January 6, 2012

January 6, 2012

Happy New Year from Eastern Christian Middle School! After reveling in the Life given to the world at Christmas, we continue to be reminded of new life as we put to rest 2011, and welcome all of the freshness and hope of the coming year. With the new year, resolutions and goals often come in proportion to the amount of holiday sweets and chocolate consumed. While defined as a sweetened solid block made from roasted and ground cacao seeds, the beautiful thing about chocolate is that its taste and experience so richly exceeds its definition. Richness comes through the experience. The same has been said about academic rigor. If we relied exclusively upon its definition, we would come to understand it as a harsh and inflexible precision or exactness. Visions of endless hours slaving over repetitive worksheets are conjured in our minds. Dare I say, "rigor mortis?" Instead, at ECMS we are seeking to understand academic rigor far more richly through tasting and experiencing. We are striving to daily experience the precision and exactness through challenging and engaging instruction and curriculum. I agree much with Nancy Lundsgaard's characterization of academic rigor as being an educational experience that is:

• Active, either through conversation or hands-on or minds-on activity. There's questioning and discovery going on.
• Deep rather than broad; project- based. The learners are digging into a topic or project.
• Engaging. Either on his or her own or with the help of a teacher, each learner has made a real connection with the material to be learned. In every case, there's a sense that the learning was "hard but satisfying."

Hard but satisfying! That is our aim and our promise to you. I can celebrate the areas where we do this well, and want to be continually exploring ways of growing as a learning community. Please consider joining me on Tuesday, January 17, for our monthly Coffee with the Principal. Directly following chapel, I will be inviting conversation about the academic rigor of ECMS, as well as any other topics, questions or concerns you may have. While idealistic, it is my hope that the answer to the question of "what did you do today?" moves from the proverbial "nothing," to stories that daily tell of an experience that was hard but satisfying.

Save the Date: The Annual Winter Carnival for ECMS students will be held on Friday, January 27, from 7-9 pm. The cost is $10.00 per child, or $20.00 per family. This is a fun night for students and a very successful fundraiser for ECMS. Parent volunteers are needed to help with games and snacks. We are also looking for donations for prizes. If you can help with the carnival, donate a prize or if you have any questions, please call Beverly Albies at 201-312-7862, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

5th Grade MAD - Don't forget! Hammering for Habitat is on Saturday, January 28. How is your child's pledge sheet coming along? If you need another one or need more information, please e-mail Mrs. Braunius at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We are hoping to collect all money from students by Tuesday, January 17. Students are being encouraged to attend this event at the Paterson Museum with their families anytime from 9am - 12pm (transportation is not being provided by the school). Let's start 2012 off right by showing our support for Paterson Habitat for Humanity!

Attention 8th Grade Parents: Today a letter is being sent home with your child describing an upcoming service opportunity related to our MAD topic of Poverty that will take place later this month. Please take a moment to read this letter and encourage your child's participation either physically or financially, and certainly prayerfully.

PTO News:

• Hot Dog Hot Lunch on Tuesday, January 17. See the flier in today's Friday Folder.
• Next PTO Meeting is Friday, January 27, at 8:45, following PTO prayer time.
• Prayer Time: Join us monthly to pray for the students, families & staff of ECMS. Fridays, 1/27, 2/24, 3/16, 4/20 and 5/18, from 8:15 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.

If you have any questions, contact Joy Vincent at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

TRIP News: Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, TRIP volunteers filled 624 orders totaling $269,405! Tuition credit earned during this time was id="mce_marker"1,819 and proceeds totaled $2976. Monday orders will be taken in school offices by 9 a.m. on January 9, 23 & 30. No TRIP orders on January 16 – school is closed. The TRIP store is open on Friday mornings from 8-noon. Thank you for your patience during the past few weeks. As you can see by the TRIP Update, we were EXTREMELY busy!! NEW: A "Maternity" gift card for the Mom-to-be. It is good in Destination Maternity, Pea in a Pod and Motherhood. 6% TRIP credit. CHANGE: Joanne Fabrics is now a $25 gif card instead of $20. Remember: Help us by checking your order carefully when you receive it and report problems immediately. If you have questions, concerns or suggestions, call the TRIP office, 973-427-9294, ext. 210.

SPORTS BOOSTERS NEWS:

Attention Student Athletes: Please send in your Sports Boosters Beefsteak Dinner ticket money now! The 3rd Annual Beefsteak Dinner will be on Wednesday, January 25, at the Brownstone, Paterson. Tickets are $55 each or $500 for a table of 10. Ticket money can be brought to the school office or given to Mr. King or Mr. Spoelstra. A Silent and Live Auction will take place with sports related items – items range from Yankee-Monopoly, sports jerseys to autographed baseballs, Yankee tickets, Mets tickets, next season Giants tickets and more! This is the Sports Booster's major fundraiser, and we need your support. If you can donate an item or tickets to a sporting event please call EC's Foundation Office at 973-427-9294.

News from EC's Foundation Office

Denim & Diamonds Auction Gala: Be sure to reserve the date, APRIL 19, on your new 2012 calendar! You do not want to miss this exciting fundraiser for EC!

Did you receive any large gift baskets over the holidays? The Auction Committee needs several large baskets. Please drop off in any school office or at the TRIP Store with a tag or note "For Auction." Large baskets only! Thank you.

Advertise your Business in the next Herald! The next issue of EC's Herald will be mailed out in March 2012. Don't miss out on this great advertising opportunity! The Herald is mailed to over 4,800 households and businesses in NJ with an additional 350 mailed to New York. The total number mailed is approximately 8,000 to households and businesses which include all alumni as well as current parents, and supporters of Eastern Christian School. There are several advertising packages to meet your budget and marketing needs. For more information, call Beth or Garry in EC's Foundation Office. 973-427-9294. Ads must be submitted by January 20!