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9501 Arlington Expressway
Suite 245B

Jacksonville, FL 32225

(904) 652-1441

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Building Strong Confident Readers During the Summer Months

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Building Strong Confident Readers During the Summer Months

One concern that parents often have is that their child will fall behind academically during the summer months.  That’s why it’s important to keep your child’s reading level advancing over the break.  During summer parents tend to want to limit “screen time” for their kids. This doesn’t have to be time consuming or challenging, it can be a simple as carving out a small piece of the day to work on reading skills.  In this blog we’ll discuss some of the reading resources that are available to you and your family, along with some suggested reading material by recommended by grade level.

Jacksonville Public Library Summer Learning Program

In-Person

Another option available to encourage your child to read over summer is the Jacksonville Public Library Summer Learning Program.  From June 1st to July 30th children can participate in the incentive-based reading program.  Children of all ages (birth to 17 years) who read for 20 minutes each day for 15 days will earn 1 free book. You can track your child’s reading with the library’s reading tracker bookmark and record your child’s daily reading to earn the free book! Not only will your child be able to earn free books, but there are also awesome prize giveaways and raffles during the Summer Learning Program.  It’s a great way to inspire your child to put down the devices and reach for a book!

www.getepic.com

Digital

A popular web resource for reading is www.getepic.com.  It’s a free resource that unlocks thousands of the best books, videos and more.  The company’s philosophy is to make books more assessable to kids. Since the company launched, they have grown into an award-winning service, which gives millions of families instant access to thousands of books.  Built into the platform are also quizzes based on the books.  By providing the quizzes directly on the website your child will have the ability to complete the quizzes which actively builds their long-term comprehension skills. Some of the additional learning tools featured on Get Epic! are dictionary lookups and spotlight vocabulary words. The website is designed with a parent dashboard that lets you take part in their summer reading journey.  You’ll be able to see how long your child reads, update your preferences to filter out specific content, and follow your child’s progress with weekly reports.  The books are downloadable, so you’ll always have access to the books offline as well. Techcrunch.com claims that Get Epic! is “a totally kid-friendly bookshelf and book reading experience.” 

 

At Impact Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Fl, we want your student to be equipped for a life of meaning and purpose.  Our school culture nurtures each child and gives them opportunities to put their best foot forward within their school environment and community.  We believe that education takes place at school and at home. During the summer months we are committed to assisting our families find the best resources to support your student continue their educational journey. We never forget the most important part of Christendom, an extension of the heart of Christ.  At Impact Academy we cultivate an environment that students can flourish both academically and personally.  Begin an application for your child today!

Keep Your Child School-Ready Through Summer

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Keep Your Child School-Ready Through Summer

While we always support taking well-deserved breaks and time for R & R, we also think it’s important to keep your children’s brains sharp. After all, we don’t want any summer setbacks or brain drains to occur after all the hard work their growing minds put in during the previous school year! To prevent your little ones’ brains from turning into complete pool noodles over the next few months, here are our 4 tips on how to have a fun, but still mentally stimulating summer break.

1.       Summer Camp but Make it Cool

There are so many options nowadays for summer camp programs, there is sure to be one for something your child is interested in! They range in topics from art, to science, robotics, photography, and more! Even a local YMCA summer camp will keep your child’s social skills up to par. Plus, it’s the perfect chance for children to experiment with trying a new hobby or interest thanks to short-term session commitments.

2.       Take a Tech Break

Despite digital learning being all the rage lately, it can be nice to give your eyes a break from all of the blue light a screen gives off. Go back to “old-school” activities that still incorporate numerical skills like board games and card games – your children won’t even notice they are working on counting, strategy, and money values!

3.       Train Your New Sous Chef

Getting your child excited about helping you out in the kitchen is a win-win for all! Not only are you teaching them critical life skills that will help them adapt to becoming an adult and caring for themselves, but this will also engage their motor skills and measuring skills by trying to follow a recipe closely. While it may make a mess in the beginning, you’ll be able to reap the awards of watching your child have fun and improve their fractions at the same time.

4.       Make Reading Fun

Reading capabilities and comprehension skills are some of the most common skills that tend to drop off the most during summer break. The solution? Reading for even as little as 10 to 15 minutes a day can keep your child’s synapses firing away while improving their vocabulary, creativity, and comprehensive skills. If your child is reluctant, try either reading to them, alternating passages while reading together, setting a book goal, or even reading your own book while seated next to them can help.

Plus, if they try any of the activities above, there’s reading snuck into several of them – reading game instructions, recipes, and more!

