Early this morning, I woke up to a cacophony of praise as the birds, many different songbirds, were singing at full voice. As the morning wore on, the ginormous “voice” of the sun began to overpower all other “voices” less the “voice” of the trees as the wind blew through them. This general sound was punctuated with the caws of a few crows and sand hill cranes flying by. In scripture we see examples/verses that talk about similar situations: 

• 1Ch 16:31  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”

• 1Ch 16:32  Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it!

• 1Ch 16:33  Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.

• 1Ch 16:34  Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

• Psa 65:12  The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,

• Psa 65:13  the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy

• Psa 66:4  All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah 

I like the end of the 1 Chronicles passage where the end result for you and I, the listener, should be “giving thanks to the Lord for He is good.” That is what I felt.

A couple of big shout outs!

• A big shout out to VCS’s Cristian Anderson who placed 2nd in the state qualifying heats of the 400-meter race. He went on then to place 4th overall! Way to go!

• A big shout out to VCS’s Josiah Popp who earned a Superior Rating in the ACTS Bible Recitation Competition. (ACTS is the organization that accredits the school.) Way to go!

Speaking of ACTS, this coming school year is a re-accreditation year for the school. What this means is that all stakeholders of the school – administration, staff, students, school board, and parents, look at the different aspects of the school and its programs in light of the standards set forth by ACTS. From this evaluation we develop a report (in March or April) that is submitted to ACTS. They send a team to the school about 30 days after receiving the report to validate the claims that were made in the report. This sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but with many hands, it hopefully will be light work.

I know we just got into summer break, and it is wonderful, but a couple of dates to put on your “radar” for planning purposes:

• Aug. 18th – The Fall Welcome Back Night/Corporate Meeting. As a parent member and per the by-laws, you are expected to attend that meeting (as well as the Spring Corporate Meeting).

• Aug. 22nd – The First Day of the new school year.

As the administrator of the school, I want to thank those parents who have utilized the Quality Input Opportunity (QIO) avenue of communication to the school board. If you would like to send something to the board that is on you mind, either use the form (at the office) or simply type up those thoughts with “QIO” as a heading and then send it to me. I will forward that info onto the board.

Looking forward to next year’s staffing needs, we need to fill the following positions: MS Math/English, K-12 P.E., 3rd grade, MS/HS History, and MS/HS Math. If you know of anyone that could fill these positions, please encourage them to apply. Also, we could use some additional substitute teachers for the coming year. Also, I would ask that you join with me to pray at 12 noon each for the Father’s moving to fill these positions.

The fundraising committee is still seeking 2-3 additional members for the committee beginning with the new school year.

The next regularly scheduled school board meeting is scheduled for July 19, 2022 @ 6pm. Submit your items for the agenda or QIOs by Tuesday July 5th.

Pressing forward for His glory,

Ron