Our Last Month of 2022
At ECA, our vision is that school families Love God, Value Learning, and Serve Others.
November 27, 2022
Hello ECA families,
When I was 18 years old, I had open heart surgery. I had a medical condition called Wolf-Parkinson’s White Syndrome which led to atrial fibrillation. I had a few incidents in my teenage years where my heart rate exceeded 250 beats per minute for extended periods of time. Thankfully, the surgery was a success. As an 18 year-old, I knew I would not miss the many ER room visits I had to make to take care of my problem. One thing I ended up missing though was the entire Christmas holiday. I went into the hospital just as the Christmas lights and nativity signs were going up. I came out of the hospital and everything was taken down. My Christmas gift was a new opportunity for a life free of hospital visits and medication, but I still remember missing that Christmas season.
That will not be the case this season. At ECA, the Christmas season is a special time. As a school family, we have several things planned to share the spirit of giving. May God bless your family as we celebrate the birth of Jesus during this special time of year.
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” - Micah 5:2
No Hot Lunch Tomorrow, Monday, November 28
As the 8th grade class clears up the schedule for Monday hot lunches, we will share that information with you. Look for more information in January when school starts again after Christmas vacation.
December 1 - Picture Retake Day
If your child was unable to have their pictures taken during our first picture day, ECA will have retakes on Thursday, December 1. If you would like to have retakes, please be sure to send your old picture packets back to school with your child. Picture packets can be ordered online. If you would like more information, please call the school office for more information.
December 5-9 - ASB Spirit Week
This week, our ASB leaders will be sending home a flyer explaining our annual spirit week. Each day will have a special theme that will culminate in our school going to Target to buy presents for children at Jasper Mountain SAFE Center. Big brother and sister groups will go to Target with wish lists from the children at Jasper Mtn. These children do not live with their families and are under the care of trained staff. For several years we have “adopted” these students and taken on the role of their “secret Santa.” If you have watched the news over the past several Christmas seasons, you have seen news stories about public school children going and purchasing gifts to share with others. This tradition started with Emerald Christian Academy over 15 years ago in the Eugene/Springfield area. We are excited to continue this tradition this year.
For our trip to be a success, we have a fund-raiser during our Spirit Week. Money that is raised is used to purchase the gifts for the students. The ASB flyer will explain more about our 2022 goal. Students in each ECA classroom have a real chance to make a difference in the lives of other students in our community. Thank you for your support in this yearly tradition. A little help from a lot of hands can go a long way.
After-School Tutor Position
ECA is looking to fill a position for an after-school tutor/helper with our after-school program. This position would be from 3:00 - 5:00 M-Th. There is also flexibility for adding extra hours as a teacher’s aide. As a part-time worker for the school, you would be compensated with an hourly pay. You would work with our CORE Full-Time teachers to help students in reading, math, and writing. You could also help out with after-school programs. If this sounds like an adventure you would like more information about, please call the office or send an email to principal@emeraldchristianacademy.com. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who has the flexibility to work with a great team of teachers receive financial compensation that help offset the costs of tuition.
ECA’s Christmas Program
Thank you again to our Home & School Leaders for working with classrooms, teachers, and our new music teacher to help this year’s Christmas Program happen. Mrs. Vojtko will be starting to work this week with students on Tuesdays and Thursdays in music classes. She will be supporting the Home & School program this Christmas season, and she is excited to start working with classrooms to create a music program with outreach programs and a Spring Music concert later in the year. Please look at the flyer below for ways you can help ECA with this year’s Christmas program.
After-School Program at School is adding a new option M-Th - Agriculture Program
We are excited to be offering an after-school agriculture program for students at ECA beginning next Monday, December 5. Not only will the program be after school, but it will also involve each classroom having one monthly 1/2 day dedicated to time spent working outside with Wyatt. Our hope is to grow and develop this program to help students see the value in working in nature, develop financial management skills, and enjoy interacting with our community. There will be different stages that will happen as we start this program. Wyatt Johnston will start working on deer-proof fencing, irrigation, and clearings. One of the first stages will be the completion of a donated greenhouse kit. We currently have a foundation set for the 8x20 greenhouse kit. If you have any experience or interest in working on this one-two day project, please consider calling the school. Additionally, if you would like to help out in any of this initial work, please call the office.
For students staying after school, there will now be two options. They can be involved with the AG program or the classroom teacher led program. Here are the teacher led options for each day that can be chosen. Students can also choose to do the AG program with Mr. Johnston.
Mondays - Study Hall / Math Tutoring with Mr. Gaylor in the library
Tuesdays - Lego Robotics upstairs in the lego room with Ms. Lidia
Wednesdays - Library / Story Hour with Mrs. Hager
Thursdays - Library / Art with Mrs. Harness
Because students will be outside during the AG program, appropriate footwear, gloves, and coats will be needed. As details are worked out, we will be sharing ways you can help your child be successful in this new program.
Do you know of a tractor with post hole digger attachment?
As we work to put up our deer-proof fencing, we will have a lot of holes to dig. If you or someone you know has a tractor or powered post hole digger and would be willing to help or share the equipment, please reach out to our school office. We are looking forward to seeing our school grow and look forward to seeing God’s blessing to our school and community with this new program.
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, November 28 - School resumes
Thursday, December 1 - Picture Retake Day
December 5-9 - ECA Spirit Week
December 9 - 1/2 Day Friday & ECA’s annual trip to Target to purchase gifts for students at Jasper Mtn. SAFE Center
Wednesday, December 14 - ECA Christmas Program
Thursday, December 15 - last day of school before Christmas vacation
Tuesday, January 3 - Classes resume
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” - Isaiah 9:6