2025-2026 QUICK VIEW SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR

Dear HCLA Families,

I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you for enriching my life here at HCLA.  It has been my privilege to be part of the process of welcoming many families like yours to HCLA over the years.  To be a part of this wonderful ministry has been the most meaningful career that I have had – much more than a job, but a mission!  I will always remain a Crusader for Christian education.  I’ve seen the difference it makes and the end result is your students bringing light to this world who needs Jesus.  I encourage you to remain steadfast in your beliefs, keep your child’s education a priority, but mostly continue pointing your family to Jesus.  As our theme says - you are Different because of Christ.  Living with this knowledge keeps the burden off of you.  It is HE who defines you – not the world.

I look forward to staying connected remotely and occasional visits when I am back in Florida.  I am confident in the ability of Mrs. Elijah to carry on the admissions and enrollment process now from VPK - 12th Grade.  Mrs. Gutierrez has already been sharing the newsletter with all of you and I am grateful for that continuity.  Mr. Hatton is also keeping our social media fresh and relevant.  I hope you don’t mind if I become the number one fan on Facebook!

My move to South Carolina has been in the works for a few years, but the exact day only God knew.  As I move on, I move on with peace knowing that there is an amazing administrative team and faculty who are committed to excellence and continuous improvement as they take on the responsibility of your student’s spiritual and academic well being.  I look forward to hearing about the continued growth and transformed lives through Christ at HCLA! 

God’s blessings on all of you!

Sue Stark

JESSICA BINKLEY, LOWER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL | OCTOBER UPDATE

Our students never cease to amaze me. It was such a joy to see their school spirit shine throughout the Homecoming Week. They are so creative with dressing up, many of them were covered in watches, necklaces, bows and boas for accessory day, they were proud to wear their favorite sports team, many of which wore their very own club or school teams, and of course school spirit day was all out HCLA red and black.

We also want to congratulate our New Competitive Robotics Teams in their very first competition. It is difficult to know all the nuances of such a competition, but our students took it in stride and adapted throughout the day of competition. Our younger team redesigned their robot for better performance just a week before the competition which meant they also had to rewrite the coding for it. They persevered and competed with the new design. Our older team made it to the finals in their very first competition and placed THIRD! Absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to see how these teams will progress and I am excited for the future in competitive robotics.

Lastly, I wanted to say thank you. We are so blessed with loving, caring students who truly want to help others. Our food drive collection for Thanksgiving has been such a success thus far. With your generosity, we will be able to bless many families in need this Thanksgiving. I can’t think of a better way to show God’s love with the community. Thank you for making this possible.

In His Service,

Jessica Binkley

DR. LUNARDI, UPPER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL | OCTOBER UPDATE

It can always be tough to get back to normal routines after all the fun and excitement of Spirit & Homecoming Week, but I'm so proud of our students and staff for their hard work and diligence this week. As our 6th graders continue to make the adjustment to having 7 different classes, 5 core classes and multiple electives, our Seniors are taking multiple Advanced Placement (AP) classes and navigating the college application process all at the same time. 

In particular for our seniors, please join me in praying for them as they are about to make some major decisions about their future. Whether they are waiting for acceptance decisions from highly competitive universities or trying to decide on which post-high school path to pursue, it can be a stressful time for them and their families. As we walk alongside them on this journey, we believe that the Lord will guide their steps and show them His plan for their future after HCLA. 

Thank you for your continued support of everything that's going on at Upper Campus. If we can help in any way, please be sure to reach out to our teachers or admin team at any time.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Chris Lunardi

