Westminster Catawba Christian School

Senior Parent Night was a huge success! We prayed together and discussed college & career-related topics. We are so excited to see how God works in the lives of our seniors as they make plans for after high school. Thank you to ALL the parents who attended! 💙💛

Meagan Rowe has been a part of the WCCS family as a parent for a while now, but this year, we are even more excited to have her joining us as our new 5th Grade Math Teacher! She has a special love for math, and we can't wait to see this same love nurtured in our students this year.

"I really hope to shape the learning experience of my students by imparting a confidence in every child that they can do math well." - Mrs. Meagan Rowe

Read more about Meagan and her family at the link below! 💙💛

👉 https://wccs.org/stories/faculty-and-staff-stories/meagan-rowe/

Our seniors left yesterday for a special "setting the vision for the senior year and beyond" retreat in the mountains! From the looks of it, they are having a great time!

Today, our High School students will spend the day at Carrigan Farms having fun and bonding with one another! Please pray with us that our 40 new high school students would feel welcome and make connections, for safety for all, and that all students would be impacted by what God wants them to take away from these retreats. We are grateful for the opportunity to share God's love and set the stage for another great year at WCCS!

Next week, it's the Middle School's turn for a day of fun and fellowship! 💙💛

Jordan Coatney will be serving as the lead teacher in our infant classroom this year! She has a degree in Elementary Education, but shares with us that Early Childhood has always held a special place in her heart. Read more about Jordan and her family in the story below!

"As an infant teacher, things will look a little different for the babies in my class. Babies will not be able to do lessons like the older children do, but they will know what the love and kindness of Jesus Christ feels like. I will share the Word with the babies through the Bible, children’s books and songs!" - Mrs. Coatney

Continue reading more about Jordan Coatney at the link below! 💙💛

👉 https://wccs.org/stories/faculty-and-staff-stories/jordan-coatney/

You may already be familiar with Mr. Matt Fazio as he previously served as our Upper School Facilities Director. This year, he is taking on a new role as our 9th & 11th grade Bible Teacher as well as our Drumline Instructor. We are so excited about his new role at the Upper School and can’t wait for you to read more about his calling to serve in this position!

"My desire is to see Jesus win in the hearts and lives of each student. I have no interest in creating biblical robots that know what to say, but don’t know how to live it out. So, my hope is to see them transformed from the inside out. So that the natural overflow will be obedience in word and deed." - Mr. Matt Fazio

Click the link below to read more about Mr. Fazio and his passion for equipping students to bless our world as disciples of Jesus Christ! 💙💛

👉 https://wccs.org/stories/faculty-and-staff-stories/matt-fazio/

It's been a great start to the 2024-2025 school year! Join us this FRIDAY for a Pre-Game Tailgate at the Upper School beginning at 6:00pm! All are invited! 💙💛🍔🥤⚽️

Tailgate will run from 6:00 - 7:00pm - $6 Hamburger Combo, $5 Hot Dog Combo!
Our Varsity Boys Soccer Team will kickoff at 7:00pm!

Judy West and her family recently moved to the area from Florida. She will be serving as our new Business Office Assistant and also has two twin girls who will be joining us in the 1st grade.

"I felt called to join the WCCS family because I realized that it was a wonderful environment that I wanted to be a part of – an environment where I can be myself and love on others." - Judy West

Click the link below to read more about why Judy and her family are excited to be joining us this school year! 💙💛

👉 https://wccs.org/stories/faculty-and-staff-stories/judy-west/

Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Sarah Bambach, 5th Grade ELA Teacher, to the WCCS family! We can't wait for you to read how God called Mrs. Bambach to Christian Education, and we are so excited for her to be a part of the WCCS family!

