about Mrs. Pastori

A Single Crown and a Triple Crown

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:21:57 -0400

I was encouraged Saturday night when my husband and I saw the movie Secretariat. It was an inspirational story of a horse and his owner who overcame the odds and won the three races which make up the Triple Crown. There was one point of the movie when Penny Tweedy, the horse's owner, was facing insurmountable obstacles and she nevertheless declared, "I'm not defeated! I'm not giving up. We're going to run the race and do it with rejoicing!" Then the song "Oh Happy Day" triumphantly played in the background.

We, as Christians, often face obstacles and opposition when we endeavor to follow Christ--but we should be encouraged by not only this movie, but also by the words of the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7,8. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the CROWN of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing." That's the Crown I'm running for!

Almighty God, Fountain of All Wisdom

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:37:38 -0400

This is the end of the first week of school. I am thrilled with the smiling faces of the students and their efforts to do well in all their classes. I am grateful to the Lord for putting BCA here in Newark to be a blessing to our families.

I want to share a quote with you from the classic Book of Common Prayer, "Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom: Enlighten by your Holy Spirit those who teach and those who learn, that rejoicing in the knowledge of your truth, they may worship you and serve you from generation to generation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

Our mission at BCA is to fill young people with not just head knowledge, but a spiritual love for God that will follow them through their whole lives. These students will grow to be Christian leaders in their community, they will develop character traits to make them good mothers and fathers and husbands and wives. Please pray for us, our teachers and staff, that God would give us the wisdom and strength to pour out knowledge, grace, love and truth to our students.

I want to close with another quote from a hymn written by Jane Parker Huber:

"Great God of all wisdom, of science and art,
O grant us the wisdom that comes from the heart.
Technology, learning, philosophy, youth--
All leave us still earning for your word of truth.

Where people are starving, where wars devastate,
A future we're carving of anguish and hate.
God, turn us around and invade all our lives
Till justice is found and your righteousness thrives.

Call us to a new day of promise and trust.
That outlines a new way of life that is just.
Call us to build bridges, deep chasms to clear,
Mark trails over ridges of bias and fear.

Creator, or visions as well as of stars,
O mend our divisions and heal all our scars.
You reign over history, both present and past.
most challenging mystery from first to the last.”

21st Century Learning

Fri, 28 May 2010 02:34:57 -0400

In the education world, this term refers to using computers in the classroom to maximize a student's potential to integrate technology into every subject. We, at BCA, have been using Macbooks and Imac computers to teach students how to create reports, podcasts, movies and more. We plan to move even further in the future with the use of Smart boards and other technology. Teachers have access to student computers through the use of Remote Desktop software by Apple. This software allows teachers to view, share and control the students screens to encourage more learning and prevent cheating. With all of our technological advances, parents sometimes seem "behind the times". I encourage you, as parents, to keep abreast of what your children are doing on the computers. Facebook, for example, can seem an innocent and fun way to keep in touch with friends, but many younger and younger students are drawn into this virtual social life. This can become a problem when "cyberbullying" occurs. Kids making comments on each other's walls or posting pictures that could be embarrassing to others. As a parent, I encourage you to log on and observe what your child is saying online. Cell phones also have become tools for "sexting" (sending and recieving sexually suggestive pictures or messages) This is becoming more and more of a problem in the schools. Even though we at BCA have a NO cellphone policy during school hours, students can still be effected at school by messages or pictures they have seen or heard after school. It is hard to focus on your school work when you know that someone has just posted horrible or embarrassing comments about you on Facebook, My space or through text messages. Encourage your child to develop healthy social relationships and beware when conversations turn ugly or abusive. My prayer is that our children are protected from temptation and evil, and for parents to become more watchful and aware of what their children are saying or viewing. God bless you. "Sons (and daughters) are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him." Psalm 127:3