Lost and Found in the PAAC Hallway

“Tis better to have Lost and Found, than to have never noticed it was missing in the first place!”

In honor of the arrival of spring, the Lost and Found has been carefully organized and arranged on tables and hanging racks in the PAAC hallway for your convenience. Please stop by after school tomorrow to claim your items! Outerwear, water bottles, lunch boxes, shoes and other treasures galore… It’s amazing what you might find!

Unclaimed items will be donated or sent to the Uniform Swap or charity afterschool on Friday!

Covenant Parent Connection Meeting

Friday, March 28th | 8:15 am | CCA Cafeteria

Parents, please join us for the Covenant Parent Connection meeting to learn how you can support upcoming activities and events. 

For questions about Covenant Parent Connection, please contact Andrea Bergstrom, Grammar School Principal, at andrea.bergstrom@ccamail.org.

*Please note: There is no Covenant Commentary this month.

Parents in Prayer

Wednesday, April 2nd | 8:15 am | Faculty/Staff Lounge

Parents in Prayer (PIP) is a fellowship co-led by CCA parents Hanna Machatha (mom to 4th-grader Andrew and 2nd-grader Ariana) and Valencia Koomson (mom to 3rd-grader Michelle and 1st-grader Justin) and is open to all CCA parents. PIP gathers the first Wednesday of the month in the Faculty/Staff Lounge following morning drop-off to pray for students, faculty and staff, administrative leadership of the school and board, parents, and specific prayer needs as they arise. 

You are welcome to join!

The next prayer meeting for this school year is Wednesday, April 2nd at 8:15 am. Please reach out to Hanna or Valencia with any questions at parentsinprayer@ccamail.org.

Student Maker’s Market

Monday, April 14th | 3:30–5:30 pm | Small Gym

Friends and families are welcome to shop at CCA’s inaugural Student Maker’s Market on Monday, April 14th. Over 20 students will be selling handmade items. What a great opportunity to shop for birthdays, Mother’s Day, and more! 

Questions about the Student Maker’s Market can be directed to Amy Prichard: amy.prichard@ccamail.org.

2025 Silent Auction and Covenant Fund Update

We are thrilled to share that our recent virtual silent auction and raffle/giveaway was an incredible success! Thanks to your generous participation, we raised more than $18,000 toward our goal to:

• replace a significant portion of the parking lot,
• replace our interior lighting with LED,
• install a playground shade, and 
• make program investments in Science and Fine Arts. 

We are so grateful for the support, enthusiasm, and love shown through your bidding and donations—it truly reflects the heart of our community. 💙💛 See Tuesday’s email from Nicole Williams for a full list of raffle and auction winners. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

Our total 2024-2025 Covenant Fund goal is $300,000, and we are almost $30,000 away from meeting it. With your continued support, we can close the gap and provide a more robust, energy-efficient, safe, and welcoming space for our students, families, and guests. Please consider a gift or share this link with others who may want to contribute to our mission (click here). Every gift, no matter the size, makes a meaningful difference!

Thank you again for being such a vital part of the mission and life of Covenant Christian Academy. Let’s finish strong—together!

CCA’s Family Volunteer Day! – POSTPONED!

Exciting update downloading! Stay tuned for more details.

Thank you for your continued investment in CCA! 

Share CCA With a Friend!

First Wednesday Open House: Wednesday, April 2nd | 9:00–11:00 am

CCA is offering Admissions Open House events on the first Wednesday of every month from October through May. This is a terrific opportunity for you to see us at our best “In Action!”  Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a personalized, student-led campus tour. If you know of any families looking for more info about what CCA has to offer, please share these events with them. It’s a great opportunity for new families to check out our campus and hear about all aspects of Covenant!

Spaces are limited and must be reserved in advance. Contact ryan.patrie@ccamail.org for more info, or click here.

Morning Star In-School (and Online) Book Fair

Friday, April 4th | 8:00 am–4:30 pm | Small Gym

Online ordering closes Monday, March 31st

The Grammar School book fair is fast approaching! It will be held in the little gym on Friday, April 4th. This is our second year using Morning Star Bookstore, a local Christian bookshop with two locations: Nashua, NH, and Leominster, MA. The book fair provides families with shopping opportunities while also serving as a fundraiser for our library!

One significant modification to our book fair this year is that online shopping is available! Anything you order online by March 31st will be delivered to the school and can be picked up by your child on the day of the book fair! Please visit: https://morningstarbookstore.com/ and click on the tab titled “2025 Book Fair”. The items listed within this tab are specifically geared towards students, yet CCA will receive credit for any item purchased from anywhere on the website as long as you use promo code: CCA25 during checkout. We HIGHLY encourage parents of students in PreK-grade 2 to utilize this online shopping feature for books and then you can send them in with $5-$10 for trinkets and other small items if you’d like them to have the “shopping” experience.

For further information and more specific details regarding the book fair, please refer to the email sent on March 19th by Mrs. Favini, the Library teacher. For questions, more information, or to volunteer, please contact Donna Favini (donna.favini@ccamail.org).

GS Girls and Boys Running Clubs

Calling all Runners Grades 3rd–6th!

