One for the Books!

 

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

January 28, 2024

Winter 2024 - One for the Books!

Today, the Eugene area recorded a record temperature of 67 degrees. Just two weeks ago, we were challenged to think such warm weather was a possibility. After two weeks of icy and impassable roads, and the longest power outage our school has ever had, it is nice to feel like things are returning to normal. Thank you all for helping out with community and school families as we all worked together to overcome “the ice storm of 2024.” I’m so glad we have a God that we can trust through difficult times!

"When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." - Isaiah 43:2 (I would add, when you go through fierce freezes, your heart will find warmth in God’s promises and protection!)

MAP Testing this Week for Students at ECA

This week, students will be participating in the winter MAP testing. There are three days of testing. Most test lasts between 1-2 hours with built-in breaks during the test. Fall MAP testing results were shared during our 1st quarter P/T Conferences. Results from our Winter MAP testing will be shared during our Spring P/T conferences. Students in grades K-4 will test between 8:15 - 10:00. Students in grade 5-8 will be testing from 10:00-11:30. Makeup tests will be completed this Thursday, Feb. 1.

2nd Quarter Ends this Week!

With our power outage at school for almost 1 1/2 weeks, we have extended the second quarter through this Thursday. If students need to finish up any work or projects, this is the last week to take care of that. Report cards will be finalized next week and passed out during the second full week of February.

ECA Winter Visitation Day is Coming Up!

ECA families, is it fun to share good news with friends and family? Every winter, ECA has a visitation day in February. We are excited to announce our winter visitation day for Friday, Feb. 9.  We want our community to know that ECA is a K-8 school that supports our area churches and community with a rich academic, social, and spiritual program.  In addition to our hourly school program, we also offer a traditional, after-school program or after-school agriculture program for students that attend our school.  We are excited to share our dedicated staff's vision for Christian education with your school-age children.  You can go to our school website, emeraldchristian.com or call our school office at 541-746-1708 to sign up for the day.  There will be a scheduled parent/principal question time during the day while your child is in classes. 

If you have friends or family in the community that are looking for something special, you can direct them to our school website or school office to sign up for a visit.

6th Grade Outdoor School is Coming Up!

ECA is excited to offer outdoor school to our 6th grade students. This year, 6th grade students will be going to Big Lake Youth Camp, outside of Sisters, Oregon. This overnight program will run from Monday, Feb. 12 - Thursday, Feb. 15. Students will be involved with many different indoor and outdoor activities. Additionally, students are able to experience the joy of being around 70-90 other 6th grade students from other Adventist schools in Oregon. There are two sessions that happen every year: Fall & Winter sessions. ECA is participating in the winter session this year. There is no additional cost for this program. It is included in your tuition for the year.

Click below to download the necessary documents. These documents can be filled in digitally and sent to the the school at office@emeraldchristianacademy.com. They can also be printed out, filled in, and sent to school with your child. There is a time deadline though. We need to have these documents filled out this week. Wednesday, January 31 is the last day to fill out the documents. We need to have them turned in before February. (Sorry for the late notice - I just received the documents.)

Adult Form for ECA Volunteers Going Volunteer Adult Packing List Student Health Form Student Packing List

All 6th grade students need to complete the student health / release form. The school has already arranged for parent volunteers at this time. Those parents need to complete the adult form.

Big Lake Youth Camp is a world-class summer camp that is run by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Students will be staying in cabins with school and camp volunteers. If you would like more information about the camp, please click on the link below for an overview.

AG Program - Monday’s Science Class

Our Monday AG program continues tomorrow, January 29. Tomorrow’s class will be for students in grades 5&6 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. Here is a schedule of the days and classes:

Monday, February 5 -Grades 3&4

Monday, Feb. 12 - Grades K-2

Monday, Feb. 19 - No School - President’s Day

Monday, Feb. 26 - Grades 7,8

Hot Lunch Program

The updated menu for each month is posted at the beginning of every month on the school website. We are down to the last week of January’s menu. Hot lunch will be on Monday and Wednesday again.

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

  1. Simply type your child’s first & last name.

  2. Select the option that fits the order for the week.

  3. Choose your payment method.

  4. 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

Weather & School Closings / Late Starts

There is the possibility of icy weather, frozen roads, or snow to impact school hours. Generally speaking, our winters are usually mild. Snow on the valley floor is unlikely. Your safety and your child’s safety is important to us. We have families that come from all over the I-5 corridor and road conditions can vary. As a general rule, we follow 4J weather-related school closures or late starts. We also follow Pleasant Hill School District school closures & late starts.

In the event of a weather or storm related late start or closure, we will send REMIND notices out to families by 6:30 am on school days. We also post to area school closure news outlets.

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. 

www.gorgeous2god.org/ FB: gorgeous2god/ IG: @gorgeous2god 

www.aruggedjourney.org/ FB: aruggedjourney/ IG: @aruggedjourney



Announcements & Upcoming Events

Monday, Jan. 29 - Wednesday, Jan 31 - MAP Testing

Thursday, Feb. 1 - Last day of the 2nd Quarter

Friday, Feb. 9 - ECA Winter Visitation Day

Feb. 12 - Feb. 15 - 6th Grade Outdoor School

Late February - Winter Skiing Program for grades 5-8 (still working out the details)

April 8-18 - Grades K-4 Swimming Program

 
Doug Gaylor