McAlder Campus Blog
Archives - October 2021
Meet Our New CEM, Tayler!
October 27, 2021
October Highlights …
In addition to our recent fun “Pumpkin Patch” field trips to Knutson Farm, I am excited to introduce a new member of our staff, Tayler Ransome. I have asked Tayler, our new CEM, to say a few words to introduce herself below:
Hello, CCS families, and thank you, Mr. Lorenz, for the opportunity to introduce myself in this way. I began working for Cascade Christian nearly a month ago (time flies!) as a campus enrollment manager at both the McAlder and Frederickson campuses. Both campuses exude Christ’s character in so many ways, but what I love the most about Cascade Christian Schools is its unwavering boldness to teach biblical truth in all areas. I also am struck by how wonderful and engaged this community is! I recently spent a night calling during our annual Phone-a-thon and was blown away by how many people—alumni, grandparents, and parents alike—rally around the mission and cause of Cascade Christian Schools. Your students are well loved and supported.
On a more personal note, I most recently worked for and graduated with my bachelor’s degree from Northwest University in Kirkland, WA; and currently, I am about halfway through my master’s degree in leadership. I am counting down the days until graduation in May! I am married, and my wonderful husband, Billy, and I attend Faith and Victory Church in Auburn, WA. In my free time, I love volunteering at my church, trying new recipes, and spending quality time with my extended family. Please feel free to come by and say hello. I’d absolutely love to meet you!
Meet Natalie MacQuarrie!
October 20, 2021
Read a note below from your McAlder Campus resource specialist, Natalie MacQuarrie:
My name is Natalie MacQuarrie. My students
know me as Miss Natalie, Mrs. Mac, or Mrs. MacQuarrie; and even though I prefer Mrs. Mac, I love answering to all three.
Just to give you a bit about my background, I graduated from Oral Roberts University with a degree in elementary education. Having been in education for almost 20 years, I have had the privilege of teaching several grade levels. Prior to joining the Cascade family, I was a tutor for Sylvan Learning Center for several years.
I joined the Cascade family in June 2019. During my time here, I have had the opportunity to work in various capacities—with Thrive Summer Camps and Cougar Club, as a resource teacher, and as a classroom substitute for preschool through 6th grade. I am excited to be the new resource specialist at the McAlder Campus.
What a joy it has been for me to get to know the students over the past couple of months. My goal this year is to support students and teachers in areas of need. I want to equip students to walk in their strengths and not be discouraged by areas of weakness. I want each of my students to feel known and valued, to know that they have each been created by God for a special purpose, with special gifts and talents. I look forward to meeting everyone and to discovering the gifts and talents of my students throughout this school year.
Great Opportunity to Give Back
October 11, 2021
If you have been blessed to be a part of Cascade Christian Schools and were wondering how you might be able to provide others the same opportunity, well, you are in luck. On Wednesday, October 20, we are needing callers for our upcoming Phone-a-thon, which is geared toward raising money to help keep students at CCS through our Variable Tuition program. Below are some additional highlights of this awesome event:
- The Phone-a-thon is a great opportunity for families and students to come and be together in a fun atmosphere where they will receive dinner, make new friends, win prizes, and help students stay at CCS!
- All funds raised for Phone-a-thon go directly to our Variable Tuition financial assistance program! One in four students depend on Variable Tuition to stay at CCS.
- We need callers to reach out to the thousands of people who have expressed that they support the mission of CCS. These are not cold calls!
- Last year's Phone-a-thon helped 64 students stay at CCS!
Thank you in advance as you prayerfully consider being one of our callers.
Unshakeable Courage!
October 04, 2021
Have you ever had to exercise a good amount of courage to overcome a difficult situation?
I’ll never forget the time several years back when I had to be courageous to complete a high ropes course at senior high camp. I was doing just fine when something incredibly out of the ordinary happened to me. About halfway through the ropes course, a bird, weaving its way through the tapestry of trees and apparently not seeing me, slammed into the side of my helmet, causing me to lose my focus. Suddenly, I dropped to my knees while hanging on for dear life to the ropes on both sides of me. As I knelt there scared stiff, trying to piece together what had just happened to me, I wondered, “How am I going to pull myself up from this one?”
Noticing that I wasn’t planning on moving anytime soon, my wife hollered up to me, “Stop focusing on failing and start focusing on finishing!” As I processed what she was saying to me, I realized there was no backing out. I had to shift my focus. So, after taking a few more moments of collecting myself, I started to change my focus from failing to envisioning myself finishing. I found myself feeling more and more confident, eventually to the point that I was able to gather enough courage to pick myself up and finish out the ropes course.
Throughout the month of October, we will be studying what it means for us to have unshakeable courage, a mindset or feeling that empowers us to face and overcome difficulty and/or dangerous situations. Being a part of God’s mission to save the world is a lot like being on a high ropes course. It is filled with unexpected turns and twists. It is filled with surprises that can suddenly knock us off course. If we are going to move ahead, we have to have courage!
The Bible promises us that when we face difficult circumstances, by shifting our focus onto the One who is unshakeable and leaning into the support of those He has placed in our lives, we can have unshakeable courage to overcome any challenge we may face—big or small!
This month, our students will be studying people like Gideon and Hezekiah, both of whom relied on the promises of God for courage to overcome the challenging surprises they faced. We will talk about the roles of the church and the Holy Spirit in our lives as the means through which God gives us courage to do what He has called us to do. We will also study historical figures like Dwight L. Moody, who—through his confidence in God and the support of others—had the courage to do God’s work in incredibly difficult circumstances.
When things try to knock us off the “high ropes course” of the mission of God, we have His promises before us, His Spirit within us, and the church around us to help us overcome those difficult situations. My prayer is that as we make this journey together, we would lean into these things to give us courage to overcome any challenge we may face.
We love you Mrs. Mac! You are an integral part of our Mc Alder campus and you have done so much already, in encouraging our children to be the best that they can be!