"I hope to model to students that as Christ followers we are set apart. In their daily interactions and when hard situations arise I hope they will ask themselves the question, 'Will I act in a way that shows there’s something different in me?'" - Mrs. Bambach

Read more about Sarah Bambach at the link below! 💙💛

👉 https://wccs.org/stories/faculty-and-staff-stories/sarah-bambach/

1 MORE DAY until the start of the 2024-2025 school year at WCCS!! 🥳💙💛

We can't WAIT to see all of your "First Day of School" pics tomorrow! Be sure to tag us so we can repost and share those photos in our stories. Prayers for our ENTIRE WCCS school family as we start another great school year. We can't wait to see what God has in store for us in 2024-2025! 💙💛

2 days until the start of the 2024-2025 school year! 🥳💙💛

Reason #2 we are SO EXCITED to be back at school (and it's a BIG one!) - all our NEW STUDENTS!! We are welcoming 180 smiling faces to the WCCS family! We can't wait for each of you to join us, and we look forward to all the new friendships we will make in the 2024-2025 school year!

If you are new to the WCCS family, give us a shout out in the comments!

It was a GREAT day at WCCS, and we are officially ready for a BRAND new year! 💙💛

3 more days until we welcome students back into our WCCS classrooms and hallways! 🥳💙💛

Reason #3 we can't wait to start the 2024-2025 school year - all the facility upgrades and improvements that have happened over the summer at both campuses!

At the Lower School, our 5th graders will be welcomed back with their very own LOCKERS this year! We've also added two additional offices for our EXCEL staff in the Media Center. Our teachers have also been hard at work, making their classrooms extra SPIFFY, giving students a warm, homey atmosphere to come back to this year!

The Upper School has fresh paint in the high school hallway and the Media Center has been converted to more classrooms and office space! You'll notice some pretty fun classroom setups in the middle and high school as well as a freshly decorated teacher workroom, thanks to teacher Jennifer Towler!

A BIG THANK YOU to our facilities team that has been hard at work all summer long along with all our teachers, families, and even students who volunteered to help!

Thank you to all our families who braved the rain to make it to our Early Childhood Parent Meetings along with our Self-Supported and Middle School Orientations today! We had a BLAST despite the rain! ☔️

Join us tomorrow, Friday, August 9 for our Back-to-School Elementary (1st - 5th Grade) Drop-In! This will be a special time for elementary families to meet the teachers, drop off supplies from 8:00am - 10:00am or 1:00pm - 3:00pm. There's even a SPECIAL scavenger hunt this year!

Also, tomorrow we will have our High School Orientation! All HS Students (new and returning) and parents are invited to attend orientation. Please enter through the cafeteria to get your schedule beginning at 9:45am; the program will begin in the gym at 10:00am.

Early Childhood parent meetings will also continue as scheduled with your child's teacher!

Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Hannah Dutton and Mrs. Sonya Polino to the WCCS family! Mrs. Dutton will be the Lead Teacher in our Self-Supported Classroom this year with Mrs. Polino serving as her Teacher Assistant. We can't wait for you to hear the heart these two ladies have for serving this group of students!

"First and foremost, I hope to radiate Jesus’s love to my students day in and out. I want my students to feel loved, safe, and valued. Also, I hope to help my particular group of students reach their goals and thrive in a variety of settings." - Hannah Dutton

“It is my hope that this is what my students will know – the Lord Jesus’ love for them through my voice, my eyes and my hands.” - Sonya Polino

Read more about Mrs. Dutton and Mrs. Polino in the links below! 💙💛

👉https://wccs.org/stories/faculty-and-staff-stories/hannah-dutton/

👉https://wccs.org/stories/faculty-and-staff-stories/sonya-polino/

4 more days until the start of the 2024-2025 WCCS school year! 🥳💙💛

Reason #4 we are so excited - our Self-Supported Classroom is FULL this year with 5 amazing kiddos! We also have a brand new teaching team that we are excited for you to meet. We will be highlighting both Mrs. Dutton and Mrs. Polino later today so you can get to know more about them and their heart for Christian education in the Self-Supported setting. Be sure to check it out!

