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May we suggest you grab a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and peruse the calendar. We have most of the key events already on the calendar so you can add those to yours.
Calendar can be sorted in weekly, monthly or agenda view for your convenience.
NO SCHOOL SEPTEMBER 2ND - LABOR DAY
EARLY RELEASE SEPTEMBER 25 - 11AM (no aftercare on upper campus)
NO SCHOOL SEPTEMBER 26 AND 27
(Teachers @ lutheran educators Conference)
MRS. BINKLEY, LOWER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, UPDATE
Welcome back Lower School! School is in full swing! It is wonderful to see our students’ happy faces each morning and our students fully engaged in learning. Chapel began the very first week and we now have our 5th graders doing the morning announcements. This is a great opportunity for them as they take a leadership role on campus. Band is underway and we look forward to other extra curriculars to come. Our returning students are doing a tremendous job making our new students feel included and welcomed. It is great to see how everyone is settling into a routine.
PALS started this week and we are grateful to the parents who came to our first meeting! Your partnership is important and volunteering events is what makes them successful. Thank you, parents, for your patience as we adjust carline. When we all work together and go the same direction, Wayside to Henderson, it speeds up the wait time. In the mornings, if you are looking for little to no wait, the best time is between 7:45 – 8:05am. In the afternoons, no need to come so early, you will wait less time if you come during the actual carline time of 3:05-3:40pm.
Blessed to Serve,
Mrs. Binkley
DR. LUNARDI, UPPER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, UPDATE
It’s hard to believe we’ve now been together with our students for 3 weeks! Time really does fly. Our returning students have done a wonderful job welcoming our new students, and our new students are quickly finding their way and emerging as leaders on campus. New and returning students are making friends and bonding in and out of class. Class of 2025 is our largest senior class yet and we are excited for their future as we help them prepare for what is to come.
Through our first 13 days together, our students and staff have navigated a plethora of different bell schedules, routines, and classroom expectations, along with the occasional rain-soaked carline, lost homework, and pop quiz! After school, athletics and other extracurricular activities are under way, with multiple new teams forming this year thanks to so many students getting involved. Through it all, they have been overwhelmingly resilient, polite, kind, and hard-working. It’s been a great start, and I’m so grateful for our students and for our families!
parent back to school nights
parent back to school nights
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 - UPPER SCHOOL 5:30PM
(Meeting starts in gym before classroom visits)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 - LOWER SCHOOL KP - 2nd 6:00PM
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 - LOWER SCHOOL 3RD - 5TH 6:00 PM
It's back-to-school for our parents!. These adult-only events provide an opportunity to learn about your child’s schedule, how to communicate best with teachers, understanding homework, grading, upcoming events etc. Please know that Back to School night is not for individual conferences. If you need to speak with a teacher concerning your individual child’s needs, please work with them or the school office to schedule that for a different date and time.
Looking for a Church Home? We have two local churches in our network ready to welcome you. Resurrection Church gathers at our Upper Campus Gym on Sundays and our founding church Holy Cross Lake Mary is located off of Lake Mary Blvd. We also have Wellspring in Deland and The Cross Orlando. We'd love to see you there!
Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram - this is an additional source of information, updates and reminders! Families and grandparents from near and far can also follow along all the great events and activities we are doing.
"CARRY THE TORCH" THEME T-SHIRTS HAVE BEEN ORDERED AND FACTS ACCOUNTS WILL BE BILLED.
WE HOPE TO HAVE T-SHIRTS DISTRIBUTED BY NEXT WEEK.
High School Parents
PASTRIES AND PLANNING 9/4
High School Parents
PASTRIES AND PLANNING 9/4
We have some upcoming events and programs planned to help you start to plan for life after graduation. Much of this information is geared towards our seniors and juniors, but it is useful information for all our high school families. Please take some time to read through our College and Career Programs info with your student (click here).
Please note that the next event is our "Pastries & Planning" (for parents only) event on Wednesday, September 4th at 8:15am. RSVP is required by Friday. Dr. Lunardi is meeting with our high schoolers this week to discuss these details as well.
5th grade patrols
5th grade patrols
This week at chapel we recognized our 5th grade safety patrol for doing an amazing job. They are excited to be helpful on campus as they learn about leadership! Great job 5th graders!
athletics
athletics
Athletics are off and running. We are looking forward to seeing many people cheering on our Crusaders!
Lower school cheer starts soon:
Sept 17th for Kprep-2nd
Sept. 18th 3rd-5th
See calendar for additional dates and details.
GO CRUSADERS!!
