April Showers May Flowers
At ECA, our vision is that school families Love God, Value Learning, and Serve Others.
A World of New Discoveries
Last spring, Deb Manley was exploring a remote area of Big Bend National Park when she spotted something unusual on the ground. Tiny, fuzzy, flowering plants were sprouting up from between the desert rocks in the Texas park’s northern region. She had never seen anything like them before.
Manley, who volunteers with the park’s botany program, snapped a few photos and uploaded them to the citizen science platform iNaturalist to see if anyone else could identify the mysterious plant. She alerted park staffers, who were also unfamiliar with the hairy white foliage and maroon florets.
Scientists realized they had stumbled upon a species that was previously unknown to scientists. The find marks the first time a new plant genus has been identified in an American national park in nearly five decades, according to a statement from the California Academy of Sciences, which supported the discovery. The last new plant genus to be discovered in a national park was represented by the July gold shrub (Dedeckera eurekensis), found in Death Valley National Park in 1976.
April showers brings May flowers, and even in the 21st century, God blesses us with new discoveries.
“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
In his hand is the life of every living thing
and the breath of all mankind.”
Job 12:7-10
Second Quarter begins this week.
Our fourth quarter begins tomorrow, Monday, March 31. Teachers will finalize report cards and share them at the end of the month during our Spring P/T conferences on Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25. Signups will begin next week.
Register Now for Next Year with a Discounted Family Rate
One of the things that happens at school behind the scenes during spring is making a budget for the upcoming school year. Because we are part of a large conference with many schools, we have to have voted school budgets by the end of the year. Staff contracts and program obligations are set in the spring for the upcoming year. What does this mean for you? Every school in the Oregon Conference has a reenrollment period. During this time, schools ask families to pay a reenrollment fee to reserve their spot for the upcoming year. This year’s deadline to reserve a spot at a discounted family fee of $50 is Friday, April 11. The following week, I will meet with our school board and we need to have firm enrollment numbers for a presented budget on April 17. Families that reenroll after April 11 will be charged a family reenrollment fee of $150. Plan now. You can let us know your plans for next year by clicking on the link below and reserving your spot for next year. Payment details can be added in the link.
Spring Mission Trip Update
The students in grades 7&8 have been working hard at the Albion Marine Station. ECA’s mission statement is that students love God, value learning, and serve others. This has been a fun spring break of service. We look forward to an all-school service project in Spring in our local community. As we finalize details, we will share more information. Here are some highlights of our trip:
AG Classes Every Monday
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. Here is a schedule of the days and classes:
Monday, March 31 - Grades 5&6
Monday, April 7 - Grades 3&4
Hot Lunch Menu for the Month
Hot lunch happens every Monday and Wednesday. Additionally, whenever we have a 1/2 Friday, hot lunch will be offered by our Home & School. You can click on the link below to order hot lunch for the week for your child. If you have more than one child, please click the link more than once and turn in one week’s submission for each child. There is a payment option that is included in the form.
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, March 31 - Classes Resume, 4th Quarter begins
Friday, April 11 - 1/2 Day Friday - chapel - hot lunch
Friday, April 11 - Last day to receive discount early enrollment
Monday, April 14 - NO School teacher professional growth day
Friday, April 18 - Makeup 1/2 day Friday - Core classes - no chapel
Thursday, April 24 - Friday, April 25 - P/T Conferences
Wednesday, April 30 - Grades 5-8 ASB Banquet