5 more days until the start of school! 🥳💙💛

Reason #5 to be excited for the start of the 2024-2025 school year - our Upper School Retreats!!

To kick off the beginning of the school year, our senior class will be traveling to Asheville, NC for a time of bonding and fellowship. They'll enjoy hiking, rafting, and worship together as they look forward to their senior year!

Our 9th-11th grade students will travel to Carrigan Farms for a day of swimming at the quarry and our middle school students will enjoy a day of adventure at Camp Canaan.

What a way to kickstart the beginning of the school year! All of our Upper School retreats will be happening during the first week of school. Be sure to look back at your monthly Enews for more details.

6 more days until the start of the 2024-2025 school year! 🥳💙💛

Reason #6 we are so excited - Our Upper and Lower School enrichment and elective courses! Did you know we have a handful of amazing new electives this year for Middle and High School? These include High School Drumline, Horticulture, Screenwriting, and Cardio Training as well as Middle School Film and Literature, Newspaper, and a new leadership class called "Middle School Bosses!"

Also, we are SUPER excited about a recent grant that Upper School Music Teacher, Mitch Hopper, was able to secure at our lower school for 20 BRAND NEW Kala Color Chord Ukuleles! We are so grateful for this gift and can't WAIT for our lower school music students to enjoy them as they continue to build their musical skills and interests!

7 days until the start of school! 🥳

Reason #7 we are so excited for the start of the 2024-2025 school year - our new My Hot Lunchbox vendors! 🍎🍕🥗

Ordering is NOW OPEN for the month of August for 3K - 12th grade students. Vendors vary by campus and include a variety of options such as Panera, Dominoes, Lee's Chicken, and more. Go check them out and get your lunch orders placed before the start of school!

Click the link below to set up your account and begin ordering!

👉https://ordernow.myhotlunchbox.com/login

8 days until the start of school and we are SO EXCITED! 🥳

Reason #8 to be thrilled for the start of school - we are getting our back-to-school swag on with new items in our WCCS Spirit Store!

Returning families will notice that prices are much more reasonable! In order to offer these better prices, all orders will need to be placed in "windows" to optimize production. Currently, the first window is open and running through Sunday, August 11. Once this window closes, our first set of orders will be sent to production and families can expect to receive their items in two to three weeks. They will be dropped off at the school, unless you request they be shipped to your home.

The next opportunity to order will run from Monday, August 12 - Sunday, August 25 with future ordering windows later in the fall. Order NOW at the link below!

https://wccs2024.itemorder.com/shop/sale/

9 days until the start of school! Are you ready? 🥳

Reason #9 we can't wait to begin the new school year - Fresh, new SCHOOL SUPPLIES! Parents, did you know it's Tax Free Weekend in South Carolina (August 2 - 4?) This weekend is a great time to get all your back-to-school shopping complete! Click the link below for ALL your back-to-school information, including our 2024-2025 Parent/Student Handbook, school supply lists, car line procedures & more! 💙💛

https://wccs.org/summer-parent-resources/

We will begin highlighting all of our new 2024-2025 WCCS faculty & staff in the weeks to come! Get to know these wonderful people and join us in welcoming them to the WCCS family.

Today’s spotlight is our new Elementary Principal, Mrs. Carrie Washburn! Mrs. Washburn has been a 5th grade teacher, an Elementary Principal (twice), and a High School Principal, all in Christian schools. She even spent a few years as the Children’s Minister at her church. Christian education is her passion – and leadership in Christian schools is her calling.

