March 2023

IN THIS ISSUE: Bible as an Academic Subject Becky Callaway, Lower School Principal Ways to Keep Your Students Safe in an Online World Daniel Head, Middle School Principal The Importance of Attendance Dan Knudsen, High School Principal

Bible as an Academic Subject Becky Callaway, Lower School Principal

Often in new family interviews, parents want to know about the spiritual components of our schedule and curriculum.  They look relieved, and sometimes even breathe a sigh, when I tell them that Bible class is a required subject at every grade level and that lower school classes begin every day with a devotion, prayer, and Bible instruction. They seem further relieved and impressed when I describe for them our scripture memorization requirements.  This is who we are and what we do. Even so, I am convinced that, from time to time, it is healthy and necessary to ask ourselves why we implement these components into the routine or our daily schedule.  At one level, the answer is obvious. We do this because we are a Christian school. But beyond that, why is the pursuit of God’s Word a good thing?  What real value does it have?

Each week in Chapel, as part of our opening ceremony, we pledge our allegiance to the Bible by declaring that we will hide its words in our hearts so that we won’t sin against God.  In class, our teachers instruct our students as to what the Word defines as sin, and they point out that the Word also declares that the “wages” of sin is death.  (Don’t worry, parents, this is done within the context of relevant discussions, in age-appropriate terms.  Our teachers are very sensitive in their word choice at all times, as I am sure you expect and trust them to be.)    Our weekly chapel opening ceremony also includes the students’ recitation of what we call our “key verse,” which is another truth from the Word that relates to the quality of life one can expect from becoming “shaped” by the instructions of the Bible.  The passage, from Proverbs 1, states: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (All parents should be delighted to know that this passage concludes with the imperative to listen and obey the instruction of one’s father and mother.) The Bible is “His story.” One cannot truly know Him and build a life of meaning and eternal security apart from knowing “His story.” In a word, this is the up-close and personal benefit of studying and knowing the contents of the Bible.

Having the detailed knowledge of God that is gained from becoming intensely acquainted with the Word gives all-encompassing value to an individual’s life. But dial back the lens of the camera, if you will, to achieve a broader focus. Because one charge that we, as part of the larger PreK-twelfth grade faculty, have is to prepare our students to enter an increasingly dangerous world equipped with the full Armor of God, prepared for the challenges they will face, we must also lead our students to see what becomes of the world when biblical principles are neither valued nor preserved.    According to one biblical commentary on the book of Genesis, “All the good intentions in the world are likely to be worthless without wisdom.” (Remember, wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.) The writer points out that many of the horrors of the 20th century were fueled by good intentions, but no wisdom. As I read this portion of Genesis, God, Creation, and Destruction, one of five volumes of The Rational Bible, by Dennis Prager, I was riveted to the following: “In the modern period…people have increasingly replaced Bible-based homes and Bible-based schools with godless homes and with schools in which no reference to the Bible is ever made.  As a result, we are less wise and more morally confused.” He goes on the conclude, “(the Bible) is the greatest repository of goodness and wisdom in human history…the most important book ever written.” He refers to the Bible as the “bedrock of civilization.”[1] Yet in many segments of our culture and cultures across the globe, there seems to be very little wisdom, increasingly few people who value it, and rampant moral confusion.

So, yes, Bible class is a part of our academic curriculum from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade because knowing the Word of God gives meaning to the life of the individual but also because when people implement the principles and directives provided in the Bible, the world at large, is a better place.  Our prayer for our students is that God’s plan for their lives will be realized and fulfilled and that they will be vessels of light and Truth outside the walls of our campus and the walls of your home.  Instilling in our students the truths, promises, and warnings of God’s Word ensures that our legacy of faith will remain on earth through the next generation and beyond until Jesus returns. [1] Prager, Dennis. Genesis, God, Creation, and Destruction. 1st ed., Regnery Publishing, 2019, https://doi.org/DC. p. xix.

