Tuesday Teacher's Treats - Tuesday Teacher's Treats will be provided by Mrs. Evelyn Chikere.  Thank you!

Hot Lunch - The hot lunch for Friday is pizza, carrots  & celery sticks, a treat, and a drink for $5.  An extra slice of pizza is $1.50.  Please place your order with your teacher by Thursday.

Kidnergarten Half-day & Graduation - Kindergarten will be dismissed at 12:00 noon thsi Thursday.  There will be no extended care for Kindergarten.  Their graduation is at 7:30pm Thursday night. 

Twelfth Grade Graduation - The 12th Grade Graduation ceremony is this coming Friday night at 7:30pm.  All school families are invited. 

Balance Up to Date - Please make sure that your account is brought to a zero balance.  We appreciate your cooperation. 

Extended Care - There will be one more Extended Care billing for April 15 - June 1.

Tardies - Tardies from April 16th - June 1st will also be billed in June.

Volunteer Hours - Any unfulfilled volunteer hours will also be billed in June.

Field Day - This year on Thursday, May 31, we plan to have Field Day at the San Pablo Reservoir, where there are enjoyable activities for our school community.  Students are welcome to bring their bikes and scooters (no skateboards).  Attached to the newsflash that was sent home was a flyer and permission slip for each student.  Each class will provide portions for the Field Day lunch.  The attendance will probably be over 100 people.  Thank you for your contributions.  Classes have been divided as follows: 

        1st-2nd        Fruits and Desserts
        3rd-4th       Hamburgers and Hot Dogs
        5th-6th       Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns and Drinks
        7th-8th       Chips and Condiments
        9th-12th      Ice and Coolers, Plates, Napkins, and Utensils 

                Plan for over 100 people

Dress Code - The dress standard for children is P.E. dress.  For adults: men - jeans or khakis and a collared shirt.  Ladies - culottes or skirts (knee-hinge or below) and a modest top, no low cuts.  No tight or see through apparel. 

Transportation for Field Day - Parents, please contact your child's teacher if you can help with transportation.  

Craft Camp - Craft camp for girls ages 8-18 (3rd-12th grade) is June 18-22 from 9:30 am - 2:30 pm daily.  Registration is $100 by June 8.  After June 8, registration is $125.  This year's theme is "Fall Festival."  You my pick up a registration in the office.

Calendar
May           24      Kindergarten Dismissed at 12:00 noon - No Afternoon 
                               Extended Care for Kinder
                   24       Kindergarten Graduation - 7:30pm
                   25       12th Grade Graduation – Church Auditorium – 7:30pm
                   28      No School - Memorial Day 
                   31        Field Day
June           01       Awards Chapel
                   01       End of Sixth Grading Period – End of Second Semester
                   01       Last Day of School – Dismissed at 12 Noon – No Afternoon Extended Care
                   01       8th Grade Graduation – Church Auditorium – 7:30pm
                   06      Report Cards to parents

                                                        From the Principal’s Desk
Dear Parents,

        Another school shooting! This time in Santa Fe, Texas. Ten killed, ten more injured. Terrible crimes! Great destruction to the lives of these families, to communities, and to our nation! Sadly, I don’t see an end in sight any time soon. The reason is because we are not dealing with the root causes. Both sides of the school violence debate, the liberal side and the conservative side, are debating over the gun: should we ban all guns, should we ban assault rifles, should we ban bump stocks, should we install metal detectors, should we have armed guards in schools, should we arm the teachers, should we have a single point of entry, should we provide more mental health help, and the list goes on and on.

        Some of these ideas, I believe, have merit. I believe that evil must be confronted, I believe that dangerous people must be identified and truly helped, and I believe that the threat of being killed in an attack generally acts as a deterrent to criminals. But what I am saying is that we are missing the root cause of all this. The root cause is not the gun; the root cause is sin. And mainline people in society are not talking about this. I do not hear CNN talking about this, FoxNews, the NRA, or politicians. We are breaking God’s laws (His moral laws) in society in an unprecedented way, and we are suffering the consequences. And it will continue to happen until we change.

        How do we stop the killing? People need to be saved. They need to hear the gospel and turn to Christ for salvation. This happens through preaching His Word and evangelizing the lost. Another factor that leads to salvation is accountability to God’s divine standard, the Ten Commandments. God’s Word not only teaches, but it also restrains and convicts. When we teach the Ten Commandments, we actively inform one another of what is right and wrong, and then hold each other accountable to a moral standard. The violation of these commands also points out how sinful we are and how much we need a Savior.

