It’s hard to believe that last week we wrapped up the first quarter of the school year.  It’s a great time to pause, reflect, and celebrate the growth and accomplishments we’ve seen thus far.  Enjoy these first quarter highlights!

Spiritual Development Through Our Learner Profile:

One of our big initiatives has been to dive into our new Learner Profile because we don’t just want to say we want to grow in our relationship with Christ and each other, we want to live it out!  For the months of September and October both students and staff are learning what it means to be relational.  Here are just a few of many examples of what we’re calling “God’s Kingdom Sightings”–times when we see the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of others.  Students and teachers submitted the ones that follow:

• One morning a third grade student took time out of his morning recess to walk a PreK student who had scraped his knee to the office to be taken care of.  He was genuinely concerned about his little friend!
• One student was doubting herself and saying she was bad at writing.  A classmate said, “You’re great at writing!” and it really made her feel better.
• One of my students talked to me privately to own up to breaking the rules because she didn’t want the wrong person to be blamed.  She put herself aside, thought of her friends and said, “It was me.”
• “I was playing Legos, and everybody else was playing Uno.  One of the girls quit the game and came to play with me because I was lonely.  My heart grew so much that we became bff!”

It is sweet to see how God is answering our prayers and opening our eyes to the opportunities we have to love one another through godly relationships.

Academic Excellence Through Our Curriculum:

The 18th century scientist Michael Farady once said, “The book of nature which we have to read is written by the finger of God.”  Perhaps no other subject better points to the majesty and glory of God, since it so clearly reveals the beauty and order of His creation.  We are excited that our students are diving into a new, more interactive edition of BJU Press’s science curriculum this year!  Here are some notable features:

• Students apply science to life by building foundational knowledge and skills with pre-assessments, scaffolded instruction, spiral review, and hands-on activities. 
• Students have opportunities to observe, classify, measure data, analyze data, make inferences, and communicate their findings. 
• Students interact with and use models, enabling them to better explain and describe their observations as well as make predictions about scientific principles they’ve learned.
• Collaborative STEM activities give students opportunities to design, test, and refine engineered solutions to real-world problems.
• Lessons are designed from a biblical worldview.  
• Follow this LINK to learn more and see grade level scope and sequences.

Please pray for wisdom and direction for the Curriculum Committee as they review and make recommendations regarding our math curriculum, which is under study this year.

Servant Leadership Through Service Opportunities

In the gospel of Mark, Jesus teaches us that, “. . . the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 20:28).  One of the best things we can teach our students is that it’s not all about them!  God created us to serve, and when we are putting the interests of others ahead of our own, we are living in a way that causes us to flourish.  Did you know. . . 

• The average Twin Oaks student participates in over 50 service opportunities from preschool through 8th grade?
• Most students volunteer for classroom duties they are responsible for that help serve their teacher and classmates?
• Our middle school students deliver and serve lunch to our Early Childhood students on a weekly basis?
• Our recycling program is carried out by students?
• Once a year each K-8 class leads at least one chapel for the entire school?

Putting ourselves last isn’t something that comes naturally to us, and we’re thankful that Twin Oaks Christian School is a place where students can hear and apply what God’s Word has to say about developing the heart of a servant.

One of my greatest joys is collaborating with Twin Oaks’ dedicated teachers and staff to create meaningful experiences that deepen your children’s relationship with Christ.  As we enter the second quarter of school, we will continue to seek God’s guidance as He equips us to do His work and to know and love each of our students more deeply.  Serving our students and families is a cherished privilege, and we are grateful for your continued partnership.

A story is told of a first-century rabbi walking home from synagogue where he had been studying.  Deep in thought about the scriptures, he missed a turn and found himself at the gate of a Roman fortress.  The voice of a guard boomed out, “Who are you?  Why are you here?”  The rabbi was so startled he failed to answer.  Once again the guard yelled, “Who are you?  Why are you here?”  This time the rabbi had a reply.  “How much are you paid to ask me these questions?”  “Two drachma,” the guard replied, to which the rabbi responded, “I’ll pay you double if you’ll stand outside my house and ask me those two questions every morning.”  The lesson, of course, is that knowing who we are and why we’re here is essential to living a rich and meaningful life.

It’s also essential to growing a rich and meaningful school life.  Thankfully, our mission is clear:  Twin Oaks Christian School glorifies God by nurturing spiritual development, academic excellence, and servant leadership in an environment where each child is known and loved.

These are not just words to post on our website–they represent a deep commitment we have to our community and to God to be a light for our students in this dark world.  Our mission is so important that we’ve taken steps to actively involve students in declaring it by instituting Mission Mondays.  During announcements each Monday, students and staff alike recite the Twin Oaks mission statement together, fostering a greater awareness of our purpose and inspiring a shared sense of belonging and responsibility.  I’m excited to invite students to embrace and embody our mission and look forward to seeing the fruit God will bear through this tradition.

Continue reading “From the Eagle’s Nest – Quarter 3 – 2024”

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!

We’ve only been back at school a little over a month, but already we’re settling into the rhythms of work and worship that define our days at Twin Oaks Christian School. What a joy it is to know that God is sovereign and good, orchestrating circumstances in the life of the school so that we are sanctified and He is glorified.

