Helping Students with Disabilities Thrive in Classical Christian Schools, Part II

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

How disability benefits the classical Christian school. Distinguishing between stumbling blocks and caving to culture. Myths and mysteries of student support. Staying in charge of your program. Understanding Language Development—With a Speech Therapist if possible. Understanding Physical Development– With a PT or OT if possible. Understanding Dyslexia intervention – With A Reading Specialist if possible. Improving Reading Instruction for Everyone. Nurturing Emotional Development. Observations on How Adoption Impacts Learning

Leslie Collins

Leslie and her husband, Dave have been working in classical and Christian education since 1995. Leslie was the founding headmistress of Rockbridge Academy in Millersville, Maryland and was privileged to briefly serve in Kailua, Hawaii as Trinity Christian School transitioned to a classical model. She is currently the Head of School at Covenant Academy in northwest Houston. Leslie and Dave have four children and one adorable granddaughter. Leslie holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from The Master’s University and a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the University of Maryland.

Helping Students with Disabilities Thrive in Classical Christian Schools, Part I

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

How disability benefits the classical Christian school. Distinguishing between stumbling blocks and caving to culture. Myths and mysteries of student support. Staying in charge of your program. Understanding Language Development—With a Speech Therapist if possible. Understanding Physical Development– With a PT or OT if possible. Understanding Dyslexia intervention – With A Reading Specialist if possible. Improving Reading Instruction for Everyone. Nurturing Emotional Development. Observations on How Adoption Impacts Learning

Leslie Collins

Leslie and her husband, Dave have been working in classical and Christian education since 1995. Leslie was the founding headmistress of Rockbridge Academy in Millersville, Maryland and was privileged to briefly serve in Kailua, Hawaii as Trinity Christian School transitioned to a classical model. She is currently the Head of School at Covenant Academy in northwest Houston. Leslie and Dave have four children and one adorable granddaughter. Leslie holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from The Master’s University and a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the University of Maryland.

Kindergarten Recruitment and Testing

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

Kindergarten is the ideal entry point for any student – especially in a classical Christian school. A strong foundation is laid in the kindergarten year preparing students for a beautiful journey of virtue formation and discovery for years to come. The Admissions Office is wise to focus most of their energy recruiting families for the early years in hopes of partnering for 13 years. We will delve into ideas for recruiting families with kindergarten children and walking them through the admissions process from first visit to first day of school.

Gretchen Gregory

Mrs. Gretchen Gregory serves as the Director of Admissions. She enjoys welcoming many prospective parents to our campus and walking each family through the admissions process. Gretchen earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Psychology from Liberty University. Gretchen worked at a software development company in the marketing department before becoming a mother. She homeschooled her own children for three years until they all joined the Veritas community together in 2005. Gretchen is married to Kevin and has three grown children: Luke, Kara, and Julia.

How to Build a Successful Athletic Program

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

The athletic program is a key component of a healthy classical school. Every classical school can have a robust athletic program regardless of its size. With an average enrollment of 15-20 students per grade, Hillsdale Academy has built a thriving athletic program over the past twenty years. This panel will explore best practices and cover how to build, sustain, and take your athletic program to the next level.

Mike Roberts

Mr. Michael Roberts is the Assistant Headmaster and Athletic Director at Hillsdale Academy. He is also a lecturer in the Sports Studies Department at Hillsdale College and serves as the Head Track and Field Coach at Hillsdale Academy. He earned his B.A. in History and Health and Physical Education from Hillsdale College in 1998 and M.A. in Education Leadership from the University of Colorado in 2002. He also earned his Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA) endorsement through the NIAAA. He taught history and geography at Cheyenne Mountain Junior High School in Colorado for two years before returning to Hillsdale in the fall of 2002 for his current position. In 1999-2000 he served as the Coordinator of the Alternative Education program at Sturgis High School in Michigan. In 1998-1999 he was an Assistant Cross Country and Track and Field Coach and Intramural Sports Director at Hillsdale College.

