Principal’s Paragraph
Fall break has arrived, and with it, the marking of the seasons. As we welcome gentler weather (hopefully soon), these markings of the seasons remind us of God’s faithfulness in the rhythms of life. It is my prayer that as we take these two weeks to transition from quarter one to quarter two, that you have time with your family to rest, recharge, and reflect on the faithfulness of our God and King.
I have been reflecting on how faithful he has been to GCHS over the past few years (who he used to build this school, how, etc.) and am eagerly anticipating God’s faithfulness to us in the future through the new build. You may have noticed during drop off that construction is happening! Through His sovereign provision, the new addition will break ground at the end of October and be open for students in late spring of 2025.
We strive to partner with parents to prepare the next generation to impact the world for Christ, and are grateful for the role you as parents play. Thank you for partnering in large endeavors (the expansion), showing up to athletic events, keeping us apprised of struggles your child is facing and more!
For His Glory,
Upcoming Staff Birthdays
Chris Russell – October 16th
Richelle Shultz – October 18th
James Kass – October 26th
Matthew Littlefield – October 31st
*If you would like to bless our staff, here is the favorites list
Important Dates
10/5-10/21: Fall Break
10/22: Quarter Two Begins
10/23: Christian College Fair
10/24-10/25: Half Day & Parent Conferences
10/23-10/25: HS Fall Play – Radium Girls Fall Play (Sun Valley on Ray Rd)
Spiritual Life
Chapel Vision:
This year, our Chapel time consists of three unique expressions that together provide an environment for the unbeliever to hear the Gospel, for the believer to grow deeper in their faith, and for staff and students to proclaim the good news!
- Passing Through Series: Throughout the year, our Bible Department will use chapel sessions to teach on what it means to be an exile in our current culture.
- Seen. Valued. Loved. Series: Guest speakers will use various Chapel sessions to speak on our campus theme of Seen. Valued. & Loved.
- God at Work: Periodically, students and staff will share testimonies during Chapel. These stories of God’s goodness & faithfulness to His people are always followed by more stories of softened hearts and awe of how God continues to work in the lives of his people.
We pray the Lord uses these Chapel times to grow, encourage, and bring our precious students to saving faith.
Chapel Recap:
We are thankful to Aaron Shackelford, who gave the message during Chapel last week. As part of our “Seen. Valued. Loved.” series, Aaron spoke about how we are loved by God. He explained this by hitting on two key points: The great glory of God & the great goodness of God. Through these two topics, Aaron highlighted how the creator of the universe was still personal, and that He remembers us, cares for us, gives us dignity, and gives us responsibility. You can listen to this past chapel and all other chapels from this year here.
Worship With Us
Click here to listen to previous and upcoming Chapel songs!
P.E. UPDATE
This past week the PE Department brought in Claudio Ribeiro from Solid Ground Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which is a Christian jiu-jitsu academy located in Queen Creek. This is the third year that Professor Claudio has come to work with our students in our PE classes (Athletic Development & Performance, Body Fit, Lifetime Sports, & Strength Training). GCHS parent and participant at Solid Ground, Bob Charpentier, joined as well to help teach the students. The students learned some basic self-defense techniques along with 1-on-1 combat scenarios. It has been wonderful to have these two men who love the Lord deeply pour into the lives of our students this week through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We are thankful for them both volunteering their entire day to spend it with our classes. Our students were wonderful participants, and we look forward to the next time we can have them back.
Solids Ground BJJ
18933 E San Tan Blvd
Suite 115
Queen Creek, AZ 85142
1-808-652-0715
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES OCTOBER 24-25
Our fall Parent-Teacher Conferences are open for sign-ups. Please note: in the past, these were strongly recommended for students who had a C- or lower, however, we encourage all parents to take advantage of these opportunities to discuss their child’s progress with their teachers.
Volunteer Corner
- Sign up here to bless the staff with snacks during our monthly all-staff meetings
- Sign up here if you (or your high school-age child) would like to watch staff kiddos during weekly Tuesday meetings.
JUNIORS – Reminder
PSAT/NMSQT – October 29, 2024 – Periods 1-4
Bring
- Pen or Pencil
- Approved calculator
- Snack & Water
The College Board provides the BluebookTM app, which includes practice digital test items, and a downloadable full-length practice test on the SAT Suite of Assessments: Practice webpage. Students will need to set up a College Board student account to access the practice test. (The sign-in ticket from your school is used on testing day.)
A NOTE FROM OUR ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
A GREEN-OUT is in the near future! Get your best GCHS gear ready, the long-awaited Valley Christian football match-up is TONIGHT at home. Friday Knight Lights, 7:00pm, be there!!!!
Congratulations to senior running back Sam Webb, who recently became the first football player in Gilbert Christian history to surpass 5,000 All-Purpose Yards. Sam is a talented young man, and a strong Christian leader on campus. We are proud of you, #4!
A big shout out to all of our middle school volleyball families who showed up for MS Night against Scottsdale Christian on Thursday. The future is bright! Keep working hard, we can’t wait to watch you play in high school.
Cross country runs Saturday morning in the Glendale Showcase, at Glendale Heroes Regional Park. Good luck to our incredible runners!
Be sure to check out the official website of Knights’ athletics, gcsknights.com, for schedules, recaps, rosters and more!
Go Knights!
ROOTED IN PRAYER
Parents, Grandparents, and all friends of GCHS are invited to join the team of volunteers that make up Rooted in Prayer every Wednesday morning that school is in session at 8AM. Praying aloud is not required and babies through preschool-aged children are welcome. Contact Mary for more information: [email protected].
Yearbooks
On sale now! Prices are based on a sliding scale. Order early and save money! Place your order here, Job #7107. Note: this link works best in the Chrome browser.
Questions? Email the yearbook adviser at [email protected].
Seniors automatically receive a yearbook – no need to place an order.
College & Career
Please register for the Christian College Fair that is happening the week we are back from Fall Break. All students are encouraged to attend. Click here to register.
The 2025 Christian College Guide contains articles that discuss navigating self-discovery, purpose, and the college application process with a Christian worldview. This is an excellent resource for all HS grades!
The Dorrance Scholarship program includes a $12,000 scholarship per academic year at one of Arizona’s public universities. To learn more about this program, please visit this link.
Fine Arts
Bye Bye Birdie Auditions begin Monday, December 2, 2024
Watch for the audition material coming soon to your email!!
