By Ms. Liz MacDavitt, Beverly Dean of Students and MS Teacher – On Wednesday May 18, North Shore Christian School teachers (and administrators) from all three campuses participated in the last of three Collaborative Critical Thinking frameworks training. Earlier this spring, teachers received an overview of CCT frameworks as a whole and were able to dig deeper into two specific activities – Plus, Minus, Interesting and Paideia Seminar.

The focus of the final training was an overview and hands-on activity revolving around the Oxford Debate. Providing these opportunities for teachers (and administrators) allows for a greater sense of understanding, time and space to ask questions, collaborative brainstorming amongst teachers, and the ability to see the real life applications of incorporating critical thinking skills into regular classroom teaching practices. Not only does this benefit teachers in their professional development, but it also ultimately benefits our students, and helps to shape their hearts and minds.

On May 18, after reviewing the outline for an Oxford Debate, teachers and administrators participated in a debate together. This firsthand experience was valuable for all educators. Perhaps the greatest value lies within the opportunity for educators to be students themselves; learning from each other and leaving with a greater appreciation for their colleagues and their ideas. To be an educator is to be a lifelong learner; to encourage and spur on the learning process for students and engage them in meaningful activities that promote creative thinking, civil discourse, and lifelong skills that will surely travel far beyond the walls of our classrooms in ways we can’t even begin to imagine.

North Shore Christian School invites you to join us for our annual golf tournament at Turner Hill Golf Club. Last year we were thrilled to have the largest participation in the history of our event and this year the expressed interest is as high as ever. Since Covid restrictions have been lifted, we will return to our tradition of a shotgun start and we all will return to the Clubhouse for a group lunch, awards, prizes, and more. Please note that the arrival time is between 7:45 – 8:45 a.m. with a shotgun start at 9:00. You will have access to the guest locker room in the Clubhouse and to the golf practice areas.

We know that many of you have several opportunities to play in golf tournaments and we thank you for joining us. Your support will make a difference in lives of our students and impact the quality of our programming and activities. We promise to make it a great day for you, your friends, employees, and business associates, as well as a great start to your golf season!

You can register and pay online for fees, VIP packages, and Mulligans by clicking the Registration Link. To consider tournament sponsorship opportunities learn more buy using this Sponsorship Link.

North Shore Christian School is an independent Christian School serving students in Preschool through eighth grade with campuses in Beverly, Hamilton, and Lynn, MA. Founded in 1951, we currently serve approximately 270 students on three campuses. We strive to nurture each student’s learning and thinking and equip them to serve God within their local communities and around the world.

This Fall North Shore Christian School launched our 70^th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign. This Campaign allows our donors the opportunity to give where it is needed most, allowing NSCS to Impart our Legacy to this and future generations of students! A portion of every gift made will go toward facility improvements, financial aid, and the Annual Fund which will enrich the student experience.

Click on the video below to hear a message from one of our longtime donors and friend of NSCS, Renee Southard.

Consider donating to NSCS on the global day of giving on Tuesday, November 30, 2021. Everyone has something to give and every act of generosity counts. Be a part of the global generosity movement on Giving Tuesday. No gift is too small!

Donate to NSCS online by clicking here to access our Imparting the Legacy Giving page  or visit our website at nschristian.org and use the Donate button on our home page.

By Liz MacDavitt, MS Teacher and Dean of Students

One of the most important aspects of a North Shore Christian School education is the opportunity we have to live out our lives in faith in the greater community. This is a focus of our Middle School programming, and we had our first community service event of the school year.

Two years ago, a small group of NSCS students served the community of Beverly by working with veterans to remove flags from headstones in the cemetery behind NSCS Beverly Campus. This was a way to support veterans, and help wrap up Veterans’ Day activities in Beverly. It was a wonderful opportunity to serve, learn from our local veterans, and show that we care about this community! Students were even featured in the local newspaper and highlighted by State Representative Jerry Parisella for their service. This year, we were invited back to help with the same project.

