Dayspring Beacon

Upcoming Events

Below is a list of upcoming events. Scroll down for further details. Details will be added as we get closer to the date of the event.

Upcoming Events:

09/16/2025 – Remember America Lecture Series (6:30 pm)
09/19-09/21/2025 – Lower School Musical
09/22/2025 – Pennsylvania March for Life (Seniors U.S. Government field study)
09/23/2025 – Remember America Lecture Series (6:30 pm)
09/25/2025 – New Family Coffee with the Headmaster and Principals
09/26/2025 – Upper School Flex Friday
09/29/2025 – School Picture Day
09/30/2025 – Headmaster’s Oration Finalists Assembly Grades 4-9 (8:15-10:00 am)
09/30/2025 – Remember America Lecture Series (6:30 pm)
10/01/2025 – Headmaster’s Oration Finalists Assembly – Grades 10-12
10/02/2025 – Fall Sub Sale Delivery Day
10/07/2025 – Remember America Lecture Series (6:30 p.m.)
10/10/2025 – Grandparents and Special Guests Day

2025 Remember America Lecture Series

This year’s Remember America Lecture Series will be held at Dayspring Christian Academy for four Tuesdays (9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/7) from 6:30 to approximately 8:00 p.m. The topic will be The True Christian History of America’s Independence. As we celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776–July 4, 2026, each week will feature different topics related to America’s journey to independence. The event is free and open to the public. Reservations can be made on the DCA website by clicking here. Childcare will be provided and will be by donation to the senior trip.

Week 1: September 16, 2025: Dr. Randy Hilton
The Dawn of Independence
The Great Awakening, the Enlightenment, and Their Effects on American Thought

Week 2: September 23, 2025: Dan Stone
The Build-up to Independence: 1761-June 1775
The Acts of Parliament
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Tea Party
The Battles of Lexington and Concord

Week 3: September 30, 2025: Dan Stone
The Struggle for Independence: June 1775-May 1776
Bunker Hill
The Evacuation of Boston
The Convening of the Second Continental Congress

Week 4: October 7, 2025: Dan Stone
The Declaration of Independence: Read, Examine, Discuss.
BONUS: The Friendship of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams

Lower School Musical - Reserve Your Tickets

Reservations are now open for the 2025 Lower School Musical, The Bumble BEEatitudes! Show times are Friday, Sept. 19, at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 20, at 7:00 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 21, at 2:00 p.m. There is no cost for reservations; however, a love offering will be received after each performance.

Concessions: Senior students will be selling concessions in the auditorium before and after the lower school musical at each show this weekend. All proceeds will benefit the senior field study. Please stop by for a fun snack and to support their trip!

The Bumble BEEatitudes
Jump into a world based on Jesus’s teaching of the Beatitudes! In Happy Hiveland, you’ll encounter the Queen Bee, who communicates through dance moves; the Royal Flowers, backup singers for the queen; buzzketball playing Sporty Bees; skateboarding wasps; the Summer Tanagers and more! The Bumble BEEatitudes is full of truth, teaching us the importance of receiving and showing mercy, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and loving our enemies.

Please Note: These FREE tickets are general seating only, there are no reserved seats. Please reserve your seats on our website.

Important Dismissal Procedures

As we enter our fifth week of school, we want to thank you for your support in utilizing the School Pass app to ensure a smooth dismissal process. If you still have not been able to successfully log in to the app, please reach out to Mr. Gregory at agregory@dayspringchristian.com. School Pass is essential in confirming that students are in the correct dismissal location at the end of the day. If you make a change to your child’s dismissal plan, please annotate in the notes whether you would like for us to inform the student.

Example: If your child rides a bus and you move them to carpool, but they do not know this information, in the notes section, let us know if we need to update the student on their change. This particular example only applies to 6th grade and up. Lower school changes will always be made known to the teacher and the student at the end of the day. If your upper school child rides a bus but has made other plans, please make us aware so that our dismissal team has correct information and is not searching for that student at the end of the day.

Finally, If your child is in sports, drama, or set scheduled days in afterschool, we do not need you to enter that into School Pass. The only time you would make a change is if they are not doing the extracurricular activity that day.

School Lunches

Your child may bring his or her lunch from home or purchase a school-based lunch prepared and served by Upper School classes.  Lunches prepared and sold at school are fundraisers for our Upper School classes to help defray the cost of their senior field study.

