Faith Christian Academy - Blog

Act Now

7/27/2015

Summer break is nearly over and the start of the 2015-2016 school year is only a couple of weeks away for Ashland area schools. Militant secularists tightened their grip on America this summer and you know that they will continue to drive God from the public discourse. As the public schools lower academic standards and introduce ever more graphic content, you are the only barrier between your child and the rot of the liberal educational establishment.

The local public schools are staffed by and large by good people but they are bound by federal standards that you know are bad for your children morally and academically. Faith Christian Academy exists to give you an alternative to the secularism that you reject. We've often said here that Christian schools aren't a luxury- they are a necessity. You may have to sacrifice financially but your child's eternal soul is worth every cent that goes toward Christ-based education.

Faith Christian Academy is currently accepting enrollments for K4 and K5 kindergarten. You cannot give your child a better start than Christian education. It is a simple choice, really. You can send them to private daycare or head start at the public schools. Or you can have them in a Godly classroom where they learn daily about Jesus in the challenging A BEKA curriculum. For a little over $21.00 a day there is no better investment for your child. We call it educating for eternity.

God is talking to your heart and you must act now. You know your child deserves better than the public schools. Call 606-928-3039 or email info@faithacademyashland.com to schedule and interview today.

Educating for Eternity

4/13/2015

Registration for the 2015-2016 school year is underway at Christian schools in the Ashland area and across the country. Spring registration is crucial for private schools as budgets are set, commitments are made to staff, educational supplies are purchased and capital improvements are planned. And it all depends on you. Yes, you.

The ability for a church-sponsored school or a non-denominational school such as Faith Christian Academy (FCA) to exist depends on customers. That is you.

Church sponsored schools may receive subsidies from their congregations but at the end of the day, enough families must commit to the idea of Christian education to make it a reality. Even the ability of a church to underwrite the expenses of a school is not without limit. We know. This school was formed when Calvary Christian School (CCS) was closed by its host church following a prolonged decline in enrollment. Lifelong Learning Christian Academy closed in November 2014 due to a budget shortfall. Other Christian schools have come and gone over the years for the same reasons.

As we've written in this space before, starting a school is difficult but operating one is exponentially more so.

As Christian school parents we are, by nature, malcontents. Otherwise, our children would be committed to the secular public schools. However, we want more for our children. We want a strong spiritual foundation upon which academics are built. We want our children in a safe, bully-free environment. We want our children to be high achievers. We want them to be able to play sports and have extra-curricular activities. We want playgrounds with new swings and slides and monkey bars. We want our kids to make all A's. And we want the tuition to be cheap. Well. Sadly, depending on where a school is in it's life cycle, it is usually not possible to provide all of these things. It just isn't and so parents in search of the perfect schools often move their children from good ones. Sometimes over and over again.

Our experience with our predecessor school and with FCA is that it is often not possible to meet all of parents' expectations for a "full-service" school. It is exceedingly difficult, for example, to offer competitive athletic opportunities. As kids reach higher grades, they often transfer to public schools to play varsity sports, both male and female. Children with musical gifts often transfer to public schools or larger Christian schools in hopes of receiving fine arts scholarships. Academically gifted students often transfer to the highest performing public schools in hopes of earning academic scholarships to choice colleges. And so it goes.

After much prayer we decided from the beginning that FCA would be a school at which our students would be expected to aspire to character, excellence, and achievement. We selected the A Beka curriculum which is known for its incorporation of biblical truths in daily lessons but equally so for it's rigor in the primary grades. We set our grading scales consistent with the highest achieving schools.   We thought outside the box by locating in a mall with a public library and onsite food service. We affiliated with the Holy Family Collegiate High School where an Associate's degree is earned during the junior and senior years of high school.

Then our teachers set about maintaining classrooms in which these high ideals were put into daily practice. Mr. Rucker, Ms. Iris, Ms. Shannon, Ms. Lisa, Ms. Darlene and Ms. Kari have- each of them- expected the best from our students. We require uniforms. We do not tolerate bullying and we use the PeaceBuilders principles. From bible memory verses to vocabulary words to reading comprehension to mathematics, we have prayed for, pushed and praised our students.   Our students have earned their grades; they were never given an A or an F.   For those efforts, on average, across all grades, our students have scored above grade level on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills for the first two years after CCS closed. We expect this year's testing to be equally successful.

We've prayed hard, taught hard, fought hard, given hard, pinched pennies harder than any of us ever thought possible and been the recipients of generosity beyond all expectations. We've been blessed as a staff, as board members, as volunteers, and as parents. Yet, we find our school in need of more students in order to continue.

We have over five hundred followers on Facebook and over 250 followers on Twitter.   We've been blessed with prayer warriors who have sustained this school with uplifting prayer and financial support. They have brought us this far but now we need you.

Frankly, we have lost students because of the path we felt God called us to follow.   Based on feedback we've received both at CCS and now FCA, using the watered-down 60-70-80- 90-100 grading scale, reducing the number of spelling words to be memorized, dropping cursive writing, reducing the number of quizzes, reducing the amount of homework, and modifying the A Beka approach to classroom management would result in an immediate increase in enrollment. However, God doesn't always call us to do that which is easy. Lowering standards would eliminate our raison d'etre.

