Grace Christian Academy

Grace Website

Our Vision

“We aim to graduate young men and women who think clearly and listen carefully with discernment and understanding; who reason persuasively and articulate precisely; who are capable of evaluating their entire range of experience in the light of the Scriptures; and who do so with eagerness in joyful submission to God. We desire them to recognize cultural influences as distinct from biblical, and to be unswayed towards evil by the former. We aim to find them well prepared in all situations, possessing both information and the knowledge of how to use it. We desire they be socially graceful and spiritually gracious; equipped with and understanding the tools of learning; desiring to grow in understanding, yet fully realizing the limitations and foolishness of the wisdom of this world. We desire they have a heart for the lost and the courage to seek to dissuade those who are stumbling towards destruction; that they distinguish real religion from religion in form only; and that they possess the former, knowing and loving the Lord Jesus Christ. And all these we desire them to possess with humility and gratitude to God.”

Admissions

Procedure

Schedule a visit to the Academy. It is always helpful to observe firsthand the environment of Grace Christian Academy.
During your visit, speak with the Headmaster concerning the educational philosophy and methodology of a classical and Christ-centered school.
Complete an application for Admission form and submit it to the GCA office with a non-refundable application of $75.00. A separate form and fee must be submitted for each child.
Schedule a date for the entrance exam for your student. Every student is tested to ensure they are placed in the proper grade level. On the day of testing, parents should supply the Academy with all school records and standardized test results.
Upon completion of the testing process, both parents and the prospective student will be interviewed by the headmaster and possibly other appropriate faculty members. The Administration may also contact the student’s pastor for a reference.
After the interview and reviewing all other required information, the Administration will decide whether or not to admit the student.
Upon acceptance, the family will receive an enrollment packet and the GCA Parent/Student Handbook. All parents and older students must read the Handbook and sign the form agreeing to uphold all the policies of GCA.
All the appropriate forms are to be returned to the Academy along with a registration fee of $200.00 per student. A copy of the student’s birth certificate is also required.
As required by New York State Law, all new students must have a physical examination prior to admission. In addition, the parents must provide a record of immunization showing the student is current with all the required inoculations.
The first day of school is the Wednesday following Labor Day.
Parents will receive a letter during the summer detailing supplies needed for school, as well as a reading list and any required summer projects.

For Students:
A child must have reached the age of five years by December 1 of the fall in which he/she would be entering kindergarten.

A child entering first grade must have reached the age of six years by December 1 of the fall in which he/she would enter GCA.

Every applicant is required to take a diagnostic Entrance Exam. Parents must supply the Academy with any previous standardized testing results, report cards and any other relevant material at the time of application. If a child has successfully completed the previous school year and his school work and behavior compare favorably to the comparable grade at GCA, the child will likely be placed in the grade for which he/she is applying.

However, if through the evaluation of GCA’s Diagnostic Entrance Tests or other evidence, it is determined that the child may not be adequately prepared for the next sequential grade level, it may be necessary that he/she repeat the previous grade.

Requirements

For Parents:
Since Grace Christian Academy exists to educate the children of the Christian community, at least one parent of the student applicant must confess Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior.

Since we believe the local church to be the vehicle through which God works, we strongly encourage believing parents of students to be united in membership with a local church that preaches Christ as the only way of salvation for lost humanity.

The parents enrolling a student must be willing to cooperate with all the written policies of the Academy. This is most important in the area of discipline and schoolwork standards, as well as active communication with the respective teacher(s) and administration. Parents must also read through the Academy’s Statement of Faith in order to gain an understanding of the basic doctrines that are taught at GCA.

A Christ Centered Education

At Grace Christian Academy, we believe that education must have Christ as the center of all learning. This means the Scriptures must be at the center of our education. Education only makes sense, in other words, has meaning and purpose if viewed through the eyes of the creator. Any education that eliminates God is inherently flawed. Therefore, while we have individual bible or theology classes, the scriptures are preeminent in every academic discipline. That includes the fine arts, music and physical education. It is essential to have a biblical world view of the arts since the arts not only reflect the philosophy of a culture but are a strong influence in shaping the culture.

The teaching of scripture is also the basis for the social aspects of the Academy. The students are taught to relate to one another according to the principles of scripture. Jesus Christ taught that we are to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and to love each other as ourselves. Therefore, putting the interests of others first is the rule for the Christian.

Discipline is an essential ingredient in the educational process. The system of discipline employed at the Academy is also based upon the teaching of scripture. The goal of biblical discipline is always restoration and reconciliation. Therefore, discipline is designed to reach the student’s hearts to bring about change from the inside. We encourage all parents to read Shepherding A Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp which is an excellent guide to the biblical model of raising children.

Interview with the headmaster

Academics

Classical Education

In the 1940’s the British author, Dorothy Sayers, wrote an essay entitled “The Lost Tools of Learning.” In her writing, she called for a return to the application of the seven liberal arts of ancient education, the first three being the “Trivium” – grammar, logic, rhetoric. Miss Sayers also compared the three stages of children’s development to the Trivium. Specifically, she matched what she called the “Poll-parrot” stage with grammar, “Pert” with logic, and “Poetic” with rhetoric (see the “Lost Tools Chart”). At GCA, the founding board members were intrigued with this idea of applying a classical education in a Christian context. GCA has been committed to implementing this form of education since the school’s inception.

The main goals of classical education are to teach the students how to think and to give them a love for learning. This is accomplished by employing the principles of the Trivium as outlined in Mrs. Sayer’s essay.

The Grammar stage studies the fundamentals of disciplines in order to build a framework of knowledge on which later information can be hung. Questions of who, what, where, and when are the focus.

The Logic stage brings the grammar of disciplines into ordered relationships. The goal is to equip students with the thinking skills necessary to recognize sound arguments and ideas and to detect and correct fallacious ones. This stage addresses the questions of how and why.

The Rhetoric stage seeks to produce students who can use language, both written and spoken, to express their thoughts eloquently and persuasively. The goal of the Trivium is to educate students not in what to think primarily, but in how to think, thoroughly, maturely, and biblically.

The Trivium has been used by Christians to train their children for almost two thousand years. The great teachers and poets of the Middle Ages were trained in the Trivium, as were the Reformers and many of America’s founding fathers. Men who were to lead free societies in the past were trained according to this method because it teaches them how to think and how to persuade and lead others.

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