Canadian SDA School stresses caring about each other

[Key Guy]

From the Victoria Star (Canada)

http://victoriastar.canadaeast.com/lifestyle/article/657798

Quote:

Seventh Day Adventist School, located on McCrea Drive in Perth-Andover, is a school in which students may learn with a lot more one-on-one time with their teacher and in an atmosphere emphasizing caring for each other. Families don't have to be church members to enrol their children in the school, which follows all the New Brunswick Curriculum guidelines and has the students do government assessments.

"I think the Adventist School is a wonderful alternative to public education for those parents who are looking for small groups, one-on-one setting with Christian values," commented Nicki Plant, whose son Matthew Kilcup is a grade six student at SDA School. "I think they're doing a great job here and have a wonderful teacher in Mrs. A.

"She appreciates each child for who they are and recognizes their strengths and their weaknesses. They work on both. All children are accepted and are taught to care for one another; it's a very caring environment. There are lots of different things that aren't necessarily found in mainstream schools."

Teacher-Principal JoMarion Alleyne - called 'Mrs. A' by students and parents, stresses caring for each other.

"It's a very 'family environment' kind of school," she said last week during an Open House of the school. "It's a place of safety for students. There's no bullying allowed in the school. Anyone bullying is sent home right away and if they come back in (they're told that) if it happens again they can't come back.

"I teach five basic life skills - trustworthiness, truthfulness, no put-downs, active listening, and 'personal best' that includes cooperation and perseverance. The perseverance comes through the piano lessons; when they get stuck on a piece they have to work on it until they get it. We have six students grades one to grade six at the present time. We are licensed to do kindergarten to grade eight.

"People don't have to be a member of the church, anybody can come. We do charge tuition, between $100 and $200 a month. I have the NB curriculum and the kids follow its learning guidelines. We do add Bible and we do have prayer."

(more text and photos online)

[antcreations]

this is an awesome coverage!

our Coverage was ok. kinda depressing - but at the same time hopeful:

http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_north/terr..._its_doors.html

Terrace Standard

NEW!! Christian school may be forced to close its doors

By Molly McNulty - Terrace Standard

Published: April 27, 2009 7:00 AM

AFTER MORE than 50 years of operation, Spring Creek Adventist Christian School may have to close its doors next fall if it doesn’t get enough students.

The school runs out of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and teaches students from Kindergarten to Grade 8.

Currently the school has 12 students, but they need four more in order to meet the government standard of at least 10 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) students to receive enough money to sufficiently operate.

Tammy Braman, the school principal, says the school has decided to offer free tuition for next year – something it’s never done before – in order to boost the student numbers and appeal to the public.

But if four more students aren’t found by May 1 – the government’s cutoff date to report on student numbers – Braman isn’t sure if they will be able to keep the school open. This is because the church mainly covers whatever costs remain.

“If we didn’t get the students, we would have to get together (the board) and take a look at whether we are willing to go into big debt to keep the school running,” says Braman. “It’s a big choice to make...to risk going into debt or to shut things down.”

Pastor of the church, Charles Aguilar, says that if they don’t get the student numbers, the church wouldn’t be able to pay for all the costs.

Aguilar says the decision to have free tuition was to bring in more students but also to appeal to lower income families with children in the kindergarten to Grade 4 bracket, who would like a private Christian education, but can’t necessarily afford it.

“We’re advertising the lower age bracket, it’s the strongest area right now. They come in at Grade 1, 2, 3 or 4 and move on up, which will help fill things up,” says Braman.

But they are in need of more students, so the offer is open to anyone up to Grade 8, who wants a Christian education.

The school offers one-on-one learning with teachers and classmates because of the small class sizes. Right now, the school only has two teachers, one part-time one full-time, but if they do get the student numbers they desire, the goal is to have two full-time teachers and grow from there.

Braman has been working at the school for three years and says they usually stay above the 10, but this year they dropped to eight and a half FTE.