Christian Junior High Promotion 2020

Our 2020 eighth graders weren’t able to have an in-person promotion ceremony, but we celebrated online in this meaningful program, including awards, words from their teachers and administration, student testimonies, and more.

Covid Can’t Keep Athletes Down

By Fiona Ostermann

Due to the pandemic, we have not only experienced social limitations but unfortunate endings of sports seasons. Though this may be the end of 2020 spring sports, our coaches are looking forward to kicking off next year with big hopes for athletes. Questions from how to stay in shape all the way to making varsity, coaches have shared with us their aspirations and insights as well as tearful farewells to this season. 

When quarantined, adapting can be difficult. Not being in a desired physical state is often disheartening, though Coach Vickie Carrington has created a self care plan including: “more time to delve more into depth of personal devotions, time to journal, more quiet time to pray” and spending great quality time with herself.  Physically staying active, Coach Carrington, Coach Beezer, and Mr. Kirwan have all continued to be motivated for what is to come. With bright hopes for the future, Coach Beezer has “been in communication with the San Diego City Conference and CIF concerning COVID-19 and working together with them to keep our student-athletes safe and planning the return for our athletes at the appropriate time.” Though competing might be over, athletes continue to work hard too! Track runners are lacing up shoes while many of us are just waking up. Intense workouts continue online for these young athletes.. And you thought 8 Bell three days a week was hard!

Though teams are pushing through, staying positive is a challenge of its own. Vickie Carrington says, “this is the time that kids work on their games “championships are built during the offseason!” This time can cause mental stress for the athletes, as many were looking towards this time to prepare for travel ball and college viewing sessions. With the uncertainties, kids are panicking and worrying.  But they shouldn’t. It’s going to work out, there are hundreds of thousands of athletes in the same position, which makes self-care, fitness, and nutrition very vital. Not to mention taking care of their grades to be more competitive in scholarship packages!!” Though life is on pause, being patient all in His timing is key in moving forward with any situation. Coaches all share the same setbacks not being able to see their athletes face to face and missing out on the competition and rewarding records. Keeping their heads up, staying busy and taking pride in the small accomplishments during weeks of constant “Groundhog days” (as Coach Kirwan describes). 

Coming back, making up for lost time, is our future teammates. With many seniors leaving, this opens more room for those who desire to make the varsity cuts. To achieve the status means to stay in shape and work hard with an all-in attitude. Self-evaluate and build off your potential and there’s high chances in scoring one for the team! Vickie Carrington tells her athletes, “I don’t care if you are or if you’re NOT the best player on the team, we know how to develop players, and we know how to get you ready for the next level, but the key to succeeding in my program is that you must have HEART, you have to be willing to grind without complaining and making excuses, you must be coachable and be a great teammate (putting your team before self), and you have to be about it in the classroom! You do that, you’ll thrive on my teams”. A “great recipe” for success as she calls it!

Goals moving forward vary from increasing the enthusiasm of our campus to staying fit spiritually, mentally, and physically. Coaches hope to be more intentional on the field, playing for an audience of One. With much confidence in the CHS community returning, coaches look forward to, “an exciting year next year as we weep this virus behind us, learn from it how to be there for each other, and move forward with a new appreciation for freedom and interacting with each other daily” (specifically said by Coach Kirwan!). May seem like we’re chasing dreams, but achievement awaits on the other side of quarantine!

Coronavirus Stay-at-Home Order

This week marks the end of week 7 of Mobile learning. Our staff seems to really be in the swing of this now, and we’re enjoying having our remote staff meetings, and sharing tools, devotionals and staying connected in ways we never have before. We heading into May and rounding the corner toward the end of the school year and the many events that come along with it.  

I have several updates for you today. (It’s a long list….stay strong!)

8th Grade Promotion: Since the local and state health guidelines remain the same for large groups, we have decided It’s important to allow our 8th graders the opportunity to have closure on the school year now rather than into the future.  We have made the decision to hold a virtual 8th grade promotion on May 21st. The plan is to have an online service for the public that mimics our traditional service as much as possible, honors our students, and is available in a format that friends and relatives can join.  We are working diligently to pull this together, and I will share more details next week.

Class of 2020 Graduation: Due to the fact that State and local health restrictions for large gatherings, this has not been scheduled yet. However, we are planning on a live graduation. When we are able to choose a date, we will communicate our graduation plans with our Christian Community asap. 

Seniors: We continue to LOVE highlighting our seniors and have a few other surprises lined up for them! Check out one of our social media pages and share some love with our amazing senior class.  Please join “chsasb” or “Christianunified” on Instagram, or our Christian Jr/Sr. High PTF Group on Facebook. These are perfect places to see what’s happening, and support our seniors over these next few weeks. 

Last Day for Seniors: The last day of classes for seniors will be Wednesday, May 13th. We will hold a senior drop off/pick day for books, sports uniforms, supplies, yearbooks, etc. May 15th if restrictions allow.   Details to follow.

Last Day for Underclassmen: The last day for 7th-11th graders will be Wednesday, May 20th.  We will hold a drop off/pick a day for books, sports uniforms, supplies, yearbooks, etc. on Saturday, May 16th and Thursday May 22nd if restrictions allow.  Details to follow.
      Note: The drop-off, pick-up dates may be moved out if restrictions are not lifted by then.

Finals: Reminder there will be no finals this year. We wanted to take some pressure off families right now and relieve any unnecessary stress.  Hopefully this will place a greater emphasis on student’s daily work, and give them a little breathing room to finish strong.  

Schoolwork and Support: Schoolwork has been pared down as much as possible during mobile learning so students are able to focus on learning the concepts they need to know.  At the same time, teachers and administrators are placing a huge emphasis on supporting and personalizing learning for students and being extremely flexible. Please be in communication with your student’s teachers if needed. Our goal is for 100% of our students to succeed this quarter.  We know that if we can facilitate that right now, they will be set up for the best possible continuation of an excellent Christian education next year (either here or in college) with no gaps in learning. 

Parent Survey: We want to hear your thoughts!  One thing that helps us continue to grow as a school is to hear your constructive feedback. Expect to see a parent survey in your inbox next week, where you will get a chance to tell us what you love and what you think needs to improve here at CHS/CJHS. There will be fabulous prizes for parents that take this 5-10 minute survey.

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming next week, May 4-8th. Our PTF is developing a wonderful plan to encourage our teachers next week. If you are interested in supporting this project, please see our News and Notes today, or go to our Christian Jr/Sr. High PTF Group on Facebook, or contact Kelly Powell directly at kelly.powell@christianunified.org.  AP tests will look a little different this year. The tests usually take 4 hours, but this year they will be done from home on your own device and will include 30 minutes of setup and 50 minutes of testing. Please contact your teacher directly for specific instructions on testing for their class.  
AP Tests Dates are: 

• Monday, May 11th, 1pm, US Government and Politics
• Tuesday, May 12th, 11am, Calculus AB
• Wednesday, May 13th, 11am, English Literature and Composition
• Thursday, May 14th, 1pm, Physics 1
• Friday, May 15th, 11am, US History
• Monday, May 18th, 11am, Biology
• Thursday, May 21st, 11am, World History
• May 26th is the deadline for AP CSP and Art

I am so grateful for all you have done to support your students from home during this time and for your faith and trust in our amazing CUSD faculty and staff.  It’s not an easy time, but it’s a privilege to walk through it together.  Enjoy golfing, boating, and going to your favorite parks this weekend!  I sure will. 

Stay Safe. Stay in Christ. 

Thank you for your partnership,

Susan Lanz
Principal
Christian Jr./Sr. High