It's Time For Real School Choice In New York

School choice is a nationwide movement that empowers parents by enabling them to make the best possible choice for their children's education. In short, it puts power in the hands of parents to decide which type of education best fits the needs of their particular child – whether that is a public, private or religious institution, or educating their child at home.

School choice also protects parents' constitutional rights to direct their children's upbringing in accordance with the values, principles and religious convictions they hold dear.

Private school choice refers to publicly funded scholarship programs that redirect the flow of education funding to individual families rather than to government schools. In other words, the money now follows the child rather than a bureaucracy. Under these programs, parents can apply for scholarships that allow them to send their child to a private school of their choice, including religious ones.

Without school choice scholarships, parents who want their kids to go to a private school would have to, in essence, double pay. In other words, they would pay for a private education while also paying taxes that go toward public education. It would level the playing field for families of different incomes by allowing parents to redirect their tax dollars toward schools of their choice.

REAPING THE BENEFITS OF A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL excerpt from Dr. Charles Walker

A child’s teacher is an important role model. Your child spends a major portion of the school day under the influence of one or more key teachers. You value the importance of the exemplary model set by your child’s teacher. In the Christian school classroom, the teacher openly teaches the truths of Scripture because his commitment compels an open, unashamed love and service to Jesus Christ. The government does not hinder these teachings, nor the reading of the Bible, nor prayer; all three are common every day occurrences. The teachers openly demonstrate and model Christian principles, one of the reasons you send your child to a Christian school.

The academic instruction in the Christian school exceeds that of the public schools. With strict standards of behavior enforced and high academic standards expected, the Christian school provides your child a better education, opening more doors in his life for future success and satisfaction. The benefits of the sound education offered in the Christian school are far-reaching and long-term, another reason you send your child to a Christian school.

Christian values and attitudes are taught and emphasized in the Christian school. The overt effects of violence and immorality so common in today’s public schools clearly demonstrate the need for a Christian education. The Christian ethics and morals expounded in your home and church are reinforced in the Christian school classroom. Nurturing a child with Biblical truth is an excellent way to equip him for maturity. The Christian values taught in the Christian home and reinforced in the Christian school enable your child to deal with a troubled world without succumbing to its troubles, another reason you send your child to a Christian school.

Opportunities for Christian friends and fellowship abound in the Christian school. Negative peer pressure is downplayed by emphasizing the relationship of each child with Jesus Christ, and magnifying the Biblical standard of true friendship which calls for love, forgiveness, and accountability. The positive influence of a child’s Christian peers has no substitute, another reason you send your child to a Christian school.

Teacher-pupil ratio in a Christian school is lower than that of most public schools. This smaller class size permits a teacher to spend more time with each child. Consequently, your child receives more individualized attention from the teacher, and this, of course, greatly benefits him academically and personally, another reason you send your child to a Christian school.

Obeying Biblical guidelines is essential when seeking the best for your child. Scriptural admonitions concerning the rearing of children in the Christian faith, such as Deuteronomy 6:5-7 and II Corinthians 6:14, can only be truly adhered to if children are taught in a Christian environment. The public schools cannot prepare a child for a fruitful, Christ-honoring life. In the Christian classroom, your child learns the Biblical truth absolutely necessary for living a balanced Christian life, another reason you send your child to a Christian school.

Placing your child in a Christian school may necessitate a financial sacrifice, a geographical inconvenience, or a drain on your energy, but the joy received from watching your child grow academically and mature in the Lord makes all the effort, all the time, all the money worth it. You should praise the Lord for the wisdom and direction He has given you, and thank Him for the blessings of a Christian school.

Dr. Charles Walker is a former education director of the American Association of Christian Schools and the executive director of the Tennessee Association of Christian Schools.

Gang Violence in Public Schools is on the Increase

Metal detectors will now be part of the security procedure for students in the Brentwood school district. A shooting incident Friday outside the public library is forcing the added security measure, WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported. There will be “random searches with the metal detector as well as a handheld one,” said schools Superintendent Levi McIntyre.

