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Westgate Christian Academy Handbook
2007-2008
Mission
WCA provides a Christ-centered environment of academic excellence, where staff members work in partnership with families, to develop students who will know and serve the Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart, mind and strength.
Vision
- Board members and founders believe Westgate is fulfilling a God-given mission.
- Westgate staff and parents work together to prepare students in an excellent way academically, and equip them to serve God with the many and varied talents He has granted to them.
- We see the school growing as a consequence of God’s leadership and blessing. We anticipate growth to be both quantitative and qualitative in nature.
- It is our vision for Westgate not to grow beyond three sections at each grade level, but we would see growth occurring through an additional campus if God so leads and blesses. This is in keeping with our desire for students to learn in a “community” atmosphere where they know others, are known by others, and are accountable for their actions.
School Colors
v Green reminds us that just as the evergreen tree does not die in winter, we have eternal life in Christ.
v Gold is the measure of wealth throughout the Bible, yet wisdom is more precious and cannot be purchased with gold. (See Job, Chapter 28) God tells us this about wisdom – “The fear of the Lord –that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”
Mascot
v Westgate Lions – Proverbs 28 – “The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”
Statement of Faith
Westgate Christian Academy will employ teachers, and serve students, from a number of different Christian church denominations. Though denominationally we have different traditions and sometimes interpret scripture differently, God sees all true believers as part of the “body of Christ” and considers us collectively “the church.”
Westgate Board members and founders believe we are to consider one another as Matthew 22:37 directs:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
In keeping with this command from our Lord Jesus Christ, our perspective is the same as Augustine’s 1500 years ago when he said, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love." The Westgate Board and founders believe the following describe the “essentials” of the Christian faith to which we subscribe. These basic elements characterize our faith and separate it from other beliefs.
- First, we believe in the authority of Scripture, which is another way of saying that the Bible is God's inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word. It's the ultimate source for knowledge about God, as well as the definitive guide for our daily lives.
- Next we affirm the existence of a triune God or one God in three distinct persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This God is self-existent, eternal, unchanging, omnipotent, omnipresent, holy, righteous, and loving. God created the universe from nothing and He rules over His creation sovereignly including both human and angelic beings.
- We also hold that man is a physical and spiritual being who is created in God's image. But because of his sin or transgression, man has lost his fellowship with God. The extent of sin is so great that its effects continue to this very day in the form of cruelty, suffering, and death.
- By God's grace, Jesus Christ - Who is fully God and fully man - was sent to save us from our bondage to sin. We believe that Christ was born of a virgin, died for our sins, physically rose from the dead, and will one day return to judge the world and deliver His people. Faith in Christ is the only means by which mankind can escape eternal damnation and judgment.
- Finally, we recognize the church as God's ordained institution headed by Christ. The church is composed of all believers, and is organized for worship, for fellowship, for the administration of the sacraments, for spiritual growth and support, and for evangelizing the world.
What Makes Westgate A “Christian School?”
In accord with the beliefs stated above, the following practices will characterize daily school life at Westgate:
1. Staff will be selected who demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control in their daily lives. The Westgate staff is comprised of people seeking to live according to God’s plan through the strength of the Holy Spirit.
2. Staff will demonstrate a trust in God’s love for us and His Word as they pray with, and for students, and the daily concerns they bring to school.
3. Discipline will be done in a spirit of character building. God uses the events of our lives to shape us into His likeness. Children need to learn that God always loves us, but our actions carry consequences that are sometimes inescapable.
4. Elementary and Middle School students will have the opportunity to worship once each week. Elementary and Middle School chapel services will be separate. Parents are always welcome to join us for Chapel.
5. All students will study God’s Word on a daily basis.
6. A Biblical perspective will be shared with students in discussions that take place in all subject areas. We believe God’s Word is relevant to every issue we face and every academic discipline. It is our goal for students to realize this and emerge from Westgate with an informed Biblical perspective.
Academic Excellence
A commitment to excellence will be reflected in the following:
1. North Central Accreditation – Westgate sought and achieved accreditation in school year 2006-2007. This accreditation status insures accountability to an organization with high academic standards, and makes mandatory continual improvement to our program.
a. What is the North Central Association? Founded in 1895, the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) is a non-governmental, voluntary organization that accredits more than 9,000 public and private schools in 19 states, the Navajo Nation, and the Department of Defense Dependents' Schools worldwide. For over 100 years, the NCA focus has been to advance the quality of education. More about NCA CASI can be learned at the following website: www.ncacasi.org
b. NCA accreditation was granted to the Elementary and Middle School programs, and Early Childhood accreditation will be added in future years.
c. The Early Childhood program will also be licensed by the State of Missouri after Westgate occupies permanent quarters.
d. Starting in 2007, NCA is merging with another well known accrediting agency and the new name will be AdvancEd.
