Making Every Day Count in the 2018-2019 School Year

How have you been making every day count? This question is what the WCGS community is seeking to answer during the 2018-2019 school year. Based on the book, Make Every Day Count, Teen Edition by Max Lucado, the WCGS administration chose to do a school-wide theme this year because they wanted every student at WCGS to have the same central focus each month – discussing that month’s theme in the classroom, in the hallways, in chapels, and in daily conversation. The hope is that those discussions will continue at home as students share what they have learned and the experiences that have shaped their understanding. Each month’s theme is based on a chapter in the book:

Make Every Day Count
Faith for Fear-Filled Days
Gratitude for Ungrateful Days
Peace for Stressed-Out Days
Hope for Catastrophic Days
Fuel for Drained Days
Passion for Purposeless Days
Service for Fork-in-the-Road Days
Forgiveness for Sour Days
Grace for Guilty Days

Already in the first three months of the year, we have seen a positive impact on the culture within our school. The monthly themes have created consistency in our vocabulary from kindergarten through 8th grade and have created a sense of unity as they work towards a similar goal each month. God is at work in the hearts of these children!

The concept of a school-wide theme came from a parent request to have a biblical Jr. High Summer Reading book. This led to the question, “How can we make this have more of an impact?” Participating in summer reading strengthens a student’s analysis and discussion skills, but we wanted this to also impact their hearts…and not just the hearts of Jr. Highers, but of all our students, K–8.

The book, Make Every Day Count, is based on a very familiar verse from the Bible which says, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). Our purpose as Christ- followers is to glorify God. This book gives us the opportunity to practice making a diligent choice every day to live for Christ while we teach, learn, and live together.

I believe that our student body can be difference-makers in this community. This starts with them being able to maximize opportunities that God has placed before them each day.
– Marc Painter, Principal

The monthly themes are the focus of our Continuing the Discussion… parent series as well. The first sessions have included a coffee with the administration, a panel of teachers talking about technology, and a family activity night focusing on gratitude led by WCGS Social Worker, Mrs. Mandy Jasper.

I am so excited it has taken off and seems to be making a difference in the life of our community, impacting everyday interactions among students, faculty, and families. While this whole-school theme is great from an educational perspective, the main goal is to impact our spiritual condition.
– Sue Macaluso, Director of Curriculum and Instruction

This year’s school verses state, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). As a school, we want to make the most of each day we have been given with our students, doing our best to help shape a biblical worldview, bring unity, practice Christ-like behavior, and focus on what really matters.

We don’t expect our school-wide theme to cause students to walk around with a smile on their faces all day, every day. God knows that some seconds, some minutes, and even some hours are going to be difficult for each of us. However, that is why God gave us a “day,” 24 hours. In the book, Max Lucado shares some great words about rejoicing each day: “An hour is too short, a year is too long. Days are the bite-size portions of life, the God-designed segments of life management.” God doesn’t demand that we rejoice every second. But He does ask that as we go through each day, we pause and take time to rejoice in it.

So, will you partner with us to make every day count?