ES Cold Weather Uniform Reminders
Just a quick reminder now that we are blessed with cooler days, all outerwear worn in the building must be NCS items only. If you wear a sweater, jacket, coat to school that is non uniform, it must be left with the backpacks and not worn in the building. (It may be worn outside for recess!)

Also we need to remember that we can not wear sweat pants under skirts only tights and any undershirts that are exposed need to be NCS as well.

For more information or to register online, click the following link:
http://www. northlandchristian. org/Frontpage_News/Special_Events/Golf_Tourney. htm .

HOMECOMING T-SHIRTS: A few remain and are marked down to $6.95. These may be worn for all spirit days on both campuses. We have youth medium and large and adult medium and large remaining.

Please protect yourself and your family against the flu this year!

What: Flu Immunization Clinic
When: Wen. Oct. 24th 7am - 7pm
Where: Elementary Campus; Community Room
Cost: $25-injection, $30-mist

No appointment needed. Open to everyone. Cash or checks at time of service. Checks payable to NICS.

David Davis and Jan Peck have a very interactive program that gets the kids involved. They have made presentations for the International Reading Association, the Texas Book Festival in Austin, the Texas Library Association Convention and the Texas Council of the Teachers of English.

We are looking forward to their visit!

MS girls basketball tryouts
Middle school girls basketball tryouts will begin Thursday, October 18 and conclude on Friday, October 19. They will be held at the secondary campus gym from 2:00-3:30 p.m.

Middle school boys basketball tryouts will begin on Monday, October 29 and conclude on Wednesday, October 31. They will be held at the secondary campus gym from 2:00-3:30 p.m. each day.

The teams will be posted on the basketball webpage the day after tryouts are completed.

ALL SCHOOL CHAPEL SERVICE, THIS FRIDAY, 8-9 AM                                            (email 10/10/07)
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS:
The service will be held in the Bammel Teen Center, which is the stand-alone building at the far rear of the elementary campus. There is a large cross outside the main entrance of the Teen Center. Please use the stoplight entrance and drive straight back. For students being dropped off, Mr. Kraner will be in the driveway and will direct you.

Please be there by 7:45. Attendance will be taken.

ATTENTION STUDENT DRIVERS!
Please park in the Teen Center parking lot (drive straight back from the stoplight entrance of the elementary campus) For all regular student drivers who have a parking space at secondary, you must DRIVE ALONE to the secondary campus following the Chapel service There will be no exceptions! Even if you arrived with a sibling passenger, your sibling must ride on a Northland bus back to the secondary campus Please understand this is for safety and we will be making sure you are in your car alone before you exit the elementary campus

ÜAll students will report to your first block immediately upon arriving at the secondary campus.

WHAT: ALL SCHOOL CHAPEL SERVICE (Grades 1-12)                                            (email 10/9/07)
WHEN: Friday, October 12 (Homecoming Day Kickoff)
WHERE: Bammel Teen Center
SPEAKER: Commandos USA (Strength Team - High energy!)

INSTRUCTIONS: All secondary students need to be dropped off at the Bammel Teen Center no later than 7:45 on Friday morning, October 12. Drivers need to park in the Teen Center parking lot. Please use the stoplight entrance and drop off your students(s) at the last playground on your right. You can then turn right and circle through the parking lot to exit at the light. An officer will be working the light to ensure smooth traffic flow NCS buses will transport the non-driving students back to the secondary campus following the service.

IMPORTANT: Drivers must return to secondary the same way they arrived to the Teen Center (If you drove alone, then you must drive alone to the secondary campus. If you arrived with one passenger, then only you and that same passenger may drive to the secondary campus). ATTENDANCE WILL BE TAKEN BY YOUR FIRST BLOCK TEACHER!

SECONDARY TEACHERS: You need to arrive early with a first block roll sheet and take attendance for your students as they enter the Teen Center. Please encourage the students to sit in the back rows leaving the front rows for the elementary children

Cougar Store News!!                                                                                                 (email 10/9/07)
The Cougar Store will be at the elementary campus tomorrow, Wednesday, October 10, to sell homecoming t-shirts at the pep rally. We have youth medium, youth large, and most adult sizes remaining. The t-shirts are $13.00 including tax. Please call the store if you need anything else brought over.

Ellen Karasevich, Cougar Store Manager
281 587-6416

GRADES VS. GROWTH - A SHIFT IN FOCUS                                                                  (email 10/5/07)

Most likely you've heard people say, “It's all about the grade!” Our culture places great emphasis on grades because they represent symbols of success in our educational system. Grades are certainly important and have been for a long time. They can make you or break you when trying to get into advanced high school courses, when applying for scholarships and entrance into college. Grades give us a picture of how well our children are learning and of how well our teachers are teaching. The critical thing to remember, however, is that grades are only a portion of the complete picture.

At NCS we would like to challenge each other to begin shifting the focus from being “all about the grade” to being “all about the growth”.

