Helping Your Child Choose a Summer Service Project

During summer break, your child has all the time in the world. At least, it feels that way when you’re a child. One great way to fill some of those long summer hours is by serving the community. There is no lack of charities in any given area, so the challenge is to pick just one. Here’s how you can help your child pick a community service project that will keep them engaged this summer. 

Consider Their Passions

With so many charities that require assistance, it might be difficult to narrow it down. The first step to finding a summer service project is to find a cause to support. Does your child insist on petting every animal they see, even the slimy ones? Consider volunteering at an animal shelter. Is your child constantly worrying about the homeless people they see on the side of the road? Maybe you and your child could donate your time to a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. The more passionate they are about the cause, the more engaged they will be.

See Who Needs Donations

You may be able to combine summer donations with some late spring cleaning. Chances are, your child has toys, books or clothes they’ve outgrown. Help your child find a new home for these items, whether it’s a women’s shelter or an organization for local children in need. There are plenty of organizations that need the items your child would otherwise discard — or worse, keep forever. Giving items a second life is a great way to give back to the community.

Match Their Activity Level

Community service takes many shapes and can be done at any activity level. A child who loves reading books indoors may be interested in volunteering at the local library or writing cards for members of the military. Children who play sports throughout the year might enjoy a beach or park cleanup, even on an especially hot summer day. Keep your child’s activity level and personality in mind when helping them choose a summer service project. 

Find Something You Both Enjoy

By participating in volunteer activities together, you can help your child stay engaged when they get distracted. If you find something your child is passionate about that you’ll enjoy doing by their side, that may be the best fit for your family. The more people your child knows who are involved in the activity, the more meaningful the memories will be.  

We encourage all of our students to serve the community during the school year, and we hope they do so in the summer, as well. At North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa Christian school, thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

Understanding Faith as a Source of Strength

Living in faith is a personal experience. Everyone experiences their faith differently. However, what most believers have in common is that their faith is a source of strength, especially in the times when they need it the most. For Christians, that strength comes from a belief in God’s omnipresence and Jesus’s love. This belief can make the burdens of life easier to bear. Here are a few ways that faith can be a source of strength. 

Knowing Peace

Trusting in God during difficult times can provide a sense of peace that breaks through the chaos. When your mind is at peace, everything becomes easier to get through. People of all ages can benefit from having a sense that, even if things are tough, they’ll be better on the other side. Children especially struggle with this type of perspective, as their minds aren’t fully developed in terms of forward thinking. Faith can help them reframe the situations they’re in and find peace in knowing that they will get better.

Overcoming Circumstances

Life won’t always be easy, and the only constant in life is change. Even when it feels like nothing but blessings are coming your way, circumstances can change in an instant. For people with faith in a higher power, adapting during these times means finding strength in that faith. This strength often goes beyond yourself. When you have children, they also lean on you during times of unrest. This popular Bible verse often helps Christians when life becomes hard to bear: 

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” — Philippians 4:12-13 

Power Through Grace

Grace is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give to yourself and others. The grace given to you by God can beget more grace. Through the power of grace, you can forgive others and quickly move on when situations are less than ideal. Giving your child grace when they fail a test or giving your colleague grace when they miss a deadline can go a long way. This doesn’t mean ignoring others’ mistakes, rather showing them compassion instead of reacting with anger. 

We hope to help our students understand that faith can bring them strength, especially in difficult times. Students at North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa Christian school, thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

Teacher Spotlight: Princess Gwature

Princess Gwature, third grade teacher at NTCA, found her calling at a young age. Starting in middle and high school, she gravitated toward teaching positions in church and vacation Bible school. At that time, she discovered she had a gift for teaching others and decided to pursue a career in education. She recently graduated from Southwestern Adventist University with a degree in Elementary Education. This August, she’ll celebrate her first full year as a teacher. 

Gwature grew up in Rowlett, Texas, and before discovering her love of teaching, she considered one day becoming a fashion designer. During her time away from the classroom, Gwature enjoys shopping, exploring new places and foods, and spending time with her terrier/lab Cash. Of the places she’s explored, London is one of her favorites; the Maldives is on her list of places she’d love to one day visit. 

Even though she has only been teaching for a year, Gwature has learned valuable lessons in the classroom. One of those lessons is that she has a great deal of grace to give her students, and she hopes they know that even on the difficult days, she’s there for them. At NTCA, she feels like she has plenty of support from other teachers when she needs help getting through to her students. 

“I love how the campus is a loving community of aid and reassurance from fellow teachers,” Gwature said.

To engage students in the classroom, Gwature finds ways to relate every topic to students’ lives. She applies the subjects to music, shows and other references that make the content more relatable and easier to understand. The most rewarding part of teaching for Gwature has been seeing students’ faces when they finally understand the lesson they’ve just learned. 

As a student, Gwature often hid in the background, and she realizes now that it created learning gaps for her. Now, she makes an effort to check in on every student to ensure that they are seen, noticed and understand what she’s teaching them. This is one way she tries to make her classroom a great place for her students. 

