Lower Academy

Important Dates

September 26…K5-12th Academy Chapel

September 29-October 3…Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 2…2nd/5th grades to Prince of Egypt at Anderson University

October 8...Lower Academy (K5-5th grade) Nature Walks (details forthcoming from classroom teachers)

October 23…3rd grade to Star Fort in Ninety-Six, SC

November 7, 2025…GrandPals Day (K3-5th grade)

On the Go?

Are you in the car a lot transporting your children to school, sporting events, extracurricular activities, etc.?  This is a great opportunity to redeem the time and nourish your soul (and your child’s) on truth, goodness, and beauty!  There are so many resources available out there, so we wanted to share a few with you!  We will be featuring some of these in our “On the Go” section of the Chronicle from now on, so stay tuned!

First up…

HOOPLA:

If you don’t have the HOOPLA app, run, don’t walk to download it on your phone!  It is the Public Library’s digital option and it is FULL of resources that are true, good, and beautiful!  This week’s assignment is to download HOOPLA.  If you have trouble getting it set up, there is a help desk at the library that is really great and worth your time to stop by.  Once you get HOOPLA downloaded, it’s time to “check out” some audiobooks for your kids to listen to in the car!  (Hoopla Pro Tip:  Do your “checking out” first thing in the morning.  There is a daily maximum per library, and ours is usually maxed out by the evening).  Here are a couple of great audiobook recommendations:

https://www.hoopladigital.com/audiobook/animal-tales-jim-weiss/16404832

https://www.hoopladigital.com/audiobook/bible-stories-great-men-and-women-from-noah-through-solomon-library-edition-jim-weiss/16277586

https://www.hoopladigital.com/audiobook/first-stories-to-last-a-lifetime-jim-weiss/16498226

https://www.hoopladigital.com/audiobook/heroes-horses-and-harvest-moons-jim-weiss/16456448

***You can’t go wrong with a Jim Weiss narration!

If you listen to a great audiobook this week, let me know (edrago@newcovschool.net).  I’ll add it to our “On the Go” recommendations!

Background Checks

If you are planning to be a driver for anything related to the school this year, please fill out a Background Check Form and turn it in to the front office along with $40 (cash or check). This will allow you to drive any student other than your own on school-related outings. Thanks so much!

Family Bible Reading Plan

Our Chronological Bible Reading Plan, which will coincide with our K3-5th grade chapel messages, begins next week.  You can check back here every Saturday to see what the passages for the week will be.  There are many ways to incorporate this into your family’s day…use it as a read aloud before bed, listen to it on the way to/from school, read it at the dinner table, have your student read it to you after school, etc.  We are looking forward to journeying through the Old Testament (chronologically) with you!

Monday, September 15, 2025…Job 14-15

Tuesday, September 16, 2025…Job 16-19

Wednesday, September 17, 2025…Job 20-21

Thursday, September 18, 2025…Job 22-25

Friday, September 19, 2025…Job 26-28

K3 & K4

Save The Date

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be taking our preschoolers to visit Wild Orchard Homestead on Tuesday, October 21, from 9-11am.  This field trip is open to ALL of our preschoolers, but in order for a preschool student to attend, a parent/guardian must accompany them.  Here is a message from the owner:

The field trip will consist of lots of free play in the "mud kitchen" and time for parents to visit chickens, roam around the farm and pick flowers from any of the flowers available in the u-pick section of the garden.  There is also a nature balance beam walk, some nature scavenger color hunts, and Magnatile “letter puzzles” that usually sit out during the free play portion of our time.  

There will also be a story time and a craft activity with a nature/pollinator theme. It will be a great time to talk about how all of the insects are going to bed for the winter!  It will be simple and fun and the kids will have a blast!  Make sure you wear clothes that can get messy!

Quarter 1 Enrichment

Each quarter, our K3/K4 classes will be introduced to a new artist, poet, composer, and hymn.  We would love for our families to be continuing this at home in the evenings and on the weekends.  Some great ways to do that are to print several prints from that quarter’s artist and hang them on your refrigerator or around the house.  You can also have that quarter’s symphony playing in the background as you eat dinner or drive to school.  Another idea is to read a poem by the poet before bed every night.  You can also sing the hymn as a family periodically throughout the week.  There are many simple ways to incorporate truth, goodness, and beauty into your daily routines!  You can find the names of the artist, poet, composer/symphony, and hymns on the bulletin board in the preschool wing at the school.  You will also be able to find them in the Chronicle.  

Quarter 1:

Poet:  Robert Louis Stevenson

Artist:  Vincent vanGogh

Music:  Prokofiev (Peter & the Wolf)

Hymn:  Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah & Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

In order for our classrooms and families to be able to learn and sing the same version of our quarterly hymns at home and at school, Jonathan Wisdom, the pastor of worship at New Covenant Church created us tracks that can be shared and used by everyone!  Thank you so much, Jonathan!  This is a gift to our school and families.  You can find the tracks for this quarter’s hymns at the website below:

Public Domain Hymns — New Covenant Church

K5-5th Grade

Discovery Projects

1st-5th grade:

By now, you may have already started thinking about your child’s (or family’s) Discovery Project.  It is important to remember that the point of this project is for your child to learn more about something they are curious about.  It should be fun for them (and you!).  The hope is that this will be an opportunity for them to spend some time learning more about something they have wondered about, something they love, or something that has piqued their curiosity before.  Please have fun with it and use it as a chance to learn and create together!  Here’s the link to the information page found on the school’s website:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c0c06ac75f9eeb996b3d9a1/t/68acae2edc4ea064f0d1399f/1756147246787/Discovery+Projects.pdf

4th & 5th Graders:

Fourth and Fifth grade families, be on the lookout for information regarding the SCACS Fine Arts Festival in your child’s Friday folder next week. There will be a letter explaining the festival, along with categories that your child may find interesting. We would love to see the gifts and talents of our Lower Academy students represented at the festival this year. There are opportunities in Music, Speech, and Art! Please contact Carrie Byce with any questions (cbyce@newcovschool.net). 

Dismissal

K5-5th grade dismissal begins at 2:40pm each afternoon.  Please make sure you are here at that time to pick up your student.  We typically get cars through the line very quickly, so there should not be much of a wait.  Thanks so much!

Tutoring Opportunities

At New Covenant School, we want to walk alongside students in their learning. Each teacher (K–12) sets aside specific days for tutoring and is available until 3:30 p.m. on those days. If your child would benefit from a little extra help, please reach out to their teacher for the published schedule.

Please keep in mind: teacher tutoring is meant for basic review and support. If your child needs more in-depth or ongoing assistance, additional outside tutoring may be a helpful option.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher conferences are coming up the week of September 29-October 3.  These are done for every K5-5th grade student and are a way for parents and teachers to communicate about the school year thus far.  These will be scheduled by your child’s classroom teacher, who will be reaching out soon to set up your meeting.