The Rock - Foundation Academy - April 08

ATTENTION PARENTS & STUDENTS

Calendar of Events April 2008

Order yearbooks now!

April 15th Elementary Musical & 3rd Student Led Conference May 2008

Videos of Most TFA plays are available!

www.foundationacademy.com

(904) 241-3515 SACS CASI Accreditation

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April 2008 NIPSA Accreditation

May 2nd - 4th 1st Weekend of Play

May 15th Prom!

May 9th - 11th 2nd Weekend of Play May 12th - 15ht Senior Portfolio Presentations

Some Thoughts on Video and Computer Games

“Can God make a rock He can’t move? And then, can He move it?” These are the silly questions we used to ask in Seminary, usually designed to confound the most intellectually-oriented students into strange discussions about our concepts of God. The answer we all agreed on was “Yes” to both questions, but to this day I have never understood it. Now long out of Seminary, I learned that people continued to ask these silly questions about who God was and why He did so many things that didn’t make sense to any of us. And through it all, I learned that God had little to do with our silly questions. “His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.” And the answers were truly so simple: Who came before God? Nobody; We think with a beginning and an end, but God has none. Why does God allow war? He doesn’t have anything to do with war; Man creates war by lifting a gun against his fellow man. Why is there famine? Because people refuse to take the abundant supplies upon the earth and distribute them among the poorer people. Why does God send people to Hell? He doesn’t; People send themselves to Hell by refusing to listen to God. And the questions continue. But these silly questions are usually a philosophical excuse to ignore the faith that God offers us through His Son, Jesus Christ. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” There comes a point that love must evidence itself through our faith in God and the hope that He will take care of us, and that faith is demonstrated in one word: Trust! We are required to “trust God and believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” And God doesn’t offer answers to these strange philosophical questions that we keep asking because He hasn’t got time. He has a universe to take care of, and while we sit around wondering what might be, God is busy doing. “I Am that I Am!” He says, and that is all the explanation He gives us. We need to take note of His example: We have responsibilities, we have a world to take care of and make better, we have lives going to Hell because we are sitting around asking philosophical questions and watching our world fall apart because we can’t take care of our own marriages and crime and learning to love each other. Instead we bemoan our lives and their problems while we take drugs, legal and non, to numb us of our need to help, and heal, and solve the many problems we are creating. Stop questioning God and join Him. Now is the time for action. There are people you are seeing everyday who need your help, and you are ignoring them. You have family members that need love, friends that need faith, and lives on the street that are begging for encouragement, and you are the only conduit that God has to reach them. You can talk to people who will never listen to me, so talk to them! In the Power of Christ you can change the world. Stop asking silly questions and become a conqueror of evil in the name of Him Who Loves us!

Spring is Here Everything is growing

Over the past two decades, video and computer games have become dramatically more fast-paced, realistic, and stimulating. Not long after their introduction, I began to suspect that these games had the same addictive potential as drugs, alcohol, and gambling. Today, family therapists and researchers have confirmed my fears. Listed below are some tips for helping your child avoid getting hooked:

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Student knowledge Student success Student products Student portfolios Student museum Student friendships Student led conference Student Musicals Grow with us. Be part of these wonderful events.

Don't allow your children to have a computer in their room. Allow them to play these games no longer than thirty minutes per day. If your child becomes sneaky, noncompliant, or defiant about this time limit, remove this privilege. Children birth to six should spend no time playing these games, watching videos, or viewing television.

We need your branches. Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? Is it like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. it grew and became a tree,

So-called "educational" games, videos, and shows are no substitute for real-life learning activities, involving movement, problem-solving, and human relationships.

and the birds in the air perched in its branches."

107 Third Avenue South, Jacksonville Beach FL 32250 Phone: (904) 241-3515

Fax: (904) 241-9857

Web: www.foundationacademy.com 107 Third Avenue South, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250 1

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Phone: (904) 241-3515

Fax: (904) 241-9857

Web: www.foundationacademy.com

Seniors celebrate the completion of their Senior Project presentations. In February five groups of seniors presented their project work to committees composed of Ms. Nadia, community teachers, parents and students. Visuals accompanied the oral presentations, which were well received The first group, not pictured, focused on feeding the homeless and helped serve food at the Mission House downtown. The Ronald McDonald group brought and cooked food for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald house in Jacksonville. The Anti-Litter group worked at the beaches and developed an anti-litter campaign to be presented to the middle school and elementary students. The two other groups concentrated on the arts: one to save music through a concert and the other to encourage outdoor art through a “painting” wall. The art wall is up and functioning at the elementary school if you wish to add your piece to it. The music group will have a concert presented in the summer time. Stay tuned for updates.

members,

Construction of the new school continues, the progress is amazing! Most of the outer construction is complete. The parking area is under construction now and should be completed soon. We will continue to follow the progress, and eagerly await its completion. Praise God! For more pictures check out next month’s ROCK!

The project committees

On March 14, we celebrated our traditional Spanish Festival. This is a festivity that unifies the elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as teachers, parents, staff and community members with only one purpose, to exalt and praise the Spanish culture and their rich legacy in The United States. The students in the Spanish I and II class created gorgeous “piñatas” and filled them with candies to delight the rest of their peers in breaking them. We had dances, games, prizes, and songs performed by the students as well as the famous Puerto Rican “reggae ton” performed by Shawn Pierre. After the show, everybody enjoyed a authentic buffet that had a great variety of food from different Spanish countries and that it was brought by our Foundation Academy students, teachers, parents and staff. This is a day of jubilee, a day of joy and a day in which everybody is integrated and immersed in the Spanish culture!!

Oh Rats! In Mrs. Clifford's science class, the students have been studying the anatomy of the rat. First they completed a web with basic rat facts. Did you know an adult rat can fit through openings as small as 1/2 inch in diameter or that a rat can have a 36 inch vertical leap? Next the students studied the location and function of the rat's interior organs. This study included a virtual dissection on-line. Then the fateful day came and the students had the opportunity to dissect the rats in the classroom. It was a great learning experience for all.

Que Viva el Español!

- Mrs. Clifford 2

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