“I hope they are able to take away that school is a place you learn, but your classroom family is how you create memories,” Gwature said. “I want to help them forever relive my grade as the best grade.”

Get to Know Princess Gwature

What’s your favorite book? Esperanza Rising

What's your favorite movie? One Day 

What is your favorite Bible verse or passage? Romans 8:18, “For the pain you are going through will not compare to the joy that is coming.” 

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? I can eat Pho for the rest of my life! 

Students at North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

4 Tips for Helping Your Child Master Group Projects

At some point in your child’s education, they will be participating in group projects. This special type of assignment is meant to inspire collaboration and camaraderie among students. However, it doesn’t always work out that way. In many group projects, someone gets sick, someone procrastinates, and someone — often one or two people — ends up doing all the work. If your child needs help getting motivated to work on group projects or needs help getting their classmates involved, here are some tips to set them up for success. 

Understand the Assignment

Make sure the instructions for the group assignment are clear. Take time with your child to review the guidelines set by the teacher to ensure that everyone in the group knows what needs to be done. Encourage your child to review the instructions in depth with their classmates so no one feels left out or in the dark. This is a great way to ensure that each student will be held accountable for their role. 

Create a Schedule Together

Most students start out with good intentions when assigned a group project. They plan to do their part to make the project successful. However, some students have a tendency to procrastinate and, in some cases, forget what needs to be done. Others get frustrated by this behavior and decide to do everything themselves. Helping your child build out a schedule that includes all the tasks at hand will make delegating those tasks easier. 

Encourage Communication

High-achieving students often feel like they need to do everything themselves to get it done right. Therefore, even if they’re great when working individually, they can struggle with group projects. If your child does everything on their own, encourage them to use that energy to delegate tasks. If your child is more of a procrastinator, have them ask the group leader about their deadlines if they’re unclear. The more the group communicates, the more engaged each child will be in the experience. 

Prepare for the Worst

You could also call this preparing for all outcomes. No matter how much planning happens in the initial phase, there’s always a chance of plans falling through. One child could get sick during the project and not be able to complete their part. Everyone could get swamped with other obligations, and deadlines may have to move. Children often get discouraged when things change in the middle of a project. Encourage your child to be flexible and plan ahead. By making contingency plans and collaborating, your child and their classmates can complete just about any project successfully and on time.

Collaboration is the name of the game for students at North Tampa Christian Academy. At our Tampa private school, students thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

Teacher Spotlight: Luke Fogg

Luke Fogg, one of our physical education teachers at NTCA, began teaching last fall after graduating from Southern Adventist University with a degree in kinesiology. Becoming a teacher wasn’t always part of the plan. During his freshman year of college, Fogg felt called to do the work of being a teacher. 

As a recent college graduate, Fogg feels that he has an easy time relating to his students. He understands what they’re going through because not too long ago, he was going through some of the same things. With this experience, he’s able to see from their perspectives, which has helped him have more sympathy for students when they struggle. Fogg makes an effort to be there for his students and give them grace, just like Jesus would have.  

“The Bible talks a lot about grace and the grace that Jesus gives us,” Fogg said. “I try to do that for my students, as well.”

Of all the verses and passages in the Bible, Fogg’s favorite is Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 

Fogg, who only recently moved to Florida, grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. As a child growing up in Indianapolis, he wanted to be a professional basketball player. He still plays basketball, as well as golf, during downtime. Sports are still an integral part of his life, even if he chose not to pursue sports stardom. If he was given the chance to have dinner with any three people, alive or dead, he would dine with three sports icons: Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. 

When he’s not in the classroom, on the green or on the court, Fogg enjoys going to the beach, shopping and spending time with his friends. He loves staying active both on and off campus. 

Project-based teaching at NTCA has been a great experience for Fogg. He appreciates being able to teach in an environment where students are actively engaged in learning through hands-on activities. Teaching at this school also gives him the opportunity to make connections with amazing students and share the love of Jesus with everyone in his classroom. 

Since Fogg only recently started teaching, he feels like he’s still learning about all the best parts. Based on his experience so far, he believes the most rewarding part of the experience will be seeing what his students take away when they graduate and how they use those lessons in life after NTCA. His students constantly impress him, and he hopes that after leaving his classroom, they will walk away with a sense that they’re valued and that they should value and respect others. 

“The two things I always tell my students are to be yourself and be happy with who you are, and also to be kind to everyone,” Fogg said. “To me those two things matter more than anything I can teach.”

Get to Know Luke Fogg

Do you have any pets? I have a 2-month old Cavachonpoo (a cavalier King Charles spaniel and bichon frise mix bred with a miniature poodle)

What are your favorite books? “The Last Season” by Phil Jackson and “Underdawgs” by David Woods 

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? I think it would have to be pizza.

If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would do? Hire a financial adviser.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I would love to be able to fly!

Students at North Tampa Christian Academy, a Tampa private school, thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.