Education Program
Introduction
Airdrie Koinonia Christian
School was founded in September of 1987 with 54 students from kindergarten to
grade seven. Since then it has expanded to include grade twelve and has an enrollment of approximately 300 students. It is located
behind Faith Community Baptist Church on ten acres of land near the western
edge of the city. Click here to view a map and get driving instructions from
North Calgary.
Mission
Airdrie Koinonia
Christian School exists to provide children with an education which will enable
them to know, love, and effectively serve Jesus Christ in the world.
Organization
The Koinonia
Schools are locally operated, parent-run schools which have joined
together in a fellowship to strengthen and encourage one another. A
superintendent oversees the operation of member schools and acts as a liaison
with the government. Koinonia Schools follow the Alberta Program of Studies
(with modifications) and are recognized by the province of Alberta as
Accredited Private Schools eligible to receive government funding. (Currently,
there are Koinonia Schools in Bow Island, Airdrie, Red Deer, Slave Lake, Edson, High Level, and Yellowknife.) For more information
about Koinonia Schools, please read the Koinonia Distinctives
or visit the Koinonia Schools Website.
Educational
Philosophy
We believe that every child is made in
the image of God and has unique talents and needs. Airdrie KCS provides a
program which enables each child to grow spiritually, academically, socially
and physically so that he or she is equipped for service to God. We are
committed to a Biblical standard of excellence for the glory of God in
all that we do. We believe that anything worth learning should be learned
well and the role of the teacher is to ensure that learning occurs for
every student. We have focused our curriculum on a select group of core and
complementary subjects which we strive to teach
extremely well. For further information about the eight principles which
provide the foundation of our program see our Educational
Philosophy page.
Bible &
Spiritual Life
The Bible is viewed
as central and foundational to our program. The Bible is taught every day as a core
subject in its own right, with memory work as a key component. All other
subjects are taught from a Biblical perspective, and Biblical principles are
integrated into all our policies and procedures. Every day begins with
prayer--for staff and students alike. Every week students and staff gather in
chapel for a time of worship and instruction. Wherever possible, we use materials
from Christian publishers such as ACSI, A Beka,
Bob Jones, and Alpha Omega; and when secular materials are used, Biblical
principles are systematically integrated into the subject matter.
Instructional
Organization
Airdrie KCS is
committed to providing a personalized educational program that will meet the
needs of all students. Therefore we have adopted a unique, flexible grouping
approach which takes advantage of the strengths of both the traditional
classroom grouping and individualized instruction. Generally speaking,
classroom grouping is used in the primary grades and high school, and with
content-oriented subjects like social studies. Individualized instruction is
used more in the middle grades and with skill-oriented subjects like reading
and mathematics. Larger groups are also used for the complementary subjects of
art, music, and physical education while small groups, pairs, and peer tutoring
are used from time to time throughout the program. This approach, and a
student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1, enables us to provide for a wide variety
of needs and learning styles. It also enables us to address any
developmental issues identified during the crucial primary grades and prepare
every student for entrance to the high school.
Curriculum
We believe that the fundamental
building blocks of all the other subjects are reading, writing, and
mathematics. Whenever students are competent and confident in these basic skill
areas, invariably they do well in the other core areas of science and social
studies. We therefore provide a "mastery learning" approach in the
basic skills (80% to pass) at the elementary level so that no student is
ever pushed on beyond his abilities in these areas. Conversely, students who
are academically talented are encouraged to proceed
through their program at a faster rate or engage in enrichment activities.
The Language Arts program
rests upon a solid foundation of phonics in the primary grades. Reading
comprehension and Whole Language activities complement the Phonics to enable
every student to become a proficient reader by the end of grade one.
Handwriting, spelling, grammar and composition are stressed throughout the
remaining years. The Mathematics program emphasizes mastery of the basic
facts and concepts first. The development of more sophisticated problem
solving is introduced gradually throughout the program.
Bible, Science, Social
Studies, Physical Education and Health are taught in all grades. Art and
Music are taught in the elementary grades, and French is introduced in
grade four and continued through grade ten. Junior high students may also take
courses in Art, Drama, Computer Studies, Cooking, or Music depending on
staffing and interest. High school students have a wide range of courses
available to them. For further details visit our High School Program page.
