As I write this blog post, I am almost at the end of a three-day substitute teaching journey. I was a little worried coming into this job, and for a lot of reasons. 1. I did a short stint of majoring in education while I was in college. It only took me about five times of sitting on observing a kindergarten class to realize that I had chosen the wrong major. 2. I've never substitute taught before. 3. I was a little worried about how I would manage so many kids of varying ages, and varying grades, who were all doing different levels of work at the same time. This week hasn't been too bad, and I can say that because as I write this, it's a Friday afternoon, and the week is almost over. I've learned a great deal of information while I've been here this week. 1. First of all, these kids are AMAZING. I can't tell you enough how impressed I am with them. Each one of them has his or her own level of initiative, and they know exactly what they need to do. They take charge of their studies, and they work really, REALLY hard. 2. Miss Linda is AMAZING. The fact that she does this job day in and day out, and she greets me with a smile when I normally come to pick my own kids up in the afternoons, is simply remarkable. It's easy to see that she has her own special way with each kid, and they have truly to rely on her, trust her, and love her. 3. Teaching is hard. It has to be one of the hardest jobs of all, and we should be thankful to teachers for all that they pour into our kids on a daily basis. 4. God MUST be the center of everything. Before my substitute teaching journey began, I spent a day at the school shadowing Miss Linda so that I could see exactly what she did, day in and day out. I was amazed at her strength, and the way she handled everything that was going on in the room. She knew exactly how to keep each child on task. However, because I was unfamiliar with the program at the school, I knew I had to rely on God to get me through each minute. He truly has, and I am very thankful. If you're interested in knowing more about Foundations Christian School, we would love to talk with you. Contact us today!
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Many parents have spent the 2013-2014 school year cringing over everything from Common Core standards to reports of bullying their kids have experienced in school. If you're reading this post, you may be able to relate, and it's possible that you have started to think about a different form of education for your children. Homeschooling and private Christian schools are becoming more and more popular with parents because of their desires to remove their children from public schools. There are many benefits of each, of course. As a parent, it's up to you to make the decision that's best for your children, and for your family. Let's take a look at a few of those benefits. Homeschool Homeschooling has many obvious benefits that many families have enjoyed for years. Parents enjoying having more control over their child's curriculum. They get to decide (within the state's standards) what information is learned by their children, and when they learn it. Parents also have the opportunity to show their kids how much fun learning can be. A simple trip to the grocery store suddenly turns into a math lesson, or a family vacation to Gettysburg doubles as a history field trip. Kids benefit from homeschooling because they are given the individual attention they need (and crave) allowing them to work on areas where they seem to struggle the most in ways that just aren't possible in a public school setting. Private Christian School Private Christian schools are another excellent education alternative for families. When both parents work, homeschooling presents many challenges, especially for younger children. A private Christian school also offers children the chance to grow and mature socially, even though many areas offer similar programs for families of homeschooled children. Christian schools provide teaching that upholds the Christian values that are important to parents, and positive "peer pressure" aids in the adoption of these values at home. Many Christian schools are also small enough that students can enjoy one on one communication with their teachers on a regular basis, giving them the extra help they need, and allowing them to excel at their own paces. Here at Foundations Christian School, we offer an excellent education alternative for children, and in the last few months, our numbers have grown even more. Whether you have been thinking about transitioning your children out of public school, or you've tried homeschooling in the past, you might have some questions about how a quality Christian education can work for your children, and benefit your family. If that sounds like you, we would love to talk with you. Please contact us today for more information! *Image courtesy of scottchan, www.freedigitalphotos.net* Finally! It appears that after a long, hard winter (complete with too many snow days and two-hour delays), spring is finally in the air! Tomorrow marks the last day of school for us here at Foundations Christian School before spring break begins. It's been an exciting year for us, and we're all looking forward to the break. We've experienced a great deal of growth in the school, and added several students to our roster after the Christmas break was over. We're thrilled to announce that we have even more students who are planning to join us for the 2014-2015 school year. Whether you're going to be spending your spring break at home, or you're venturing out for a trip to Myrtle Beach or another warm, sunny place (like many families do), we'd like to encourage you to think about the plans you have for your children's education next year. Many families send their kids to public school because they believe that a private, Christian education is probably just too expensive. As a result, they never really consider the options they have. If you have questions about Foundations Christian School, compile a list of them, and then get in touch with us once you return from your vacation, or from your time at home during spring break. We're eager to hear from you, and we believe that you'll be excited about what you learn once you talk with us. No matter where you're headed for spring break, we pray you have a safe and relaxing week. If you have questions about Foundations Christian School, please contact us today! *Image courtesy of marin, www.freedigitalphotos.net* Field trips have been an important part of education for students for years. All across the country, school districts have allotted for a certain number of days each year for students to venture out to area museums, cultural institutions and historical sites so that they can make practical implications to their studies. Here at Foundations Christian School, we've taken the last few months off from taking field trips. However, now that the nice weather is back (we hope to stay!), we're looking forward to enjoying them again in the near future. Our most recent field trip was to the Sciencenter in Ithaca, where the kids enjoyed all of the exhibits, which included hands-on, interactive activities as well as live animal exhibits. This year the kids have been apple picking, they've visited the Corning Museum of Glass, and they've gone on several other educational trips. According to an article on the EducationNext website, many schools in the United States have started to cut back on the number of field trips they offer. Museums have reported that they're seeing less and less students every year. Here at Foundations Christian School, field trips are a valuable part of our kids' education, and we want you to know that we are always looking for ways for them to really experience science and art, and many of the other subjects they're learning in class. If you would like to know more information about Foundations Christian School, we'd like to invite you to take a tour of our website. Please contact us with any questions, or to discuss getting a tour of the school in preparation for the 2014-2015 school year. *Image courtesy of digitalart, www.freedigitalphotos.net* If your kids have been in public school this year, it's probably been a rough year for you, as well as for them. Even teachers are complaining about everything from struggling with the material they've been given from the Common Core, to increased bullying problems in school. These issues are more than enough for parents to start looking for alternative education opportunities for their kids. The problem is that many parents don't want to homeschool their kids. In many families, both parents work full time jobs, and they're just not able to homeschool. If that sounds like you, we want you to know that you don't have to feel stuck. If you live in Horseheads or Elmira, we would love for you to consider sending your kids to Foundations Christian School during the coming school year, and here are a few good reasons. 