LCS Fine Arts Quick Facts

Perhaps you’ve heard about Lakeside Christian School’s academic program, safe environment, and biblical backbone. You may have even read the quick facts about our athletics. But how much do you know about our fine arts program? Read about it below, in ten quick facts!

1) After years of success in the early 2000’s, followed by a hiatus, the LCS chorus returned three years ago. In those three years, the group has grown from 7 to 18 students and has received an Excellence award at the ACSI chorus festival each of the past three years.

2) The LCS Drama department produces three productions each year including a set of student-directed plays, a fall play and a spring play. Currently, 31 students participate in high school drama and are working on a spring musical: “Bridge to Terabithia.”

3) Visual Technology allows students to learn how to film, edit, and produce videos on Apple iPads. Students have created commercials, music videos, and a variety of other video projects.

4) LCS Alumna Beca Donovan (2012) is currently working on a number of different acting projects. Most recently she starred in the short film “Don’t Look Away.” She was nominated “for best actress in a short film” for the International Christian Film Festival.

5) The drama department performed Shakespeare for the first time last Spring with their performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The play was a huge success and performed to nearly a sold out run of performances.

6) LCS elementary students have been learning the elements of music throughout their years in elementary. Students are learning music elements according to the Florida Music Educators Association standards.

7) Lakeside has offered studio art in the past. In the stairwell at the school, there is a mural that was created by the art class. This is a large-scale reproduction of a smaller painting, painted by a former student who passed away suddenly in 2014. The mural was painted in her honor.

8) The drama class at Lakeside took a trip last summer to New York City to experience theater on Broadway. Students took in two shows, saw all the sights, and participated in a workshop with Broadway actors. Some of our students were even seen in the audience on “The Today Show!”

9) Each year, the elementary students perform two large programs for their parents. This involves memorizing lines, motions, and songs to be performed at Lakeside Community Chapel, on the large stage.

10) LCS offers the opportunity for those who play guitar, piano, bass, or sing, as well as show a relationship with Jesus Christ, an opportunity to help lead worship during our weekly chapels. These musicians are chosen from the student body and are in charge of the music for each week of chapel.

If you’d like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, please check out the rest of our website and book a free tour today!

Thanks to our Chorus and Drama teacher, Dan Thayer, for the information!

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LCS Athletics Quick Facts

We’ve already established Lakeside’s excellent academics and biblical foundation. You may want to know about some of our extracurricular activities. Here are ten quick facts about LCS athletics:

Lakeside’s varsity football team has made the FCAPPS state championship game four out of the last eight years.
Lakeside offers 24 sports teams for elementary, middle, and high school students.
Lakeside currently has six graduates playing college athletics.
64% of students participate in Lakeside Athletics.
There are six former Lakeside basketball players that have scored over 1,000 points during their high school careers at Lakeside.
From 1979 – 1985, the Lakeside boys soccer team won the Suncoast Christian Conference State Championship.
Since 2008, two Lakeside Football players have been awarded the FCAPPS league MVP.
In the last eight years, Lakeside has added six elementary sports teams: four middle school sports teams, and four varsity sports teams.
Next school year (2016-2017), Lakeside will add elementary soccer, baseball, flag football, volleyball, and basketball for kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students.
Lakeside is a part of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) and the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial School (FCAPPS).

Lakeside Christian School has a talented and caring coaching staff that builds healthy relationships with the students while encouraging them to do their best, always for God’s glory. If your child enjoys athletics, consider booking a tour with LCS today and find out more about their athletic program!

Special thanks to our Athletic Director, James Coffman, for the information!

Safe and Secure Learning Environment

The final focus in our list of things on which Lakeside Christian School focuses is a safe and secure learning environment. This is one of the most fundamental needs of any school. With excellent educators, cutting edge technology, and superior curriculum, a school has the makings for greatness. But without a safe and secure learning environment, it’s all meaningless.

For a learning environment to be safe and secure, it must be acknowledged that physical and emotional threats to students do not come from only the outside. Inside the walls of any school exist bullies and those who would try to harm their fellow students. Beyond that, every school has students with special needs- educational, physical, and spiritual. At Lakeside Christian School, it is our privilege to ensure the safety of every student from outside forces, inside threats, and to create an environment that can help each child succeed.