Save the Date:
November 1st, 2025 - New Student and Sibling Applications open. See details below.
November 2nd, 2025 - Youth Ministry Parent Meeting at 5pm, Upper Campus Gym
November 5th, 2025 -  Early Release Day  | 1:00PM Lower & 12:55PM  Upper  (Lower only: aftercare available only for families with aftercare plan)
November 6th, 2025 - Parent Chat Session 2: Identity in Christ
November 8th, 2025 -  Veterans Appreciation Event at Holy Cross Lake Mary. See flyer below for more details.
November 8th, 2025 - Bring it On Challenge Fundraiser at 6pm at the Upper Campus Gym. Pre-sale tickets are on sale at both campuses for $5/person and will increase to $10/person the day of the event.
November 12th, 2025 - Red Robin Spirit Night 4-8pm
November 13th, 2025 -  Middle School Night at the Museum at Upper Campus.  See flyer below.
November 19th, 2025 -  High School Preview Day for current 8th grade HCLA Students
November 20th, 2025 -  The Slipper and the Spoon Dinner Theatre Presentation. Only 10 Tickets left!

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Join Josh Blankenship, HCLM's Director of Youth and Family Ministries,  on Sunday, November 2nd for a Youth Ministry Parents Meeting. Come learn about upcoming events, meet other parents and learn about opportunities to serve in youth ministry. We'll meet at the HCLA Upper Campus Gym at 5pm. Light refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP here.

Parent Chat Session 2: Identity in Christ

Save the date |  November 6th | 3:30 - 4:30PM | Upper Campus
This is a parent only session - no students please!

HELPING STUDENTS REALIZE THEIR IDENTITY IN CHRIST 

November 6th Workshop
In our first workshop last month, we covered some foundational concepts about traditional and modern identity formation, the problems with both, and the answers that Biblical identity formation offers. Families spent time in small groups talking through challenges they are facing and how we can point our children towards their true identity as a child of God. In our next workshop on November 6th, we'll take a look at how to combat the natural tendency for students to find their identity in academic or extracurricular performance or even in their "good works". 

Please RSVP here if you intend to come.  If you don't rsvp, but find out you can make it - please join us anyway!

📣Calling all Lower Campus dads/father figures 📣

Once a month, on the 2nd Thursday (Lower PALS meeting day), dads/father figures will take over the morning carline. If interested you would open car doors, greet our students and remind them that they are special! Join other dads/father figures for high fives and cheers as our students arrive to school. Carline begins at 7:45am and concludes at 8:15am. You are more than welcome afterwards to join us for the November 13th PALS meeting if you are able. Ready to sign up please sign up here. Dads/Father Figures Helping in Carline.  Please email lowerpals@thehcla.org with any questions or concerns.

OCTOBER IS FOR......

2025-2026 THEATRE SEASON LINE UP!

WE ARE STILL ACCEPTING ENROLLMENTS FOR LOWER CAMPUS CLUBS BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER.  

⬇️ VISIT THE CLUB HUB TO REGISTER ⬇️

Join The Story Network Study - Begins October 19th

We're inviting all academy families to join our network-wide alignment study using "The Story: The Bible as One Continuous Story of God and His People" by Randy Frazee.

This is an opportunity for all ages to share a common experience of faith across our school, your home, and our network churches.

• Network-Wide: Everyone reads the same content at the same time for a unified focus.

• For All Ages: Attend worship and choose from multiple developmentally appropriate study opportunities surrounding the service times. Bibles for every age will be available.

• School Connection: Your student will reinforce the content in their chapel messages at the academy.

Join any of our network congregations to participate:

• Holy Cross Lake Mary: 8 am & 10 am

• Resurrection Church: 11 am

• The Cross Orlando: 10 am

• ...and more!

We encourage you to choose a network church and join us!

Questions? Contact: Tiffany@hclm.org.

Dear Crusader Families,

As we approach the close of an amazing first quarter, I want to take a moment to reflect on the journey we’ve already shared this school year. It has been a season marked by growth, joy, and the unmistakable hand of God at work in our classrooms, chapel gatherings, and community life. We are so grateful for the partnership we share with you in nurturing not just minds, but hearts rooted in Christ.

With the changing seasons, we are reminded that life brings both new beginnings and meaningful transitions. It is with a mixture of gratitude and bittersweet emotion that I share the news that Sue Stark, who has faithfully served our school for over 18 years, will be moving to South Carolina at the end of October.  Her work at our school, our church congregation and within the FL/GA district as a Lutheran school leader has been a clear reflection of God’s grace and truth.

