School Choice

The Wall Street Journal called this past year "The Year of School Choice." More than ever, we are seeing state governments pass legislation that allows you to take greater control of your children's education; providing parents with funds and opportunity to provide a better education.

At its heart, school choice is a revolutionary concept that places control into your and your students' hands. It does this by allowing parents to be consumers, so to speak—making schools accountable primarily to families. The idea is that since your tax dollars fund the school systems, you should have greater control over how your child's allotted educational funds are spent—that is, choosing where your children go to school.

As the year comes to an end and we look forward to 2012, please join me in praying for our schools and their staffs, and for the election of political leaders who will embrace the concept of school choice because they put the needs of the children first.


Grace and Peace,
Ed

FAFSA Filling Info

This past week Saint Josephs sent a Financial Aid Representative to talk to the seniors about how to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), so that students can effectively apply for Federal Aid. Students were given information from how to apply for their Personal Identification Number (PIN),to the different types of grants that may be available them.


A special thanks to Saint Josephs and Gordan Rowe for a very productive morning.

For more information about FAFSA, TAP or any other Federally Funded Grants you can also visit College.gov.

Remember if you are a senior and plan to attend college in the Fall 2012 you need to file a FAFSA form after January 1,2012.

Thank you
Gina Yodice
College/Career Counselor
(631) 242-5359 ext 222
Gyodice@urcs.org

Christmas Chapel 2011

We had an awesome Christmas Chapel last Friday! There was great anointed singing, a powerful slide show, anointed dance and an inspiring Christmas Message given by our Principal, Dr. Gregory Eck! We had over 400 people in attendance and everyone went home feeling inspired, refreshed and thankful to God for all that He's doing at Upper Room Christian School.

The Bible says that, "unless the Lord builds the house we labor in vain" and we are in awe of what god has done, what He is doing and where He is taking us in the future! With the addition of over 15 new International students this year God is truly giving us the opportunity to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ while producing able ministers able to meet the needs of their community in spirit, soul and body!

We wish you a Merry and Blessed Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Grace and Peace,
Ed

Our Location

Located on beautiful Long Island, New York, Upper Room Christian School is just minutes from gorgeous beaches, beautiful parks, AND all of the culture, excitement and wonder of New York City! Our location makes it a great place for students to learn. While located on 5 acres in upscale Dix Hills it is close enough to Manhattan, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey where some of the Country’s finest Colleges and Universities are located. Our school is surrounded by museums, libraries, historic landmarks, farms, stadiums, and more!


We experience all four seasons! It’s approx. 0-40 in the Winter (Dec. Jan. Feb.), 45-70 in the Spring (Mar. Apr. May), 75- 100 in the Summer (June July Aug.) and 30-60 in the Fall (Sept. Oct. Nov.).

We are located in the heart of Long Island about 7 miles from the South Shore (Atlantic Ocean) and 13 miles from the North Shore. About 100 miles West of Montauk Point and 50 miles East of NYC. A mile south of the Long Island Expressway exit 51s and one mile north of the Southern State Parkway exit 39n.

Anthony Passalacqua a Long Island Hero

                                 click here---->    Long Island Heros

The link above will take you to a Fios feature called Long Island Heros done by Journalist Mike Stevens. It features Anthony Passalacqua the son of our Varsity Baseball Head Coach Tony Passalacqua. The Passalacquas are building on their love and expertise regarding baseball and have started the first Long Island Baseball Showcase that features young talented baseball players from all over Long Island.

Scouts from several Division One Colleges as well as scouts from Major League Baseball came to the field at Upper Room Christian School to watch 25 players who came by invitation to show off their skills and talent. This was the first showcase of it's kind on long Island and was very profitable for those in attendance.

Coach Tony is not only a great father and coach but he is also a great History teacher and serves on the missions board at Smithtown Gospel Assembly where he is a member. His son Anthony, a graduate of Erskine College and former professional baseball player for the Modena Team in Italy, helps out at our program from time to time.

Grace and peace,
Ed

Hands on Projects

Teachers at Upper Room Christian School supplement our student's textbook learning with "hands on" projects that foster critical thinking and creativity in our students. In today's photo you can see a sample from Ms. Holmes 8th grade Bible Class. These were centerpieces made for the Thanksgiving Holiday and while they are gorgeous they also tell a story of what the aspects of Thanksgiving mean to each student.

Critical thinking and Creativity are skills that are needed in effective problem solving. It requires the application of knowledge in new ways to solve new problems or create a different way of looking at a concept. Critical Thinking and Creativity are at the core of entrepreneurialism and is a much sought after skill in the business world!

I'm sure these centerpieces were the talk of the evening in our families' homes this Thanksgiving and were a great conversation piece around their holiday table!

Grace and Peace,
Ed

College Friday

This school year Upper Room Christian School has instituted "College Friday". The guidance department has been working with many colleges to create a one on one atmosphere for the students at Upper Room to be able to sit and speak with college representatives from various colleges. This has created a great buzz within the community here at Upper Room.


In addition to the introduction of the "College Friday" experience. We are have two additional College/Career events. One in February, which be our faculty informational event, and April 3rd will be our Career Fair. Please check this blog regularly for more details regarding both these informational days.

Gina Yodice
(631) 242 - 5359 ext 222
Gyodice@urcs.org

Academic Program

Students here at Upper Room Christian School have the advantage of taking College level courses while they are still in High School! We partner with St. John's University in offering classes like Astronomy, Physics, Calculus, Statistics, Foundations in Education and several other College level courses for College Credit!

We also have an extensive IEP Special Education program for students who have learning disabilities. Our students can receive Resource Room, Testing Modifications, Speech, ESL and Occupational Therapy as well as Psychological Services through the Half Hollow School District provided right here on our premises if they are in need and are eligible.

We use a Developmental Approach to education and believe that each child is a unique individual with individual needs and abilities and we try to match our programs with the needs of our current student population. We even have a partnership with BOCES Wilson Tech where our students can receive a certificate of completion in one of twenty two vocations offered through this extensive program.

Our goal is to help each child to reach their God given potential and enable them to be successful, productive, compassionate adults ready to meet life's challenges with excellence and grace!

Grace and Peace,
Ed

Athletics

We have a very competitive Athletic Program at Upper Room Christian School. This year we have Boys Varsity Soccer, Boys JV Basketball, Girls Varsity Basketball, Boys Varsity Basketball, Varsity Co-Ed Track, Boys Varsity Baseball and 1st grade-12th grade Co-Ed Tae Quon Do.
We compete in several leagues as well as participate in various tournaments throughout the East Coast. God has blessed us with a beautiful regulation sized gym (pictured above) as well as a beautiful regulation sized Baseball field. We are looking forward to building a Soccer/Softball Field on our spacious property as well.

Athletics help to build Character in students as well as giving them the opportunity to channel their energy and effort into something fun and productive while giving many of them additional opportunities for scholarships for higher learning!

2 Timothy 2:5 says,"Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules." (NIV)

Grace and Peace,
Ed