Dear Parents of New Freshmen,

I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying summer! As another year of school is swiftly approaching, I want to inform you and your incoming student about the High School ministry here at Parkside Church. 

On Thursday August 9th, your student is welcome to begin attending Student Impact, the high school equivalent of Club JV. Student Impact meets regularly on Thursday evenings from 7-9pm at the Warehouse (31200 Solon Road, Solon, OH). This will be a special night of welcome for the new freshmen, and I strongly encourage your student to attend. I believe that it would be a great first step in making the transition to high school, as your student will have the opportunity to come in together with his/her peers and begin the process of getting connected with the larger group.

Another event that is designed to help 8th graders move into high school is the Freshmen Rafting Trip, which will take place August 1-2. It is a retreat that is open only to the incoming freshmen class. During the course of the trip, there will be plenty of opportunities for your student to meet and start building relationships with the adult and student leaders in the ministry.  Information and registration is available at www.parksidechurch.com/rafting.

Perhaps the best means of staying informed, however, is to subscribe to our text messages. Text ‘ParksideHS’ to 33733. You can also visit our website at www.parksidechurch.com/hs. There you will find everything you need to know about events, registration for retreats, and a variety of other helpful information on how to stay informed.

In the fall, your student will have the opportunity to join a Small Group. The purpose of our small groups is to create a more personal environment to further challenge students to grow in Christ and deepen their friendships. Our small groups are led by our Adult Ministry Team members (AMT) and meet the first Thursday of each month in local homes. Our groups will begin in September and registration will open toward the end of the summer. We also dedicate time at Student Impact to meet as small groups at the end of most Thursday evenings.  

In September, I would also like to encourage your student to join us on Sunday mornings for our High School Life Group. We gather together during the 9:45am service hour in The Venue. We’ll spend our time focused on the study of the Bible, accompanied by hanging out and some brief announcements. Life Groups take a hiatus for the summer, but we’ll resume meeting the Sunday after Labor Day. 

In short, just like in middle school, the goal of the High School ministry at Parkside is to come alongside parents to see unbelieving students become committed followers of Jesus Christ. Your high schooler will be challenged by the Bible, develop meaningful friendships, and hopefully have some fun as well. As this new class of freshmen enters the ministry, please pray that God will continue to make Himself known to each and every one of them. We are genuinely looking forward to working with you towards this end, and as such, want to encourage you to contact us if ever you should have a question or concern. Have a great week, and I look forward to getting to know your high-schooler and getting them connected to what we have going on in Parkside’s High School ministry!  

Your partner in the Gospel,
Dan Schillero
dschillero@parksidechurch.com