Christian Cooperating School District
To Hold Conference March 4th

By Jim Day

Educators of the Christian Cooperating School District (CCSD) will be gathering on March 4th for a day-long in-service conference at Life Christian School located at 13001 Gravois Rd. in Sunset Hills, MO.

For those not familiar with the organization, CCSD is comprised of approximately 25 Christian schools and two major homeschooling organizations representing a wide variety of denominations from throughout St. Charles and St. Louis Counties as well as Illinois. One school is from Cape Girardeau.

Founded in 2000, participating institutions differ in that some are discipling in their philosophy (at least one parent must be a professing Christian) and others are evangelical in their enrollment. Some schools are affiliated with a particular church while others are independent. Member schools differ as well in their program offerings with some providing pre-school programs, while others provide instruction through elementary only. Still others provide kindergarten through secondary education and some offer classical instruction at all grade levels. What all of the member institutions have in common is the desire to bring students to a saving knowledge of Christ by providing an environment where children can deepen their understanding of what it means to be a Christian on a daily basis.

Member institutions benefit on a number of levels. Primarily, member schools use the organization as a way of pooling resources, encouraging cooperative efforts to improve Christian education, and to bring greater communication and unity to the Christian school movement. Just a few of the many opportunities provided by CCSD include professional staff training, improved testing and instruction, sharing of information and resources that allow schools to reduce operating expenses. CCSD also sponsors competitions for students in the areas of math, spelling, speech, art, and music. For parents looking for a Christian school, CCSD also provides a web site (www.christianschooldistrict.com) where they can view information regarding each of the member schools.

On March 4th, conference registration for CCSD’s member educators begins at 8:30 a.m. with the first session starting at 9:45. Christian schools that are not members of CCSD but wish to participate must contact CCSD Chairman, Steve Mizel by February 25th at (314) 849-3425 to register to attend.

Just a few of the many presentations that those in attendance will have the opportunity to hear include: What Teachers Need to Know About Teaching Creation, Teaching With Themes Across the Curriculum, A User Friendly Secondary Discipline Program, How Teachers Can Effectively Use the Internet and Online Databases, Teaching Redemptively, Make and Take It Workshop For Early Childhood and Kindergarten Teachers, Teaching the Bible as the Master Taught – for Early Childhood and Kindergarten Teachers, and Christian Educators: Warriors in the Battle for the Souls of Our Children.

For directions to Life Christian School, visit their web site at www.lifechristianschool.com and click on About Us and then Directions. For more information regarding the CCSD call CCSD Chairman, Steve Mizel at (314) 849-3425. For more information regarding the March 4th conference, call Peggy Barratt at (636) 272-3220.