Academics & Discipleship

Academics & Discipleship

HEAR, O ISRAEL: The Lord your God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

GODLY CHARACTER TRAINING PLAN

As parents and teachers, God has called us together here at Ets Chaiyim Tree of Life School to train children to be mighty in Spirit, to love God with all of their heart, strength, soul, and mind so that they will remain steadfast in their faith. We purpose to help create a strong arm of warriors for God that will be able to stand strong in their faith in the end times when wickedness increases. Therefore, we need a strategic plan to systematically accomplish this mission. Moreover, God calls us in the Great Commission to make disciples, teaching them to obey everything He has commanded us. God has given many commands in His Word, including how he commands us to act and relate toward one another. Each year the school has a godly character training plan to help accomplish these ends in the lives of our students. The plan set forward here is twofold: role modeling godly character traits by all faculty and staff, and training our students in godly character development. These two foci will work in concord to help us to accomplish the purpose for which God has called us here.

Each year, a biblically-based godly character training plan is implemented which focuses on a particular character trait each month. The plan involves role exampling by all staff, parents, and students as well as the teaching of the godly character trait by teachers. Focus is placed on the students’ understanding of the trait and Scripture references associated with it. In addition, the students are encouraged to apply the godly character trait to their daily lives. Examples of various biblically-based character traits are the following: the fruit of the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit), the personality characteristics of Yeshua, the “one another” commands, and aspects of being a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to the Lord.

Strong Academics

Ets Chaiyim maintains a high standard of education. Primarily using the A Beka Book Publications, we use textbooks that are written from a biblical perspective. Students are given placement based on a realistic assessment of their achievement level and capacity to develop. A traditional classroom approach characterizes the instruction at Ets Chaiyim, with teachers who are deeply committed to each student’s growth. It is our belief that some skills are best developed in group situations, such as listening, comprehension, and verbal expression. Ets Chaiyim students build these skills as well as the discipline of working independently. Class sizes are relatively small, allowing for a greater degree of student oversight and accountability. Students from first grade on up receive annual assessments of their academic development through standardized tests. Our program of study is broad, including classes in Bible, Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Messianic Jewish Studies, Drama, Physical Education, Art, Music, Hebrew, Technology (for secondary school students), and Spanish (for high school students).

SECONDARY SCHOOL DISCIPLESHIP VISION

Mission Statement

The mission of the secondary school discipleship program is to make our students disciples of Yeshua and to teach them to obey everything the Lord has commanded us (Matthew 28:18-20). As disciples of Yeshua, the students will be called to a daily personal relationship with the Lord in which they apply his Word to their lives. Teachers and students will endeavor to walk together in such a way that promotes a strong commitment to following the Lord.

Goals

1. To disciple students in small groups of young men or young ladies led by teachers and/or students.

2. For students to wholly surrender to the Lordship of Yeshua Messiah.

3. For students to develop a personal walk with the Lord, including daily Bible reading and prayer.

4. For students to apply God’s Word to every area of their lives.

5. For students to face personal issues in their lives from a Biblical perspective.

6. For students to lovingly hold each other accountable in their walk with the Lord.

7. For students to apply Biblical principles of covenantal relationships and conflict resolution.

8. For teachers to emphasize the addressing of heart issues and appealing to the conscience when disciplining students.

9. For teachers to emphasize, when disciplining students, the need for true change of heart and God’s empowerment in order to reach God’s high standards of conduct.

10. For teachers to counsel students in a way that gets beneath surface actions to the real “heart issues” involved.

Strategies to Achieve These Goals

In order to achieve the mission and goals of the secondary school discipleship vision, the selection of teachers who possess an abiding personal relationship with the Lord as well as the capacity to disciple young people is of paramount importance. Each teacher and coach that works with the young people need to see themselves as disciplers. The students are called upon to walk with the teachers in a maturing discipleship relationship.

The students make a pledge to grow as a disciple of Yeshua. In addition, they pledge themselves in the following areas:

1. To respect the philosophy, mission, objectives, and properties of Ets Chaiyim School.

2. To strive for excellence as a student.

3. To cooperate respectfully with those in authority at the school.

4. To seek to contribute to the spirit of unity, thereby abstaining from involvement in gossip,

grumbling, and complaining; to allow my words to be used for building others up; and to practice covenantal communication.

5. To be a committed participant in helping myself and others to grow toward our God-given destiny in being people of character, growing maturity, righteousness, truth, and love in the school, in my home and neighborhood, in my congregation, and in society.

A copy of the student pledge is signed annually by students entering seventh through twelfth grade. If a student at any time feels he has a question about the items on the pledge, he is encouraged to seek the help of a teacher, counselor, or administrator. Students are called upon to be maturing men and women who understand that their word is their bond.

Discipleship Groups

Within an overall emphasis on discipleship throughout the secondary school program, the students participate in discipleship groups as part of their Bible

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