Invitations
At ECA, our vision is that school families Love God, Value Learning, and Serve Others.
March 5, 2023
There are certain invitations in life I remember: invitations for close friends to early birthday parties, wedding invitations sent and received, and my workplace invitations, especially for ECA. Did you hear about the mixup at the PGA Masters? A man by the name of Scott Stallings was going about his daily life as a realtor and amateur golfer in Atlanta, Georgia when he received an invitation to play at the PGA Masters. This is a BIG deal! Scott knew something was wrong when he realized that his name was the same as the professional golfer, Scott Stallings. Needless to say, after an awkward email to the intended party, and a forwarded mail package, all was well with the world again. You can read the whole story by following this link:
Mixup at the PGA Masters Tournament
We are invited to a heavenly kingdom that will restore God’s perfect plan for the children he loves. This is no mistake. You are invited. All we need to do is accept the invitation. Jesus explains more in the book of Matthew.
“Jesus answered and spoke again in parables to them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come. Again he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast!"' But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise, and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren't worthy. Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.' Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn't have on wedding clothing, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?' He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.' For many are called, but few chosen.” - Matthew 22:1-14
Speaking of Invitations - You are Invited to this Sunday’s Diamond Heist Mystery Dinner - Reservations Needed by this Thursday
We are down to our final week before our big Winter event at school. The Diamond Heist Mystery Dinner is this Sunday! Our fund-raising committee has been working hard for the past two months to make this a fun evening for all. I know they will be busy all this week turning our gym into a 1920s event that you don’t want to miss. Your $50 ticket will include an evening performance by an acting troupe to help the audience become participants in the evening mystery. There will be appetizers and an alcohol-free bubbly bar before dinner is served. Dinner will be a buffet style, with students in grades 7&8 waiting on tables. Our evening will be filled with intrigue, mystery, and a fun time for all. We will also end the evening with a dessert dash. The dessert dash is in the form of a silent table bid for “dashing off for dessert for your table.” Each table will have individual bid slips to contribute toward the table’s total donation. The highest table bid (combined bids of table participants) gets the first dash for the dessert table. This is sure to be an evening you do not want to miss. Even better, you can invite friends to share the evening with. You can even reserve tables. Our goal is 75 participants for the evening. We have filled 1/3 of the reservations and are excited to plan this fun evening for you. As a school family, you are invited. Consider inviting friends or church friends for a fun evening. Funds that are raised will support our students’ upcoming mission trip and summer renovations for our playground. Please make reservations before Thursday at 12:30 so we can prepare!
There will be child-care in the library with games and a short movie. Child care is included with the evening ticket. When making reservations at the school office, please inform the office if you need child-care for the evening so we can plan!
ECA Gym will be closed this Wednesday
As we plan for our winter event, the gym will be closed this Wednesday - Friday. Please make sure students bring coats to school this week as they will be outside under the breezeway during recess times. PE times will also need to plan on outside activities. Thank you for your understanding.
AG Program and Monthly Classroom Participation
Our classroom agriculture program will continue tomorrow, Monday, March 6. The next classes to participate will be the students in Kindergarten and then Grades 1&2. Students will go in two separate groups. Kindergarten will go from 1:15-2:15 and Grades 1&2 will go from 2:15-3:15. Make sure they have the necessary attire to spend one hour 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, March 13 - Grades 7&8
Monday, March 20 - 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.
1/2 Friday This Coming Friday
We will be having school this Friday. A Remind Notice will be going out about hot lunch for Friday. Just a reminder that the AG program goes from 10:30-2:30 on 1/2 Day Fridays for students staying after school. Please be sure to call the office to
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
March 10 - 1/2 Day Friday / School Hot Lunch
March 12 - Diamond Heist Mystery Dinner
March 12 - Daylight Savings Day
March 23 - Last day of the 3rd quarter
March 24 - April 2 - Spring Break - Mission Trip for students in grades 7&8