Lakeside Christian School’s facility is entirely fire-safe, and has procedures in place for internal and external threats. All staff are well-versed in these procedures, and the students are aware of them as well. Drills are practiced throughout the year to ensure the procedures run smoothly. Additionally, Lakeside Christian School does not tolerate bullying. The school-wide discipline system, trusted student-teacher relationships, and in-school suspension program (which instantly separates the instigator from the victim) work together to combat bullying in our midst.

We also have educators with experience in teaching students with specific classroom needs. We do not have special education classes, so all of our students learn in the same environment. Teachers work to meet each individual student at their level, without singling anyone out. Students can feel free to be themselves in an environment that will allow the to grow and thrive.

In addition to all these, Lakeside Christian School’s focus on the Word of God as our foundation means that our staff not only educate our students about the love of Christ; they also model it. Every student is loved, because we believe every student to be valuable and important. We expect students to treat each other in the same way.

Each of these elements work together to create a safe and secure learning environment that suits our students. Parents, at that morning drop-off, feel confident knowing your child is in a place that will keep them safe and give them space to learn and grow. For more information and to book a free tour, please call Lakeside Christian School today!

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Step Up For Students: Your Ticket to Private School Education

For most, the mental image of private Christian education might include wealthy patron, people who drive expensive cars, and students with trust funds. While that may be the case for some (and there’s nothing wrong with that), most of our students and their parents don’t live that way.

Don’t assume an excellent private education is out of your reach simply because you’re not wealthy. There are many scholarship opportunities, and one very important one is Florida’s Step Up for Students scholarships.

According to their website, “Step Up for Students is a state-approved nonprofit scholarship funding organization that helps administer two scholarships for Florida school children: the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (FTC) for low-income families and the Gardiner Scholarship (PLSA) for children with certain special needs.”

Step Up for Students was dreamed up by founder John Kirtley, who began the Children’s Scholarship Fund of Tampa Bay. After legislation supported the ability of parents to use these scholarships to place their children in better schools, we have what we now know as Step Up for Students.

It’s an incredible organization that gives to those who need it most. Step-Up For Students writes, “A state-commissioned researcher has determined that scholarship students “tend to be among the lowest-performing students in their prior school, regardless of the performance level of their public school.” Lakeside Christian School welcomes students such as these, and uses evidence-based best practices to accelerate learning and brighten their futures. Within months, many of our new Step Up students are performing above grade-level in a rigorous academic program. More and more parents are using the Step Up for Students scholarship and taking charge of their children’s education and their future.

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These scholarships can change your child’s life and Lakeside Christian offers a safe learning environment and a quality education to all regardless of income or status. Read more about the Step Up for Students scholarships and its partnership with Lakeside Christian School here. Consider giving your child a fair shot at an excellent education and college preparation. Now is the time to apply as new funds typically run quickly. Step Up For Students works on a first-come, first-served basis, so apply today, and then call Lakeside Christian School! We’re looking forward to your call.

Worldview

Nothing defines a school as much as worldview. Worldview is essentially the lens through which one views the world. It is from this worldview that all decisions are made, and it is behind every purpose and action.

At Lakeside Christian School, while we place tremendous importance on academics and preparing each student for college, we place greater value on the principles on which we base our worldview: God’s inspired Word as found in the Bible.

Here are just some of the beliefs that shape our worldview at Lakeside Christian School:

Each student has value: Each person is made in God’s image and therefore has value. God has created each person individually, with strengths and weaknesses unique to them. At Lakeside Christian School, we strive to amplify strengths and improve weaknesses (Eph. 2:10, Gen. 1:27)
Each student is in need of the Savior: Everyone is born a sinner and desperately in need of a Savior. God is Holy and Just, demanding that all who sin pay the ultimate penalty. Our sin is a spiritual crime against God’s Holy law which requires our absolute perfection to it’s standards. But God offers us forgiveness through His Son, Jesus Christ, who died as a substitute in our place to pay the price for our sins, a cost beyond our ability to pay. That’s the gospel, and we want each of our students to understand it and trust that through the perfect sinless life, substitutionary death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has provided a way for all to receive eternal life. We daily pray that many of our students would turn to Jesus for everlasting life (Rom. 3:23, Rom. 6:23, 1 Cor. 15:3, Eph. 2:8-9).
It is our responsibility to teach and train our students: God’s Word is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. We strive to use the Word as the foundation of all of our teaching (2 Tim. 3:16. Deut. 11:19).
We must always do our best: God has created us with massive potential and has a plan for each person. We must not grow weary in doing good (Gal. 6:9,2 Tim. 2:15).
We do all we do for the glory of God: We love because He first loved us, and we strive for excellence that He might be honored (1 Cor. 10:31, 1 John 4:19, John 3:30).

Because of our worldview, science is taught from the understanding that God created the world in six literal days. Math is taught with the knowledge that God is orderly and has created his world to be orderly. Language Arts is taught with an understanding that God gave use the ability to communicate so that we could communicate His love to others. History is taught with the realization that there is nothing new under the sun, and man will follow the same patterns again and again. While many points of view are taught, we emphasize that the biblical view is truth.

In a world where so few believe in absolute truth, we provide an anchor for our students: the truth of the Word of God.

Whether or not you believe in the Word of God, you can trust that a worldview anchored in God’s Word will ensure that we treat your child with respect, teach them with love, and strive for excellence. If you’d like to read more about our worldview, read our statement of faith, philosophy of education, and value & mission statement here. Call Lakeside Christian School today to schedule your free tour and find out more about what we believe!

PEG Writing: Exciting News!

Last year, Lakeside Christian School added an intuitive-adaptive technology (PEG) to help middle school students come up to speed and meet the more rigorous writing requirements of high school. This technology is a part of a closed loop educational system when it is blended and congruent with the curriculum and standards. On its own, it’s capable of improvement for each student. But when put in the hands of a competent instructor, the results can be exceptional!

We have one such instructor that has taken the PEG technology and has made it come alive for her students, causing real change and improvement. Lindsay Anderson, our middle school Language Arts teacher, was selected for PEG’s March’s Spotlight on Teachers.

Ms. Anderson shares some of the joy in using PEG with her middle school students:

“Initially, my students would groan when I mentioned PEG. (Naturally, it forced them to revise and edit their own writing.) After a few projects on PEG, their opinions genuinely changed. The students are often eager to start the writing process, and not-so patiently wait to press submit to see their improved score.”

Even the students have good things to say about PEG:

“A pro about peg writing is that it tells you all these grammar mistakes that you made. On top of peg telling you what you did wrong it gives you interactive lessons on how to fix the mistakes.”

“I am glad we have PEG, because it advances my skills, and helps me grow in writing.”

“My experience on peg has been amazing. It has taught me so many different skills. I like the way it gives you a score.. And when you see that score it gives you a push of confidence. This is a tremendous program for students who want to get better in their writing.”

Follow this link to read PEG’s own post about Ms. Anderson and her brilliant use of PEG in her classroom. We’re proud to have such educators in our school, using such productive technology!

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Here, Ms. Anderson’s class presents some of what they’ve learned in their PEG class.

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Ms. Anderson is one of the many talented, passionate educators at LCS!

If you’d like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School and the programs we use to make a difference, call and schedule a free tour today!

Effective Educators

The next item on the list of things on which LCS focuses in order to prepare students for college and career is:

Effective Educators.

There is currently a shortage of teachers. There are fewer students studying to become teachers. There are more seasoned teachers leaving the profession for a variety of reasons: low pay, changes in policy and curriculum, classroom behavior issues, etc. And there are many teachers who quit the profession after just a few years. The pool of educators is small, and the pool of excellent, effective educators is even smaller. LCS recognizes the vast importance of hiring only the most effective educators.

Teaching is a difficult job, but a most important one. These educators will see your child five days a week for ten months. Elementary teachers will spend seven hours a day with your child, five days a week, for ten months. For this reason alone, the character of a teacher must be above reproach and the kind you would want influencing your child for roughly 1400 hours a year. Beyond that is the importance of the teacher’s ability to teach the curriculum effectively, producing results in each student’s learning.