As we get into full swing of school lunches, we would ask that you pay close attention to the dates available for each lunch, as some may not be offered on a particular week because of a special event taking place or if the class serving the lunch is not available.

Procedures:
1. All orders must be placed online. Please visit the school website, current families, and school lunches. You may also follow this link. Lunches for next Monday and Tuesday are now on the site available to purchase. The remaining lunches will be added soon.
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.

Monday – Pizza
Tuesday – Walking Tacos
Wednesday – Chicken Nuggets
Thursday – Meatball Sandwiches – start date 9/18
Friday – Hot Dogs

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.

School Picture Day: 9/29

Monday, September 29, is Picture Day!!

Online Ordering – Parents are encouraged to order online by going to mylifetouch.com. When ordering online, you will need your picture code – EVTVHP6CD. A class picture composite is included with every package.

ALL students will be photographed regardless of whether or not a package is purchased. All students may wear their picture day clothes to school, however, please carefully review the special dress day guidelines in the family handbook (A list has been posted below for your convenience). Please note that hats or hoods are not permitted.

What to Wear
– Clean, neat clothes in good repair; no holes or frays (including jeans); skirts must reach the top of the kneecap
– Jeans, slacks, or loose-fitting track (or athletic style) pants
– Modest clothes that follow a biblical standard.

What Not to Wear
– Short skirts or shorts that rise above the knee
– Sleeveless shirts or tank tops
– Flip-flops or slippers
– Clothing that displays objectionable material
– Sweatpants, tight-fitting track (or athletic style) pants, including yoga pants, tights, spandex, etc.

Grandparents and Special Guests Day

Grandparents Day: Invitations, Food/Volunteer Needs, Event Parking

Invitations Have Been Mailed! – Grandparents and Special Guests Day is Friday, October 10. The invitations were mailed last week. Please check in with your grandparents/guests to make sure they received their invitations. They may register online by clicking here or, if they do not have access to a computer, they may register by calling the school at 717-285-2000. Guests may choose to attend a morning session, 8:30-11 a.m., OR an afternoon session, 12-2:30 p.m. Please encourage your guests to register as soon as possible. The deadline for reservations is September 30. Please be aware that this event has reached capacity the last several years, so registration is required.

Grandparents Day Food/Volunteers Needed – We love to bless our grandparents on this special day! Please consider signing up to serve and/or send in a food donation. We will have approximately 350+ guests visit with us, and that requires the help of many parents to have a successful day. Click here to view the Sign-Up Genius and find a slot to serve or food donation that you can fulfill. Please note that most food donations are dropped off the day before the event so that we can prepare for the day. Thank you!

Important: Grandparents Day Parking – For the last three years, student drivers have been asked to park off-site and be shuttled to school in a Dayspring school bus. Staff, faculty, and student drivers will once again be taking a shuttle on Friday, October 10, to provide parking spaces for grandparents. Information will follow in an upcoming Beacon and via student announcements once details are finalized.

Athletics News

Varsity Boys golfers Chase Bearden and Zach Dombach tied for the lowest average of 48 in last week’s matches. Varsity Girls Volleyball earned another win this week over New Covenant. Middle School Girls Volleyball also won over Catalyst (formerly Lititz Area Mennonite).

Thank you to all the Lower School Soccer players and families who made this past Saturday morning of soccer games such a great experience! Thank you also to Coach Lee and all of the parents who stuck around to help our students practice passing last Tuesday. We continue this Tuesday night (9/16) at 6:00 at Hope Born in Christ Church. Coach Yunkin will be teaching various trapping techniques. Students may wear shin guards and cleats if they desire, but may also simply wear sneakers. They do not need to wear their white uniform jerseys. Parents are encouraged to stay and help if they are able. We will also host our next Saturday morning (9/20) of games from 9:00-10:00 a.m. at HBIC. Make sure you are signed up for SportsYou to receive updates in case we get rained out!

