When you hear the words “college and career readiness,” you likely don’t think of an elementary or even a middle school student. For most parents, elementary and middle school is a time for their student to develop a foundation of fundamental academic skills, basic knowledge, and socialization strategies they’ll need to succeed in their high school education. However, one private school in Clearwater is revolutionizing the way we look at college preparation.
Lakeside Christian School believes that college preparation begins long before high school or even middle school — in elementary school. The skills and knowledge they acquire in elementary school serve as the seeds for college preparation. In this brief article, we’ll provide an overview of this philosophy as well as the steps Lakeside Christian School has implemented to ensure their students are college-ready and equipped for success.
Related: How Private Schools Improve College Readiness
The philosophy of implementing college and career readiness in elementary school is not, in any means, an attempt to contribute to the latest college admissions frenzy. In no way do we endorse lining up your child’s achievements to consider how they might play on a college application. Instead, our philosophy involves ensuring your child is learning more than simply how to pass a test or get an “A.”
Even as early as elementary school, we believe that students should be encouraged to think about the future and link their interests to potential careers. This goes for parents as well. If you notice your child falling behind, it’s important to act quickly to get them caught up. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will become to get your child back on track. This is a large part of why we believe in starting this process so early.
Related: 3 Important Ways to Foster Your Child’s Development in Elementary School
So how does Lakeside Christian School, a private school in Clearwater, act on this philosophy? First, our Mastering Learning Division supports all our students in grades K-5 with a solid academic foundation in language arts and mathematics, including accelerated learning solutions and robust early reading intervention. We’ve seen firsthand how difficult it is for young students who never developed reading and writing skills, which is why we place such a strong focus on producing competent readers and early reading achievement.
The results are already clear. At Lakeside Christian School, we are consistently and frequently seeing our students improve by two or more grade levels and even go beyond their grade level in math and reading. Thanks to an effective blend of curriculum, technology, and talented educators, your child will be on a secure path towards college and career readiness. Classes fill quickly. If you are considered attending, we invite you to contact us to find out what we have already done to prepare so many children for a bright future of educational opportunity.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the top private schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
The activities students partake in outside the classroom is as equally important as what they do inside the classroom. School athletics and extracurricular programs help boost your child receive a perfectly balanced educational experience. Students participating in one of our school’s seasonal productions or taking the field for their respective athletic team learn how to be a part of something larger than themselves.
Lakeside Christian School offers a variety of other extracurricular activities, including tutoring lessons and educational programs to ensure that your child is receiving an excellent education at one of the top private high schools in Clearwater, FL.
The benefits of participating in high school athletics have been studied across the country. Athletic programs provide students with real-life problem solving skills, character building, and a great opportunity to bond with their peers. At Lakeside Christian, we offer a full complement of seasonal sports, including but not limited to: football, basketball (for boys and girls), baseball and softball, soccer, and track and field.
High school students aren’t the only age group that can participate in athletics. Middle school and elementary level sports are also available for students to enjoy, including coed soccer, flag football, volleyball, and many more options. Our devoted staff of coaches build strong relationships with our students by teaching them the fundamentals of each sport and encouraging them to strive for their very best.
Lakeside Christian School is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) and the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools (FCAPPS) competing against other private high schools in Clearwater, FL, and the surrounding Tampa Bay area. We want our students to take full advantage of all the opportunities they’re presented at our school.
Related: LCS Athletics Quick Facts
Personal expression through art can be one of the most powerful and thoughtful exercises in the world. At Lakeside Christian, we encourage all of our students to unveil their creativity. Our private high school in Clearwater, FL, boasts a full theatre department that produces three outstanding productions each year. We also provide students with the opportunity to helm their own production with a set of student directed plays. In the past, our student led productions have included works from Shakespeare and a musical of the acclaimed novel “Bridge to Terabithia.”
Related: LCS Fine Arts Quick Facts
Along with our theatre program, we take great pride in our visual technology department, where students learn how to produce, film, and edit videos. Students in the past have crafted commercials, music videos, and various other video projects as part of this program. At Lakeside Christian, we offer a variety of creative and artistic after-school programs, including music lessons (guitar, piano, singing). Any of our students who sing or pursue a musical instrument are given the opportunity to play at our chapel service.
Daily tutoring sessions outside the classroom are strongly encouraged at Lakeside Christian, as we want to enhance your child’s success in their academic pursuits. Our afterschool homework program allows students to focus and work through coursework that may be particularly challenging. Extracurriculars at Lakeside Chrisrtian School provide our students with a constructive outlet to excel in. As a smaller private highschool in Clearwater, FL we are able to focus on our modest number of students to better understand your child’s interests so that they can excel in and out of school.
