Three Year Plan (2000 - 2002)
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PRIVATE SCHOOL AUTHORITY RESPONSIBILITY
The Education Plan for the three years commencing the school year of 2000-2001 was prepared under the direction of Living Waters Christian Academy in accordance with the responsibilities specified in the School Act, the Government Accountability Act, the Alberta Education School Authority Education Plans Policy and the provincial government’s accounting policies.
The priorities outlined in this Education Plan were developed in the context of the provincial government’s business and fiscal plans. Living Waters Christian Academy is committed to achieving the planned results in this Plan.
MISSION
Living Waters Christian Academy exits to assist the family by providing a Christ-centred, Bible-based education that will inspire each student to pursue excellence in moral character, academics respect for self, others and reverence for God.
VISION
Living Waters Christian Academy strives to accomplish the following:
Among the Students
- To enable students to achieve their full academic potential.
- To produce responsible citizens capable of responding with compassion and understanding to others.
- To model and encourage the development of godly character in the child.
- To create a community of active faith where prayer is the foundation.
- To facilitate the healthy physical development of all our students.
- To present all knowledge from the understanding of who God is and what God has created us to become.
Among the Parents
- To assist the home in bringing up their children with a biblical understanding of the world.
- To maintain clear consistent communication with the parents regarding student achievement.
- To encourage parental participation in the education of their children.
Among the Community
- To contribute to the community by involving students in service to others.
- To continue to establish good rapport with local public school authorities, and health providers.
BELIEFS
- A true understanding of the world requires that students understand who God is and what mankind’s place is in creation. Therefore all of our student’s education should be consistent with biblical truth.
- Quality instruction and programming supported by the family, results in students reaching their full potential.
- To be consistent with biblical principles, education must involve developing the whole person: intellectual, emotional, spiritual and physical.
- Academic development is dependent upon the acquisition of strong basic skills in reading, writing, listening, and mathematics.
- The success of the student is the shared responsibility of the parents, the students, and the school. Communication between these parties is vital to bringing about this success.
JURISDICTION PROFILE
Living Waters Christian Academy is situated in Spruce Grove, a community of approximately 15,000 residents. Our school serves the area covered by School Jurisdiction #70, Parkland. As of the early registration deadline of April 14th, 2000 there were 87 students enrolled in Grades 1-10. 24 students are registered in ECS. Most of our instruction takes place in split level classes. Our teaching staff includes 5 full time teachers, a .20 FTE Music teacher, a .40 ECS Teacher who also teaches the Early Literacy Program, and an administrator who teaches .31 FTE. We maintain a low student/teacher ratio of approximately 21/1 although most classes are small, averaging about 12/1.
We offer Band 6-9, Music 1-5, Bible, Art 6-9 and Drama 6-9 as complementary courses.
We will be offering Grade 10 beginning in September of 2000. The core classes will be teacher/classroom taught. A variety of complementary courses will be offered using ADL resources and/or Internet delivery.
The school offers a 400-hour ECS program. The program begins September and ends in June. Students attend two full days a week. The low student/teacher ratio makes this a stimulating and interactive environment where students are showing good success. 5 of the kindergarten students will be joining the grade one class two days a week for their program. This allows us to maintain a smaller kindergarten class. This approach (combining grade one and kindergarten) was done with great success for the 1998-1999 school year.
Three pre-school classes are offered for 3 and 4 year olds. They run for 2.5 hours a day, twice a week. Pre-school classes may be affected by the increased enrollment in Kindergarten. They presently share classroom space on alternating days.
Our low student/teacher ratios allow us to effectively meet the needs of students with learning difficulties and with the need for enrichment beyond the regular curriculum. We are committed to helping each individual reach the full potential that God has for them.
Living Waters Christian Academy serves a broad spectrum of the Christian community. Our mission focuses the activities of the school upon serving those who desire that their children’s education be conducted within a Biblical worldview.
Because we have a small student population many of the results indicators in the Goals section of this plan will be based on the Principal’s monitoring rather than statistical data. Percentages applied to such small numbers are highly inaccurate. The Principal is in the key position of receiving anecdotal data from parents, staff and students.
This year showed an increase in enrollment. This has been a result of the positive experiences of the students and high levels of parental satisfaction. Those families that have students attending Living Waters Christian Academy are committed to our distinctive mission resulting in an increase in our effectiveness in creating the school community outlined in the Vision section of this document.
