Being the parent of a middle school student may be more difficult now than ever. While social media is fun, it certainly has its problems.
A Trinity parent passed this wonderful article along to me earlier this week. It is worth the few minutes it takes to read.
Have a great weekend!
Simply stated, the Cross gives us hope.
We live in a fallen world. A quick look at the evening news will give you enough of a reminder of that truth. Sin is everywhere, and we stand guilty.
Enter the sinless Son of God. He paid my ransom when he took up his cross and became obedient to his Father, even unto the point of death. This, so that I may live in Him and He in me, eternally, to the glory of God.
I pray that this Easter, you may renew your commitment to follow Christ daily, and to make him known to a lost and dying world.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8 (ESV)
8th grade students and parents:
We will have a dress-down day tomorrow for all 8th grade students. Students may wear clothing that they bought while on our DC trip this past week.
Also, if you haven’t done so yet, be sure to check out Mrs. McVay’s blog. You will find videos highlighting our trip, including a very scary one featuring the teacher dance contest!
Have a great evening!
The Dangers of Sexting
Let’s face it — our kids are growing up in a world today that is much more complicated and difficult than you and I could have ever imagined. While mobile devices make our lives more convenient, they also present dangers of which we should all be aware.
One specific area of concern is “sexting.” Earlier this week, I ran across this tremendous resource for parents and youth workers. I hope you will find it to be useful as you navigate the treacherous waters of raising teens in the 21st century.
7th Grade Dad/Son Bible Study to Begin Monday
Integration of the Christian worldview into the fabric of our school is what makes Trinity such a special and worthy investment. Some of our 7th grade dads are adding to our growing list of parent-led Bible studies. They asked that I share this information with you:
Wright Draper (current 11th grader), Glenn Draper and Kelly Ladner are looking to kickoff a study for the current 7th grade boys and their fathers starting on Monday, February 4 at 7:00am. We will meet at Trinity School in Coach Stan Milton’s homeroom class (# 217).
We will be going through Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle, a classic that has stood the test of time in impacting men. This book, penned in the 19th century, speaks to students today as powerfully as ever.
If you have any questions, please contact Glenn Draper @ 334-409-5826 or glenn_draper@ml.com
Have a Great Weekend!
Apple Distinguished School
After four years of hard work, planning, and massive change, Trinity has been named an Apple Distinguished School! It is impossible to overstate just how much of an accomplishment this is. Here, in Apple’s own words, are the criteria used to make this selection:
The Apple Distinguished School designation is reserved for schools that meet criteria for innovation, leadership, and educational excellence, and demonstrate Apple’s vision of exemplary learning environments.
This designation places our school in select company, as only 87 schools were chosen for this honor nationwide. Rest assured – your tuition dollars are well-spent at Trinity. Our pledge is that we will continue to provide a top-notch, cutting edge academic program, coupled with the very best in arts, athletics, and Christian worldview integration.
It is great to be a Trinity Wildcat!
Leading in Technology
My work as a member of the Dean’s Development Advisory Council for the AUM School of Education has put me in contact with some remarkable people. At our most recent meeting, I met Dr. Timothy Lewis and Dr. Kellie Shumack of the Auburn Montgomery Masters in Instructional Technology program. You can learn about their innovative program here.
Earlier this week, Dr. Lewis and Dr. Shumack visited our middle school for a first-hand look at our 1:1 program in action. As you can see by the photos above, they had the opportunity to speak with our students about how technology is changing the learning game at Trinity.
In the coming months, we will be partnering with Auburn Montgomery as we look at ways to improve and increase our technology elective offerings, as well as make the most out of technology as a tool to aid in the teaching and learning process. Additionally, students in this new masters program will be visiting our school to see our program for themselves.
Trinity is leading the way when it comes to technology in the classroom. We will only improve as we partner with our friends in higher education.
Peace Poster Winners
As a board member with the Montgomery Lions Club , I am always delighted to see students participate in our annual Peace Poster Contest. I know that my opinion is biased, but I continue to think that the best entries we get are from Trinity! This year’s TPS winners for this contest are (LR) Gage Bendinger, DavidDuCote, and Carter Grice. Many thanks to Jennifer Bricken for the wonderful job she does each day with our art students!
Have a Great Weekend!
On Being Thankful
As we approach Thanksgiving, I am reminded why I am so thankful to be associated with Trinity School. We are doing so many exciting things, and our future is bright!
This past week, we had the opportunity of hosting a team of administrators from Houston Academy in Dothan, as well as the Crenshaw County Public Schools. The letter below expresses beautifully how our school is viewed by many educators across Alabama. Kudos to our technology team and our faculty for making Trinity a leader in the area of technology integration!
Thank you for hosting our visit. It was most impressive, power packed, informative and inspirational. Bob’s opening remarks set the stage for the day and his closing remarks closed it out with inspiration.
