That breaks my heart. :grouphug:

What an exciting day. Congrats!!!

I think God is sovereign and he has a purpose for this baby and I am happy for them.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

We loved Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

What a cool birthdate!!! Congrats!!!

:iagree: Of course my time zone situation is so screwed up between hemispheres and daylight savings. For all I know they both already had them and the kids are two years old already. :tongue_smilie:

Go baby go!!!!

It is a rather lengthy (think book length) research paper followed by an intense presentation called a "defense" in front of university professors.

How exciting!!!!!

When I was a kid we lost power for a week after a series of tornados. All I remember is that all the fish in our aquarium died. :glare:

No it means that I have no say for kids older than elementary. He would consult with the middle school and high school principals for the older kids.

Ok, I responded with a firm but slightly vague: due to the diversity of our student body and the young age of our students, I am uncomfortable with having altar call as part of our weekly chapel. And I thanked him for the suggestion, all his hard work, etc. He has not responded. He is really good at his job and he is a great guy. I hope he understands. I respect him and I don't want a theological showdown, ya know?

Congrats!!!!!

All students are required to attend chapel so yes they would be present for the propsoed altar calls. They have not done altar calls with the older kids either but I am not sure if he is doing them now. I think I have the biggest issue with the parents not being present. Your answers have been very clarifying.

Yes this a non-denominational school. Many of our students are buddhist, hindu, or even atheist but the majority are christian or from a christian home. also, altar calls at this age have not been the norm thus far.

what are your thoughts on "altar calls"? They were an every-church-service kind of thing for me growing up. But it always felt like high-pressure sales. I never understood what was so special about walking to the altar in front of everyone to repent when you could repent right where you were sitting. Why the spectacle? As an adult I have issues with "the sinner's prayer" and with emotional conversions. Paul preached "repent and believe" not "say these words after me". Our students are required to go to chapel each week (this is a christian school) but it is typically a Bible lesson, a mini-sermon. We have a new spiritual life director and he has asked if he can include altar calls with my elementary students and something about it doesn't sit well with me. But I am trying not to have a knee-jerk reaction. The idea of it gives me flashbacks of my childhood... being a captive audience... the pressure to go forward because everyone else was... I don't want to say no because of my own issues with it. I want to do what is biblical correct. advice?

Well, at least with the way we do it, it requires more personnel. For instance, our 3rd grade class has two home room teachers and we have one additional math teacher. So when it is time for math each day we have three different levels of math going just for third grade. We have 32 third graders. Eight of them go into the highest group that is running approximately a full grade level ahead. This is the extra math teacher. The rest are split (not always evenly) into two additional levels which equate to on grade level and below grade level. And there is also the one girl we have who is extraordinary and takes algebra with the high schoolers. If kids are more than one grade level advanced then they don't go to any of the 3 levels for their grade. We send them to a class with older kids. And we do this for all the grades. So this means we need extra rooms for the extra math teachers on a campus that is already full. We need to schedule math blocks among grade levels so that we can maximize space and teachers as well as try to schedule around available higher math classes in middle school and high school for those who need it. Luckily we are all on the same campus so at least distance is not an issue. We also assess and reassess and move kids when necessary. And that is just for math. Don't get me started on the complexities of reading levels. :D But it is totally worth it. Our kids are flourishing and our test scores are through the roof. But man do I have a headache sometimes. :tongue_smilie: Yes we get parents who want their kids in a higher math for prestige sake. No I do not bend to them. Hence the headache. What we do NOT have are kids making fun of other kids for their math groups. They are amazingly supportive of one another. It is tough but it works.

We group by ability for math and reading from kindy on up at my school. It was the first thing i instituted when i got the job. It is tough, expensive, and an organizational nightmare. But it is worth it.

:iagree:

:iagree: Some people are more susceptible to this kind of thing than others but I agree.

There are no words. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

:iagree:

Love it love it love it It is a beautiful show!