我们做得怎么样??

已故的埃德·科赫, 1977年至1989年任纽约市市长, 以询问选民而闻名, 五个行政区的居民, “我做得怎么样??”

During the recent annual meeting of the 新葡京app, our members gathered to approve Eastern Christian’s 2014-15 budget and to consider the question, “我们做得怎么样?”

To this end, I would like to share with you information as to how Eastern Christian is:

• 调动学生的思想, preparing competent young Christians who are able to articulate a Christian worldview in today’s society
• 培养他们的精神, preparing young men and women who model the character and compassion of our Lord
• Impacting the lives of the young people entrusted to us
• 启用任务 of engaging, nurturing and transforming

参与思维

新葡京app社区为我们提供了一个难以置信的机会，与家长和基督教会合作，在一个竞争他们的思想和注意力的社会中吸引我们年轻人的思想. So it is really important that we ensure that the teaching taking place in our classrooms is effective. To this end, we have been engaged in three major initiatives throughout this year.

The first of these initiatives is a comprehensive curriculum review and revision. 这个过程开始于三年前，当时我们回顾了幼儿园- 12年级的圣经课程，这导致了我们在整个课程中教导学生圣经的地图，我们有幸为他们服务. In this process we saw certain gaps and certain overlaps, which enabled us to revise and update our Bible courses into a unified curriculum. 今年, every teacher in Eastern Christian is engaged in the process of mapping the curriculum that they teach, with particular emphasis on language arts and mathematics, and over the next several years we will complete the massive task of mapping, revising and updating the curriculum in every discipline that we teach.

今年，我们开始了一系列全校范围的教学技术投资，以确保我们的学生为他们在一个技术素养是绝对要求的世界中的继续教育和工作生活做好准备. 今年，我们成立了一个由20名教师组成的小组，他们投入了大量的时间和精力，成为在课堂上使用教学技术的专家, and next year will become the teachers and coaches for their colleagues. 明年，我们将着手进行一项重大投资，为我们的学生提供更多在课堂上使用科技产品的机会——在小学使用i- pad, additional classroom sets of Chromebooks for our 5th and 6th graders, a 1-to-1 Chromebook initiative in 7th and 8th grade, and a “bring your own device” initiative at the high school.

我们继续与全国最重要的早期儿童教育专家之一合作，继续努力加强已经很好的早期儿童教育项目，他一直在指导我们的老师，并定期与我们的父母分享他的观点.

与您委托给我们的学生一起工作确实是一个难以置信的机会，我们正在尽一切可能在我们的课堂上传播一种卓越的文化.

培养精神

Make no mistake about it, there is a battle going on for the hearts and minds of our students. 这就是为什么我们合作培养学生的精神，让他们参与上帝的复兴计划，比以往任何时候都更加重要. Eastern Christian works to accomplish this part of its mission in numerous ways, 但我特别想到了三个.

Faith is integrated into every discipline that we teach. 我们希望我们的学生了解世界上的重大问题，并了解基督徒在解决这些问题时所扮演的角色. That’s why students in our 小学 come alongside children with cancer at St. 裘德的医院, 收集衣服, hats and gloves for our poor and homeless brothers and sisters served by Madison Avenue Crossroads Ministries, 为饥饿的人收集食物. 这就是为什么我们的中学生参加为期一年的“有所作为”项目，了解无家可归等问题, 文盲, 以及对残疾人的关注，并以非常实际的方式与当地组织合作，为面临这些挑战的兄弟姐妹们服务. That’s why our high school students participate in mission trips around the nation and around the world, and initiate and lead efforts to learn and inform others about tough issues like human trafficking.

培养这种精神是通过采纳我们作为一所学校所接受的一套核心价值观来鼓励的，你会在我们所有的三个校区看到这些价值观. 追求真理等核心价值观, 服务他人, 拥抱社区, 表现出同情心, 发展中国家的责任, 追求卓越. 我们非常感谢学校在品格教育方面的努力，上个月我们被指定为新泽西州立品格学校. We are one of only 48 schools and one of only 4 school districts nationwide to be so recognized.

最后, nurturing the spirit is encouraged by establishing an atmosphere of worship throughout our school. 这种对我们的创造者和救赎主的崇敬感是通过我们每周在所有校园的社区崇拜来鼓励的, by small group meetings and classroom devotions.

Preparing young men and women of character – truly an awesome responsibility.

改变世界!

我们的目标是与学校社区合作，为托付给我们来改变世界的年轻人做好准备, to make a difference in the service of God’s Kingdom.

To measure the effectiveness of these efforts, 我们会查看我们的毕业生简介，在他们离开学校的6月晚上，我们为每个毕业生建立了目标. Our graduate profile states that goal as follows:

“新葡京app毕业生准备成为一个人的基督教视野和影响力，并寻求合作和负责任的贡献，以更新所有的创造上帝的使命.”

When we look more closely at the college and career choices made by our graduates, we believe that the work of this school is being blessed. 每年, about 95% of our graduates go onto college, many continue onto graduate and professional education thereafter, and then onto productive careers that afford them the opportunity to lead lives of service to the Kingdom.

真的，这是一个值得感恩的理由.

启用任务

On a very practical level, what are we doing to enable this mission of transformation? I want to briefly touch on four areas as we consider the way in which this mission is enabled.

There are few endeavors that are more intensely personal than education, and we believe that the people who have the greatest influence on our young people, 除了他们的父母, 是他们的老师吗. 因此，我们不断投资于我们的教职员工，使他们能够在基督教教育工作的职业生涯.

Within the last year, we have established new professional development pathways for them. 2014-15学年批准的预算包括增加工资，以便教师和工作人员能够继续在新葡京app工作并支持他们的家庭. 在过去的一年中，我们与福利公司ADP Total Source建立了工作关系，因此我们能够提供具有竞争力的, comprehensive benefit package to our employees on a basis that is cost effective for our school.

在招生和营销领域, 我们一直致力于以多种方式更有效地讲述新葡京app的故事，并传达我们对优秀基督教教育影响的愿景. 我们正在努力重塑品牌，并正在建立一个重新设计的网站，以帮助更好地服务我们现有的家庭和那些正在为他们的孩子寻找一个优秀的基督教教育的人.

We continue to invest in our facilities to make them safe, attractive and functional learning environments. 两年前, the early childhood wing of Eastern Christian 小学 was extensively re-decorated. 去年夏天, renovations were completed on the 小学 playground, 中学媒体中心, 高中计算机网络, and in thirteen student and faculty restrooms on all three campuses. 在2014年的夏天, we plan to extensively renovate the original wing of the 小学 with new doors, 窗户, 天花板, 地板, 供暖和电气系统，以便我们的学生在9月份返校时，可以回到一座几乎全新的教学楼.

We continue to work hard to keep Christian education affordable for the families that we serve. 我们感谢上帝对我们的支持业务和活动以及我们基金会的工作的不可思议的祝福，这些工作加起来为我们学校的运营提供了超过20%的资金, thereby reducing the need for further tuition increases.

所以，“我们做得怎么样?“我们得到了一位慈爱的上帝的祝福，他在过去的一年里，在我们追求的使命中，以多种方式继续为新葡京app提供帮助.

让头脑活跃起来 – preparing Christian leaders of competence.
培养精神 – preparing Christian leaders of character.
改变世界 – making a difference in the service of the Kingdom.
启用任务 – making investments in the next generation of Christian leaders!