Cougar Connection
October 02, 2026
MOTHER SON EVENT TONIGHT!
Tonight is the big night! We are looking forward to seeing all those who can join us at the Mother Son Paint Night. When you arrive at school, please enter through the cafeteria doors. The doors will open at 6:00 p.m. See you there!
FALL CONFERENCES
Parent Teacher Conferences are coming up on October 12 and 13. Please be sure to sign up using your FACTS FAMILY PORTAL credentials.
Middle School conferences will be held on Tuesday night ONLY from 6:30 – 8 pm.
NOVEMBER’S LUNCH ORDER DUE OCTOBER 19
Hot lunch orders for November are due Monday, October 19. Log into the FACTS Family Portal, click on Student, then Lunch, then +Create Web Order to submit your order. If you want to help serve lunch, sign up for a slot on our Sign Up Genius! As a reminder, lunch is not free for all unless you qualify for it, but there is an application for the free/reduced lunch program at: https://lakeviewsd.familyportal.cloud/application/parentletter.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
There has been a little confusion about attendance as well as tardies. Here is the Parent Student handbook section on attendance. Students arriving to their classroom after 7:45 am will be considered tardy. This is an abbreviated version. See pages 24 – 25 of the Parent Student handbook. Please contact the office with any questions.
ATTENDANCE
Attendance and participation are essential parts of the learning process and are considered necessary to academic achievement. In addition, regular attendance and punctuality help develop important traits such as responsibility and self-discipline. Improved attendance will lead to greater student classroom success and a to achievement low attendance typically leads to low achievement. Based on this belief, we have established the following attendance policies.
ATTENDANCE/TARDY POLICY FOR ALL GRADES
• 3 excused tardies per class = a one-day excused absence per class.
• 3 unexcused tardies per class = a one-day unexcused absence and a ½ hour detention per class.
• A pattern of excessive tardies (excused or unexcused) may require a parent/student meeting with the HOS and/or staff.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD | OCTOBER COMMUNITY SERVICE
Once again, The elementary students are partnering with Samaritan’s Purse to share God’s love and the message of salvation with children around the world. Our goal is to pack 100 shoeboxes!
There are two ways your family can help:
1. Pack a Shoebox
Families may fill a shoebox and return it to school by Friday, October 30. Boxes will be available at dismissal beginning Monday, October 5. Completed boxes may be placed on the orange counter in the elementary hallway or given to your child’s teacher.
The Operation Christmas Child website provides gift ideas, information, and videos. Families are also encouraged to include a personal letter and photo. You may choose to donate toward postage and track your box to its destination.
2. Donate a NEW Small Toy
Families may also donate NEW small toys. These will be taken to a packing site and added to shoeboxes. A special toy is often considered the “wow” item in a box and may be the only toy a child receives.
Final Collection Date: Friday, October 30
CCS THEATRE AND WHAT A DO THEATRE PRESENT….
Anne of Green Gables
Friday & Saturday, October 23–24
7:00 PM
Downtown Church, 135 Hamblin Ave., Battle Creek
Tickets: $10 each
Come enjoy this beloved classic brought to life on stage!
BLOOD DRIVE
Calhoun Christian School
20 Woodrow Street, Battle Creek
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
1:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
To Make an Appointment:
Visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter sponsor code CalhounChristian, download the Blood Donor App, or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Donor Promotion:
Donors who give blood October 19 through November 22 can receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card by email, plus 200 bonus points toward exclusive donor rewards. It directs donors to https://RedCrossBlood.org/Maze for details.
PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT
Friday, November 13 | 5:00–9:00 PM | CCS
Enjoy an evening out while your kids enjoy a night of fun at CCS! Join us for our annual Parents’ Night Out Missions Fundraiser.
• Ages: 6 months–12 years
• Cost: $30 per child, maximum $75 per family
• Includes: Dinner, games, a movie, arts & crafts, and lots of fun!
All proceeds will support CCS annual mission trips, including the Junior Class inner-city mission trip to Washington, D.C.
Bring the kids, enjoy a night out, and help support CCS Missions!
SAVE THE DATES! CALHOUN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PROGRAMS AND LIVE NATIVITY!
• Preschool Program - Thursday, December 3 at 4:30 pm. Doors open at 4.
• Elementary Program: Thursday, December 3 at 6:00 pm. Doors open at 5:30.
• MS/ HS Live Nativity Program: Friday, December 4 from 6-8 pm. Doors open at 5:30.
Keep watching for information regarding costumes and cookies! (The gymnasium will be cleared between programs.)
