On Friday, October 8th, 2021, the Navajo Mission Preparatory School completed its first quarter. While this has been a challenging quarter with Covid-19 still looming large, the school has moved forward in some very positive ways. Our kindergarten students are learning letters, the sounds those letters make, and numbers. First and second grade have made progress in their reading ability and math skills have also improved. We have seen the negative effects of last year's remote learning on our students but they are resilient and with a lot of hard work are catching up. 

GOAL #1: READING TOGETHER AT HOME

We are very proud of so many of our families who have embraced our read-at-home program. One of the single biggest predictors of success in school is whether or not a child is read to in the home. So this year we asked families to read to their children every night. The school sends a book home with the students at the end of each day and families are asked to log the book and time spent reading each evening.  As you can see above, so many of our families are embracing the read-at-home program and we see the pride of achievement in our students’ smiling faces. 

NEW!  MISSION SCHOOL CURRICULUM FOCUS

This school year has brought many new challenges and opportunities for the eager students of the Navajo Lutheran Mission in Rock Point, Arizona. Missing last year’s in-classroom learning has created an especially

difficult time for 1st and 2nd graders who started this year without in-person-taught basic school skills. Our kindergarteners always have a slower start than others due to the lack of consistent pre-K education here on the reservation. However, as are these classes' nature, the students have responded to the challenges with enthusiasm and remarkable resilience.

This year’s overarching goals for all students are read, read, and more reading! We firmly believe that a solid foundation in reading and writing will make all the rest of a child’s school years (and life!) far more successful. Math is easier when a child can read the textbook without straining. Science is much more comprehensible when a text can be studied and understood. Quite simply, every subject is learned much better with good reading skills.

Our professional education staff is dedicated to proper teaching and caring for our youngest learners. The Mission’s many donors and school sponsors make this all possible. More information about how you can support the Mission's Navajo Christian Education is available by clicking here. We thank you. Our community thanks you. Because of you it is “onward and upward” for our little Navajo Mission Blue Jays!

THE MEANING OF NAVAJO CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

What We Do Matters for Family and Community

Like flowers growing in the desert, life on the Navajo Nation is extremely challenging and yet can be beautifully rewarding. Children grow up fast here. Often from families of farmers and ranchers, the little ones learn toughness and resilience in the name of survival in this region's modern-day dust bowl. 

Our Mission's Christian Education Curriculum offers the best of the twin worlds of hope and growth. We honor and teach the culture, values, and language of the proud Navajo people - yet imbue a sense of Christ-inspired wonder and possibilities available in the very real world our children are about to enter.

Along with all the standard subjects, we also teach that peace, harmony, community, and Hózhó (beautiful relationships with others and the world itself) are more than just words to Christian Navajos. They are the genuine underpinnings of success and happiness in our rapidly changing and easily-misunderstood world.

When you support Christian Navajo education, you lift up and make possible an improved life for all Navajo families. We would be hard-pressed to imagine a more worthy investment in support of any Americans in need of a better life in the future.

HOW TO EARN AN ARIZONA TAX CREDIT (FREE MONEY!)

Donors with an Arizona tax liability can earn a dollar-for-dollar reduction in their state tax bill by supporting the Navajo Lutheran Preparatory Academy through ACSTO.org. The Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization makes donating easy, financially-rewarding, and a great way to support the Navajo youth. You will find full details on their website. Thank you for your consideration.