The First Two Weeks of School: A Valuable Transition

Have you ever had that Sunday morning church experience where you’re rushing to get the kids out the door? Everybody fed, check! Everybody dressed, check! Kids to their Sunday school rooms. Quick restroom stop. When you finally sit down in the pew, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Even though you are a few minutes late, you’re here and it’s time to settle in. As the music begins you take a deep breath and calm your mind by moving through the mental checklist: Yes, you turned the stove off at home. Yes, you packed the diaper bag, yes you locked your car in the parking lot… and you begin to mentally transition to focusing on this time with the Lord ahead of you.

This reality of transition is one that we acknowledge and accommodate for at the start of every school year. It’s our “two-week alternative schedule” where we acclimate, assess and settle the students in for the new year of learning.

Maybe you’ve heard your student say something like, “Well, we haven’t started our real schedule yet…” They’re not wrong! But although they have not begun their academic schedules, they have most definitely begun their school year. 

High school students begin the school year meeting new classmates with opportunities to reflect on their summer where many of them participated in national and international mission opportunities.

Acclimation, assessment and “settling in”. Developed by Founder Gregg Garner, this is the simple way to understand what happens during our first 2 weeks of the school year. 

During their first few days back on campus, students are acclimated back into the school setting by reconnecting with peers, getting to know their teachers, and reviewing school routines and behavior expectations. At the elementary level this looks like remembering how to line up, how to move through meal service times, when they can use the restrooms, and what activities are appropriate for indoor recess. Before we begin administering any demerits or incentives, students simply get these few days to adjust into being back at school. 

Assessments come next, which do include academic assessments but also social and emotional. Through review exercises and games, teachers gauge how much their students remember, while also evaluating the demographics and personality of their new class. Is it a 2:1 ratio of girls to boys? Might need to adjust the sport through which Jr. High students will learn Game Strategies. Is it a class full of kinesthetic learners? Need to buy some more manipulatives for math class. Does this group of developing readers need to be on their feet for Language Arts courses? How about a readers’ theatre? Assessments provide teachers the data they need to teach students, not just classes. 

Finally, during the last few days of our alternative schedule, students settle in for the upcoming year. For 7th graders this looks like the reminder that, although they will now be receiving a number grade on every assignment, they are not their grade. They are more than a number. And school is the safest place to be wrong, to make mistakes and to grow. For our Juniors and Seniors, this looks like several blocks of research, reflection and discussion with teachers to decide on senior projects, internship placements and directed studies. 

So next time your student mentions that they haven’t started ‘regular school yet’, you’ll know what they mean! And you can follow up with questions like, “Tell me about your new teacher!” “What’s something you’re excited for/nervous about in this upcoming year?” Or even, “Remember to get to bed early tonight because your body is adjusting to the school year.” Here’s to being ready for a wonderful year of learning!

Elementary students use team-building exercises and games to develop their class dynamic and healthy interactions with one another.

News on our beloved Vice Principal, Robert Muñoz

This letter is to inform you of a tragedy that has taken place in our Academy family related to our beloved Vice Principal, Robert Muñoz. This blog contains sensitive information.

Dear Academy Family, 

As you may know, this last week we had a mission team serving in El Salvador made up of Academy students, G.O.D. summer interns, and GOD Int’l facilitators. They had a powerful week of ministry to the poor with God moving in powerful ways. 

On July 4, the G.O.D. Summer Interns and the Academy El Salvador team were enjoying a recreational day at the beach on their final day. Everyone at the beach was given rules and warnings about the ocean and staying shallow, including having two in-water personnel to create the outer boundaries and keep students within it, plus several other personnel in a lifeguard watch role. 

Tragically, two trip facilitators, G.O.D. staff members Michael Davis and Robert Muñoz - having of their own volition chosen to go beyond the restricted boundaries, were caught in a rip current. Three lifeguards rescued them out of the water, Michael conscious and Robert unconscious. Several attempted to help, performing CPR, and transferred Rob quickly to a hospital. 

