The following statements set forth the beliefs, purpose, and vision for Altus Christian Academy. They serve to guide decisions and unify the constituents of the school. Families are not required to agree with the statements, but they must agree to abide by the statements and the policies and procedures derived from them. These statements reflect the Christian distinctive of ACA and its commitment to a Christ-centered, biblically-based education for all students. These statements were developed with input from board, faculty/staff, and parents and are reviewed annually at the staff retreat and the board retreat.
Our Mission
Training children who transform their world.
Our Vision
Train children in the way they should go; when they grow old, they won’t depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 (CEB)
Core Values
ACA is Christ-centered – Imitating Christ in all thought, word and deed.
ACA uses biblical principles – Traits, values and beliefs taken from the Bible and applied to everyday life.
ACA desires the fruit of the Spirit – Expecting growth in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
ACA is a nurturing environment – Providing a spiritually, physically, and mentally safe learning environment while challenging students to become independent, responsible learners.
ACA seeks excellence – High standards for learning build strong foundations for future success.
Our Philosophy
We believe that each child is to be valued as a unique creation of God, fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-16). Each child has particular traits, talents, and abilities and has a distinct learning profile of strengths and weaknesses. Children should be in an environment in which those differences are recognized and developed.
We believe that learning is exciting and fulfilling, and if it is not, parents and teachers should make every effort to uncover the reason and address the problem. Students enjoy being productive, and there are many different kinds of productivity that demonstrate learning.
We believe that learning best takes place in an environment of love, acceptance, and respect. Knowledge means nothing without love (1 Corinthians 13). Each child should see themselves as an integral part of the class and develop a network of friendships. It is within this context that students learn appropriate social skills.
We believe that knowledge cannot be simply “deposited” into a student. Instead, through quality exposure to new concepts and relationships with staff, each student must “build” knowledge. Then as they become developmentally ready to incorporate new knowledge, it is more firmly placed on an existing framework.
We believe relational connections among parents, staff, and students are imperative to the educational process. Ongoing, personal relationships between staff and parents are the way we can best serve them and their children through trust, support, and communication. Personal relationships between teachers and students make possible the cultivation of each student spiritually, intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially. (Luke 2:52) Further, an environment where supportive, loving relationships exist among staff members encourages them to serve with excellence, perseverance, loyalty, and joy. We also believe students are best served in an environment of positive relationships among parents and among students. (Romans 14:19, Romans 12, I Cor. 12:12-27, I Cor. 13)
We believe the Bible teaches the ultimate lessons of life (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and that no curriculum is complete that does not weave Biblical truths and values into the fabric of the classroom. This is taught explicitly through direct instruction. It is also taught implicitly through the daily lessons of repentance, forgiveness, sharing, unselfishness, and many others.
Lastly, we believe that God designs each of us with specific works in mind (Ephesians 2:10). The teachers at Altus Christian Academy have a passion for teaching and for students, and we believe this passion is God-given. We trust that He will equip us for the awesome responsibilities of educating young minds and living out a Christ-like example.
Statement of Faith
The following statements reflect the core beliefs at Altus Christian Academy. Educational as well as operational decisions will be based on these fundamental ideas. Families are not required to agree with these statements; however, they will be expected to abide by school policies and procedures based on these statements.
We believe…
- the Bible is the inspired, inerrant word of God. Through knowledge of the Scripture, people can be equipped for a productive, God-honoring life (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
- the one God exists in three forms: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
- God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and created people in His image (Genesis 1:26-27)
- in the deity of Jesus (John 10:30)
- Jesus was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23); lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15); died so that people, all of whom have sinned (Romans 3:23), could be reconciled to God (Colossians 1:21); was resurrected from the dead (Matthew 28:6); ascended to the Father and will return someday (Acts 1:9-11)
- people are saved by God’s grace through faith, not by deeds (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- the saved will receive eternal reward and the lost will receive eternal punishment (Romans 6:23)
- the Holy Spirit indwells each believer and spurs us on to holy living (1 Corinthians 3:16; Galatians 5:22-23)
Because ACA is an independent school (not affiliated with a particular group), it does not engage in teaching specific doctrines. Questions or issues that are denominational in nature will be referred to the parents for clarification within the family.