The Graphic Arts at Bios

"The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection." Michelangelo

"Many believe, and I believe, that I have been designated by this work by God. In spite of my old age, I do not want to give it up. I work out of love for God and put all my hope in him." Michelangelo

The Graphic Arts at Bios Christian Academy are treated the exact same way as all of our subjects - as a very important skill with life long application and enjoyment.

What that means in practice is that from kindergarten to our senior class, the curriculum and instructor are seeking to advance the student's skills in order to provide them the means to be creative.

In the grades, kindergarten and primary, three different lines of training are involved. First, a simple curriculum to provide an overall structure to the program using drawing and coloring is provided by Baby Lambs and I Can Do All Things. Additional hands-on art is provided over the years working with clay. Last, I want our student's skills to be appreciated by others outside the walls of Bios. So they enter two or three art contests each year.

Elementary, grades 4-6, enjoys similar expectations as K-3 with the addition of using an excellent art history/appreciation program named Creativity Express. Drawing and perspective is practiced about a quarter of the time. Technical drawing skills are expanded using the Technical Art series where students begin with drawing circles and finish with the skills to draw a train.  Origami is introduced with learning how to create animals like a dog to the more involved skills of creating a house.

In the senior academy, one year of graphic art is expected and two years are available. Students are taught drawing and perspective, living forms, painting with acrylics, and designing with clay. Two or three contests are entered by all the students as a way for others to recognize and appreciate their work.

Building Update

Another hurdle was cleared. If you had been in attendance at the Design and Review meeting Thursday night, it may have looked as if we quite easily cleared this latest and certainly not last hurdle in this first Bios building project. But the observation of ease was made possible by the hours of meetings and work provided by the Board, architects, the general contractor, and the town of Gilbert. Amy Temes with the town of Gilbert along with her boss, Greg Tilque, were instrumental in their support and comments providing helpful assistance to us arriving at the beautiful campus plans which now go into the construction drawing phase.

Sometime in the next two weeks the construction drawings are submitted to the Town for review. These include the framing, roofing, air conditioning, electrical, and plumbing plans. Within four weeks the Town will return the submitted drawings with pretty red lines The architects will either have to erase  the lines or preferably make the needed corrections so the Town will not continue to return the drawings with more pretty red lines. Then construction begins.

In the meantime, over Christmas break, the three primary classrooms will have new restrooms installed. The Middle Academy receives remodeled restrooms with access from the inside of the building. The first of three refrigerated drinking fountains to be placed around campus will be installed in the Middle Academy. It will be a double drinking fountain with a place to fill student water bottles. The best part of the restroom remodeling being begun and completed over Christmas is that the need for porta-potties has been eliminated.

Arizona Reservation Ministries

The following letter is from Arizona Reservation Ministries which serves the San Carlos people just east of Globe.  This letter was from our September 8^th visit with seven sophomores, juniors, and seniors from Bios who volunteered to support this ministry for eight hours on a Saturday helping them with over sixty young kids.

Dear Tim,

Greetings once again from Arizona Reservation Ministries!  Words cannot express how grateful we are that you and your team were able to join us this past Saturday.  It was clear that GOD was in control as the chaos of the afternoon unfolded.  You can be so proud of your students and the many, many ways they represented Jesus Christ to over 120 people from the San Carlos Apache Reservation!  That evening, I was looking at comments from some of the parents they had posted on Facebook.  Because of your willingness to come, and do whatever we needed, actually three generations witnessed Jesus in action.

Thank you for the $50.00 toward pizza for your team.  We had no idea how many people would join us, and are confident that the Lord multiplied 20 pizzas so that everyone except your team had seconds if requested.  Again, that was part of the Facebook conversation, and gained credibility for ARM!  I apologize that there wasn’t enough for your team, but was deeply moved by their willingness to forego lunch so that the kids could have enough.  Lord willing, we will have a dinner cook after Christmas break, so that we will be able to feed you a meal on a later trip with those funds!

Diana Lawrence

Short-Term Ministry Team Coordinator

Girl Talk

If you don't have an eighth grade daughter in our school, I thought some of you would like to see how things are approached here at Bios. Mrs. Greene, among the many hats she wears here at Bios, is are Beyond Bios College Counselor. The other women are 7-12 teachers here.

To:  Parents of 8th Grade Girls

Dear Parents,

Early in the week it was brought to my attention that there have been some issues with the 8th grade girls.  I spoke with Mr. Ihms and he said that I could meet with the girls after their Bible quiz to encourage them to honor God with their words and to show kindness (see my talk below).  Mrs. Ihms, Mrs. Dominguez, and Mrs. Cylwik were with me for the talk to add anything to what I shared and answer any questions.  More than once I encouraged the girls to speak with their parents if they are struggling with any issues because you love them more than anyone - but told them that if they needed anything from us, that we would be happy to pray with them, encourage them, and help where we can.  At the end of my talk, before praying for the class of 2017, I gave them each a scripture card - you can ask your daughter what verse from Titus I selected.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know and I would be happy to meet with you.  The girls really did not share anything at the meeting but were quiet listeners.

