April - May 2008

Wonderful Historical Tour  Thank you to the students, chaperones and all those who prayed for the tour. The Lord wonderfully blessed our excursion and we give Him thanks and praise. Ask a junior or senior to tell you about the experience.

Students and parents: please be sure to write a thank you letter to your Newmilns host family and include a photo from the visit.

Vocation Shadowing Day - Friday, April 18th, will be Vocation Shadowing Day. There will not be school on that day; instead students will arrange to observe someone who works in a field of interest to them. Students will spend 4 - 8 hours getting an inside look at a vocation. We encourage students not to shadow their parents at their workplace but take the opportunity to take a first-hand look at the career of someone outside their immediate family. Students should arrange the observation with plenty of lead time. Please refer to the packet that was mailed to you in March. Contact the office if you have questions.

Game Night - Friday night, April 25th, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  All CHS students are invited to enjoy an evening of games, hot dogs and hamburgers.  Cost is $4.00 due by Thursday, April 24 (pay to Rhodri Bond); $5 if paid on the day of event.   Location: First Baptist Church of University Place, 2844 Mountain View Ave. W., University Place.

Testing - Freshmen and sophomores took the Stanford Achievement Test on Tuesday, April 8th. We give this test annually to assess student achievement in the areas of vocabulary, reading comprehension, math, English, spelling, science and social studies. In late May, each student receives a score analysis which compares the student’s achievement with other students in the same grade from across the nation.

SAT – College Admissions Testing - We encourage juniors to take the SAT college entrance exam on Saturday, June 7th and/or the ACT on June 14th. This will permit students to re-take the exam in the fall of their senior year if their first test results are unsatisfactory. It also provides them with test scores for applying for early admission to college.

Registration for the June SAT test must be completed by May 6th. You can register on-line at www.collegeboard.com. (This website contains useful college-related information and links.)  Registration for the June ACT test must be completed by May 9 at act.org.  Covenant High School’s code number for both tests is 481371.

Commencement at First Presbyterian Church (downtown Tacoma) - Plan to attend the commencement exercises for the Class of 2008 on Friday, May 30th at 7:00 p.m. Our keynote speaker will be David Scott, pastor of Resurrection Presbyterian Church, a new church plant in Puyallup. Remember commencement is at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Tacoma at 20 Tacoma Ave.

Report Cards - Mid-term report cards were issued to students on April 10th.  The next progress reports will be issued to students on May 1st.

Concurrent Credit - CHS offers several courses that juniors and seniors can take as honors courses and earn college credit. Several CHS courses have been approved by Northwest Nazarene University to earn college credit through NNU’s Concurrent Credit Program. The Concurrent Credit Program is a partnership between NNU and approved high schools. It offers junior and senior students the opportunity to begin earning college credit while still enrolled in high school. Unlike AP or CLEP credits which typically allow a student to skip prerequisite courses but often do not earn college credits, NNU credits are college credits granted by an accredited four-year university.  Students who earn credit through the concurrent credit program will receive the same transcript record from NNU as full-time four-year college students attending NNU. Unlike students who go through the Running Start program at a community college, concurrent credit students can continue enjoying the benefits of a Christian high school education while earning college credit. Also Running Start credits are typically accepted as college credits only by Washington State public universities and not by private or out-of-state colleges and universities. 

The NNU transcript certifies college credit earned, but does not automatically guarantee its acceptance at any other institution. However, NNU credits earned through the concurrent credit program have been widely accepted by public and private colleges across the country. The cost for earning the credits is $65.00 per semester credit, so a  4 credit semester course would cost $260.00. The average Christian college today charges about $700 per semester credit or $2,800 per 4 credit semester course. The average Washington State four-year public university charges approximately $200 per credit or $800 for a 4 credit semester course.

We will offer concurrent credit next year in the following courses: Junior and Senior English, Advanced Biology, Junior and Senior Speech, Precalculus, Spanish 3 & 4.

2008–2009 Electives Information - Many seniors and juniors who wish to take P.E. will most likely be unable to take P.E. because of class size limitations in the physics and advanced biology classes. A lottery will be held to determine which junior or senior students will be eligible for the few P.E. openings.

Visitor Reminder - Covenant High School operates a closed campus. No visitors are permitted without prior approval from the administration. The only visitors allowed are prospective CHS students who have begun the application process through the school office.

Coming up…

Choir and Art day – Tuesday, May 6th

Spring Concert and Art Show – Friday, May 9th  - Instrumental prelude begins at 6:40 p.m.

Congratulations to Contest Winners

Three of our students were Oratorical Contest winners, sponsored by the Optimist Club. First place went to Mariah Florez, second place to Sarah Chaffee, and fourth place to Priscilla Yong.  Mariah moves on to the next level of competition in Gresham, Oregon on Saturday, April 19.

Hymn-Writing Contest finalists, sponsored by Hymnlyrics.org have been announced. Five of the ten finalists are from Covenant High School. They are Tyler Wickstrom, Lisa Pappuleas, Rosemary Shelden, Rachael Lewis and Hannah McComas. To read more about the contest and view the lyrics visit the hymnlyrics.org website.