September 25, 2026
“FREE” LUNCH UPDATE
We will not be getting free lunch for all students this year due to some complications that will arise with a projected shortage of funds in this program. Since serving breakfast was tied to getting free lunch for all, we are going to cease serving breakfast as of October 1 but hot lunch will continue on as we have in the past. Nothing will change for the lunch program other than a reminder that parents need to have a free/reduced lunch application on file for their children to qualify for a discounted lunch.
Lunch costs for 2026-2027 are:
• $3.40/regular cost
• $0.40/reduced
• $0.00/free
I will be charging for August and September meals that were ordered (if your child wasn't free already through the application program) at the end of September. Please contact Michelle Wilson if you have questions or concerns.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
There has been a little confusion about attendance as well as tardies. Here is the Parent Student handbook section on attendance. Students arriving to their classroom after 7:45 am will be considered tardy. This is an abbreviated version. See pages 24 – 25 of the Parent Student handbook. Please contact the office with any questions.
ATTENDANCE POLICIES
Attendance and participation are essential parts of the learning process and are considered necessary to academic achievement. In addition, regular attendance and punctuality help develop important traits such as responsibility and self-discipline. Improved attendance will lead to greater student classroom success and a to achievement low attendance typically leads to low achievement. Based on this belief, we have established the following attendance policies.
ATTENDANCE/TARDY POLICY FOR ALL GRADES
• 3 excused tardies per class = a one-day excused absence per class.
• 3 unexcused tardies per class = a one-day unexcused absence and a ½ hour detention per class.
• A pattern of excessive tardies (excused or unexcused) may require a parent/student meeting with the HOS and/or staff.
SPORTS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
If you are interested in helping with sports games, please contact don.hughes@calhounchristian.org
FALL CONFERENCES
Parent Teacher Conferences are coming up on October 12 and 13. Please be sure to sign up using your FACTS FAMILY PORTAL credentials.
Middle School conferences will be held on Tuesday night ONLY from 6:30 – 8 pm.
SAVE THE DATES! CALHOUN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PROGRAMS AND LIVE NATIVITY!
• Preschool Program Thursday, December 3 at 4:30 pm. Doors open at 4.
(The gymnasium will be cleared between programs.)
• Elementary Program: Thursday, December 3 at 6:00 pm. Doors open at 5:30.
• MS/ HS Live Nativity Program: Friday, December 4 from 6-8 pm. Doors open at 5:30.
Keep watching for information regarding costumes and cookies!
September 18, 2026
OCTOBER LUNCH ORDERS DUE SEPT 19 - TOMORROW
October's hot lunch orders are open and need to be placed by September 19. Log into the FACTS Family Portal, click on Student, then Lunch, then +Create Web Order to submit your order (yes, even free lunch needs to be placed). If you need to apply for a free/reduced lunch, complete this application through Lakeview (our lunch vendor). If you want to help serve lunch, sign up for a slot on our Sign Up Genius!
“FREE” LUNCH UPDATE
We will not be getting free lunch for all students this year due to some complications that will arise with a projected shortage of funds in this program. Since serving breakfast was tied to getting free lunch for all, we are going to cease serving breakfast as of October 1 but hot lunch will continue on as we have in the past. Nothing will change for the lunch program other than a reminder that parents need to have a free/reduced lunch application on file for their children to qualify for a discounted lunch.
Lunch costs for 2026-2027 are:
• $3.40/regular cost
• $0.40/reduced
• $0.00/free
I will be charging for August and September meals that were ordered (if your child wasn't free already through the application program) at the end of September. Please contact Michelle Wilson if you have questions or concerns.
COOKIES AND CANVAS/A MOTHER SON EVENT
Join us on Friday, October 2nd from 6-7:30pm for Cookies and Canvas with Create in Me Art Studio – a Mother and Son event! The event will take place in the CCS cafeteria and tickets are on sale in the office until September 23rd. The cost is $15/painter. This includes art instruction with Miss Rachel from Create in Me, all your needed art supplies, and, of course, cookies! Hope to see you there!
LEGO AND ROBOTICS CLUBS
Due to staffing changes, we are not able to offer Lego club or robotics this year. If you are interested in helping with this program, please see Mrs. Rome.
SPORTS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
If you are interested in helping with sports games, please contact don.hughes@calhounchristian.org
SAVE THE DATES! CALHOUN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PROGRAMS AND LIVE NATIVITY!
• Preschool Program Thursday, December 3 at 4:30 pm. Doors open at 4.
