Tonight in our Christmas program we will celebrate and share the story of Christ’s arrival on earth.  We are thrilled to sing about his arrival and the wonder of the forgiveness of sin that resulted.  We celebrate it in our homes and churches with dinners, presents and cards that depict idyllic scenes.  But do we consider, as author Philip Yancey does in The Visited Planet, the humility of Christ’s arrival?

God, who knows no boundaries, took on the skin of a baby and was born into a manure encrusted stable.  He came as a baby who could not speak or eat solid food or control his bladder, who depended on a teenager for shelter, food and love.  This is how Christ, the Saviour of the world, was revealed to the world. 

So, what can we learn from that first Christmas?  These most humiliating circumstances introduce us to a God who is humble and approachable, who invites those who believe to invite others to meet him. In this Christmas season may we find time to consider who Christ is, ways of sharing His story, and methods of spreading His love.

~ Curtis Tuininga

Student Accounts
Volleyball expenses have now been added. Please make sure that your child’s student account does not have a balance owing.

Charitable Receipts
Charitable receipts will be issued in February for the 2011 tax year. All tuition payments and donations received or postmarked by Dec. 31, 2011 will contribute to your 2011 charitable receipt.

Online Payments
Remember payments can be made online using a credit card or debit card (from a major bank) by following this link: http://www.cedars.bc.ca/payment/

If you have any questions, please contact Patti (pattis@cedars.bc.ca) or Michelle (michellek@cedars.bc.ca) by email, phone, or in person at the business office before Christmas break. Please keep in mind that the school will be closed from December 17 – January 2. We will reopen Tuesday, January 3, 2012.

From Mr. Costley
It has been an amazing month for Cedars volleyball. We had three teams qualify for provincials: Senior Girls, Senior Boys, and Junior A Girls. The Senior Boys placed 4th in Kelowna, the Senior Girls placed 14th in Prince George, and the Junior A Girls placed 11th in Richmond.

That wasn’t it for volleyball; I had the privilege of hosting the Junior B Girls Districts on November 25th & 26th at Duchess Park. There I watched our girls fight back in the semi-finals against Kelly Road from a 9 to 14 deficit to win and advance to the gold medal game. Unfortunately, Duchess Park Junior B Girls won, but it was a great effort from our girls and I am very proud of all the Junior B Girls’ (Grade 10) Volleyball Team.

Still that wasn’t the end of volleyball; We had our Junior Boys finish 3rd at Districts, our Grade 8 Girls took 6th at Districts, and finally the Grade 8 Boys finished 3rd. We have never had this many teams competing and placing so high in the history of Cedars athletics.

However, this is not the proudest part of this past volleyball season. It has been hearing the comments from referees, other coaches, and other teams about the sportsmanship of our teams and how they have both represented our school and God. I would like to thank all our coaches and sponsors for the countless hours they have given and for their efforts in developing the unique potential or our athletes.

Thank you, Mr. Costley

From Mr. Beeksma
As we're in the initial stages of Grade 6/7 basketball right now, it's appropriate to give you an idea of the efforts being made to give elementary students experience with basketball:

• Most elementary classes do basketball units in P.E.
• We encourage kids to attend basketball camps and to join Prince George Minor Basketball. These opportunities are advertised in the school as they come up.
• Mr. Beeksma leads a drop-in basketball session for students in Grades 3-7 every Thursday morning before school. More and more kids are attending this, and as they play more, their skill level and enjoyment of the game improve.
• Formal basketball at Cedars begins at Grade 6. The boys team is coached by Mr. Beeksma (assisted by Mr. Leithead), and the girls’ teams by Kayla Gordon (assisted by Mrs. Susanne Gordon) and Mr. Beeksma.

 We will be attending an introductory meeting for elementary basketball on Monday Jan. 9, and some more inter-school games will be arranged at that time, in addition to those games already scheduled.

Mr. Jack Beeksma, Elementary Athletic Director

Many of our students and families have been eagerly awaiting the return of ice activities on the outdoor play area rink. Good news! Ian Hedges, our faithful maintenance guy, has been working hard over the past few weeks and the ice is ready to go! In previous years we have sent rules, regulations, and waivers home to families regarding rink usage. Although our commitment to safety and care is unchanged, our approach this year will be use five simple guidelines regarding use of the outdoor ice rink:

1. Always Wear a Helmet
2. Shoes and Skates Don’t Mix
3. Share the Ice
4. Cause No Harm
5. Clean Up After Yourself

These guidelines will be posted on the fence near the rink entrance and discussed with students. Please Note: Students who use the rink outside of class time will need to provide their own helmets.
 
Looking forward to some great times on the ice this year!

This year, Canadian Blood Services is running a campaign called a Bleed and Feed. Between December 1 - 31, 2011 they're encouraging visitors to blood donor clinics – as well as Canadian Blood Services staff and volunteers – to bring a non-perishable food item with them when visiting one of their blood donor clinics. They recognize the holidays are an extremely busy time of year so they’re encouraging our supporters to spend their precious time doing two good deeds at once – bleed and feed! By filling two kinds of banks at once – the blood bank and the food bank – you’ll help make the season brighter for even more people in need. The food collected at each blood donor clinic across the province will go to local community food banks, in partnership with Food Banks B.C.

If anyone donates blood, then please go do so and register your donation with Cedars Christian School (CEDA002279).  As a school we are only 5 donations away from meeting our goal of 55 donations this year.

See our online calendar for detailed event listing.

Dec. 14	Cupcake Wednesday
Dec. 16	High School Chapel Day
Dec. 16	Last Day of School for Christmas Break
Dec. 19 - Jan. 2	Christmas Break
Jan. 3	First Day Back to School
Jan. 3	Grade 6/7 Boys Basketball Practice
Jan. 4	Grade 6/7 Girls Basketball Practice
Jan. 5	Elementary Drop-In Basketball in A.M.
Jan. 5	Grade 6/7 Girls Basketball Practice

Quip of the Week . . .

TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ' I. '
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie...... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'