The agenda and package that you provided was right on. You and your team were prepared and excited to share your experiences with us. We saw live demonstrations of how technology is used in the classroom. The impromptu demonstrations by eager and willing students was very useful. We also appreciate the 5th Grade Morning Message class and our visit to the Flipped Classroom. The presentations by your administrators, Media Specialist and others were most helpful to us as well. You covered all of the bases including testing. Finally, the sharing of technology tools, financial information, deployment information, and information on your infrastructure will be most useful in our planning, deployment and implementation.
You reinforced the fact that no amount of planning will overcome the challenges we face. Your attitude towards change, the opportunity to look inside and under the covers of your 1:1 “Journey” will serve to guide and inspire us as we move forward toward our journey. We saw first hand the possibilities and would like to visit with you again with a team of teachers and administrators, as we are eager to learn more.
My team and I thank you for the day, the delicious lunch and a most informative visit. It was far more than what we expected.
GOD BLESS YOU!
Sincerely,
Robert L. Williams
Technology Coordinator
Crenshaw County Schools
A Student Shares His Thankfulness for Trinity
If you haven’t yet, you owe it to yourself to read a recent blog post by Trinity student Fox Carlson. In it, he expresses another reason why we should all be thankful for the opportunities our children have at Trinity.
May you and your family be blessed this Thanksgiving season!
Be Ye Kind
In this fallen world, conflict is inevitable. As imperfect humans, we are bound to bump into each other, misunderstand words and deeds, and assume the worst. That is why we are in such desperate need of a Savior.
While the world has changed, human nature has not. The early church struggled with conflict just as you and I, along with our children, do. As we work to teach our kids how to handle conflict in school, it is worth our time to be mindful of how we can model appropriate conflict resolution as adults.
In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul gives some wonderful words of wisdom that ring just as true for our children and us as they did some 2,000 years ago:
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. . . . Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear . . . Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4: 25-27; 29; 31-32 (ESV)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ tells us that the Christian road is uphill, rough, rugged, and difficult (Matt. 7:13-14). When we face the inevitable conflict in life, let us strive to model a Christ-like attitude to our children. Ultimately, we are their greatest teachers.
Why Invest in Trinity?
One of my greatest joys is accompanying our 6th grade students to Camp Cosby each year. It is refreshing to pull away from the daily grind and encounter the Holy Spirit in the beauty of God’s magnificent creation.
While each trip to camp is special, this trip was especially special. For it was on this excursion to the hills of north Alabama that my belief in what we do here and why we do it was solidified.
During our first evening at camp, Kirby Sasser, one of our precious young people, became violently ill with a serious diabetic episode. He was thrown into a seizure in front of the entire 6th grade class, and was non-responsive for around twenty minutes as his blood sugar had plunged to dangerously low levels.
As several people worked to revive Kirby, you could sense the presence of the Holy Spirit in that rustic, outdoor gym. Our students huddled in groups and prayed softly. Several minutes into the episode, a group of students began to sing, “How Great is Our God.” Chills ran over my body as I heard the sweet, angelic voices of our students praising their Creator in the midst of a storm. We were all reminded of the assurance we receive knowing that whenever two or more are gathered together in the name of Christ, He is there also.
Thanks to the efforts of Lynn Bright, along with support from the Alpine Volunteer Fire Department, Kirby was revived and transported to a local hospital for treatment. Camp went forward, and Kirby even joined us on day two, participating fully in our talent show just 24 hours after he was being tended to on the gym floor. God is good!
Why do we invest in Trinity? This story is why. In the middle of a storm, our students naturally turned to Christ. When things looked frightening and uncertain, our students chose to exalt the greatness of God. Those precious young people called upon the name of the Lord, and he answered. May they serve as our example.
Camp Cosby
Monday morning, our 6th grade students will once again head north to beautiful Camp Cosby for a combination science field trip and spiritual retreat. This event is steeped in tradition, and blesses our students with a bonding opportunity, spiritual renewal, and memories that last a lifetime.
As we prepare to go, and while we are away, please pray that the Holy Spirit will use this time to speak to our students, teachers, and parents. Specifically, please pray for the devotionals that I will be leading. They will be centered around our “Stand Firm” theme for the year and will hopefully encourage our kids to make wise, godly choices during these critical years and beyond.
Our specific devotionals are as follows. Please commit to pray for these each day, asking that our kids may absorb what the Holy Spirit would have them hear:
Monday evening: Brothers and Sisters – Stand Firm! (1 Cor. 15:58)
Tuesday morning: The Object of Our Adoration: We Stand Firm Because We Serve an Awesome God (Isaiah 6)
Tuesday evening: Dare to Be a Daniel: Standing Firm in Tough Times (Daniel 6)
Wednesday morning: Stand Firm and Shine! Glorify God with Your Light (Matthew 5:14-15)
Trinity is unique and special because we are a Christian school. Help us infuse this camp with the aroma of Christ by partnering with us in prayer!
Did You Know?
Over the last year, Trinity students have accomplished some amazing things. Click here and be encouraged!
Have a Great Weekend!
Trinity Middle School Principal's Blog 