(The gymnasium will be cleared between programs.)
• Elementary Program: Thursday, December 3 at 6:00 pm. Doors open at 5:30.
• MS/ HS Live Nativity Program: Friday, December 4 from 6-8 pm. Doors open at 5:30.
Keep watching for information regarding costumes and cookies!
September 11, 2026
OCTOBER LUNCH ORDERS DUE SEPT 19
October's hot lunch orders are open and need to be placed by September 19. Log into the FACTS Family Portal, click on Student, then Lunch, then +Create Web Order to submit your order (yes, even free lunch needs to be placed). If you need to apply for a free/reduced lunch, complete this application through Lakeview (our lunch vendor). If you want to help serve lunch, sign up for a slot on our Sign Up Genius!
RAISERIGHT
Raiseright has huge deals September 11th- 14th using the app! If you buy an egift card and use it anytime the rebates are huge!
See the attached flyer but here's an example of some of the rebates:
• Applebees - 18%
• Barnes & Noble - 11%
• Bob Evans - 15%
• Carrabba's - 13%
• Chili's - 18%
• Columbia Sports wear - 17%
• Delta Airlines - 7%
• Old Navy - 18%
And many more!!
As an example - buying a $100 egift card to Applebees costs you $82 - the difference or $18 - 50% comes back to you and 50% is donated to the school!
We are also attaching a flyer because Instacart is also available in RaiseRight.
COOKIES AND CANVAS/A MOTHER SON EVENT
Join us on Friday, October 2nd from 6-7:30pm for Cookies and Canvas with Create in Me Art Studio – a Mother and Son event! The event will take place in the CCS cafeteria and tickets are on sale in the office until September 23rd. The cost is $15/painter. This includes art instruction with Miss Rachel from Create in Me, all your needed art supplies, and, of course, cookies! Hope to see you there!
LEGO AND ROBOTICS CLUBS
Due to staffing changes, we are not able to offer Lego club or robotics this year. If you are interested in helping with this program, please see Mrs. Rome.
DOT DAY
We love to celebrate special days here at CCS! International DOT Day is September 15. Mrs. Norris has brought this fun tradition to our school. She will be telling a wonderful story in Art class about Vashti and all the possibilities that can come from a DOT! To celebrate, wear DOTS or circles that day. By the way, DOT DAY is also Mrs. Norris's birthday!
SPORTS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
If you are interested in helping with sports games, please contact don.hughes@calhounchristian.org
September 03, 2026
ABSENCE
If your student will be absent for any reason, please contact the office one of three ways.
• Our website using this link. You will need your FACTS login credentials.
• Email – Office@calhounchristian.org
• Phone/VM – (269)-965-5560
You can also find a planned absence form here.
MIDDLE SCHOOL MEETING
There is a middle school meeting for all fifth grade parents and any new middle school families. This meeting will be held on September 8 at 6:30 pm in the chapel. Please make every effort to attend.
OCTOBER LUNCH ORDERS DUE SEPT 19
October's hot lunch orders are open and need to be placed by September 19. Log into the FACTS Family Portal, click on Student, then Lunch, then +Create Web Order to submit your order (yes, even free lunch needs to be placed). If you need to apply for a free/reduced lunch, complete this application through Lakeview (our lunch vendor). If you want to help serve lunch, sign up for a slot on our Sign Up Genius!
COOKIES AND CANVAS/A MOTHER SON EVENT
Join us on Friday, October 2nd from 6-7:30pm for Cookies and Canvas with Create in Me Art Studio – a Mother and Son event! The event will take place in the CCS cafeteria and tickets are on sale in the office until September 23rd. The cost is $15/painter. This includes art instruction with Miss Rachel from Create in Me, all your needed art supplies, and, of course, cookies! Hope to see you there!
POPCORN AND PICKLE FRIDAYS
P&P start Friday, September 11. This is a favorite around CCS. As the aroma of freshly popped popcorn fills the halls, we all know what day it is…. IT’S FRIDAY!!! Be sure to send $1 with your student for popcorn and pickle day. OR – if they want BOTH popcorn and pickle, send $2. If you would like to pay for the entire year of P&P, there are 26 Fridays to enjoy!
SPORTS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
If you are interested in helping with sports games, please contact don.hughes@calhounchristian.org
NEED VOLUNTEER HOURS?
Popcorn & Pickle Fridays
Lunch Volunteers
Sports: Contact don.hughes@calhounchristian.org
Classrooms: Contact your student’s teachers
General: Contact office@calhounchristian.org