ALCS Thanksgiving Celebrations Filled with an Attitude of Gratitude

® 2019 21st Century Skills. 1st Century Faith.™

The e-Newsletter for Families and Friends of Alta Loma Christian School

EagleLink ™

Friday, November 22, 2019 Not just a school you attend. A family you belong to. Alta Loma Christian School. Welcome home! ™

Soaring Eagles!

ALCS Thanksgiving Celebrations Filled with an Attitude of Gratitude

Alta Loma Christian School celebrated Thanksgiving by giving thanks and sharing in the joy and plenty of God’s blessings. Thank you to the entire ALCS family for making today a beautiful expression of love and generosity, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and celebration!

Kindergarten Categorically Makes Thanksgiving Count— Literally!

Mrs. Rebecca Brewer’s Kindergarten class dove in head-first with their Thanksgiving service learning project this month. Not only did they bring in non- perishable food items to help feed families in need through a church outreach food ministry in the region, they also combined their heartfelt giving with hands-on learning about how to count and categorize the food items they collected in love and care for others. It was the perfect intersection of math concepts and generous giving. Great job, Kindergarten!

ourthe midd News You Can Use

Renaissance Learning Website and Accelerated Reader Will Be Down for Maintenance November 25

Parents and students, please note that the Renaissance Learning website—which includes Accelerated Reader (AR)—will be down for maintenance this coming Monday, November 25, as they upgrade their website. Thank you for your dedication to excellence in learning at Alta Loma Christian School, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday week!

All-School Honor Roll Chapel Set for December 4

Alta Loma Christian School will hold its All-School Honor Roll Chapel on Wednesday morning, December 4, beginning at 8:20 in the Worship Center/Sanctuary. All students in preschool through 8th Grade will attend the special chapel for a time of worship. Students who earned Honor Roll and Principal’s Honor Roll awards during the first trimester will then be recognized.

“80’s Day” (a.k.a. ALCS’ 80th Day of School) to be Celebrated on December 12— That’s So Rad!

Thursday, December 12 will be “80’s Day” at Alta Loma Christian School, as we celebrate the 80th day of school with a school-wide blast from the past. All staff and students are encouraged to dress in their most totally tubular, rad, gnarly, bodacious, non-bogus, non-ditzy, bad to the bone, and somewhat cheezy outfits reminiscent of the decade of the 1980’s. No one needs to spaz, just chill to the max and veg. Like, wear your righteous, radical attire, don’t have a cow, and don’t be a couch potato. It will be phat, not lame, and we’ll all be stoked!

Annual ALCS Christmas Programs to be Held December 6th & 13th—Everyone Welcome!

Alta Loma Christian School will hold its annual Grade 1-5 Christmas Program on Friday, December 6, starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary/Worship Center. This is the Friday of the week everyone gets back from Thanksgiving vacation.

The annual ALCS Preschool and Kindergarten Christmas Program will be held a week later on Friday, December 13, also beginning on 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary/Worship Center.

Please bring your entire family and invite your friends and neighbors, as we celebrate the joy and wonder of Christ this Christmas season at ALCS!

We Love Celebrating Christmas at ALCS!!

The Christmas season is a wonderful time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and focus on His coming into the world, in order to save and redeem us. This wonderful truth is at the core of our school’s Christmas programs and classroom emphases during the holidays.

While focusing on the ultimate “Reason for the Season,” Jesus Christ, it is also acceptable to celebrate the season with Christmas trees, Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, reindeer, elves, the North Pole, and similar festive and traditional Christmas decor. This is also in alignment with our sponsoring church, Solid Ground, which hosts events such as Pancakes with Santa on December 7.

We hope this Christmastime on campus, in our community, and in each of our homes awakens a renewed sense of wonder and joy, one that is felt and shared throughout our school family.

Have a wonderful and joyful Christmas season ahead, as we worship afresh the newborn King!

From the Eagle’s Nest

An Attitude of Gratitude Thanksgiving

hen ten lepers came to Jesus in the desperate hope of being healed, they approached as outcasts, rejects of the world. In many ways, they had no business even reaching Wout to Jesus, at least by the standards of the day. They were considered incurable and contagious, and were expected to stand at a distance and shout to anyone nearby that they were unclean. Their personal world had collapsed around them, and only pain and suffering—in many forms, not just physical ones—underscored their existence.

