Growing Like a Panda!

 

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

Is it Just Me, or is Your Child Growing This Year?

Last year, when our middle school students went to Washington D.C., we missed seeing China’s panda bears by a few months. The animals have quite the appetite. They can eat up to 80 pounds of bamboo every day. That’s a lot of growing. It’s a good thing bamboo grows so fast. It can grow up to three feet in a single day. That’s a lot of growing too. Below, you will find out more about an opportunity for your family to be part of a yearly survey our school conducts every Fall. It is our hope that we can grow too! Links to the survey will be sent out by email towards the end of the month. Find out more from the program director, Dr. Kecia L. Jackson below.

"Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen" - 2 Peter 3:17-18


Professional Growth for Teachers

Our staff of teachers is part of a larger body of teachers all over Oregon that belong to the Seventh-day Adventist Educational System. Throughout this year, teachers will participate in four professional learning dates. As a school, our goal is to provide your child with current and effective instructional strategies that lead to academic achievement. This year’s meetings will help teachers implement grade-specific standards for a child’s grade level. There are many different layers to how this can help your child. In the next couple months, I will present more information about the different layers. Check in weekly for more information about Students and Standards Based Learning (SBL).


1/2 Day School this Friday

Even though this is the third week of the month, it is our 1/2 day Friday. Students will go to school from 8:00 - 12:30. There will be after-school from 12:30 - 2:30 for students wishing to stay and participate in the AG program. Thanks to all our our community donors for helping us have a new 25x70 large hoop house for AG Outdoors.

John Hopkins Institute for Educational Policy

ECA partners with John Hopkins Institute to help with creating anonymous and family-driven survey data that we use every year to help us grow as a school. Think of it as a chance for you to give honest feedback on how our school is meeting your family’s educational needs. This survey is taken by three groups: school staff and board members, students in grades 3-8, and one survey per family household. Below is a letter from John Hopkins Institute to explain a little more about the procedure.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

In the following weeks, students in grades 3 through 12 will have the opportunity to participate in a 15-minute survey about the overall culture of the school. 

The surveys will be completed online and during school time, at no cost to you. The results will provide valuable information to school leaders and may help your school community improve in meaningful ways. 

The areas the survey explores are: School Climate, Academic Climate, Civic Open Classroom Climate, School Mission & Vision, and Social-Emotional Competencies (optional). The primary purpose of the survey is to help your school understand its culture better. The secondary purpose is to provide the field of education with new insights into how various stakeholders in schools perceive elements of their school culture, using anonymous data for secondary research.

The survey was designed by educational researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Education Policy.

All responses are anonymous and will be analyzed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. School personnel will not have access to individual responses. No names, birthdates, addresses, student IDs, or IP addresses will be attached to any responses.  

Participation for your child is completely voluntary. 

If you DO want your child to participate, you do not need to do anything. If you DO NOT want your child to participate, please advise your child to answer “NO” to the first question on the survey. 

There are no penalties for not participating or withdrawing from the survey at any time. If you want to see the questions beforehand, please ask your principal/head of school or any member of the Johns Hopkins team. Their contact information is below. 

Thank you for participating in our survey. Please know that we are listening to your input.

Respectfully,

The team at Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy

For questions about research, contact:

For general questions about the survey, contact:

 I hope you have a wonderful day.


Best regards,

Dr. Kecia L. Jackson, Ph.D.  

Program Administrator

School Culture 360™ and Teacher Survey of Curriculum Use

Yearly Record of Notification of Asbestos in the School Building

“The Federal law requires a public announcement to be given to school patrons regarding any asbestos material in your school.

Your school facility has been checked by a certified asbestos person. The report is in the school file. This document is available for those wishing to see it.

The asbestos in the school is in a non-friable condition and presents no hazard to anyone at the present time. It will be checked at stated periodic intervals to ascertain any change in the material.”

K-4 Pumpkin Patch Field Trip - Thursday, October 24

Students in grades K-4 will be going to a local farm for their annual Fall pumpkin patch field trip. Depending on the weather, students may be walking in wet areas, so boots might be a good option for the morning field trip. We will be leaving school around 11:00 and returning later in the afternoon. More information will be going home to parents in K-4 to fill you in with all the details.


ASB Barn Party - Thursday, October 24

Students in grades 5-8 will be able to enjoy the end of our first quarter with ASB’s second Fall activity. Students will be going to Pastor Greg Middlestetter’s home for a barn party. Students will be leaving around 5:15 by bus. There will be snacks and games. I know the ASB leaders have been working hard to make this a fun evening for all. The bus will be returning back to school between 8:30 and 9:00. If your child would like to attend, consider your child staying after school on Thursday. Please send an extra lunch if you are unable to feed them and have them back to school before the bus leaves.

Picture Day - Monday, October 28

Last week or this week, your child will bring home a packet for ordering pictures. We will be having a studio come and visit our school on Monday, October 28. If you would like to order pictures, that can be done online by following the information in the picture packet. Even if you do not order pictures, we will still be taking pictures of all students for our yearbook. If you did not receive a packet or if it was lost, you can stop by the office for a replacement, or call the office and we will send another packet home with your child.

AG Program - Monday’s Science Class

Our Monday AG classes are continuing this 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. Here is a schedule of the days and classes:

Monday, October 14 - Grades 5&6

Monday, October 21 - Grades 3&4

Monday, October 28 - Grades 1&2

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, October 14 - AG Class for Grades 5&6

  • Friday, October 18 - 1/2 Day Friday

  • Thursday, October 24 - Last Day of the 1st Quarter

  • Thursday, October 24 - ASB Barn Party

  • Thursday, October 24 - K-4 Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

  • Monday, October 28 - ECA Picture Day

 
Doug Gaylor