 

 

Since we can’t see our lovely scholars throughout summer, we hope these tips help you keep them on track to jump right back in come the Fall semester! Impact Christian Academy focuses on doing school differently. We focus on four core areas – academics, arts, altruism, and athletics. Among the best private schools in Jacksonville, FL, Impact Christian Academy was created for students in Jacksonville with a world-class educational experience while helping them excel in knowing God, finding freedom in their faith while discovering their purpose and making a difference in their community. Begin an application for your child today!

Impact Christian Academy Celebrates Our Educators This Teacher Appreciation Week

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Impact Christian Academy Celebrates Our Educators This Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week has been celebrated nationwide during the first week of May since the National PTA established it in 1985. This year, it runs from May 2nd – to 6th. We feel very blessed to have our passionate teachers as part of the Impact family. They are the ones who continue to inspire and lead our children to reach their full potential every day.

The last two years have been anything but easy, oftentimes the near future was uncertain, making it hard for teachers to plan lessons and group activities that normally occur throughout the year. As a result, there have been quite a few changes, from learning how to conduct class remotely to making the return to an in-person class run smoothly. We are so grateful to our educators for being flexible during these times and for their willingness and ability to adapt at the drop of a hat to keep your student’s learning experiences on a seamless path.

With your smiling faces to guide our students in their studies, our teachers truly are the backbone of our establishment. We couldn’t do any of it without you, teachers! So, this whole week, we aim to spoil our teachers with the extra credit they all deserve. We know it’s no joke teaching children all the various topics in our curriculum, and even further, we know you try to make it fun!

Impact Christian Academy was created to provide a world-class Christian educational experience. We focus on helping students excel in knowing God, finding freedom in their faith, discovering their purpose, and making a difference in their community. If you are interested in being a part of Impact Christian Academy, begin filling out your application today.

As the school year comes to a close, we want each of our teachers to feel the love and appreciation we have for them. Thank you all for another wonderful school year, and enjoy your well-deserved summer break that is just around the corner!

Remembering the Meaning of Easter

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Remembering the Meaning of Easter

Spring can bring about the excitement of warm weather, the end of the school year, and the notion that summer is around the corner! We mustn’t forget that it is also a big celebration of life, especially for us as Christians. While it is fun to celebrate with ideas of egg hunts and the Easter Bunny coming out to play, we wanted to remind you where all of these modern ideas came from, and their origin in relation to Easter.

Easter Lilies

All kinds of flowers bloom in spring, but Easter lilies hold a special significance to us, especially around this time of year. Lilies are mentioned multiple times throughout the Bible, even back to the Garden of Eden. They speak of innocence, purity, rebirth, and new beginnings. Easter lilies are most often tied to The Virgin Mary, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ himself.

Not only do lilies bloom after forming in a bulb underground for some time, reminiscent of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but they are also believed to have bloomed in the spots where His blood, sweat, and tears landed during the crucifixion. They were seen as fixtures of hope and the new beginnings that arose as He sacrificed himself for our sins. Not only will your Easter lilies make a lovely centerpiece for your Easter feast, but now you understand the meaning behind it too.

The Butterfly

With birds chirping and animals celebrating the end of winter, the butterflies are also plentiful come springtime and Easter. Jesus is often symbolized by butterflies when one looks at how a caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly. The time spent inside of the chrysalis recalls the time Jesus spent in the tomb before being reborn, just as a butterfly emerges.

This metamorphosis is also symbolic of the transformation that can occur in your journey within your faith, led by God’s grace.

Easter Eggs

Easter eggs also have more than one significance when it comes to their tie to actual Christianity. Just as an egg must crack and hatch for a baby chick to be born, just as God opened Jesus’ tomb so that he could emerge. Symbolizing both the tomb and His resurrection, the egg brings forth the meaning of new life. This can be carried even further with spring, since so many young are born during spring, as it celebrates the new life of offspring and blooming of flora as well.

While understanding and valuing the traditions of Christianity and Easter, Impact Christian Academy also supports the fun activities that come with the Easter holiday. If you are looking for a festive activity to start your Easter celebration early, please hop on over to the Impact Church Egg Hunt at Ed Austin Park this Saturday, April 9th from 11:30 AM to 1 PM.

With ICA’s practice of instilling a biblical worldview, we focus on helping your children excel in knowing God and finding freedom in their faith. If you are looking for a private school in Jacksonville, Florida, start your application with Impact Christian Academy today.

4 Reasons Why Your Child Belongs at Impact Christian Academy​

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4 Reasons Why Your Child Belongs at Impact Christian Academy

Right now, we are in a crucial time when everyone, especially children, deal with so much.  Our students have learned how to maneuver through life in a pandemic, something no other recent generation has had to endure. They are learning about self-esteem in an age of social media and figuring out who they are in a world filled with billions of people with divergent points of view.