The district is also beefing up other security measures and asking for added police patrols. “We will be working very closely with the police,” said Helen Moss, school board president. Stronger deterrents are needed to combat growing gang violence, officials say.

Guardian Angel's leader Curtis Sliwa said. yesterday that "The problem in Brentwood, Central Islip, Bayshore and Wyandanch is that both the Latino and black gangs have had now, in some instances, three generations of gang members from the same family. The grandfather, father and new son. They are rooted into the surrounding public school systems which is where they recruit inside and outside of the campus. 

Parents want school choice and a voucher or tax incentive program now more than ever as many public schools are becoming breeding grounds for drugs and violence. Many students no longer feel safe in school.  Upper Room Christian School will be offering a $500 discount off it's already lowest private school tuition for any family from Brentwood, Central Islip, Bayshore and Wyandanch wanting to enroll their children in the school for the rest of the 2016-2017 school year to try to help parents be able to afford a safer and God centered environment for their children.

School Safety

School Safety is a big and important issue nowadays. And it should be!! However school safety should include more than just a safe school building but it should include and insure the safety of each student and staff member inside. It also should be defined as Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Safety. A great school will insure that each person inside the school building is physically safe, emotionally safe and spiritually safe.

Physical Safety involves security of the building and grounds. It also includes an environment that is free of possible hazards. It trains the school and staff in proper drills that will allow for a proper exiting of the building or sheltering in place in an emergency as well as a good means of communications with the fire and police departments that service the school.

Emotional Safety involves a loving, caring environment that inhibits taunting or the bullying of students. It provides an atmosphere where students can learn unhindered by inappropriate remarks and that fosters a positive sense of community and togetherness.

Spiritual Safety involves the teaching of the truth as it relates to absolutes as opposed to "situational ethics". Where everyone is respected while not condoning an anything goes attitude of "if it feels good, it must be good". It requires an atmosphere that fosters a relationship with the creator not one that inhibits it.

Here at Upper Room Christian School we strive to be such a school! We want our students to be and feel safe especially in a world where fear and anxiety is rampant, gang violence and drug use is on the rise and teenage rape is at an all time high.

Proverbs 1:33 But whosoever hearkens to me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Excellence in Academics, Athletics, Arts and Character!

Thanks to last year's East Coast Conference champs St. Thomas Aquinas College coming by to see the guys at open gym! At Upper Room Christian School we do everything possible to enable our students to go to some of the best Colleges and Universities in the country! From our aggressive athletic department to our partnerships with St. John's University and Suffolk Community College we strive for excellence in Academics, Character and Athletics.

Even our elementary and middle school programs with their developmental approach seek to ready our students for college and beyond. And with God's Word, the Bible, at the center of all that we do we are instilling Christian Compassion and Character and a desire in our students to serve their generation with excellence, wisdom and passion.

As this year gets under way we look back at what God has done in our school and our former graduates and we look forward, using all available technology and resources available, to provide our students with the best academic and spiritual environment possible that expresses the love and nature of God in all we do. Let's Go Royals!!

The Origin Of Humanity - Creation vs. Evolution

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". Genesis 1:1

"Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image". Genesis 1:26

"Then God formed man from the dust of the ground". He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person". Genesis 2:7

" It is now commonly accepted in scientific circles that human beings have become what they are today as a result of millions of years of evolution. Beginning as a one-celled animal..." Excerpted from a commonly used Public High School Textbook.

One of these views is correct and one is not. Which one will your child who spends more than 14,000 hours in school believe? 

Sound Christian Education takes the Bible seriously. Truth is seen as absolute. Christian Education believes a Christian worldview can make a positive difference. It gives students a strong foundation in a world of shifting values and morals. Christian Education recognizes God’s sovereignty and Christ’s Kingship, and …therefore God’s claims over all of creation are taken seriously. No subject or curriculum is outside the orbit of God. Students are recognized for who they are: sinners in need of God’s grace in Christ. Also students are given a vision of God’s Kingdom and their place in it. Good Christian education recognizes the unique, God given gifts and talents of the students and challenges them to achieve their amazing potential. It assists parents in their God given mandate. Sound Christian Education treats the student as a whole person whose aim is to grow in Christ-likeness. A foundation in God and His world prepares the student for tomorrow. Healthy Christian Education develops critical thinking by having the courage to explore other world views from the perspective of its own worldview.

