Dear MCS Elementary Parents,
Welcome to the 2017-18 School Year! On behalf of the elementary faculty and staff, we are delighted to officially open our classroom doors to a brand new school year in just a few short weeks. Our team has dedicated much time and preparation to ensure that your student will have an exceptional year of spiritual and academic growth in a Christ-honoring environment. We are diligently praying over this year and are fully committed to seeking God's desire and plan with the confidence and faith that He will fill us with joy and bless us as an MCS family.
We are eager to have your child back in school, filling our halls with love and excitement, and fully ready to dive into exploring passions and interests through learning! Our talented teachers are busy setting up their classrooms to create an engaging and nurturing environment as we prepare to challenge, inspire, and foster academic curiosity and individual interests. Through innovative teaching strategies, our goal is to design challenging learning experiences while taking into account students' individual learning needs, passions, and God-given gifts and talents.
It is with great JOY that I share with you my excitement for our school theme "joyFULL" from Psalm 16:11, "...in your presence, there is fullness of Joy." Look for some creative ways we will be focusing on this theme in the classroom and hallways of our school! Your student will play a significant role in developing our theme as we wait upon the Lord with anticipation to fill us with His joy! I can't wait!
The elementary team is fully committed to our mission of meeting our strategic goals: providing exemplary academics, whole child development, and building a love for Christ in the hearts of our students. Here are a few examples of specific core strategies and areas of focus:
- Spiritual Formation: Create a deep love for Christ in all students through mentorship, a strong Bible program fully integrated into all subject areas, and a focus on students authentically owning their faith.
- Exemplary Academics: Provide an academically rigorous educational program geared towards fostering a deep conceptual understanding within all subject areas. Continue to build strong literacy skills through an intentional focus on growing a positive classroom reading environment geared towards progressing students towards higher levels of text complexity. Challenge students to become active agents in their own writing development through self-assessment as they learn how to write across all styles and genres.
- Individualized Learning: Instruction will be tailored towards students' individual learning needs, interests, and strengths as we recognize the uniqueness of each learner. Our goal is to provide students with a sense of ownership of the learning process as they meet with teachers one-on-one and in small groups for instruction.
- Culture of Innovation: Highly effective instructional methods including project based learning and maker education allowing students to apply knowledge and skills in a relevant and creative way. Learning through collaborative exploration while fostering discovery, innovation, and problem-solving.
- Connected Community: Foster a Christ-honoring environment where students positively contribute to a healthy and thriving school culture. To promote a community where students respect fellow classmates with a heart of service.
Here's to an AWESOME new school year as we work in partnership with you to make this year amazing for our students and community! Thank you for joining me in prayer for God's blessings over this school year. "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." Ephesians 3:20
