 
  • Students will be be reminded of ways they can live out the second half of the Great Commandment of loving their neighbor as themselves
  • MCS is sponsoring 2 local schools! For every $10 t-shirt that was purchased by an MCS student, a child at Victoria Elementary or Killybrooke Elementary will also receive a t-shirt.

We hope to bring KINDNESS beyond our own MCS walls and into our neighboring schools, allowing students from other campuses to also celebrate Let’s Be Kind Day! Our goal is to outfit every student on those 2 campuses with a Let’s Be Kind t-shirt, and help spread the attitude of kindness throughout Costa Mesa!

Thank you for joining us in championing this cause of KINDNESS both on our campus and to our neighboring schools!
EXCITING ALUMNI NEWS!

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES!

Attention ALL MCS Alumni - Scholarship Match!
We have an exciting new opportunity for all MCS alumni with disabilities, The Be Brave Scholarship, which is generously funded by our very own Student Support Specialist Crystal Willis and her husband Jeff. This amazing $5000 scholarship has been recently matched by an anonymous donor for a total of $10,000. Two students will be awarded this year.

The Be Brave Scholarship can be used for:
-Undergrad or Graduate School
-Community College
-Trade school
-Training programs or internships for employment

*Recipients can use the scholarship for beginning or ongoing educational pursuits.
Apply Now! Deadline is April 30, 2021
Attention MCS Alumni-Class of 2017!
Each year the faculty and staff of MCS donate funds for the Alumni Heritage College Scholarship with the intent of encouraging college-bound alumni in their educational pursuits. Since its founding, the Alumni Heritage College Scholarship has generated over $32,000 in funding. There are typically multiple recipients awarded $1000 to $2000 so you do not want to miss out! 
Apply Now! Deadline is April 30, 2021
Alumni of the Year - Deadline to Nominate April 30, 2021
Established in 2018, this annual award recognizes an MCS Alumni whose accomplishments, affiliations, career and/or ministry has brought honor to the MCS legacy within the community. Our awardee should reflect the 5 Core Values of MCS: Love for Christ, Exemplary Academics, Whole Child Development, Innovative Culture, and Connected Community. Any student who graduated from MCS in 8th grade is eligible for a nomination.

Nominations can be made by any member of the MCS Community, including staff, parents, students, grandparents, and fellow Alumni.

Please submit your nomination to carla.colaianni@marinerscs.org

When submitting the nomination, please include:
Alumni Name
3-5 Sentences about why you believe this person is deserving of the award
Alumni contact information (email, cell phone, address, and/or parents’ email/phone).
Any relevant links or websites that support your nomination – OPTIONAL (for example, a local news article featuring the Alumni)
PARENTS IN PRAYER (PIP)

Come and join us in prayer over our school, staff, teachers, and fellow MCS families. Parents in Prayer is foundational to the beloved traditions of MCS. It is an honor to carry the burden of praying over the school and confirmation that you really do fall in love with those whom you pray for. It is a protected place and remains the heartbeat of our school. 

If you have a prayer request that you would like the prayer team to prayer over or if you would like to be included in the communication for prayer meetings, please contact Dana Fiori and Chris Blue at parentsinprayer@marinerscs.org

Day of Prayer: Fridays | Time: 8:15AM-9:30AM
MARCH BIRTHDAYS
3/4 Jene’ Stratton
3/16 Jamie Kruse
3/19 Angie Nakamoto
3/19 Kayla Roberts
3/21 Bing Liu
3/21 Karri Meyer
3/24 Erica Roberts
3/26 Sara Lunsford
3/26 Kim Wilson
3/29 Rona Drobot
3/31 Rick Contreras
ELEMENTARY CHAPEL: HEATHER HARRISON
In preparation for Spiritual Emphasis Week, Mrs. Harrison and Mr. Lucas kicked off our elementary theme of “Deep Love.” Using the foundational verses of John 3:16 and Ephesians 3:17-19, Mrs. Harrison challenged the students and faculty to think beyond the “what” of Easter (the crucifixion of Jesus) to the “why” of Easter (because of God’s love that is “wide and long and deep and high.”) 

Mr. Lucas introduced us to our theme song for the week, “How Deep The Father’s Love For Us.” Each day next week, the students will be experiencing a variety of opportunities created to help them grow in their knowledge of God’s love for them. We invite you as a family to begin praying together about preparing your hearts for this special Holy Week in our precious faith journey. Click here to listen to our theme song.
READ ALOUD CELEBRATION FOR NUMBER THE STARS!
Fourth graders celebrated finishing our historical fiction read aloud, Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry. On Friday, March 19, the students participated in a reader’s theater retelling the first chapter of the book. Then each class enjoyed eating white cupcakes with pink frosting. The cupcakes were a symbol in the book of how the character’s life changed during World War II.
CLICK BELOW TO WATCH SPIRITUAL EMPHASIS VIDEO
Important Letter to MS Parents about Spiritual Emphasis Week

Like no other time before, we all need to be reminded of God's Relentless Love. He passionately and persistently pursues a relationship with us, and that is something that can provide great peace to us and our students...