But as the ten lepers came and begged for healing from afar, Jesus had compassion and mercy on them. Luke 17:14 records, “When He saw them, He said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed.”

Think about how those ten men who had just been healed must have felt. They were healed! It wasn’t just their bodies that had been restored. Life itself—joy, dreams, relationships with others, hope, the relief that comes from normalcy—had also been redeemed. It must have been an amazing and overwhelming groundswell of emotion!

But there was a problem.

Of the ten recipients of the miracle, only one stopped to think for a moment. “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’

feet and thanked Him— and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then He said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well’” (Luke 17:15-19 NIV).

Only one came back. Only one showed his heartfelt appreciation to God. Only one thanked Jesus from the depths of his heart, and he was from a group of people in the region who were most despised and outcast, even among the religious elite of the day.

This Thanksgiving, may we all—like the Samaritan—come before the Lord and thank Him first. Because the reality is that Christ has saved and redeemed us both for this life and for the life to come, and all thanksgiving and honor and praise and glory should go to Him, personally, from each of us.

It seems that with each passing year, the number of heartbreaking and hard to hear headlines just keeps multiplying. And the more we hear, the more there’s a tendency and temptation to become numbed or calloused or uncaring or, perhaps just as damaging, to take people, relationships, and blessings more and more for granted.

But that’s not what we were designed to do.

We were created to love. We were conceived in the mind and heart of God to fellowship with Him and with each other, and to be thankful for everything and everyone that He blesses us with. We were designed to be grateful and to make a difference for good in this world, while having an impact on the world to come.

Having an attitude of gratitude means thinking, feeling, and acting differently. As ALCS teacher, coach, and Director of STEM Education, Miss Jasmine Royse, shared in upper chapel this week, thankfulness and gratitude are very similar but not identical. Thanking someone can sometimes be a brief, one-time thing. But choosing to act in an ongoing way to tangibly demonstrate gratitude is something that actually works to

physiologically rewire our brains. An attitude of gratitude is a choice, and continually choosing to show our gratitude to others can become a habit for life, benefitting everyone. Giving thanks, being grateful, expressing our gratitude to others in numerous and various ways, all of these are how thanksgiving overflows from our souls into the lives of those around us.

In his new e-book, The Power of Gratitude: How Thankfulness Changes Everything, leadership expert and best-selling author Skip Prichard echoes Miss Royse’s words when he writes the following:

From years of studying, interviewing, and practicing the habits of the world’s most successful people, I have concluded that gratitude is a superpower.

The benefits of an attitude of gratitude are extraordinary. Gratitude has a transformational power that impacts you in surprising ways. When present, it seems to operate as a magnet, attracting people and resources.

In The Book of Mistakes: 9 Secrets to Creating a Successful Future, I share three laws that the most successful people follow. One of them is the law of gratitude. To me, it’s that important. Though often overlooked by those studying the successful, it is worthwhile to ponder it as a practice in your life.

Wherever you find yourself on your personal journey, I hope that you take some time to reflect on gratitude and adopt your own practice.1 ______

“Cultivating a spirit of thankfulness may not come naturally to all of us, but it is certainly a factor for a happier, more satisfying life.”

______

So when the headlines hit and the heartbreaks come—and they will—we need to hug a little tighter, listen a little closer, speak a little sweeter, celebrate a little longer, and care a little deeper…and be a little more intentional about all of those things than perhaps we ever have before.

So, this Thanksgiving, may we each become better and better at thanksgiving and embodying an authentic attitude of gratitude, starting with God and overflowing to all those in our lives, even those who may enter our sphere of influence ever-so-briefly.

Thank you, ALCS Family, for your love, support, and devotion to the ministry and vision of Christian school education at ALCS. And thank so many of you for your friendship and fellowship. I cannot fully express my love for all of you. We have an extraordinary school family, one that truly cares and prays for one another. No man could be more blessed, and I praise God for you.

