Trusting in a God Who is in Control
At ECA, our vision is that school families Love God, Value Learning, and Serve Others.
October 8, 2023
Where Do We Put our Trust?
I don’t rock climb. I haven’t ran relay races with teammates in many years. Google Maps has led me astray more than once so I’m not always completely trusting in its directions. My auto save feature hasn’t always autosaved. In general, I try to stay clear of situations where the path moving forward may be uncertain. There are so many situations in life where we ask, “Where can I put my trust?” Several news stories just from the last week remind us that we can’t put our trust in earthly things. Our trust needs to be put in a God who truly is in control.
In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus reminds us ““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Although trust is not a possession, it is something far greater and more valuable. I’m glad we serve a God who has a plan for our lives. Even though I can’t always trust the world, I can always trust its creator, our God.
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” - Hebrews 11:1
MAP Testing Finishes Up This Week
During this second week of October, we will finish our first session of yearly testing. Here is a little more information about this week:
Students in grades 5-8 will have their 3rd and final session on Monday. Students in grades K-4 will finish up on Tuesday. We will also have a makeup testing period this week on October 12 in the middle of the day for students who may have missed a day or still need to finish a test. This first testing session will be one of three testing sessions we will use this year. We also do testing in January and late April. Home & School will be providing healthy snacks during each of the testing days to keep energy and minds working. Thank you again Home & School.
Hot Lunch Program
Our hot lunch program begins tomorrow. If you would like to order hot lunch for Monday or Wednesday of this week, please send an email to office@emeraldchristianacademy.com so we can add your child to the list. I have a zoom meeting scheduled for this Tuesday to set up our hot lunch program with teacherease, so look for more details as they are finalized.
Prices for meals:
students in grades K-2 - $5,
students in grades 3-8 - $6.
I sent a remind notice out last week with the menu for the month. I will also post the lunch menu on our website for every month. It is current and updated for October.
Upcoming Washington D.C. Trip Fundraisers
Throughout this year, students in grades 7&8 will be doing a few different fundraisers to raise funds for our middle school trip to Washington D.C. in late March & early April. Some students are also interested in working with families one-on-one for family needs to raise money. There are students who are interested in babysitting, animal care/ sitting, property work, and horse work. I will not publish names or phone numbers on our school website, but if you are interested, please call the school and we will provide you with names and contact information that will be sent home with your child. Student safety is important and we will never post student names and phone numbers.
8th Grade Class Fundraiser
The 8th grade class, in addition to raising funds for their upcoming Washington D.C. trip, is also raising funds for their class trip, graduation, and school activities. If you would like to help the class, they are running a bottle/can drive this year. If you bring your bottles/cans to the the 8th grade classroom in a bag, they will be applied 100% to the 8th grade class fund.
AG Program - Mondays Science Class
This year, every student will be able to participate in ECA’s Agriculture Program. This happens on the first day of each week. Students will be outdoors doing a variety of things with Mr. Wyatt Johnson. Throughout the year, there may be a few rainy days. Boots and gloves are great things for working outdoors on Monday Science Days. Water bottles are great things to have outside too. Students are in class with Mr. Wyatt from 1:15-3:15. Here is a schedule of the days and classes:
Monday, October 9 - Grades 7&8
Monday, October 16 - Grades 5&6
Monday, October 23 - Grades 3&4
1/2 Day Friday will be on October 20
This Friday WOULD be our “normal” second Friday of the month. However, it is an in-service day for teaching staff. We will all be in meetings with other teachers from around the Oregon Conference. Plan on the following Friday, October 20 for our 1/2 day of school. Students in grades K-4 will also be going on a field trip on October 20 to Detering Orchards outside of Eugene.
Dino Dig Opportunity for Students in Grades 7&8
This year in our 8th grade science cycle, we have been studying physical changes to our earth, earth's history, natural selection, and understanding how the word "evolution" is interpreted in science today and how a creation-oriented view of God's creation might interpret scientific data differently.
As I mentioned at our meeting last night, our school has an opportunity to join up with other schools, families, and students at the Southwestern Adventist Universty Dino Dig. I wanted to provide you with a few more details to see if any of you or your children would be interested. We are needing to register a group soon and there is only a $100 deposit required by the end ot the 2023 year per person. Here are facts about the program.
Have you heard about our NPUC DinoDig experience? Have you been thinking of coming? The time is now!
For one month out of the year, Dr. Art Chadwick and Dr. Erin Maloney, Research Professors from Southwestern Adventist University, travel to the 8,000 acre Hanson Ranch and Research Center in the Thunder Basin of Northeastern Wyoming to excavate dinosaur bones in one of the richest fossil beds in the world. They are joined by over a hundred participants consisting of scientists, students, and paleontology enthusiasts from around the world. The NPUC Creation Study Center is pleased to invite you to join us for a portion of their month long excursion on June 16-24, 2024.
This is a great year to come, as Maranatha has competed a brand new research station onsite, complete with showers, restrooms, a commercial kitchen, garage, offices, medical room, and a large gathering space for meals and classes.
If you have attended the dig with us before, we are inviting you to return with a few of your students.
Estimated Full Price Cost:
Dig Fees (includes meals): $61 per day for 5 days
Four Days Travel Expenses:
Food: $60-90
Total: $365-395
Transportation will be free to anyone who chooses to ride with the group.
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What does this mean for our ECA 7th & 8th grade families?
This would be the 4th year that I would be going and bringing students. I am very familiar with the program, coordinators, and staff. This is a great opportunity to experience something you will remember for the rest of your life.
If you would like to go, or have your child go, please send an email to principal@emeraldchristianacademy.com. Parents do NOT need to go, but are invited. I have taken students without parents. If we have students or parents who are interested, I will be registering a school group by the end of this week. We would be traveling up to Vancouver by cars or bus (depending on size of group) and then joining the group using their transportation to Wyoming. The nice thing is the low cost. A strong 3-pole minimum tent and sleeping bag is needed, but beyond that, everything else is covered. Understand, you would be sleeping outside in a windy field next to the research station. It really is a fun adventure! If you have any questions, you can email me or call me. Most of you have my cell phone and you are encouraged to give me a call after school for more information.
If you would like a small taste of what this experience is like, you can visit the NPUC conference office and visit The NPUC Creation Study Center there.
On these Youtube videos posted by Dr. Wood, you can watch all 10 from the 2022 Dig. Just do a youtube search for “2022 wyoming dino dig - 1” and then change the last number to 2, 3, etc. all the way to 10.
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