Words matter. So, at Christ Covenant School, we use words often that help remind us of who we are and what exactly we are striving to do. We use words like “delight” and “wonder” and “curious” and “Christ-exalting.” These are just a few of the adjectives anchoring our school community in an endeavor to provide a play-based, God-centered, gently Classical school environment for our K-5th grade students.
By adding the “gently Classical” description to our elementary curriculum, we are intentionally adding something distinct to the form and the function of our daily rhythms. Drawing from the time-tested methods of our Western tradition, we strive to immerse our students in a literature rich, wonder inducing, curiosity sparking environment. From Mrs. Gendron’s nature study and read alouds to Mrs. Williamson’s poetry teas, our daily classes are infused with assignments and rhythms that highlight and enforce the objectives of our school.
Classical, Christian education is an engaging form of training the heart, soul, and mind of a child. At its core are two characteristics: first, the end goal is a virtuous, wise person – a man or woman with a vibrant faith who is well prepared for a life of service to God and man. We choose curriculum and staff that help shape the affections as well as the intellect of the child. We hope to form those affections to be in line with Scripture, because we want to love what God loves. Our curriculum includes literature, art, music, science, and nature study that allows our students to explore and study a “feast” of goodness and beauty. Reading and history form the basis for much of the teaching. Second, classical education focuses on the process of learning. Our teachers model the process of learning and share their own passion for working a math problem or discovering new facts about how God has ordered the world. In these early years, our students take great delight in memorizing and reciting poetry and scripture. A major objective of this education is teaching students to think, discern, and evaluate. Additionally, our small class sizes help nurture relationships between student and teacher and give students more access to asking questions.
We take seriously the role of the family in forming the child. Therefore, Christ Covenant School partners with parents. Our shortened school hours allow children optimal time at home with parents. We believe that God gave parents the privilege and responsibility of being the child’s primary teachers, so we want to see families grow and flourish. We pray for like-minded Christian parents who can fulfill these God-given responsibilities in community with each other and our faculty. Raising children who honor God above man is too hard to do alone!