Impact Christian Academy was created to provide Jacksonville families with a viable option for world-class education that is coupled with a supportive Christian environment. Our students excel in knowing God and fulfilling their purpose while making an impact.  Learn more about why your child belongs at Impact Christian Academy.  Here are our four pillars, our core beliefs.

Academics

At Impact Christian Academy (ICA), our teachers go above and beyond to craft lesson plans that their students can use beyond the classroom. These lifelong lessons will help them achieve their goals to graduate and shape them into a productive member of society. Our teachers use the best practices that infuse a vibrant atmosphere in the classroom, one where children feel free to ask questions and contribute ideas in a discussion. ICA has a curriculum that focuses on STEM and college prep, as well as life skills that challenge, enrich, and empower them as they pursue their God-given purpose. This private school in Jacksonville, Florida, sets students up for success by having classroom sizes that will allow your child to get the attention they need to achieve greatness.  ICA students are set above and apart from others in the nation.

Altruism

Another core belief that sets us apart from the rest of the schools is that we value altruism.  This principle of acting to promote someone else’s welfare and to serve others at some cost to themselves is engrained into each student from pre-school to their senior year.  Each quarter our students take time to help others during a community service project, where they express their love of God and love of their neighbors.  Our students show kindness in a time when our communities are surrounded by bad news. While students are putting smiles on their neighbors’ faces, they’re also changing for the better by gaining a sense of belonging and a positive outlook on life.

Athletics

From football to volleyball, from basketball to track, sports are an honored tradition in schools around the United States, and at Impact Christian Academy as well.   Although it is an extra-curricular activity, it’s vital in a child’s upbringing and growth in their skills and identity.  Your child will develop positive habits that will help improve their self-esteem. Playing a sport will also motivate them to lead their peers to excellence as they make complex decisions while feeling the weight of the game on their shoulders. Sports teach kids lessons they cannot learn in the classroom, such as the power of encouraging others, physical exertion through exercise, and resiliency.

Arts

At Impact Christian Academy, your child will be provided with an array of creative opportunities to master the arts through dance, singing, music, theater, fine arts, and culinary skills, among others.  Our talented and experienced instructors desire to help your child learn and master their craft. Plus, our programs help them understand different points of view while teaching them how to collaborate with others, improve their social skills and develop self-confidence and self-expression. 

At the end of the day, we strive to create a learning environment that develops students both inside and outside of the classroom. Our curriculum provides a balanced learning environment while also emphasizing character development and Christian leadership. Our goal is to help your student recognize and grow his or her God-given talents. We’d love for you to join our Impact Nation today! Visit https://icajax.com/ to apply and complete our five-step admission process.

We Do School Differently

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We Do School Differently

You always want what is best for your kids as parents. You want them to have all of the love, safe shelter, good health, and best education that is available.  Don’t think that you can’t have a say in all of these matters – your choices can make a huge impact on your kids.

While your child’s education is typically determined by school zoning boundaries and places of residency, that doesn’t mean you are stuck with the local school you may not want your children to attend. We’ve outlined the difference of all of your choices down below, so you can determine what will benefit your children and suit your family’s needs.

Public vs Charter vs Private School

Public schools are usually traditional schools, located within a certain radius of your home, are free for students to attend, and have educational standards that are set by each state individually. Because public schools are reliant on federal, state, and local tax dollars, funding can, unfortunately, be cut. This can lead to larger class sizes, diminished extracurricular activities, and decreased academic achievement for students in general.
Charter schools are also free to attend. There is usually an application process, as space is limited, however, they can’t discriminate against admitting students because of their race, gender, or disability. Charter schools are considered independent public schools run by nonprofit groups, private companies, or community organizations. While they do exist in almost every state, they are not as common as public schools, so they may not be located close enough to your residence.

Private schools are privately funded schools and require tuition fees for students to attend. Since private schools, like Impact Christian Academy, are autonomous, they are able to establish a curriculum that is not regulated by state standards, as public schools are. This includes religious education. Also, class sizes are usually more intimate and allow for more individualized approaches to teaching.

Our Structure: Our Four Pillars

ICA is not just any ordinary Christian school. We have four core pillars that we model our curriculum around that provide an education that extends well beyond academics. We emphasize character development and Christian leadership at every level and strive to mentor students to be the best versions of themselves. Our pillars are:

Academics: High academic success with a focus on stem and college prep is our specialty.
Altruism: Teaching our students the altruistic values or the compassion of Christ is essential to being a successful person.
Arts: We encourage and vibrantly promote art culture. Our students are creative and talented in performance, visual, musical, and culinary arts.
Athletics: A dynamic program of student activities is vital to the educational and spiritual development of the student.

What makes our youth gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of looking at the world and learning. We are currently enrolling new students. Apply today.

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