Association

Eagles Learning Center – Education Beyond the Classroom

The Eagles Learning Center officially opened its doors to the greater North Haledon area on November 17, 2012. Three years ago, the Eastern Christian School Association envisioned the development of this center as an innovative opportunity to serve not just its own school family, but the broader community of local children and their families. Eastern Christian Schools have more than 120 years of educational experience and the Eagles Learning Center is a way to share that experience beyond the boundaries of its own campuses by offering unique and individualized learning assistance activities for children of all grade levels (K-12). Specific programs and activities include tutoring, SAT preparation, TOEFL test preparation, enrichment services, and education support for kids with unique learning needs and those who need a little extra help, all offered in a caring and supporting environment and at an affordable cost.

Eagles Learning Center offers private or group tutoring for students of all grade levels in a wide range of subjects including math, science, foreign languages, English, and Bible. Tutoring has multiple benefits, including increased confidence both in and out of the classroom and developing important study and life skills. Individualized tutoring focuses on each student's unique needs. Eagles Learning Center has a wide range of tutors with varying backgrounds and expertise, all of whom are committed to building student competence and confidence through expert instruction. The large pool of tutors allows the Learning Center to select tutors that are best suited for each child and situation.

The Eagles Learning Center offers dynamic SAT preparation classes that are scheduled according to SAT testing dates. These classes, run by highly qualified and experienced instructors, use a thorough curriculum based on official College Board preparation tools and in-house materials tailored to the needs of individual students. Since the opening of the Eagles Learning Center in November, the SAT preparation course has already been utilized by a number of high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from several local high schools. Students reported marked improvement in SAT scores after taking the course.

The TOEFL test is the most widely respected English language test in the world, recognized by more than 8,500 colleges, universities, and agencies. The Eagles Learning Center offers a TOEFL course that equips students with the test-taking skills and English proficiency needed to ensure exam success. In the near future, specific TOEFL classes will be available for international students; these classes will include extensive preparation in reading, writing, listening, speaking and vocabulary, specifically designed to improve college level performance at American universities.

The Eagles Learning Center is committed to supporting families with learning needs that extend beyond the traditional classroom and easing anxieties related to pre-college application exams and the competitive college admissions environment. The Center is located at 569 High Mountain Road in North Haledon, next to Veenstra's Deli. For more information, questions can be emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or the center can be reached by phone at 973.310.3205.

Coffee and Conversation with Early Childhood Expert Dr. Milt Uecker

The early development of a proficiency and love of reading can set the stage for ongoing success throughout a child's school career and lifetime. Yet, parents are often unaware of steps they could be taking to support the classroom teacher and help facilitate this critical skill in their pre-readers.

Eastern Christian School Association is pleased to announce a free, interactive coffee and conversation time with internationally known early childhood expert Dr. Milt Uecker. This informative and practical session will be held Friday morning, March 8, 8:45 am, at the Eastern Christian Elementary School located at 25 Baldin Drive, Midland Park.

During the interactive coffee session, Dr. Uecker will describe a strategy of Literacy Readiness through Shared Reading Experiences to facilitate early childhood reading, including the solid research base upon which such practices are founded. Dr. Uecker will provide an overview of the types of books that are of the most value to emerging readers (ages 3-5). Through this, parents will gain greater confidence in choosing the best books for their children. Dr. Uecker will also present strategies for how parents can interact with their kids before, during, and after reading a book to maximize the learning experience.

Dr. Uecker is a professor at Columbia International University and Director of the Lowrie Center for Christian School Education. He is a national and international conference speaker and a contributor to Christian education journals that are read worldwide. More information on Dr. Uecker can be found at www.lowriecenter.com/page/individual-pages. Questions regarding the coffee and conversation session can be directed to Sandra Bottge at 201.445.6150.

Hurricane Sandy Relief Fundraiser

The Eagles Day Camp programs have become favorite summer pastimes for Eastern Christian Elementary students and children who live in local neighborhoods of Northern New Jersey.

