Warrior News

Dear Warrior Nation,

The Gospels tell of the crucifixion of Christ, and near the end of the story in John (20:30), Jesus is quoted as saying, “It is finished.”  These three words in English are a translation of the Greek word tetelestai, which actually has multiple contexts from the time of Jesus.  First, the word was used in business on receipts to indicate that a literal financial debt was completely paid in full; in a judicial context, it was used in court, which indicates that a sentence has been completely served; in a military context, it was used to indicate that a battle was won, and the enemy had been completely defeated.  When Jesus cried out on the cross, “Tetelestai,” he was saying this:  Your debt of sin is fully paid, the judgment for your sin has been fully served, and the spiritual war against death, sin, and Satan has been completely won on your behalf.  The victory Christ won for us through his death, resurrection, and ascension is complete; all we have to do is accept it.  If you have never done that, today is the day of salvation, my friend.  Call me, and let’s talk about it.  (Adapted from “It Is Finished” by Josh Howerton)

This is just a reminder that we have one final Open House event scheduled for 9 May, starting at 6:30 p.m. We still have open slots for prospective families to come, tour the school, meet the teachers and administrators, and hear what you already know — that RCS is a great place for their students to receive a Christ-centered education! If you know someone interested, have them call the main office at 804-276-3193 to register.
Next week (22-26 April) is our annual IOWA Assessments.  Testing will happen in the morning on those days; then, regular instruction will occur for the rest of the day.  These tests are purposeful for many reasons.  For you, you can use them to chart your student’s progress year to year.  For teachers, it is useful to see areas of strength and struggle for students to help tailor enrichment and remediation for the coming year.  For the school, it helps us compare our progress to that of other schools and helps us in decision-making for future curriculum and course needs.  Please help your students by ensuring they get a good night’s sleep each night and a good breakfast before coming to school.  Also, it will be super helpful to be sure they are in school on time each day, as testing begins at 8:00.  Thank you in advance for your partnership and support in this area.

With only five weeks remaining until the Secondary School exams, it is crucial for students to stay focused and finish strong. Remind them of 2 John 1:8: “Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.” Your encouragement and support can make a significant difference in their preparation.

May the Lord bless and keep you in His righteous right hand!

All 4 Him!

Bill Sharp, M.Ed.
Head of School
 

Dear Warrior Nation,

In a few short days, Christians worldwide will celebrate the “Superbowl of Christianity” – Resurrection Sunday.  Why is this day so important?  There is so much to the Passion Week events, but we can’t take any one of them, even Resurrection Sunday, as a stand-alone moment.  The entire week is necessary to provide the context and set the stage for this incredible miracle.  In fact, we need to truly go back to the beginning of Genesis to understand the full worth of Easter.  Back in Genesis Chapter 3, the encounter Adam and Eve had with Satan, the great serpent, and their disobedience put God’s plan, leading up to Resurrection Sunday, into motion.  After about three and a half years of ministry, Jesus returned to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration.  We read in John 12:12-13, “The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.  They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the king of Israel.’”  They were ready to get out from under Roman oppression and crown him King.  But within a couple of days, the shouts of joy became shouts of condemnation as Jesus stood before Pilate.  The once joyful crowd became an angry mob shouting, “Crucify Him!”  With Jesus’ declaration on the cross that “it is finished,” the fate of Satan and his fallen angels was sealed, punctuated by His resurrection three days later.  There will come a day when he will return again to defeat evil forever – for now, let us rejoice as we declare, “He is risen!  He is risen indeed!!”

A huge shout-out goes to the Elementary division for their efforts in celebrating Grandparents’ Day and the Spring Book Fair.  We sold nearly $8,100 and were blessed to have over 150 grandparents on campus for this amazing day.  The elementary students did a great job in their performances, with the grand finale performance of Mrs. Cassidy’s 4th-grade class of “Arise My Love,” performed through the God Rods ministry.  Mrs. Waddill would like to thank all of you who made this book fair and our special celebration such a success!  RCS will receive approximately 20% of the book fair proceeds (after taxes, of course) to be used for improving our library resources.

There is a lot going on in the final seven weeks of school after the break.  So please pay close attention to the communication from the teachers and administrators about details of upcoming events.  Included in the list are IOWA Testing (22-26 April), Junior/Senior Banquet, Elementary Field Day (26 April), two more Open House events, Middle School King’s Dominion Trip, final exams, and Graduation on 24 May.  More details to come about these events as we get closer.

May the Lord bless you in His abundance this coming Resurrection Day and give you a restful Easter Break!

All 4 Him!

Bill Sharp, M.Ed.
Head of School