Family Resources

Welcome to the family portal! Here we will share everything you need for a successful year at GCA!

Coming Up!

Notice:

Attendance Policy

If your child(ren) will be absent on any school day or part of the school day for any reason, then you MUST send an email to: attendance@gracechristianacademy.school.  Please make sure to leave your child’s first and last name, dates/times of the absence, along with the reason for the absence.  Texting/calling GCA administrators or school staff will no longer be an option for this procedure.  We thank you for helping us to better streamline our attendance records for the school and state.   This new procedure will allow us to do a much better job at coordinating who will be missing during the school day.

Pick-up & Drop-off Procedures

Both drop-off and pick-up take place in the back of the building in the private parking lot. Drivers must enter the parking lot on Division St. (see full article for traffic map) and then exit the parking lot onto Kellogg St. In addition, there are two lanes for traffic flow through the parking lot. Elementary (K-5) school parents will flow through the inside lane closest to the school and Upper Level school parents (6-12) will flow through the outside lane. Vehicles CANNOT park in the parking spaces in the back parking lot. If parents need to talk with teachers or come into the school for a time, then they need to park in the “general parking” lot across from the school on Kellogg St. Students that drive will also have to park in the “general parking” lot for the school day. In addition, students should not be running/playing in any of the parking lots during these times.

DROP OFF

Drop off between 8:00-8:08 AM in the back of the school by following the drive-through procedures stated above.

Children can be released from parent vehicles to come into the school once GCA supervision is present by the entry doors.

School doors close at 8:08 AM and are locked for the school day. If families come after school starts at 8:08 AM, then they will have to be received at the front office at door #1 on 1087 Kellogg St. Parents will have to sign-in to receive an ID badge and then escort their child(ren) to their designated area (i.e. chapel/classroom) on the 2nd floor.

PICK-UP

Promptly pick up at 3:15 after school ends from the back parking lot of the school.

This will flow like airport parking. This will flow like airport parking. Please pull up as far as you can to the yellow road blocks and wait in or near your vehicle in line. K-5 students will be escorted/supervised to their vehicle. 6-12 students will be released to walk to their parents from door #5.

Vehicles may exit through the middle of both lanes, using great caution, as students are still making their way to their vehicles.

Lunch service is not provided by GCA. Parents must provide a sack lunch, which is a great opportunity to teach healthy eating patterns. In addition, the lunch period is “closed”, meaning that students may not leave campus with others for lunch at their own free will. Students should bring their own utensils and not expect to use utensils from the school. If students do have to use school issued silverware, they will be expected to wash and dry the silverware after their meal. Do not send knives or any dangerous kitchen utensils. Food that needs a sharp knife needs to be pre-cut at home.

Because students who maintain a healthy, stable metabolism function the best throughout the day, fruit, vegetables, and healthy proteins and grains are an expected part of student lunches & snacks. These are important for a healthy diet as well as a productive school day. On the other hand, less healthy or very sweet lunches & snacks with high concentrations of sugars are common contributors to hyperactivity, obesity, inflammation, and mood swings. As a result, sugary, sweet snacks or other junk food type items should be kept to a minimum (we suggest only one per day if any). For K-5th grade, a healthy mid-morning snack is needed. *Healthy snacks include: fruit, raisins, crackers, vegetables, yogurt, etc.

As a policy, lunch supervisors who notice an unhealthy pattern (more unhealthy items/lack ofhealthy items/no lunch or snack brought to school) in a student’s lunch will notify the administrator, who will notify the parents of the student’s eating patterns. Parents will be contacted with the expectation that they will help their child pack a healthy, well-balanced lunch/snack for the future. This expectation will be treated the same for all students.

For special treats brought into school (i.e. birthdays, movie day, etc.), your child may bring in a special treat to share with his/her class during a time that is permitted by the classroom teacher. Please be aware that we have many students with allergies. You may check with your child’s teacher for a complete list, but one does not have to make an allergy friendly treat. If you are parents of students with allergies, you may bring in treats for your child to keep with the classroom teacher if you would like your child to have an allergy friendly treat for special events throughout the year. The school will not be providing allergy friendly options.

Drop Off: The school day runs from 8:00 AM to 3:15 PM. Please drop off your child between 7:50 and 7:59 AM. Most students will enter through the back elementary door. (where you did for the open house.) Families transporting a preK student will drop off up front. (Elementary Principal will text you about that.) School doors will open promptly at 7:50 and will close at 8:00. If you arrive after 8:00, then you will have to park in front of the school and enter through the front office. Students will be marked tardy if they do not arrive on time for the school day.

Pick Up: With the exception of 3K/4K students, please pick up your child in the back of the school promptly at 3:15 (3K/4K pick up is at 11:45 in the front of the school building). All vehicles will need to park in the public parking lot (behind the private lot in the back of the school). No parking is allowed in the private school lot or the alley. For Elementary students: Please park your vehicle and then walk into the school gym to receive your child(ren). For Jr./Sr. High students: Please park your vehicle and then walk up to the back door of the gym to receive your child(ren).

Lunch service is not provided by GCA. Parents must provide a sack lunch, which is a great opportunity to teach healthy eating patterns. In addition, the lunch period is “closed”, meaning that students may not leave campus with others for lunch at their own free will. Students should bring their own utensils and not expect to use plastic ones from the school. If students do have to use school issued silverware, they will be expected to wash and dry the silverware after their meal. Do not send knives or any dangerous kitchen utensils. Food that needs a sharp knife needs to be precut at home.

Because students who maintain a healthy, stable metabolism function the best throughout the day, fruit, vegetables, and healthy proteins and grains are an expected part of student lunches. These are important for a healthy diet as well as a productive school day. On the other hand, less healthy or very sweet lunches with high concentrations of sugars are common contributors to hyperactivity, obesity, and mood swings. As a result, sugary, sweet snacks or other junk food type items should be kept to a minimum (we recommend only one per day). For K-5th grade, a healthy mid-morning snack is needed. *Healthy snacks include: fruit, raisins, crackers, vegetables, yogurt, etc.

As a policy, lunch supervisors who notice an unhealthy pattern (more unhealthy items/lack of healthy items/no lunch or snack brought to school) in a student’s lunch will notify the administrator, who will notify the parents of the student’s eating patterns. Parents will be contacted with the expectation that they will help their child pack a healthy, well-balanced lunch/snack for the future. This expectation will be treated the same for all students.

Resources/Links

This document outlines the primary elements of the Christian faith that will be unapologetically taught as truth and incorporated in all programs and activities. Questions and teachings about secondary and sectarian beliefs will be directed to parents.

Contact us at: info@gracechristianacademy.school and request a copy of the GCA Parent-Student Handbook to help you understand the mission, vision, educational philosophy and policies of Grace Christian Academy. You can also access the Handbook electronically

If you’re looking for a way to bless your child’s teachers or the GCA administrative staff, please check the Teacher Interest Document for a list of each staff members “favorites”!

Download the current or upcoming school supply list. All grade-levels are listed on the same download. Find your students homeroom teacher for their list.

Re-enrollment is due by March 1st to receive the discounted rate of $275/student. After March 1st the enrollment fee raises to $300 and after April 15th, $350. If you have not completed your re-enrollment you can enroll online today. Early enrollment is helpful in determining budget and needs for the next school year. Thank you!

For quick reference, we’ve pulled out the dress code information from the Student Handbook and provided a simple download for you to reference when needing to check. Please review this document if you are questioning whether something is within code.