“Fall”ing in love with Jesus
At ECA, our vision is that school families Love God, Value Learning, and Serve Others.
Where do we find our comfort in the fall?
For those of us who have been in the community for several years, the words “comfort food” brings back a few memories of restaurants no longer with us. Hometown Buffet was such a restaurant. Whether it was mashed potatoes, corn bread, cinnamon rolls, green beans, main entrees, or endless desserts, it was a family favorite for many. With parents and grandparents from the south, comfort food was a tradition at family reunions in the late summer and early fall when I was growing up. Many of those recipes were handed down favorites that are still baked today as we continue to share those “comfort foods” with a new generation. For me, Fall means comfort. For me, comfort means home. Where can we find comfort that lasts through all the seasons?
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
This week, I hope you find comfort that sustains us year-round!
Fall MAP Testing Starts Tomorrow for Grades K-2 & 5-8
For students in grades K-2 and 5-8, MAP testing will begin tomorrow. Students in grades 3&4 will have MAP Testing next week. Testing will occur in the morning. Most tests take between 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Students do breaks in the middle of the testing sessions. Here is some more additional information.
The three tests that your child will take are reading, ELA, and math. They will take one test each day. The results of this Fall testing will be shared with you at our P/T conference in early November. Each test is customized to your child’s ability to answer questions. We are able to pause testing sessions so students will be taking breaks midway through the tests. If possible, this would be a great week for a little extra sleep, a good breakfast, and a readiness to do their best each of the three days M-W. Because some students may finish before others, please make sure your child has a book or reading material in case they finish before others. Because this testing will take place during our morning core teaching time, homeroom teachers may have altered teaching schedules for this week.
We will also have a makeup testing period on Thursday, October 3 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 three days to keep energy and minds working. Thank you again Home & School.
Fall Festival - This Sunday, October 6
Getting family together is always fun. This Sunday, we have a chance to get our extended school family and church families together at our annual ECA Fall Festival. Flyers went home with your children last week. This really is a fun way to start the Fall season. There will be game booths, a bounce house, food booths, and plenty of time to connect with friends. The outdoor program will be from 11-3. Tickets will be sold at the main gate for games and food. There is no cost for admission, so please come out and have a wonderful time!
1/2 Day Friday is on October 18 this Month
Usually, we have our 1/2 day Friday on the second Friday of each month. This month, teachers have a state-wide teacher inservice on Friday, October 11. We will be in trainings all day in professional educational groups. With that in mind, we will have our 1/2 day Friday on October 18.
Volunteer Paperwork
Just a reminder that if you would like to help out in your child’s classroom, join a school group for a field trip as a volunteer, or plan on helping the school out throughout the year, your volunteer paperwork needs to be processed. It is an easy process, but requires a little work on your part. If you would like to start the process or still need to finish the process, call the school office and we can help you with the steps.
6th Grade Outdoor School Will Take Place in the Winter
Earlier, I mentioned that our 6th grade students will be able to participate in outdoor school at Big Lake Youth Camp outside of Sisters, Oregon. This program is designed for all sixth grade students across all of the Adventist schools in the Oregon Conference. There are a lot of students. To keep the program numbers and staffing at optimal levels, there are two sessions. Our school has been assigned the winter session. This will be during Valentine’s Day week in February. There is no extra cost for this and more information will go home after Christmas break.
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, September 30 - Grades K-2
Monday, October 7 - Grades 7&8
Monday, October 14 - Grades 5&6
Monday, October 21 - Grades 3&4
Monday, October 28 - Grades 1&2
September 30 - Hot Lunch is Enchiladas
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, September 30-Oct 2 - MAP Testing
Monday, September 30 - AG Class Grades K-2
Sunday, October 6 - ECA Fall Festival
Friday, October 11 - No School - Teacher Inservice Day
Friday, October 18 - 1/2 Day Friday
Thursday, October 24 - Last Day of the 1st Quarter
Monday, October 28 - ECA Picture Day