JANUARY 2016 NEWSLETTER

FORMING RELATIONSHIPS WITH GOD

micahelSpring Garden Academy (SGA) brought in the New Year with a commitment to pray, and ever since then our children have been eager to hold conversations with God. Micahel, a preschooler at 18th and Spring Garden, is learning to pray.

After undergoing many life changes, Micahel came to our school last summer. When he started, he would often isolate himself from his peers. However, this past month Micahel has been learning to talk to God. Recently, even though Micahel was the youngest in the group, he boldly volunteered to pray for everyone in the room. It was a beautiful moment that showed our school family just how wonderful God’s power can                                       –Lauren Morgan

 SCRABBLE (ASAP)

On January 20th, our 3rd-8th grade students competed in the After School Activities Partnership (ASAP) city-wide Scrabble tournament, located at the IMG_2415Philadelphia School District building. Two of our students, Elijah and Aniya, won best winter word, and many of our children won multiple rounds. Ms. Se, SGA’s lead out-of-school-time teacher, commented on how friendly some of our children were. “Makayla displayed great sportsmanship. She introduced herself to her opponents and was very friendly and out-going even though most of the competitors were being a bit closed.” We are proud of our children for a job well done!

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Playing Scrabble is a fun, hands-on way for our children to build reading, vocabulary, dictionary, and even math skills. Scrabble club will continue this spring.

 “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.” –Benjamin Franklin

A DAY OF SERVICE (MLK DAY)

IMG_2309Martin Luther King Day is a day to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through service. This year the kindergartners and preschoolers at our Tioga location created a “justice and acts of kindness” wall, where they posted positive and uplifting messages and pictures. Students also made a peace flower and “helping hands” wreath with Ms. Maris as she explained the history of the Civil Rights Movement and the importance of MLK day. Finally, the children completed an in-school service project by helping our 6th-8th grade teacher, Ms. Bridget, clean the library. It was a fun and informative day.

JBQ, A SEASON TO REMEMBER 

As the 2015-2016 season of Junior Bible Quiz comes to an end we would like to congratulate all the participants for such a spectacular season. Many students came a long way. Malaysia, a 2nd grader in Ms. Zorana’s class, practiced diligently, soared, and became one of our best quizzers, quizzing out at several meets and coming in 5th place overall.

Joshua, a 2nd grade student, was also another quizzer who shined, coming in 2nd place among the quizzers. His mother Michele commented:

“Going into Bible quizzing I really didn’t know what to expect. Joshua was nervous, but after the first meet I saw how he hungered for that knowledge. He has excelled beyond what I could have ever hoped for. I am blessed to know he’s learning God’s Word, and he’s also learning team work and confidence in trying new things.” –Michele Singh

We take extra joy in knowing that our children are being overtaken by the word
of God. We can’t wait until next season!IMG_2240