Social Life
Throughout the year
numerous special activities are planned to add variety and excitement to the
regular school program. These include Junior and Senior High Retreats, a
Read-A-Thon, Spelling Bee, Track & Field Meets, Intramural Program, Hot
Lunches, Drama & Music productions, etc. Through our Phys. Ed. program,
older students have also gone bowling, curling, rock climbing, and horseback
riding.
Christian
Service
We believe that students should not
only be equipped to serve God, but that they should be given opportunities to
do so while they are young. In addition to the many opportunities for service
within the school, we try to involve our students in outreach ministries
where they can live out their faith. Through our chapel program we encourage
students to consider full time Christian service or missions for their life's
work. Through our Bible program students are encouraged to consider ways that
they can serve within their community and churches. Students regularly pray for
and help support various Christian individuals and ministries. High school
students are required to complete 75 hours of community service prior to
graduation, and many also take part in our semi-annual missions
trip to Mexico.
Parental
Involvement
We believe that Scripture places
ultimate responsibility for the education of children with their parents. The
school exists to serve parents by assisting them in fulfilling this
responsibility. On the other hand, it has been shown that where parents are
actively involved in their children's education, achievement invariably
improves. We are therefore committed to maintaining an active role for
parents both inside and outside the classroom. All parents are expected to
give some time to help in the school each year. Parents are kept abreast of
school events through a weekly newsletter. Parent-Teacher Fellowship nights and
informative brochures help parents in their role of supporting the school's
ministry at home. For further information, see our Parents'
Commitment.
Faculty
The teachers at
Airdrie KCS are professionally trained and spiritually mature born-again
Christians. In addition to their education degrees and provincial
certification, many have several years of Bible college training. Several have
achieved certification through the Association of Christian Schools
International. To maintain the highest levels of academic and spiritual
excellence, the school provides a thorough program of in-service training for
the entire staff and assistance for teachers who wish to take additional
university or Bible college courses. Follow these links to meet our Elementary
Teachers and/or our
Secondary Teachers.
Accountability
Quality is ensured
through several means. First, as a "free-enterprise" institution, we
are accountable to our "customers." Parents simply will not enroll their children year after year unless they are
receiving good value for their money. After all, the "competition"
offers their "product" for free. Second, Alberta Education through
the regional office in Calgary ensures that certain requirements are met before
they grant their Accreditation. Annually, they approve our program and
periodically visit our school for consultation and recommendations. Third, the
use of standardized achievement tests enables parents to compare our students
against provincial and national standards. Finally, we offer a Satisfaction
Guarantee to
every new family.
If parents are not happy with the quality of education being provided, we
believe they are entitled to a refund! (Call for details.)
Financing
Airdrie KCS is
committed to providing the finest quality education at a reasonable cost while
operating debt-free and planning carefully for the future. We actively seek the
support of other families and corporations to keep costs to a minimum. Each
year we run a number of fundraising activities which generate income from
outside the parent body. Larger families are assisted by reduced tuition rates
for the second and third child enrolled and free tuition for any beyond that
number. There are no additional required fees! (No textbook fees, no
library fees, no capital fees. Even the costs of most fieldtrips are included.)
Our policy is that no family with a genuine financial need will be denied
admission to the school, and God has honoured this approach by providing for
all. See Tuition Fees for the current rates.
For More Information,
please see Answers to Common Questions or Selected
Policies, and be
sure to read the informative articles on our Resources Page.
To Apply, please review our Admissions Policy and
Parents' Commitment and complete the following forms. The forms are PDF
documents which can be saved to your hard drive and printed. The Family
Application and Student Information form should be mailed to the school. The
Pastor’s Report should be given to your pastor, who will then forward it to the
school.
Family Application One per family.
Student
Information One for
each student to be enrolled in Grades 1-12.
ECS Student Information One for each student
to be enrolled in ECS.
Student's Pledge One for each student in grades ten to twelve.
Pastor’s Report One per family.
Last modified 2008-06-02