Two Opposing World Views

There is a vast difference between these two views! Only one can be right! Either God is our creator and finding His eternal purpose and plan for one's life is central and essential or "there is no God" and there is no eternal purpose or plan. Either we were created by God and for God or we are just creatures of circumstance.

One of the goals of Christian education is to bring the students into a deeper relationship with their Creator. The opposing goal of secular, public education is self-centered. The Bible, which is one of the few textbooks outlawed in public schools, says, "What does it profit a man if he gains the entire world and loses his soul"?

As the public education system moves further away from the acknowledgement of God the Christian school centers all of it's education towards the service of God and others. While striving for and believing in academic and physical excellence it also strives for spiritual excellence. Which world view do you want for your children and grandchildren? "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"!

The Importance of Prayer in Schools

The importance of prayer in schools cannot be exaggerated! 

As the scripture above clearly instructs, prayer allows us the opportunity of sharing our hopes, dreams, burdens and cares with the God who created us. It calms our worries and reminds us that we are not alone but God is with us and He is the source of our peace.

Students need to be taught to bring their burdens  to God in prayer because he hears them, loves them and is a very present help for them.To take prayer out of school is to also take hope and peace out of school. When we teach and encourage prayer we empower students and remind them that there is a bigger picture than just their current situation or circumstance and that their Creator cares for them.

At Upper Room Christian School we begin each day with prayer. We teach prayer from the scripture and students see examples of how God moves for His people when they call upon Him.We help the students learn to develop a life of prayer and open communication with the God who is a "very present help in times of trouble".

"Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it, the LORD is His name, Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' Jer. 33:3

School Choice for New York State!

The Empirical Evidence on School Choice

A vast body of research shows educational choice programs improve academic outcomes for students and schools, saves taxpayers money, reduces segregation in schools and improves students’ civic values. The fourth edition of A Win-Win Solution: The Empirical Evidence on School Choice brings together 100 empirical studies on each of these essential questions in one comprehensive report. You can download the full report here.

It's time for New York State to get on the bandwagon with the 26 other states that have some form of School Choice program that allows parents to direct some of their school taxes as they see fit for the benefit of their children!

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee (Isaiah 60:2).

We are living in a time when the contrast between the philosophies governing the world and the apostolic truth of scripture has never been so vastly different and the divide grows more every day. To whose charge shall we commit the education of our children? What forces will we permit to shape and mold their impressionable young minds? Will we turn our children over to the charge of men and women who are the proselytizers of a world order founded upon satanically inspired systems designed to destroy all those to whom they are taught? Or will we allow the truth of God’s word to shape and form their worldview? Surely this is a crucial choice for us all! Our children are our most precious blessing.  It is they who will carry the light of the gospel to future generations.

 

The most significant influence by far upon our children’s lives in their formative years is the education they will receive. A Christian education is no longer an attractive option; it is imperative. It is the only education that is founded upon the truth of the word of God, which is the only shield against doctrines of demons designed to destroy our children before they are even able to understand what is happening to them. Will we abandon them to the merciless grip of our archenemy? God forbid! We urge you with all that is in us: choose Christian education for your children today, so that they may be preserved from the darkness and corruption that is rapidly consuming our society today.

10 Reasons to choose a Christian Education Reason #5 ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT!

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Students at Christian schools consistently out-perform their public school counterparts. Their standardized test scores are way above the curve, and they're better prepared for college upon graduation. 
Even in the areas of math and reading, subjects that are "less spiritual" in content, students at Christian schools have proven their superiority. The best colleges are likely to pay your children more attention, not less, if they attend a Christian school.