On Saturday, November 13, Beverly Campus students in Grades 5-8 had the opportunity to participate in this event. Middle School Teacher Liz MacDavitt and Head of School Pam Heintz served alongside the group of thirteen students. Some parents of students joined in, too! Students worked for about an hour, removing 500 flags honoring Veterans Day from the cemetery. Students removed the American flags from the wooden sticks, to prepare them for a ceremonial flag burning. The group of students were able to hear stories from a local Vietnam War veteran, Jerry Giulebbe, and they even asked him some thoughtful questions. He was impressed with the students’ work ethic, respect, and desire to serve their community.

This was a simple yet meaningful act of service. Remembering and honoring our nation’s veterans is of utmost importance. Providing students an opportunity to participate in that work is no small thing. While students enjoyed working on this project, there was also a deep sense of gratitude and respect as each flag was removed. Several students could be seen silently observing moments of respect and honor to each headstone and flag. This experience is one that this group of students will not forget.

This week North Shore Christian School has launched our 70th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign. Hear all about this exciting news from our Head of School in the video below.

NSCS has been Imparting the Legacy to generations of students and families for 70 years. This has been possible through the generous financial support of the entire NSCS community throughout all of these years.

Our goal through this campaign is to raise $100,000!

This Campaign allows our donors the opportunity to give where it is needed most, allowing NSCS to Preserve and Advance Our Legacy! A portion of every gift made will go toward facility improvements, financial aid, and the Annual Fund which will enrich the student experience.

Every gift of $1,000 received by June 30, 2022 will be acknowledged on our Imparting the Legacy Commemorative Tree. Leaves will be engraved with the donor’s selected name/s or an anonymous leaf will be added if the donor chooses not to include a name.

Donate online by clicking here to access our Imparting the Legacy Giving page  or visit our website at nschristian.org and use the Donate button on our home page.

LYNN, MA (October 28, 2021) North Shore Christian School (NSCS), a private Christian school with campuses in Lynn, Beverly, and Hamilton, MA, today announced that Pam Heintz, Head of School at (NSCS), has been awarded the Winifred Currie Award in Education from Gordon College. This award is bestowed annually to a Gordon College alum for outstanding service to the education field, the community, and for serving as a distinguished role model to peers, friends, and students.  

The award was presented by the Gordon College Alumni Association during its annual Homecoming event honoring alumni of Gordon and Barrington Colleges on October 1, 2021. The celebrated alumni have impacted their workplaces, communities, and the lives of those around them. Heintz, who graduated from Gordon College with a BA in Psychology, as well as received her M.Ed. from Lesley University, was this year’s recipient of the award, which was presented by Dr. Janet Arndt, Dean of the School of Education at Gordon College.  

As Head of School, Heintz embodies the Winifred Currie Award as she empowers her staff to fulfill their aspirations as Christian school educators all while advancing the school’s mission. From budgets to building relationships within the community, Heintz’s students are at the center of everything she does. Described at the event, “Heintz aims not only to provide excellent academics but also to play a part in developing compassionate individuals with a biblical worldview.”  

“With Pam Heintz at the helm, the students and community of North Shore Christian School are in great hands. This award is a further testament to the high standards the school sets out for not only its students but the educators who are shaping the future,” said Michael Procopio, Chair of the Board of Directors of North Shore Christian School “Congratulations are in order for Pam on this achievement, as well as the whole NSCS community for providing excellent leaders.”  

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North Shore Christian School:  

North Shore Christian School, founded in 1951 in Lynn, Massachusetts, is an interdenominational Christian school offering instruction through an evangelical faith-based, culturally engaged perspective. The school enrolls 250-plus students in Early Childhood through Grade 8 across three campuses: Lynn Campus—Early Childhood through Grade 8; Beverly Campus—Early Childhood through Grade 8: Hamilton Campus—Early Childhood. 

