Providence Christian School will be closed this coming Monday, September 1, in honor of Labor Day.

This year PCS’s participation in the Salvation Army Canned Food Drive takes on a new sense of urgency. Even before Tropical Storm Fay hit our area, the Salvation Army’s Fort Myers/Lee County area web site reported a huge jump in the number of families the Army was trying to help with food and other basic needs. On August 8, Major Art Penale reported, “With this drastic increase, comes the depletion of our food pantry. Looking at the pantry today, there is one word to describe it—dire.”

You can help by contributing to the canned food drive, which starts today and will end on Tuesday, September 9. During this drive students may bring in canned food items everyday to their class. The class who brings the most cans in will receive a root beer float party!

We will begin our practices right away this week, Tuesday, from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Regular practices will be scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday afternoons until 5:00 p.m.

Please bring an extra-healthy snack—no milk products or food with sugar, as they will have adverse effects on your ability to move well! Water will be provided.

We are looking forward to a great season of volleyball!

Our current full-year calendar shows the Regional Science Fair as taking place on January 23-24, 2009. Please change those dates to January 30-31.

We hope that you and your family made it through Tropical Storm Fay today without incident. We are very grateful that our school campus appears undamaged. However, the power has been out all day, and because of that classes have been canceled for tomorrow, Wednesday, August 20.

Teachers are attempting to contact the parents of their students this evening to let them know about the cancellation. If for some reason we were unable to get through to you and you come in to school tomorrow morning, faculty and staff will be present to advise you of the situation. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

The School District of Lee County has announced that it will be closed tomorrow because of Tropical Storm Fay. In keeping with our policy of following the district’s lead, PCS will also be closed. At this point we fully expect to re-open on Wednesday, August 20. Please take every precaution and monitor official advisories throughout this storm, and keep the school in your prayers as you will also be in ours.

Current weather forecasts show Tropical Storm Fay achieving Category 1 hurricane status and coming close to Southwest Florida by Tuesday, August 19. At this time we do not expect it to interfere with our first day of school on Monday, August 18.

Please monitor local television and radio weather coverage and school closing information this Monday evening and Tuesday morning. If the Lee County School District announces that its schools will be closed because of the storm, then PCS will also be closed. The district’s web site is located at leeschools.net.

For further updates on storm conditions, consult the following we sites:

• Fort Myers News-Press
• National Hurricane Center (National Weather Service)
• Weather Underground, Tropical Weather coverage
• WBBH, NBC2, Weather
• WFTX, FOX 4, Hurricane Information
• WINK News “Hurricane Central”
• WZVN, ABC7, Weather

We’re looking forward to seeing students begin the 2008-2009 school year bright and early Monday morning. Classrooms open at 8:00 a.m., so remember if those dropping off students arrive before that time, they need to take them to Before Care in the Fellowship Hall.

If you would like to help with the children in our lunchroom, please call the school office at 549-8024. The task is simple: be at the Fellowship Hall by 11:25 a.m. The last lunch period is over at 1:00 p.m., and lunchroom volunteers are usually finished cleaning up by 1:15.

We are still working on lunch options, which will become available September 2. A note will be sent home the first week of school letting you know what is available.

Thank you to Therese Billburg for supervising the lunchroom this year!

Join us and meet the PCS board, faculty, PTF and other parents! You can get answers to any questions you might have, especially about your children’s classrooms.

Thursday, August 14th

• 6:00-6:30: General meeting in church sanctuary
• 6:30-7:00: Kindergarten and Middle School
• 7:00-7:30: Pre-K3 and PreK-4, Grades 1 and 2
• 7:30-8:00: Grades 3, 4, and 5

Please come for the general meeting, and then meet with teacher(s) at the above times. The Middle School meting will be held in the sanctuary.

Parents only, please. You may bring your children to visit their teachers on August 15th, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.