If you would like to learn more about private high schools in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
The start to your child’s education can mean the difference between them developing helpful or harmful learning habits. Over time, the learning habits developed during elementary school will be carried through middle school, into high school, and eventually into college. Lakeside Christian School is an affordable private elementary school in Clearwater, FL, that focuses on your child’s individual learning needs.
Our small class sizes and supportive teaching staff are the foundation that ensures your child receives the utmost attention and encouragement they need to grow. The future academic success of your child can be directly attributed to their elementary school teachings. At Lakeside Christian School, we believe that a focus on reading and an active and supportive teaching style will give your child the guidance they need to have a successful learning experience from elementary school through high school and beyond.
Unfortunately, many children lack the necessary reading comprehension as they progress through school. As one of the top private elementary schools in Clearwater, FL, we can provide the best education possible for your child by ensuring they have a solid foundation of reading skills to build on as they grow. Developing beneficial reading habits in elementary school stokes children’s love for reading as their ability to retain and comprehend information is reinforced for the future.
A summer reading log is one way we encourage our students to improve their reading skills outside of the classroom. We pride ourselves on helping our students develop exceptional reading comprehension levels to better enhance their learning retention and overall scholastic experience.
Related: 3 Important Ways to Foster Your Child’s Development
Elementary school should be about setting the framework for your child’s future academic success while also encouraging their creativity in the classroom. A supportive teacher and mentor can be all a child needs to become passionate about learning. Your child’s elementary school teacher will be their first experience with a formal education and can make the greatest influence on your child’s future education.
Our teachers also work to keep parents informed with a weekly newsletter including a weekly schedule, worksheets, and, most importantly, individual notes about your child. There are many options for an affordable private elementary school in Clearwater, FL, but Lakeside Christian School ensures your child will receive the highest standard of teaching available and give your child the tools they need to grow academically and creatively.
Related: What I Learned on My Kindergarten Tour
Lakeside Christian School offers a number of scholarships for students. Through the Family Empowerment Scholarship, we empower countless children and their families by helping them gain access to a private education regardless of their financial background. We firmly believe that all children should have access to private education and, thanks to a number of scholarships, including Step Up for Students, the McKay Scholarship, and our own FACTS scholarship, we can make it possible. Through our devoted faculty at Lakeside Christian School, our students cultivate academic qualities at a young age that will last them their entire scholastic career and showcase why we are one of the best private elementary schools in Clearwater, FL.
If you would like to learn more about an affordable private elementary school in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
The transition between elementary and middle school is a complex process for all stakeholders involved, including students and parents alike. Young adolescents are propelled into a new environment while they are changing mentally and physically. Having a mentor for your middle school student helps provide support during this process and enhances their academic success.
At Lakeside Christian School, a private middle school in Clearwater, FL, we believe in providing our students with mentors with whom they can form a relationship built on honesty and trust. Students deserve an advocate who they can turn to with any problems they may be facing academically or otherwise. Many of our teachers serve in either the Lakeside Community Chapel youth group or the church’s Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed (AWANA) program, where students can attend and have the opportunity to be mentored by one of their teachers. Read below about how a mentoring relationship can benefit your middle school student.
Related: Why Middle School Students Benefit From a Private Education
Middle school students with mentors are more likely to engage in the process of self-reflection in which they can assess their current strengths and weaknesses and areas of their life they need to devote more time to. One of our students, Heather, expressed the following during Mentoring Month about her experience as a mentee:
“Meeting with Kayla on a regular basis has allowed for her help keeping me accountable on things that I need to work on in my life. Her mentoring has also provided a wonderful relationship between us where I know I can go to her with anything and she would be more than willing to provide godly advice.”
Accountability, as Heather discussed, is one of the most important aspects of mentoring as students meet with their mentors to set personalized short- and long-term goals and strategies to achieve these goals. The set of skills involved in assessing their progress and strategizing how they will achieve their goals are the same skills necessary for success later in their academic career in high school and college.
Related: Why Maintaining Your Child’s GPA in Middle School Is Vital to Their Development
On a broader scope of behavior benefits, middle school students are more likely to experience a myriad of social-emotional development benefits when they regularly meet with a mentor:
In addition to higher rates of school attendance, research has found that mentored students are fifty-two percent more likely to stay in school and also complete more homework assignments than students without mentors. This is due to the fact that mentors help to combat many of the barriers to academic achievement, such as insufficient academic preparation and chronic absenteeism. Instead, mentors bolster the success of students’ development by providing access to a number of support systems located within the community as well as the skills necessary for the development of non-cognitive skills like perseverance and teamwork.