Children come to us at varying stages in their educational development. A classroom of 15 children could easily have children on 15 different learning levels. This then requires our educators to provide individualized instruction to meet the needs of each student. Teachers do this in a variety of ways. They may work with students in smaller groups and give slightly different assignments or projects to different children. They may recommend outside intervention for those who are in need of additional instruction. Technology is another route for providing differentiated instruction that was not readily available before now. Since so many levels of learning are going on at the same time, especially in the critical area of reading in the younger grades, it is difficult to simply assign a number grade to show where the child is performing academically. This number is helpful, but does not necessarily project the whole picture. A child might receive an “A” but still be struggling in one or more skill areas. On the other hand, a child may receive an “A” easily without having to challenge himself to grow. More information is needed to accurately track growth.

In addition to taking grades on classwork, projects, quizzes, tests, etc., we will be performing more formal and informal assessments on the students this year on an ongoing basis to help track growth. The results of these assessments will be filed in your child's portfolio to be viewed by you at conference times and any other times you would like see your child's progress. We have recently adopted the Reading Renaissance STAR program, thanks to our generous PTO. This computer program will allow us to assess your child's reading progress on a monthly basis in grades K-5. With our Fluency First program in grades 1-3, our students will be formally assessed 6 times per year to check for reading rate in words per minute, percentage of word recognition accuracy, and comprehension. Informal assessments will be conducted on a more frequent basis in the area of reading rate, expression, etc. Kindergarten will be assessed in these areas in the spring semester only. Students in grades K-2 will be formally assessed frequently with reading benchmark assessments to show growth from one reading level to the next. Running records will be utilized to show teachers skill areas that need improvement. These results will be compared to national norms for you to see how your child compares to others in his grade level. Another assessment tool we will be adding this year is the Storybook Weaver program, again provided by our PTO. This program will allow us to track growth in the area of writing through the use of technology.

These various assessments, in addition to report card grades, will allow for a more overall picture of your child's academic growth and progress throughout the year. It is vital for us to work together to meet your child's individual needs and to provide the type of environment, support and encouragement for growth. Let's remember that there are many ways to measure learning success. Grades are only one of those many measures!

Homecoming Dance Tickets                                                                                        (email 10/4/07)
The Homecoming Dinner Dance is less than two weeks away. Tickets are $40.00 per person and are available for purchase online. The last day to purchase tickets is Tuesday, October 9, 2007.

Wade's Photography will be at the Dinner Dance taking pictures. Order forms are available in Student Services and online. All orders must be paid for the evening of the event. No pictures will be taken without payment.

Calling all Former, Current and Future Students at Northland Christian School along with their Family and Friends:

You are all invited to the Pre-Homecoming Game Tailgate Party!
6:15 p.m. - Game Time

We have fabulous entertainment lined up:
· Kevin Bean and the I Love You's
· The Vagabonds
· Revolution #9
· Marissa Hernandez
· The Elementary 2nd Grade Choir Students
· NCS Cheerleaders of ALL AGES

Not only that, but Pa's Backyard Grill is catering their delicious stuffed BBQ Baked Potato, Drink and a Cookie for only $7.00.

There will also be a Hot Dog Basket for the kiddos featuring a Hot Dog, Chips, Drink and a Cookie for only $5.00 each.

Bring your picnic blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy this fun-filled family time right before the Cougar's Homecoming Football Game!

It starts at 6:15 pm, October 12th at the Secondary Campus Soccer Field. Get there early... you won't want to miss a thing!

Teachers, please note that 10th graders will be taking the PLAN on Wednesday, 10/10/07, and 10th & 11th graders will be taking the PSAT on Wednesday, 10/17/07. The PLAN test will be given during period 1 and the first 55-60 minutes of period 3. The PSAT test will be given during period 2 and the first 55-60 minutes of Period 4. Students should be in regular classes at about 10:30 on both days.

PLAN * 10th Grade Only

PLAN Test: 10/10/07 * Wednesday * 7:45 - 10:30 a.m. * Gym(A-Day)
(135 min.)
Assistants/Monitors: C. Bane Periods 1 & 3
C. Norwood Periods 1 & 3

PSAT * 10th & 11th Grades

PSAT Test: 10/17/07 * Wednesday * 7:45 - 10:30 a.m. * Gym (B-Day)
(135 min.)
Assistants/Monitors: C. Bane Periods 2 & 4
G. Lilly Period 2
C. Lindsay Period 4
K. Parrish Period 2

Teachers of 10th & 11th grade students please give them the following reminder: Bring two #2 pencils, approved calculator, and jacket or sweater to test session. Students will meet 2nd block classes on the day of the test and should be prepared for those classes.

Please notify me ASAP if you see a conflict in the schedule so that adjustments can be made. Monitors will be given break time as appropriate. While monitoring, walk around the room during the test to make sure each student is working alone and on the proper test section. No one involved in the test administration should read, grade papers, or engage in any activity unrelated to the testing. Thank you for your help and cooperation.