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God created us in His image, and as His image-bearers we have been endowed with creativity. It is our goal to awaken and nurture that God-given ability. As artists we glorify God, share His truth, and lead others to an appreciation of His creative masterpieces.
Through the study and participation in art, our students will:
- Develop their Godly gifts and express themselves through various tools and media.
- Become familiar with the language and history of art and respond to it with aesthetic judgment
- Follow the elements and principles of design for the exploration, evaluative and expressive processes.
- Experience personal growth as they learn to accept and evaluate their own and others’ work.
- Understand that creative visual expression is a Godly gift given to all students, best used to glorify our Creator.
- Understand that art communicates, and is a way to praise and glorify God.
- Find joy in beauty and lead others to an appreciation of God’s masterpieces.
The Bible is the special account of the process of God’s redeeming acts in history. The study of the Bible is central to our understanding of God, His world, our relationship to Him and our place within His unfolding plan.
Through the study and participation in Bible class, our students will:
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Understand that the Bible is God’s holy and inspired Word.
- Learn who God is, what He has done for them, and how they are to live in response to His love.
- Be able to recognize recurring Biblical themes.
- Memorize scripture verses for life application.
- Learn about the literary, cultural, geographic, historical, and linguistic dimensions of the Bible.
- Be able to use Bible resources and will develop good habits of Bible study.
- Use scripture to view and respond to the world’s cultural influences.
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Be challenged to accept God’s call to repentance, faith, and service.
Early Elementary Reading Philosophy
God reveals Himself to us through the written word. The Bible as well as literary pieces written by men can help us to learn more about God and His creation. Strategies for word-solving and comprehension give us the tools necessary to become meaningful readers. Practicing these strategies gives readers the opportunity to gain insights and understanding using fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, to appreciate and enjoy the gift of literature, and to become effective learners.
Language Arts Philosophy
God reveals Himself through language. The study of language enables us to gain knowledge, explore ideas,and communicate effectively. It is an integrated study of literature, reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Through the study of language we strengthen our relationship with God and are able to communicate His message to others.
Through the study and participation in literature, our students will:
- Understand that God reveals Himself, His creation, His redemptive purposes and truths about human nature, through the written word.
- Develop strategies and skills to comprehend the written word.
- Read a wide variety of literary works.
- Appreciate and enjoy the literary devices employed by an author.
- Discern the authors’ perspectives.
- Learn the art of discussion.
- Respond to literature using a variety of techniques.
- Write for a variety of purposes and use the conventions of writing.
Mathematics Philosophy Statement
God created the world with mathematical principles that man has discovered and symbolically expressed for quantity and space. In the design, order, and recurrence of God’s creation, we see that He is awesome, faithful, and infinite. Mathematical principles and operations performed accurately are used to subdue and rule over God’s creation.
Through the study and participation in math, our students will:
- Understand that God reveals Himself to us through the exploration, understanding, and appreciation of mathematical principles.
- Be able to accurately perform calculations with all types of numbers.
- Be able to represent the interrelatedness between quantity and space.
- Be able to use mathematical concepts as a tool in their daily living in order to glorify God and serve others.
Music Philosophy
God created music for our enjoyment and as a way to praise and glorify Him. It is only because we are created in God’s image that we are able to express ourselves in music. Music education enhances our recognition of the relationship between music and the other disciplines.
Through the study and participation in music, our students will:
1. Sing, alone and with others, a well-balanced repertoire of music, including religious and secular.
2. Perform on instruments, alone and with others, a variety of music.
3. Be able to improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
4. Create compositions and arrange music within specified guidelines.
5. Be able to read and notate music.
6. Listen to, analyze, and describe music.
7. Evaluate music and musical performances.
8. Understand the relationships between music, the Bible, and other disciplines.
9. Understand music in relation to history and culture.
10. Discern if music is God-honoring.
Science Philosophy
God is the Creator of all things living and non-living. He lovingly upholds all created things. God’s glory and His character are revealed through exploration, observation, and scientific study of His world. Man’s fall into sin has impacted all of creation, and it literally groans in expectation waiting for Christ’s second return, when all things will be made new. We seek to serve God as wise stewards of His resources and work to restore Creation’s original beauty.
Through the study and participation in science, our students will:
1. Understand that God created the heavens and the earth, including all things visible and invisible, amazingly large and atomically small, living and non-living.
2. Understand that God loves His creation and continually cares and provides for it.
3. Recognize qualities of God’s character as He reveals Himself through creation.
4. Understand how man’s fall into sin has impacted all of creation .
5. Become responsible stewards working to restore God’s creation.
6. Be able to use scientific principles to explore, discover, and classify God’s creation.
Social Studies Philosophy
God reveals Himself through the unfolding acts of history. His guiding hand is seen in the day to day events of the entire world. Through sin, human relationships and our interaction with all creation have been affected. Understanding the disciplines of social studies enables us, by God’s grace, to respond as active participants in redeeming the world.
Through the study and participation in social studies, our students will:
- Understand how God’s plan is revealed through the various cultures and their history
- Learn how to live in harmony with God and their neighbors by studying history.
- Understand geography and how it affects human relationships.
- Use current events to understand the interaction between the past and present.
- Use their knowledge of social studies to actively and creatively respond with love and service toward God, their country and others.
Physical Education Philosophy
God created man in His own image and as Christians our bodies should be regarded as temples of the Holy Spirit. Physical education equips us to use our bodies to glorify and serve God. Instilling positive attitudes towards exercise, teamwork, and competition increases physical, social, mental, and spiritual development.
Through the study and participation in physical education, our students will:
1. Develop a level of fitness appropriate to the grade level.
2. Develop cooperation and sportsmanship through P.E. activities.
3. Gain proficiency in the use of motor skills.
4. Gain physical and safety skills by playing different activities.
5. Develop a positive attitude toward participation in physical activities.
6. Understand that maintaining our bodies as a temple is a lifelong desire that involves exercise, proper nutrition, and sufficient rest.
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