Off to a Great Start!
At ECA, our vision is that school families Love God, Value Learning, and Serve Others.
September 4, 2023
Happy Labor Day ECA Families,
With our first week done, we are off to a great start. As a staff, it is always exciting to start a new year and see the many places God will take us. We are so glad we get to take this journey with you. God reminds us just how much he wants to be with us as a school family all year in the book of Proverbs. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6.
Upcoming Back-to-School Night
This Thursday evening, we will be having our annual Back-to-School Night. This evening will begin in the gym at 6:15 and go until 7:40. We will introduce staff, share common school news in the gym starting at 6:15. At 6:30, we will break up into classroom sessions. There will be three sessions: 6:30-6:50, 6:55-7:15, and 7:20-7:40. During these sessions, you can visit homeroom teachers and get shared documents and information about how you can stay in touch this year. We will also have some of our part-time staff if you have questions about school programs outside of homeroom classrooms.
Have you always wanted to get involved at school but didn’t know how. Stop by the Home & School Booth. They will share more about their plans for the year and how you can be a part of it. You can also find information about volunteering at school, in classrooms, or on field trips. Background checks are needed. This easy process involves following a link, providing some basic information, and watching a couple videos on child safety. This check is done by our supervising conference and maintains a safe campus for your children.
Would you like to wear the latest ECA school attire. We have school shirts available for purchase. We have sizes for children and adults. All profits support our worthy student fund. This helps families in our community send their children to our school.
Upcoming Bible Camp - Registration Paperwork due tomorrow!
You have probably heard about the upcoming Bible Camp at the Washington Family Ranch in Antelope, OR. This event is designed for students in our churches, schools, and home school families in Oregon in grades 7 & 8. Registration is Tuesday, September 5. We must know if you plan on your 7th & 8th grade child will be attending by tomorrow, Tuesday, September 5.
Last Thursday, your child brought a paper copy of the attached pdf. It has information about what is Bible Camp, when, where, etc. It explains that the school will be covering the cost for ALL students at Emerald to attend for 4 days. We will be taking a bus there with Mr. Gaylor and Ms. Lidia as chaperones. We do ask, if you are able to make a donation to help offset the costs of the trip, that would help us have funds for more programs in the year.
We need to have this packet returned by tomorrow, Tuesday 5th, completed. Please read through the packet and fill out the last few pages. Our hope is for everyone to participate, but we understand if this will not work out for your family. Just let us know.
As a side note, for this event to happen, we will need two additional volunteers (who can clear a background check or who already have) who are willing to come and volunteer in the kitchen at the camp. There is no cost for these volunteers. The organization requires us to bring one kitchen staff worker for every 10 people going. We will have a minimum of 15 (13 students and 2 staff) if all students go. If you are able to be that special person to make this work, all lodging, meals, travel, etc. are covered. The 7th and 8th grade students will appreciate your service. The volunteer does not have to be a parent. If you have a friend or family member who would be interested, they can be that special person as long as they are 18 or older, and do a background volunteer check through the school.
Donations for the trip do not need to be submitted by this week. As a school, we will pay in October for the September event. Please read, sign, and return the document back to school on Tuesday. If we do not have a response, there is no registration after Tuesday, 5th. If we do not hear from you by September 5, your child will not be able to participate.
Bible Camp Family Information Packet
2024 Washington DC Trip for 7th & 8th Grade Students
Parents, in the middle of summer, we sent information out to parents about our plans for a Washington DC trip in the Spring. It is important that we have a deposit of $1000 for each person attending by the end of this month. Ms. Lidia and Mr. Gaylor will be planning a 7th & 8th grade meeting later in September to meet and plan on participants and more details. If you have any questions, please call the school or reach out to principal@emeraldchristianacademy.com for more information. We know this trip will require planning and fund-raising. We are excited to be part of a community that supports our school children and look forward to working to make this trip a success.
Family Fundraiser for the DC Trip
I know several students have been busy this summer raising money for the upcoming trip. Our upcoming Fall Festival on Sunday, October 1 will provide ways to support our school, including the Washington DC trip. You can support our students this Thursday.
1/2 Friday - School this Friday
This Friday will be our first Friday school. So everyone is in the know, school will begin at 8:00 and will let out at 12:30. For students who are in the after-school program and would like to stay after school on Friday, the AG program runs until 2:30 on Fridays. There is no other after-school program on Friday - only the AG program. Our classroom after-school program runs Monday-Thursdays. If you would like to sign your child up, please call the school office to get them added to the list.
Hot Lunch Program
We are wrapping up our final inspections for the kitchen exhaust vent system. Our plan is to start a hot lunch program beginning in October. We are still working out all of the details. Until then, Home & School is planning hot lunches on our 1/2 day Fridays. We are still making plans for this Friday. Keep an eye out for more details to go out in a remind notice.
A Friday Field Trip for 5th-8th Grade Students on Sept. 22
On Friday, September 22, students in grades 5-8 will be taking their first ASB trip to the Oregon coast. We will be taking a school bus and spending the day in Florence and at Honeyman State Park. As parents, you are able to join us, but a background check is necessary if you would like to ride the bus and volunteer. If you are planning on going as a parent and have not completed a background check, you will need to drive your own vehicle. We try to plan field trips for the extra Fridays each month so we can keep our core M-Th school days in place. More information will be going out later in the month.
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