New Curriculum
Our office serves on the North American Division (NAD) secondary, elementary and early childhood committees that review current curriculum, select new curriculum, develop curriculum, and plan teacher training for implementing new curriculum. The Lake Union Conference (LUC) purchased the teacher daily lesson guides for the new Pathways 2.0 language arts program that is being used for the first time this school year.
Teacher Certification
Sue Tidwell, the LUC Registrar, reviews teacher transcripts and communicates what academic/non-academic credits need to be completed to receive certification and/or renew certification. The LUC education budget covers tuition costs for classes teachers need to take for denominational and/or state certification when pre-approved by their superintendent and our office.
EMT: Education Management Team
This team is made up of superintendents and academy principals. Each fall we connect with the Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Department at Andrews University (AU) to host a joint Professional Day with AU students who will be student teaching and graduating in December or in the spring. In the afternoon, our LUC administrators provide the opportunity for AU students to practice interviewing.
Secondary Leadership
Junior and Senior academy student leaders in the Lake Union have the opportunity to attend an annual leadership conference to collaborate and further blossom in areas of Spirit-led campus leadership via six themed worship segments; sectional workshops for Student Association, Junior/Senior class offices, Campus Spiritual Life, Newspaper/Yearbook and Campus Resident Assistants. A communion service, Agape Feast and recreation provide an enjoyable and meaningful growth experience for our student leaders.
Professional Learning Communities (PLC): English, Math, Science
Once a year academy and junior academy teachers are invited to attend a PLC event at our Union office. This gives an opportunity for continued growth in their specific subject area and provides an opportunity for an exchange of ideas.
School Accreditation Visits
It is important for each school to have current denominational accreditation. Conference superintendents chair elementary accreditation visits. Our Union office chairs junior academy accreditation visits and also sets up visiting teams for academy accreditation visits, chaired by a director outside our Union. Our Lake Union associate Education director, Ruth Horton, prepares an annual LUC accreditation report for the NAD Commission on Accreditation.
Financial Assistance
Each December we divide the money in our LUC Small Schools Emergency budget by the number of one and two-teacher schools in each conference. Conferences distribute this money to help with small school unexpected facility emergencies. In order to help more schools, the emergency funds distributed are to be matched by either the school or the conference.
It is our privilege to support each superintendent, principal and teacher in our Union. Please join me in praying daily for our administrators, teachers and students.
One of my favorite quotations from Ellen White is found on page 1 of the book, Education. “True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of study. . . It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come.”
May this be the experience of each and every student.
Linda Fuchs, Lake Union Education superintendent
