Dear Village Family,
We hope your Thanksgiving was filled with gratitude for God and experiences with family. The peace we hope for at Thanksgiving often does not come to fruition as myriad life problems derail our plans. So, as we return from the Thanksgiving Break, we invite God's peace into our community as together we enter Advent this holiday season.
The PYP transdisciplinary theme, How We Express Ourselves, provides a beautiful vignette for our students, allowing them to inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs, and values, in essence, how we form celebrations. This year, Nalani and I are reflecting on our family celebrations and traditions. As we started decorating the house for Christmas, we discussed the heirloom quality of our items in comparison to the experience of the season. What do we want our girls to remember, what do we want to carry on, what is worth letting go of?
Studies have shown what time has proven true of our family Christmas towels; experiences "tend to bring more lasting happiness than material purchases." Or as Jesus so aptly stated, "Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moths and rust. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be." Matthew 6:19-21
So, this year, we are investing in experiencing the fullness of the season through the pureness of relationships. Moving our attention away from what rusts to what lasts eternal, relationships built in the favor of God's love. Investing our time in creating experiences of social support for our family and friends. To help get started, we explored what social support activities researchers at Harvard University have found to be the most beneficial, from offering help to others to expressions of affection. It is amazing that these experiences don't require much and yield amazing life rewards. During this busy season, foster your most meaningful relationships and see what experiences God opens up for you and your family.
For us as a learning community, each year, we look for service experiences where we can reach out and share God's love with those in need. This year, we are working with Embrace of Celebration, a non-profit working to impact the families in transition on 192. On December 15th, as part of our School Chapel, we are hosting a service project for our students, who will pack essentials, write cards, and prepare packages for Embrace's Christmas community support. Over the next week, we will share more about how you can become involved and help us serve God's children throughout our community.
Lastly, to help you navigate the next three weeks, here is a quick preview till the Christmas Break:
- MYP 4-H Trip - November 28th to November 30th
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- Our 7th, 8th, and 9th Graders are adventuring three days at Camp Timpoochee, experiencing the sea and land research center.
- Global Gala – December 3rd
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- Join us for an Enchanted Wonderland featuring the “Taste of Celebration”: small plates from local chefs, fresh botanical creations from our school garden, and a silent auction. The evening is filled with fabulous student vignettes from our Thespians and the cast of Alice in Wonderland, as well as select performances and collaborations.
- All purchases are tax deductible and can be made through our website at https://creationvillage.com/gala/
- Enrollment Opens for the 2024/2025 school year - December 4th
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- Re-enrollment for our PreK-3 through 9th Grade Families
- Loved One’s Day – December 8th
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- Our classes will celebrate their Loved Ones and those in our community who don’t have family here in town.
- More information to be sent out by your student’s class.
- Village Update – December 12th
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- Join us for our December Town Hall as we share the vision for the next school year.
- Early Years Christmas Celebration – December 13th
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- We invite our infant through PreK-4 families to join us for a Christmas Wonderland filled with fun and train rides.
- K to 5th Grade Christmas Concert – December 14th
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- At the Celebration High School Performing Arts Theatre
- Join us at 5:45 pm for our Kindergarten through 5th Grade Advent celebration, “A Holiday of Music”.
- IB Chapel and Last Day before Christmas Break – December 15th
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- We ring in Christmas and lift our voices to worship God in our last chapel of the year with a special Embrace Service Project.
Together, let’s expand our experiences and multiply our joy through this season by giving our time, talent, and treasure to those in our community who need it the most.
With gladness and gratitude,
Derek and Nalani Cummings
