FAQ
What are school hours?
KCA meets on Tuesday and Thursday. The KCA campus opens for drop off at 7:50. Regular classes end at 3:30 pm and electives end at 4:30 pm.
What do school days look like?
Our school days are meant to be a time of meaningful reinforcement and assessment. This could mean a hands-on activity that reinforces what was learned at home, or a lecture, discussion, debate, skit, or writing assignment. These are all used to reinforce or add depth to the learning that was done at home. There may be quizzes or testing during class time as well. The four learning styles are implemented into each class period to appeal to all styles of learning.
The pace and format of the on-campus classroom time is tailored to each grade level. Class time combines listening with movement and activities to keep students engaged and learning. Classroom activities can include the following: direct instruction from the teacher, discussing lessons or recent reading, making student presentations, students working example problems on the whiteboard, singing songs, reading groups, working on projects, repeating chants and mnemonics, students reciting their memory work, participating in a question-and-answer time, praying, writing, taking tests and assessments, playing learning games, working with math manipulative pieces, and completing assignments under the guidance of the teacher.
Other things that happen on school days influence the community we are trying to build. This may look different on different days, but if you visited KCA you might see baby chicks in a classroom, or Elvis up on stage as we study the 1950’s. It could mean an Egyptian Feast with crawl-though tunnels or mummified chickens, a Roaring Twenties Thanksgiving Feast, a Renaissance art studio, or a Teddy Roosevelt museum. It could be a guest speaker lecturing on the Cold War, or a group of high school students having a Fireman’s Breakfast in support of the book they just finished.
The most important thing to note is that we are building a community. This is something that is important to us at KCA – we are very intentionally trying to create a learning community, focused around a Christian world view, and the study of the classics. A learning community is a bit more than a school. We are aiming to be a place where families help each other to educate and train their kids, where relationship-building is encouraged, where learning is more cooperative than competitive, and where we build more than just knowledge – we build community, and have fun together.
Our staff works very hard to put together lesson plans that are challenging, and meaningful, and creative in ways that allow the students to experience these subjects with all of their senses. This passionate team that is our staff is committed to helping your students learn, and to help build community.
What are some of the advantages of the unique style of curriculum offered by KCA?
KCA curriculum is organized into 4 historical segments:
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Year 1: Ancient World through the fall of Rome
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Year 2: Middle Ages through the New World
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Year 3: American Colonies through the Civil War
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Year 4: Civil War to present
At KCA, most of the curriculum follows this core. History, composition, fine arts, geography and literature is organized around the chronological history of the world. Students in all grades study the same slice of history, and the reading and assignments will reflect that time period. Students will study curriculum appropriate for their grade level. For example, younger students may read a grade-school level book about the famous people of Rome, while the high school students will be reading the actual works of Roman authors like Cicero.
The cycle repeats after four years, and each time the students’ understanding of the material, the context, and the importance of the history and literature will deepen. By studying history in a consistent, broad flow, and studying literature as it appears in that flow, both history and literature really come alive. The great classical works of literature make much more sense when they are seen in the context of the historical era that created them. And history makes more sense when it is seen through the eyes of the writers of the great classics. Learning in one area, such as history, is reinforced by learning in literature.
Another advantage of this system is that all of the students, no matter what grade, are studying the same time period in their classes. If your family has students in multiple levels, they will all be looking at the same historical era, and some of the same works of literature, at age-appropriate levels. This way, families are all on the “same page” of history. Projects and celebration days (like the Roman feast or the 1950’s Sock Hop) can be shared by everyone from Kindergarten through high school.