Mission Statement: Rooted in historical evangelical Christian faith, North Shore Christian School, in concert with family and church, seeks to be a community that provides challenging elementary and secondary education. Through academic and biblical instruction, we strive to nurture each student’s learning and thinking and equip them to serve God within their local communities and around the world. (www.nschristian.org) 

For admissions inquiries, please contact Christine Saia, Director of Admissions and Community Engagement, at 781-469-0706 or csaia@nschristian.org. All other inquiries may be directed to Pam Heintz, Head of School, at 978-921-2888 or pheintz@nschristian.org. Please visit our website at www.nschristian.org. 

Written by Pam Heintz, Head of School

The COVID pandemic has brought to light some interesting things. For example, we have learned that you can never have too much toilet paper in your linen closet, it is difficult to understand someone while they are wearing a mask, and we all measure 6-feet differently.  Regardless of the COVID takeaways we will all be left with when we are on the other side of this pandemic, one thing is for sure, school-aged children have been emotionally affected by COVID.  It has infiltrated their world, and for many of them, they have needed a safe place to process the many implications of this virus, as well as the social and political climate we currently find ourselves in at this juncture in history.  NSCS was able to respond to this need by providing a safe place for our students.

We are thrilled that we were able to accelerate the launch of a new program at NSCS, as we responded to the need to provide Social and Emotional support to our students, and NSCS was able to open our doors in September with 100% in-person learning and our new SAFE Groups!

What is SAFE Group?  SAFE stands for Students and Faculty Engaging.  Twice a week our Middle School faculty team and their students hop off the academic track.  Gathering in small breakaway groups, our faculty provides a safe space and critical time to engage students around social and emotional issues.  Research supports the fact that students must have SEL (Social Emotional Learning) opportunities that are authentic and leave room for students to ask questions and wrestle with important, and often difficult, ideas, concepts, and experiences in a safe space.  Especially now, during a pandemic and post-pandemic, students will need time to process and purposefully engage in community building efforts that support emotional well-being.

Research indicates that providing these intentional times for students will aid in increasing student learning by 11%, and will make for stronger communities.  NSCS is thrilled to be on the cutting edge of this type of critical learning and student engagement.  Our Deans of Students take very seriously their responsibility of providing the structure and oversight to these important groups, as well as being available to students as they provide emotional support.

SAFE Groups seek to foster Five Key Areas of important development for middle school-aged students; Self Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, & Responsible Decision-making Skills.  In keeping with our school Mission and our Four Pillars of Distinction, our SAFE Groups are facilitated through the lens of a Biblical World View, helping to shape confident, well-rounded, & faith-grounded children!

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-sel-essential-for-students-weissberg-durlak-domitrovich-gullotta

by Kirstin Lick, 3rd/4th Grade teacher on the Beverly Campus

This past week at NSCS all three campuses intentionally took the time to slow down from the business of school and just read! I am the 3rd and 4th Grade teacher on the Beverly campus and wanted this week not just to be a time to just to read, but also to challenge and allow each student to share and get excited about the next page.

On Tuesday morning when all the students came in they noticed plastic bins with their names printed on them and two books neatly stacked in them. The students were full of questions and eventually it was time to hand out the bookmarks that had eight stars. Each star represents a challenge, our goal as a class was if we could get 56 stars punched by Friday they would get a free snack and an extra recess next week. This was a huge incentive, and the stakes became more exciting as I told them there will be two alarms that will go off randomly throughout the day. It could happen at any time and we HAD to stop whatever we were doing (math, social studies, ELA, Bible…) and READ!

They were told how they had to read, on the floor, under desks, on the stairs, even chewing gum!  The challenges ranged from showing what they were reading through Playdo or forming a mini book group to share what their book was about. All the challenges had to do with what they were reading so they had to pay attention so they could win!

