The Friday Finish – August 2, 2024
Storm Leaves Vehicle Totaled
It was a “rinse and repeat” forecast this week of storms rolling through southeast Kentucky but the isolated thunderstorm that rolled through Queendale totaled the mini-van used by Maintenance & Community Housing Improvement Director Sylvester Nolan. A downburst of wind on Tuesday evening split the sweet gum tree by The Cardinal House and Work Camp/Maintenance Office that also damaged the roof. Power was knocked out for a couple of hours.
Work Camp volunteers had just gathered in The Cardinal House dining hall when the lights went down and the tree toppled. God’s hand was truly in the movement of our volunteers because all were safely inside, and not walking in that area when the tree fell.
The vehicle lost was one of the last “soup label vans” that had been received through the Campbell’’s Labels for Education program. Funds are now needed to replace vans used by our school and dormitory programs since the Labels for Education program was terminated in 2017.
Principal Wilder Opens Staff Work with “Shared Mission” Message
New and returning staff were welcomed Thursday by Executive Director Kari Collins, and a message from Principal Jennifer Wilder highlighting the shared mission for the 2024-2025 academic year at Red Bird Christian School. Using Galatians 6:2,“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” as a scriptural foundation, she reminded staff,
“the school is our mission field. To stay at Red Bird, you have to feel that calling [to mission] on your life.”
Wilder spoke words of appreciation to the staff that are stepping up to help fill vacancies which will hold down costs. She laid out changes in the realignment of subject matter responsibilities for high school teachers, addition of IT staff on site that will teach elementary PE and IT, and the combination of four elementary grade levels (1st & 2nd, 4th & 5th) into two classrooms.
A new elementary teacher, new security staff person, and new custodians were also recognized and welcomed. Mrs. Wilder emphasized the importance of all staff – coaches, after school leaders, office staff, food service, custodian, and dorm staff –– to the overall success of the school. She also thanked maintenance staff and Work Camp volunteers for their work throughout the summer to get the facilities ready for the start of school.
Steele-Reese Foundation Grant Funds New ECD Curriculum
Red Bird Christian School’s ECD (Early Childhood Development) program has seen a lot of transitions since its beginning over 50 years ago in the early 1970’s. Initially funded by a Call to Prayer and Self-Denial Grant to prepare children for 1st Grade when Kindergarten wasn’t compulsory in Kentucky, it grew to serving more than a dozen communities and literally hundreds of pre-school children during this time. Currently, ECD serves families whose children have little or no access to 3 and 4-year old programs in area schools.
Approval of a grant request by the Steele-Reese Foundation to purchase a pre-school curriculum will bolster the pre-school readiness of Red Bird’s preschool “graduates” giving them even better transitions into Kindergarten. The remainder of the grant will fund other instructional costs.
Amy Collett has over 30 years of experience working in ECD, and is taking over lead teacher responsibilities this year integrating the new curriculum at Red Bird. “The Creative Curriculum” is a comprehensive, research-based curriculum that features hands-on, project-based investigations as a pathway to learning.
As a non-public program, ECD does not receive public funding leaving the responsibility for funding to Red Bird Mission to continue providing this important educational foundation for unserved children in our area. In addition to grants, individuals and churches have donated over the years to close the gap between the tuition cost and what families can afford pay.
Red Bird Sisters Lead 4-H Camp
Leadership development is an intentional part of education at Red Bird Christian School, and two sisters that have come through RBCS leadership are leading as counselors in 4-H Camp this week. Samantha Nolan (Class of 2020) and her sister, Sydney, (Class of 2025) have participated over the years as 4-H campers, but this year both were given responsibilities of leadership. Several RBCS students were among a bus load going from the Clay County Cooperative Extension Service’s 4-H program.
Samantha just finished her bachelor’s degree at Bellarmine University and will be diving into a doctoral program in Physical Therapy in just a few days. Sydney is beginning her senior year at RBCS on Thursday.
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