It is my honor to work at a school that supports parents in the training of their children in godliness.

Blessings,

Lori Greene

lgreene@bioschristianacademy.org

Here is what I shared with the girls if you would like to talk with them about it this weekend:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23

Without saying a name, think of someone who you would consider a nice girl.  What is it about her that makes you think she is nice? 

Again, without saying a name, think of someone you would consider a not-so-nice girl.  What is it about her that makes you think she isn’t-so-nice?

We all have our moments when we aren’t so nice.  We say something we shouldn’t, roll our eyes, are quick to get angry, maybe even gossip, or have feelings of envy.  Hopefully they are only short or temporary moments that don’t define us.  Instead, what we want to define us is the fruit of the spirit.  If someone were to describe us, as Christians we want them to say we are loving to others, show the joy of Jesus, are peace makers, show patience with everyone, are kind, have good things to say, are faithful to keep our promises, are gentle in our responses, and have self-control in areas like our speech, boys, and modesty.

I think some of the biggest areas where girls struggle with how to treat each other have to do with boys, gossip, cliques, jealousy, and the desire to be liked/accepted/friended.

First, the issue of boys.  Please don’t let boys get in the way of how you treat others.  You shouldn’t need to act differently or change your friends for the sake of a boy.  This is a good time to make friends with boys and leave it at that. 

Gossip:  Do not say something to one person that you would not want repeated.  It will get repeated.  Even if it is not repeated in a bad way or with bad intentions, it will be repeated. 

There is nothing good about gossip.  The only parts of us that feel better when we do it are the really selfish, insecure parts.  Gossip brings girls together – in a really yucky way – like when they gang up on the poor girl they are ripping to shreds with their words.

Memorize  Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”  Learn this now and you will avoid much heartache in your future.

Cliques.  You are the class of 2017 and will be together for the next 5 years.  It is ok to have friends who you are closer with than others.  But, examine your heart and/or motives.  Are you trying to be exclusive with someone and trying to keep others out?  Or are you friendly, loving, and kind to others?  Love your neighbors as yourself. 

Jealousy:  Girls have a hard time being glad for each other when good things happen, mostly because we want those good things for ourselves.  Pray for God to change your heart to make you more generous than jealous.

Friends:  The best way to make a friend is to be a friend.  Think about what you want in a friend, then act that way.  The best kinds of friends are those who are loyal, who will stand up for you no matter the cost, and who are kind to you.  Good friends encourage you and tell you when you do something well.  They gently challenge you when you do something that’s not true to who you are or what you believe.  They bring out the best in you.  They make you want to be a better person just by the way they treat you.

Faithful With a Few Things

By Staci Fletcher, 7th-12th Math and Science Teacher

The other day I read an article from a local newspaper about a school that had gone from the state's "D" rating to it's "A" rating in one year's time. These types of articles always intrigue me because I have a passion to research and learn how I can be the best teacher possible within my environment. As I made my way through the article I was in awe of what I was reading. I felt this way because as the article described the steps taken for the school to elevate their status so quickly and effectively, were descriptions of Bios.

 This article listed some specifics on what the administrator changed about the school to make it become an "A" school. These changes included the following: maximizing instruction for students, tightening up the school day to make more time for instruction and less for play, extra help was provided to students after school, teachers participated in in two professional book studies in relation to effective teaching practices, teachers were given a goal and a daily purpose to work towards in their instruction, teachers were taught that teaching is not a  "one size fits all" approach, and teachers were given immediate feedback on assessment data for each of their students so they could regularly monitor student progress and adjust accordingly.

All of the above listed actions this administrator took to help a school go from a failing standard to a standard of achievement are the typical protocol for Bios. Day in and day out everyone involved with our students' education take these steps as a regular part of their day without thinking twice. I was feeling very thankful and blessed about pondering such things that I have come to take for granted as a teacher and a parent at Bios.

There were two statements this administrator gave to sum up what made the difference in their school. The first was "... explicit, quality instruction plays a huge role." and teachers need to "... continue to give 110 percent each and every day." These statements are Bios in a nutshell. Ultimately though, what makes all of the above work so well for Bios is not a standard motivated by requirements set by man, but a standard motivated by the love of our Savior who we serve and want to glorify with a much greater reward than an "A" status. Bios does what they do to one day hear, "... 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' " Yes, Bios is a unique place, blessed by God in a world struggling so hard to earn the praises of man. I am a grateful parent and teacher of this wonderful chunk of my daily life.