Greetings! I hope everyone is having a good summer, all things considered. I am excited about our upcoming school year and the stellar group of students we are starting with this year! They will certainly “encourage one another to good works” of education and Christian excellence.
There’s a lot going on in the world and in our nation, and our curriculum is specifically designed to prepare students to make an impact today and understand the times. A couple articles that you might want to check out: a Forbes article by the founder of the Center for Educational Reform and a Washington Post article on the swirling chaos in all things education today. What I find very interesting is that the mainstream media is now popularizing such concepts as microschools, hybrid models, and cohort-based education. I encourage everyone to let your voice be heard in these debates. I recently spoke with an education reform advocate from the Commonwealth Foundation about a legislative initiative of theirs that you might want to check out: Back on Track Scholarships.
August is the month that I will be ordering curriculum, preparing syllabi and assignment schedules, finishing the Family Handbook, and sending it out to everyone to read thoroughly and sign. Here’s some important updates:
1. Schedule – We will be in-school every Tuesday and Thursday, 9-3.
2. School supplies – Students will need to purchase a nice-looking, solid-color, cloth face covering as part of their school supplies. Students will show up wearing it. They will get screened and temped, then they can remove it for the remainder of the day as long as they aren’t showing symptoms. Otherwise, students should provide their own favorite pens and paper for taking notes and doing some assignments. I recommend good black disposable pens plus the yellow letter-sized legal pads. We will provide file boxes for them to keep next to their desks at the school. Everything else, we will likely provide (file folders, for example) or is optional (such as highlighters, etc.).
3. Dress Code – Professional attire is required only on Tuesdays. Professional attire, business casual, or dress denim are allowed on Thursdays. Definitions of these will be included in the Family Handbook, which you should receive in the first half of August.
4. Tuition – Tuition is always due the 1st, late after the 15th, and if a month goes by without paying, notice of dismissal will go out. Tuition checks can be made out to Atonement Church and should contain “Tuition Payment” in the memo line. This month, please mail a check or money order. In the future, just send with your child. If you have any questions about tuition, please feel free to contact me directly or Jamie.
5. Back-to-School Social – We hope to have a social gathering for parents, students, and staff towards the end of August. We will send more details about this at a later time.
6. Seats Available – We still have plenty of seats available. Please refer friends to Jamie or me if they might be interested. Students who have completed Pre-Algebra and read at approximately a 9th-grade level are encouraged to apply. Plenty of families are still trying to figure out this upcoming year. At Atonement Academy, they would get the best of all possibilities. I am also offering a completely online version of the same curriculum, in case you know of anyone who would like the content but is not comfortable with in-person classes this year or unable to get their students to Atonement. More information about this option can be found at thewaysideschool.com.
Feel free to reach out with any questions!
Warm regards,
The Rev’d Andrew Brummett