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Passion for God, Compassion for People March 10, 2010
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Liberty and Responsibility at NCA's Junior High School
This is second in a series exploring education at Nashua Christian Academy. This month's focus is NCA's Junior High School.
 "Train a Child in the Way He Should Go,
and When He is Old, He will Not Turn From It." - Proverbs 22:6
In the movie, "Jurassic Park," scientists are stunned when they observe the relentless, methodical testing of the protective, high-voltage electric fence by the velociraptors. The park developer explains that the creatures exhibit extreme intelligence, you can see they are working things out, and they never attack the same place twice as they systematically test the fence for weakness.
Parents of tweens: does this remind you of anyone?
Welcome to "the middle years". Double-digit birthdays signal a surge of transformation for children, as well as for those committed to guiding them during this phase of seismic growth educationally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. While the protective and nurturing environment of elementary school has served an invaluable role, it is undeniably time to shed that cocoon and stretch the wings.
Starting Junior High means that the bar is raised on many levels, and everyone involved - parents, pastors, students, teachers, leaders and administrators - has to re-tool.
One of the greatest gifts of being an educator at the middle school level
is that it is often a time when the transferred faith of parents
is exchanged for personal faith of one's own.
"It's a fluid continuum between lead and follow, wisdom
and innocence," says NCA Junior High Principal Chris Burger. "We begin
with the assumption of independence, knowing that competence comes by
practicing it. Confidence is gained when there is a lot of grace to
make and learn from mistakes. By design," Mr. Burger continues, "we
have a "trial and error" model. With the many changes students have
to adapt to, including structural changes, organization, study skills,
the new realization of personal accountability... we do not anticipate
perfection. In Junior High, I tell the kids: you will make
mistakes, but it's OK. It's expected." "Working with parents," Mr.
Burger adds, "our staff is uniquely gifted to help make grades
six through eight a solid bridge between early childhood and young
adulthood."
Read more...
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NCA Work Party This Saturday
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March 13, 2010 8am to noon. Volunteer hours for experienced painters (with equipment if available) and general cleaning. RSVP @ 603 889-8892 today.
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Priority Registration Ends March 12, 2010
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Priority registration fees are the lowest of the year right now but this rate is only available through March 12th. Currently the fee is $100
for the 1st child, and $50 each for every additional child.
On March 13th the cost increases to $200 for the 1st child and $100 each for every additional child through June 1st.
Registering your student(s) is vital to us as we make our plans for the 2010-2011 school year.
Remember your child is not registered for next
year until we have received three items:
1. The
Re-registration
Form
2.The Tuition
Preference
Form
3. The
Registration
Fee.
Click here to download the forms.
After June 1st the
registration fee is $300 for the 1st child and
each additional child is $150.
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Christian Film Festival in Lawrence MA
The 18th annual Merrimack Valley Film Festival will be held on Palm Sunday, March 28th through Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010
at the Showcase Cinemas (Cinemas 7 & 8) 6 Chickering Road in Lawrence, MA
This
is a great opportunity to bring a friend to see a dozen different
Christian films. There is no cost for any of the films. Visit here for more information.
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Please Pray
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Remember these members of the NCA family in
your prayers.
If you know of other alumni or friends of NCA that are
active military please email their names so we can pray for them too.
AIDEN BASHORS dad - Currently in the Army National Guard stationed in Iraq.
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See you at the Mailbox
 Starting this week NCA will begin mailing postcards advertising the school to Nashua and the surrounding communities.
Three professionally designed postcards will be mailed to Christian families who might have an interest in having a child attend NCA next year.
This is the first concerted advertising effort NCA has made to let people know about our open houses, accreditation and about what developing Christian character means at NCA.
If you would like a few postcards to hand out to friends they will be available later this week at the main entrance of NCA. If you would like larger quantities to hand out at church or put in your church's bulletin please send an email with your request.
Thank you for helping promote NCA in your sphere of influence.
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Missions Trip Updates
Here is an excerpt of text messages sent from the team while in Bolivia. Expect to see more on the NCA website shortly.
BOLIVIA
The team arrived in Bolivia as scheduled.
Everyone was doing great despite the long trip. We were able to settle them into the guest
house, do a shortened orientation, visit some of the children in our first
orphanage, feed them, share some stories, attend the youth group program,
worship and watch a video all before we put them to bed. Phew!
That's a half day just imagine what we can get done tomorrow."
The day after we arrived, we went to Albino Patiño nutrition
center. Children suffering from malnutrition are nursed back to health
here. The team was able to help the staff feed the 25 babies and
toddlers. From there we were able to visit LaCancha the worlds largest
open air market. We purchased a bale of clothes and some baby washing
supplies and drove to the main plaza down town. We didn't have a lot of
visitors because the ministry had not washed any homeless mother's children since
Christmas. But we washed a half dozen babies and some of the mom's hair.
We were able to have dinner in the restaurant of a close friend from
Iran. We were joined by the founders of Baby Washing and the team
presented them with some of the proceeds of scarf sales.