2. Westgate teachers in elementary and middle school will be certified by the State of Missouri to teach the subjects to which they are assigned. In those rare cases where teachers are working toward certification, progress toward their degree/certificate will be continuous and monitored.
3. Administrators will hold the appropriate degree/certification to qualify them for the duties they perform.
4. Where possible, experienced teachers and administrators will be sought.
5. Board members will be responsible for policy development, financial oversight, and supervision/development of personnel. Board members will serve three year terms with a two-term limit. Board members will be sought who – like the staff – demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in their daily walk with God. Board members will demonstrate knowledge of God’s Word, and seek to make decisions for the school directed by a Biblical world view. Fifty percent or more of the Board members will be current patrons of the school, and others will be community members with special business/financial/educational backgrounds who desire to serve God through sharing their expertise with the Westgate Board.
6. Because NCA accreditation is a dynamic process that continually causes the school to evaluate its programs and improve offerings, the current Board, and future Boards, will continually be challenged to be good stewards of the resources available as they provide an ever improving program to students and families.
Curriculum
All WCA students will participate daily in a planned program of learning objectives called “curriculum” that is appropriate to their age and development. Parents can review the standards set for all accredited schools in Missouri at http://www.dese.state.mo.us/standard
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Subject
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Textbook
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Early Childhood Math
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Everyday in Pre-K
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Early Childhood Literacy
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Houghton Mifflin
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Early Childhood Bible
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A Beka Book Publications
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Grades K-5 Reading
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Houghton Mifflin
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Grades K-5 English
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Houghton Mifflin
5th grade: National Geographic –
Non-Fiction Reading/Writing
Workshop
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Grades 1-5 Spelling and Vocabulary
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Houghton Mifflin
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Grades K-5 Math
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Houghton Mifflin - Math Expressions
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Grades K-5 Science
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Age appropriate materials on creation
– taught at beginning of year
Houghton Mifflin – Experience
Science
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Grades K-5 History/Geography/Social Studies
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Teacher’s Curriculum Institute –
Social Studies Alive
4th grade: Missouri Then and Now
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Grades K-2 Handwriting
Handwriting taught in grades three and four; no book used
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Zaner Bloser – children will learn manuscript in Early Childhood and Grades kindergarten and one. Students will practice cursive writing starting in grade two.
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Grades K-5 Bible
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Positive Action For Christ
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Grades K-5 Music
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MacMillan-McGraw Hill
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Grade 6-8 English/Literature
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Holt, Rinehart Winston – Elements of Literature (English is embedded in this program)
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Grade 6-8 Math
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Holt, Rinehart, Winston –
Math in Context
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Grade 6-8 Social Studies
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Glencoe/McGraw Hill –
6th grade – Geography
7th grade – World History
8th grade – Civics Today
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Grade 6-8 Science
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Holt, Rinehart, Winston
Science and Technology Short Courses
In addition, age-appropriate materials on creation are taught at the beginning of each year in all grade levels K-8.
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Grade 6-8 Speech and Drama
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MacMillan-McGraw Hill
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Grade 6-8 Bible
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Positive Action For Christ
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Grade 6-8 Music
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MacMillan/McGraw Hill
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Parents may find it of interest to visit the Houghton Mifflin website (http://www.eduplace.com/kids or http://www.hmco.com/indexf.html) or the Holt Rinehart Winston website (http://www.hrw.com/) for more information about the textbooks we use.
Early Childhood:
The Early Childhood program will serve children who are three years old before July 31 of the year of entrance in the “Cubs Three” program and children who are four years old by July 31 in the “Cubs Four” program. Children who are at least two years old may enroll in the “Cubs Two” program.
The Early Childhood program will operate in rooms with the state recommended 35 square feet of floor space per child. They will have a literature-rich environment with a water table for kinesthetic learning, art activities, daily Bible story, pre-literacy and pre-math instruction, gross and fine motor activities, music, poetry, and more. Please see the “Early Childhood” page to give you a better understanding of what you can expect in Early Childhood!
We will serve 20 students in Cubs Three and 20 students in Cubs Four in the full time, curriculum + care programs. In these 40 opportunities, we will include children who enroll for two days, curriculum + care, and children who enroll for three days, curriculum + care.
For four-year-olds, we will serve 10 students in a Monday/Wednesday/Friday class, three-hour curriculum only – both an a.m. section and a p.m. section; and 10 students in a Tuesday/Thursday class, three-hour curriculum only – both an a.m. and p.m. section.
