Discover Lower School at TCA

What are your biggest priorities when you consider schools in the area?

Alignment with your family’s values? Safety? After-school care? Enriching Academics? Positive atmosphere?

Parents of children on the cusp of Elementary School are considering these things and more as they make plans for their children. What sets TCA apart from the rest?

At TCA, we are a covenant Christian School, partnering with Christian parents and their local churches to equip godly servant leaders in their homes, churches, and communities. This means that we strive to come alongside you and provide a robust and engaging education for your child while helping to shape the whole of who they are with a Biblical worldview. Read below to see how we are intentionally taking steps to do this in all areas of Lower School through Excellent Academics, Discipleship, Auxillary Classes, the Arts, Athletics, and more. We strive to be excellent in all things because we know that God uses all things to shape us into His likeness. Read below to see how we are growing and thriving in those efforts.

Lower School at the Trinity Christian Academy is Pre-Kindergarten through Fifth Grade.

Pre-K and Kindergarten
This year at TCA, we expanded Kindergarten, adding a third class in order to welcome more mission aligned families into the TCA community. We also have a waitlist for our Pre-K program with hopes to make room for more new students next school year. The Pre-K and Kindergarten years at TCA serve as the foundation for their academic years and are a great time to start your education at TCA. These are the years where students learn to read, how to write, and begin understanding numbers and mathematics. Students are learning how to be a friend, how to listen to and communicate with others, and so much about the world around them. At TCA, we strive to make their academic experience personal while also partnering with Christian families in laying a Biblical foundation. Our hope is that each child moving into Lower School will not only have a foundation for the rigorous TCA education ahead, but also a love and joy for learning centered around God’s word. Students are participating in Spanish class, STEM, Art, Music, and Library each week as well. They are exposed to an enriching educational experience that instills a love for learning and a safe place to be known and loved for each student.

Kindergarten at TCA is when Lower School chapel and Discipleship groups begin. At the beginning of the school year, new Kindergarten students along with all of Lower School, participate in our Pride Tribe Sorting Ceremony (our Lower School Discipleship Program). This exciting event is the kick off for Pride Tribes, as well as when each Kindergarten student is sorted into the tribe they will be in throughout Lower School. A giant gum ball machine, cheering, laughter, and joy all around make this day such a momentous occasion each year.

Pre-K and Kindergarten readiness
If you read the article, Discover Little Lions at TCA, then you know that we at TCA are committed to Pre-K and Kindergarten Readiness. We annually screen our rising Kindergarten students through the nationally recognized, Brigance screening. This year, our students scored significantly above average for their age in both rising Pre-K and rising K with the overwhelming majority of current students scoring above 90 on the Brigance. This shows that our program actually is preparing our students, equipping them with a strong foundation to begin the journey of a dynamic Trinity Christian Academy education. This however is not what makes a TCA education special. What sets us apart, is that while our students are growing into little scholars, they are learning to see the world through the eyes of scripture. To learn how to love their classmates, their teachers, their families, and how to be like Christ is paramount. We are not a perfect school with perfect Christians making perfect children. But we are in the business of growing into His likeness together while we partner with Christian families and their churches to provide an excellent education. That is our mission.

Second through Fourth Grades
These years at TCA are where students deepen relationships, begin growing more into who they are, and grow in understanding who God is. Many students begin to have personal relationships with Jesus Christ in this age range, and we celebrate that as we work to partner with parents and their local churches to instill a Biblical worldview in each child. Students are growing significantly academically, with a focus on personal responsibility, kindness and humility to others, and to value a hard work ethic. More Athletic options as well as Fine Art options become available. Our Lower School musical allows students the opportunity to grow in confidence, public speaking and performance, and leadership skills. Athletics also instill a hard work ethic, importance of team collaboration, and sense of school spirit and camaraderie. We believe that it is important for us to offer many resources, activities, and enrichment opportunities for students so that they can test the waters, explore their creativity, and most of all grow into the individual God created them to be.

Fifth Grade
As the Lower School years wind down, fifth grade is the last year to prepare students for Middle School. We strive to not only equip students academically, but socially, emotionally, spiritually, and physically as well. As parents, we know that middle school years have a reputation for being scary. At TCA, we want to alleviate that fear by making as seamless of a transition as possible, while still recognizing this significant milestone in each child’s life and development. Annually, we conduct the Fifth Grade Bridge Ceremony. This service allows each fifth grade student to cross over a bridge signifying this transition. Students collectively perform from their percussion class, share their testimonies, and more while their families are in attendance. We find that students enter Middle School at TCA ready for the academic load and equipped with friendships and a loving community to thrive in as they grow.

Technology Integration

Beginning in Lower School, students are introduced to technology integration through their own school provided chrome books. At an age appropriate level, students begin very minimally learning how to utilize their computer for programs like IXL and to learn keyboarding. Throughout Lower School, students slowly grow to be fluent in Google programs and managing their own school email for communications by the time they head to Middle School. We want to prepare our students in all areas, so preparing for the presence of technology is a “faucet drip” approach, slowly integrating it through a healthy, beneficial, and safe process. Students do not take their chrome books home until they are in fifth grade, but are assigned their own personal computer to ensure the best use of technology security. Our school is vigilant in protecting our students from exposure to inappropriate materials, and we strongly encourage each parent to take advantage of our technology accountability service. This service emails parents exactly what their student viewed on their computer and how much time they spent in each section from the moment they open their laptop until they close it each time. It also allows our teachers to see what each screen in their classroom is viewing at all times. This program continues throughout a students entire schooling at TCA. You can read more about this here. We want to provide a well rounded and enriching education, while instilling a Biblical worldview in all things, including technology usage.

The beauty of a Biblically based, Christian education through TCA is that you don’t have to sacrifice excellence to teach a Biblical worldview. Students can and do have a robust, exciting and rigorous education all while being pointed to the One who created them.

If you or someone you know is interested in starting an excellent Christian education through TCA Lower School, contact admissions at admissions@mytcalions.com or call 731.668.8500.