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THE LION'S ROAR
December 5, 2024
a partnership with the light house
Cornerstone is excited this year to contract with The Light House, located at 97 Main Street in Manchester (less than a half-mile from the school), to better meet the expanding needs of youth. The Light House is a mental health agency that brings together a combination of licensed clinicians and pastoral counselors to serve the community in various ways. They aim to support schools, organizations, families, and individuals with understanding and managing mental health needs. Their biblical perspective on meeting these needs aligns well with Cornerstone’s mission.
The Light House staff provides the faculty with professional development opportunities designed to equip teachers to meet the many needs of their students. They often serve as consultants to teachers and administrators with general classroom needs, and they occasionally provide whole-class lessons or lead assemblies (anti-bullying, for instance).
They are also available to the administration as a resource to share with parents when students need individualized support. Before The Light House staff meets individually with students (or in small, specially-designed groups), parents will have given explicit permission for their children to participate; this is usually determined during a PAT (Parent, Administrator, Teacher) meeting as outlined in the Pre-Referral Process in our Parent-Student Handbook.
The Light House provides the school with an onsite counselor, Samantha Hawes, each Monday when school is in session. When students’ needs require more specialized or direct support, The Light House is able to work directly with parents and their students. Parents can also submit their own referrals through the school’s referral form by CLICKING HERE.
CLICK HERE for an introduction to the full staff at The Light House, including Samantha Hawes.
guidance corner
civics fun!
What a busy first quarter we have had at CCS!
With just over a quarter of the year finished, Mrs. Press has already been hard at work helping our high school students with post high-school planning. At Cornerstone, we engage the parents and students in post-high school planning beginning in the spring of Grade 8.
At Cornerstone our faculty and staff members are able to know our students personally, providing an opportunity for personalized guidance and support. It is truly our desire to help each individual student identify God’s next steps for his or her life after high school. For many of our students this means entering college. However, there are many paths available to these young adults.
Mrs. Joy Press, Cornerstone’s Secondary Level Principal, fulfills the typical guidance counselor roles at CCS by supporting students in career exploration and post-high school planning. This includes our annual planning sessions (Grade 8 & Grade 10), individual meetings with juniors and seniors, Career Chats, and more.
This year we have already hosted our virtual College Admissions & Financial Aid workshop, led by an admissions counselor at Messiah University. Our next planning sessions, which are open to the public, will be held in the spring. You can CLICK HERE to learn more and to register.
Our Career Chats this year have been VERY popular! Students in Grades 8 to 12 have spent lunch periods talking with guest speakers from a variety of careers. Students have learned about Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Facilities Engineering, entrepreneurship, Architecture, and Cyber Security. While we have paused these chats until the new year, students look forward to welcoming new guests in January.
Our high school students also have the opportunity to explore possible careers during an optional morning workshop. Through this interactive book study the students will explore their own interests, skills, abilities, and preferences and learn about possible good-fit careers.
We are blessed that at Cornerstone our faculty and staff members know our students personally and can provide this type of individualized guidance and support!
Grades K, 1, and 2 practiced their civic duty in a fun citizenship and voting activity on Election Day!
❤️They kicked off the event by casting their votes for one of two highly acclaimed activities: Bean Bag Toss or Parachute Play. A (student) marshal stood nearby to ensure official votes were cast carefully, while a (student) polling volunteer offered the directions and an “I Voted Today” sticker to each participant.
🤍The group was then led in prayers, the pledge, and even a shared song of “America the Beautiful.”
💙 The votes were in and, much to the teachers’ surprise, it was a TIE!! Mrs. Snyder, the Head of School, arrived on the scene to be the tiebreaker; and the children happily engaged in Parachute Play after Tuesday’s recess. What a fun Election Day for our students and a great opportunity to tie in some key social studies concepts!!