GCA Beginnings & Foundations News

Dear Beginnings and Foundations Families,

It has been such a joy to watch our students settle into their routines, build relationships, learn, worship, and grow together. Previously in chapel, we focused on Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” We talked about the difference between happiness and the deeper joy we can have in the Lord, even when our circumstances are not exactly what we hoped for. Please feel free to join us for chapel on Wednesdays—we would love to worship and pray alongside you. 2nd-5th Grade: 8:30am, Pre-K-1st Grade: 9:15am.

Be sure to ask your child about the happiness balloon! We used it to help us think about how happiness can rise and fall depending on what is happening around us, while our joy in the Lord can remain steady because He does not change.

Please continue participating in our prayer challenge, which has been designed to align with our Kids with Character focus each month. As students learn these traits at school, I invite you to pray the same truths over them at home. Each day includes a short, specific prayer to help you intentionally pray over your child’s friendships, choices, learning, attitude, faith, and character, along with scripture to pray over them. I have attached this as both a picture and as a PDF, as they come up differently on different devices.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us and entrust your children to our care. We are so thankful for the opportunity to pour into them academically, socially, and spiritually each day.

With Gratitude,

Dr. Harrison

Wednesday, September 16 - Chapels

• 8:30am - 2nd-5th grade
• 9:15am - Pre-k, K5, 1st Grade

Wednesday, September 23 - Chapels

• 8:30am - 2nd-5th grade
• 9:15am - Pre-k, K5, 1st Grade

Tuesday, September 29 - Picture Day for Foundations Academy (School Dress Code)

Wednesday, September 30 - Picture Day for Beginnings Academy

Wednesday, September 30 - Chapels

• 8:30am - 2nd-5th grade
• 9:15am - Pre-k, K5, 1st Grade

Friday, October 2 - Homecoming

Friday-Monday, October 9-12 - Fall Break, School Closed

Monday, October 19 - State of the Academy Address 7pm

October 22-30 - Boosterthon

Friday, October 23rd - End of Quarter 1

Friday, October 24 - Teacher Conferences, School Closed

Wednesday, October 28 - Farm Day (Beginnings Academy Only, P3/P4), 9:30am-12pm

Friday, October 30 - Glow Run!!

Welcome back to PE! I am so excited for another fun-filled year! Our gym is a place where students can move, play, laugh, challenge themselves, and let out some energy while learning skills that will last a lifetime. Last year, our theme was GRIT. Throughout the year, I saw so many students grow in their mindset—learning not to give up, trying difficult things, and discovering that they are capable of more than they thought. I am so proud of that growth!

This year, we are taking our character development one step further with monthly themes based on the Fruits of the Spirit. We will explore how qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control show up not only in our everyday lives, but also in PE, sports, teamwork, competition, and how we treat one another.

What Can Students Expect?
We are going to have a little bit of everything this year! Students will participate in:
Old-school gym games
Pickleball
Relays
Track activities
March Madness
Field Day
Team sports
Jump rope
Class-choice activities
Open gym
Most importantly, we will keep moving and have fun!

A Few PE Rules

• Please help your child come prepared for PE each day:
• Respect the whistle. When the whistle blows, stop, listen, and give your attention to the teacher.
• Bring a water bottle. Staying hydrated helps us do our best.
• Wear athletic shoes on PE days. For safety reasons, students who do not have appropriate athletic shoes will not be able to participate in PE activities.
• Our biggest goal this year is simple: keep moving, learn life skills, and discover activities that students can enjoy beyond PE.
• We want students to learn how to be good teammates, gracious winners and losers, problem-solvers, encouragers, and people who don't give up when something is hard. And through it all, we will remember to play the Jesus way—love others, encourage one another, give our best, and HAVE FUN!

Coach Weems

Beginnings Academy (P3/P4)

7:30-3:00pm

• While drop off begins at 7:30, feel free to bring your child any time from 7:30-8:30am. Parents must walk into the Beginnings Academy and sign students in.
• A car line will be provided at the Beginnings Academy doors at 11:45 for students who are half-day.
• Full-day students may be picked up as early as 2:45pm, but pick-up begins at 3pm. All students MUST be picked up by 3:10pm to ease the transition for our classrooms to begin extended care. Parents must walk into the Beginnings Academy and sign out their child.

Foundations Academy (K5-5th)

8:00am-3:10pm

• Drop off begins at 7:40am through car line only. Please do not arrive on campus before 7:40am.
• Pick up will be at 3:10 through car line only. Please do not arrive on campus before 3:00pm. All students MUST be picked up by 3:25.
• For the safety of all students, we ask that parents remain in their vehicles during afternoon dismissal and refrain from walking down the sidewalk to meet their child. Our teachers are responsible for supervising students until they are safely loaded into the correct vehicle. Limiting pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk allows our staff to remain fully focused on student supervision and helps maintain a secure dismissal process for everyone.
• Should you need to pick up your student outside of these times, you will need to enter through the Foundations doors in the back of the building. Please do not sign your child out between 2:55 and 3:10pm. It causes a backup with traffic and in the building.

Please review the Foundations Academy dress code below before purchasing school clothes for the upcoming year. Taking a few moments to familiarize yourself with our guidelines now will help ensure your child is ready for a successful start to the school year.

In addition to our dress code, please pay close attention to our hair guidelines, which are included in this document. We know that sports seasons and current trends often bring new hairstyles, but all students are expected to remain in compliance with our school standards throughout the year to minimize distractions in the classroom.

Thank you for partnering with us to help our students present themselves in a way that reflects the values and expectations of Greenbrier Christian Academy.