Last week I shared with you about the importance of our faculty here at C.A.G. Over this past week we had two key meetings which emphasized another essential component in the education of your children, YOU. One of those meetings was the Open Campus Night and the other was the Senior Parents meeting. We are thrilled by the great participation of so many of you.

Fortunately, just as we are blessed with an outstanding faculty, we are also blessed with an exceptional group of parents. This is demonstrated by the excellent student body that God has given us, which is a direct reflection of your efforts in the home. Your role in the education at C.A.G. cannot be minimized because clearly our faculty cannot do their role successfully without your partnership.

We need you to be a part of what is happening here in the education of your child. There are many ways that you are a part of the education of C.A.G. In the home you can reinforce the efforts of our faculty by encouraging your children to study and helping them when they are struggling. You support the administration as you encourage your children to follow the rules and guidelines of the school as we teach them to not just to follow the letter of the guidelines but the spirit of the guidelines.

You are a vital part of the education here as you get involved with other areas of the school such as PTF which is focused on supporting our teachers and working with the Director to seek ways to improve the school. Some of you volunteer as coaches, class advisors, disciplers, and a host of other volunteer opportunities. And we of course are very thankful for the Board of Directors which spends many hours providing accountability and insight for the Director. Remember this is your school and these are your children. Don’t miss the blessing that you will have during these joyous years of raising your children in the way that they should go.

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this education.

Rick Carey 

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Psalm 34:11

Christian Academy of Guatemala has many unique characteristics, not the least of which is our devotion to impart knowledge to our children in a way that they will be life-long Christian learners. Our parents take the lead in this privilege of spiritual education and at C.A.G. we want to come alongside to assist you, the parent, in your responsibility.

Our greatest resource in the education of our children is our faculty, who are all people that fear the Lord and want to incorporate that fear into their daily teaching. God has once again blessed us with an incredible group of faculty and staff who have come together to meet this challenge. God has gathered a group in a way that we could not have planned, filling every need that we have for this year.

Our faculty is a key reason that I want to encourage each of you to attend the Open Campus Night on Friday. This is your opportunity to meet these dedicated visionaries whom God has called here to partner with you in the education of your children. You need to meet your partners, get to know them, and sense their passion for education. I know that at least one parent from each family is required to attend, but I want to encourage all parents to come to Open Campus Night.

I am also asking various faculty members to share with you something about their lives in the weekly Update. You will get tired of hearing from me each week, and I believe that you will be blessed to learn more about these dedicated men and women. So be sure to read the Update each week in print or on our website.

Thank you for the opportunity to partner with you as you teach your children to fear the Lord.

Rick Carey

For the last few months we have been busy here at the CAG campus preparing buildings, textbooks, the grounds, and a mountain of other details.  It has been challenging and it has been exciting to see the CAG faculty and staff pull together to be ready for a new school year.  A few things did not get done but in the end we were ready for that first bell on Monday morning.

What is amazing is the transformation that occurred on Monday at 8:00AM.  We had been busy preparing a campus.  But once the students arrived for classes this campus became a school.  Our job transitioned from preparation to application as we started the challenging and exciting process of educating your children. 

This is why we exist, to work in partnership with each family to prepare your students to achieve their greatest potential.  I have been sharing with faculty, staff, students and parents some words that I believe summarize this partnership.  We are working together with you to prepare your children in their Studies to achieve their greatest academic potential.  We are partnering together in the Spiritual formation of your children as we first and foremost want each of them to have confidence in their relationship with Jesus Christ.  Together we want to mold young people who understand proper boundaries in all areas of their Social life here at the school and in the home and their local communities.  And in partnership , we want to prepare students who have an attitude of Service to take what they have learned to give to others.

I appreciate the trust that you have given to CAG to partner with you in this very important ministry of educating your children.  We want to hear from you.  We want to partner with you to prepare young people who are going to change this world.

Welcome back students and parents of CAG.  Working together we are going to have the greatest year ever in the history of CAG.

-Rick Carey, Interim Director

Dear C.A.G. Family,

The outpouring of love and appreciation that Sharon and I have felt from the C.A.G. community has blessed us greatly. You are giving us a “royal send off” with your generosity in gifts, kind words, and loving hugs. In response, we want to say a heartfelt “thank you,” and to point you to the verse in Ephesians 2:7 where Paul reminds us that we are: “…examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness…” This outpouring of appreciation is nothing more than the recognition of God’s work in the C.A.G. community over the last 15 years.

In my last opportunity to share with you, I would like to express my hopes and dreams for C.A.G. I pray that C.A.G. will:

• Become even more of a “Grace Place,” where all members of the C.A.G. family extend love and grace to each other, and resolve conflict in a Christ-like way.
• Provide an even greater encouragement to the development of spiritual growth among faculty and students.
• Continue to grow in academic excellence, as well as increasing opportunities in the fine arts, continuing athletic programs for all ages, and providing additional options for the development of leadership and service.
• Value the sacrifice and dedication of the staff God calls to C.A.G. (both North American and Guatemalan).
• Grow in its ability to meet the individual needs of students, especially in the area of gifted students.
• Increasingly see alumni impacting the world for Jesus Christ.

Again, the Apostle Paul expresses my deepest prayer for you better than I can: “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:5-7
With great love and gratitude,

Joe Rosa

The following article is from the current School Board and the new Interim Director, Rick Carey.

When the Israelites crossed the Jordon river, the Lord instructed them to place 12 stones so that when their children saw them and asked about their significance the fathers could share what God had done for their nation. Looking back and remembering where we were and where God has brought us is a way to teach our children about God’s faithfulness.

This Friday at 2 p.m. in the Thomas Gymnasium, we want to collectively take a look back as a C.A.G. family 15 years to where C.A.G. was and where it is today. Our farewell for the Rosas will be a celebration of God’s faithfulness to C.A.G. under their leadership.