LOWER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL COFFEE
LOWER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL COFFEE
Sept 17 | 8:15- Lower School Principal Coffee grades VPK, KP and Kindergarten Parents
Sept 24 | 8:15 - Lower School Principal Coffee 1st and 2nd Parents
Oct 1 | 8:15 - Lower School Principal Coffee 3rd, 4th, and 5th Parents
After carline, join Mrs. Binkley and other parents from your child's class. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and continue to foster relationships with other parents.
fun fair & picnic
fun fair & picnic
Come celebrate together with your HCLA community. We are looking forward to this second annual event. Looking to connect with other families and meet your child's friends - this is the perfect event. Stop in anytime between 11AM and 2PM. If your Saturday mornings are busy - no worries, you can stop by for just a few minutes .
We look forward to seeing you!
Food, games and more!
Please let us know if you will be attending by RSVPing here.
FACTS INVOICES - STEP UP / FINANCE UPDATE: It has come to our attention that there are some questions regarding large invoices added to some FACTS accounts yesterday. These invoices are how Holy Cross Lutheran Academy tracks funds received from Step Up towards your tuition balance. You may have noticed each invoice totals the Step Up amount your student was awarded for the 2024-25 school year with a due date of 5/15/25.
Each quarter invoices will be created in the Step Up EMA online platform for that quarter's amount. Shortly after you approve the invoice funds are then remitted to Holy Cross. Upon receipt of those funds they are then applied to the newly added FACTS invoices you received yesterday. By year's end, if we have received all funds expected, that invoice will be zero along with any financial responsibility you have for that invoice. As each quarter passes and you approve funds you can login and view the balance of that invoice.
Within a couple of weeks of approving the funds through the Step Up EMA platform you should see those invoices decrease in FACTS as confirmation that Holy Cross has in fact received that quarter's remittance. Each payment is a checkpoint for both you and us to confirm the expected Step Up award is being received. Keep an eye on these invoices so you can track the amounts Step Up is paying towards your award. In the event we are not receiving a quarter of the full year's award by the end of each quarter there may be a discrepancy within Step Up needing to be investigated.
Christian Jones
Finance Manager
finance@thehcla.org
😁 picture day and yearbook information 📸
😁 picture day and yearbook information 📸
SEPTEMBER 20
Lower Campus Picture Day Information
Lower Campus Yearbook Ordering Information
Upper Campus Picture Day Information
Upper Campus Yearbook Ordering Information
NUTS (No uniform to School)
NUTS (No uniform to School)
Our PALS sponsor monthly non-uniform days on the 3rd Thursday of the month starting on September 19. You can see that there are themes for each month. If you do not dress in theme, you can still dress casually, but remember school dress code still applies. If you do not sign up and pay $3 you must come in uniform on those days.
Support athletics
Support athletics
Support our athletic department. Use this link https://wlink.live/2024_holycross to pay for a car wash at Mr. Clean Car Wash 215 N Charles R. Beal Blvd, DeBary, FL 32713. The athletic department gets 50%. Share this with your family and friends! Open to anyone. Clean car = athletic department support!
IMPORTANT - PLEASE FILL OUT HANDBOOK ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND ATHLETIC FORMS
US Handbook
US Handbook
Please review handbook with your student and sign electronic acknowledgment at the end of handbook by August 16th.
LS Handbook
LS Handbook
Please review handbook with your student and sign electronic acknowledgment at the end of handbook by August 16th.
ITEMS BELOW WERE PUBLISHED ON AUGUST 16TH
The new Lower School building project is complete! We received our certificate of occupancy on Wednesday late afternoon, and our Lower School teachers got their rooms prepared in record time to be ready to meet their students today! We ask you to pardon the dust as we make it through a few more punch lists.
God has certainly provided a wonderful team of teachers on both the Lower and Upper campuses. They are committed to your students and meeting our mission of strengthening students and families to live a transformed life through Christ! We are so excited to welcome new and returning students on both campuses who will Carry the Torch into the future!
It's going to be a great year at HCLA!
Help us keep our campuses safe. When visiting our campuses, please be prepared to show your ID at the front desk for pick up or access to the building. This allows us to check pick up list and/or provide a visitors sticker so staff knows who should be on campus. Thank you for your cooperation.
high school student gov't
high school student gov't
Students interested in running for office should come to SGA's first meeting in Ms. Stark's classroom (#423) Tuesday, August 20 during lunch. Applications for President, VP, Secretary and Treasurer candidates are due to Mrs. Nayee or Ms. Stark by August 26. Campaigning begins September 3 with speeches on September 11 and elections will take place on September 13. Come be leaders who carry the torch!
Students: follow SGA on Instagram@hclasga for election and event updates.
mystery theatre!
mystery theatre!
