We'll be here for you!

At Palmetto Christian Academy of Greenwood we are building a strong institutional foundation so that the school will be able to provide a challenging Christian educational experience not just for the current generation of students, but for generations to come.

This begins with the board's commitment to focus on issues that are future-oriented and global for our organization. We refuse to be reactive or micromanage. We are choosing to measure and evaluate outcomes that we really care about. These include the spiritual, physical, social and educational growth of our students.

Financially, we are not taking on debt that exceeds an amount that can be reasonably serviced through future budgets. This requires discipline and a commitment to see enrollment continue to grow.

Educationally, we believe that a school is its teachers. We are blessed to have an exceptional faculty that can mentor as well as teach our children effectively. Our faculty is setting a high standard for parental expectations.

We also believe that a school is its parents. We are sensitive to the needs of parents who ultimately are responsible for the education of their children. We take seriously the trust we are given. We welcome parent (and grandparent) involvement in all aspects of school life. Our strong base of parental support and volunteer help is important for our success as a school.

When you are ready for us to be a part of your child's future, we'll be here for you.

First Year Firsts

As we approach the end of our first academic year, I look back on the many “firsts” that we’ve experienced as a school with amazement and appreciation of God’s goodness to us. Here are just a few of those “firsts”:

First Family: We are blessed with an outstanding group of pioneering parents, students, and teachers. It’s amazing to me that 41 bright students with supportive parents and 12 experienced faculty, including our principal, have come together to begin a tradition of rigorous academics and warm Christian mentoring.

First Monuments to God’s Gracious Provision: We are thankful for the provision (in chronological order) of a dedicated Steering Committee, our principal, our facility (we are blessed to share Hyde Park Baptist Church’s building), our faculty, our finances (over $40,000 in donations and the ability to start with limited debt), our library (over 2600 books), and many other provisions.

First Year Extracurriculars: We have been able to offer sports. The PCAG Lions have competed in cross country, intramural basketball, and tennis. Other activities have included our successful Robotics Club (Team Data qualified for the State Championship meet), Junior Master Gardeners, Chess Club, students participating in Spelling Bee and Geography Bee (congratulations on your first place finish, Ian Burch!), art classes, and participation in community arts and enrichment programs.

First Year Traditions: Some of our early traditions include our Fall Middle School/High School retreat, Non-Prom Prom, publication of our first yearbook, The Legacy, the week-long Middle School camping adventure at Nantahala and Pisgah, the High School caving trip in Tennessee, High School lunch-out, and chapel programs.

First Board: Our parent-elected board is dedicated to governing and leading at a level that I have not experienced on many other community boards. The board has taken a disciplined approach to keep in touch with its constituency, to maintain a future-oriented agenda, and to evaluate and measure only those things that really matter in the life of the school. The board is committed to keeping its focus on proactive global policy issues and to evaluating its own performance.

First Graduate: We’re proud of Carolyne Cain, who will walk the stage on June 4th as our first graduate. She plans to attend Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and pursue a nursing career.

Thanks to each of you who have walked this road of faith with us during our first year.

Randy Cain MD, Board Chair

Elementary English is.......FUN !

Shurley English is a wonderful curriculum! English concepts are set to music and children love learning while they sing. It helps children memorize the parts of speech and their definitions. We are currently learning the 51 prepositions. My students can sing the song and write each word. Recently the students learned all of the helping verbs, subject pronouns, and possessive pronouns. I canʼt imagine the struggle they would have had if it werenʼt for the jingles.
The curriculum encourages students to become good writers. It simplifies the writing process by breaking it down starting out step by step, sentence by sentence. The students learn how to write expository, persuasive, descriptive, and narrative paragraphs and essays.

There are so many aspects of the curriculum that teach children to be clear and definitive speakers and writers. Using this curriculum at Palmetto Christian Academy has been enlightening and fun for the kids. I would recommend it to anyone. Be prepared to be surprised by the concepts your child will learn!

Mrs. Donna Dejeu
Elementary English
Palmetto Christian Academy

Geography Bee

ACSI Geography Bee

We are excited about participating in the very first ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) Geography Bee in the Southeast region! Students in grades 3-8 will test their knowledge on April 27th when they travel to Landrum, South Carolina, for this special event.

Geography is a part of our school-wide curriculum. As we study and learn about the world and peoples that were created by God, we learn more about God Himself. All of creation reflects the handiwork of God and points us back to who He is and what He has done.

In 1994 the National Council for Geography Education developed six elements that include eighteen standards for a comprehensive study of Geography. These National Geography Standards coupled with Biblical Geography Benchmarks serve as a guideline for our Geography Bee preparation.

Over the next two months we will make a concerted effort to boost our geography skills as we prepare for this event. We plan to learn much and have fun in the process.

Mrs. Nancy Sprouse
Elementary Teacher

A Grandparent's Perspective on PCAG

As “Nana” to three of Palmetto Christian’s finest young students, I am so excited about the learning experiences of John, Will and Sarah Grace at Palmetto Christian Academy. I do the pick-up about four days each week. My first question each day is always the same. “Who had a great day today?” The response is always a very enthusiastic, “I did!” Then they talk over each other telling me the events of the great day had by all.

John is in third grade. He has just rediscovered how much he likes math. Mrs. Sprouse has been staying after school each Tuesday and Wednesday for Math Facts, a thirty minute math enrichment time for the elementary children. As I write this, John is reading some research at my house on General Nathaniel Greene. He has an oral report due on Thursday. He is required to be in costume and provide his own props. John is learning his Bible verses in Latin. He loves Latin.

Sarah Grace is our second grader. She is taking world history. As part of that class, she has participated in an archaeological dig, learned the countries of Eastern Europe, the former USSR, the Middle East, and Africa. She sings them, and she can find them on a map. John and Sarah Grace are being taught the parts of speech as the foundational skill for writing. I am always amazed that my second and third graders can identify prepositions and their objects! They also participate in the Junior Master Gardeners program. They are rooting bulbs and growing various plants in terrariums. Quinn Mack built a greenhouse on the campus for the school’s use.

Will is in K-4. He loves school. He enjoys Mrs. Kim and all of his classmates. He loves doing his homework each night while the big kids work on their assignments. Mrs. Kim is so great at encouraging him to do new things. He is growing every day.

Their parents moved them to Palmetto Christian in search of a more challenging curriculum. They found it. As wonderful, fun and exciting as the curriculum is, the best part to this Nana is the emphasis on teaching from a Christian world view. It is a focused, intentional effort to teach critical thinking from a Christian perspective. The faculty prays with and for our children.
Parents (and even Nana’s) are welcomed on the campus, and we are encouraged to bring our gifts and talents to share with the students. I go each week and do a Bible story for the K-4 & K-5 classes using my flannel boards. There are always other parents on campus doing all sorts of tasks. I love the environment. I love watching how the older students treat the younger children. I love that all of the faculty know all of our children and interact with them.

I am so grateful that God has led our family to Palmetto Christian.

Sharon Harwell