For the last year and a half, the faculty and staff, along with board and parent representatives have been focused on completing a self-study document in anticipation of a visit by an accreditation team April 21-24, 2013. In the document, we have analyzed the accreditation standards and determined at what level we meet those standards. In the process we have identified our strengths as well as areas that need improvement.

A team of five Christian school administrators and teachers will be on campus this coming Monday through Wednesday. The purpose of the team visit is to verify the accuracy of the school’s self-study and confirm that learning is taking place. The team confirms that the school is meeting all of the ACSI/WASC standards for accreditation or is worthy of being accredited even though one or more of the standards are not being fully met at the time of the team visit.

The team will prepare a written report and present it to the ACSI/WASC Accreditation Commissions. The commissions will then meet in June and then inform us of our accreditation status.

I am thankful for the efforts of all who have been involved in this process. I am confident that we will be accredited as we have an excellent faculty who excel in their profession of teaching.

We are here to stay! However, we still need more students! We currently have 271 students in K-12 and our goal for the 2013-2014 school year is to have 300 students.

We have three Open Houses planned with the first one next week on Thursday, March 7 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm.  The others are on Tuesday, March 12 and then on Saturday, March 23. Our teachers will be available to answer questions and give tours. We also need parents and students at the Open Houses to answer questions and promote the school.

We also have a promotional blitz planned for the first three Saturdays of March …. starting this week from 10:00 am ’til noon. We need parents and students to line the streets of Hemet to promote BCS.

We need your participation!  Post a yard sign at your home and or business. Place flyers and posters in your church. Put a decal on your car for the month. Talk about BCS on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Let’s get the word out!

What else are we doing? There will be a banner across Florida Avenue from March 11-25. We will have ads in the Valley Chronicle, the Riverside Press Enterprise, and the Hemet/San Jacinto Chamber Chat. We have a new brochure that you will want to give to prospective families.

When it comes to spreading the word about the academically strong and biblically sound education students receive at BCS, no one does it better than you, our enthusiastic families. We want to reward you for telling your friends, family, and neighbors by giving you a $300 referral credit. When a prospective family visits the school office or attends an Open House event for the first time and list you as the family that referred them and then enrolls, you will receive a $300 credit towards your tuition, registration fees, etc. (complete details are available in the office).

I am excited to see what God is going to do this year. He is the key to the success of our enrollment drive. Pray that He will once again do great things for BCS.

I continue to be grateful for the many who were involved in our enrollment drive last spring. We now have forty new students in BCS for this school year for a total of 274 students with 60 in our high school. Due to a number of students not returning to BCS … several moved, some are being home schooled and others have chosen a different venue for their education … we did not reach our budget goal of 292 students, but we rejoice that we have fourteen more students than last year. With our strategic plan to reduce costs this year (some combined high school classes, etc.), the generosity of those who contributed to our scholarship fund, and with our reserves on hand, we are moving forward towards next school year and the years to come. A special thanks to all of you who sacrifice to have your student enrolled in BCS as you invest in your children’s future!

A few items to note:

A marketing committee has been formed and has begun plans for our enrollment drive for next year. Thanks to all who can be involved!

We are looking forward to our Accreditation Team visit in April 2013. Our faculty, staff, board members and select parents have been diligently preparing our Accreditation Self-Study Manual. We have enjoyed the process and look forward to moving from candidate status to accreditation status with both the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).

Blessings!

During this school year our faculty, staff, and several school parents met many times to discuss what we want that ideal BCS graduate to be like. We began by taking the “Expected Student Outcomes (ESOs)” that were established by the board and faculty ten years ago. We then re-categorized the major ideas and also established measurable points under each main category.

Now that we have clearly identified what we want students to learn and achieve, we can better determine if we are reaching those goals as we intentionally focus on one of the major ESOs, each year.

The following are the newly board approved Expected Student Outcomes for Baptist Christian School.

Baptist Christian School will prepare its graduates to be:

• Passionate Christians who:
  • Have a personal relationship with Christ
  • Grow in knowledge and understanding of the Bible
  • Apply biblical principles as the foundation for moral and spiritual living
  • Model responsible Christian ethics by serving God and others
  • Are motivated to share their faith with others
  • Develop and are able to defend a Christian worldview

• Academic Achievers who:
  • Take personal responsibility in the life-long learning process
  • Demonstrate organizational and time management skills
  • Endeavor to develop their full academic potential according to their God-created individual ability
  • Practice excellent work ethics and do not settle for mediocrity

• Effective Communicators who:
  • Exhibit proficiency in communication through listening, speaking, reading, writing and the arts
  • Comprehend and interpret messages respectfully
  • Research, document, and convey information reflectively, critically and clearly

• Critical Thinkers who:
  • Demonstrate logical and effective decision making skills
  • Analyze, evaluate and synthesize information with the knowledge and perspective of biblical truth
  • Apply problem-solving strategies to real life situations
  • Formulate personal values based upon biblical principles

• Technology Users who:
  • Develop necessary skills to function in a constantly changing technological society
  • Utilize technology as a tool for learning

You might ask how I define a “miracle.” Often we think of a miracle as something that God does which is of the extraordinary sort. We look at the miracles of biblical times, like the parting of the Red Sea or Jesus walking on water. Certainly those are extraordinary. However, when one thinks of the providence of God and realizes that He preserves, controls, and governs all things; then every moment is of the extraordinary sort. God is always at work! I would tend to agree with theologian Wayne Grudem and define a miracle as “a less common kind of God’s activity in which He arouses people’s awe and wonder and bears witness to Himself.” With this definition in mind, I have seen miracles take place this past week.

