A Splash of Color
At ECA, our vision is that school families Love God, Value Learning, and Serve Others.
Principal’s Message:
Hello ECA families,
When my wife and I were first married, I really enjoyed meeting her family. One person I found fascinating was her cousin’s husband, Tim Wistrom. If you have ever visited the Seattle area and looked at fine art prints, you undoubtedly have seen his work:
https://tim-wistrom-arts.mybigcommerce.com/
Tim is color blind, yet he sees things and has an imagination for things that go beyond what I see. As spring is upon us, I love to see the renewal of color on our campus and in our community. It reminds me that within each of us, we have something beautiful that is just waiting to come out. Leave it to the master to bring that beauty out in all of us.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” - Ephesians 2:10
ECA Visitation Day Update
We had 10 students visit us on Visitation Day. We look forward to sharing our school with our community. If you have friends or family that would like to visit our school, school tours can be arranged for individual families.
Preregistration for Next Year - Only 10 days left to receive a discount
Our school has opened Teacher Ease for registering for next year. You should have already received a link to start the short process. If you have not received this link, please call the school so a new link can be sent out to your family.
Each year, ECA needs to have firm numbers to create a school budget for the next year. Our school is part of a larger organization of the Oregon Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists. There are over 30 schools in Oregon that are in this organization. Right now, they are all doing the same thing: planning for next year. ECA is following the same reenrollment procedures as our “sister” schools.
1st step - Click on the personalized link to reenroll through your Teacher Ease account.
2nd Step - Send ECA a reenrollment fee based on the following date deadlines:
Reenroll before April 20 - $50 fee/family
Reenroll after April 20 - $150 fee/family
3rd Step - Finalize registration with family finance plans and payment of registration fees. (This is the last step and is separate from the reenrollment fee. This can be done any time after steps 1 & 2 have been completed.
Thoughts About Our Upcoming School Year
During our visitation day, it was exciting to share all the great things our school has been able to offer our community. We are incredibly blessed to be supported by a great community, constituent churches, and to have a great staff.
We are looking forward to continuing this and seeing it grow as next year draws closer. There is one change that will be happening next year though. All of our teachers bring an incredible amount of energy and love for our children. Each one of us balances personal families, school families, and daily commutes. I am proud of every teacher and commend them for their dedication to our school and your children.
Mrs. Thorp has our longest commute, yet her dedication to our students and school families has been unwavering. Mrs. Thorp will be teaching at Central Valley Christian School next year. This school is an SDA school very close to her home in Corvallis, OR. We will miss Mrs. Thorp and her incredible talent and passion for our students next year. She will be finishing this year. Talking with her, I know this was not an easy decision, but as a school family we wish the best for Mrs. Thorp. We know that her presence here at ECA was God’s working and I know that he will continue to bless her and our school going forward.
For families, I know this brings a lot of questions. I want to assure you that our school is starting the process to find the right fit for this new opening. This is something that involves prayer, professional experience, and support by our Asst. Superintendent, Dan Nicola, and the Oregon Conference of SDA educational team. There are several steps that will be taking place in the next month that involve school administration, staff, conference officials, local personnel committee, and local school board. Thank you for keeping our school and ECA school family in prayer during this time. I have worked with amazing educators over that past 30 years and our school has been blessed with God sending the right person at the right time. I have seen amazing miracles happen at ECA, and I know God is anxious to continue leading our school.
If you have any additional questions regarding the process, please reach out to me through email at principal@emeraldchristianacademy.com.
Reminder - No School next Monday
Next Monday, April 18, there will be no school. Teachers will be going to Portland for an in-service day.
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
ECA Covid Policy for the Rest of the Year
After-School Schedules for this Week
This week:
Monday - Photography
Tuesday - Lego Robotics
Wednesday - Library
Thursday - Outdoor Learning.
_________________________________________
I hope this new week is filled with daily reminders of God’s blessings.
Announcements & Upcoming Events
Monday, April 18 - No School - Teacher Professional Growth Day
Thursday, April 21 - ECA School Board Meeting
Monday, April 25-28 - Spring MAP Testing
Thursday, April 28 - ASB Movie Night
4th Quarter Events: School Visitation Day, K-4 Swimming Lessons, Emerald Expo, Spring Music Program, Spring MAP Testing, ASB Community Service Day, Grades 6&7 Outdoor School, 8th Grade Class Trip, Red Cross Community Blood Drive.