June 23, 2008
Dear FACS Family,
I want to thank you for the privilege of serving your family this year. In many ways it has been a trying year – but in many ways it has been a very rewarding and successful year. While we journeyed through some challenges, we also experienced God’s presence and help as we grew and partnered together.

It has been so neat to watch your children as they developed and transformed right before our eyes. Through our chapels, I was blessed to see them develop relationships with God and experience His presence. From learning new ways to worship to naming over 100 names of God, His presence was alive and real in your children and in our building.

Not only have they grown spiritually, but your children have grown academically. We can see this in what they have done throughout the year as well as in our testing. We had seven 8th graders receive the highest scores possible on the Algebra End of Course Test. We had great scores in our other tests as well. We are very proud of our students and expectant of the wonderful leaps and bounds your children will take in this upcoming school year.

With change comes new seasons for teachers, students, and families. We will miss our teachers and families who are not returning. We want to express our gratitude to our teachers who are transitioning this year. Mrs. Hood will be a new stay-at-home mom. Mrs. Peoples and her husband are fulfilling their passion for the mission field. Mrs. Sullivan and Mr. Schultz (who is completing his doctorate) are also transitioning into new seasons. We are thankful that God brought us together for this time, and we pray His blessings for each as they follow His leading. 

We are excited about the new school year.  Ms. Megan Kelly (soon to be Mrs. Paulsen) will be partnering with Mrs. McKinney for the 2nd grade classes. Mrs. Ellis and Ms. Stratton will teach 3rd grade classes. Mr. Wenner will teach 4th grade, and Mrs. Quave is transitioning to middle school to teach Language Arts. Mrs. Carter’s new 5th grade teaching partner is Ms. Sarah Pitts – you’ll love her! Mr. Balser has chosen to return to his passion – teaching history! He will be teaching middle school history and heading up the Athletics Department. We are thankful for his leadership over the last number of years. God has blessed us with a gifted teaching staff—please pray for them through the summer as they recharge for the new year! Mrs. Burrow will remain as the Elementary Principal. I will oversee the Middle School as a whole in partnership with Mrs. Quave (discipline & communications) and Mrs. Schmitz (curriculum). 

This past year, we placed a strong focus on Biblical Integration, infusing God’s Word and principles into the fabric of every class and activity. Of course, this will continue as we focus this year on Differentiated Instruction, allowing teachers to address the different learning styles and needs of their students. In addition to a strong focus on academics, we will incorporate character development and related skills into all classes, helping our students grow in godliness and excellence. We believe these strategies will help our kids reach their potential while improving our school both academically and socially.

Our Middle school will be moving to a block schedule, which will provide 90 minutes of uninterrupted instruction in the core subjects (Bible, history, math, science, language arts, and reading). All core subjects will be in the morning while the afternoons will be filled with computer classes, Spanish, PE, study hall, and chapel. They will also be moving to a 7 point grade scale. We will be preparing our eighth graders for high school exams by teaching exam prep and walking them through a semester exam experience. Mid-year, all middle school students will participate in “Boot Camp” – an intense week of a specific academic focus with extra curricular opportunities in the afternoons. We anticipate an exciting year where all our students achieve their full potential!

I have spent many hours in prayer for our students, families, and faculty for this upcoming school year. I believe God has each of us here for a purpose and a reason. I believe if we continue to work together, we will make this year one of the best our kids have experienced. There will be many opportunities this fall for our parents to become actively involved in school life at FACS. Please be praying about what God wants you to do to help accomplish His purpose here!

As always, if you have any questions or want to talk, please call me at 336.759.7762 to set up a time to share together.
I look forward to partnering with you in the 2008-2009 school year.

In Christ,
Liz Ashby
Pastor of Education