As our Director of Admissions and Marketing, Sue has been a steady and joyful presence in our school community —   encouraging faculty, students and families and helping shape the Christ-centered culture we cherish today. While we will deeply miss her daily presence, we celebrate the incredible legacy she leaves behind and trust that God’s next season for her will be filled with peace, rest, and new purpose. In both quiet moments and public leadership, she lives out Matthew 5:16: "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

We will honor Mrs. Stark with our students during our October 29th Upper School Chapel - parents are invited! In the meantime, please join us in lifting up Sue in prayer as this new chapter begins.

Our new Admissions, Marketing and Communications Team!

We are thrilled to have Sue work with us remotely in an advisement and support capacity to help with the transition!  

Tasha Elijah will be our Director of Admissions and Outreach - assuming the role of admissions at both campuses and continuing her dynamic school and community outreach.

Crystal Gutierrez  will be our Administrative and Communications Coordinator - assuming all schoolwide communications, newsletters, schoolwide announcements, etc. She will continue her main roles at lower school.

Nathan Hatton will assume the role of social media marketing and visual storytelling videography.

Thank you for your continued trust, support, and prayers. Let us finish this quarter strong, with thankful hearts for all God is doing in and through our school community.

With gratitude and grace,
Cindy Moon- Executive Director- Holy Cross Lutheran Academy

MRS. BINKLEY AND DR. LUNARDI RECAP FROM THE CONFERENCE

We had a great time of fellowship and learning together at the Florida/Georgia LCMS Educators' Conference in Daytona last week.  The theme for this year's Conference was "Fueled for Today, Empowered for Tomorrow". There were a variety of local and national presenters from the K-12 and higher education worlds, along with some time slots dedicated to team building and fellowship for our own team as well as our larger body of Lutheran educators from FL/GA.  Our teachers love to learn and it is these experiences that help them grow into the amazing educators they are. When they are refueled and empowered, great things happen in our classrooms and our students benefit from their renewed enthusiasm for learning.  We came back recharged for the home stretch of the 1st quarter and the rest of Semester 1. 

SAT / PSAT TESTS IN OCTOBER

• ✅Thursday, October 2 – The SAT will be administered to seniors and juniors who registered. Testing will take place in the gym beginning at 8:00 a.m.

• ✅Thursday, October 16 – The PSAT/NMSQT will be administered to all juniors in the gym beginning at 8:00 a.m. 

Parents’ Night Out – Fall Edition! 

Take the night off while the kids enjoy an evening full of autumn fun—all while supporting the HCLA Cheerleaders!  We’ll keep them busy with fall crafts, cozy games, snacks, and a seasonal movie so you can enjoy a well-deserved break.

Kids will have a blast while you relax kid-free, and every registration helps our cheer program grow! 

Spots are limited—register today!

A special thank you to the Lower School Dads who helped with carline in October.

LAST CHANCE! Get your cards by October 10th to be eligible for prizes! 

The PALS fundraiser is underway.  Your support is appreciated and we love offering this discount card to benefit you as you are our enjoying our local restaurants.  If you have questions, please refer to this Fundraiser Q&A. or contact our PALS team at upperpals@thehcla.org

Congratulations to our Upper Campus top seller: Walker Meagher

Some of our students partnered with Holy Cross Lake Mary for their landscaping day!  Service and partnership are important as we work together to develop the next generation of Christian leaders.  Great work!

UPPER SCHOOL DROP OFF - Dear parents, if you arrive prior to our gate being opened in the morning, please park away from the key pad and pull over as close to the curb as possible so teachers / staff can gain access to the key pad.  Thank you for your cooperation.

DON'T MISS OUT ON THE MEMORIES - ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK TODAY!

Please note the specific QR code per campus

Homecoming Week Spotlight

HOME COMING DANCE DETAILS AND Q&A

The Homecoming Dance is for 9th - 12th graders only, but don't worry Middle School will be having a bonfire on Friday, October 24th from 6-8pm.

Athletic Spotlight

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.