Then we will look back even further, to celebrate and give thanks for the wonderful years of service that Lois Rensch has given as a teacher and head of the Math department.

The legacies of the Rosas and Ms. Rensch are a testament to the greatness of our God. They have humbly served C.A.G. and have greatly impacted hundreds of lives.

Please join us for this time of remembrance, thanksgiving and celebration. A reception will follow the program in the High School pavilion. The following emails have been set up to send your thanks and wishes to the Rosas and Ms. Rensch.

goodbyejoesharon@christacadguate.org and goodbyelois@christacadguate.org.

At C.A.G. a new project has been in the works this entire school year. Actually ”it” began last year with research by Mr. Agrellas, then the administrative team decided to follow his recommendation and purchase “it.” The third step was a few key people being trained in using “it” by the company, followed by the entire staff being trained. Then, third quarter, the staff began to use “it” in small ways. During the fourth quarter, most of the staff is using “it,” and “it” is being unveiled for the entire school community. Next fall, the entire school community will use “it.”

So, what is “it?” PowerSchool—an electronic, on-line information management and communication system for schools. The purpose of PowerSchool is to provide more accurate and immediate communication among students, teachers, parents and administration. This is done by protected internet access so that both parents and students can access current and final grades, assignments, class activities and teacher comments in a confidential and immediate form. Each family will have its own “parent portal.” This restricted access will protect confidentiality and provide the security needed to post on line such things as the Update, school calendar, and scheduled activities.

Most international schools are using, or planning to use, some type of digital information system. Beginning in the fall of 2010, the Christian Academy of Guatemala will fully enter this digital world, and the entire school community will explore together the many features and opportunities PowerSchool has to offer. Example: the Update envelope may soon be extinct! For those of us who have struggled over the years to get our kids to bring home the Update envelope, and then get it sent back to school, this will be a welcome change!

Joe Rosa - Director

Do you realize that there are only 4 weeks and 2 days left of school? Wow, how the year has flown by. I encourage you to take the opportunity to honor our graduates by attending the Baccalaureate Service on Sunday, May 16 and the Graduation Service on Saturday, May 29.

It is important for your sons/daughters to be able to attend these events even though they are not seniors. To be able to say good-bye to the seniors plays an important part in your kids' lives.

This will be the 29th graduation that I have officiated over. I look forward to celebrating this important step with our seniors.

Joe Rosa 

The following article is from the School Principal.

Joe Rosa

Are you ready to Zoomerang?

In the position of C.A.G. principal, I receive a lot of information from parents, students, staff and also from my own observations. I am open to and pay attention to all the information that comes my way. If there appears to be a common trend in the information, I then begin to dig around, consult with others experienced in the subject and try to gain a better understanding of what is happening. With this understanding, I am better prepared to explore changes and/or take action to improve our ministry service to the C.A.G community.

To help us facilitate the process of digging around and gaining a better understanding, we will be using Zoomerang. Zoomerang provides a free, online survey service. Zoomerang allows us an opportunity to create survey questions, send them out by email, then receive and compile the responses. On Friday, C.A.G. will be sending out this on-line survey to our C.A.G. parents.

Our first survey will focus on how well (or unwell) C.A.G. is progressing toward the accomplishment of the Board created “Ends Statements.” For parents of secondary students (6-12), the survey will include additional questions regarding how much time our students are committed with extra-curricular activities, homework and ministry. Our goal is to get a broad range of first hand information from which to make good decisions to best serve our C.A.G. families and students.

We are asking each household to complete only one survey. Your participation is important and much appreciated. Thank you for your help.

In Christ’s service together,

Mark Agrellas

On March 22, Christian Academy of Guatemala canceled school because of the demonstrations around the City. After making the decision, the administration activated the emergency telephone contact policy. School Board members phoned C.A.G. families, while the administrative team notified staff and provided for the announcement to be made on the radio.

For most people, the system worked well: they received the information in a timely way. For a few, however, the system did not work well because C.A.G. does not have a current phone number for them.

For the safety of your family, WE MUST HAVE ACCURATE PHONE NUMBERS for all parents. If you have changed your phone numbers, be sure to notify Millys, my administrative assistant.

Security and safety are major issues for us here in Guatemala. In teachers’ devotions, we pray weekly for the safety of the C.A.G. family. The parents’ prayer group prays for our safety. I ask that each of you join us in these prayers. At the same time, let’s work to do the things that will help to keep us and our kids safe. Making sure that C.A.G. has correct contact information for you is an important contribution to the safety of your family.

Joe Rosa

With the continuing slow economy, I know that many parents are wondering how much C.A.G. is going to raise tuition costs for the next school year. Because we know that support is down for many missionaries, the Administrative Team of Christian Academy of Guatemala has labored over the budget for next year to keep costs down. The result is that missionary tuition will be raised only $5.00 per month for all grades while the non-missionary tuition will go up $10 per month for kinder and $15 per month for elementary, middle and high school grades.

While the inflation rate for Guatemala is estimated to be 12%, these tuition increases range from 2.3% to 3.4%. As you know, C.A.G. is able to charge much less than other U.S. - accredited international schools because our teachers are missionaries who raise their financial support. That enables C.A.G. to provide missionary kids with a 50% discount.

For this slim tuition increase to be sufficient, we need your help. First of all, we need your PRAYERS. Several of our current staff are struggling with lowered support. We have new staff committed to coming to C.A.G., who need to raise support during a sluggish economy. Please pray for these needs. Secondly, your volunteer hours and donated items help to keep costs down.

Because C.A.G. is a family, as well as an educational institution, we will work together to continue to provide a Christian education that prepares students for lives of Christian service, as stated in our mission statement.

Joe Rosa

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