The Lion's Roar

Last week I wrote in the newsletter about the importance of a Christian school emphasizing the teaching of a Biblical worldview in all subject areas.

A second benefit of a school like Anderson Christian is the partnership between the school and families. When the efforts of our school staff and families are aligned and engaged, amazing things can happen.

Our prayer is that parents who are looking for a school that can walk alongside their efforts in raising their children to honor and serve God will find that at ACS.

As we transition into November and this year continues to go by quickly, we are thankful for our families and the close relationships that exist. We are looking forward to the opportunities ahead.

KEY DATES FOR ESTF APPLICATIONS

• 8:00 AM November 1, 2026. The returning applicant window opens. Families can apply at this time for any returning ESTF student and add any of their siblings. They will receive the application link via email and a pop-up in ClassWallet. This window only applies to students who are awarded the scholarship, not students who are on the waitlist. Note that November 1, 2026, is a Sunday, so SCDE and FACTS customer service will not be available until Monday morning.
• Families without a tax return should still submit their application and all other required documents right away, without waiting for their tax return to be completed.
• 8:00 AM January 15, 2027. Applications open for new ESTF applicants who fall into at least one of the following categories: household income at or below 300% FPL, parent or guardian is active-duty military, or the student attended public school during the 2026-27 school year.
• As soon as the IRS opens tax season, families who don’t have a 2025 tax return should file their federal Form 1040 and upload a copy to their application.
• 8:00 AM February 16, 2027. The general application window opens for all eligible families with income up to 500% FPL. For returning students who qualified for ESTF without filing taxes in 2026-27, their scholarship spot will be held for them until the general application window opens at 8:00 AM February 16.
• If a family gets their taxes completed in January or early February and uploads their Form 1040 to FACTS before February 16, the student’s returning priority spots are kept (assuming the rest of their application is complete).
• However, if returning families do not complete their application and upload a Form 1040, their student will lose their priority spot, and their student may not receive a scholarship for 2027–28. Families who file later should still upload their Form 1040 as soon as possible so their student can be placed on the waitlist. For a returning student, starting the application in November will help the family get a good placement on the waitlist.

If you would like to support our Fall Festival, we need items for making s'mores, pumpkins of all sizes, and candy. You can drop off donations in the front office.

If you are interested in participating in the Chili Cook-Off, please let Mr. Hicks know.

We have the opportunity to bless 25 children with the gift of Christmas this year. If you would like to sponsor a child, please stop by the Christmas tree in the front office to choose your angel. All gifts must be turned in by Friday, December 4. DSS is asking that the gifts NOT be wrapped.

If you have a need you’d like others to pray for, or a blessing or answered prayer you’d like to celebrate, we invite you to submit it. This is a great way for our community to support one another and rejoice together.

-Emily Rigdon - For God to give Emily age-appropriate language and social skills

-Cindy Hollings and Family - Health

-Frank Sullivan (Pa) - Health

-Mr. Joseph Powell - Needs a miracle. Grandfather of two of our students. Battling pancreatic cancer

-Ann Stephens - Stefanie Carroll's mom- Migraines

-Gigi Bikas - Kindergarten - Healing from an accident

-Mr. Hulsey and family in the passing of his sister

Show your school spirit everywhere you go with an ACS car magnet! Magnets are 4".

They are $5 each. Let Mrs. Kirby know how many you want!

🎄Time to start your Christmas shopping early! Every Lion wants ACS gear under the tree! 🎄

Our ACS School store opens Monday, September 21 and runs through Monday, December 14.

Access Code: xyhDFtQNeK

Juniors are under no obligation to purchase a ring. In lieu of a ring, families are asked to have an item of their choice to honor their junior. The item can be any number of things, including Bibles, special letters, special jewelry, or something sentimental.

We ask that all families make plans to attend the ceremony and be prepared to present an item to their student.