But who has ever heard of Day Camp in December? Well, the Eagles Day Camp staff envisioned just such an event as a way to offer a day of safe, creative, and exciting activities for kids while raising money and food donations to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy at the same time.

On Saturday, December 1, 75 students in grades K through 5 came out to participate in "Camp for a Cause Day" at the Eastern Christian Elementary School. A staff of 18 volunteer counselors and program leaders supervised the festivities, which included face painting, Christmas card making, cookie decorating, games (including indoor "snowball" fights), watching Christmas movies, and even a bouncy house. For a small registration fee of $25 (and only $5 for each additional sibling), parents enjoyed 4 hours of free time with the satisfaction of knowing their kids were in a safe environment and having a great time!

Camp for a Cause was a success on many levels. The kids who attended had lots of fun. Fourth grader Annika Westra had a hard time deciding which part was her favorite: "The bouncy house was awesome, but I really liked the indoor snowball fight, which really weren't snowballs, they were white fuzzy things, and I loved making my own Advent calendar full of candy!" More importantly, the camp raised $2000 from camper registrations and collected a large amount of food donations to benefit hurricane victims. The money and food collections were split evenly between the Salvation Army and New Hope Community Ministries for distribution.

Eagles Camp for a Cause is extremely grateful for the support shown by gracious corporate and personal sponsors, whose contributions helped ensure that all registration monies went straight to the partnering organizations. A lunch of pizza and hot dogs was served compliments of Wyckoff Pizza, Rosario's, and the Belmont Grill; the North Haledon Foodtown supplied Christmas cookies; Taylor Rental loaned the bouncy house; Print Solutions in Englewood provided promotional printing services at no charge; and various other items were donated by Eastern Christian parents. All in all, it was an event characterized by giving on many levels, which is what Christmas is about, after all. Maybe day camp in December isn't such a strange idea, after all!

For more information about Eagles Day Camps please contact James Anderson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 973.427.6244 ext. 300.

Eagles Learning Center Takes Flight

Three years ago, an idea was hatched within the Eastern Christian community for an exciting, innovative way to serve not just its own school family, but the broader community of all local children and their families. This vision officially became reality at a grand opening ceremony and dedication service of the new Eagles Learning Center on Saturday, November 17, 2012.

Tom Dykhouse, Executive Director and Head of School for Eastern Christian, presided over the ribbon cutting ceremony, which was also attended by the Honorable Randy George, mayor of North Haledon, who was thanked for his personal support of the project and the backing of borough officials overall.  Mr. Dykhouse acknowledged the work of John Belanus, Director of Operations for Eastern Christian, who led the efforts to secure and renovate the physical space now occupied by the learning center. He also thanked Dick Van Yperen, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, for providing leadership in developing the program of Eagles Learning Center and recruiting staff.  Eagles Learning Center co-directors Ken Knyfd and Ian Zacharias were acknowledged for their diligent work in bringing the center to life, along with James Anderson, Director of Extended Learning Programs, under whose direction Eagles Learning Center falls.  Also present at the dedication service were members of the Eastern Christian School Association board of directors, trustees of the Foundation for Eastern Christian School, members of the Eagles Learning Center Advisory Board, and members of the Eastern Christian Administrative Council and Educational Council.

The venture of Eagles Learning Center was envisioned as a way for Eastern Christian Schools to capitalize on 120 years of experience in teaching children and young people and use that experience to support community families. Eagles Learning Center offers programs and activities such as SAT and ACT preparation, enrichment services, and education support for kids with unique learning needs and those who need a little extra help.

Eagles Learning Center is located at 569 High Mountain Road in North Haledon, next to Veenstra's Deli, a location which Mr. Dykhouse described as "providential", being located right in the middle of North Haledon's two schools, Memorial School on one side and High Mountain School on the other.  Questions about Eagles Learning Center can be directed to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 973.310.3205.