Well as the new school year is about to begin, we wanted to tell you about a couple of new things we are adding to our ministry at VCS.
I (Matt) am still teaching the Middle School Social Studies classes, which consists of one class for each grade. However, I need to teach 5 classes to be considered full time, so I have added 7th grade Bible and Study Skills/Life Skills (a semester each). I am excited to be able to teach the Bible class, but to be honest, I am not sure how excited I am about the study skills and life skills. I am looking at changing the class so it fits me more-like adding computer skills and stuff.
Its not official yet but due to low enrollment in the Middle School, it is looking like we are not going to have enough students for athletic teams. If this is the case, then I will be freed up to be an assistant coach for the High School boys soccer team.
Stephanie is also experiencing change this year. After teaching 7th and 8th grade Bible last year in half of a block (45 minutes) she realized that was not enough time for her to cover both the Old and New Testaments. She asked administration if Bible could be a whole block, in which they said yes! So this year she will be teaching the 6th grade How to Study the Bible, 1 of the 7th grade classes the New Testament, and both 8th grade classes the Old Testament--a whole block each!
Although it was discussed last year, with the change of administration a decision could not be reached until this year, but they decided to ask Stephanie to be the Elementary Chaplain. This will put her in charge of doing or coming up with the lesson each week for elementary chapel. But because of her experience in children's ministry and knowledge of resources, she is also helping find more contemporary music for the worship leader. She is also hoping to get the elementary teachers on board and have them teach the same thing in class everyday that will be taught in chapel every week. The repetition will ensure the children are learning and understanding what is being taught, and it provides consistency in what they are learning as well. The decision being made this close to the start of the school stressed her out a bit, as she had no time to gather resources, curriculum, or prepare. However, she has covered well and after spending one evening on the phone with a fellow children's minister, she acquired a great Bible based curriculum that can be used in both the classroom and for chapel--for free! For those of you who know Stephanie well, you know her passion is in children's ministry, so she is extremely excited to say the least about God giving her this opportunity to live out the passion he has put in her heart.
As for coaching, as I said earlier, with the change in Middle School enrollment, we are not sure what athletic teams we will have, if any. So Stephanie will be playing it by ear and helping out where needed.
Last but not least, I think we have mentioned this before, but we will also be the Senior Class Sponsors. This is a job in itself, with taking care of the senior store (candy/snacks/drinks-before and after school and at break), hot lunches (twice a month-to raise money for senior trip), homeroom everyday, senior events throughout the year, and senior trip (a week long trip at the end of May). Although it is a lot of work, we are really excited to have this chance to invest in the seniors lives before they leave the VCS community. This class is a great group of kids, but many of these kids are yet to come into an intimate relationship with Christ. So we are excited for this challenge and would appreciate all prayers for us, and the seniors in this class as they live out their last year at VCS.
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