Middle School Class Selection and Academic Rigor Daniel Head, Middle School Principal

We have made it to the 4th quarter, and I pray for your family that you are staying healthy and gearing up for a strong finish to the school year. We have hit the ground running since returning from Christmas break. Our boys’ and girls’ middle school basketball teams made it to the championship game while baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, and track were all getting started, and we had our best middle school production yet of Willy Wonka Jr. Getting lost in all the excitement is that your middle school student has already started choosing classes for next year. Even though picking new classes can be an exciting time for students, I know it can also be stressful for parents wanting to know if their students will be in honors classes. In middle school, we offer college prep and accelerated math in the 6th and 7th grades and honors classes in math, English, science, and history for 8th graders.

Prince is a college prep school. Our goal is to prepare students for the rigors of college. To best meet this goal, offering rigorous middle and high school classes is essential. However, this does not mean that each student in our school will qualify for honors courses. We recognize that we have students with all different strengths, gifts, and talents. We have one of the strongest fine arts and athletic programs in the area because of the gifting and talents of our students as well as the instruction of great teachers and coaches. As the Middle School Principal, I want to ensure that each student is appropriately challenged. A student that is gifted in math and science and takes honors classes in those two subjects might be less gifted in English and history and should not be in honors classes in those two subjects. A handful of students are gifted enough to take all the honors classes offered. Some students are appropriately challenged in our college prep classes without taking honors.

One of the main concerns I hear from parents is that their child will be left behind if not placed in honors classes. I have not seen this to be the case in my 17 years of high school and middle school teaching and administration. Students who are placed in classes properly do well in those classes and then supplement their time with athletics, fine arts, student leadership, volunteer hours, or club participation and are equally ready and qualified for college. On the other hand, students misplaced in honors classes tend to cut back on co-curricular activities to stay on top of their coursework. This leaves those students with a transcript of honors classes but little more to offer potential colleges. As we move forward with the school year, I will sit down with all the middle school math, English, science, and history teachers to identify the students that have shown themselves to be honor class students throughout the school year. Some of the criteria we consider are class grades, test grades, standardized test scores, and attitude. Looking at all these considerations, we find the students best suited for the rigors of honors coursework. I look forward to working with you and your student to find just the right track for their gifts and talents.

The Importance of Attendance Dan Knudsen, High School Principal

A student’s academic success in high school is the byproduct of many factors including God-given intellect, work ethic, parental support at home, etc. One important item that is often overlooked is school attendance - that is, simply showing up.   While teacher-effectiveness is the most significant factor that a school brings to student achievement (Adelman, C. (2006) The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion from High School through College. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education), teachers cannot teach students who are not here! The research has continually shown a direct correlation between student attendance and academic success and achievement (Balfanz, R., & Byrnes, V. (2012). Chronic Absenteeism: Summarizing What We Know from Nationally Available Data. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization of Schools).

Student attendance also builds self-discipline which results in students being more committed to their learning. By not missing all that takes place each day in their classes, students are better engaged in the learning process.

During my first year at Prince, Colonel Hathaway asked me to look at what we do and why we do it with a set of “fresh eyes” and share my observations with him. I am glad to report that what I have seen is many policies and procedures in place that work very well and have put us in a solid place spiritually, academically, and in our co-curricular programming. One of the specific things I am pleased to say we do well is tracking student attendance.

However, our past routine of personally contacting parents and students after each tardy or unexcused absence requires an inordinate amount of time from our high school office staff. After careful consideration, the following details a change coming this April and May for high school students only:  Beginning Monday, April 10th:   High school parents and students will only receive the automated email from FACTS regarding student tardies and unexcused absences.  The only exception to this is the email I will send to parents and students on the student’s fifth unexcused absence in a class for the semester. This will be an extra reminder that each subsequent unexcused absence of the semester will result in a point being taken off their final semester average.   The leadership team at Prince endeavors to communicate well with all of our constituents. Whether that is the Wolverine Weekly, Head of School Letter, Leadership Monthly articles like this, or simply an email from your student’s teacher, we desire to keep you informed about what is happening at school with your student. I cannot encourage you any more strongly to keep up with the emails you receive, including FACTS emails, as they often contain valuable information.

Prince Avenue Christian School's mission is to partner with Christian families to provide scripturally based discipleship while pursuing excellence in academics, fine arts, and athletics from a biblical worldview.