From the Eagle’s Nest – Quarter 2 – 2023

Twin Oaks Fall Highlights are Mission Strong!

God rocks! It’s 100% true. Now imagine an almost-two-year-old redhead shouting it at the top of her lungs while pumping her tiny fist in the air. Then it’s 100% true and 100% adorable. This is a ritual my granddaughter, Eden, and her parents practice at the end of each prayer. It’s a toddler-sized reminder of a God-sized truth: He is the best thing ever.

I start with this so that 1. I can talk about my granddaughter and 2. The good mission work we’re about to celebrate together is grounded in the knowledge that God is the source of each one. Twin Oaks Christian School is stronger than ever and that is a direct result of God’s hand of favor blessing our work and worship. Let’s magnify Him together as we consider His faithfulness in these fall mission highlights!

Spiritual Development:

Students have really gotten on board with our theme this year—Nurturing an Attitude of Gratitude. They have filled up our gratitude tree with leaves naming everything from pets, to people, to answered prayer. It fills up an entire wall and is a vivid visual reminder of the gratitude we owe the Lord for the blessings He has bestowed on us. Here are a few samples to inspire you:

PreK student Jonathan is thankful for his new dinosaur toys.
Kindergartener Maverick is thankful for his family.
1st grader Kenna is thankful for her mom and dad.
2nd grader Hadley is thankful for her family, Jesus, her dog, school, and her mom and dad.
3rd grader Penny is grateful for Jesus because He died on the cross for our sins.
4th grader Robbie is thankful for his Nintendo Switch, dog, family, chickens, and God.
5th grader Ashlyn is thankful for family, good food to eat, shelter, and a good school to teach me subjects and more about God.
6th grader Caitlin is thankful to be able to ride horses as a sport.
7th grader Tyson is thankful for family, friends, love, joy, humor, fun, food, and siblings.
8th grader Micah is thankful for the ability to go to Twin Oaks Christian School.

Academic Excellence:

If you peeked into any of our 3rd-8th grade classrooms towards the end of September, you would have seen students working intently to complete their first ERB Milestone Test! These tests and teacher training have laid the foundation for more consistent, comprehensive assessment for our students. This is important because it allows teachers to learn and respond to information about the students in their classroom as early in the school year as September. What an advantage that gives us when planning an academic course that incorporates the twin elements of optimal student success—high rigor coupled with high support. This is one of the ways we honor your child’s unique image-bearing in God’s Kingdom. Our next Milestone test is coming up soon in January.

Students have been benefiting from the richness of our new Core Knowledge History (CKH) curriculum. Imagine opening a book filled with colorful photos and illustrations to learn about historically accurate accounts of pivotal people and events essential to understanding our nation and world. CKH exposes students to primary historical sources, project-based activities, and geography lessons that expand their understanding of history. It provides teachers with opportunities to continue to implement biblical immersion principles as they help students see God’s sovereign hand at work throughout all time.

Servant Leadership:

It’s important for your child to learn that leadership isn’t about gaining power or influence but using whatever power or influence God has given them to serve others. Our Savior demonstrated this quality over and over during His earthly ministry, and our desire is for our students to become more like Christ in this way. A few weeks ago, students met in their Crew Groups to brainstorm ways they could serve together. This Wednesday, they’ll put those plans into action, using their Crew Group time to do everything from making cards that the Honors Choir will deliver when caroling at a local nursing home, to taking over morning announcement duties for me for a day, to raking leaves and cleaning up around the building. When students have ownership in coming up with ideas to serve, there really is no limit to their creativity and desire to make a difference!

Our servant-minded students also rose to the occasion for our Thanksgiving Food Drive and One Heart Family Ministries Pajama Day! Twin Oaks collected 1,731 food items and raised $1,130 to help take care of our less fortunate neighbors during this holiday season. Our 7th & 8th grade Student Council members collected and delivered the food items to The Peace Pantry, where recipients not only receive access to food, but to the nourishing truth of the gospel.

Painting/Flooring Projects:

We’re excited to announce that the downstairs school hallways and our three Early Childhood rooms upstairs will be receiving a fresh coat of paint over Christmas break! In addition, new flooring will be installed in the Early Childhood classrooms. We are committed to continuing building improvements so our students can learn in beautiful spaces. If you’re interested in helping fund some of these larger, ongoing projects so they can be completed more quickly, please contact me for more information. We want the spaces we inhabit to reflect the quality of the programming we have to offer, and we’re excited to take these first steps toward achieving that goal.

The ability to aim toward and embrace a shared mission is one of the hallmarks of a healthy organization, and I am thankful for our partnership with parents who encourage and support it so fully. It fills my heart with joy to read back over just a few of the ways God is providing direction and meaning for the students who are part of our community. By God’s grace, we will continue to boldly pursue His mission for Twin Oaks Christian School so that all of our students will be supported to realize their place in His Kingdom and know that, in words from the mouth of a babe, God rocks!