"I hope to inspire teachers to create learning environments where students can begin to take ownership in shaping their own educational experiences. That means students have to feel safe to explore, take risks and overcome setbacks. This supportive atmosphere encourages the entire learning community to embrace challenges and view them as opportunities." - Mrs. Carrie Washburn

Read more at the link below! We are so excited for our WCCS families and students to get to know her as we begin the new school year! 💙💛

https://wccs.org/stories/faculty-and-staff-stories/carrie-washburn/

10 days until the start of school! 🥳

Reason #10 we can't wait to begin the school year - our Back-to-School Meetings & Orientations coming up! We are looking forward to seeing students and parents as we gear up for the 2024-2025 school year. Please make plans to join us for the following:

August 8 & 9 - Early Childhood Parent Meetings - Mark your calendars for our Early Childhood (Infants - Kindergarten) Parent/Teacher Meetings on August 8 and 9! You should have heard from your child's teacher already to set up a day and time for your family!

Thursday, August 8 - Middle School Orientation (6th - 8th Grade) - All MS students (new and returning) and parents are invited to join us for orientation. Please come through the cafeteria beginning at 9:45am to drop off supplies and get your schedule; the program will begin in the gym at 10:00am.

Friday, August 9 - Back-to-School Elementary (1st - 5th Grade) Drop-In - This will be a special time for elementary families to meet the teachers, drop off supplies from 8:00am - 10:00am or 1:00pm - 3:00pm. There's even a SPECIAL scavenger hunt this year!

Friday, August 9 - High School Orientation - All HS Students (new and returning) and parents are invited to attend orientation. Please enter through the cafeteria to get your schedule beginning at 9:45am; the program will begin in the gym at 10:00am.

Thursday, August 22 - Kindergarten Parent Night - Parents are invited to our Kindergarten Parent Night on Thursday, August 22 at 6:30pm. This event is for parents only to learn more about K5 for the school year!

💙💛

Can you believe we only have 11 more days until the start of school? 🥳

Reason #11 we are so excited for the start of the school year - our 2024-2025 theme verse for the year!

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—" Ephesians 2:4-5

As we make preparations for the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, our WCCS faculty and staff are being given multiple opportunities to pause in devotion and prayer with one another before the start of school. Yesterday, was one such opportunity as we gathered at Westminster Park.

Please join us in prayer as we look towards another school year - fully expectant for the good work He has prepared in advance for us all! 💙💛

Did you know there are only 12 days until the start of the 2024-2025 school year? 🥳

Our first half day on Monday, August 12 will be here before you know it. From now until the start of school, we will be counting down all the MANY reasons we are excited to start the 2024-2025 school year with our WCCS families!

Reason #12 that we are SO EXCITED for the 2024-2025 school year – our NEW WCCS faculty and staff! Please join us in welcoming these folks to our family! Each member of our faculty, staff, and administration is firmly committed to our school’s Christian values, and has a personal interest in the success of our students. It’s more than a job for our WCCS faculty and staff; it’s a calling! 💙💛

We can’t WAIT for you to meet our new folks and will be highlighting each of them on social media this month. Stay tuned!

Some of the most powerful words you'll read about the value of a WCCS education come right from our own graduates! While each graduate goes on to forge their own path after graduation – from college to career and family life – each of them tell us that they remember Westminster Catawba Christian School as a significant part of their journey in finding God's unique purpose for their lives. Throughout the summer, we will be featuring one of our recent WCCS alumni along with some of their many accomplishments, careers, adventures, and projects!

Today's featured alumna is Kirsten Jolly from the Class of 2019. Kirsten recently graduated from Clemson University with a Masters in Teaching. She will be serving at Clover High School this fall. In the testimony below, Kirsten shares with us about her time at WCCS and how it has prepared her for this special calling in her life!

"All of my teachers at WCCS cared as much for my spiritual well-being as they did for my academic well-being. They truly made me who I am and I believe this is how I was able to hear God’s calling to become a teacher myself." -Kirsten, Class of 2022

Kirsten attended WCCS from Kindergarten all the way through her senior year! Read more at the link below.

https://wccs.org/stories/graduate-stories/featured-alumni/featured-alumna-kirsten-jolly/

It's a tight race! Help us cross the finish line, WCCS families!