        The Ten Commandments are God’s moral laws for every society. They are written on our hearts, and they are confirmed, expounded upon, and heighted in the Scriptures. They guide a society in how to behave toward God and how to behave toward man. However, we have pushed God out of society. His Laws are not taught in public schools, they are not promoted in the public sector, and they are not allowed in courts of law. We have essentially said that we can live however we want, and that God will not rule over us, that He will have no restraint in our lives. And that is exactly how people are living today.

        If we start teaching the Ten Commandments as a society, then we admit to an absolute moral standard and absolute truth. But that is not what we want. We want to live how we want, including gratifying our flesh in rampant, perverse ways. We have become a sexualized society, with no regard for “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” It is no wonder that we also have become a violent society. Look at Sodom and Gomorrah. Look at how it was in the days of Noah—the imaginations of man’s heart were evil continually (Gen. 6:5).

        So many things feed this problem: immorality, divorce, evolution, relativism, violent movies and video games (“mine eye affecteth mine heart”—Lam. 3:51), ungodliness in social media, drugs, and I believe even false worship in churches. What we are looking at is the result of pushing God out of our society and not submitting to His Word. It has been a long time in coming, but now we have it, and metal detectors are not going to fix it.

        What is happening is terrible. My heart goes out to these families. I can only imagine the pain they are suffering and will continue to suffer. But what is the ultimate solution? It is the Lord, turning to Him, receiving Him, loving Him. What can you do? Make sure you are saved, preach the gospel to others, worship God in spirit and in truth, and talk to others about the necessity of submitting to God’s laws. When we love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, then we will love our neighbor as ourselves.

                                                                                Sincerely,
                                                                                Pastor Sutton

                                            From the Principal's Desk

Dear Parents,

        Thank you for your support this last Friday night at the annual school auction and fundraiser meal.  The total raised for the evening, including the meal and some cash donations, was $7,173.85.  I was pleased to see so many items go for more than the retail value.  Some went for double the value!

        Thank you as well for bringing in items to add to the classroom baskets.  We appreciate the thought and effort.

        The project total is right at $80,000.  Right now we stand at about $65,000.  There still is time to contribute.  Following the bidding, we passed out pledge cards to allow folks to make cash donations.  And remember, cash donations are tax deductible. 

        Again, thank you for your giving.  We look forward to the completion of this project and a new playground structure. 

                                                                Sincerely,
                                                                Pastor Sutton

Hot Lunch - The hot lunch for Friday is cheese quesadilla, rice, beans, ice cream sundae, and a drink for $5.  An extra quesadilla is $1.50.  Please bring your order and money to your teacher by Thursday. 

Auction/Fundraiser - We raised a total of $7,173.85 from the Auction/Fundraiser last Friday.  Thank you to all who participated in making the fundraiser a success!

Chili Cook-Off Winners - Congratulations to the BCA chefs.  1st place - Mr. Daniel Kelso - "Sweet Heat," 2nd place - Mrs. Denise Talbot - "Hunter's Chili," 3rd place - Mrs. Cathy Sutton - "Texas Chili."

Tuition - Please make sure that your account is brought to a zero balance.  We appreciate your co-operation.

Extended Care/Tardies - Just a reminder that there will be one last bill in June from 4/16/18 - 6/1/18 for Extended Care and tardies. 

Craft Camp - Craft camp for girls ages 8-18 (3rd-12th grade) is June 18-22 from 9:30 am - 2:30 pm daily.  Registration is $100 by June 8.  After June 8, registration is $125.  This year's theme is "Fall Festival."  You my pick up a registration in the office.

Calendar
May            24      Kindergarten Dismissed at 12:00 noon - No Afternoon 
                               Extended Care for Kinder
                   24       Kindergarten Graduation - 7:30pm
                   25       12th Grade Graduation – Church Auditorium – 7:30pm
                   28      No School - Memorial Day 
                   31        Field Day
June           01       Awards Chapel
                   01       End of Sixth Grading Period – End of Second Semester
                   01       Last Day of School – Dismissed at 12 Noon – No Afternoon Extended Care
                   01       8th Grade Graduation – Church Auditorium – 7:30pm
                   06      Report Cards to parents

Tuition - May tuition is due on Thursday, May 10th.  Please make sure that your account is brought to a 0 balance.  We appreciate your cooperation. 