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marinerschristianschool.com
UNPLUG to PLUG IN: MS Spiritual Emphasis Week 2021

God is consistently focused on us, which is demonstrated by His Relentless Love for us. Therefore, we should respond with a distraction-free focus towards Him...

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Home Connection Schedule for MS Spiritual Emphasis Week

God's Relentless Love is evident in our classes, during Chapel, at church, and definately at home. Therefore, MCS has created some activities, as well as outlined the messages the students will hear during our spiritual emphasis week...

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MIDDLE SCHOOL CHAPEL RECAP
What better way to prepare our students for Spiritual Emphasis Week than to have someone who graduated less than 1 year ago come share how Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW) changed his life?! This week Mrs. Harrison interviewed 2020 alumni student Nate Savoie about his experience in his first middle school SEW, and the status of his faith before the events of that week. He shared how he comes from an amazing Christian home, he went to church, and attended a Christian school, but didn’t really know God. His faith was not his own yet, but that of his parents. Until that week!!! Nate vividly remembers Mrs. Harrison speaking in Chapel about worth and identity in Jesus, and everything clicked and changed. He actually felt and experienced the real, living God for the first time! The remainder of the week, Nate embraced the way God was working and moving in him, and accepted Jesus into his heart.  

While he admits that his walk hasn’t been perfect, Nate spoke about the importance of drawing near to God at every opportunity. He shared that he still struggles with insecurity in being bold in his faith, but that he leans further into those moments because he doesn’t want fear to have a foothold in his life. He spoke to a specific fear that many of our students face...being mocked for expressing their faith. Nate encouraged them to examine what’s more important: caring what others think, or what God thinks. He said he’s never once regretted choosing God.

Nate is a beautiful example of what God can do with an open heart and an open mind in a week where everything is dedicated to pressing into the sacrifice our Savior made on our behalf, and the extent that He is willing to go to both bring us into His Kingdom and use us to carry out His purposes.

For live footage from this chapel, follow our middle school Instagram page!
TAKE OUT TUESDAY!
What a fun day when middle school students were able to have SGT. Pepperoni's Pizza for Lunch! MCS Faculty and Staff had an opportunity to get in on the fun as well! Did you see our Head of School, Mrs. Harrison take on the #sgtpepperonichallenge
MIDDLE SCHOOL'S SHARE2WEAR!
Thank you to all of the students and families who participated in this month’s Share2Wear by donating kids socks to Project Giving Light! Over 375 pairs of socks were brought in, along with over $300 to go toward purchasing more socks! This is a tangible way we can be a blessing to kids in need of everyday essential items, and MCS once again rose to the challenge to be difference makers in our community! 

While Coach T and Mrs. Brooks were a very popular choice for “Dress Like a Teacher”, we saw some very clever look-a-likes for classroom teachers as well. Enjoy the photos!
In this section of E-News, we highlight the most important and up to date information on local high school news and events. If you see a spinning square box around the school logo, that means new information is available for this week's E-News. To view the high school's most up to date information, click on the high school's logo to be taken to their sites.
IMMUNIZATIONS - The school year is moving fast. Here in the health office, we are already preparing some of our records for next year. For students entering TK/K and 7th grade next year, we will soon begin reviewing immunizations. Please help us keep our records current by making sure your TK or 6th grader is up to date on the required vaccines and that the health office has a current copy of his/her immunization record. A copy of the record can be dropped off at the front desk, emailed to healthoffice@marinerscs.org or faxed to 714-437-7976.

Here are the immunizations required by the state of California for students attending school:
Immunization Exemptions- Starting January 1, 2021, all new medical exemptions for school and child care entry and existing medical exemptions needed to be carried over at admission to new school or next grade level check point (TK/K or 7th) must be issued through CAIR-ME. Parents and physicians can register and create an account in CAIR-ME at any time. Once registered, parents can log in to CAIR-ME to request a medical exemption. Parents take the exemption request number to their child’s physician who can log in to CAIR-ME to issue the exemption. Once the exemption is issued, the physician prints the two-page form and provides a copy to the parents to give to their child’s school or child care facility.
300 Fischer Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Phone 714.437.1700 · Fax 714.437.7976
Copyright 2020. Mariners Christian School. All rights reserved.
MCS E-Newsletter | March 26, 2021