We are running the Grammar School Running Club (pun intended!) again this year for both girls and boys! Participants will learn about running basics, techniques, stretches, and drills, set personal goals, and run with their friends! Led by faculty members Sarah Smith and Jill Isabella (girls) and Daniel Hendricks (boys).

First joint meeting: Tuesday, April 15th I 3:00-4:00pm I Small Gym

Boys meet: Mondays and Wednesdays I 3:00-4:00 pm I Meet in Small Gym

Girls meet: Tuesdays and Thursdays I 3:00-4:00 pm I Meet in Small Gym

Clubs will run the week of April 28th through the week of May 19th.

Cost: $75 (t-shirt included) and space will be limited.

Click here to register. 

We are in need of parent volunteers (especially for 3rd grade)! No running experience needed–just additional adults to help supervise. Please reach out to:

Sarah Smith sarah.smith@ccamail.org to volunteer for the girls club or

Daniel Hendricks daniel.hendricks@ccamail.org to volunteer for the boys club.

American Singles Benefit Concert

Saturday, April 5th | 6:00 pm | Small Gym

Come one, come all to the CCA Small Gym on Saturday, April 5th for a benefit concert featuring American Singles. The band will perform song covers and originals. All merch proceeds benefit the Danvers Food Bank. Please bring canned goods (collected at door) to be donated to the food bank. 

Grammar School Soccer Clinic

The GS Soccer Clinic was held this week. Each day, the students arrived ready to work hard and have fun! They focused on developing their skills through drills, discussed what makes a great teammate, and explored how playing soccer can bring glory to God. The support of the Varsity players was invaluable, as they stepped up to coach and lead with enthusiasm. Their leadership and energy created a positive and engaging learning environment. It was truly an awesome week of soccer!

Discount on Welli Bins™ for CCA Community

Welli Bins Co. is the first company dedicated to making storage sustainable and to offering a full line of washable, durable and plant-based consumer products that are built to last. They’ve been featured on KonMari and earned the Good Housekeeping Best Cleaning & Organizing Award. 

Welli Bins™ Founder (and CCA Parent) Kathleen McIntyre is offering the CCA Community a 40% discount! Click here to read more about these versatile and sustainable bins and to shop for some of your own! Use code CCAT at checkout. 

New Song Release: “Christ be Known” by CCA Mom Shelby Patterson

CCA mom Shelby Patterson released a new song last week, Christ Be Known, which was inspired by the prayer of St. Patrick. The song is available on all streaming platforms (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon, Pandora). 

Bling Fling Free Prom Dress Event – Extension!

Saturday, April 5th | 8:00 am–12:00 pm | Cape Ann Bible Church, Gloucester

If girls didn’t get a chance to come to our event, or are finding they still don’t have a dress, we will be holding one more event, on Saturday, April 5th from 8:00 am–12:00 pm at Cape Ann Bible Church in Gloucester, MA (8 Thompson Street Gloucester, MA 01930).

Contact Amy Prichard with any questions! amyqprichard@gmail.com

Ron Parsons, IT Manager, Fine Arts Faculty

What is your role at Covenant and how long have you worked here? I am the IT Manager and part-time Fine Arts Faculty, teaching instrumental music lessons.  This is my tenth year at CCA.

What has been your biggest learning experience here so far? My biggest learning experience was understanding how our IT infrastructure was designed, while adding new infrastructure to accommodate current growth and lay a solid foundation to accommodate future growth.  As part of this process, we completely reorganized, reconfigured and mapped our server room.  It was a great learning experience.

What’s your favorite thing about working at Covenant? I was a public school educator for 35 years where we basically ignored holidays. I love that we genuinely celebrate holidays, specifically decorating for and celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

I also love that faith in God and education go hand in hand here, educating the whole child.  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10

Can you share a Bible verse or passage that has had a significant impact on your life or career? Colossians 3:23-24 – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,  since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I love woodworking, learning magic tricks, traveling with my wife and playing with my granddaughter.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? Israel. I have tried twice, but both times the trip was canceled due first to civil unrest and now war. I want to see all the Biblical sites.

What’s your favorite foods?

French Onion Soup and Beef Bourguignon, Cheese Fondue, and Pizza.

Who on the team inspires you the most, and why? Lisa Coleman. Lisa is multi-talented, able to manage and juggle many responsibilities while paying attention to and remembering many, many little details.  At the same time, she is always available to talk, problem solve and troubleshoot.

What’s a fun fact about you that most people don’t know? I learned to fly a plane before I learned to drive a car.

What’s your favorite CCA tradition or event? I love celebrating the Christmas season. 

What’s your favorite book, movie, or hobby?

Favorite Book – Forward by David Jeremiah

Favorite Movie(s) – Star Wars & National Treasure

Favorite Hobbies – Model Making and flying in a flight simulator

How do you find balance between your faith, family, and work commitments? I like to get up early to read the Bible, pray, and have morning devotions. My day always seems to be more focused, productive, and satisfying when I do. I notice a big difference when I don’t. 

Having worked in a very demanding, time-intensive career as the director of a nationally recognized marching band program, I learned (often the hard way) that is just as important (if not more important) “to know what to say no to.”