If you are concerned about your child’s transition between elementary and middle school, it’s time to invest their future. As one of the best private middle schools in Clearwater, FL, we are committed to making the transition process as seamless as possible by providing resources such as mentorship and small class sizes.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private middle schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Lakeside Christian School is a small private school offering a comprehensive education program from kindergarten through 12th grade. Parents who choose to send their children to Lakeside Christian often describe our school as one big family that truly cares for each other. Our mission is to educate, mentor, and inspire children to be the best version of themselves.
We know that there are many schools to choose from, including Christian high schools in Clearwater, FL, but we separate ourselves from the pack by providing students with a scholastic experience that is second to none. Throughout this article we will provide a selection of parent testimonials to give you a better understanding of what life is like at Lakeside Christian School.
As a faith-based school, Lakeside Christian School prides itself on strengthening our students’ self belief and personal bond with their community. Some of the advantages offered by our school include a better student ecosystem, elevated teacher satisfaction, and more individualized attention for disadvantaged students. A modern approach in the classroom allows our teachers and faculty to build a rapport with our students and find the right tools to foster their academic and spiritual growth.
Related: The Benefits of a Christian Education
Listed below are a few brief testimonials from parents and alumni explaining why Lakeside Christian School is one of the best Christian high schools in Clearwater, FL.
On selecting the right environment for your child:
“Lakeside Christian School was the best decision that I made when choosing a school for my son! They are so loving and genuinely care for all of their students. My son loves being in school and is actually sad on the weekends that he isn’t at school!”
–Submitted by a parent in December 2016
On administrative staff and teachers dedicated to their students:
“My son has been in this school for 3 years now and I can only say that he loves this school. I have seen him the way he feels when he is around his teachers and all the children in the school. I have the most respect for every administrative person and the teachers too. This is the best school we have found so far. Keep up the good job!”
–Submitted by a parent on September 29, 2015
On the comprehensive school experience we provide our students:
“Lakeside Christian School has great academics, great class sizes that help with one-on-one attention to the students, a wonderful athletics program and excellent Biblical instructions and teaching. The school also offers a wonderful chapel meeting once a week for all the grade levels.”
–Submitted by a parent on September 28, 2015
On our classroom environment and extracurricular activities:
“Lakeside Christian School provides exceptional education tailored to the needs of the individual students. The environment is fun, caring, and Christ centered. In addition to the classroom, there are many fun extracurricular activities. I recommended this outstanding school.”
– Submitted by a parent on June 30, 2019
On graduating from our school:
“I am proud to say that I am a 2015 graduate of Lakeside. Being at Lakeside was the most influential time of my life. Lakeside is not only a school to me the close one on one interaction makes it like a family. They display a strong Christian atmosphere not only through words but through their actions. I would highly recommend Lakeside Christian school.”
–Submitted by an alumni on July 17, 2015
At Lakeside Christian School, we believe strongly in providing students with a well-rounded education and the opportunity to thrive in extracurricular activities. If you are still unsure how your child will fit in at a Christian high school in Clearwater, FL, be sure to give us a quick search online. We’re confident that our excellent reviews will prove to you why we’re the perfect fit for your child.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, a Christian high school in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Helping a child properly mature throughout their primary and secondary schooling careers is essential for their overall success. This includes not only their academic capability but their social development as well. While education takes priority, for someone to be truly happy, they need to be able to interact and make friends with classmates, not just flourish in their studies.
As a parent, the challenge here is the fact that you can’t force your child to socialize. While you can monitor their study habits, ensure that they do their homework every night, and maintain a level of academic expectations, you can’t go into the classroom and guide social development. One of the best steps you can take is enrolling your child into a Clearwater private school. Below, we highlight two social benefits that come with smaller classroom sizes like those found here at Lakeside Christian School.
This is arguably the biggest social benefit of smaller private schools. Students have more opportunities to socialize with the same individuals day after day, resulting in a close-knit community. Teachers have the ability to give more individualized attention, which allows them to better identify if a student is struggling. A Review of Educational Research analysis of 46 studies found that strong teacher-student relationships were associated in both the short- and long-term with improvements on practically every essential measure: higher student academic engagement, attendance, grades, fewer disruptive behaviors, and lower school dropout rates. Those effects remained even after setting controls for differences in demographic backgrounds. This goes to show that it’s truly important to foster every aspect of your child’s development for their overall success.
Related: How Does a Small School Setting Help My Child Succeed?