We continue to inch closer to our immediate goal for the Lower School paved parking lot, and to help fund a new 15-passenger school bus this fall. Please consider a donation and help us reach our spring/summer goal of $130,000!

We are $22,140 shy of our final summer goal! Can you help one campus reach the top first before school starts? Let's do this together, WCCS families! Donate at the link below! 💙💛

👉https://crm.bloomerang.co/HostedDonation?ApiKey=pub_f26eacab-cdd9-11ea-96ab-0a4146b57d16&WidgetId=3069952

Some of the most powerful words you'll read about the value of a WCCS education come right from our own graduates! While each graduate goes on to forge their own path after graduation – from college to career and family life – each of them tell us that they remember Westminster Catawba Christian School as a significant part of their journey in finding God's unique purpose for their lives. Throughout the summer, we will be featuring one of our recent WCCS alumni along with some of their many accomplishments, careers, adventures, and projects!

Today's featured alumna is Alli Swyt from the Class of 2022. Alli is currently a student at Wake Forest University. She is majoring in Physics with a minor in Japanese Language and Culture. She recently traveled to Japan with RUF on a mission trip, and is spending the summer in Osaka doing an intensive language immersion program! Here is what she has to say about her time at WCCS and how it has prepared her for what God is currently doing in her life:

"I like that the senior year Bible class was a survey of world religions, at least when I was there. Especially for those who graduate and go to non-Christian universities, it is so valuable to understand the beliefs others may have, so that we are able to empathize with and love others the way Jesus calls us to." -Alli Swyt, Class of 2022

Read more about Alli at the link below!

https://wccs.org/stories/graduate-stories/featured-alumni/featured-alumna-alli-swyt

Some of the most powerful words you'll read about the value of a WCCS education come right from our own graduates! While each graduate goes on to forge their own path after graduation – from college to career and family life – each of them tell us that they remember Westminster Catawba Christian School as a significant part of their journey in finding God's unique purpose for their lives. Throughout the summer, we will be featuring one of our recent WCCS alumni along with some of their many accomplishments, careers, adventures, and projects!

Today's featured alumnus is John Haley from the Class of 2015. John recently traveled to Uganda on a special mission with his business, "Beeyond Bees". He and his guys learned how Ugandans keep bees, and helped train pastors to keep bees efficiently and use bees for the Gospel! Check out more of what he has to say about his time at WCCS as well as more of his recent adventures at the link below.

"A special memory I have of my time at WCCS is when the Holy Spirit moved through many people during a chapel[…]I remember all the different ages affected and a school leader announcing that we shouldn’t just continue on as a normal class period, but embrace what was happening with God. Amen!" -John Haley, Class of 2015

https://wccs.org/stories/graduate-stories/featured-alumni/featured-alumnus-john-haley/

🇺🇸 All WCCS school offices will be closed for the July 4th holiday from Monday, July 1 - Friday, July 5. 🇺🇸

Some of the most powerful words you'll read about the value of a WCCS education come right from our own graduates! While each graduate goes on to forge their own path after graduation – from college to career and family life – each of them tell us that they remember Westminster Catawba Christian School as a significant part of their journey in finding God's unique purpose for their lives. Throughout the summer, we will be featuring one of our recent WCCS alumni along with some of their many accomplishments, careers, adventures, and projects!

Today's featured alumna is Lindsay Weaver from the Class of 2012. Lindsay was recently honored as the Fort Mill School District Teacher of the Year! She has some great words about how her time at WCCS prepared her for this calling and helped shape her into the teacher she is today.

"The teachers at WCCS not only teach us content, but know us individually. Through their lessons, my teachers encouraged me to pursue my passion as a teacher. They showed me the qualities of a teacher through their actions: kindness, patience, collaboration, empathy, creativeness, and so much more.” -Lindsay Weaver, Class of 2012

Lindsay shares more about her calling to serve as a teacher at the link below. Check it out!

https://wccs.org/stories/graduate-stories/featured-alumni/featured-alumna-lindsay-weaver/