For three-year-olds, we will serve 8 students in MWF, three-hour curriculum only – both a.m. and p.m. sections; and 8 students in TTh, three-hour curriculum only – a.m. and p.m. sections.
We will serve 7 two-year-old students in each of two rooms with a full-time, childcare program.
For complete information regarding the Early Childhood program, please see their Parent Handbook on this website.
Elementary/Middle School:
The State of Missouri has defined learning goals for all subject areas at all grade levels – K-12, and these are referred to as THE SHOW ME STANDARDS grade level expectations or GLE's. WCA will view these objectives as a baseline, and students will be challenged to go beyond. The textbooks selected will be excellent tools to help our children learn to think at levels above just fact and comprehension. While we fully recognize the need to memorize facts and develop a knowledge base from which to work, children also need to learn how to use the stored knowledge to analyze and evaluate new situations and solve problems. That is our goal as we cover the objectives outlined in the Missouri Show Me standards. If you would like to review those standards, here is the web site where you will find grade level objectives.
http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/GLE/GLEindex.html
It might also interest parents that, because many of our students have above average ability levels, and some would be in gifted programs if they were enrolled in public schools, the curriculum we will be using is based on the same philosophy as curriculum offered in gifted classes. It seeks to help children learn the facts, and then go beyond the facts, of math, social studies, science, geography, and literature. Teachers help students understand how these “subjects” actually impact their world. Our constant goal will be to help children understand all that they learn in light of a Christian worldview.
This does not mean that the curriculum will be harder for children who have difficulty learning. Learning facts requires a good memory. All teachers know that the best way to reduce the number of repetitions needed to gain retention is to add meaning. For instance, see how many times you must practice this phone number in order to memorize it – 1-800-356-9377. Now see how many times it takes you to remember – 1-800-Flo-wers. Much less? You are memorizing the same number of digits. You simply added meaning! This is a short course in what we hope to do for our children. We believe it will be good for gifted and challenged both! The textbooks listed above are the best tools we can find to help us accomplish these goals.
Class Schedules
WCA students at all levels will establish a weekly schedule that allows them to receive the full curriculum for their grade level.
1. Elementary students – K through 5 - will have P.E. or music daily. They will have one hour of computer instruction and one hour of art instruction each week. Elementary students will have a 25 minute lunch, followed by a 25 minute recess, daily. The remainder of the student’s day will be spent in one classroom with their teacher. They will have a desk with all their school supplies and books, and they will be primarily accountable to their teacher.
2. Middle School students – 6th through 8th - will store their belongings in a locker. They will have a homeroom teacher whom they will consider their advisor while at school, but will be responsible to each teacher they have for classwork and behavior. They will travel from room to room as they go through their school day. This requires a higher level of self-discipline and organization than is required in the elementary school. Middle School students will have a 20 minute lunch period and a 10 minute recess.
3. Middle School students will have instruction in the core subjects of communication arts, science, social studies, and math. They will also have opportunities for art, music, PE, computer, and several electives are offered during the first hour of the day.
School Hours
v Elementary and Middle School will begin at 8:30 and end at 3:15. Drop off and pick up will run from 8:10 to 8:30 and 3:15 to 3:45 at both campuses.
v Early Childhood, three-hour curriculum only classes will run from 8:30-11:30 and 12:15 to 3:15.
v Children enrolled in extended care may be dropped off starting at 6:00 a.m. and picked up by 6:00 p.m. WCA recommends that no child be left at school more than 10 hours per day, however. Drop off and pick up for extended care - all ages - will be at the Wesleyan Church on Salt Lick Road.
Extra-Curricular Activities
God gives different interests, talents, and abilities to each child. While there are academic goals all children need to master, extra-curricular activities exist to help children explore and better understand a variety of skills. Extra-curricular offerings should help students learn more about their interests. Leaders will be sought from among the teachers and parents who have the time and ability to provide experience with a variety of interests. A number of offerings will change from one year to another, with some remaining constant. Those we anticipate offering each year would be:
Chorus – This would be a group of middle school boys and girls who particularly enjoy singing. They would be called upon to perform a variety of programs and would represent the school at community events.
CYC Basketball - We have a sixth grade boy's basketball team and a seventh/eighth grade boy's basketball team coached by Greg Gibson.
Girl's Cheerleading - Middle School girls will have the opportunity to participate in a school cheerleading squad.
Band – This is an academic credit for middle school students.
Latin Club - Students interested in Latin will have the chance to meet after school, one night per week, and begin their investigation of this language.
Spanish – This is an academic credit for middle school students and an in-class activity for students in grades kindergarten and one.
Chess Club – Middle School students will have the opportunity to learn to play the game and perhaps compete with clubs from other schools.