ISSUES
Low enrollment is the most significant issue facing the school. The school is focusing on increasing enrollment so that we can offer a greater variety of programs. We have been doing extensive radio advertising and have developed several enrollment incentives. We also have a bursary fund for those families with demonstrated financial need.
Due to lack of technology funding from the government we must direct our capital fundraising efforts towards purchasing upgraded computer equipment.
Our size demands creative ways of expanding the program options that we offer. We will be addressing Mathematics and Science performance by increasing the amount of class time allotted for these subjects. We have also implemented new curriculum in Mathematics for grades 1-3 and grade 7 and 8. During this school year we will be updating the math curriculum for the remaining grades. Grades 1- 5 receive Science instruction as separate classes. Grades 7/8 and 9/10 are combined classes for Science.
PRIORITY AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Provincial Priority Area | Strategies |
Increasing high school completion rates | N/A |
Improving secondary student achievement in mathematics |
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Participate in the Student Health Initiative program |
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Improving coordination of services for children |
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Early Literacy Program |
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Improving access to information technology |
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Goal 1: Living Waters Christian Academy provides high quality learning opportunities that are responsive, flexible, accessible and affordable.
Outcomes:
- LWCA reflects the values of the families that make up its community.
- LWCA will maintain high parent and student satisfaction with its program.
- LWCA will provide a tuition bursary program for needy families.
Performance Measures:
- LWCA will continue to communicate its mission and philosophy to our community and the public. Families will be aware of the mission and purpose of the school.
- 85% of parents and students surveyed will indicate satisfaction with the school and its programs.
- LWCA will look for creative ways to increase the bursary fund and assure access to families with demonstrated financial need.
Strategies:
LWCA will communicate through newsletters and parents meetings. We will encourage parental participation on the board, in the classrooms, on various projects, committees, and other volunteer activities.
Goal 2: Living Waters Christian Academy achieves excellent in student achievement.
Outcomes:
- Students of LWCA demonstrate high standards in academics.
Performance Measures:
- 100% of LWCA students in grades 3, 6, 9 will write the provincial achievement tests.
- 85% will achieve the acceptable standard on the provincial achievement tests.
- 80% of grade 3, 6, 9 students will achieve the acceptable standard in mathematics.
Strategies:
LWCA will continue to upgrade its math resources including texts. We will continue to provide additional class time for math. Teachers will continue to pursue professional development opportunities related to the KSA and the school mission and philosophy.
Goal 3: Students of Living Waters Christian Academy are well-prepared for life-long learning, service to God and man in the market place, and responsible participation in their community, locally and globally.
Outcomes:
- Students have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to becoming contributing members of their communities.
- Students recognize that they are responsible stewards of the talents and gifts God has given them.
- Students will be familiar with the importance and use of technology in the classroom and marketplace.
Performance Measures:
- LWCA will continue to focus learning upon the application of knowledge and use hands-on learning to generate inquiry and creativity among students.
- Students will continue to support service projects in Bolivia. They will be encouraged to develop their talents and to grow in the areas of strength as well as be challenged in areas of weakness.
- 10 new computers will be upgraded in the lab. A full classroom set of computers will be available in the lab.
Strategies:
International awareness and service to those in need will continue to be part of the learning program at the school. We will develop the mission week and continue to support Corina’s work with street children in Bolivia.
Teachers will be encouraged to take computer skill courses as needed. Teachers promote the use of the computer for preparing reports and projects. They will use the Internet for research and communication with other students around the world.
Goal 4: Living Waters Christian Academy works effectively with its partners.
Outcomes:
- LWCA will continue to work with its partners in health and education to meet the needs of students.
Performance Measures:
- LWCA will develop a close working relationship with the Family/School Liaison of the Westview Student Health Initiative.
- LWCA will continue to use the services of educational professional on a consultative and contractual basis.
Strategies:
We will continue to use the resources that available to us to better meet the needs of students. We will be come aware of new initiatives and services and communicate them to our community when they will benefit from those services.
Locally Developed Goals
Goal 8: Students are involved in meaningful community service opportunities.
Results Required | Performance Measures | Target | Key Strategies/Tasks |
Character and social compassion are developed through service to the needy and less fortunate. |
| K-10 fund raising involvement |
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Percentage of school budget spent on instruction.
1998-1999 | 1999-2000 | 2000 - 2001 | |
Instruction | 65% | 65% | 70% |
Administration and instruction support | 18% | 22% | 16% |
Operation and Maintenance | 15% | 12% | 13% |
The school community will have access to these plans at the school office and will be informed through the monthly newsletter.
This site is maintained by Gordon Poultney, a parent of the school.