Dear High School Families,

Our High School Steering Committee meets weekly to keep things running smoothly during this transition year while planning for the future. This week, we reviewed first semester progress and finances, and we finalized admissions and re-enrollment documents for the coming year.

Looking back over the first semester was both inspiring and motivating. We are grateful to God for all the ways He directed and smoothed our path through a rapid and complex joining of two schools. The vision for a better school with stronger faculty, student body, and programs has clearly been realized.

With your ongoing investment and God’s faithfulness, we have been able to increase and improve during a time when many schools across the nation have closed or have been forced to drastically cut staff and programs. The Lord has provided for our school through good stewardship at both Highlands and Alma Heights. Both schools have committed reserve funds to enable our school to continue building strong educational programs even through tough years, and we have been able to do so with relatively small increases in tuition.

Tuition and fees account for approximately 75% of the income needed to run the high school. The remainder of the funding comes through support from Pillar of Fire ministries (for the cost of the new library and gymnasium buildings), fundraising, donations, and reserve funds of both Highlands and Alma Heights.

Because long term reliance on financial reserves is not a sustainable plan, the Steering Committee is working hard to find ways to reduce expenses and increase donations and fundraising for the coming months and years. This is particularly challenging with significant cost increases in insurance and workman’s compensation for 2010. It costs the school much more to provide a basic salary and benefits to our teachers even without any direct salary increases.

We need parents to partner with us in these challenging times through faith, giving, and work.

Faith

Please join us in consistent prayer for our school. Without God, we can do nothing. He is our Source, our Reason, and we seek to accomplish His purposes as we partner with you in training our students. We have a Parents in Prayer group that meets every Tuesday morning at the Seville campus. It would be good for additional prayer groups to be initiated. Perhaps you could host one at your home or church that would provide another place for members of our community to meet together for prayer on a weekly or monthly basis.

Giving

Many of our school families are already stretched to their limit to pay tuition. Others may have the ability to give extra from time to time. Many of us know people or work for companies that may have the ability to donate toward our school. As an increasing number of families seek some tuition assistance in this tough economy, we need a renewed effort by those with the ability to help. If you are able to give or to help us find individuals or organizations able to give, please prayerfully consider helping in this way.

Work

Through our family volunteer program, Serving and Laboring Together (S.A.L.T.)  we are able to keep facility costs down, enhance classroom instruction, provide field trips, encourage our teachers and coaches, run special events, provide tutoring to some of our students and do many other things that would not otherwise be possible. Thanks to each of you for the ways you contribute to this program. It is a constant blessing in our school community. Keep in mind that high school students can serve on behalf of their family and also receive credit for community service hours in the process.

One of the ways that I believe we can better use our parents is in the area of leadership. If you have leadership skills and would consider serving in an advisory capacity to help us with strategic planning, fundraising, marketing, or other areas of leadership, please contact me. We are looking for better ways to include parents in contributing great ideas and leadership so vital for school development. Please feel free to make an appointment with me if you have a good idea to share or are able to offer some time as part of a team focused on one of these leadership areas.

Thanks so much for the privilege of partnering with you in training our students!   Each one is a unique creation of our Loving God and has amazing potential to live a life that truly matters.