In June of 2009, we were blessed to be one of several ministries highlighted in Anaheim at the Well Done Awards, The ceremony was hosted by the pastor and his wife who started the first Kingdom Assignment at the church in California and wrote a book – The Kingdom Assignment by Denny and Leesa Bellesi.

Our seven year total is: $$55,392! THANK YOU!

Here’s how it works! On February 1st, we will be handing out five dollars to every student, including PK! (Some thought they were too young, but many of them have done very well.) Wait a minute, a private school giving away money? Well, there is a little more to this opportunity.
LETTER TO PARENTS:

Parents – I need you to do a little homework:

1. Read the “Parable of the Talents” in Mathew 25:14-30.

2. If you think giving $5 away is strange, take a look at a Pastor who gave 100 members of his church $100 each at www.kingdomassignment.com

3. When you take a look at that – take a look at what happened in the lives of those who were changed by Christ!

Let me stress to every family, as we do each year, if you choose not to participate all you need to do is return the five dollars – no questions asked! If you choose to accept this mission, you will help us continue the legacy of helping students attend FMCS. In Once you do your homework, you’ll understand the “investment” that we will be making in our school! During this past week, I spoke to our students in chapel to explain to them what we are doing:

Our rules:
A) Realize that the money is God’s and not theirs; Pray to find a way to multiply your “talent” ($5.00); and time frame: They have the month of February and then they will have to return their “talent(s)” on March 1^st .

B) Students will be raising money to help us with our financial aid fund. Each year, we supplement the financial aid account in our budget. I would like to see our students begin to help others – great concept! As a result of this assignment, our students will be learning to help others and take pride in the school that they have been blessed to be a part of each year. They may also begin to see what God can do through them if they are obedient to His call.

How can my child “multiply their talent”? If you look through the binder in the middle school office or if you go to our website, you’ll see the great ideas that families used last year for their Kingdom Assignment. February is a great time to raise money at Super Bowl events, Valentines Day, and The Edison Parade.  You can begin by telling those outside of our school, “Hey, our Principal sent money home with my child today!” You will be surprised how many people want to know what is going on and how they can help! (Students MAY NOT sell items or raise money during school hours on campus)

Start first by praying with your children – then let’s see what God will do! All of our financial aid families say “THANK YOU!”

In His Service,

Mel Mitchell, Principal

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2011:
- Doing extra chores around the house
- Sending out support letters asking for a donation with a return envelope
- Selling plants, homewmade soup, leotards, books, bottles water, candy bars, popcorn, lemonade, cookies, cupcakes, earrings, homemade chocolate lollipops
- Donating clothes to a consignment shop
- Bike-A-Thon and swim-a-thon
- Cleaned houses, washed mailboxes, walking pets
- Matching donations

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2010
- Used the $5 to buy window cleaner, washed car windows at a tennis match – made $32
- Brothers had a “swim-a-thon – 5 miles swimming total and made $500
- “This expereince was wonderful and I’m now calling to have my Pastor involve our church in this wonderful journey” – parent comment
- Used the $5 to pay for Ebay listing, sold items on that site and Craig’s List – made $100 (”and enjoy less clutter in our house”)
- Ran the Edison 5K – made $37.50 (from pledges and a garage sale as well); other students sold drinks at the parade and made $32
- Washed white mailboxes in our neighborhood – sisters made $15 each
- Did chores, bake sales, sold goodie bags, garage sale, made Valentine cookies; sold candles, laundry soap, candy bars, muffins, Christain t-shirts, mow lawns, pizza, hot chocolate, and more!

1) Kidztown will offer My Super Summer – go to http://www.mysupersummer.com/

2) Sports Camps for FMCS – great opportunities to learn how to play basketball, soccer and volleyball – CLICK HERE FOR THE BROCHURE and get it turned into the office: Sports Camps 2012

3) Music and Fine Arts anyone? Don’t forget the Creative Arts Academy, they have some great opportunities during their summer session.

“I graduated from Fort Myers Christian School in 2007 under Mel Mitchell as my principal. I graduated from eighth grade at the very top of my class with a GPA of a 4.00. Attending Fort Myers Christian was a fantastic experience where, not only did I receive a good education, but I was taught how to live like Christ and follow His example. I am truly thankful to be a part of Fort Myers Christian School alumni.”

Thank you Kevin and congratulations!

