The start to your child’s education can mean the difference between them developing helpful or harmful learning habits. Over time, the learning habits developed during elementary school will be carried through middle school, into high school, and eventually into college. Lakeside Christian School is an affordable private elementary school in Clearwater, FL, that focuses on your child’s individual learning needs.
Our small class sizes and supportive teaching staff are the foundation that ensures your child receives the utmost attention and encouragement they need to grow. The future academic success of your child can be directly attributed to their elementary school teachings. At Lakeside Christian School, we believe that a focus on reading and an active and supportive teaching style will give your child the guidance they need to have a successful learning experience from elementary school through high school and beyond.
Unfortunately, many children lack the necessary reading comprehension as they progress through school. As one of the top private elementary schools in Clearwater, FL, we can provide the best education possible for your child by ensuring they have a solid foundation of reading skills to build on as they grow. Developing beneficial reading habits in elementary school stokes children’s love for reading as their ability to retain and comprehend information is reinforced for the future.
A summer reading log is one way we encourage our students to improve their reading skills outside of the classroom. We pride ourselves on helping our students develop exceptional reading comprehension levels to better enhance their learning retention and overall scholastic experience.
Related: 3 Important Ways to Foster Your Child’s Development
Elementary school should be about setting the framework for your child’s future academic success while also encouraging their creativity in the classroom. A supportive teacher and mentor can be all a child needs to become passionate about learning. Your child’s elementary school teacher will be their first experience with a formal education and can make the greatest influence on your child’s future education.
Our teachers also work to keep parents informed with a weekly newsletter including a weekly schedule, worksheets, and, most importantly, individual notes about your child. There are many options for an affordable private elementary school in Clearwater, FL, but Lakeside Christian School ensures your child will receive the highest standard of teaching available and give your child the tools they need to grow academically and creatively.
Related: What I Learned on My Kindergarten Tour
Lakeside Christian School offers a number of scholarships for students. Through the Family Empowerment Scholarship, we empower countless children and their families by helping them gain access to a private education regardless of their financial background. We firmly believe that all children should have access to private education and, thanks to a number of scholarships, including Step Up for Students, the McKay Scholarship, and our own FACTS scholarship, we can make it possible. Through our devoted faculty at Lakeside Christian School, our students cultivate academic qualities at a young age that will last them their entire scholastic career and showcase why we are one of the best private elementary schools in Clearwater, FL.
If you would like to learn more about an affordable private elementary school in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
The transition between elementary and middle school is a complex process for all stakeholders involved, including students and parents alike. Young adolescents are propelled into a new environment while they are changing mentally and physically. Having a mentor for your middle school student helps provide support during this process and enhances their academic success.
At Lakeside Christian School, a private middle school in Clearwater, FL, we believe in providing our students with mentors with whom they can form a relationship built on honesty and trust. Students deserve an advocate who they can turn to with any problems they may be facing academically or otherwise. Many of our teachers serve in either the Lakeside Community Chapel youth group or the church’s Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed (AWANA) program, where students can attend and have the opportunity to be mentored by one of their teachers. Read below about how a mentoring relationship can benefit your middle school student.
Related: Why Middle School Students Benefit From a Private Education
Middle school students with mentors are more likely to engage in the process of self-reflection in which they can assess their current strengths and weaknesses and areas of their life they need to devote more time to. One of our students, Heather, expressed the following during Mentoring Month about her experience as a mentee:
“Meeting with Kayla on a regular basis has allowed for her help keeping me accountable on things that I need to work on in my life. Her mentoring has also provided a wonderful relationship between us where I know I can go to her with anything and she would be more than willing to provide godly advice.”
Accountability, as Heather discussed, is one of the most important aspects of mentoring as students meet with their mentors to set personalized short- and long-term goals and strategies to achieve these goals. The set of skills involved in assessing their progress and strategizing how they will achieve their goals are the same skills necessary for success later in their academic career in high school and college.
Related: Why Maintaining Your Child’s GPA in Middle School Is Vital to Their Development
On a broader scope of behavior benefits, middle school students are more likely to experience a myriad of social-emotional development benefits when they regularly meet with a mentor:
In addition to higher rates of school attendance, research has found that mentored students are fifty-two percent more likely to stay in school and also complete more homework assignments than students without mentors. This is due to the fact that mentors help to combat many of the barriers to academic achievement, such as insufficient academic preparation and chronic absenteeism. Instead, mentors bolster the success of students’ development by providing access to a number of support systems located within the community as well as the skills necessary for the development of non-cognitive skills like perseverance and teamwork.
