Trace Academy

General Philosophy

Trace Academy is a Christ-centered, parent-led school that serves children in Kindergarten through 8th grade. Trace Academy`s education program is to serve as an extension of the home. Trace can assist parents with the moral and spiritual training of children as they are mastering academic skills and concepts. The education staff provides leadership in establishing learning experiences to help each student become a maturing Christian, as well as a responsible and productive member of society.

Mission Statement

The mission of Trace Academy is to educate our children by guiding them to explore God`s world, discover their place in it and develop their character, intellect and imagination.

Vision Statement

At Trace Academy we desire to educate our children to become young adults who love learning,are academically prepared for high school and beyond, know their place in God`s world and exhibit solid biblical character.

Values

Becoming part of the Trace community commits all parents to support the school`s approach to education, which is briefly summarized by the following values called the A,B,C`s of Trace.

• Academic Excellence

Trace Academy`s teaching approach incorporates a rigorous curriculum. The school is purposeful in encouraging and fostering a love for learning in all educational activities. The methods of teaching incorporate lectures, interactive discussions, literature enriched learning, integral and experiential learning and engaging the whole person through auditory, visual and kinesthetic activities. Trace intentionally keeps a small class size, with a maximum of 12 students in each class. This allows teachers to develop personal relationships with the students. Trace teachers genuinely care about their students academically, but also in building character and strengthening their faith. School uniforms also help Trace Academy achieve academic excellence by removing clothing distractions and comparisons to better focus on academics.

• Affordability

As a parent-led school, Trace Academy is able to offer an excellent education at a more affordable cost than many other private schools. At Trace Academy, a parent from every family is assigned a job for each school year. Parents fulfil their job commitments by working on campus to help run the school. This in turn helps to keep costs at a minimum and tuition low.

• Biblical Worldview

Trace Academy holds to the conviction that all true wisdom and knowledge come from God, therefore all subjects are taught from the perspective that God created this knowledge. As God's image bearers, we are called to reflect the character of our creative, redemptive God and to live according to His truth. Therefore, we seek to teach redemptively- that is, to employ biblical principles in all aspects of the educational process. Scripture memory verses are integral to the learning process in the classroom and at home. In addition, each student is equipped and encouraged in developing a love for God and a vital relationship with Christ. Trace also emphasizes a heart for missions, incorporating outreach events for every grade level twice a year.

• Community

Trace Academy is a community of believers who come together to educate their children. Every parent at Trace contributes to the school in some way: working on campus, chaperoning field trips, serving in leadership, and helping at Trace events. In order for Trace to be successful, it is vital to foster and maintain a healthy and authentic community. Therefore, intentional and regular touch points are incorporated into the school calendar to give opportunities to work together, fellowship, celebrate and get to know each other better. Please refer to the Events section of this handbook for a listing of these community touch points scheduled throughout the school year.

Trace Academy intentionally incorporates a shortened school day, giving time to foster relationships within the family and the Trace community. This shortened school day allows parents to become involved in their child`s education by coaching children in homework. It also allows the student opportunities for extracurricular activities and play.

• Christ-like Character

At Trace Academy, the goal of spiritual development is to prepare our students to be lifetime followers of God, who will influence our communities and culture with the purposes of God. The intimate nature of our school community, the dedication of our teachers, and the commitment of our parents create and support a rich environment of growth and development in character. At the end of the school year, every student is given a Character Award reflecting Godly character that has been observed in the student`s life. At Trace, the following words and statements have been chosen to represent Christ-like Character. They are integral to our curriculum and behavior expectations.

Educational Influences

Trace Academy is one of the founding member schools of the Redemptive Education Association of Christian Schools (REACH). https://www.redemptiveeducation.org/ The Center for Redemptive Ed has partnered with Trace in the development of curriculum and classroom practices.

Structure

Trace Academy is a parent involved school, which allows each family to contribute to their child`s education. Trace has a specific hierarchy of authority consisting of the Board of Directors, the Head of School (HoS), the Dean of Students (DoS), and the Management Team. Teaching Teams and other school staff serve under the Management Team.