One of the more difficult challenges as a parent is figuring out how to get a child to come out of their shell. Not only can shyness inhibit their social life, but it can affect their academics as well, with research showing that shy students receive lower grade-point averages in college. A shy child may choose not to speak up when they have questions or avoid classroom engagement. Small school sizes allow shy children to be more comfortable with engaging in the classroom, where they are familiar with everyone in it.
Related: How Private Schools Improve College Readiness
A private school with smaller classroom sizes benefit student’s social development which will ultimately lead to improved academic performance. Not only do the small classroom sizes allow a more one-on-one style of education, but also a more engaging social atmosphere where no one feels left out. Here at Lakeside Christian Schools, we pride ourselves in helping young minds reach their full potential by utilizing an authentic individualized experience. The needs of our students are at the core of our teaching philosophy, and it may prove difficult to find a more suitable Clearwater private school for your child.
If you would like to learn more about private schools in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Contrary to popular belief, people from all income levels can enjoy the benefits of private school. In fact, there are thousands of young students in private schools that come from middle-to-low income households. You might be wondering how these students and their families can afford the cost of private school, which, according to Private School Review, costs “approximately $8,878 per year.” The answer is simple. There is plenty of help out there for those who take the time to explore options for funding assistance.
One of the best routes to getting into the private school system is through scholarships. For example, Lakeside Christian School accepts several Step Up For Students scholarships, like the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship and the Family Empowerment Scholarship. However, this is far from the only way to support your child’s education. There are an abundance of privately sponsored contests to help children get additional funding for tuition, supplies, and other essentials. Below, we have listed four different contests for your gifted youth to apply to. If you want to transition your child to a Christian middle school in Clearwater, FL, contact Lakeside Christian School to schedule a tour.
Held by the Nicodemus Wilderness Project, this project is officially recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They have been holding this competition for over two decades, inspiring young children to be more involved in cleaning and maintaining the purity of the world around them. Find more information about the initiative here.
Open to all ages, this competition held by Blue Mountain Arts is a great way for your child to express themselves creatively for a chance to win a prize. There is no age restriction, and contestants can enter as often as they want to try to win the $350 first prize (or the $200 second prize or $100 third prize). Contests are encouraged to submit an original poem about “real emotions and feelings.”
One Earth Film Festival holds this annual competition, which features separate categories for elementary and middle school students.. They pick one of the preselected themes and make a short video about them in order to win up to 400 dollars in prize money and grants and to be featured in the festival.
Like the earlier contest held by Blue Mountain, this contest’s name is indicative of its rules. Children from middle schools are asked to carefully ponder a quote from Judge Jackson during the infamous trial of defeated Nazi leaders at Nuremberg and ask a series of philisophical questions. There can only be one 500 word (or less) essay per entrant. Winners can receive up to 250 dollars.
As you can see, every child can enter a contest best suited to their skills and knowledge, from the aspiring poetto to the young filmmaker or historian and everywhere in between. Here at Lakeside Christian School, we pride ourselves in supporting all students, no matter what their passions are. If you’re looking for the best quality education in Clearwater, look no further!
If you would like to learn more about Christian middle schools in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
As our culture continues to shift around us, so should the way we prepare our children to enter it. While there may be a hot debate within the educational community as to how to prepare our children for success, the main purpose of elementary education is to foster the growth of crucial cognitive and social abilities that will be further developed later on in their educational careers. This not only includes shifting the traditional paradigm of the classroom but also embracing teaching methodologies that put a renewed focus on inclusion and problem-solving.
In this article, we discuss three current trends in education that can help boost student success. While there will always be differing viewpoints as to the best teaching methods, our affordable private elementary school in Clearwater, FL, will continue to monitor the latest innovations in teaching to create the absolute best environment for your children to thrive in.
One of the issues at the forefront of elementary education is how to keep young minds interested and engaged in STEM education, which focuses on the integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. According to the U.S. News and World Report,“by the time students reach fourth grade, a third of boys and girls have lost an interest in science. By eighth grade, almost 50 percent have lost interest or deemed it irrelevant to their education or future plans.”
Many believe that the way to combat this lack of interest is to promote inquiry-based learning from the beginning. As opposed to traditional methods, inquiry-based learning promotes active learning by posing questions or problems in which the student is given the tools to figure the answer out themselves, not just listening to the teacher tell them the answer and try to retain that information. This is the basis of how STEM knowledge is taught, so when the time comes for them to be introduced to it, they will be more ready.
