January - February 2025
Themes for a New Year
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
For many of us, the New Year is a strategic time – a time when we are more willing than ever to change our outlook and approach to life. Why not use the beginning of a new year to re-establish a proper focus in your Christian life? I can’t think of two more important principles to keep in mind than John 15:5 and Philippians 4:13. Let’s consider them “bookends” for this year and all our life. Jesus said, "Without Me you can do nothing." Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. He is our source of life and nourishment. What other things do you gain strength from? Here, the secret is abiding: a close, intimate walk with Jesus; living with Him. Such a walk is forever built upon the basics of the Christian life: prayer, Bible reading and study, fellowship with believers, and service to God’s church and a needy world. When we do this, we naturally bear much fruit for God. Many sense they have borne little fruit for God – but fruit will come naturally as we abide. This can be a year when you bear much fruit for God – leading others to Jesus Christ; serving God’s people in new capacities; seeing the work of God’s kingdom grow. "Without Me you can do nothing" is an important principle. But the truth of Philippians 4:13 is just as important to remember for the New Year: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This is the other side of the coin of John 15:5 – without Jesus, we can do nothing; with Him, we can do all things. "All things" is pretty big – yet the promise of Philippians 4:13 is even more powerful than we might first think. If we look at the context of Philippians 4:13, we understand the power of some of the “all things” Paul could do through the strength of Jesus. It was the strength to be abased, to be hungry, to suffer need, to be in distress – and through it all to have a joy and contentment that rises above every difficult circumstance. Through Jesus, Paul had the strength to abound, to be full, and to accomplish big things. Your peace and joy throughout the past year were directly tied to the proportion that you lived within these two principles. When you find people thoroughly dependent on Jesus and receiving His strength for the trials and work of life, you will find them full of peace and joy. No matter how great last year was in these areas, there is no reason why it can’t be even better as you depend more and more upon these two great themes for the New Year. ~Written by David Guzik for Enduring Word.
UPCOMING HCCA EVENTS
Jan 2 Registration for Standardized Testing opens
Jan 2 Late-Rate registration for HCHE Graduation Ceremony
Jan 15 Last day for Quarter 2 reporting
Feb 28 Last day for mid-year enrollment
ACADEMY CONTACTS
Julie Blank, Academy Director
Georgia Wolfe, Academy Manager
Phone: (719)278-9135 x4
All HCCA families receive three hours of consultation for free! To schedule a consultation, please email Julie at academydirector@hche.org
Do you have a desire to assist other homeschooling families? HCCA is looking for an Academy Manager and an Academy Assistant. If you are interested or have questions, email Julie at academydirector@hche.org
2025 Testing and Evaluation Information
HCCA requires that students take an achievement test or evaluation at the end of third, fifth, seventh, ninth, and elevnth grades. Parents may use the test of their choice and submit the scores to the Academy. High school students – the PSAT, ACT, SAT, CLT, or ACCUPLACER scores are accepted in lieu of achievement testing. Find more testing information HERE.
HCCA offers the TerraNova2 test for all homeschooling families. Testing dates for 2024 are May 6 & 7 at New Life Church. Registration is required to participate. Register HERE.
EVALUATIONS IN LIEU OF TESTING HCCA accepts evaluations in lieu of testing, as long as the evaluation is done by a certified evaluator. Check out our updated list of certified evaluators HERE.
Important to know
QUARTERLY REPORTS HCCA’s second quarter ended December 31, 2024. You have until January 15, 2025 to input your student’s second quarter information, after this date a late fee will be charged to your account. The information you put in the quarterly report section is very important. Your quarterly reports are evidence that your student is progressing through the curriculum and through the school year. This is why HCCA requires a detailed report each quarter. We hold our families and ourselves to a higher level of accountability. It is important that parents input all required information each quarter. Please read our detailed Quarterly Reporting Instructions.
AVAILABLE FORMS to assist you in your homeschooling journey can be found in the Independent School portion of the HCHE website, or just click on the form below:
Basic Report Card (for your paper records)
Graduation Information
HCHE GRADUATION CEREMONY will be Friday, May 16, 2025 at 10:00am in the Theater at New Life Church. REGISTER now before the remaining spaces fill up!
All HCCA graduating students’ parents must meet with Julie Blank to get approved for graduation. Please email Julie at AcademyDirector@hche.org to set up an appointment.