Crucial Crisis Communication Elements Schools Need

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning
Crisis happens. But it isn’t the crisis itself that poses the greatest risk, but how you choose to respond to it that will determine the level of impact. While they cannot be avoided, contrary to popular belief, they also do not necessarily have to be bad. The key to successfully navigating a negative situation is to effectively manage future emergencies in advance to mitigate your school’s overall risks. In this session, seasoned crisis communications experts will help you take steps now to think beyond the negative and instead how to approach, respond and pivot to positive messaging when your crisis hits.

Kristin Cole

As President of A. Larry Ross Communications (ALRC), Kristin Cole provides strategic leadership to the agency account team, consults on crisis communications and reputation management projects, and leads the company’s vision and mission. She is constantly looking for cutting-edge ways the Agency can serve its clients. During her nearly 14 years at ALRC, Ms. Cole has served a variety of film, book and ministry clients, including Gordon College, I Am Second, Interstate Batteries, CURE International and HarperCollins Publishing as well as leaders such as Anne Graham Lotz, Dr. Tony Evans, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Joel C. Rosenberg, Christine Caine, Dr. Albert R. Mohler and Jon Weece. She also continues to coordinate media and public relations for Pastor Rick and Kay Warren of Saddleback Church. Ms. Cole is a graduate of Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she earned a communication arts degree with an emphasis in public relations/advertising and was elected President of the Student Government Association. She currently serves on the Union University Board of Regents and Religion Newswriters Association Membership Committee and chairs the Honors and Awards Committee for the Dallas Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Kerri Ridenour

Kerri Ridenour, PHR, SHRM-CP, has spent her professional career focused in the area of consulting with small to medium-sized companies, non-profits, and academic institutions advising them on strategic preparation, human resources, and crisis planning. She permanently joined the ALRC team in May of 2006. As Chief Operating Officer, she leads the Agency’s business acquisitions, day-to-day operations and utilizes her human resources expertise and certifications to act in an advisory capacity on a variety of crisis communications projects. Kerri is a SRHM Certified Personnel (SRHM-CP) Consultant and a Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) who before joining ALRC, served as President of The Bask Group, Inc., a Dallas based consulting firm specializing in operations, personnel, strategic and tactical planning, and compliance.

Wisdom to Guide Families into an Uncertain Start to School

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning
Perspective on how to deal with parents when their children struggle and need encouragement…..and how to engage a nervous confused parent population about a “new” return to school.

Keith McCurdy

Keith has worked with families, children, parents, and individuals for over 30 years in the field of mental health, working with more than 15,000 individuals and families. He received his Master of Arts and Education Specialist degrees from James Madison University. He is currently the President and CEO of Total Life Counseling, Inc., and is licensed in the state of Virginia as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Keith provides counseling and consulting services as well as a variety of workshops on improving parenting skills, building strong marriages, and maintaining healthy relationships. He has developed and regularly offers parenting retreats entitled “Raising Sturdy Kids” to help parents operate from the correct paradigm with their children and has extended and customized this powerful program for schools and students. For many years Keith has been a consultant and speaker nationally to businesses, churches, and schools both within and outside of the world of Classical Education. He previously served as Chairman of the Board at Faith Christian School, a Christian classical school in Roanoke, VA. Keith has been a regular contributor to The Roanoke Star with articles on children, parenting, and marriage. Keith has been featured on the Circe Institute’s podcast “The Commons," "BaseCamp Live," and "Crosspolitic" podcasts respectively.

All Things Vile and Vicious: Seeing God’s Glory in the Horrors of Nature

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

We’ve all seen the pictures: hairy spider faces with hungry eyes. Long-toothed, translucent deep-sea monsters. Nightmarish creatures on land and sea. Poets, philosophers, and theologians have wrestled with hideous animals and shocking behavior in the animal kingdom. But are such aspects of creation suitable for children? As Christians studying God’s more unsettling works, we can be drawn into deep reflection about God, the world, and ourselves by observing the forms and behaviors of creatures in the animal kingdom. In this workshop we will discuss what some great minds have said about the disturbing animal kingdom. We will discuss topics of parasitism, fecundity, and predation, and what theological and pedagogical implications can be drawn.