Dress Rehearsal - This Friday morning is the dress rehearsal for the program.  Girls, wear a white blouse, black skirt (knee-length or longer), black tights, and black shoes.  Boys, wear a white dress shirt, black tie, black pants, black socks, and black dress shoes.  Make sure to bring your uniforms to change into after the dress rehearsal. 

Auction Night Dinner - Come on Friday, May 11th at 5:30 p.m. and eat a chili dinner prepared by our own BCA chefs.  The proceeds from this year's auction will go toward purchasing playground equipment. 

Auction - Friday night, May 11th at 6:30 p.m. is our auction fundraiser.  Each classroom is collecting items for the auction baskets.  We will auction the baskets as part of our live auction.

Basket Themes:
            Kindergarten:​                           Ice Cream Sundae
​            First/Second Grades​:            Nifty Gift Cards
​            Third/Fourth Grades:             Happy Father's Day
​            Fifth/Sixth Grades:                 Sportstastic 
​            Seventh/Eighth Grades:       Disney's Fab Five
​            Ninth-Twelfth Grades:           One Incredible Evening

Drama - The 1st-6th Grades will present their drama about Noah; the 7th-12th Grades will be joining them in some choir numbers.

Extended Care - There will be one more extended care billing in June from 4/16 - 6/1.

Tardies - ​The tardies from 4/16 - 6/1 will also be billed in June. 

Hot Lunch - The hot lunch for Friday is spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread, salad, and a drink for $5.  An extra order is $1.50.  Please bring your order and money to your teacher by Thursday.

Auction/Fundraiser - 1st-6th Grade Music and Drama Program.  Each class will be making a basket for the Auction.  You can contribute new items to the basket or ask a merchant to contribute items.  The amount you spend can be deducted from your $200 requirement, or the time you spend soliciting merchants can be deducted from your 8 hours.  The themes for each class are as follows:

            Kindergarten:​                           Ice Cream Sundae
​            First/Second Grades​:            Nifty Gift Cards
​            Third/Fourth Grades:             Happy Father's Day
​            Fifth/Sixth Grades:                 Sportstastic 
​            Seventh/Eighth Grades:       Disney's Fab Five
​            Ninth-Twelfth Grades:           One Incredible Evening

Chili Cook-Off - Families are invited to prepare their favorite chili recipe, and a panel of judges will determine the best chili of Bethel Christian Academy.  The rest of us can purchase a bowl of chili and the fixin's, and all of the proceeds go toward the new play structure.   We have room for one more chili chef to enter the cook-off.

Volunteer Hours - This is a reminder to fulfill your eight volunteer hours.  Or you may also opt out of the hours by donating $200.

Extended Care Billing - There will be one more Extended Care billing from April 16-June 1, 2018.  This will be billed in June.

Tardies - Tardies from April 16 - June 1 will also be billed in June.

Summer Craft Camp - "Fall Festival" from June 18-22, 9:30am - 2:30pm daily.  Available for girls 8-18 years old.  $25 reservation fee, $100 payment in full (to be made by June 8), $125 payment after June 8.  You may pick up the registration in the office.  Please make checks payable to Bethel Baptist Church.  Payments may be delivered to Bethel Christian Academy. 
​
Calendar

May            08      Progress Reports
                     11        Dinner/Auction Fundraiser - 1st-6th Grade Music & Drama   
                               Program
                    24      Kindergarten Dismissed at 12:00 noon - No Afternoon 
                               Extended Care for Kinder
                   24       Kindergarten Graduation - 7:30pm
                   25       12th Grade Graduation – Church Auditorium – 7:30pm
                   28      No School - Memorial Day 
                   31        Field Day
June           01       Awards Chapel
                   01       End of Sixth Grading Period – End of Second Semester
                   01       Last Day of School – Dismissed at 12 Noon – No Afternoon Extended Care
                   01       8th Grade Graduation – Church Auditorium – 7:30pm
                   06      Report Cards to parents

Hot Lunch - The hot lunch for this Friday is a corn dog, tater tots, fruit, and a drink for $5.00.  An extra corn dog is $1.00.  Please bring in your order and money to your teacher by Thursday. 