Think back to your elementary school days — remember the discomfort of being broken into small groups for projects and being forced to work with classmates you didn’t know too well? At first, you may have been a little uncomfortable working in groups that didn’t always include your closest friends, but, over time, you discovered that these other students had lots of important lessons to teach you. The five key elements of cooperative learning are:
This method of education tries to steer away from the “in one ear, out the other” issue commonly found in education. Many young students believe that they will never need school-related lessons outside of the classroom, so why bother retaining the information? PBL addresses this issue by introducing a dynamic approach to learning in which students develop knowledge by exploring real-world problems or scenarios for an extended period of time, allowing for authentic discoveries that they arrive at by working through the issue. This method is different from simply assigning projects during the semester because the project is the semester, not simply an assignment meant to break up classwork.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private elementary schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
The decision to send your child to a private school will have an incredible and long-lasting impact on their education and future. All that’s left is to pick a school. Should be easy, right? Not exactly.
There are 101 private schools in Pinellas County, each offering their own unique take on education and many of which are in the City of Clearwater. Narrowing this down to a single choice will be no easy task for parents. In this brief article, we’re going to help you narrow down your options until you’re left with only the private middle schools in Clearwater, FL, that are right for your child.
Narrowing down your school choices will be easy once you decide what type of school you want your child to attend. As stated in an article published by the Tampa Bay Times, “The choices include religious schools, independent and secular schools, and schools for students with disabilities or special needs in every grade level. Some are a combination of all of the above.” You will need to carefully consider your child’s needs and decide which program is right for them. We encourage you to research all available options and to visit schools when possible. At Lakeside Christian School, we love hearing from new families and are always happy to give a tour of our private middle school in Clearwater, FL.
You’ll also need to take into account your child’s age and grade level when looking at private schools in the greater Clearwater region. A number of outstanding schools, such as the many private high schools in the area, only serve certain grades. At Lakeside Christian School, we teach kindergarten classes all the way up to 12th-grade courses. If you are struggling to find a school that will welcome your middle schooler and guide them through the remainder of their school years, consider a private middle school in Clearwater, FL, that teaches grades K-12.
We might be a little bit biased here, but we think that Lakeside Christian School is the best private middle school in Clearwater, FL. But don’t take our word for it. We encourage you to peruse through the list of top Clearwater private schools put together by Private School Review. You’ll find that we have a sterling five-star rating and place among the top 20 percent of private schools in all of Florida. We are accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), and we welcome families to compare our school to others until they find the choice that’s right for them. If you are looking to narrow down your choices of private middle schools in Clearwater, FL, look no further than Lakeside Christian School.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, a private middle school in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Private school enrollment is on the rise in Florida and has been for some time. In an annual report published by the Florida Department of Education, it’s shown that 380,295 students were enrolled in private schools across the state during the 2018-19 school year. This is an incredible increase from a decade ago when enrollment was hovering just above 300,000 students. Parents are clearly choosing to send their children to private schools at an increasing rate. But what’s behind this increase, and why are parents willing to trust their child’s education to a private institution? In this brief article, we answer these questions and more as we discuss the many benefits of having kids attend an affordable private elementary school in Clearwater, FL.
Educators should be celebrated no matter what institution they’re a part of. But that’s not going to stop us from touting the benefits of our academic process. At Lakeside Christian School, we believe in challenging students to achieve their academic, social, and career-minded goals. We employ data-driven instruction to assess student needs and make necessary adjustments throughout the school year. Too often, talented students who just need a little help and attention are left behind. Parents know that a private school will do everything possible to ensure that doesn’t happen to their child.
A major concern for parents who are considering private elementary schools in Clearwater, FL, is the possibility that their child will somehow miss out on important life experiences, experiences that they believe can only happen in a public school setting. But that’s just not the case. For example, we just sent our students home with their school portraits, and K-12 yearbooks are available so that students can look back on the memories made here at Lakeside Christian School. Our athletics program offers a variety of sports, including football, soccer, volleyball, baseball, and cheerleading, to students of all ages. And our drama department produces a number of musicals and plays throughout the school year for our talented students to perform in. Just because we’re a private school doesn’t mean we can’t offer students the experience of a lifetime!
Why are parents sending their kids to private schools? Because it’s more affordable than ever! Florida has six K-12 scholarship programs that “allow parents unprecedented choice among public and private schools.” These scholarships are designed to help children and their families who may be in need, such as low-income families. All told, Lakeside Christian School provides over $250,000 in scholarships to qualified families each year. We’re proud to be a part of why parents time and again choose to send their kids to private schools. If you’d like to join the thousands of parents who trust their child’s education to a private school, schedule a new parent tour and see why Lakeside Christian School is one of the best private elementary schools in Clearwater, FL.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, an affordable private elementary school in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Are you ready to join the Lakeside Christian School community? Contact us, and schedule a tour today.
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