]]> http://fmcs-fl.org/2011/praise-alumni-receives-scholarship/feed/ 0 http://fmcs-fl.org/2011/mission-2540-kick-off/ http://fmcs-fl.org/2011/mission-2540-kick-off/#comments Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:36:26 +0000 Mr. Mitchell http://fmcs-fl.org/?p=1255 On Thursday, November 3rd, FMCS had its kick-off for the Mission 25:40 program for 2011-12! This year:

- Preschool – Pajamas Project - Pajamas, story books and various items for children in foster care.
- Kindergarten: Red Cross blood drives and raising money to fight cancer in memory of Joe Weber
- The first grade Salvation Army canned food drive brought in 404 items! They also provide other items during the year
- Second grade has been a blessing at the Senior Friendship Center!
- Third grade will be working with the the staff at WAY-FM!
- Fourth grade supports Ronald McDonald House!
- Fifth grade works with New Missions Systems International
- Sixth grade will work with Habitat For Hope
- The seventh grade’s Barnabus Ministry has been a blessing to Christian comedian, Michael Jr; Cheryl McGuinness, whose husband was the pilot of the first plane that was hijacked on 9/11; Tim Tebow and many others.

- A new team of 8th graders, parents and staff prepare for their missions trip this spring to Corpus Christi, Texas, March 8-14, 2012.

Finally, we also kicked-off Operation Christmas Child – we are once again partnering with First Assembly of God this year!

• Mild Learning Disabilities

• Dyslexia

• ADD/ADHD with academic difficulties

We understand that children have different learning styles, strengths and weaknesses which can inhibit their best efforts to succeed academically. The Learning Resource Program will be a place students can get specific help in math, reading, spelling, language, writing and study skills as well as address certain processing problems that may block optimum achievement through explicit, systematic and researched based teaching strategies and materials.

For more information, click on our brochure: learning resource program BROCHURE 2012-13

Check out Mrs. Stewart’s blog at http://mrsstewartsresourceroomfmcs.blogspot.com/

Message from 10/20/10:

Dear Parents,

I recently received an updated post from Mrs. Stewart regarding our Learning Disabilities Program. Our program is “maxed-out” for this year and we are very blessed by what is happening there. I thought this was great information for all of our parents and I want to share this with you.

We are just about to close the first quarter of the 2010-2011 school year. It is bustling here in the Learning Resource Room at Fort Myers Christian School!

We currently serve 29 students who either receive primary instruction within the Learning Resource Program (LRP) or accommodations and support within their general education classroom. Approximately 58% of these students are able to attend due to the Florida McKay Scholarship and have established IEP’s.

We strive to work closely with each classroom teacher to keep students as close to grade level achievement as possible. The individual educational needs are addressed within the LRP classroom through a variety of specific programs and tools. I have three certified teachers who assist me both in the Resource Room and in the student’s classroom at various times throughout the day. We are blessed with six student computers in the Resource Room with quality programs installed to address specific reading, spelling, and math needs and each has access to the internet for research and practice programs. Our school has Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, STAR Reading and STAR Math assessments online and accessible to our student body in every classroom.

Link is http://mrsstewartsresourceroomfmcs.blogspot.com/

We would also like to add a few more pieces of helpful information:

Q: Are Learning Resource students and McKay students the same?
A: No, as seen above, not all our students in the program qualify for that scholarship from the state.

Q: Are there limits on the type of students we are accepting?
A: Yes, as stated in our brochure (feel free to grab a copy in the office or http://fmcs-fl.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/learningresourcebrochure_final.pdf), “we will work with the student, teachers, and parents to provide academic support for students who have been professionally diagnosed and have an IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) or 504 Plan for the following: Mild Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia and ADD/ADHD with academic difficulties.” The key right now, if you are talking with prospective families, is that the word “mild.” We are not staffed and equipped to handle some of the other major disabilities.

Q: If we focus on students who are struggling as a school, does that hurt our high achievers?
A: We strongly believe the answer is “NO.” Students who are struggling below grade level now have a chance to get more individualized help by leaving the classroom for math and language arts in the resource room.

