The Friday Finish – August 9, 2024
Back to School Bash for K-12 and College
Back to School night at Red Bird Christian School (RBCS) is always an evening of fresh starts for our K-12 students, but several colleges were present Tuesday evening for the start of the new school year. The college and technical school representatives were not only talking to high school students, but were answering questions for family members about possibilities for getting into post-secondary education and training.
Post-secondary education can be expensive for families already struggling but Red Bird just received a Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) grant to extend FAFSA application assistance to any individual, not just high school students. Mrs. Melanie Adams, current RBCS Guidance Counselor and former KHEAA Representative, was explaining this new opportunity to adults as their students were picking up RBCS schedules and meeting their teachers Tuesday.
Our local television station, WYMT, also jumped in to help in the promotion of this new offer of assistance with a report on their 4 and 6 pm newscasts Tuesday. In one of the interviews broadcast, Mrs. Adams said, “We don’t want a piece of paper, or an electronic application to stand in the way of someone going to college. We want to make sure there are no obstacles in the way. We want to take that barrier down.”
Approximately 200 were in attendance to pick up “freebies” and info from RBCS, the Regional KHEAA Representative, 9 colleges representing, U.S. Air Force and Kentucky National Guard.
Candy Salad – A sweet way to start the school year
Creativity is always present at Red Bird Christian School, but Mrs. Patty Vance invited her students to make a candy salad on the first day of school. This year, 4th and 5th grades will be in one combined classroom so Mrs. Vance began the year with each student coming forward to add a box of candy to create the representation of the uniqueness that each one brings to the classroom.
The opening of the 2024-25 academic year was also celebrated with “First Day” photos. Mrs. Chasley’s Kindergartners took individual photos by the big “K”, and new teacher Jessica Howard took a class photo of her classroom of 1st and 2nd graders. There may have been a few emotions welling up as the Senior Class of 2025 stood for a group photo of their “last first day”.
Principal Jennifer Wilder welcomed middle and high school students that morning to a brief orientation and devotion in the Ehresman Chapel. She opened her devotional thoughts reading Psalm 90:12 – “Teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” The devotional introduced the school theme, “Journey – Daily Decisions to a Destination,” and included the ideas of showing pride, finding joy, purpose, balance, focus, and determination daily.
Mrs. Wilder said,
“The number of days is not the most significant thing. It’s the way you choose to live those days.”
ECD Expands Pre-School to Two-Year Olds
Red Bird Christian School’s ECD (Early Childhood Development) Pre-K held its Back to School open house Thursday evening at the Schaeffer Building on the Queendale Campus. Families came by to pick up a gift and let the children meet their teachers for the new school year.
Amy Collett has been working with ECD for over 30 years, but this year will be leading daily activities as Assistant Director. ECD expanded licensing this summer to add a 2-year old group to the 3 and 4-year old program for Pre-K, and 10 of the 12 slots for the 2-year old program were filled in this first offering.
Principal Jennifer Wilder was excited about the expansion saying,
“It gives us the opportunity to begin building relationships with the families a year earlier!”
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