If you are concerned about your child’s transition between elementary and middle school, it’s time to invest their future. As one of the best private middle schools in Clearwater, FL, we are committed to making the transition process as seamless as possible by providing resources such as mentorship and small class sizes.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private middle schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Lakeside Christian School is a small private school offering a comprehensive education program from kindergarten through 12th grade. Parents who choose to send their children to Lakeside Christian often describe our school as one big family that truly cares for each other. Our mission is to educate, mentor, and inspire children to be the best version of themselves.
We know that there are many schools to choose from, including Christian high schools in Clearwater, FL, but we separate ourselves from the pack by providing students with a scholastic experience that is second to none. Throughout this article we will provide a selection of parent testimonials to give you a better understanding of what life is like at Lakeside Christian School.
As a faith-based school, Lakeside Christian School prides itself on strengthening our students’ self belief and personal bond with their community. Some of the advantages offered by our school include a better student ecosystem, elevated teacher satisfaction, and more individualized attention for disadvantaged students. A modern approach in the classroom allows our teachers and faculty to build a rapport with our students and find the right tools to foster their academic and spiritual growth.
Related: The Benefits of a Christian Education
Listed below are a few brief testimonials from parents and alumni explaining why Lakeside Christian School is one of the best Christian high schools in Clearwater, FL.
On selecting the right environment for your child:
“Lakeside Christian School was the best decision that I made when choosing a school for my son! They are so loving and genuinely care for all of their students. My son loves being in school and is actually sad on the weekends that he isn’t at school!”
–Submitted by a parent in December 2016
On administrative staff and teachers dedicated to their students:
“My son has been in this school for 3 years now and I can only say that he loves this school. I have seen him the way he feels when he is around his teachers and all the children in the school. I have the most respect for every administrative person and the teachers too. This is the best school we have found so far. Keep up the good job!”
–Submitted by a parent on September 29, 2015
On the comprehensive school experience we provide our students:
“Lakeside Christian School has great academics, great class sizes that help with one-on-one attention to the students, a wonderful athletics program and excellent Biblical instructions and teaching. The school also offers a wonderful chapel meeting once a week for all the grade levels.”
–Submitted by a parent on September 28, 2015
On our classroom environment and extracurricular activities:
“Lakeside Christian School provides exceptional education tailored to the needs of the individual students. The environment is fun, caring, and Christ centered. In addition to the classroom, there are many fun extracurricular activities. I recommended this outstanding school.”
– Submitted by a parent on June 30, 2019
On graduating from our school:
“I am proud to say that I am a 2015 graduate of Lakeside. Being at Lakeside was the most influential time of my life. Lakeside is not only a school to me the close one on one interaction makes it like a family. They display a strong Christian atmosphere not only through words but through their actions. I would highly recommend Lakeside Christian school.”
–Submitted by an alumni on July 17, 2015
At Lakeside Christian School, we believe strongly in providing students with a well-rounded education and the opportunity to thrive in extracurricular activities. If you are still unsure how your child will fit in at a Christian high school in Clearwater, FL, be sure to give us a quick search online. We’re confident that our excellent reviews will prove to you why we’re the perfect fit for your child.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, a Christian high school in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Everyone knows that college application season is the most stressful time for parents and students. College admissions offices are always changing their criteria for what they look for in an applicant, but a few constants remain the same. At Lakeside Christian School, one of the best Christian schools in Clearwater, FL, we know what colleges are looking for in your child’s education. We work with students to properly prepare them well in advance of the college application process. This article will discuss what colleges will specifically look for in your child’s high school.
Class selection is a crucial component for any high school student’s career. The rigor of your child’s classes will stand out when admission offices look over applications. Lakeside Christian School offers a comprehensive course load with small class sizes in order to better develop your child’s strengths. Diversification has never been more important when it comes to applications. Now more than ever, college admission boards are looking for someone who not only focuses on one subject but also challenges themselves by expanding their class selection. We strongly encourage our students to branch out and explore new curriculum so that they may expand their knowledge.
Related: College Visit and Application Tips
Activities outside of the classroom should be featured in your child’s application as much as their coursework. Participating in sports and other school activities showcases to colleges that your son or daughter is a go-getter who is eager to be involved with their school, community, and peers. Lakeside Christian School offers a full complement of competitive athletic teams for all grades ranging from elementary to highschool. As a preeminent Clearwater, FL, Christian school, we want our students to strive for greatness in all of their endeavors, whether it be on the courts or as a member of one of our school clubs. We enable our students to boast a plethora of experiences to call upon when it is time to apply to universities.