1. We'll help your kids build a strong, Christian foundation. There's a reason why our school is called Foundations Christian School, and it's because we believe that God is the foundation of everything we do. We take the time to pray with the kids, and we love worshiping together and studying the Bible. Each child participates in a Bible class, and we weave the Word of God through everything they learn. 2. Say "goodbye" to bullying. If your child has struggled with being bullied in school, Foundations Christian School will absolutely delight you! We are all like a great big family, and the kids truly have grown to love each other. We strive to promote their friendships with each other, and bullying has never been a problem. In public school, many kids develop anxiety over the fear of being bullied by their peers. How much better would your kids' grades be if they didn't have to worry about that anymore? 3. Your kids will be safe. Each year, it seems as though the news is full of stories of kids bringing guns or other weapons to school. A parent can feel terrified even putting her children on the bus in the morning. Safety is a big concern here at Foundations Christian School, and you won't have to worry about your kids because they'll be in the caring hands of loving teachers, in a Christian atmosphere. If you're tired of public school, and you'd like to find an alternative form of education for your kids, we invite you to check out what we have to offer here at Foundations Christian School. We are growing, and we would love for your family to join ours! For more information, please contact us today! *Image courtesy of stockimages, www.freedigitalphotos.net* Legislators were surprised last month when they received some negative feedback about the Common Core from prominent governmental officials. Even Governor Cuomo spoke out against the Common Core, saying that the state's execution of the new Common Core standards was "flawed," according to an article in the New York Times. The article goes on to quote Carol Burris, who is the principal of a high school on Long Island. She called the state's implementation of the Common Core a "disaster" and said that, "kids don't want to go to school anymore." Perhaps your kids are in public school, and they're experiencing the same feelings. Many kids in public schools have come home from school feeling discouraged and even defeated because of their inability to understand many of the new Common Core standards. Teachers have become frustrated as well, and many of them don't like teaching the new material they've been given. As a parent, it's likely that you've looked at your kids' homework in an effort to offer them some help, but you can't make sense of it either. Those complaints are common among parents this year, and although Governor Cuomo has put a panel in place to recommend changes, that hasn't stopped some parents from seeking out alternative forms of education for their kids. Some parents have decided to homeschool, while others have started looking into private schools. If your child is struggling this year, perhaps Foundations Christian School in Horseheads, NY would be a good fit for your family. We would love to talk with you about how we can help your child learn to love school again, while getting a solid, Christian education. For more information on Foundations Christian School, please contact us today. *Image courtesy of koratmember, www.freedigitalphotos.net* Aren't these flowers absolutely beautiful? If you like these, there's more where they came from! Even though the snow is still falling (is anyone else as sick of the snow as I am?), it won't be long until spring is here. In fact, spring is just around the corner. If you love to plant flowers, grow your own herbs, or plant veggies to make your own delicious salads, this fundraiser is for you! The newest fundraiser that Foundations Christian School is doing is called Flower Power, and it's a great way to support our school, while buying all of the seeds you'll need this spring. Maybe you look forward to June so you can go and pick strawberries at your local strawberry patch. Why not grow your own in your backyard instead? Or, perhaps you'd like to decorate your front lawn with a gorgeous flower garden this year. The Flower Power fundraiser can get you all the seeds you need, all in one place. They even have a cookbook that will give you awesome ideas for the food you can make with your veggies and herbs. Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to venture out to the store to buy seeds? Instead, you can order right online, support a great Christian school in Horseheads, and let your seeds come to you! All you need to do to get your order started is visit this link. You'll find everything you need to get your garden started, and we sure do appreciate your support! Here at Foundations Christian School, we rely heavily on fundraisers just like this one to keep our tuition low for our students. If you would like more information about Foundations Christian School, we would love to talk with you, and answer any questions you may have. For more information, contact us today! We're really excited to be opening our doors on this wintery February evening for an Open House, here at Foundations Christian School. If you're an FCS parent, you probably noticed that your kids all came home recently sporting these awesome, bright yellow scarves in celebration of National School Choice Week. We felt that it was important to open the doors of our school for our existing group of parents, but also for any parents who are considering sending their kids to school at Foundations Christian School in the coming school year. If you're like many parents in New York State, you've probably thought long and hard about whether or not a public school education is right for your child. Every month there are more and more reports being made about how a public school education just doesn't seem to be the right fit for many kids. The Common Core has gotten an incredibly negative response from everyone, including parents, students and teachers. Many families are looking at education alternatives for their kids, and we're proud to be one of your options. Even if you're not happy with your child's public school education, you probably have a lot of questions about what we have to offer at Foundations Christian School. That's why we're having this Open House. This is a great time for you to come and meet with the Administrator, Jordan Winderl, as well as to talk with the other teachers and volunteers we have on staff. You'll also get the opportunity to talk with other parents whose kids attend FCS currently, which will provide you with valuable information that will help you make a good decision for your child. Of course, if you would like to speak with us over the phone, we're always willing to connect with you and answer any questions. Please feel free to contact us. We're growing here at Foundations Christian School, and we'd love for your child to be a part of that growth! *Image courtesy of photostock, www.freedigtalphotos.net* |
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