Off to a Great Start!

 

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

And we are off…

September 5, 2022

Hello ECA families,

 

In my younger years, I really enjoyed track & field. I guess it makes sense that I am teaching at a school whose mascot is a roadrunner. Whether it was a fast and furious fifty meter or a slower and more paced out mile, the race always began with starting in the chocks, and hearing the starting gun fire. And then we were off. That is kind of how our staff feel. It was so exciting to see students in the hallways again last week, and we are looking forward to making many great memories this year. Thank you all for joining us in this 2023 school year. I’m so glad God will be going along with us as we make this journey.

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.” - Exodus 13:21

Upcoming Events at School

  • Exciting news about our kitchen remodel! Our general permit was finally approved and we have had contractors working at our school working on turning our kitchen into a commercial kitchen space. This has been a long process and I’m so excited we can plan on a working kitchen soon.

  • We will be doing many things this year where you as a parent might want to volunteer or participate. Plan early to complete our ECA school volunteer process.  (Any adults helping in classrooms, with home & school, field trips, driving other children for school functions, or even on-campus volunteering need to have this process complete).  This involves an online background check, watching a few safety school videos, and having a Covid clearance.  This clearance can be proof of vaccination or a submitted and approved religious or medical exemption letter.  We value the safety of your children and want to ensure ALL volunteers complete the program’s requirements.  Call the school for more details.

  • Our first community event will be this Thursday. We are having our annual Back-to-School Night. Usually, we have a meal, but with our kitchen moving in the right direction, but not there yet, we are planning on having a meeting time at 6:45 in the ECA gym. Plan on starting right at 6:45 for all families. There will be a 15 minute welcoming and general information session. We will then break into smaller classroom groups. We are planning on three sessions, so if you have a child in more than one classroom, you can hear information about the school year and meet the teacher. Students in grades 5-8 will be having a larger group with all of the 5-8 staff. Elementary classrooms may only have individual classroom sessions. Plan on spending about an hour at school. This will be a great time to learn about school and classroom procedures, homework, communication, volunteering, etc.

  • Our first 1/2 Day Friday will be this Friday. School starts at 8:00. Chapel begins at 8:30 for students. During this first chapel, we have a lot of fun events that get us ready for the whole school year: annual handshake, big / brother & sister program introductions, introductions to community groups, and a few surprises.

  • Next week, there will be a couple things happening to take note of:

    • Monday, September 12 is our first ASB grades 5-8 trip to the beach. If parents would like to volunteer, a background check and proof of Covid vaccination (or approved exemption letter) is needed. We will be taking the ECA school bus. We will be leaving school at 8:15 in the morning and returning around 4:45. More information will be sent home this week.

    • Home & School will be having their first meeting of the year on Wednesday, September 14. It will be at 7:00 in the evening in the ECA library. All parents who are curious about home and school and ways they can help support our school are invited.

  • Thank you parents for remembering to keep your speed down to 25 mph on Zephyr Way. I have already had a few neighbors thank me for the courteous way drivers are arriving, leaving, and then returning and picking up later in the day. We value our neighbors. They take pride in our school just like all of us do. Thank you for remembering and valuing them this year.

  • If you are still needing to finalize your family financial plans, please contact Cali in our office. Our office hours this year are slightly different than last year.

    • Cali Dunks, Business Manager - T-Th, 8:00-12:00

    • Cammie Johnston, Adm. Assistant - M-Th, 11:45-4:15

    • 1/2 Day Friday hours - Cammie Johnston, 8:00-12:45

  • Parents, if you have not signed up for the monthly after-school program and you would like your child to participate in an after-school program for a particular day, please be sure to call the office on Monday for the week. There is a $5 per family per day charge. Parents who have paid for the monthly plan (all days M-Th for only $50 per family) do not need to call.


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

  • Thursday, September 8 - Back-to-School Night

  • Friday, September 9 - September 1/2 Day Friday

  • Monday, September 12 - ASB Beach Trip

  • Wednesday, September 14 - Home & School Meeting 7:00 ECA library

  • Sunday, October 2 - ECA Fall Festival

    • "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” - Proverbs 1:7

 
Doug Gaylor