School Leadership

The leadership of Trace Academy consists of four components, the Board of Directors, Head of School, Dean of Students and the Management Team. The function of the Board is to serve the school through oversight in the direction and philosophy of all aspects of Trace Academy. The Board, which consists of Trace parents, meets monthly. While the Board of Directors provides oversight and philosophical direction, the Head of School, Dean of Students, and Management Team run the day to day operations. The HoS and DoS are hired positions and are on campus each weekday. The HoS serves as the leader of the Management Team. The DoS is responsible for the oversight of student behavioral and academic standards. The DoS reports to the HoS. The Management Team serves in either academic or administrative areas.

Trace Academy Statement of Faith

Trace Academy is a Christ-centered school teaching from a Biblical worldview, and as such, it maintains a statement of faith. Believing in our statement of faith is a prerequisite to attending Trace Academy for parents, staff, and our Board of Directors. Together, we affirm the historic Apostles` Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Additionally, we believe in the following doctrinal affirmations:

• We believe the Bible to be the only inspired, infallible, authoritative and inerrant Word of God (II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:20-21).
• We believe that there is one God, Creator and Lord of all things, who is all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful. He exists eternally in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Col. 1:16-19, Matt. 3:16-17, 2 Cor. 13:14).
• We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was fully God and fully man, and suffered death on a cross. We believe that He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and He will return again in power and glory (Heb. 1, I Peter 2:24, Acts 1:9-11).
• We believe salvation is a gift from God, that comes only by grace through faith in His only son, Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9, John 3:14-17).
• We believe that all believers should live a life worthy of the calling God has placed on them (Eph. 4:1).
• We believe it is our responsibility as believers to show others the truth of the gospel, through our words and our actions (Acts 1:8).
• We believe that all will be raised, both followers of Jesus Christ, and the "lost." Followers of Jesus Christ will be raised to eternal life and the lost to eternal suffering (John 5:26-29).

Guiding Biblical Principles

Both the Old and New Testament Scriptures govern Trace Academy`s principles. The Board of Directors, staff members, and all families of Trace Academy, therefore affirm and agree to govern, teach, and live by the following:

• All people are created in the image of God. As such, everyone deserves to be treated with compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Genesis 1:26-27, Col. 3:12-15)
• Human life is sacred and is to be respected and preserved: pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other state or condition from conception through natural death. (Exodus 20:13, Psalm 139L14-16, Isaiah 44:1-2)
• God`s original and ongoing intent and action is the creation of humanity manifest as two (and only two) distinct, complementary genders: male and female. God intends sexual intimacy solely within the context of marriage, defined as the uniting of one biological man and one biological woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. Thus, any form of sexual activity that occurs outside a marriage, as defined above, is counter to God`s original and ongoing intent. (Genesis 2:18-24, Matthew 19:4-9, Mark 10:5-9, Ephesians 5:31-33, Romans 1:26-27, I Corinthians 6:9-13, I Thessalonians 4:3, Hebrews 13:4)**
• Children are a blessing from God, who has entrusted them to their parents for care, instruction, and moral upbringing. Trace Academy`s role is to partner with parents in a biblically based approach to education. (Ps. 127:3, Prov. 22:6, Mark 10:14, Eph. 6:4)
• God created the whole earth and everything in it. He has given mankind dominion over his creation and has charged us with its stewardship. We acknowledge in our words and actions that this is our Father`s world. (Genesis 1:26, Ps. 24:1, John 1:3, Col. 1:16)

Trace Academy`s Statement of Faith and Guiding Principles do not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God, is the sole and final source of authority for all we believe concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind. For purposes of Trace Academy`s policies and practices, our Board of Directors is the governing authority in resolving any differences of opinions regarding our statement of faith and the above guiding biblical principles.

**A more extensive statement of Trace Academy`s position on marriage and human sexuality is available upon request from our Head of School or Board of Directors.