Endings & New Beginnings
Dear Parents and Friends of SCS,
At this time of year, we are flooded with both endings and new beginnings. I believe God does that to help us to have a healthy balance of celebration (endings) and also passion for moving toward the future (new beginnings). Our endings and beginnings at SCS help us achieve our mission and vision as a school. We are celebrating the end of our 12th graders’ career at SCS, and their next steps as they go out to impact the world for Christ. We are celebrating the completion of the accreditation process and yet looking forward to the next steps in making our school even stronger. We are celebrating our projection of increased enrollment, and we are looking forward to new marketing and branding for the school to recruit even more students. Perhaps most important in the history of our school, we are looking forward to a new building project that will bring our students together K-12.
I am excited to see what God will do when our children have access to new facilities and increased community K-12. When the accreditation team was here several weeks ago, they made it very clear to us that new facilities needs to be a top priority in our school improvement plan. They commented that the current facilities, particularly the K-8 building, does not match the 21st century learning that goes on inside the classrooms. When they came into the building, they expected to see old fashioned instruction with students in rows of desks. Instead, they walked into the classroom and found Smartboards covering old green chalkboards and students actively engaged in collaboration and experiential learning. The accreditation team complimented our teachers for their 21st century instruction and best practices, and they were impressed with all that was happening inside of the classroom, despite the limiting factors of our facilities. It’s time for our students and teachers to have exactly what they need to more efficiently accomplish the instruction so important for the growth of our students. We cannot keep putting this off.
Yesterday, in kindergarten, students were working on Mothers’ Day papers. One of the questions was, “My mom looks beautiful when…” One child’s answer was, “My mom looks beautiful when she prays.” Is that not one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever heard? It got me to thinking about how important our modeling is each and every day, no matter who we are in a child’s life. This is one of the reasons I believe a unified campus will set us apart in achieving our mission. We want our older students to be godly examples to our younger students and to help them see what it means to walk in God’s ways, no matter what your age or grade level. We believe students will benefit academically, spiritually, socially, and emotionally by being in a strong community of believers who are doing life together.
I have been on my knees asking God’s will to be done for each next step SCS takes in His kingdom. Monday night’s vote is critical for the future of our students. Please pray. Please vote with a posture of humility and surrender to God’s will. May God’s will be done, and may He be honored and glorified by our work to train His children in His ways, now and in the future.
In Christ,
Ann Steenwyk
Director of Academics & Instruction