Congratulations to last year's 8th grade algebra 1 students

This past spring, last year's eighth graders took their end of course assessment (ECA), or graduation requirement test, for Algebra 1 after completing the course. Twenty-nine of the forty-three eighth graders (67.4%) were enrolled in Algebra 1. We are very excited to announce that 100% of our students passed the test with twenty-two earning a score in the pass+ range. These results are possible because of the amazing math teachers at ECS along with the support from the parents. The partnership between the parents and the school is such an intricate part in the educational readiness of the students. Congratulations to those students! We are proud of you!

The importance of intentionality

Reb Bradley wrote, "....surrounding our kids with Christian influences is certainly good (Christian music, Sunday school, youth groups, etc.) but it is no substitute for "training." Training is a conscious, active effort of instruction, discipline and modeling, and not a bi-product of a good environment or a loving home. Consider that no wild horse was ever broken or trained by being grouped together with trained horses."

This quote is a great example of why we as parents and teachers need to be intentional in training our kids. Notice that Reb Bradley was specific to point out training and not teaching. Teaching can be passive, one dimentional and, sometimes, it can focus more on the information being given instead of the focus being on the person.

Training, however, is active. It requires the child to not just know what to do, but to put into practice what they know. The best way to learn something is to do it. For example, if you want your child to be reverent, the way you train them is by giving them opportunities to be reverent. Training also allows for dialogue. The child needs to have the opportunity to ask questions and have them answered. Training also focuses on the understanding of the information rather than the content alone. Training allows kids to face real life situations and conflict. When faced with it, parents should use this time to teach their kids to think critically and problem solve. This allows them to experience a potentially tough situation in a safe environment before encountering it later in life without your guidance. Lastly, training has a long-term perspective with clear goals. When training our kids, we need to be sure the decisions we are making regarding our kids is in line with the goals we are striving for. If your decisions are not conducive with the overall goals, I would challenge you to rethink that particular decision.

I encourage you all, to sit down with your spouse (or alone if you are single), and develop a plan with a long term perspective. This is a great way for you to be intentional and accountable for training your kids in all areas of their life. This is important, whether your child is in kindergarten or eighth grade. Realize, it is never too late to start!

Parents Night Out - August 23, 6-7:30pm

Parents,
Below is a link to a video from Brad Christmas and Jessica Hill, our IMMS Health and PE teachers, regarding our new abstinence education curriculum. Click below to view it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6DLMVARGw0

End of the year

It is amazing to think the year is over. Click on the link to hear an end of the year address.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-DtxvZ5atk

Good News Report!

Hey guys! Last week our 7th graders went on a trip to St. Louis. Click the link below to hear about the trip and some highlights!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fzgviSgCr0

Chapel today

A few weeks back, the student leadership team took a trip to Boonville Middle School and worked with students in the moderate and severe/profound disabilities classrooms. They played games with them, talked with them and watched them learn and practice the art of screen printing t-shirts. This experience made an impression on all of the team members. At a debriefing session, they discussed how they could bring back what they learned at BMS to the students at ECS. Today, the six members of the team spoke during chapel on the fruit of the spirit and how they saw the students of Boonville Middle School exemplify those qualities. They each chose the fruit they wanted to talk about, how it related to the students at BMS, and researched other scripture that tied into their topic. They all did an amazing job! Keep up the good work Carli K., Alex L., Evan B., Claire E., McKenzi G., and Caroline C! I also want to thank the praise team for using their gifts to lead the worship time. What a blessing to see these young people using their strengths to glorify our risen Lord!

Parent Education - April 2010

Parents,
Below is a link to the parent education video this month on successful parenting. Happy viewing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM6mH9YnH4U