Saved to Serve A Lesson from Narnia

April 29, 2025

In the early 1970s there was a group of Christians who gathered as a missional prayer group to help provide Christian Education for students of Paterson and Passaic who could not afford it. They purchased the current building, which had been abandoned for nearly 40 years in July 1977 with the school opening in September.

The decision had been made to name the school Dawn Treader, borrowed from the CS Lewis book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, one of seven of the Chronicles of Narnia.

Pastor Stan VanderKlay, of Northside Chapel CRC and ECUMP Board member, preached at the Sunrise service the day before the school opened and explained in his sermon the reason for this name.

I quote from Stan’s message as recorded in his book Chains of Grace:

“The Son of God was incarnated in Narnia as a large golden lion named Aslan, who had once offered himself to be slaughtered, but then came alive again to save the Narnians from the corruption of sin which had entered that world. Dawn Treader was a sailing ship on a royal mission to the East, toward Aslans’s country.

Three children of our world were looking at a picture of that Viking-type, single sail ship with its dragon head and tail splashing through the waves when suddenly they began to get wet and then found themselves drawn into the real Narnian seas. Rescued by the Dawn Treader they spent more than a year on that mission having many adventures and learning much about life and faith.

“Near the end they were directed to go to the side shore of the sea. Aslan met them there, opened a door in the sky which ushed them back into their real world and told them that there they would come to know him by a different name. Their voyage on the DT would help them learn how to live Christianly back at home.

“Dawn Treaders are people of the Son” was our motto. In this living history lesson, in a mill where children once worked long, hard days weaving sild, brightness would now be woven into their lives, so that with Christ as the center of everything, their voyage in our Dawn Treader would, we prayed, empower them to live relevantly for Christ in the real world.”

Jesus saves us to live in a relationship with God not just so we can go to heaven after we die, but so we can live out Christ’s mission while we live. We are “saved to serve.”

Just like Aslan sent the children back to their world Jesus sends us out into His world to carry out his mission of “making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19

Our goal is to disciple each child at Dawn Treader to follow Jesus so they can then also make disciples.

Thank you for all you do to help our students on their academic and Jesus- following journey.

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Ship's Log - School Update

By Taneka Darby • September 23, 2025

Cultivating Minds and Hearts It's a privilege to assist our teachers and parents in cultivating the young minds and hearts of our students. As an alumna of Dawn Treader Christian School and a former teacher, it's a full-circle experience to observe the many facets of education, such as admissions, academics, classroom instruction, assessments, and academic competitiveness. Student and Academic Growth We're grateful to have experienced growth in admissions this year. Our student body has increased to 117 students, and we're planning for more growth in each grade level in the months and years to come. With growth comes the responsibility to steward our learners, and our staff members are extremely excited and eager to instruct our students. Not only are they utilizing smartboards and Chromebooks in the classroom for instruction, visual aids, and classroom management, but students also have after-school activities available, such as classes in Coding, Math Enrichment, and STEM. Making STEM available to our students has been one of our top priorities as we train them to advance in their academics and beyond. Preparing for the Future As we prepare our students for middle school and high school, we use I-Ready Diagnostic Assessments and standardized testing tools to help teachers and parents understand the strengths and challenges of our students. Last year, we implemented an I-Ready Pep Rally to help ignite excitement in reading and mathematics. During each round of I-Ready, every class experienced growth in both subjects, and students were celebrated for their efforts. Our eighth-grade learners are also in the process of preparing for high school applications, open houses, and shadowing opportunities, which is always exciting. Extracurricular Enrichment This year, a plethora of events are planned for our students, including Hispanic Heritage Presentations, participation in the Northern NJ Christian School Spelling Contest, the annual D.T.C.S. Christmas Concert, Black History Month Presentations, Read Across America, and our annual Spring Concert, to name a few. We're looking forward to an exciting year full of growth and success for our students and staff. Thank you for your partnership and willingness to sow into the lives of our students as we help them tap into their God-given potential. We pray that the seeds that have been sown into Dawn Treader Christian School will, in turn, bless you richly. Ms. Taneka Darby Dean of Students and the Admissions Contact

From Ensemble to Elite Eight: Imani Baker's Journey of Praise and Purpose

By Robert Skead • June 23, 2025

Imani Baker , a rising 8th grader at Dawn Treader, seamlessly blends her passion for music with a deep-rooted faith. From harmonizing with her beloved Ensemblet o navigating the supportive halls of Dawn Treader since kindergarten, Imani's journey is a testament to the power of community, mentorship, and a clear vision for the future. Her story, marked by a love for abstract art, a dedication to her studies, and an ambition to return to Dawn Treader as a teacher, highlights a young woman already living out the quiet yet impactful life described in her favorite Bible verse. Favorite thing about being in the Ensemble: My favorite thing is praising God. I like the people too. It’s really fun. We have so much fun together. I especially like how we do harmonies for specific songs. It was sometimes tricky to learn, but Ms. Williams taught and encouraged us, and we got it. Favorite thing about Dawn Treader : My fellow students and the staff members. I’ve been at dawn Treader since kindergarten, so I’ve met lots of people through the years. Some have moved on, some are still here. Mr. Berra does everything and I know I can always go to him when I have a problem. When I need help, all the teachers are there to listen. They pray for me and give me Bible verses and biblical advice. Favorite school subject: Music On what she wants to be when she grows up: I want to come back and be a teacher at Dawn Treader. I’d love to be the music teacher like Ms. Williams, who has taught me so much, but I’d teach any subject. Hobbies: Singing, painting (abstract art), dancing, reading, swimming Favorite Bible verse: 1 Thessalonians 4: 11-12, NIV, which says, “and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that yo uwill not be dependent on anybody".