Summer 2026 update from the head of school

I hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of summer. We are eagerly preparing for the first day of school and look forward to having our classrooms, hallways, playgrounds, and fields full of students.

Spiritual Theme

The spiritual theme for 2026-2027 is “Transformed,” with Romans 12:2 as our key verse: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV) Our administrators and teachers are using this theme to focus their hearts and minds as they plan devotions, lessons, and chapels.

Community

We extend our congratulations and gratitude to those staff members assuming new roles. In Midland Park, Debi Benvenuto will teach kindergarten; Elizabeth Phillips will serve as a leave replacement teacher in the Peacock class; Angie Parker will teach library and music; and Elizabeth Rachuri will teach preschool library, kindergarten – second-grade Horizons, advanced math, and STEAM, while continuing as a paraprofessional. In Wyckoff, Liesl Botbyl will serve as the vice principal; McKenzie Paladine will teach third grade; Sarah Martin will teach sixth-grade language arts; and Ben Spoelstra will teach technology classes while continuing as Director of Technology. In North Haledon, Scott Reitz will teach social studies.

We also look forward to welcoming new staff members. In Midland Park, Sandy Koh and Stephanie Roche will serve as paraprofessionals. In Wyckoff, Emily Orlando will teach seventh- and eighth-grade writing; Ava Visbeen will teach art; and Rachael Zeug will teach seventh- and eighth-grade science. In North Haledon, Noé Burgos will serve as registrar; Carol Eliya will teach digital arts and yearbook; Bethany Kwak will serve as a dedicated substitute; Joseph Lee will teach business; and Paige Visbeen will teach Spanish. John Doller will be joining us as a bus driver.

We will officially welcome our new staff members at our opening in-service and through social media. We still have a few openings for the fall, particularly for coaches, substitute teachers, and bus drivers. As always, word of mouth is our most effective recruitment tool. Do you know anyone who might like to join us at EC? Please encourage them to apply!

Programs and Initiatives

Eastern Christian School is dedicated to providing a distinctively Christian education. Rooted in faith, excellence, and community, our five-year strategic plan outlines priorities to reinforce and enhance the school’s commitment to Christian education, ensure excellence in all areas, and embrace an expanding community. As part of that plan, we celebrate several accomplishments from last year, including the early completion of the Wyckoff addition. We are also pleased to share that our students had another outstanding academic year, performing in the top 15% nationwide in both math and reading across all tested grade levels.

This year, we are excited to fully implement Teaching for Transformation, a framework that empowers teachers and students to see their daily work as part of God’s redemptive story and to understand how they can use their learning to meet real needs in the world. Teachers completed the first full in-service training in May and will be doing an additional day of training in August, before school starts.

We are looking forward to implementing a new direction for technology at Eastern Christian. At the heart of this shift is our belief that technology should be purposeful, intentional, and developmentally appropriate. While technology remains an important tool for learning and future readiness, we also believe students benefit deeply from experiences that foster focus, handwriting, face-to-face collaboration, organizational habits, and sustained engagement away from screens. Additional details can be found in the letter to school families that we shared in June.

Our maintenance and custodial crews have been hard at work preparing our buildings for the start of the school year. You will notice refreshed spaces across our campuses, including freshly painted hallways, new classroom doors, and enhancements to the nature playground in Midland Park; a renovated music room and new hallway flooring in Wyckoff; and the removal of the prominent, unused chimney in North Haledon.

I hope you enjoy the remainder of your summer, and I look forward to welcoming everyone back at the start of the school year.

Sincerely,

Ruth Kuder
Head of School

By: Ruth Kuder

Ruth Kuder is the Executive Director & Head of School of Eastern Christian School

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