Our team, including RN Jordan Miller, Midwife Celesta Bargatze, and a team of development workers trained in emergency situations performed CPR on Rob while swiftly transferring him to the hospital. Rob’s best friends, Gregg Garner and Jason Roufs never left his side. Sadly, Rob passed away on the evening of July 4th.

Rob and Heather’s families, along with the Community Church for GOD, are surrounding the Muñoz family in prayer and support. Rob has been instrumental in the formation of the Academy for G.O.D. and so beloved as the Vice Principal. We cannot imagine the Academy hallways, or the morning announcements, without him. We know that Rob would want the Academy students to continue worshipping Jesus alongside their best friends, just as he did. We hope to honor him by continuing to cultivate that kind of legacy at our school. 

We have gathered a list of resources for you regarding talking with children about loss (listed below). We ask for your mercy and your prayers as our team has had to navigate the loss of one of our founding pillars and best friends, alongside caring for Academy kids on the trip and the school family God’s given us. We have done it to the best of our ability with God’s help. 

Books

Helen Fitzgerald. The Grieving Teen: A Guide for Teenagers and their Friends. 

Earl A. Grollman. Bereaved Children and Teens: A support Guide for Parents and Professionals. 

Michealano Mundy. Sad Isn’t Bad: A Good Grief Guidebook for Kids Dealing with Loss (Picture book, for young kids) 

Alan D. Wolfelt. Healing A Friend’s Grieving Heart: 100 Practical Ideas for Helping Someone You Love Through Loss. 

The Dougy Center. 35 Ways to Help a Grieving Child. 

Website: The Dougy Center - Grief Support and Resources for Kids, Teens, Young Adults, and Parents. https://www.dougy.org

When Challenges Become an Opportunity for Growth

Written by Mr. Alex Castro, Principal

“Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.” ~ Samuel Johnson, English Writer

Do you remember when the simplest tasks were the ones you could mindlessly complete?  For instance, walking into a store and not feeling the pressure of having to wear a mask. Now, you have to go back to your car and get that mask if you forgot it on your way in. Our new normal, as a result of living during a pandemic, brings new considerations for what was once a simple task or routine. Those considerations are specifically tied to the safety of self and others. As adults, we’re able to separate these moments from past experiences and see the whole picture, yet we require our children to adhere to the same mindset in the midst of developmental stages that may contradict the very ‘reasonable’ reactions that we have as adults. I’d like to take a moment to look at where a typical middle school student is in their development. 

Reflecting on my own experience as a middle school student, I vividly remember an awkward, gangling young man who would worry about what others thought of him. It lent itself to a lot of insecurities that were accompanied by negative thoughts about myself and my abilities. So essentially, I was a normal teenager. I had a hard time separating what I thought from the reality of what was happening. Everything was exasperated to new heights because, in the midst of the hormonal changes that my body was going through, my brain was also changing. I was entering the phase of development of formalized thinking, or the formal operational stage.

Whether in the classroom, recess or times of worship together, students are encouraged to consider the newness or change around them or challenges that face them as opportunities for growth and maturation as young people who love God.

The formal operational stage begins at approximately age twelve and lasts into adulthood. As adolescents enter this stage, they gain the ability to think in an abstract manner by manipulating ideas in their head, without any dependence on concrete manipulation (1). In short, adolescents are separating what is fact and what is fiction on their own. They are beginning to formalize what they know to be true based upon what is in front of them and not merely what they have been told. They are better able to think critically. They can think through problems that normally children would need the assistance of an adult. The issue comes when the adolescent is not properly guided. It is important to think of this stage as we interact with our moment and how a pandemic can stunt growth...if we let it.

In comes the theory of growth mindset to combat this stunting of growth. Growth mindset holds that an individual will put forth more effort, and thus lead to higher achievement, if they believe that their brain is more malleable (2), or that it can be shaped and grown. During the course of the impact that COVID-19 has presented, we find ourselves in a place as a nation looking forward to the unseen impact this historical moment will have on the future. This is where theories like growth mindset come into play. 

