Christmas season is upon us and celebrations are in full swing. Among the growing piles of presents, party invitations, Christmas card orders, and letters to Saint Nick — not to mention the travel plans and the arrival of visitors — the Christmas message can be difficult to keep in the forefront of our minds. 

Jesus’s greatest commandment comes in Mark 12 where he teaches to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and then to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). As Christians, service is not optional, but an act of obedience. How then are children and students taught to develop a love of serving one another? Any preschool teacher can probably verify that sharing is not an innate human instinct. 

We are at a pivotal time in parenting communities where there is a notable shift between parents who didn’t grow up with a super computer in their hands and parents who did. Some current preschool parents in our society grew up with cell phones in their childhood, and parents (or soon to be parents) in their early 20’s grew up with a cell phone and posting pictures to document their lives. So there is a significant chasm of understanding between those parents who grew up with technology, and those parents that did not. The older generations remember being able to survive without technology at their fingertips, the younger ones never had that experience. So how can both groups of parents partner together with administrators and their own valuable life experiences to come up with real solutions to the technology challenges of today? 

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

–Psalm 139: 13-14

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

–Isaiah 41:10

Erma Bombeck once said, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left but could say I've used everything you gave me.”

One of the most important, but most difficult things that Christians are tasked with biblically is to give living witness to the love of Christ. And in turn with that same display of the love of Christ, to defend the faith that is held so precious. 

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.” 
— 2 Timothy 1:7 

Even with faith, the topic of mental health is an issue of concern in the hearts and minds of parents everywhere, especially for those of middle and high school students. Biblically, Christians are instructed not to fear for the future, but that can prove difficult when parents see their children struggling. Here, the middle and high school counselors at Mount Paran Christian School share their expertise and offer four tips to help recognize some of the emotional roadblocks adolescents are facing. 

In an hour-plus conversation full of wisdom, laughter, and anecdotes, New York Times best-selling author and clinical psychologist Dr. Wendy Mogel explained the premise of one of her most popular books, The Blessing of a B Minus. To put it plainly, today’s standards imply that the “B” in a B- stands for “bad,” but Dr. Mogel attests that’s simply untrue.

The purpose of the MPCS ParentEd. P.E.P. Talks series is to provide helpful information to parents as they navigate different stages of their children’s lives. Three unique sessions were developed and presented for each school division, from lower school through high school. The final part of this blog series focuses on the middle school years and its associated challenges and opportunities. 

The purpose of the MPCS ParentEd. P.E.P. Talks series is to provide helpful information to parents as they navigate different stages of their children’s lives. Three unique sessions were developed and presented for each school division, from lower school through high school. The second part of this blog series focuses on the lower/elementary school years and its associated challenges and opportunities. 

Under the umbrella of its ParentEd. program, Mount Paran Christian School created a new parent education series this academic year entitled P.E.P. Talks - Parents Engaging Purposefully. These P.E.P. Talks were intentionally designed to strengthen the school's partnership with the home, in alignment with the school's mission:

“Providing academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment, Mount Paran Christian School unites with home and church to prepare servant-leaders to honor God, love others, and walk in Truth.”

The purpose of the P.E.P. Talks series was to provide helpful information to parents as they navigate different stages of their children’s lives. Three unique sessions were developed and presented for each school division, from lower school through high school. This first part of this blog series focuses on managing the challenges of the high school years. 

MPCS recently held a ParentEd. talk titled “Redshirting: Should They Stay or Should They Go?” The seminar delved into the recent trend of giving students an additional year between preschool and Kindergarten. Both sides of this controversial issue were discussed, and the benefits of each side were outlined. Here are some takeaways from this informative ParentEd. seminar.  

This winter, more than a hundred members of our MPCS community were honored to attend a presentation by Dr. Tim Elmore of Growing Leaders. As a pastor and author inspiring a new generation of leaders, Dr. Elmore spoke about parenting of millennials and the emerging generation Z. As expected, Dr. Elmore did not disappoint! For nearly two hours, the audience clung on to every word. Parents left the Kristi Lynn Theatre that night both excited and overwhelmed about what was presented. To recap, we will reflect on the points that most resonated with parents and educators.