How We Prepare Students For High School
Here at Cornerstone Christian School in Harrisonburg VA, we provide your children with a private Christian education that focuses on the whole child and offers a biblically integrated curriculum from Pre-K through 8th grade. Our mission is to prepare students throughout their elementary and middle school years to be ready to transition to high school as change makers who will positively affect the world for Jesus Christ.
ACADEMIC PREPARATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL
Cornerstone Christian School will holistically prepare your children for the academic rigors ahead. We hold all of our students to high academic standards in each of their classes and ensure every student develops organization skills and personal accountability for their work. In preparation for high school classes, our middle school students are given the opportunity to take courses in Algebra, Geography, and Spanish with a cross-curricular emphasis on research. We also emphasize developmentally appropriate writing. High schools in the Harrisonburg school system frequently applaud the academic readiness and strength in writing that Cornerstone Christian School graduates demonstrate in their high school classes.
FOSTERING A GROWTH MINDSET
We are committed to fostering a growth versus a fixed mindset in every one of our students. Popularized by researcher Carol Dweck in her acclaimed book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success”, the development and maintenance of a growth vs fixed mindset is incredibly important throughout an individual’s life, but especially so during early childhood education.
What we want to prevent is a fixed mindset, in which a student believes his or her personal qualities are fixed traits that cannot be changed. This type of mindset can lead someone to believe that talent, not effort, is what leads to success.
What we encourage throughout our Pre-K to 8th grade curriculum is a growth mindset in which our students understand that their intelligence and skills will grow over time and with ongoing experience. We prepare your children to fully believe in their ability to affect their success through effort so that they will achieve their goals in life through hard work and perseverance, as well as model this behavior to others in their community.
EMOTIONAL READINESS PREPARATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL
Academic growth alone is not enough to prepare a middle school student for high school. They must be emotionally ready as well. At Cornerstone Christian School, our middle school teachers are fully vested in providing a “whole child education” which means ensuring each child in our school is healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged. At our Christian private school in Virginia, this further means helping students to learn to find confidence in their identity in Christ.
Our teachers support your children in their development of healthy habits in all areas of their life: relational development, spiritual development, emotional development and character development. We promote healthy relationships, avoiding emphasis on dating relationships.
Within Cornerstone Christian School is an environment that encourages conflict resolution. Conflict is an inescapable part of life. Therefore, our students are taught that growth and understanding come from conflict and are taught methods to help them resolve their conflicts in a healthy and productive manner.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Arts:
Cornerstone Christian School students are given the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of elective art activities. Within each art program we ready our students to continue to pursue and grow in the arts during their high school years. Our programs include art class, choir, musical theater, drama, woodworking, sewing, cooking, strategies and other creative classes.
Sports:
Our students are also prepared athletically for high school sports through our after school middle school sports program. Students engage in volleyball, soccer, basketball and track and often continue to play these sports in high school.
MAINTAINING A CHRISTIAN NETWORK DURING HIGH SCHOOL
Although our middle school graduates move on from the Cornerstone Christian School campus, we make sure they’re never without the support of our network. We will connect your family with the families of other Christian students who are already enrolled in local high schools and we are here to logistically support you during your child’s transfer process.
EVERYONE ON OUR TEAM IS ON YOUR CHILD’S TEAM
The middle school teaching team here at Cornerstone Christian School is truly extraordinary. They’re one of the many things that makes our school so unique and invaluable for your child’s Christian education. Our team of middle school teachers meet weekly to identify new ways in which they can help your children thrive through their middle school years. They support and encourage middle school students to develop healthy habits and are always proactive in helping our middle schoolers to succeed.
LET US HOST YOU FOR A VISIT
Visiting us in person is the best way to understand the investment of a lifetime that you can make for your child’s future through enrollment in our Christian school. Let us host you for a private visit, or, stop by during one of our open houses. You can learn more about Cornerstone Christian School tuition on our website and if you have any questions about enrollment, you can contact our Development Director Stephanie Shafer directly by email at stephanieshafer@ccsconnection.org or by phone at (540) 432-9816. Our school is conveniently located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. We look forward to welcoming you!