ACS Athletics and Booster Club would like to recognize all our volleyball athletes at the

Fall Sports Banquet.

If you plan to play a winter sport, a physical and all SCACS forms are due by Monday, November 2.

This is the first official day of basketball practice.

Middle School Boys Basketball Practice begins Monday, October 19 from 3:30-5:00; Tuesday-Thursday, October 20-22 from 4:00-5:30.

JV Girls Basketball Practice begins Thursday and Friday, October 22-23 from 3:30-5:00.

If you have a passion for working with young athletes and would enjoy helping a group of enthusiastic cheerleaders learn, grow, and show their ACS spirit, we would love to hear from you! Elementary cheer will be starting very soon, so if you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to Mrs. Hill for more information.

Bowling Club (coached by Jake Goldie and Mrs. Goldie)

When: Thursdays, 3:45–4:45 p.m.
Dates: September 3–December 3
Cost: $75 per student. If paying by check, please make the check payable to Anderson Christian School and write “For: Bowling Club” in the memo line. Please turn in your payment after the first practice, once attendance has been confirmed.

Registration Includes

• Three games at each meeting
• Bowling shoe rental
• Use of a bowling ball
• Personalized ACS Bowling Club T-shirt

No Bowling Club

• October 22 — SAT/PSAT
• November 26 — Thanksgiving

The club will meet for a total of 12 Thursdays during the season.

Practices Wednesday mornings, 8:00-8:45 in the ACS gym, starting Wednesday, Sept. 9th.

• Practices- Sept 9th, 16th, 30th, Oct 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th (no practice Sept. 23rd)

Please mark on your calendar for a couple of possible tournaments. These are not state qualifiers (those have not been posted yet. An archer is allowed to participate in 2 state qualifiers to qualify for state):

• 11/21 in Taylors - Upstate Classic Thanksgiving Tournament
• 11/28 in Greenville- 3D Turkey Shoot
• 12/12 Greenville- Winter Classic
• 1/23 in Greenville- Warrior Fun Shoot
• 2/19-2/20 in Greenville- Getting Ready for State

Save these dates and if you are available to participate, please let Mrs. Hill know

Calling all 1st–5th graders! Get ready to run, have fun, and build your endurance with the ACS Elementary Run Club! Starting Tuesday, Sept. 15th.

Practices: Tuesdays from 3:15–3:45 PM

Where: ACS Field

When: September 15th – December 1st

Immediately after school, Coach Marcus and Coach Rudolph will meet the runners in the cafeteria after carline and take them to the field. They’ll begin with stretching and then get moving with a fun, active practice!

What to Bring on Practice Days:

• Tennis shoes

• Water bottle

Upcoming Runs:

• October 31 – Mustache Dash
• November 26 – Electric City Gobbler
• December 5 – Reindeer Run

More information about each race will be shared as we get closer to the event dates.

Please send your child's name, your name, and a great email contact for cancelation of practices and race information to Lisahill@andersonchristian.net

Come ready to run, have fun, encourage your teammates, and grow stronger together!

Let’s Run, Lions!

• November 6: Fall Festival
• November 11: Progress Reports
• November 20: Preschool Thanksgiving
• November 23-27: CLOSED (Thanksgiving Break)

• November 2: Ryan
• November 6: Dr. Van Dyken

If you are interested in giving your student a Birthday Shout-Out on our digital sign, let Mrs. Kirby know (candacekirby@andersonchristian.net). The shout-out will run for the entire month and can be personalized. Shout-Outs will be $25.

Have you missed an issue of The Lion's Roar? Is there an issue you would like to revisit, but don't want to sift through all your emails? Now you can access all our newsletters in one convenient location on our website. Feel free to share our newsletter with others as well!

https://andersonchristian.com/weekly-newsletter/

Address: 3902 Liberty Highway - Anderson, SC 29621

Call us at: 864-224-7309

Visit us at: https://andersonchristian.com/

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