Academic Overview
Stages of Learning
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Grammar School
K5 through 4th Grade
Students in the Grammar School collect facts about God’s world into a memory bank that will serve them for years to come. Weekly, students engage memory work across the curricula at this developmental stage when they are designed to remember facts. Grammar School Teachers will be on campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays, between 5 and 6 hours per day, depending on grade level. Logic School Teachers (5th-8th) and Rhetoric School Teachers (9th) are able to teach full days or any number of hour-long classes, up to 18 hours per week. Grammar School students may enroll in Enrichment Classes from 2:15 - 3:15 T/TH.
Enrichment Schedules pending.
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Logic School
5th Grade through 8th Grade
Students in the Logic School will transition from finding facts to making strong connections among those facts, organizing them, and analyzing them. Logic School students are invited to ask questions, and to dialogue with their teachers, parents, and peers. A hands-off approach to at-home learning is discouraged in this stage, though students in the Logic Stage do progress toward independence under the leadership of their classroom instructor and the mentorship of their parent(s) at home. 8th Graders may also take Algebra I, Latin I, and Logic I for credit. Logic School students may attend Student Clubs on campus and Athletic Clubs or Teams off campus for additional fees.
Student Club and Athletic Club/Team Schedules pending.
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Rhetoric School
9th Grade through 12th Grade
After having established a foundation of knowledge (Grammar) and practiced the art of discourse (Logic), students in the Rhetoric School are prepared to enter into the conversations offered in great books, taking courses in the humanities, mathematics, and sciences to prepare them to speak and perform well on various subject matters. Rhetoric School students may attend Student Clubs on campus and Athletic Teams and Clubs off campus.
Student Club and Athletic Club/Team Schedules pending.
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CLASSICAL
The Classical model of education is not new, but there is a new and energetic return to this way of learning. This was the educational path of men and women who pioneered the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the American Revolution. Classical education is ordered around the philosophy that learning occurs in three stages, referred to as the “Trivium.” In each of these stages, students are positioned for specific modes of learning because of their developing mental capacities. Thus, teaching methods and student efforts at The Oaks are built with the grain of development. The three stages of learning are defined as grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
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CHRISTIAN
Christian education emphasizes the development of the whole person - mind, body, and soul - in the context of both family discipleship and the local church body. Robert Coleman writes, in his classic study of Jesus’ discipleship model, “Having called his men, Jesus made a practice of being with them. This was the essence of his training program—just letting his disciples follow him” (Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism). Families at The Oaks are seeking to use the resources of time and presence to make disciples at home to the glory of God and for the good of the world.
The Christian classroom seeks to discover and praise the Creator as students approach the created order in math, science, language, and more.
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COLLABORATIVE
A Collaborative education seeks to honor the strong influences in a child’s development by ordering the hours of the student to maintain strong relationships both at home and on campus. Specifically, the University-Model school preserves the role of the parent, prioritizes formation of the child before deployment of the child, and prepares the student for the management of his or her own studies and God-given hours in the day.
Dr. John Turner writes of the University-Model education, “The immediate goal is quality, cost-effective, college-preparatory education accomplished in a way that gives parents more time for imparting the faith and values they hold precious. The ultimate goal is that of producing wholesome, competent men and women of character who make a positive difference in the next generation. It is also hoped that University-Model® schools, both public and private, can gain nationwide acceptance among parents and educators as a schooling alternative that is needed in every community” (Character Driven, College Preparation by Dr. John Turner).
The Oaks is seeking school accreditation through UMSI during the 2022-23 school year.