From your midtown campus principal, Rhonda Jones
I hope your families have enjoyed a peaceful week. As I consider the words I shared in last week’s newsletter and juxtapose those thoughts against my current week, I’m feeling very thankful that true peace – Shalom – is achievable in the midst of busy circumstances. This truth rang loudly in the Jones’ home yesterday evening. We had a very funny moment as we sat down to dinner, prayed, and began to eat. I quickly remembered I needed to turn off the oven, left the dining room table to do so, then realized my oven wouldn’t shut off. This snow balled into David quickly going to the garage to flip breakers while I yelled messages to guide him to the goal. Not sure why we didn’t use our cell phones? Our calm, but loud communication catapulted Emily into action! My sweet girl began saying something about “we need to evacuate”, which I dismissed vaguely so I could focus on guiding David’s efforts to shut off power to the stove. When the moment subsided, we all sat back down and laughed heartily when we realized Emily had packed a suitcase in 5 minutes flat and was ready to walk out with her most precious items in tow. It was a great opportunity as a family to discuss how we can practice peace in our hearts, in the midst of the unexpected and unknown, if we find our peace and solidarity in God. Maybe dinner time is always calm and follows an expected norm in your homes??? I highly doubt it! 😊 What I don’t doubt is that these moments, when the unexpected overwhelms our agendas, are exactly the times when God wants us to lean in and allow Him to be present with us. Brother Lawrence famously coined this spiritual discipline as “practicing the presence of God”. May we all find opportunities to take Brother Lawrence’s advice.
A Few Logistics
1. Half Day of School – On Feb. 5th we will dismiss at 11:50am.
2. Drama Tech Week – If your student is in Drama II (10th-12th grade), tech week begins this weekend for their upcoming Jane Eyre production. While we don’t omit academic responsibilities for participants, rest assured, teachers are aware that tech week is occurring. We’ve proactively collaborated as a team on how to support students well while also striving to offer support and encouragement. Tech Week is a great opportunity for students to practice time management skills while balancing a busy schedule. Our Midtown Staff team cares about this learning goal. We know students will fumble a bit and we will help them strategically manage things as they share their needs. I encourage parents to proactively converse with your teens this weekend as well. Proactive planning is a learned skill. Implementing this skill during a production week will greatly benefit them!
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