This week’s schedule:
9/15 – Varsity Girls Tennis – 4:00 – @ Northern Lebanon
9/15 – Varsity Coed Golf – 4:00 – @ High Point (Honeybrook)
9/15 – Varsity Boys Soccer – 4:00 – @ CSY
9/15 – MS Boys Soccer – 4:00 – Lititz Christian @ Hope Born in Christ
9/15 – JV/Varsity Girls Volleyball – 6/7:00 – @ Solanco
9/16 – Varsity Boys Soccer – 4:00 – LCCS @ Hope Born in Christ
9/16 – JV/Varsity Girls Volleyball – 6/7:00 – @ Covenant
9/16 – MS/Varsity Coed Cross Country – 4:00 – @ Soldiers and Sailors Park
9/17 – Varsity Girls Tennis – 4:00 – Eastern Lebanon @ Columbia (Senior Night)
9/17 – Varsity Coed Golf – 2:00 – @ Harrisburg Christian (Deer Valley)
9/18 – MS Girls Volleyball – 4:00 – @ Linden Hall
9/19 – Varsity Girls Tennis – 4:00 – Pequea Valley @ Columbia
9/19 – MS Boys Soccer – 4:00 – Anchor @ Hope Born in Christ
9/19 – Varsity Boys Soccer – 4:30 – @ Lititz Christian
9/20 – MS/Varsity Coed Cross Country – 9:00 – @ Big Spring

All sports schedules can be found on Dayspring’s website under Athletics. You can also access Hudl from Dayspring’s website to watch game film and highlight videos.

Dayspring Yearbooks

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.

Lost and Found

The lost and found has a bunch of the normal lost items, like lunch boxes, water bottles, and DCA fleeces, but it now also contains items like towels, clothing, sleeping bags, and pillows left behind from the Upper School Retreat. Upper school students should check to see if any of these items belong to them. Please remember to label belongings so they can be returned to their rightful owners.

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. If you own a business, please click the link and fill out the form to have your business added. Even if you have submitted your business in the past, please submit your information again this year. Please keep in mind, this is for businesses that are family owned, this is not for advertising a business you work for. The deadline to register is October 14.

The criteria to have a business included in the directory is as follows:

1. If you are a parent or custodial guardian of a Dayspring student and you own your own business, you may list that business in the Dayspring Family Business Directory. This is not for advertising a business you work for, businesses must be owned by a Dayspring parent/custodial guardian.

2. If you work at Dayspring Christian Academy and also have your own business, you may list that business in the Dayspring Family Business Directory.

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, when they successfully enroll a full time student, you will receive $1,000 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.

2025-2026 School Year Calendar

Below you will find a link to the 2025-2026 school calendar. Please note that there could still be changes. When changes are made, we will post the change in the Beacon as well as make the change to the calendar.

Note: The dates of the sixth and eighth grade field studies have changed.

2025-26 School Calendar

Guidance Office

For more information on the following topics, please click the “Read More” button.

-Counseling Opportunities
-PHEAA Financial Aid Meeting
-Parents/Guardians of Seniors – It’s time to meet!
– Bold Futures Leadership Summit: Women in Business
– Fall Cohort of STEM Research Program
– September Scholarship Newsletter
– Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program
– Transcript Requests
– General Questions

Home 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

New Book By DCA Staff Members

Dr. Randy Hilton and his daughter, Emily Hilton, have co-authored a book titled “100 Things Girls Wished Their Fathers Knew.” The father-daughter team wrote the book as they discussed the issue of fathers trying to get to know their daughters and how to relate to them. Each “thing” has a Bible verse, commentary, and a poem that relates to that specific topic. It took a few years to put it all together, but now it is timely to publish and get it out there. It is available on Amazon. They, we, hope you like it.

Community Events

Healing Trauma Conference & Book Release – Saturday, Sept. 20, Landisville Camp Meeting, 201 Church St., Landisville.

Music Lesson Opportunities Available at Dayspring

There are opportunities for DCA students to take private music lessons.

Sopranojam Music Studio
It’s not too late for music lessons! Are you interested in piano lessons or singing lessons?
Contact Julie Stone for more information or sign up for a free demo on our website, Sopranojamstudio.com/sjms4dca. You can also email Music@sopranojamstudio.com.

Mr. Todd Brill
Monday Private Instrument Lessons – slots still available.
Contact Mr. Todd Brill at 717-405-0712. Find the registration form by clicking here.

September Bible Memory

The Greatest Commandment, Matthew 22:36-40
Grades k-5: Verses 37-39
Grades 6-12: Verses 36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

38 This is the first and great commandment. 

39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”