I believe with all my heart that we’re not just a school we attend, but a family we belong to. As family, we are all gifts from God to one another to be dearly treasured, just as He treasures each of us.

May the Lord grant all of us a wonderful, blessed, safe—and very thankful—Thanksgiving vacation, filled with much thanks giving. Remember that you are greatly loved, and we’ll see you around campus.

For the Glory of Christ and the Good of Our Kids,

Dr. Vance Nichols Head of School Alta Loma Christian School

Dr. Nichols (BS, MS, EdD) also serves as an adjunct professor of education at California Baptist University and of organizational leadership at Los Angeles Pacific University (part of the Azusa Pacific University System). He is a Commissioner on the ACSI Southern California Regional Accreditation Commission, and was an educational researcher, organizational leadership theorist, and 2015 Innovation Scholar at the University of Southern California. His most recent published research— “Schools At Risk: An Analysis of Factors Endangering the Evangelical Christian School Movement in America”—can be accessed online via the USC Digital Library at: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15799coll40/id/294584/rec/82 His nationally-published articles on the necessity for innovation in Christian schools can be retrieved from https://blog.acsi.org/now-never-research-basis-innovation-christian-schools and https://cace.org/now-or-never-the- research-basis-for-innovation-in-christian-schools/

NOTES:

1. Skip Prichard. (2019). The Power of Gratitude: How Thankfulness Changes Everything. To learn how to receive a free copy of this book, visit https://www.skipprichard.com/tag/gratitude/

In the next issue of Eagle Link, come along with Dr. Nichols as he leads us on a discovery tour to a very special place, known as:

BOLDLY GOING WHERE NO SCHOOL HAS GONE BEFORE! ALCS OEM-3 NOW ON STATION IN EARTH ORBIT AWAITING EXTERIOR INSTALLATION IN MID-DECEMBER!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, https://facebook.com/altalomachristianschool https://twitter.com/alcseagles https://www.instagram.com/alcseagles/ and stay up-to-the-minute on all things ALCS!

Don’t miss a moment of the amazing things that God and our kids are doing!

Not just a school you attend.

A family you belong to.

Yes, we have rigorous academics, an award-winning STEM and technology program, and a vision to fulfill your child’s finest future. But there’s more that makes us a premier private school. Much more. We don’t just launch experiments into space, we launch relationships that last a lifetime. Our diversity demonstrates it. And our heart and soul proves it…with every child’s remarkable, responsive, unforgettable smile.

Experience us online at alchristian.com, and call for a personal tour at (909) 989-2804.

Alta Loma Christian School. Welcome home. ™ 11 Copyright © 2019 by Alta Loma Christian School. All rights reserved. A ministry of Solid Ground Brethren in Christ Church, Rancho Cucamonga, CA. 21st Century Skills. 1st Century Faith.™

ourthe midd FlightPlan

Our Calendar of Upcoming Events:

Monday-Friday: November 25-29, 2019  Thanksgiving Vacation (School Closed)  Thursday, November 29—Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Monday: December 2, 2019  STEM Eagle Beta Pi, 3:00-4:15pm, Computer Lab

Tuesday: December 3, 2019  Parent Prayer Group, 8:15am, Community Room  Dance, K- Gr. 3, 2:40-3:40pm, TECCI Room 18  Worship Band, Gr. 4-8, 2:45-3:30pm  Mad Science, 2:45-3:45pm  Volleyball & Football team pictures at Hidden Oaks, 3:00pm

Wednesday: December 4, 2019  All School Chapel and Honor Roll Assembly (PS-8th Gr.), 8:20am, Worship Center/Sanctuary  Joyful Song Choir, 2:45-3:50pm, Worship Center/Sanctuary

Thursday: December 5, 2019  SpaceEagles STEM Rocketry, Gr. 1-3, TECCI Rm 18, 2:45-4:00pm

Friday: December 6, 2019  Grade 1-5 Christmas Program, 6:30pm, Worship Center/Sanctuary

EagleLink is published digitally each week during the school year (except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter holiday breaks) by Alta Loma Christian School, 9974 19th Street, Alta Loma, CA, 91737, a community of the city of Rancho Cucamonga.

