Academics
Philosophy
Brookstone Schools believes that the love and knowledge of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). We believe that all children are given unique gifts and abilities for the purpose of expanding the kingdom of God and bringing Him glory. As such, both spiritual and academic instruction are infused with Biblical truth and reinforced through consistent study of Scripture, daily prayer, and regular chapel services.
We believe that measurability and accountability are crucial to providing a quality education. Our academic program is based on sound research and proven methods which include measuring benchmarks of learning for each grade level and frequent progress assessments to ensure mastery.
We believe that by offering learning and enrichment experiences outside the classroom we contribute to both the intellectual and cultural development of our students. The surrounding community offers valuable opportunities for learning through field trips, community service, and engaging in hands-on activities. These help to provide an excellent foundation for a traditional college preparatory education.
Lower School Curriculum
The Lower School–grades kindergarten through fifth—is an engaging, learning environment that promotes a love of learning, while challenging students to fully utilize the unique talents they each possess.
We believe that measurability and accountability are crucial to providing a quality education. Our academic program is based on sound research and proven methods which include measuring benchmarks of learning for each grade level and frequent progress assessments to ensure mastery.
Along these lines, we use nationally recognized curricula that are carefully chosen to challenge students to excel in every academic area.
Language Arts: Grades K-5
Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA)
CKLA is a literacy rich curriculum that draws from history, science, literature, and geography to build background knowledge and comprehension skills. Our third grades students are reading at a 91% reading proficiency.
Orton Gillingham
OG is a highly effective, phonetic approach to reading and spelling which is used in our reading curriculum for grades K-5.
Shurley Grammar
This is an interactive program that develops strong grammatical usage and sentence composition in grades 1-5.
Science: Grades K-5
Mystery Science
Elementary students use hands on science experiments to build their scientific inquiry with Mystery Science curriculum.
Math: Grades K-5
Singapore Math
This is an inquiry based approach to math that emphasizes computational mastery and mathematical reasoning.
Bible: Grades K-5
Building on the Rock from Summit Ministries
We believe that the love and knowledge of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). Building on the Rock is a curriculum developed on a worldview framework, helping students seeing reality from a biblical point of view. “They will stop seeing the Bible as just a book of unique stories, and they will start seeing Scripture as the litmus test for every false idea being peddled by today’s post-Christian culture.” This approach helps students learn through scripture how they should think and live.
Middle School Curriculum
Our 6th-8th grade classrooms are departmentalized by core subjects– English, Math, Science, History, and Bible.
English & History: Grades 6-8
Novel Studies
Students read the great classics of the literary canon through the lens of a biblical worldview.
The Story of the World
This award-winning curriculum presents history from ancient times to the present through an engaging story approach.
English Grammar Recitation
Students learn common capitalization and punctuation rules, and approximately 150 grammar facts in a logical and systematic sequence.
Math: Grades 6-8
Singapore Math
This is an inquiry based approach to math that emphasizes computational mastery and mathematical reasoning
Science: Grades 6-8
Through hands-on experience, students use their critical thinking skills to bring a logical connection and order to their scientific knowledge. The curriculum covers the life sciences, earth sciences, and physical sciences.
Bible: Grades 6-7
In 6th grade, students complete a general survey of the Old Testament, while 7th graders study the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles.
Imago Dei Leadership Forum (IDLF): Grade 8
8th Grade students meet with Head of School John Murray two times a week discussing what it means to be an image-bearer of God in today’s world–from our identity, to the power of social media, to issues of body image, gender, and race, to name a few topics. Students also explore images, media worldviews, and history that omits, misrepresents, distorts and/or undermines the essentials of the Christian faith, as well as the images, media, and history that accurately presents the Gospel and the importance of loving others as fellow image-bearers.
IDLF culminates with a weeklong capstone trip to Washington, D.C.
As students get to know one another and wrestle with the important cultural issues of our day, our prayer is that they will begin to understand each other’s backgrounds and perspectives to better equip them to be a light for Jesus.
Enrichment Classes
Physical Education (PE)
Our students meet for Physical Education two times a week in grades K-8.
Library
Our K-8th students meet with the librarian at least once a week and are given the opportunity to check out books each week. We teach our students to be discerning readers, so when they read secular literature, they can interpret it through a Christian worldview.
Technology
At Brookstone, we support the use of purposeful technology where the student uses it as a tool to accomplish an end ( ie. writing papers, doing research, creating presentations, etc.), and when certain platforms increase engagement with learning and material and allow for all students to participate.
Each classroom is equipped with state-of-the art Smartboards (17 total in the school) and a class set of iPads for enrichment and academic testing.
Learning During COVID-19
While it was a blessing to offer the option of “in-person” or “online” learning during the 2020-21 school year, we are only offering an in-person option for 2022-23.
Give your child a top-notch,
Christ-centered education.
You don’t have to settle for a school with poor academics and values that don’t align with yours. Instead, empower them to live the lives they were created for.
