Is Servants of the King Academy a good fit?
In Loco Parentis
We believe that the Bible clearly instructs parents, not the church or state, to “bring children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). As a school, we operate “in loco parentis,” or in the place of the parents, providing an educational service to families. Therefore, we seek to teach and discipline in a manner consistent with the Bible and a godly home environment, coming alongside parents who are intent on fostering a life of faith in Christ in their children with accompanying habits of diligence, obedience, scholarship, and grace.
Is Servants of the King Academy a good fit for our family?
- Do we understand the goals and objectives of classical Christian education?
- Is our primary interest the curriculum and the application of a Christian worldview?
- Do we believe the Bible? Do we read and study it?
- How does my child respond to authority? Does he/she demonstrate self-control and respect for others?
- Do we understand what the Bible has to say about communication? Do we desire to communicate biblically with families, teachers, and administrators?
- Is our primary assessment of our child’s success measured in grades and awards, or in a job well done?
- If transferring from another school or entering from home school, are we prepared for a difference in academic standards, discipline, and curriculum?
The Application Process
Step 1 – Apply
The application is available below. Please submit one application for each student seeking admission. There is an $85 non-refundable application fee per applicant for the first two applicants, and $25 for any additional applicants in one family. There is a checklist below in the Instructions and Resources section that guides through the steps necessary to complete the application.
Step 2 – Family Interview
Upon submission of a complete application, application fee, and supporting documents, a family interview (in-person or using an online video platform) will be arranged. Both parents and the applicant(s) are to attend the interview.
Step 3 – Academic Testing
All academic testing will be administered and proctored by the admissions director beginning in January. See below for more details for kindergarten and transfer applicants. There is no testing fee for entrance to Servants of the King Academy. All students to be tested must apply for admission.
Kindergarten Students
Children entering kindergarten should be able to demonstrate appropriate age maturity, the fine motor skills to write the alphabet, and letter recognition and sound association. They are expected to recognize colors, shapes, and numbers 1-10, be able to count to 20, and know their address, telephone number, and birth date.
PREPARING FOR KINDERGARTEN AT SERVANTS OF THE KING ACADEMY: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
Your child is approaching school age, and you desire to prepare him to enter school. If you have concluded that Servants of the King Academy’s classical Christian education might be best for your family, please consider the following information carefully. Our curriculum is unique in that it is designed, at each stage of learning, to teach children according to their God-given framework. In light of our unique curriculum, our entrance requirements are likely different from other schools you may have considered. Servants of the King Academy does not simply test for kindergarten readiness; we are looking for students who we anticipate will graduate from twelfth grade. After going over the information which follows, you may be thinking “How can I do all this?” First of all, pray! God works mightily with us and desires to hear from us about our needs. We encourage you to spend a few minutes each day going over the guidelines below with your child. We have included a small poster which shows the alphabet, numbers, colors, and shapes for you to refer to when encouraging your child’s kindergarten readiness. Academics aside, the most daunting aspect of preparation for entrance to Servants of the King Academy might be character training. This training requires diligent, consistent effort on the part of parents. We have included a short list of resources below which will be helpful. Finally, a word about too much screen time and preschool. We notice that children with early and over exposure to video games, tablets, television, etc. lack the fine motor ability, focused attention, and pre reading skills required for classroom learning. We encourage you to see your role as your child’s first teacher and nurture their desire to learn, explore, and discover. Time at home playing, being read to, and becoming ever curious about the world that God has made is invaluable. While attendance at preschool can be a useful service to families, we believe that children who spend their preschool days at home in a loving environment can be just as or even better prepared to enter Servants of the King Academy than students who attend preschool.