Save the Date - October 18th 6PM
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM-BUILDING
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM-BUILDING
This year, we are continuing the tradition of our senior class and freshman class bonding opportunities. We will be partnering with Ties That Bind in Titusville, which offers a team-building ropes course experience. This is a valuable opportunity for our students, as it allows them to grow in relationship with one another while overcoming various obstacles through teamwork.
Sr. bonding trip is happening Friday, August 23rd.
Freshman Bonding Trip is on Friday August 30th.
If you have questions, please contact Mr. Blake Wright at bwright@thehcla.org
MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP INFORMATION
MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP INFORMATION
Middle School Youth group will take place at Holy Cross Lake Mary, 960 Paul Hoyer Way, Lake Mary. HCLM, Resurrection Church and HCLA are joining together to bring youth group back in full force.
Every Wednesday night at 6:30pm at HCLM in the Youth Room
Youth night involves fun, games, bible study and small group time
Anyone grades 6-8 are welcome (do not need to be HCLA students)
Instagram@holycross_youthministries
Facebook: Holy Cross Youth Ministry
HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP INFORMATION
HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP INFORMATION
High school youth ministry kickoff will be Sunday the 25th! We will meet in the Upper Campus gym on Sunday nights from 5pm-7pm. Pizza, games, bible study and fellowship. HCLM, Resurrection Church and HCLA are joining together to bring youth group back in full force. All 9th - 12th graders are welcome - so bring a friend!
Instagram@holycross_youthministries
Facebook: Holy Cross Youth Ministry
ITEMS BELOW WERE PUBLISHED ON AUGUST 9TH
August 9th
Dear Crusader Families,
We welcome new and returning families to the 2024-2025 school year!
I hope God has blessed each of our beloved families throughout the summer and that you have found time to rejuvenate, refresh and have fun! It is an exciting time to be at Holy Cross Lutheran Academy and we are thrilled to share the first weekly Crusader Newsletter of the school year. Our school-wide newsletter will provide a glance at the wonderful things happening at our school with weekly highlights, upcoming events and more!
I continue to be proud and humbled to be a servant leader at a school that sets high academic expectations, instills rich traditions, and most importantly, encourages and models spiritual excellence in the Christian faith. I eagerly anticipate working with faculty, parents, students and alumni to build upon the school’s foundation of excellence. The 2024-2025 school year will be extraordinary in every way and we are excited to get started!
Peace and blessings,
Cindy Moon
Executive Director
LOWER SCHOOL NEW TEACHERS/STAFF
Alexandria Castillo
Nancy Golsteyn
Laura Gudgin-Jones
Alaney Higgins
Cynthia Hernandez
Audrey Jankowich
Mikaela McGee
Stephanie Shim
UPPER SCHOOL NEW TEACHERS/STAFF
Jessica Barnett
Katie Chauvin
Lou Kloppe
Caleb Konieczny
Kathi Lunardi
Jason Van Driel
Kat Wert
Our staff had a great week back! On Monday our new teachers started with special meetings just for them. On Tuesday we gathered together with all staff from both campuses to pray, learn and be united together! We participated in Amazing Adventure Hunts in downtown Sanford Thursday evening. If you didn't know it, teachers like to have fun, but they are also very competitive! HCLA celebrates 25 years this year - we feel privileged and honored to be in this ministry of leading students and families to live a transformed life through Christ.
teacher commissioning
teacher commissioning
You are welcome to join us August 11th at the 11:00am church service at Resurrection Church (at our Upper Campus - 100 Aero Lane, Sanford). We bless our teachers and administrators before the school year starts and we'd be happy to have you be a part of it.
ORDER HAS BEEN PLACED AND FAMILY FACTS ACCOUNTS WILL BE CHARGED. SHIRTS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN A FEW WEEKS. (HOPEFULLY BY FIRST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER
Let's share the redeeming message of Jesus by living according to Romans 12:9-21. HCLA's students, families, faculty and staff have made a difference in the community and we look forward to carrying the torch for many more years to come!
These t-shirts can be worn on Fridays with jeans in place of a school uniform. And of course, you are always welcome to share the message on weekends. Let's get 100% participation for our 25th year! The order will be placed on the 20th, FACTS accounts will be charged and we are hopeful shirts will be available for distribution the first week of September.
FACTS RESOURCE
FACTS RESOURCE
FACTS is a great resource for information. You can find the link to our electronic newsletter, the overall school calendar as well as our "events" Google calendar and more. Grades, schedules and additional news are included.
Our parent group, PALS ( Parents Actively Lending Support) needs you! Activities and events take many hands, please look at the options and sign up to help out.
