Our junior kindergarten through 5th grade classes are located in our beloved Plasman campus building. Middle school students in 6th through 8th grades meet at our Laketown campus.
Calvary Schools offers a varied curriculum consistent with a Charlotte Mason pedagogy. Students are learning to form relationships with a wide range of subjects, with a focus on growth. All students are learning to engage with subjects that come easily, as well as those which require more work. There are about 17 subjects in lower and middle school; each serves a different purpose.
Subjects include art, Bible, composer study, composition, geography, handwork, handwriting, history, literature, music/choir, narration, nature study, phonics, physical conditioning, picture study, poetry, read aloud, reading instruction, recitation/memory, science, Shakespeare, spelling, tales and fables, transcription/dictation.
ELEMENTARY
Calvary’s elementary school lays the foundation for students to grow in their relationships with learning and knowledge. One of our chief goals is to create an atmosphere where students genuinely love to learn and grow as people. In elementary classrooms, there is a high focus on forming relationships, not only with each other as people, but also with God, His created world, and with knowledge itself.
Another key aspect of our lower school is the building of habits and the maturing of character. While this is an important value for people of any age, when a child is young, it is of great importance that they learn and grow in the habits that will help them mature in character as they age. Due to smaller class sizes, teachers are able to work with students in specific areas to encourage growth in habits of attention, self control, kindness, respect, humility, handling emotional distress, peacefully accepting “no”, etc. When a habit is trained, character is formed.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Calvary’s middle school is designed to function as a cohesive group within the Laketown campus. Unity, kindness, and care for others is encouraged in place of the isolation and separation that can accompany a totally self-contained middle school unit. Calvary Schools employs a “main teacher model” for students from junior kindergarten through 8th grade. Middle school assembly, breaks, lunch, field trips, and other activities provide many opportunities for variety and togetherness.
Service is a major component in our middle school. Students spend their middle school years learning how to care for their immediate surroundings, neighbors, and those more vulnerable than they. Middle school students form relationships with younger elementary students through cross campus visits, service relationships, chapel and reading buddies, and lunch dates. Students also have regular chores in caring for the school.
If you are interested in finding out more about the distinctives of a Calvary education in the junior kindergarten through 8th grade, contact us at info@cshk12.org, or call the Plasman campus at (616) 396-4494 and schedule a visit. Additional information on Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy and the curriculum we use can be found at Ambleside Schools International.