Jeffrey Mays

Jeffrey works with a team of representatives at Classical Academic Press primarily advancing Novare Science curriculum. Besides helping schools and homeschoolers implement excellent science programs, Jeffrey is a writer and conference speaker. His degrees include a BS in Computer Science from Baylor University, M.Div from Covenant Theological Seminary, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Seattle Pacific University. He has been a pastor and a school teacher of science, history, math, Bible and apologetics in public and private schools. He is an avid reader and is interested in advocating the harmony and compatibility between science and Christian faith. Jeffrey lives in Austin Texas.

Raising Sturdy Kids

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

This session will provide valuable insight into current cultural and psychological dynamics that impact our students, their families and our ability to engage them. Where are we now and how did we get here? (From helicopters to snowplow parents) What has the influence of psychological thinking led to with our current view of parenting? How do we recover and then implement principles that will lead to a healthy development of Maturity? 

We will focus primarily on the “current state of affairs” of current families with the realities that most children are more fragile and have great difficulty dealing with normal rigors of life as compared to previous generations, and that most parents operate as if they need permission to effectively parent their children.

Keith McCurdy

Keith has worked with families, children, parents, and individuals for over 30 years in the field of mental health, working with more than 15,000 individuals and families. He received his Master of Arts and Education Specialist degrees from James Madison University. He is currently the President and CEO of Total Life Counseling, Inc., and is licensed in the state of Virginia as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Keith provides counseling and consulting services as well as a variety of workshops on improving parenting skills, building strong marriages, and maintaining healthy relationships. He has developed and regularly offers parenting retreats entitled “Raising Sturdy Kids” to help parents operate from the correct paradigm with their children and has extended and customized this powerful program for schools and students. For many years Keith has been a consultant and speaker nationally to businesses, churches, and schools both within and outside of the world of Classical Education. He previously served as Chairman of the Board at Faith Christian School, a Christian classical school in Roanoke, VA. Keith has been a regular contributor to The Roanoke Star with articles on children, parenting, and marriage. Keith has been featured on the Circe Institute’s podcast “The Commons," "BaseCamp Live," and "Crosspolitic" podcasts respectively.

Knocking Down Hurdles: Understanding Why Being a School Board Member is so Tough and What To Do About It

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

Many a parent has been elected to their school’s board, excited about opportunities to support the mission, exchange ideas with the leadership and instigate growth and improvement. And many a board member has found doing these noble things to be difficult, if not seemingly impossible. This workshop identifies a handful of common realities affecting the performance of many leadership teams. Hurdles exist which, if not recognized, inhibit governing wisdom, organizational effectiveness and the board’s reputation. Understanding our problems is the first step to remedying them.

Charles Evans

Chuck has been a proponent of classical Christian schooling since he became the founding Head of School of Faith Christian School in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1996. As a consultant since 2006, Chuck has assisted dozens of schools in various aspects of development. He was involved in the original leadership of SCL and helped co-found the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability (CESA). He is an annual presenter at the Van Lunen Center for Christian School Management's Fellows Program, and he teaches each summer at Vanderbilt University. Chuck and his wife, Julie, live in Austin. They are blessed with seven children, three dogs, two cats and a rabbit. Really.

Your Board Is Bad, and It Might Be Your Fault: How To Build Cooperative, Productive, Long-Lasting, Successful Boards

Posted on by Society for Classical Learning

Let’s face it. School boards get a lot of blame and not much credit. Working from the insight that harmonious
leadership requires certain types of competency on both sides of the ledger – boards and heads –this session explores the ways in which successful Heads of School strengthen the boards under whose authority they serve. It’s not about following a list of hard and fast rules. It is more complex, but, executed well, better for the school and personally satisfying.

Charles Evans

Chuck has been a proponent of classical Christian schooling since he became the founding Head of School of Faith Christian School in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1996. As a consultant since 2006, Chuck has assisted dozens of schools in various aspects of development. He was involved in the original leadership of SCL and helped co-found the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability (CESA). He is an annual presenter at the Van Lunen Center for Christian School Management's Fellows Program, and he teaches each summer at Vanderbilt University. Chuck and his wife, Julie, live in Austin. They are blessed with seven children, three dogs, two cats and a rabbit. Really.