March Roars in Like a Lion

At ECA, our vision is that school families Love God, Value Learning, and Serve Others.

February 25, 2024

The Lion & the Lamb!

There is an old saying that goes with the Farmers’ Almanac - If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb. Our weather this week certainly will be coming in like a lion. Although times have changed, and we aren’t quite so tied to the finicky demands of mother nature, it’s amazing how the ebb and flows of our weeks have similar ups and downs when we lose sight of God’s direction in our lives. I find it fascinating that the God who saves us and redeems us for an eternal life is known as a lion and a lamb in the Bible.

“The Lord will roar like a lion from Jerusalem; his loud voice will thunder from that city, and the sky and the earth will shake. But the Lord will be a safe place for his people, a strong place of safety for the people of Israel.” Joel 3:16

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

Make-up School Days Are Finalized and Scheduled

Thank you again for supporting our community during our winter ice storm. We missed several days of school. We have already made up a few of those days. Here are the dates for the remaining makeup days. They will all be on Fridays and all will be 8:00 - 12:30 times. During these remaining three Friday makeup days, Home & School will provide an additional hot lunch.

Friday, March 15
Friday, April 18
Friday, May 3

ECA Winter Skiing for Grades 5-8

Parents, we are still planning on having our winter ski day this Wednesday, February 28. We will need to leave school as quickly as possible. Our hope is to leave school by 8:10 in the morning. Please make sure your child is a little early. Students can be dropped off as early as 7:45. Our hope is to be back by 6:00, but due to possible road conditions we may run a little late. If your child is in grades 5-8 and will not be participating in the sports activity, please have your child stay home for the day.

For students in grades K-4, there will be regular classes at ECA from 8:00-3:30 with an after-school program.

Again, this skiing program is for students in grades 5-8. Students in grades K-4 have two weeks of swimming lessons after Spring Break.

Support Our Winter Jog-a-thon Online

Our website is all set up for processing donations and pledges for our upcoming Jog-a-thon. This year’s fundraiser will support our school in three ways: 50% - Worthy Student Fund, 25% - Spring Break Washington DC Trip for 7th & 8th Grade Students, 25% - ECA Playground Improvement Fund. If you have friends or family who do not live locally, but would still like to support your child’s Jog-a-thon participation, they can sign up online. Just have them go to www.emeraldchristian.com and look in the top right corner for a link to our Jog-a-thon.

support our jog-a-thon here!

Donations can be by the 1/2 mile (4 laps) or a flat donation
Home & School will be working with the school to plan the event
All donations will be divided up in three ways: 25% Elementary Playground, 25% Washington D.C. Trip for 7th & 8th grade students, and %50 Worthy Student Fund.
Due to inclement weather, our Jog-a-thon will be an indoor running / walking course that will take place in our main building. There will be home & school volunteers and staff to support students. We have mapped out an 1/8 mile lap indoors. Four laps (through the main hall, up the stairway, across the upper rooms, down the back stairs, around the gym, and out into the main hallway again) will equal one half-mile. Students will have one hour. The classroom participation times are below:

11:00-12:00 7-8
12:00-1:00 5-6
1:00-2:00 3-4
2:00-3:00 K-2

Washington DC Final Deposits will be Due March 1.

Parents of students in grades 7&8, after our Jog-a-Thon fundraiser, we will allocate 25% of raised funds to student accounts for their Washington DC trip. We will send out personalized emails with remaining balances for students. Parents, just a reminder that raised school funds support our students. Parents going along need to have the full deposit amounts paid by March 1. Thank you for your understanding as we plan for reservations for activities, housing, food expenses, and fuel.

7th & 8th grade parents, we will also be planning a final meeting before we leave for Washington DC later in March. We still need to finalize a date, but the goals will be to share final itineraries, confirm contacts, review trip goals and expectations, and have time for any last-minute questions. Stay tuned for a date!

8th Grade Bottle Drive Fundraiser

Livingstone Adventist Academy - High School Visitation Day

I am often asked, “What do your students do when they graduate from 8th grade? Where do they go for high school? There are several options. One option for some families have been for their child to attend Livingstone Adventist Academy in Salem, Oregon. This day school will be having an open-house this Friday, March 1. If you are a parent of an 8th grade student and have asked that question this year, you can reach out to LAA for more information.

AG Program - Monday’s Science Class

Our Monday AG program will continue tomorrow, Monday, February 26. Students in grades 7&8 will be participating. Students will be outdoors doing a variety of things with Mr. Wyatt Johnson. Throughout the year, there may be a few rainy days. Boots and gloves are great things for working outdoors on Monday Science Days. Water bottles are great things to have outside too. Students are in class with Mr. Wyatt from 1:15-3:15. The kindergarten & 1&2 grade class will split the time. Here is a schedule of the days and classes:

Monday, Feb. 26 - Grades 7,8

Monday, March 4 - Grades 5,6

Monday, March 11 - Grades 3,4

Monday, March 18 - Grades K-2

Hot Lunch Program

The updated menu for each month is posted at the beginning of every month on the school website. Here is the menu for this month.

Hot Lunch Link

Please place all orders for each week before Monday morning at 8:45.

Simply type your child’s first & last name.
Select the option that fits the order for the week.
Choose your payment method.
Click Submit.

Prices for meals:

students in grades K-2 - $5,

students in grades 3-8 - $6.

Just a reminder… our hot lunch menu is posted on our website.

http://www.emeraldchristian.com

Thank you ASB Winter Banquet volunteers

Last week, ASB had their winter banquet. Thank you to our ASB leaders and so many staff and parent volunteers who helped set up, cook, clean, serve, and take pictures. Thank you for supporting our students and making a difference!

Christian Counseling Available - Free Resources:

The NAD (North American Division of SDA) has recently shared new resources for children and teens that offer a safe and anonymous place to talk or text. Here is a news release from the NAD.

We’re excited to announce the launch of www.aruggedjourney.org our newest NAD site providing free online mentoring for guys. A Rugged Journey joins www.gorgeous2god.org (for young women) which has grown in its scope and ministry since its beginning in 2017.

These sites, along with their counterparts on social media, provide free help to our teens/young adults in a space they can ask questions without judgment or fear. The questions are answered by a team of dedicated Seventh-day Adventists at AIM on the campus of Andrews University.

In addition to the confidential Q & A, positive content is provided through videos, posts, etc.