ALCS is a faith-based STEM school and is dually and fully accredited by both the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Established in 1980, ALCS is a ministry of Solid Ground Brethren in Christ Church. ALCS is a leading-edge, biblically-integrated, Christ-centered, and student-focused learning community, and one of the first school systems in the state of California to teach computer coding to every student in PK through 8th Grade. In addition to ongoing participation in innovativeducational e initiatives, academic research, and Christian school advocacy, ALCS is also a charter member of the ACSI Flourishing School Culture Initiative. Find us on our website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter!

As always, if you ever have a question about the calendar or any upcoming events or activities, please give us a call at (909) 989-2804!

On the Horizon— November  25-29 – Thanksgiving Break (Campus Closed)  25-26 – ACSI PD Forum, Anaheim (staff only; campus closed) December  4 – All-School Honor Roll Chapel, PS-Gr. 8, 8:20am, Worship Center/Sanctuary (Honor Roll, Gr. 3-8)  6 – Grade 1-5 Christmas Program, 6:30pm, Worship Center/Sanctuary  7 – Pancakes with Santa, 8:30am-11:30am, Fellowship Hall  9 – 8th Grade class to Operation Christmas Child collection center  12 – 80’s Dress Up Day!  13 – Preschool-Kindergarten Christmas Program, 6:30pm, Worship Center/Sanctuary  18 – All-School Special Christmas Chapel, PS-Gr. 8, 8:20am, Worship Center/Sanctuary  18 – Free Dress: Christmassy Attire  19 – Christmas Parties  19 – Minimum Day (No Daycare—Campus Closes at 1:00pm!!!)  20-January 3 – Christmas Break (Campus Closed)  25 – Merry Christmas! January 2020  January 6, 2020 – SCHOOL RESUMES! Welcome Back!  January 10 – End of 6-Week Grading Period  January 15 – Minimum Day, K-8th Grade, Daycare Available  January 16 – Re-enrolment for the 2020-2021 School Year Begins for Current ALCS Families  January 17 – Spirit Shirt and Jeans Day  January 20 – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday (No School, Campus Closed)  January 21 – (Tentative) Student Safety Night #2, 6:30-8:00pm, Worship Center/Sanctuary  January 23 – 5th Grade Shadow Day to Middle School

Find us on our website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter!

Our Family Serving Yours!

® 21st Century Skills. 1st Century Faith. ™

ALCS SCHOOL SYSTEM OFFICE & ALCS K-8 SCHOOL OFFICE — (909) 989-2804; www.alchristian.com Dr. Vance Nichols, Head of School Renee’ Winn, Assistant Principal & Director of Curriculum and Instruction Laura Carey-Jedlick, Director of Business Operations and Student Services Olivia Cleland, Office Manager, Summer Program Director, International Student Program Director, Parent Prayer Team Coordinator Betty Mutchler, Administrative Assistant, Receptionist Melody Baldwin, Daycare Director & Playground Supervisor Justin Royse, Technology Director & Webmaster

Jasmine Royse, Director of STEM Education Donella Dorn, Librarian Jacob Acevedo, Proctor ALCS PRESCHOOL OFFICE — (909) 989-2804; Preschool phone or after hours daycare number is (909) 944-5969 Irene Lopez, Preschool Director ______

Worship service and children’s ministry begin every Sunday at 10:00am!

SOLID GROUND CHURCH & MINISTRIES OFFICE — (909) 989-3119; www.sgbic.com Mike Collins, Pastor Ryan Showalter, Associate Pastor Nick Hankins, Youth Pastor Marie Collins, Worship Pastor Sheryl Taylor, Office Manager Angie Palecek, Office Assistant

______

HIDDEN OAKS RETREAT CENTER — (909) 484-4379; www.hiddenoaksretreat.com Lorraine Rodricks, Director

EagleLink is copyright © 2019 by Alta Loma Christian School. Individual authors, contributors, and sources retain their own copyrights. All rights reserved. Alta Loma Christian School and Hidden Oaks Retreat Center are ministries of Solid Ground Brethren in Christ Church, Rancho Cucamonga, CA.