Discipleship
At ECA, our vision is that school families Love God, Value Learning, and Serve Others.
April 30, 2023
Last week, I introduced six values that ECA believes is an integral part of our school life. In the coming weeks, we will focus more on each of the six values. Today, we look at discipleship.
Discipleship - We believe in Jesus as our personal savior and seek God’s plan in our lives to grow in our challenge to love one another as we learn from his inspired word, the Bible. We appreciate that this relationship with Christ is the first step to true happiness and success in life.
As we grow from childhood into adulthood, there are a few choices we make that can determine the course of our life. Our career choice, forever friends, spouse, and ideas about having a family are items that check off the top of the list. Which one would you put at the top? I would challenge you to think about the meaning of discipleship. Choosing Jesus as our master and giving up everything to serve him is the framework that holds everything together. When buy your first home, there are three things to remember… “location, location, location!” When we choose who we will follow I would say there are three things to remember too… “God’s salvation plan!” The book of Romans reminds us of the power of serving God.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 6:23. I’m so glad we have the creator of the universe who came up with a plan and seeks his followers every day. I’m so glad I can freely choose to make him my Lord and savior. Stay tuned for next week’s thoughts on discovery.
AG Program and Monthly Classroom Participation
Our classroom agriculture program will continue this week, Monday, May 1. The next class to participate will be the students in grades 7&8. They will be in class with Mr. Wyatt from 1:15-3:15. Make sure they have the necessary attire to spend two hours outside in an area filled with dirt and possible cold weather. Here is a schedule of when your child will be involved in the afternoon class:
Monday, May 7 - Grades 5&6
Students will be outside and working in a garden space. Plan now as you look at the schedule of dates. Boot and gloves should be worn. If boots are not available, students can bring an extra pair of old shoes, but please send a bag so they can be put in the bag and sent home until the next class rotation. Students who already have boots and gloves from the after-school program are all set.
If you have not signed up for the after-school program and would like to do that on a monthly basis, please call the office. The one-time fee of $50 covers all days of the week (M-Th) for all students in a family. There is also a $5 per day option. Just call the office to sign up.
MAP Testing
If students missed any testing sessions last week or need to complete a test, there will be extra testing sessions in the afternoon with Mr. Gaylor on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00-2:45. As testing is finished, we will prepare MAP reports to send to families.
K-4 Swimming Lessons
During the first two weeks of May, students in grades K-4 will be spending one hour per day at SPLASH! in Thurston. Originally, lessons were planned for the Willamalane Swim Center in Springfield, but there has been recent repairs needed. These swimming lessons are a free program for all students. We will be taking the bus from school, leaving around 9:45 in the morning. Swimming lessons are from 10:30 - 11:30. Students will return to school by 1:00. It is important during these two weeks that parents of students in grades K-4 send a swim suit and towel in a bag on those days. It is also important to remember that we will be eating lunch right after swimming at the Willamalane Park on 14th in Springfield. There are no microwaves available to heat up food. Please do not send any food that needs to be microwaved during the two weeks.
Emerald Expo
Next week, on Thursday, May 11 ECA will be having an evening Emerald Expo. This has been a tradition at Emerald for nearly 50 years. Think of it as an academic open house. Classrooms will be open and families will be able to explore the school and discover things that have been learned throughout the year. There will be displays in each classroom. It is a fun time for all and a great way to let your children share their school with you and your family. Traditionally, ECA has offered an evening meal, but our kitchen is not quite there (but it is getting close). Plan on having dinner at home and then coming out to school for a one hour evening of fun. Unlike the fall back-to-school night, this expo has no teacher presentations. It really is a chance for students to show off things they have been doing as you visit classrooms around the school. The evening will begin at 6:30 and go through 8:00.
ECA Spring Kindergarten Roundup
ECA will be having a Spring kindergarten roundup day on Wednesday, May 17. If you have any family friends that are interested in Christian education for students entering grade school, you can have them call the office for more information about signing up for the afternoon. The visitation will be in the afternoon from 1:00-3:30.
May ECA Constituency Meeting
Our school operates under a school board that is made up of members from six constituent churches. ECA conducts monthly school board meetings. Once a year, we have an annual Constituency Meeting where area church members can come and vote on recommendations for the upcoming school year. This year’s meeting will be held on Thursday, May 18. It will be in the evening in the ECA gym. In addition to our church families, this meeting is also welcome to our school families.
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