At the Academy we incorporate the growth mindset into our K-12 curriculum. Students learn that in challenging moments, there is opportunity to grow. The book of James teaches us that we should even count such trials as joy (James 1:2-3). So then, the question is, “why?” Why encourage our students to embrace failure and struggle? The answer is simple. If we can teach our students to have strong emotion management skills and see their trial as an opportunity for growth, they are better prepared to face difficult situations and grow in endurance with clarity and understanding that they are exactly what scripture tells us in James...mature and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:4). If I could go back and talk to that young man I was in Jr High, I’d tell him to embrace the struggle, lean on the Lord, and know that through that struggle you’re building your endurance and find the joy in your growth. 

 (1) McLeod, S. A. (2010, December 14). Formal operational stage. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/formal-operational.html 

(2)  Decades of Scientific Research that Started a Growth Mindset Revolution. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/

When Our Loss Becomes An Opportunity: Academy Online Goes Live!

Written by Mr. Muñoz, Elementary Vice Principal

I recently walked around the empty halls of our school building, and I felt a little sad about all the missed moments with our students over the past few weeks and the weeks to come. I miss hearing the kids laughing in the hallways and giving each other hugs. I miss seeing teachers smile at each other and share their stories. I miss glancing in the door windows to see teachers interacting with their students. While it does feel like a loss, I am reassured by remembering that with God even our losses can become opportunities.

Romans 8:28 “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose.’

As a school community, we have a calling and love for God. I am challenged by this scripture today to focus on the opportunity that can come from God’s work on our behalf.

Elementary students check in with their teachers and classmates for a live session each morning, then begin their lessons for the day!

The Academy Online is one of those works, and our staff has been working with such diligence, creativity, and collaboration to prepare something special for our students. Mrs. Benoit, one of our elementary lead teachers had this to say about the program, "I am excited about the new program the Academy is rolling out and incredibly blessed to be part of something new and exciting! I'm thankful to be part of a team that works together to ensure that our students get access to the best education possible, despite the inability to come together in person. The dedication of the teachers and staff at the Academy never fails to amaze me. I'm always encouraged by the way everyone works together to continually strive to maintain access to our holistic education in a stress-free and fun manner for our students."

As we launch our program today, I can’t help but wish the doors of our school were open! At the same time, I couldn't be more excited for the opportunity in front of us through this new program. It will not only bless our students, but open up the door to bless students all over the world!

COVID-19 Response: An Update from the Principal

Dear Academy Parents,

I hope you are doing well and amidst this time of “social distancing” that you are finding real joy with your children. The Academy Online kicks off April 6th and both faculty and staff are busy doing all that needs to happen to ensure the same quality programming you’d expect from our school, online.

The Academy Online will continue to offer the same holistic, innovative approach to education that you have become accustomed to at the Academy. Through our online platforms students will be able to interact with their teachers and classmates during the quarter. The flexibility of the program makes it so that if your student is unable to attend ‘live’ one day, the recording is made available for them to view later! Teacher feedback and interaction will also be readily available for all levels, so you don’t have to feel overwhelmed to make sense of what your students are learning, and they can get the professional attention they need. 

The following is from Headmaster Garner:

“The global impact of COVID 19 has with it an unpredictable element that makes it difficult to determine when we could resume any gathering of more than 10 people (as nationally advised). However, it is currently our plan to keep all end of the year programming such as spirit week, field day, student performance night, the formal banquet, etc. It is even possible that if things change, the last couple weeks of school could be on campus. Again, we will have to wait and see. At this moment we are not able to guarantee anything related to our physical gathering. What we can guarantee is that we will keep doing what is best for our children through our exciting online format - attending to their academic and also social needs during this unique time in our national history.”

I agree with Headmaster Garner, we are all doing what we believe will be the best for our students at this specific moment in history. I truly believe that the Lord has uniquely set us up for a time such as this to continue providing excellent education to our children in this state of emergency. I look forward to this next season of the Academy for G.O.D…Online!

We love you all.

Principal Alex Castro

"I lift up my eyes to the hills— 

from where will my help come? 

My help comes from the Lord, 

who made heaven and earth. 

He will not let your foot be moved; 

he who keeps you will not slumber. 

He who keeps Israel 

will neither slumber nor sleep. 

The Lord is your keeper; 

the Lord is your shade at your right hand." 

- Psalm 121:1–8