Auction/Fundraiser - 1st-6th Grade Music and Drama Program.  Each class will be making a basket for the Auction.  You can contribute new items to the basket or ask a merchant to contribute items.  The amount you spend can be deducted from your $200 requirement, or the time you spend soliciting merchants can be deducted from your 8 hours.  The themes for each class are as follows:

            Kindergarten:​                           Ice Cream Sundae
​            First/Second Grades​:            Nifty Gift Cards
​            Third/Fourth Grades:             Happy Father's Day
​            Fifth/Sixth Grades:                 Sportstastic 
​            Seventh/Eighth Grades:       Disney's Fab Five
​            Ninth-Twelfth Grades:           One Incredible Evening

Chili Cook-Off - Families are invited to prepare their favorite chili recipe, and a panel of judges will determine the best chili of Bethel Christian Academy.  The rest of us can purchase a bowl of chili and the fixin's, and all of the proceeds go twoard the new play structure. 

Volunteer Hours - This is a reminder to fulfill your eight volunteer hours.  Or you may also opt out of the hours by donating $200.

Volleyball - Congratulations to our girls volleyball team!  They came in 3rd place in the volleyball tournament on Saturday.

Summer Craft Camp - "Fall Festival" from June 18-22, 9:30am - 2:30pm daily.  Available for girls 8-18 years old.  $25 reservation fee, $100 payment in full (to be made by June 8), $125 payment after June 8.  You may pick up the registration in the office.  Please make checks payable to Bethel Baptist Church.  Payments may be delivered to Bethel Christian Academy. 

Calendar

May            08      Progress Reports
                     11        Dinner/Auction Fundraiser - 1st-6th Grade Music & Drama   
                               Program
                    24      Kindergarten Dismissed at 12:00 noon - No Afternoon 
                               Extended Care for Kinder
                   24       Kindergarten Graduation - 7:30pm
                   25       12th Grade Graduation – Church Auditorium – 7:30pm
                   28      No School - Memorial Day 
                   31        Field Day
June           01       Awards Chapel
                   01       End of Sixth Grading Period – End of Second Semester
                   01       Last Day of School – Dismissed at 12 Noon – No Afternoon Extended Care
                   01       8th Grade Graduation – Church Auditorium – 7:30pm
                   06      Report Cards to parents

 Hot Lunch – The hot lunch for Friday is a pulled-pork sandwich, coleslaw, treat, and a drink for $5.00.  An extra sandwich is $1.50.  Please turn in your order and money to your teacher by Thursday.
 
Volunteer Hours – Please remember to fulfill your 8 volunteer hours.  You may also choose to opt out by giving $200 to the school.  We could use some help with landscaping along the slope to the lower elementary building.
 
Registration – If you are planning to return to Bethel next fall, pick up a registration packet from the office or print one from our website.
 
Auction – 1st-6th Music and Drama Program is coming up on May 11th at 5:30pm.  Think of whom you can ask for donations or what you can donate for the auction.
 
Yearbook - Yearbook sponsors are needed.  If you or someone you know is willing to help sponsor the Bethel yearbook, please send the $50 fee for 1/8 page (business card), 1/4 page = $100, 1/2 page = $200, full page = $400.  We will print the business information in the yearbook. 
 
Volleyball Game – Congratulations to the girls volleyball team for winning 3-0 over Arlington last Friday!  We have a double header scheduled tomorrow against Hopewell here at 4:00pm weather permitting.  Also, we are scheduled to play Heritage in Antioch on Thursday, April 19th.
 
Calendar

April            18      Report Cards to Parents
May            08      Progress Reports
                     11      Dinner/Auction Fundraiser - 1st-6th Grade Music & Drama   
                              Program
                    24      Kindergarten Dismissed at 12:00 noon - No Afternoon
                              Extended Care for Kinder
                   24      Kindergarten Graduation - 7:30pm
                   25      12th Grade Graduation – Church Auditorium – 7:30pm
                  28      No School - Memorial Day 
                  31      Field Day
June          01      Awards Chapel
                  01          End of Sixth Grading Period – End of Second Semester
                  01        Last Day of School – Dismissed at 12 Noon – No Afternoon Extended Care
                  01          8th Grade Graduation – Church Auditorium – 7:30pm
                  06      Report Cards to parents
​
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  Romans 12:20

Tuesday Teacher's Treats will be provided by Mrs. Evelyn Chikere.  Thank you!