I was so amazed to see all my students, all with different reading levels, rise to the occasion. Students who traditionally weren’t comfortable sharing in class were jumping to share about their book with each other even before the challenge was read aloud. As a teacher, I learned just how easy it can be to get them excited when there is just the right motivation but also allowing them to talk and share what they are reading. This is something that I hope inspires you as parents, if you are struggling to get your child to open up their books at home to come up with fun incentives that will excite and engage them. 

I am proud to say my students did indeed achieve the 56 points and will be enjoying their prize this week; but the bigger prize was they didn’t want it to end. They wanted to keep reading and that is the desire I want for all my students, to love to read and not to stop!

Dear Friends,

It is difficult for me to turn a blind eye toward the events that took place at the Capitol in Washington D.C. yesterday.  Watching the images on the news made me feel like I was watching something happening in another place. This certainly could not be America?

How did we get here? How have we lost our sense of decorum? How have we lost our sense of civility?

Watching the news and seeing the protesting, the confusion, and the chaos, and the utter disregard for order was frightening and disturbing.

I want this generation of children to live in a country that is peaceful.  I want this generation of children to witness the adults around them settling their differences in a respectable manner, that supports civil discourse, and meaningful rhetoric.

How I give thanks to God for NSCS and our devoted teachers who work very hard to engage our students in meaningful ways, as they challenge students to resolve differences with their classmates, share ideas and opinions with others that may be different, and live out their convictions – all in a winsome and civil manner.  Through Socratic dialogue and debates, our students are learning how to use rhetoric, be it in speech or writing, to draw people in, and invite others to participate in acknowledging the similarities we share and the good work that we can accomplish together, rather than arguing the differences and asserting our opinions.  I feel very blessed to be associated with NSCS.

We have an opportunity right now, at this juncture in history, and that opportunity is to be godly witnesses to those around us.  We have the opportunity to behave in a way that is representative of being a follower of Jesus Christ.  We have an opportunity to live out our faith in a manner that will be attractive to others.  As Christians we are called to live our lives differently, and we have been called to pray.

Please join me in praying for our Country.  Our leaders.  Our future.  There is an opportunity to shine the light and showcase the love of God.  We need not live in fear.  We need not despair.  Our good and Faithful God is still on the throne, and is still in control.

May your hearts embrace the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He loves us with an everlasting love.

With Love,

Pam Heintz, Head of School

• Should you have traveled outside of the state of Massachusetts, please visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order and follow the required guidelines.
• Potential Exposure Encounter – NSCS defines potential exposure encounter as, “Anyone who was in a gathering after December 27, 2020 with individuals other than their immediate household and/or “close circle”, whereby masks/face coverings were not consistently worn, nor was social distancing consistently adhered to.”  Please be sure to fully acquaint yourself with the Quarantine Guidance, as set forth by mass.gov (https://www.mass.gov/guidance/information-and-guidance-for-persons-in-quarantine-due-to-covid-19).
• To clarify, should a family have traveled outside of Massachusetts, and also experienced a potential exposure encounter, NSCS is requiring that families follow the Quarantine Guidance, instead of the Travel protocol.
• Additionally, if your child, or anyone in their immediate household, has been informed of a positive case of an individual that they were exposed to after December 25^th, please follow the appropriate Quarantine Guidance.
• If you are in doubt as to what to do in way of returning to school next week, you are encouraged to stay home and speak with your PCP.  Your child’s teacher/s will work with you to ensure that your child does not miss school work, should quarantining be required.
• As always, we also trust our families to keep their child/ren at home if they are experiencing ANY COVID-like symptoms, and to contact their PCP or child’s pediatrician.
• NSCS will not be allowing volunteers and/or parents onto our Beverly or Lynn Campuses for the first two-weeks.  We hope to lift this restriction on January 19^th.
• Our SALT (Senior Administrative Leadership Team) members will follow a Smart Start re-entry, whereby each member will remain exclusively on one campus for the duration of the first two-weeks, in order to avoid cross-contamination between campuses.  Should you need to get in touch with any of our SALT members, you may find their emails below.  SALT members will resume a regular schedule on January 19, 2021.