It’s important that we all understand who we are and where we’re going as a school, so we can pull in the same direction and grow into ever-increasing effectiveness. I thought I would use this first quarter communication to remind us of our school’s mission and to describe the ways in which we’re seeking to faithfully live it out as an entire community.

Our mission is to glorify God by nurturing spiritual development, academic excellence, and servant leadership in an environment where each child is known and loved. It sounds like an amazing pursuit! But what are we doing to fulfill it?

Spiritual Development: Your child’s growth in Christ is our top priority. It doesn’t mean we pause all of the other good things necessary to provide a quality education for a spiritual “time out.” It means all we do is grounded in God’s truth so that everything, from learning math to resolving conflict to hanging out with friends, becomes an opportunity to point them to Christ. Assistant Head of School Chris Rensink has been hard at work preparing professional development for our teachers that will help them identify and take advantage of these opportunities even more. For those of you who didn’t see last week’s social media post on the subject, teachers will be studying the book Beyond Biblical Integration by Roger Erdvig, learning and applying principles designed to immerse students in a biblical worldview throughout their whole day.

Continue reading “From the Eagle’s Nest – Quarter 1 – 2023”

At Twin Oaks Christian School, we recognize the incredible importance of the teachers in our school community and consider them our strongest asset. Their incredible love for our students and dedication to teaching from a biblical worldview provides a strong foundation for our students. This year, our faculty and staff are diving deep into the book Beyond Biblical Integration by Roger Erdvig, to further develop their worldview and grow in their ability to immerse students in a biblical worldview throughout their whole day.

This book study with our faculty will propel us forward as a school community in living out our mission statement of glorifying God by nurturing spiritual development, academic excellence, and servant leadership in an environment where each student is known and loved. As Jeff Meyers of Summit Ministries says,

“Something exciting happens when we immerse ourselves in a biblical worldview. We realize that deep, biblical thinking is possible in every subject. We find that we can have the mind of Christ. So can our students. It will change all of us. In the past, Christians transformed science, education, the arts, healthcare, human rights, and more. It is time for a new era of innovation – and innovation starts with immersion.”

Staff will be equipped to go further than just teaching from a biblical worldview (often called biblical integration). We will be working to biblically shape the desires of our students, which will impact their actions while living in this world. While graduates of our school are too young to have a fully formed worldview, we can equip them to be aware of their own worldview and be able to process new life experiences in meaningful ways. Students will also be equipped with tools to help them navigate their growing worldview and continue developing that into their teenage years.

In addition to the ongoing monthly trainings and discussions, our faculty and staff will engage in a full-day Christian Deeper Learning workshop in February, in conjunction with this book. Please be praying for our staff as we work through these important concepts while seeking to strengthen our curriculum and programs of study at Twin Oaks Christian School in order to continue providing the best academic and faith foundation for tomorrow’s Christian leaders.

This morning, our 5th grade students had the opportunity to visit our Middle School program. They started the day in Robotics class, which was introduced this year in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.  After learning more about the Robotics program, they visited two other core classes. Students also met with Mrs. Cordray and some current 7th and 8th graders, where they were able to ask questions about anything Middle School-related. Capping off the day with a special lunch and Middle School t-shirts, our 5th graders seem excited for what is ahead next year!

For a few weeks now, we have been looking forward to sharing some good news with you! Twin Oaks recently completed a year-long re-accreditation process through Christian Schools International (CSI).  Accreditation provides accountability for the work we do to ensure the quality of our program and confirms to parents that their children are receiving an excellent Christian education.

Typically, we submit an annual report that demonstrates how we continue to meet the criteria for CSI accreditation.  However, every five years Twin Oaks Christian School undergoes a more intensive accreditation process that includes a year-long self-study and culminates in a 2 ½ day site visit by an independent team made up of a CSI regional director and other local Christian educators.  

At the end of this past March, this Site Visit Team was on campus in order to make observations and interview key stakeholders including teachers and staff, Board members, parents, students, and church staff.  The purpose of their visit was to establish that Twin Oaks Christian School meets the rigorous criteria for CSI accreditation status and to provide suggestions for ways the school can continue to grow as it lives out its mission.

Continue reading “Twin Oaks Completes Re-accreditation Process”

I’ve talked a lot about the significance of this year in the life of Twin Oaks Christian School; it’s our 50th anniversary after all. You may have also heard me mention that Twin Oaks began with prayer. Before there was a building to move into, a board to govern, teachers to teach, or students to fill the hallways, God’s people got down on their knees and prayed to Him to provide all these things. They believed in the value of Christian education, that lives would be transformed. So they made plans and got to work. But first, they prayed.

Continue reading “From the Eagle’s Nest – Quarter 3 – 2023”

In this pilot program, our 7th and 8th grade students spent the first semester learning the ins and outs of building quality models. On December 10th, the afterschool Robotics Club had the opportunity to participate in the FIRST Lego League competition at Lutheran High School, among 28 other area schools.

The judges awarded our team a 2nd place trophy for their hard work on their innovation project, a great accomplishment for this new program at Twin Oaks Christian School. We look forward to seeing the continued progress and creativity our students exhibit in their Robotics classes and clubs!