Hot Lunch - The hot lunch for Friday is a cheeseburger, chips, fruit roll up, and a drink for $5.00.

Tuition - April tuition is due tomorrow; however, if we do not receive your payment on the due date, there will be a $25 late fee billed to your account.

SAT Testing - SAT testing for 5th-12th grades began today.  1st-4th will start tomorrow.  Be sure your child gets good rest and has a healthy breakfast.

Volunteer Hours - Please remember to fulfill your eight volunteer hours.  You may also choose to opt out by giving $200 instead to the school.

Registrations - If you are planning to return to Bethel next fall, pick up a registration packet in the office or from our website.

Auction - The 1st-6th grade music and drama program is coming up on May 13th at 5:30pm.  Think of whom you can ask for donations or what you can donate for the auction.  The money we raise will go toward a new playground structure.

Volleyball Game - We have a volleyball game scheduled this Friday against Arlington Christian School at 4:00 pm here weather permitting.

Summer Craft Camp - "Fall Festival" from June 18-22, 9:30am - 2:30pm daily.  Available for girls 8-18 years old.  $25 reservation fee, $100 payment in full (to be made by June 8), $125 payment after June 8.  You may pick up the registration in the office.  Please make checks payable to Bethel Baptist Church.  Payments may be delivered to Bethel Christian Academy. 

Calendar

April         09-13      SAT Testing (1st-12th grades)
                      13        End of Fifth Grading Period
                      18        Report Cards to Parents
May             08       Progress Reports
                      11         Dinner/Auction Fundraiser - 1st-6th Grade Music & Drama Program
                     25       Kindergarten Dismissed at 12:00 noon - No Afternoon Extended Care for Kinder
                     25       Kindergarten Graduation - 7:30pm
                     28       No School - Memorial Day 
                     31        Field Day

                                                    From the Principal’s Desk

Dear Parents,

         When we come back from spring vacation, we will be taking our annual SAT tests. We take these tests to get an outside evaluation of student performance and academic development. These kinds of tests can point out student strengths and weaknesses, but they are not an end all. In other words, there is more to adjudicating a child’s development than a single standardized measurement. Some students do well at answering questions when they come in a certain format; others can adapt to a different format more easily. As a result, with some students there can be a disparity between report card grades and SAT results.

         Standardized tests evaluate a wide range of subjects and analyze the components of those subjects. For instance, math is broken down into math problem solving and math procedures. Math problem solving is then broken down into it components, some of which are number sense, patterns, statistics, geometry, estimation, and reasoning. Each student is assessed in these subcategories. So, the particulars of standardized tests are many, thus pointing out where students are academically strong and where they need to improve.

         One test that is often overlooked is listening. All students through the 8th grade take a listening test. In the early years of life, listening ties into reading comprehension. From birth to about 4 or 5, children learn to comprehend words solely by what they hear. Then as they learn to read, they begin to comprehend words based on what they hear and based on what they read. Listening skills in the formative years builds the foundation for reading comprehension.

         But listening skills can also display a student’s level of attentiveness. Some students are very capable of succeeding in their academics, but they do not pay attention well. Their lack of attentiveness causes them to hear only part of the information the teacher presents. They do not follow instructions, do their work incorrectly, or both. Typically, they do not perform well. But then their lack of attentiveness turns into a pattern, which often shows up on the SAT test. In almost every situation, lack of attention is due to choice (I am not a believer in ADD.), which ties into submissiveness and humility—what the student thinks about his role and who is in charge: the parent, the teacher, or himself. Listening is also an exercise in self-control, choosing to focus the mind and choosing to value what is presented despite tendencies in the opposite direction. There are other factors that influence listening skills, but the ones I have mentioned are primary.

         Teaching listening skills starts at home. Teach your child to heed your words, to take your words seriously. Teach your children to obey your words right away, with the right attitude, and completely. Always require attentiveness and follow through, both in academics and in the routines of life.

         All in all, I see the SAT tests as valuable. But they are only a tool, a tool that can be used as one means of evaluating student performance and development. When we come back from spring vacation, we will take our SATs.

                                                                                          Sincerely,

                                                                                          Pastor Sutton