LCS chooses teachers who have been properly trained for their area of education. Their expertise is essential for the success of each student. The teachers are also ACSI certified, and continue to build on their own education in order to prosper their students.

Without teachers who are willing to use the curriculum correctly and show flexibility in their own concepts of education in order to meet the needs of their students, there will be few positive results. The educators at LCS are not only willing to do whatever it takes to help eliminate academic gaps and propel each student forward, they are also willing to use the curriculum in the ways that have been proven to produce results. They work diligently independently, and effectively as a team of educators as well.

In order to be this effective, the teachers must also have a lifestyle that aligns with God’s Word. Without that, their effectiveness diminishes. They must not only preach God’s Word, but live it as well, effectively displaying the gospel daily for each student. Each teacher speaks from and helps shape for the students a biblical worldview. It is these things that makes the LCS educator truly effective in the lives of their students.

If you would like to hear more about LCS’s effective educators and perhaps meet some of them, please schedule a free tour today.

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Best- Practice Instruction

The third item in our list of things on which Lakeside Christian School focuses in order to prepare students for college is this:

best- practice instruction.

Best practice, as you may know, is using proven, research-based methods to achieve a desired result. These will vary, naturally, depending on the goal. Because Lakeside Christian School desires to prepare each student for college and career, that means in this case, best- practice instruction is using the methods that are proven to help ready students for life after high school.

Here is what Lakeside Christian School does, and one of our best practices that is producing results:

Closed-Loop Instructional Process

Technology can be integrated into instruction to track outcomes student by student, to create what is known as a “Closed-Loop” Instructional Process. This is done in elementary language arts. In the first week, each student is tested through “benchmark” assessments. Through prior grade level standards, students are tested to determine individual standards mastered or not mastered. At that point, students are placed into small groups based on similarities: those who are working above grade level, on grade level, and those with some un-mastered skills both up to a year below grade level and beyond a year below grade level. After this, teachers provide targeted daily instructions to the small groups in order to bring mastery to the standards found in prior tests. Every 8 weeks, students are re-tested, re-grouped, and the process begins again. This closes the loop. Therefore this practice is a fluid thing, allowing students to move into appropriate groups throughout the year and receive the specialized instruction they need in order to close academic gaps and succeed.

How do we know this works? What makes this a best practice? Here’s what happens when technology provides the instructor specific feedback used to provide specific instruction to each student (in just one school year):

The school year began with 63% of elementary students scoring on or above grade level.

The school year ended with 85% of elementary students scoring on or above grade level.

The school year began with 37% of elementary students with un-mastered skills below grade level.

The school year ended with 15% of elementary students with un-mastered skills below grade level, and those had closed all prior gaps in just months.

All of this aligns with our purpose statement, which indicates that we wish to “prosper or community.” As our website details, 55% of all 4th grade students in the nation have developed learning gaps of un-mastered skills from prior grades. If this is ignored, this leads to 80% of all 8th grade students’ success inhibited in high school and scores that impact college entrance.

Lakeside Christian School will not ignore this problem. We invest both money and time in this process: the technology and consistent staff. We know that this instructional process is necessary for our students’ success in high school and beyond; we have a responsibility to provide that for them. Additionally, it’s our mandate as Christians to improve our community, and this is achieved as we improve our educational process and through the proclamation of God’s Word.

If you’d like to know more about this process or any other best- practices used at Lakeside Christian School, call today to schedule a free tour.

Aligned Curriculum

Next on our list of things on which Lakeside Christian School focuses in order to prepare our students for college and career is

Aligned Curriculum.

Another name for aligned curriculum is coherent curriculum. According to edglossary.org, aligned curriculum “refers to an academic program that is (1) well organized and purposefully designed to facilitate learning, (2) free of academic gaps and needless repetitions, and (3) aligned across lessons, courses, subject areas, and grade levels.”

