Academic Philosophy
Learning and Flourishing for a Lifetime
“Education means light and liberty. It means the uplifting of the soul of man into the glorious light of truth, the light by which men can only be made free.”
Cornerstone offers a unique classical academic program that equips students with a lifelong love of learning, as well as the skills and habits for growth and success. Through our engaging curriculum and small class sizes, our students grow in confidence, curiosity, creativity, and capability. We focus on teaching students how to think and how to learn so their Cornerstone learning can last a lifetime, preparing them to pursue any college major and future vocation.
Family and School Partnership
Cornerstone cultivates a close, trusting relationship with our parents and caregivers, as you are called by God to be primarily responsible for your student’s well-being. We seek to honor your trust in us by communicating in a timely manner with openness and transparency, so we can work together for your child’s best.
Being Known and Bringing out your Best
Learning begins with the love of a teacher who knows your student and brings out your best. With a maximum class size of 18-20 and just one class per grade, your student is well known by his teacher as well as all the school staff. In addition, volunteer partners come alongside students to provide a “village” surrounding your child.
Caring for the Whole Child
“The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.”
“Once you learn to read you will be forever free.”
Cornerstone actively seeks to support your child’s spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social, and physical development to bring out their full potential as a child of God. Students are surrounded by Christian adults who strive to model and instruct in Christ’s love, grace, and values throughout the school day. We identify needs and engage resources, in partnership with you, to actively address academic, social, and mental health challenges.
Ongoing Assessment and Academic Support
Our goal is to teach every individual student in a way appropriate to their needs. Through a combination of data, teacher support, and other assessments, we monitor your student’s progress and provide them with the tools they need in order to be challenged.
We provide MAP NWEA testing three times each year and in conjunction with classroom academic work and teacher recommendations, we can identify and address academic needs that require intervention with trained staff or volunteers to close gaps while encouraging your student. Academic support might look like intervention for a particular challenge, instruction tailored to small groups, or even advanced assignments.
Additionally, we have established a partnership with the National Institute of Learning Development (NILD), a national leader in teaching reading and math, to increase teacher training and provide expanded resources to serve students with learning needs.
“The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.”
Diverse, Robust and Challenging Curriculum
Our K-12 program provides students with strong foundations in reading, math, and writing to prepare them for higher level thinking, discussion and presentation in history, sciences, literature, foreign languages, and higher-level math courses. We offer a building block approach that prepares students to think for themselves and form and defend thoughtful opinions. Our curriculum is selected with the goal of training our students to love God, love others, and love what is good, true, and beautiful.
Socio-Emotional Development
We know students will struggle academically if they are dealing with mental health issues including life trauma, anxiety, and depression. Our Director of Counseling coordinates wellness checks, SEL education, and counseling for students. Additionally, Cornerstone partners with multiple other counselors to provide counseling for students, with parental approval.
Physical Development
We believe learning comes to life when students are able to move about and engage in different ways. Students cannot fully learn by sitting in their seats all day. Our schedule includes multiple recess times daily, weekly PE and Outdoor Exploration classes (K-8), and multiple after-school and athletic options. Classrooms include interactive learning opportunities and students are given multiple opportunities daily to work in different settings and using different skills.