The first miracle that I have observed is the “miracle of service.” As soon as the announcement was made that we need to have more students in order for BCS to remain viable, a group of teachers, staff, parents, students, and others who love BCS sprang into action and developed a proactive plan to recruit more students. You have already seen much of this plan implemented and we have already realized fruit from their efforts. Thank you to the many who have been involved.

The second miracle that I have observed is the “miracle of unity.”  Many have joined together to pray, fast, and recruit. To see over two hundred people unite together in prayer last Tuesday evening was awesome! I believe that God is doing something special in our midst as everyone has responded in such a godly manner.

God has aroused our awe and wonder and we praise Him for that.

You can discover all of the good things that are happening and how you can be involved by looking on this website. You are vital in our enrollment campaign. Pray, fast, and recruit!

I am confident that God will continue to bless the ministry of BCS. I am also praying that God will provide and we will have a secondary school at BCS for years to come! God is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.

So how does our school mission statement show itself in our school ministry? Recently our teaching staff discussed this very question and they came up with specific examples of how we live out our mission.

Our mission statement is what we do all day long! It is reflected in all aspects of our teaching, as Christ is central in all we do. The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians 3:18 that “He (Christ) is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” In our entire curriculum, Christ is central. Everything that is taught and all extra-curricular activities are done from a biblical, Christ-centered perspective.

Christ is central in our training of students in “real life” situations which is seen in the way we disciple and discipline. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Sometimes encouragement is what is needed. Sometimes correction is necessary. A relevant question can always be asked, “What would Jesus do?”

Our staff is passionate about Christ. Our faculty and staff model Christ both in the classroom as well as when they are not in school. All are actively involved in church ministry. They also model what “family” really is as they care for each student and regularly pray for our students and their families.

We see our mission statement lived out when we see Christ-like actions among our students. It is a blessing to see students sharing their faith on field trips and at local outreach events. It is a blessing to see students sacrifice to provide for the needs of others. It is a blessing to hear of graduates who are serving Christ, many in full-time ministry and many more in leadership positions in their local church. That is what it really is all about … passionately pursuing Christ!

Christian education is not merely religious instruction in the midst of otherwise secular subjects. It is not simply having Bible class, student and teacher prayer, or teachers who are Christians. It is not just freedom from evil influences or better academic results that constitute Christian education. It is much more than that!

Baptist Christian School starts with God’s Word as both its standard and final authority. In fact the Bible, which is both inspired and inerrant, serves as the basis for our philosophy. We unashamedly believe, teach and practice a literal interpretation of God’s Word. That means that we look at all issues of life through the lens of Scripture. If the Bible says it, then it is true! For example, this begins with a literal view of the Creation account which includes the definition of marriage as a lifelong, faithful union between one man and one woman.

Baptist Christian School is Christ-centered. That flows right out of our mission statement: “Passionately pursuing Christ by providing families with a Christ-centered education.” This permeates all aspects of BCS, but is especially evident in our biblically integrated curriculum. All truth is God’s truth and therefore all that is taught brings glory to Christ. Jesus taught us in the “Great Commission” to go, make disciples, and then instruct the new disciples to follow His commandments. That is what we desire to accomplish at BCS. Each student will hear the gospel message. Each student will be taught the commandments of Jesus. Each student will be taught to go and tell others the gospel message.

Baptist Christian School partners with families. Scripture is clear that it is the parent’s responsibility to train (educate) their children in a way that is clearly biblical and God honoring. Ideally, we provide a Christian education to students who are from Christian families who desire their children to be educated based on a biblical worldview. We are committed to fostering both a high academic standard as well as teaching biblical values, thus facilitating academic and spiritual growth.

Our faculty and staff all give testimony of placing their trust in Christ alone for salvation. Being a ministry of First Baptist Church means that the faculty and staff share a unity in doctrine and fellowship. Our teachers view their role as a calling to ministry, and not just a job. There is a genuine camaraderie amongst our staff which is reflected in the way they nurture the students who are entrusted to them. Even though we are a ministry of First Baptist Church, we have students from over 30 different area churches represented in our student body.

Baptist Christian School is a safe place. Safe physically, safe emotionally and safe spiritually. In other words, BCS fosters a protected environment … in a good sense. This is due to the biblical values that we operate under and live by. The Scripture teaches us that by nature we are sinners, yet also tells us that when one is redeemed by Christ they receive a new nature. The Scripture is also clear that the believer battles with the flesh – the struggle with doing what pleases God versus serving ourselves (sin). Realizing this, our system of instruction and training is built upon the goal of each student becoming Christ-like in all areas of their life. Our expectation is that students will live by the biblical standard.