Simply put, an academic program with aligned curriculum would be one in which all assessments, lessons, instructions, tests, assignments, textbooks, and the like are matched in such a way as to meet standards and cohere as a whole. The purpose of this is that the students’ knowledge builds on itself naturally and doesn’t repeat unnecessarily.

When teachers work together within a school “using developmentally appropriate and well-defined learning expectations (source),” students will have a better chance at eliminating and/or closing academic gaps, therefore becoming more college prepared.

This makes sense, especially when you understand that there can be a four-year gap in academics between the best and worst state standards. This means a senior in one state might find himself at the academic level of a freshman in another state. Consistency is important.

Beyond consistency within the school is alignment to education standards that measure college readiness at grade level. Lakeside Christian School has therefore aligned with ACT Aspire testing. College and career readiness standards are their basis for measuring student improvement (grades 3-10). Aspire tests grade-level knowledge as defined by the standards of the largest states in the US.

ACT Aspire provides three types of tests: classroom assessments, interim assessments, and summative assessments. All three work together to provide insight into each student’s progress and readiness, which then guides instruction.

Why is this so important? It’s important because our goal is to work from day one to help your child become college and career ready. One way we do that is through aligned curriculum with ACT Aspire.

“ACT solutions are explicitly designed and empirically validated to assess student progress toward college and career readiness” (source).

No other organization can link student test scores and actual post-high school performance, plus the ability to then determine what must be learned to be ready for college. Our alignment with the evidence-based ACT Aspire Benchmark testing gives students, parents, and teachers the information they need to determine the right educational path and possible interventions needed to prepare them for college and career. There is no guessing or hoping; there is no pulling for grades high enough to simply graduate; instead, each student is given the opportunity to become truly prepared for life after high school.

For more information about ACT ASPIRE, please visit their website. Consider scheduling a free tour with Lakeside Christian School. We’d love to show you how ACT Aspire works, and what makes LCS different from other schools.

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Data- Driven Instruction

When the time comes, will your child be ready for college or career? Or will their diploma simply stand for a possible four- year gap in information they must know to succeed after graduation?

Does your child’s elementary school use Best-Practice Instructional processes that prepare them foundationally for academic success in secondary grades?

These are the things on which Lakeside Christian School focuses, in order to prepare your child for college and career starting in Kindergarten.

Data- driven instruction
Aligned curriculum
Best- practice instruction
Effective educators
Complementary technology
Biblical worldview
Safe & secure learning environment

Over the next several weeks, we will explain each of these items on this college & career readiness checklist, because what good is knowing what your child needs to succeed, if you cannot identify those things (or the lack thereof) in their classroom?

First, we’ll tackle data- driven instruction. There is a lot of meaning packed into such a boring- sounding term! According to www.engageny.org, “Data- driven instruction and inquiry is a precise and systematic approach to improving student learning throughout the year. The inquiry cycle of data-driven instruction includes assessment, analysis, and action and is a key framework for school-wide support of all student success.”

In simple terms, data- driven instruction means teachers assess students, analyze their findings, and take action to improve the education of each individual student.

Why is this so important?

Data- driven instruction means your child receives a tailored educational plan that will work to either eliminate academic gaps, or propel them forward if they are already on track. Without assessment (and there are multiple kinds of assessment), it’s impossible to determine if a student is on track or not, and if this can’t be determined, students fall through the cracks and essential skills may be lost.

When this data is analyzed, teachers can immediately see if their teaching is effective for each student. This allows them to either create smaller groups concentrated on the skills with which students are struggling, or change her methods entirely. This means the teachers aren’t teaching content to students. They are teaching students essential content.

In classrooms in which data- driven instruction is practiced, it doesn’t matter the size of the class; each student receives the education they need in order to close academic gaps and get on track for college preparedness. Anything less is not enough to ensure that your child is on track!

Lakeside Christian School has been practicing data- driven instruction in K-5 for several years and has noticed a marked improvement in scores. Academic gaps are closing and off- track students are quickly catching up! In a nation with such poor academic statistics, this is immensely encouraging.

Is your child in a classroom that practices data- driven instruction? Book a free tour with Lakeside Christian School today, and ask about our data- driven instruction!

Here’s how it’s done: