Dayspring Beacon

Procedures:
1. All orders must be placed online. Please visit the school website, current families, and school lunches. You may also follow this link.

2. All lunch orders for the current day’s lunch must be placed by 8:30 a.m. At 8:30 a.m., we will disable that day’s lunches so that we can run reports and classes can begin lunch preparations.

3. You may order by the day, week, or month. When ordering for more than a day at a time, please look ahead for any days that your student may not need a lunch. This could be because of an outside appointment, field study, or class event.

4. If you have ordered a lunch for your child and they are absent due to illness, we will carry their lunch over to the following week for the same lunch. Please note that we will not carry over lunches for students who simply decide they do not want the lunch that day.

5. Please be sure that your child knows that he or she is getting a hot lunch so they will know to get in line for lunch pick-up.

Students should bring snacks and a water bottle for the day. Water bottles are allowed in all classrooms, and we have bottle fillers in all of the major hallways. When sending in lunches, please keep in mind that microwaves are very limited and students may have to wait for one to become available. To save time, families may find that sending items in that do not need to be microwaved may be a better option.

LBC Open House Days: Dayspring high school students are invited to Experience Different with Lancaster Bible College firsthand at one of their Spring 2026 Open Houses on Fridays, February 20 or April 10. These events are a great way for students to explore the campus, meet faculty, learn about programs, and discover how LBC can prepare them for a purposeful future.

Free Christian College Fair – Coventry Christian is holding a FREE Christian College Fair on Tuesday, March 10, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. There are over 20 Christian colleges and universities that will be in attendance. See Mrs. Gainer if you have any questions.

America250PA Scholarships – NEW! High school seniors have until Jan. 31 to apply for $10,000 scholarships as part of the America250PA celebration.

Twenty-five scholarships will be awarded throughout six regions to commonwealth high school seniors planning to attend a Pennsylvania college or university in the 2026-27 academic year. More than three dozen schools will match the $10,000 if the student chooses their institution. You can learn more and apply here.

Christian Connector – Click on this link to connect with hundreds of Christian colleges and complete the form to receive information from them and enter the $5,000 Christian college scholarship drawing. The Christian Connector, as well as those schools that you request information from, will receive your information so they can respond and meet your information request. Students must be at least 13 years old to complete our forms.

Counseling Opportunities – As stated during our Back to School Night parent meeting, Dayspring is pleased to be able to help with an arrangement for professional Christian counselors here at school. Mrs. Dannel Wissler of Willow Oaks Counseling and Mrs. Abby Foster with Lancaster Therapy Center have agreed to be a resource for DCA students. Our goal is to provide a space during the school day for upper school students to receive counseling. Parents will work directly with Mrs. Wissler and Mrs. Foster, and DCA will make every effort to facilitate the location and time. Mrs.Wissler will provide times of availability at Dayspring on Fridays. Mrs. Foster does online sessions only, but DCA will try to work with your child’s schedule to find a private room during the school day for sessions. For more information or to make arrangements, please contact Mrs. Gainer (Guidance Director) or Mr. Lewis (Spiritual Life Director).

Another counseling opportunity available is with Sit With Me Mental Health Coaching Services with Emily Hilton. At Sit With Me Mental Health Coaching Services, our mission is to walk alongside individuals in every stage of life by offering authentic support, active listening, and purposeful guidance-helping each person thrive in alignment with who God has created them to be. One-on-one mental health coaching focused on emotional support and spiritual guidance; personalized goal setting; deep, judgment-free listening; accountability and encouragement; and growth rooted in faith and personal values are offered in a non-clinical, coaching-based model focused on growth, not diagnosis, for males ages 4-14 and females ages 4 and up. To learn more, email sitwithmecoaching@gmail.com.

Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program – This program created by Senate Republicans as part of this year’s state budget – offers grants of up to $5,000 per year for in-state students who pursue a degree or certification for an in-demand occupation. The application period for grants is open now, with funding awarded on a first come, first served basis.

To qualify for the grant, applicants must agree to live and work in Pennsylvania in that occupation after graduation. Grant recipients will be required to live and work in Pennsylvania for 12 months for each year they receive the grant. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the grant converting to a loan requiring repayment.

Courses of study that qualify for the grant include agriculture, computer science, business, education, special education, STEM education, engineering, nursing, allied health, criminal justice and other programs as approved by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA). Learn more or apply here.

Transcript Requests: If you need a transcript for any reason, please fill out a transcript request form online under the Guidance Tab. Requests will be sent out within 3 business days.

General Guidance Questions: If any student or parent has a question concerning AP (Advanced Placement) or DE (Dual Enrollment) classes, please direct those questions to Mrs. Hurley, Director of Curriculum, at dhurley@dayspringchristian.com. Any questions concerning transcripts, PSAT, SAT, or ACT, the college admission process, or other guidance related issues should come to Mrs. Gainer, Guidance Director, at kgainer@dayspringchristian.com.

Inclement Weather Procedures: When a weather situation occurs, the school administration will make a dismissal decision as quickly and efficiently as possible based on weather conditions/forecasts and the public school transportation situation. When a decision has been made it will be placed on the Dayspring website on the home page as well as on the local television and Christian radio stations (WGAL, WDAC, and WJTL). You will also receive a message through our parent alert system (see instructions above).

Lunches on a Two-Hour Delay: When we have a two-hour delay, no hot lunches are served. Students must bring a packed lunch.

Information for public school bus riders: If your child rides a bus from another district and that district has a delay that is different than that of Dayspring, simply follow the delay of your transportation provider. If your child rides a bus from a district that closes school when Dayspring remains open, or has a delay when Dayspring opens at the normal time, you should try to have your children here if it is safe to do so. If you do not have transportation, the absence will be excused, however, we do ask that you call or email the office to inform them of that decision so that the attendance can be marked appropriately.

In the case of an unexpected early dismissal (such as weather), all students who normally ride a bus home will be put on the bus unless we hear from the parent with a change in transportation. If after school activities (such as sports, musical practice, etc.) are cancelled, those bus students will also be put on the bus. This will apply even if your district is dismissing early and Dayspring remains in session. Please make sure that you have signed up to receive notifications from your home district so that you are notified should they be having an early dismissal.

After School Programs During Weather Conditions: After School Program: Please note that if Dayspring has an early dismissal, the After School program will be canceled. Also, should it be snowing at a normal dismissal time, it may also require us to cancel the After School program, depending on conditions. If we find that necessary, we would send an alert out several hours in advance.

DCA Technology Guide: Attached is a technology guide which will answer many of your questions on how to set up your accounts for Google Classroom, FACTS Family Portal, and the SchoolPass App. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Adam Gregory at agregory@dayspringchristian.com.
DCA Home Technology Guide

2025-26 School Calendar: Please note that we will announce any date changes to the calendar here: 2025-2026 Parent Version.docx

DCA Referral Program: As we seek to continue to grow our enrollment and increase the number of students who receive a Principle Approach education, we are asking you as parents for help. Word of mouth is still the best way for people to learn about Dayspring, and you can be our biggest advocates. To that end, Dayspring brought back its Referral Program.

If you refer a family to Dayspring for first through twelfth grade, you will receive $1,000 off your family’s tuition when they successfully enroll at least one full-time student. For successful kindergarten enrollment referrals, you will receive $500 off your family’s tuition. Let’s spread the word about how special our school is and get as many students into our seats as possible.

Use this form to submit a referral.

DCA Yearbook Sales: An exciting change is coming this year for the DCA yearbook. We will be working directly with our yearbook publishing company, Jostens, to handle all orders, which will simplify the process.  All families will receive a flyer with a QR code that leads to the ordering link to reserve your child’s yearbook or you can use this link. The QR code is also displayed on signage in the lobby of the school.

Please note: The cost of the yearbook will now follow a staggered price system. This means if you buy early, you get the lowest price, $50.  The price will increase two times as the year progresses, ending at $60. This allows for better planning regarding order numbers and also lessens the stress of last-minute orders in the spring.

The Jostens website will give you all the information you need, providing updates on sales and specials, as well as offering free payment plans for purchases of $30 or more. Please be sure to check the Beacon for yearbook sales updates.  The current sale offers yearbooks at the lowest price of the year – $50 – plus any student that adds the name stamp/imprint option to their book for $10 gets up to four free icons on that book. This offer ends on Friday, Sept. 12.  If you have any questions about yearbook updates, please email Casey Vinson at cvinson@dayspringchristian.com.

DCA Amazon Wish List: Are you looking for a way to bless your child’s teacher and classroom this Thanksgiving season? Visit Dayspring’s Amazon Wish List to see items our teachers have requested to enhance their classrooms—you may find the perfect way to share a special blessing! Dayspring Christian Academy’s Wish List

If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Dillon at sdillon@dayspringchristian.com or 717-285-2000 ext. 211. Thank you in advance for your generous support of our teachers and their classrooms!

DCA Family Business Directory: We are pleased to provide a directory of businesses that are owned by Dayspring families and employees. If you are in need of goods and services, we sincerely hope that you will consult the directory as needed: https://www.dayspringchristian.com/family-business-directory/

The NEED Project is excited to partner with the Exelon Foundation to bring two great opportunities to students in the PECO service area, open to current 10th- and 11th-graders interested in STEM, energy, and sustainability.

Exelon Foundation STEM Academy (for girls)

Exelon Foundation Boys to STEM Academy

August 2-7, 2026
Saint Joseph’s University

Applications Due March 15th
(This is a competitive application process; all applications will be reviewed after the March 15th deadline.)