In the end, this school is brought to you, by you. If you value a traditional education where Christ is at the center, where much is expected and everything is earned, you must act. Now more than ever, with the secularization of public schools and the suppression of religion in the public square, Christian schools aren't a luxury, they are a necessity. And they require sacrifice for the good of your children. The tagline of CCS was "Educating for Eternity" and it is still true today. You may need to eat out less, drive an older car, do without a vacation, do without a boat or RV or off-road vehicle. Really, though, what is the cost of that sacrifice when measured against worth of your child's eternal soul?

Register your child today or schools like FCA might not be here for you tomorrow.

Building Christian Schools is not Easy!

11/22/2014

The recent unfortunate closure of Lifelong Learning Christian Academy reminds us that building a Christian school isn't easy! It is difficult, and particularly so for a non-denominational school without a church sponsor. We know.

The costs of staffing, equipping and running a school can rarely be covered solely by tuition. As our society becomes more secularized, government funding is not an option and grants from private sources are intensely competitive. Thus fundraising and donations are vital for keeping the cost of tuition as affordable as possible. Although we generally do not enjoy selling candy bars or discount cards, they are vital components of every private school's budget, large or small.

Dare we say that every group of visionaries who ever started a Christian school envisioned facilities like the ones in the illustration above. The reality is that for every well-funded sprawling Christian school campus there are probably 99 schools operating from church Sunday school rooms, leased buildings, store fronts, and homes. As a result, the gap between parent expectations for extracurricular sports and academic offerings and the ability to deliver them is usually too wide for small schools to bridge. Our predecessor school tried valiantly to do so but often lost students to larger Christian schools in neighboring cities, or to the public schools because it simply could not field sports teams.

Of the Christian schools in the greater Ashland area, two have been doing the Lord's work the longest. Rose Hill Christian School was founded in the early 1980's and Holy Family School was founded in the 1860's. Both are closely associated with their sponsor churches and offer a range of extracurricular activities. Even so, they must conduct fundraisers to fully fund their budgets.

Christian school boards cannot simply raise taxes or enact levies when their baseline operating expenses rise. The money to ensure that children are educated in a Christian atmosphere comes from you, plain and simple. Large or small, when Christian school children (or their parents) ask you to buy a candy bar, a discount coupon, a raffle ticket, or attend a pancake breakfast, know that it is for a good cause. It could be for playground equipment, it could be for a senior trip, or it could be to ensure that the next payroll is met.

Pray for the families, staff and boards of Christian schools like Lifelong Learning Christian Academy. The wrenching decisions they made last week happen all the time, all over this country.

Encourage a Teacher this Week

5/5/2014

This is National Teacher Appreciation Week and Tuesday, May 6 is National Teacher Appreciation Day. Please take the opportunity let Ms. Darlene, Ms. Lisa, Ms. Shannon, Ms. Sarah, Mr. Rucker and Mr. Setser know you appreciate them and that you are praying for them. Give them a hug, a pat on the back, a handshake or an encouraging word of thanks. They deserve it.

For those of you whose children don't attend our school, take a few moments seek out your child's teacher, or teachers who made a difference in your life. You will enrich them more than you know.

YET ANOTHER WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...

3/16/2014

You may have noticed a few weeks ago that we changed the picture for our school closing updates from a car driving on a snow-covered road to the church marquee pictured on this blog post.

As we type this entry on 03/16/2014, the Greater Ashland, KY area is under yet another winter weather advisory with accumulations of 2-4 inches possible.

We've had colder winters with less snow, warmer winters with more snow and colder winters with even more snow. However, this year we've had ENOUGH snow. Really. Whomever is praying for snow, please stop!

Where you send your child to school matters.

1/14/2014

Read and weep. Really.

First grader told to stop talking about Bible

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/01/14/first-grader-told-to-stop-talking-about-bible/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fopinion+%28Internal+-+Opinion+-+Mixed%29

The Twelve Days of Solstice?

12/21/2013

Many of us are old enough to remember annual complaints about the commercialization of Christmas in the 1960s and 1970s. There was much hand-wringing back then about jolly old Saint Nick replacing the birth of Christ as the "reason for the season."

Ah for those days! Today's secularized society is now pushing Santa out and replacing him with penguins and igloos and pigs with scarves. Santa will soon be gone and, by the way, we challenge you to find any stores that sell a lighted Nativity scene for your yard anywhere nowadays.

Since the constitution is often being interpreted to protect us from religion, rather than guarantee the public expression thereof, Saint Nicholas must go! He's, you know, that Catholic guy. Too religious. We just can't have a saint showing every year offending the, um, offended. Unless, of course, they are Catholics, or Baptists, or Pentacostals, or Methodists, or Anglicans, or any other Christian denomination. Sadly, that's acceptable.

So as we near the end of another Solstice season, let us not forget the reason for the season. Our savior was born to die on a rugged cross for our sins. More on that other holiday in a few months.

All of us at Faith Christian Academy hope your holidays are happy. We really do. But instead, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May God bless your family and friends.

Bible Verse Of The Day

9/24/2013

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.
Revelations 20:6
King James Version (KJV)

Bible Verse Of The Day

9/17/2013

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16
King James Version (KJV)

Bible Verse Of The Day

8/23/2013

Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:11
King James Version (KJV)