ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE IN A CARING, CHRISTIAN ENVIRONMENT:
Pre-School: Pre-school is full day for 3 and 4 year-olds. Students have Circle Time each morning to pray, talk, and share. Students transition to practice ABC's and counting. Students then enjoy free play time before starting daily academic time to learn more about language, math, Bible stories, and science. Students also have time for art and practicing social skills with new friends. After lunch and recess students take a nap. At the end of the day students work on a fine motor skill activity like writing, coloring, cutting, building, lacing, or stacking. Pre-school has a focus on learning through play. Students are assessed at the beginning and the end of the year with iSprout.
Pre-Kindergarten: Pre-kindergarten is full day for 4 and 5 year-olds. Students start with a Bible story time each day. Students work on identifying and writing letters daily. For math, students focus on shapes, patterns, and numbers (counting, identifying, and writing). Students also receive a science or social studies lesson each day focusing on nature, small experiments, and community helpers. After lunch and recess, students have a short "rest time" before working on a daily art project. Pre-Kindergarten is a bridge between play and learning how to "school." Students are assessed at the beginning and the end of the year with iSprout.
Kindergarten: Kindergarten is full day. Students engage in religion, reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies with a heavier focus on learning how to follow multi-step directions, sit and work for longer periods of time, and have and use textbooks. Students continue to work on building gross motor and fine-motor skills through writing, coloring, and play. Students are also learning about phonics and phonemic awareness through the UFLI program. Students are assessed at the beginning and the end of the year with Indiana Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (iKRA) and DIBELS.
Grades 1st-3rd (Elementary): Students in these grades start each day with devotion, prayer, and religion, including memory work. We use the elements of the "Science of Reading" to increase students' reading capacity through phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension using the UFLI program. Students also develop fluency, computation, problem solving, and reflective justification in math. Students also have science and social studies lessons that focus on building reading vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension as well as scientific discovery and experimentation. Students in grades 2 and grade 3 take the iRead assessment in the spring and assessed with DIBELS three times a year. Students in grade 3 take iLearn in the spring.
Grade 4 (Elementary): Students start each day with devotion, prayer, and religion, including memory work. Students in grade 4 transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." Students receive instruction in reading, language arts (writing and grammar), math, science, and Indiana history. Students in grade 4 take iLearn in the spring.
Grades 5th-8th (Middle School): Our upper grades start each day with devotion, prayer, and religion, including memory work. Students in grades 7 and 8 also receive instruction in catechism from one of our pastors three days a week. Students move between two classrooms and store their belongings in lockers. Students receive instruction in reading/language arts, math, science and social studies, with a greater focus on reading and writing to learn, notetaking, and justifying their thinking. Students learn more about hands-on experimentation in science as well. Students who need additional challenges in math are placed in ALEKS based on ability. Students in grades 5-8 take iLearn in the spring.
We now have an online Spanish class for students in grades K-8th!
Academic Teams: Students in grades 5-8 can join Spell Bowl, Sci-Fest, and Bible Quiz teams.
Art: Art is led by classroom teachers. Projects are either teacher created activities or curriculum supplied by ArtBx, an online platform that teaches line, form, shape, texture, and color from a certified art teacher in which the lesson is taught and the classroom teacher facilitates the project.
Choir: Choir is directed by classroom teachers with three choirs: early childhood, 1st-3rd, and 4th-8th. Students learn to sing a variety of musical selections including traditional and contemporary sacred music. They are given opportunities to sing in chapel and church services to minister God's love to others.
Computer Literacy: Computer literacy is taught once a week by a computer technology teacher. Students learn about digital literacy, keyboarding, and use a variety of programs that supplement classroom presentations and writing projects.
Handbell Choir: Students in grades 4-8 can join an introductory handbell choir, which introduces students to bells and chimes. This group practices after school and performs at LCOR 2-3 times during the year.
Health: Students learn about healthy life style choices and good stewardship of the body and soul as we are created in God's image.
Library: We have an extensive school library with many Christian literature selections. Each classroom also has many books from which to choose. Some classes also use the Howard County Public Library Bookmobile service twice a month.
Music Theory: Music theory is taught weekly by a professional music director. It is also woven into choral rehearsals in 1st-8th grades.
Physical Education (PE): Students in all grades receive PE instruction twice a week. Students learn Christ-like sportsmanship, teamwork and communication skills through games and team sports.
Sign Language: Students have various opportunities to learn American Sign Language, including worship songs in choir and catechesis.
EXTENDED CARE: RLS offers a quality Extended Care program to RLS and Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer congregational children from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM. This program is open during school delays. (time of operation may change). * This program might not be open if it will cause staff to be put in jeopardy to come to school.