CHRISTIAN CHARACTER
The crucial area of preparation for your child is that of training his character. The school-related characteristics of character training are self-control, immediate and cheerful obedience, and respect for authority. While no one is perfect, these are the standards we aspire to daily, from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Self-control: Age- appropriate self-control exercised by students at Servants of the King Academy is essential. Children entering school should be able to control themselves in situations requiring attentiveness, such as a church service. They should also know how to be patient when making requests and how to wait for the appropriate time to get an adult’s attention. Immediate and cheerful obedience: All students at Servants of the King Academy learn to “Obey right away, all the way, with a cheerful attitude every day!” Respect for authority: Students at Servants of the King Academy are taught the importance of addressing those in authority with good eye contact, careful listening, and respectful speech.
ACADEMIC READINESS
The following are guidelines. They are not requirements for entrance into kindergarten. Our priority for accepting applicants rests far more on the training of the child’s character than on their ability to count or recognize letters. Reading readiness: Kindergarten applicants should be able to recognize the letters of the alphabet and to demonstrate familiarity with their associated sounds. Recognition of basic shapes and colors is expected. Additionally, applicants should know their birth date, address, telephone number, and the name of the city in which they live. Handwriting: Applicants should be able to write their names legibly and with proper use of capital and lower-case letters. Handwriting is a good indicator of maturity of the fine motor skills needed to succeed in kindergarten. Fine motor skill development can be encouraged through coloring, by playing with Play Dough, or building with Legos. Mathematics: Applicants should know the difference between numbers and letters, should be able to count to 30, identify visually the numbers 1-10, sequence numbers 1-5 with manipulatives, and repeat a pattern. Interest in books: Servants of the King Academy kindergarteners graduate to first grade with a strong foundation in systematic phonics and reading. A child who is interested in books is more likely to be interested in learning to read. An excellent way to grow a child’s interest in books is to read aloud to him. Story books as well as chapter books are recommended for reading aloud. An additional benefit of reading chapter books over several days is that the child is trained in self-control as the chapters build toward the ending.
RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
- Understanding classical and Christian education: Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctively Christian Education, by Douglas Wilson
- Training Christian character: Shepherding a Child’s Heart, by Ted Tripp
- Inculcating a love for good books and reading: Honey for a Child’s Heart, by Gladys Hunt
Transfer Students
Applicants to grades 1 and higher will be given an admissions test to determine basic skill levels and grade placement. Every applicant must successfully pass the entrance tests for reading, math, and English, and complete any necessary remedial work before being admitted to the school.
Step 4 – Making the Decision
After completion of the family interview and academic testing, the decision for acceptance or denial will be made by the Admissions Committee. We seek students of exemplary character who demonstrate the ability to thrive in an academically rigorous program and show potential for servant-leadership and whose parents’ goals and values align with those of the school. Additionally, we require every student to be academically ready for the Servants of the King Academy curriculum, which may include completion of necessary remedial work with a Servants of the King Academy tutor. Once a student has been offered admission to Servants of the King Academy, parents will have two weeks to accept the offer and submit their deposit to secure the student’s seat.
Instructions & Resources
Welcome to Servants of the King Academy’s Application for grades K and higher. We have designed our application process to make applying as simple as possible.
Instructions
Please complete the Application form listed beginning with the Applicant Information form. After you have completed the application, please submit the application along with the non- refundable $85 application fee each for the first two applications and $25 for subsequent sibling applications.
Application Checklist
In order to complete the application process, please complete the checklist items listed below, including submission of all supplemental application forms.
⧠ Submit completed Application and application fee of $85.
⧠ Submit the following:
- Student Essay: Two-paragraphs, hand-written by the applicant, entitled “Why I want to Attend Servants of the King Academy” – for students applying to 5th grade and higher
- Summary of Previous 2 Years of Coursework – Homeschool students only
⧠ Fill out and send the Release of Records Request to the student’s current school and any other attended school within two years.
⧠ Follow the directions in the application confirmation email to schedule the following:
- Family interview
- Academic Testing
⧠ Review the Admissions Process
⧠ Review the Statement of Faith
Registration and Enrollment
After receiving acceptance notification, parents will be provided information necessary to complete the enrollment process.