Girls For God Squad – A team of middle school girls will train and perform to various Christian songs throughout the year. Like the Chorus, this team will represent the school in our community. Performances will be both during and after school hours. This opportunity is offered before school.
Other activities that will be offered when qualified leaders are available include a journalism club, photography club, science/ecology club, literature club, and other interests. It is understood that any course or extra-curricular offering from Westgate will honor God in its purpose and function.
Westgate Booster Organization
There will be a school support group called the Westgate Booster Club. The group will exist to provide financial support for special school projects and goals and enhance parental involvement and communication. The principal will serve as an ad hoc member and work closely with the Parent Booster Club.
One parent (who is not a staff member) of the Booster Club will be elected each year to serve on the Board of Directors, in a non-voting capacity, for a special one-year term. The same person will be allowed to serve in this capacity for up to three consecutive years if the Booster Club membership votes to keep them in place. This position exists to improve communication between the Board of Directors and the Booster Club.
The Booster Club should function to enhance parent involvement, raise funds for school goals, and provide an avenue of communication between the school and the parent community.
Discipline Policy
Proverbs 10:17 tells us, “He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.” It is our desire for Westgate students to be salt and light in the world, showing others the way to live and not leading others astray!
Children cannot become self-disciplined unless adults teach them right from wrong. At Westgate, children will be taught the expectations for “right” behavior and encouraged to live and act accordingly. When children know something is wrong, and choose to do it anyway, negative consequences will follow to communicate that there is a price to be paid for sin. This is in line with God’s relationship to us. He has given us His Word so that we may know how to live, and He has promised to discipline us if we belong to Him. (Proverbs 3:11-12 - My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.)
In order to help children learn what is right and avoid what is wrong, the following steps will be taken. Please understand that this list is intended to give the spectrum of responses from least to greatest. Staff members will respond to misbehavior at a level commensurate with the nature of the wrong doing.
Staff members will:
1. Explain the expectations for good behavior in various school settings.
2. Keep children engaged in meaningful learning and activity to prevent misbehavior.
3. Use proximity to communicate misbehaviors should stop.
4. Call the student’s name.
5. Conference with the student privately.
6. Deny privileges.
7. Conference with parents.
8. Send student to principal for guidance/consequences.
9. Principal holds conference with parents, student, and teacher.
10. Principal assigns in-school suspension time.
11. Principal assigns out-of-school suspension time.
12. Principal expels student.
While severe discipline (expulsion) is possible, it should be understood that a student will have many opportunities to receive guidance and instruction from both parents and teachers before this results.
Also note that consistent, disruptive behavior is the one reason students will be expelled from WCA. It is not fair to our students or parents to allow one student to hinder the learning opportunity of others.
Respect For School Property
It is assumed that our students will come to school understanding they must take good care of school property. If students mar or destroy school property – including textbooks – they will be asked to replace the damaged item.
Scholastic Cheating
The Westgate staff considers scholastic cheating to be a serious mistake because it is a reflection of character development. Cheating would be defined as any action that produces an unearned grade for another person or for self. Examples of actions that would trigger consequences related to cheating include but are not limited to:
- A student who copies another student's work (applies to any assignment, test, project, etc.)
- A student who allows another student to copy his work.
- A student who presents past work or someone else's work as their own.
- A student who engages in plagiarism
Consequences for cheating include but are not limited to:
- A score of 0 on the assignment in question
- Automatically must do the assignment for no credit
- Possible In-School suspension or Out-of-School suspension if the situation warrants it.
Student Attendance, Health, and Safety
It is imperative for students to be in regular attendance if learning is to take place. Parents communicate their attitude toward the importance of school by encouraging attendance. Attendance at school frequently dictates attendance patterns in the world of work. Because establishing excellent attendance during these early school years has consequences for learning and future habits, WCA will make health and safety a priority.
1. Office staff will keep medical records, attend to injuries, and communicate health situations to teachers and parents.
2. The value of good nutrition and exercise will be taught in health classes as well as in science.
3. Annual awards will be given for outstanding and perfect attendance.
4. Students who are sick with contagious diseases or conditions must stay home so they do not spread the problem to other students and prevent their attendance.
5. Parents are asked to cooperate by keeping children home until they have been fever free for 24 hours without medication when they have had a temperature of 100° or more.
6. Parents are asked to report contagious conditions to the school office so that other families can be notified that their child has been exposed and preventive measures can be taken symptoms diagnosed quickly.
7. Students will be trained in responding to tornado, earthquake, and fire emergencies so they will know how to respond should these situations occur.
8. Students will be taught rules for proper behavior at lunch, on the playground, in classrooms, bathrooms and hallways, and during arrival and dismissal. Rules will be established that allow students to live and learn together in safety.
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