UKRAINE
The second mission trip this
year will take place during April Vacation when a team of students will go to Ukraine to work with Ukrainian orphans and gypsy
children. NCA students have been to this region near the city
of Uzhgorod many times over the past few years. One of the unique aspects
of this ministry is the "buddy program" which will partner NCA students
with an orphan for a more personal connection. We believe that this
friendship will produce a spark in the hearts of all, infusing the youth
of Ukraine with a new sense of hope, love, and unity for the years to
come.
The Team will pray and serve
during special programs, minister to children and adults in area orphanages
and gypsy camps, and reach out to homeless families and children in
the city of Uzhgorod.
Again, we are asking for your
prayerful support of this program as we prepare to go to serve in one
of the most destitute parts of Ukraine and while we are there.
If you would like to support this team financially, you may send a tax-deductible
donation to: Nashua Christian Academy, 8 Franklin Street, Nashua,
NH 03064. Please make your check payable to Nashua Christian
Academy and leave the Memo field blank. Attach a note to the
check stating it is for the Ukraine Missions Trip. Any support
received beyond the direct cost of the trip will go to the mission in
Ukraine.
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Hear Karen Luttik in concert!
 Our intrepid Recorder, Clarinet and Saxophone, teacher Karen Luttik is performing in Nashua on April 11th. This is an excellent opportunity to hear Mrs. Luttik play clarinet in a quartet with violin, cello, and piano.
My
Father's Words: Let the Houses be the Witnesses. Quartet
for the End of Time by Olivier Messiaen
on Sunday,
April 11, 3pm at the Unitarian
Universalist Church of Nashua, 58 Lowell Street, Nashua
Tickets
for all concerts (suggested): Students $3, Seniors $12, Adults $15 If you would like more information visit here.
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Servathon update
Unlike last year, NCA will
not be holding a Servathon to raise additional funds for the school
this year. However, we are looking toward beginning an Annual
Fund Campaign in the very near future. More details about the
campaign will be forthcoming.
We are extremely proud of the
student-initiated service projects carried out over the past year and
know that outreach and community service will continue to be a core
value here at NCA.
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Devastation First Hand in Haiti
Maria and Alicia Imperiali (9th, 11th) were on their third missions trip to Haiti when the devastating earthquake hit. Here is their story.
Saturday afternoon we had arrived in Haiti. Until Tuesday everything was business as usual; we were building a new school behind the orphanage property in Leogane.
Tuesday, the day of the earthquake, we were driving back to compound where we had been staying. Our bus had the fast driver, so we were in the lead, and the second bus had been a few blocks behind us. Scott, our leader who runs MissionE4 and another member of our group, Todd, went into Port-au-Prince to visit one of the school children who had been in the hospital there. Our bus was backing up at the time, making room for another bus to get by (in Haiti, the bigger vehicle has the right of way), when all of a sudden, the bus started violently rocking back and forth, nearly tipping over.
We heard someone say that it must be a hurricane, because the trees were swaying and pelting mangoes. We looked over at my dad on the right side of the bus, and through the window behind him, and could see a 300' by 12' section of the wall surrounding our compound collapse towards the bus. The razor wire on top of the wall landed a foot from the bus. Our eyes darted forward to see a telephone pole land right in front of the bus and the power lines landed along the other side of the bus, hitting it as it fell. We all go out of the bus and onto the compound property and just watched as people ran up and down the street, screaming, and crying in pain, calling out the names of people they know.
At that time, there was no sign of the other bus, but about 15 minutes later, they made it up the road to the compound. Several hours later, Scott and Todd returned. They were in a hospital in Port-au-Prince when the quake hit, and they had been running out as the building began falling all around them. Children and babies were being handed out of the hospital with IVs hanging off of them.
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What is God doing at NCA?
It is a question that He answers most every day.
There are many stories about what God is doing/has done in the lives
of NCA students, faculty and staff as they develop a passion for God
and compassion for people. In fact, YOU may have a story about
how God has used NCA in your life. We would love to hear your stories
and share them through this blog. Like this one.
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Thanks for Breaking the Rules
Looking
back to when my daughter became quite ill last fall and was admitted to
Mass. General Hospital in Boston, it was a completely new and
frightening experience for her. As parents we were pleased that she
reached out to her classmates and asked them to pray for her.
In the worst hours, she was in pain, unable to speak because of the
tube in her throat, and utterly miserable. We sent an update to her
teacher on her condition, and let him know that text messages were
helping lift her spirits.
He responded by breaking the rules, encouraging all of her
classmates to get out their cell phones and send her messages - during
school no less! It helped her more than anyone could have imagined, and
was truly an example of the body of Christ caring for one another.
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Perhaps a teacher encouraged you in your spiritual journey... or
another NCA staff member demonstrated how to live passionately for God
in an apathetic world... maybe you've seen a marked change in your
child's attitude/behavior... perhaps your experience on a mission trip
transformed your heart toward others... or you've observed a pupil
showing compassion to another student... whatever your story, we'd like
to hear it from you.
Visit the What's God Doing? page on the NCA website. Share your story of what God is doing at NCA and be an encouragement to others.
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