SAFETY AND SECURITY FEE: As a reminder, the $100 safety security fee for KP - 12th grade students will be charged through your family FACTS account on August15th. You will receive a notice through FACTS when it is set to draft. When requiring assistance regarding your tuition, payment amount, or payment method, please contact finance at finance@thehcla.org or contacting the school office to be transferred to our finance department. As a reminder, you can always log into your FACTS account to see billing information. Login to your Family Portal account > Select Financial (on the left) > Select Financial Home (on the right) > You can then select View Details (in the middle of the page) for a more in depth look.
STEP UP FOR STUDENTS SCHOLARSHIP - Please be sure approve your scholarship Quarter 1 payment. It is important to stay on top of your emails from Step Up as you will need to verify 4 times a year this year. If you are new to us this year and coming from a public school - please be sure to withdraw your student from their public school (where they are zoned for) so that their scholarship will not be jeopardized.
Lunch - no lunch first week of school for Upper.
Lunch ordering information - Lunches will be available starting the week of the 19th. Lower School - Chick Fil A on Fridays | Upper School - Pizza on Tuesdays and Chick Fil A on Thursdays.
upper school lockers
upper school lockers
We have removed some lockers to widen our hallways. Students will no longer have two lockers so please plan accordingly when purchasing back packs and other items. Locker organization will be very important! If you are buying shelves, etc. the lockers are 29 1/2" tall by 15" wide. As a reminder, no stickers or writing on the inside of lockers, but students are welcome to use magnets for securing items.
medications
medications
All medications a student needs during the school day must be left at the front office for disbursement with appropriate permission forms. You can find required medication forms through your Facts account by logging in and clicking on SCHOOL > RESOURCE DOCUMENTS and locating the appropriate form for prescriptions, over-the-counter or epi-pens. A new form is required at the beginning of the school year with parent and/or doctor signatures. Contact school office with questions.
tell a friend
tell a friend
We thank you for your referrals and recommendations. Your reviews on Niche or Facebook and Google let people know how great HCLA is. If you'd like to write us a review on google, please use the following links: Lower School or Upper School.
Uniform sale days
Uniform sale days
August 22nd and 29th Upper Campus from 7:30-9am
September 5th Upper Campus 7:30-9am
September 19th Lower campus 7:30-9am
Our uniform vendor is not on our campus on a daily basis. The dates listed above are the dates she will be here through September. Uniforms can always be purchased only and they drop off at the appropriate campus. Holy Cross Lutheran Academy (holycross-skoolstyle.com)
Check out the list of new coaches as we continue to improve our athletic offerings. You will see we have posted many of the games on the all-school calendar to help you with planning. Additional games will be added as we get closer to the seasons, but you will see that we have many games already scheduled. Please remember to join the Athletic Booster Club for the 2024-2025 school year. Join other members at any level to help us enhance our athletic programs. Be part of the club!! We are looking forward to a wonderful year of Crusader accomplishments! Don't forget athletic forms and requirements are available at Athletics | Holy Cross Lutheran Academy (thehcla.org) Go Crusaders! Practices are already underway so if you are planning on joining any fall sports, contact Mrs. Bonnie Kelly immediately with any questions.
Volleyball is coming soon for 3rd-5th Grade girls starting in September. Stay tuned for details!
First home game of the Crusader season will be our boys middle school soccer team agains King's Way 4:30pm on August 29th.
Be ready for a spirited welcome on the first day of school from some of our Crusaders!! 🎉📣
Lower School Clubs - Coming Soon!
Code Club: Offered to grades K-5th. Students will learn beginning coding concepts to create computer games and computer animation. Will begin in early September. Sign up form will be released mid August.
Math Club: Offered to grades 4th and 5th. This club will help enrich math knowledge by solving challenging math problems using games and strategies. Will also begin early September. Sign up form in mid August.
Fall Sports: All will begin early September with a sign up form mid August.
Little Crusader Cheer KPrep-2nd.
Jr. Crusader Cheer 3rd-5th.
Little Crusader Soccer K-5th.
Additional clubs sessions will be added and new sports each season.
Check out the calendar for fun events we have planned!
PALS would love to get your help! There are also additional opportunities to volunteer for back-to-school events. Please see Sign Up link for registration. Everyone is part of PALS - it takes many hands to run, plan and organize events - your help is greatly needed and appreciated.
To contact PALS to volunteer for the dining card committee, provide restaurant suggestions, or anything else, please email pals@thehcla.org.
Save the date - All-School Fun Fair and Picnic - Saturday, September 21 11AM - 2PM at Upper Campus 100 Aero Ln. Sanford
Refer to FACTS for additional information. District Code HCL-FL
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