Recently, I was asked to write a letter describing Redeemer Classical School to someone as if they had no knowledge of the school. One of the aspects that quickly jumped to the top of my mind — along with excellent academics, an innovative common arts program (i.e. trades and technical ed), and discipleship through education — was the strength of our community. We have incredible people at Redeemer who make it a joy to come to school each day. Our students are wonderful, kind, and eager to learn. Our faculty and staff are Christ-centered, talented, and care deeply for the children they disciple. Our parents are supportive and encouraging, and represent Redeemer well in their neighborhoods, workplaces, and churches.
From the very beginning, Redeemer has been blessed with a community that goes above and beyond to help make the school the best it can be. In our earliest days, parents did things like renovate classrooms, drive faculty to/from school in inclement weather, and create parade floats and elaborate decorations for the Festival of the Ages. While those needs have either gone away or shifted to staff, parent engagement still plays a vital role in the life of the school. These days, parents bless Redeemer by volunteering their time reading in classrooms, distributing lunches, driving for field trips, setting up for school dances, and completing a host of jobs during our Community Work Days. Many of these activities help to save money, but all of them are important for building a strong, cohesive community. Serving together not only provides a great way to connect, but also builds a sense that this is our school and we’re all in this together.
“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Romans 12:4-5)
On top of that, we believe strongly that families should be involved in their child’s education. At a time when other school systems are keeping parents at arms length, we welcome ours into the school. We earnestly desire parental involvement. We take seriously that our mission is to “partner with families.” One of the tangible ways we encourage that participation is through the Parents Association.
Two weeks ago I sat down with the leaders of the PA – Ashleigh Funkhouser, Caroline Allison, and Anna Lee – to discuss the purpose behind this group, and the ways that our families can be more involved in our school community. You can listen to that podcast here. Afterward, feel free to contact them with questions, concerns, ideas, and volunteer interest: parentsassociation@redeemerclassical.org
We’d love to see you get plugged into Redeemer in a new way this year. Because we’re more than a school. We are a learning community. And we don’t want you to miss out.