FEBRUARY 26, 2016

THE WOODLANDSC H R I S T I A NA C A D E M Y

THE WOODLANDSCHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Sophomores - Big Bend National Park.5800 ACADEMY WAY . THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS 77384 . 936-273-2555 . WWW.TWCA.NET

Warrior Varsity Track Program Hosts First Meet

The Woodlands Christian Academy varsity track and field program hosted the first annual Woodlands Christian Invitational meet on Saturday, February 20. The Warriors hosted 21 area high schools with approximately 500 athletes participating in the meet. During the course of the event, we welcomed an estimated 1,500 visitors and heard numerous compliments on our outstanding facilities and beautiful campus. An undertaking of this size requires a tremendous amount of support and we’d like to thank all of the volunteers and parents who gave of their time to make our first ever varsity track meet such a success.

Here are the highlights from the event —

    - Out of the 22 schools entered, our girls’ team finished in second place overall, and the boys’ team finished in third place     - Alyssa Regier (silver – 800m)     - Darcy Sanford (gold – high jump; gold – long jump; bronze – discus; gold – shot put; silver – 100m hurdles)     - Hannah Shearer (bronze – 1600m)      - Olivia Gregory (bronze – 3200m)     - Girls 4x200m relay (bronze) - Marielle Olivier, Azaria Ragbir, Morgan McBurney, Casey Gaige     - Girls 4x400m relay (bronze) - Marielle Olivier, Casey Gaige, Madelyn Rasberry, Alyssa Regier     - Jake Adams (gold – 800m)     - Joshy Shearer (silver – 1600m; bronze – 3200m)     - Kyle Clark (gold – pole vault)     - Boys 4x200m relay (silver) - Elijah Bajoyo, Nick O’Connor, Matt Michel, Ethan Peters     - Boys 4x400m relay (gold) - Ryan Doner, Jake Adams, Zach Kontor, Kyle Clark

On Thursday afternoon, we will host our second middle school track & field meet. Please come out and cheer on our middle school team! On Saturday, February 27, our varsity team travels to the St. John’s School for a three-team competition with St. John’s and Houston Christian.

Information & photos provided by Coach Tom Earle.

Sophomores - Big Bend National Park.

Warrior Happenings

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Students Compete In Math Olympics

As part of their study of ancient Rome, third grade students used high-tech and high-touch methods to learn about their subject. Students chose a topic to research and then created a Keynote presentation. They then used their presentations to teach their peers and even gave their classmates a quiz! Additionally, each student crafted an art project to help the class better understand their topics.

Information & photos submitted by Ashley Barrett.

Third Grade Students Discover Ancient Rome

Twenty-one students in the 3rd-8th grades recently competed in the area round of the ACSI Math Olympics. Over 207 students from 19 different schools participated in the event. Congratulations to the those Warriors who were recognized for placing in the top five positions within their respective grade levels. They are as follows:

3rd grade - Jaedyn How, 3rd place - reasoning 4th grade - Aubrie Edmondson, 5th place - reasoning 5th grade - Seth Culberson, 4th place - computation 5th grade - Mitchell Gunthorpe, 1st place - reasoning 6th grade - Keaton Harvey, 2nd place - reasoning 7th grade - Aubrey Hollas, 4th place - reasoning

Information & photo submitted by Stephanie Williams.

3-D In The News!

Woodlands Christian faculty members, Susan Peterson and Wouter Westerduin along with Janet Coe, Instructional Technology Coordinator recently attended a special training session at Second Baptist School in Houston. Javier Saavedra, computer science teacher at Second Baptist, introduced his guests to Fusion 360, a cloud-based 3-D computer aided design (CAD) software. This software allows students to design and create three-dimensional figures which can then be printed on our MakerBot printers. In the past, students could only display their ideas digitally in two dimensions on the computer screen; with 3-D design and printing, the creation now becomes a physical, touchable exhibit of their creativity. Additionally, Mrs. Peterson, Mr. Westerduin and Cyndee Farra, Director of Technology were featured in an article published this week in the Chronicle newspaper. You may view the article by clicking here.

Information & photo submitted by Janet Coe.

Sophomores - Big Bend National Park.

Warrior Happenings

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

The 5th-12th grade English teachers engaged in lively discussion and idea sharing during an incredibly productive professional learning community (PLC) meeting this week. They worked primarily on the writing process throughout the grade levels and how to develop stellar writing skills in middle school, high school, and beyond.

In photo at left: Mary Bishop, Amy Cain, Heather Deming, Crystal Chapman, Brenda Phillips, and Heidi Saenz.

Information & photo submitted by Amy Rowe.

Faculty Members Learn From Each Other

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT NEWS

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Warrior Basketball Teams Wrap Up Their Seasons

The Warrior varsity basketball teams closed out their seasons this week with playoff games on the road. The boys’ team earned a first round playoff victory with a 76-50 win over Marble Falls before falling in the second round to Beaumont Legacy, 57-86, on Tuesday, February 23. The team ended the season with an overall record of 24-12. In a hard fought contest, the girls’ team lost their first round playoff game 41-45 to Schertz John Paul II Catholic High School on Saturday, February 20. Their overall record for the season was 8-12. The 2015-2016 varsity basketball season was an exciting one filled with strong performances by both teams. Warrior fans are already looking forward to another great season of basketball next year!

Go Warrior basketball!

The Warrior varsity baseball team is off to a 3-1 start to their season with a 6-5 victory over St. Anthony (San Antonio) on Saturday, February 20. Rainy weather forced the cancellation of their game on Tuesday and the team now looks forward to participating in the San Marcos Academy tournament Friday and Saturday, February 26-27. The Warriors return home on Tuesday, March 1 for a game with Covenant Christian. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

Go Warrior baseball!

Warrior Baseball Update

Sophomores - Big Bend National Park.

All School News

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

The lost and found table in the MPR is overflowing with a vast array of lonely items just waiting to go home with their owners!

Items will remain in the MPR until Friday, February 26. All unclaimed items will be removed and donated to charity.

Thank you.

Help! We’re Lost And We Want To Go Home!

Warrior Wellness — by Felicia Noah, R.N.

In our continuing effort to encourage the health and wellness of our students, we will periodically share items of interest with our school community. We hope you will find this information helpful!

Could Smart Phones Be Causing Sleep Deprivation In Your Student?

A JFK Medical Center study1 revealed the effects of smart phones on teens’ sleep. The study showed that 60 percent of students are not getting enough sleep due to late night texting or phone use, and 20 to 25 percent are awakened from their sleep responding to texts.

Dr. Peter Polos, the sleep disorder specialist who led the study, reveals that 70 percent of the 3000 participants reported getting less than the recommended eight hours of sleep. He adds, “Quality

and quantity are important for brain development, for organizing thoughts of the day, helping with memory consolidation.” According to the study, sleep deprivation is causing problems with brain development and academic performance for adolescents in their prime for growth. Smartphone use before bed interrupts the brain’s ability to unwind and disconnect. Staring into the blue light of a screen, or exposure to any light waves, delays the onset of sleep by interrupting the release of melatonin2 – a hormone that helps control sleep and wake cycles. Dr. Polos states, “It really becomes incumbent upon the parent to say, “OK there is a set off time and set on time for phones.”

1. JFK Medical Center 2. University of Maryland Medical Center