As the program reaches its third year, we have seen our overall school’s academic progress IMPROVE. Here are just a few examples:

-       Accelerated Reader (AR) and our teachers have been more involved in reading than ever before.
-       The new Accelerated Math (AM) program has helped improve math results. (Our own parents have been instrumental in providing resources for those programs, AR & AM, and encouraging our students to work hard in these areas)
-       In comparison of our SAT scores compared with students nationally, over the last three years:

o    We have IMPROVED an AVERAGE OF 8% overall in our national percentile ranking

o    Our school stanine scores have INCREASED from average to above-average!

o    Our school stanine scores in reading and math have also IMPROVED from average to above average!

o    Last year, we not only continued to see classes score two grades levels above their grade level, but we saw FIVE CLASSES score THREE GRADE LEVELS AHEAD overall.

In the future, we hope to expand this program to help us improve this program to the point where we cannot only help students who struggle, but help “gifted” students achieve even higher levels!

Pray with us – spread the word – IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS feel free to come to the source: Mrs. Stewart or Mr. Mitchell.

Thank you,

Mr. Mitchell

2011-12 NJHS Officers – President: Josh Harvey,Vice-President:  Treasurer:  and sponsor: Mrs. Jennifer Crouch.

Update: On October 25th, Kayla Lindsey, Edwin Fenelus and Tristian Upton were inducted to NJHS in our fall induction ceremony.

Students in NJHS are also involved every Wednesday in Leadership Academy. They get the opportunity to be involved in leadership opportunities and listen and learn from area leaders.

Prerequisite conditions for selection to the National Junior Honor Society:
1) According to the NJHS constitution, only those students who have attended the school the equivalent of one semester may be considered for membership.
2) Membership is open to qualified second semester seventh graders and students in eighth grade.
3) The scholarship requirement set by the National Council is based on a student’s cumulative grade point average (3.50 or higher) and is assessed on a semester basis.
4) The leadership requirement includes roles both in school and in the community, provided they can be verified.
5) The service requirement includes contributions made to the school, classmates, and community as well as the student’s attitude toward service.
6) Students who demonstrate citizenship understand the importance of civic involvement, have a high regard for freedom, justice and democracy, and participate in organizations committed to the betterment of society.
7) Students who exemplify good character demonstrate respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
8) Discipline and dismissal: Continuing membership in the chapter is based on students maintaining the standard under which they were admitted as members; therefore, quarter grades will be evaluated and considered as part of the chapter adviser’s review of the standing of members. Attendance at regular meetings and chapter activities will also be monitored. When a member falls below the standards by which the member was selected, the adviser informs the member in writing of the nature of the violation, a time period for improvement is given, and consequences of non-improvement are outlined. In the case of flagrant violation of school rules or civil law, a warning is not required for dismissal, but a Faculty Council hearing will be held. The chapter will notify the member of the action being contemplated, the reason for the action, and the date and time of the hearing. The opportunity for the member to respond either in writing or orally will be provided.

The National Elementary Honor Society
The NEHS was established in 2008 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) in cooperation with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) to recognize elementary students in both public and non-public elementary schools for their outstanding academic achievement and demonstrated personal responsibility, to provide meaningful service to the school and community, and to develop essential leadership skills in the students of elementary schools.

Fort Myers Christian School applied for their charter and was granted acceptance in 2008 for the Josiah Chapter of the NEHS. The chapter is names after King Josiah first mentioned in 2 Kings 22: 1-2: Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. Even though he was young, he successfully lived a life that was right in the God’s eyes, was an example for others and a Godly leader. The purpose of this chapter shall be to recognize students for their outstanding academic achievement, spiritual growth and leadership, and demonstrated personal responsibility. Members will endeavor to provide meaningful service to the school and community, live a Christ-like example, and develop essential leadership skills within the students of Ft. Myers Christian School.

2010 History: This chapter is one of the first to be granted here in Southwest Florida to a Christian school.This year’s first NEHS inductees were: 4th graders: Kelsi Bevington, Brennen Cole, Blair Colbert, Olivia Cook, Tyler Goguen, Jenna Iten, Jennifer Lavorgna, Austin O’Grosky, Sarah Swiersz, Michael Walch, Androse Watson, Parker Wunderlich; 5th graders: Elijah Benzon, Caroline Chester, Joshua Harriott, Joshua Harvey, Victoria Weller, Tyler Williams; 6th graders: Mallory Dillon, Celine Gulbronson, Zachary Liebetreu, Taylor Lowry, Robin Mitchell, Haley Morig and Amy Romstadt. The chapter sponsor is fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Robin Couch.

Click here for the NEHS Bylaws.