Related: Lakeside Christian School Athletics
Community is the foundational piece that Lakeside Christian School was built on. In order to be accepted into most colleges today, your child must be involved in some form of service for their community. As a faith-based school, we strongly encourage our students to love and care for those around them. College admission offices search for well-rounded students who have a solid grasp on what it takes to be an exemplary student. From their first day of elementary school up through their graduation day, we mold all of our students into leaders and work to prepare them for the next stage of their lives.
If you would like to learn more about Christian schools in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Helping a child properly mature throughout their primary and secondary schooling careers is essential for their overall success. This includes not only their academic capability but their social development as well. While education takes priority, for someone to be truly happy, they need to be able to interact and make friends with classmates, not just flourish in their studies.
As a parent, the challenge here is the fact that you can’t force your child to socialize. While you can monitor their study habits, ensure that they do their homework every night, and maintain a level of academic expectations, you can’t go into the classroom and guide social development. One of the best steps you can take is enrolling your child into a Clearwater private school. Below, we highlight two social benefits that come with smaller classroom sizes like those found here at Lakeside Christian School.
This is arguably the biggest social benefit of smaller private schools. Students have more opportunities to socialize with the same individuals day after day, resulting in a close-knit community. Teachers have the ability to give more individualized attention, which allows them to better identify if a student is struggling. A Review of Educational Research analysis of 46 studies found that strong teacher-student relationships were associated in both the short- and long-term with improvements on practically every essential measure: higher student academic engagement, attendance, grades, fewer disruptive behaviors, and lower school dropout rates. Those effects remained even after setting controls for differences in demographic backgrounds. This goes to show that it’s truly important to foster every aspect of your child’s development for their overall success.
Related: How Does a Small School Setting Help My Child Succeed?
One of the more difficult challenges as a parent is figuring out how to get a child to come out of their shell. Not only can shyness inhibit their social life, but it can affect their academics as well, with research showing that shy students receive lower grade-point averages in college. A shy child may choose not to speak up when they have questions or avoid classroom engagement. Small school sizes allow shy children to be more comfortable with engaging in the classroom, where they are familiar with everyone in it.
Related: How Private Schools Improve College Readiness
A private school with smaller classroom sizes benefit student’s social development which will ultimately lead to improved academic performance. Not only do the small classroom sizes allow a more one-on-one style of education, but also a more engaging social atmosphere where no one feels left out. Here at Lakeside Christian Schools, we pride ourselves in helping young minds reach their full potential by utilizing an authentic individualized experience. The needs of our students are at the core of our teaching philosophy, and it may prove difficult to find a more suitable Clearwater private school for your child.
If you would like to learn more about private schools in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Contrary to popular belief, people from all income levels can enjoy the benefits of private school. In fact, there are thousands of young students in private schools that come from middle-to-low income households. You might be wondering how these students and their families can afford the cost of private school, which, according to Private School Review, costs “approximately $8,878 per year.” The answer is simple. There is plenty of help out there for those who take the time to explore options for funding assistance.
One of the best routes to getting into the private school system is through scholarships. For example, Lakeside Christian School accepts several Step Up For Students scholarships, like the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship and the Family Empowerment Scholarship. However, this is far from the only way to support your child’s education. There are an abundance of privately sponsored contests to help children get additional funding for tuition, supplies, and other essentials. Below, we have listed four different contests for your gifted youth to apply to. If you want to transition your child to a Christian middle school in Clearwater, FL, contact Lakeside Christian School to schedule a tour.
Held by the Nicodemus Wilderness Project, this project is officially recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They have been holding this competition for over two decades, inspiring young children to be more involved in cleaning and maintaining the purity of the world around them. Find more information about the initiative here.
Open to all ages, this competition held by Blue Mountain Arts is a great way for your child to express themselves creatively for a chance to win a prize. There is no age restriction, and contestants can enter as often as they want to try to win the $350 first prize (or the $200 second prize or $100 third prize). Contests are encouraged to submit an original poem about “real emotions and feelings.”
One Earth Film Festival holds this annual competition, which features separate categories for elementary and middle school students.. They pick one of the preselected themes and make a short video about them in order to win up to 400 dollars in prize money and grants and to be featured in the festival.
Like the earlier contest held by Blue Mountain, this contest’s name is indicative of its rules. Children from middle schools are asked to carefully ponder a quote from Judge Jackson during the infamous trial of defeated Nazi leaders at Nuremberg and ask a series of philisophical questions. There can only be one 500 word (or less) essay per entrant. Winners can receive up to 250 dollars.
As you can see, every child can enter a contest best suited to their skills and knowledge, from the aspiring poetto to the young filmmaker or historian and everywhere in between. Here at Lakeside Christian School, we pride ourselves in supporting all students, no matter what their passions are. If you’re looking for the best quality education in Clearwater, look no further!
If you would like to learn more about Christian middle schools in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
As our culture continues to shift around us, so should the way we prepare our children to enter it. While there may be a hot debate within the educational community as to how to prepare our children for success, the main purpose of elementary education is to foster the growth of crucial cognitive and social abilities that will be further developed later on in their educational careers. This not only includes shifting the traditional paradigm of the classroom but also embracing teaching methodologies that put a renewed focus on inclusion and problem-solving.
In this article, we discuss three current trends in education that can help boost student success. While there will always be differing viewpoints as to the best teaching methods, our affordable private elementary school in Clearwater, FL, will continue to monitor the latest innovations in teaching to create the absolute best environment for your children to thrive in.
One of the issues at the forefront of elementary education is how to keep young minds interested and engaged in STEM education, which focuses on the integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. According to the U.S. News and World Report,“by the time students reach fourth grade, a third of boys and girls have lost an interest in science. By eighth grade, almost 50 percent have lost interest or deemed it irrelevant to their education or future plans.”
Many believe that the way to combat this lack of interest is to promote inquiry-based learning from the beginning. As opposed to traditional methods, inquiry-based learning promotes active learning by posing questions or problems in which the student is given the tools to figure the answer out themselves, not just listening to the teacher tell them the answer and try to retain that information. This is the basis of how STEM knowledge is taught, so when the time comes for them to be introduced to it, they will be more ready.
Think back to your elementary school days — remember the discomfort of being broken into small groups for projects and being forced to work with classmates you didn’t know too well? At first, you may have been a little uncomfortable working in groups that didn’t always include your closest friends, but, over time, you discovered that these other students had lots of important lessons to teach you. The five key elements of cooperative learning are:
This method of education tries to steer away from the “in one ear, out the other” issue commonly found in education. Many young students believe that they will never need school-related lessons outside of the classroom, so why bother retaining the information? PBL addresses this issue by introducing a dynamic approach to learning in which students develop knowledge by exploring real-world problems or scenarios for an extended period of time, allowing for authentic discoveries that they arrive at by working through the issue. This method is different from simply assigning projects during the semester because the project is the semester, not simply an assignment meant to break up classwork.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private elementary schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Is your high schooler college ready? It’s not always a simple “yes” or “no” question. High schoolers who are excelling in one area may be struggling in another, and even caring, watchful parents can miss the signs that a student isn’t ready for college. After all, students do have a knack for flying under the radar.
In this article, the faculty members at Lakeside Christian School, one of the top Christian schools in Clearwater, FL, discuss how you can ensure that your high schooler is ready for everything that college has to throw at them. These years will have a tremendous impact on their success later in life. When your child walks out of high school for the last time, will you be content knowing that you did everything in your power to prepare them for what comes next?
As this Forbes article states, most high schoolers don’t score high enough on the ACT or SAT to be considered ready for their freshman year of college. “That means students may struggle in tough courses when they get to campus or wind up in remedial classes, even if they earned good grades and met all high school graduation requirements.” At Lakeside Christian School, we believe that students are more than just a number; however, test scores are important for highlighting areas where a student needs improvement. To be considered college-ready, a student would need to score:
Our Clearwater, FL, Christian school takes college readiness very seriously. We believe that preparing students for college life and college coursework is one of the most important jobs that a school can perform, which is why our educators use an effective blend of curriculum, teaching methodologies, and technology to create a path of success for our students. Through data-driven instruction, we provide a solid foundation on which students can build a rewarding college experience. Of course, academic knowledge is only one part of what your child will need to succeed in college.
Networking is one of the most important things your child can do to ensure their post-graduate success. This article from Lifehack sums it up perfectly: “In this age of connectivity no employer wants to, or needs to, risk hiring an unknown individual. Networking helps you to form relationships so future employers will see you as a friend instead of as a risk.” By the time they reach college, your high schooler needs to be their own person — they need the empathy, candor, and confidence necessary to network and build relationships, but these are skills best learned long before college.
It’s all too easy for a high schooler to lose their identity and social skills among the hundreds of other students at their school. At Lakeside Christian School, our educators strive to ensure that every student finds their voice. No child gets left behind when they’re a part of our Clearwater, FL, Christian school. To safeguard your child’s academic and social success, schedule a tour at Lakeside Christian School. We’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you may have regarding our approach to preparing students for college and life after.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the best Christian schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
As a society, we have a tendency to overlook the transition from elementary to middle school, which can be quite jarring in its own right. After all, the entire structure of middle school is vastly different from elementary schools’ “one teacher to a class” system. Middle school students are expected to have adapted to the school system by the time they enter sixth grade. During the next three years, students will be asked to absorb a vast amount of information as they bridge the gap from simple concepts to more complex teachings. It often seems like the ultimate goal of middle school is to survive until high school, but in actuality, middle school is a time when students can build the foundation for their high school experience.
At Lakeside Christian School, a Christian middle school in Clearwater, FL, we provide students with rigorous high school preparation programs that boost skills in algebra, writing, and more. During grades six, seven, and eight, students are molded into enlightened thinkers and problem solvers who yearn to be challenged, ensuring that they experience a smooth transition to the next level. Students that excel in high school start by maintaining a strong GPA throughout middle school. Here are the reasons why:
Like math, science, language arts, and other subject areas, the ability to study properly must be learned through consistent instruction. Students who fail to adopt proper study habits can find themselves left behind once they enter high school. Studying is a foundational skill that can boost a student’s performance across multiple subject areas, and middle school is the perfect time to develop these skills. The amount of homework that children are tasked with completing spikes dramatically during this time, and the formation of reliable study habits is the only way to keep up. Needless to say, better study habits will lead to a higher GPA and a greater chance of success in high school.
According to Deborah Kasak from the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform, “Many [students] make that decision to drop out–either consciously or unconsciously–during those middle grades years.” Paying close attention to our middle school students is important if we want them to succeed, but overcoming the hump isn’t always easy. Many children find middle school to be a significantly more daunting challenge than what they grew accustomed to in elementary school. Middle school distractions are another cause for concern. Bullying, puberty, and an evolving self-awareness can lead children down the wrong path without proper instruction. This is why, at our Christian middle school in Clearwater, FL, we work hard to cultivate an environment of learning and acceptance that helps children sustain an interest in education and a desire to be their very best.
When the progress your child made in elementary school comes skidding to a halt in middle school, it’s time to make a change. As one of the top Christian middle schools in Clearwater, FL, our staff is dedicated to providing a guiding hand to children during this confusing time. With small class sizes and plenty of one-on-one instruction, children are afforded the freedom to overcome academic obstacles and become their best. We’d love to give you the opportunity to check out our school for yourself and your family, so you can see why Lakeside Christian School is the best Christian middle school in Clearwater, FL.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the best Christian middle schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
The struggles of the education system in recent years have fallen under a lot of scrutiny, and for good reason. Some alarming facts and statistics:
There is an ocean of reasons why this is happening within the education system in America, and both public and private schools are affected. However, the private sector has historically fared better in times of uncertainty in the education system. Here in Clearwater especially, the Clearwater private school system is exceptionally effective at educating bright young minds. Below are three advantages of private elementary schools in Clearwater, FL.
The United States population has grown by 17 million since the last major census in 2010 —a 5.3 percent increase. This increase has been supported by a steady annual rate of 0.7 to 0.8 percent; and according to history, this shows no signs of slowing down. Today’s children are glued to brightly lit LED monitors, and as a result, they require more individual attention than ever before to retain information and expand their knowledge. Private elementary schools in Clearwater, FL, benefit from smaller class sizes, allowing teachers to impart knowledge on their students more efficiently and with fewer distractions. When schools become overpopulated, everyone’s learning experience suffers.
The children of today are nothing like the children of the 1990s, or even the 2000s. Elementary students of those times came into school only with information and knowledge their parents exposed them to. Nowadays, children before preschool are granted access to smartphones and iPads to aid parents in keeping their overzealous attention spans at bay. This translates to new-age students that have a wealth of information that previous generations did not; in other words, they are not starting with a clean slate. In a traditional classroom setting, children did not have access to a computer until fourth or fifth grade. Preschoolers are walking into their first day of school with the ability to open a computer and use the internet. They need to adjust teaching methods to address this issue and help young minds remediate information that they’ve been exposed to outside of the classroom; which private schools have. Public schools often have trouble offering new-age teaching methods to their students.
A lack of funding is a detriment to any government system, so why would the school system be any different? In Florida, a lack of public funding affects every corner of the educational experience. This underfunding hits lower-income public schools especially hard. However, affordable private schools in Clearwater, FL, rarely have funding issues.
If you would like to learn more about private elementary schools in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Are you ready to join the Lakeside Christian School community? Contact us, and schedule a tour today.
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