LOWER SCHOOL
Grace Covenant Academy Grades 1-5
We Partner with Parents
God tells us in the book of Proverbs that if we train our children in the way they should go, then they will not depart from it. God teaches us that if we teach our children the Gospel from an early age, that it is likely they will come to know the Lord. We trust in God’s sovereignty over the salvation of our children, and we strive to be instruments that God uses for that purpose. With this understanding, we try to teach all of our children that the “Way” they need is Jesus. It’s not a path of self-discipline, but a person whom they must know.
At Grace Covenant Academy, our Lower School program is based on the gospel of Jesus Christ. We teach basic core subject classes through a biblical worldview and frame them in the gospel. At this age, we hope to instill a passion for learning, self-discipline, and obedience to parents and authority. But most importantly, we partner with you by sharing the gospel and showing how it relates to all areas of our lives and education.
Schedule
Lower School classes (Kindergarten – 5th grade) are 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, with additional at-home school work throughout the rest of the week. As your partner, we will do the majority of curriculum selection, lesson planning, and teaching, while allowing you to be the primary leader and mentor in your child’s lives. We find this model to be an effective way of teaching core subject lessons and delegating leadership and parental responsibilities to you.
Our Promise: Small Class Sizes
The maximum class size for grades 1-5 is 18.
Curriculum / Courses
In Lower School, we focus on creating students who are growing in the disciplines of learning and critical thinking. Students advance through the core subjects as they prepare for Upper School learning. At this age, we strive to connect how our education is tied to our worship of God, and how learning can truly be fun! Below is an overview of the general emphasis of each subject.
// Bible
At this age, we focus on helping students learn the basics of the Gospel. We want them to learn who God is, how we can know Him through Jesus, and how we can talk with him through prayer and the Bible. We encourage families to spend time in God’s word each day with a devotional (suggested by GCA) or with any plan of their choosing and we also ask our families to have a Bible memory plan for their family or to follow our GCA Bible memory plan. Our goal is to create an environment for each family to flourish in the Lord as we come alongside and partner with you in your goals for your children.
// Math
We want our students to explore the relationships between numbers and help them to understand how math works. Throughout the elementary years, students progress in their ability to add, subtract, divide, multiply, and understand how it all works. This year, we are using Bob Jones math throughout the Lower School grades.
// Language Arts
In Lower School, we want to help students lay an excellent reading foundation, while also growing in their ability to write and communicate. We focus on helping students grow in the disciplines of reading, vocabulary development, spelling, writing, grammar, and general communication. For language arts, we utilize personal reading, reading groups, and writing workshops.
// Science
In science, we begin developing and cultivating a desire to learn through exploration and observation. If creation declares the glory of God, then we want to help our students observe and understand creation, so that they can see God’s good design. Through interactive projects, we teach students the basics of the scientific method and scientific principles in physical, life, earth, and space science.
// Social Studies
Through social studies, we try to help students see how God is in control of human history, and how he is orchestrating a wonderful story of His redemption through Jesus. In the lower elementary, we focus on general social studies, people of the world and geography, and American history. In the upper elementary grades we utilize the book Mystery of History with engaging projects and lessons to help students learn history from a God-centered perspective.
// Character
While we realize that character training takes place primarily in the home, we are consistently trying to model and teach godly character and reinforce the principles and habits our families hold to be true. We utilize class management techniques to encourage students to lead and submit to authority. Additionally, we focus on the importance of respect, love, obedience, diligence, and forgiveness. Throughout the semester, we study a variety of character traits as families, with take home sheets, suggested family discussions, and chapel speakers.
Our Staff
Sondra Reid
Kindergarten
Diana Smith
First Grade
Julie Buman
Grades 3-5 Math
Shannon Rowell
Fifth Grade
Vanessa Van Dyck
3rd History, 6th Bible
Sara Bibler
Fourth Grade
Julie Rhine
Third Grade
Denise Harris
Second Grade
Gina Patterson
Band, Choir
Brittany Scott
Physical Education