We recently hosted high school information sessions for our current families as well as during our Open House for prospective families on Nov. 28. We are so appreciative to those who attended! For those who could not attend, please review some of the important details shared, below:
As previously announced, the Upper School will include seventh through tenth grades beginning in August 2024. Dr. Melanie Monistere will be the Upper School principal, while Dr. Kayla Lamonte will remain principal of the Lower School (Pre-K3 through sixth grades).
The Gym Expansion project has been updated to include a total of six new classrooms, additional restrooms and offices for the Upper School in addition to the expanded court, addition of bleachers and concessions already planned. This is where our Upper School classrooms will be located beginning with the August 2024 school year. We expect construction on the gymnasium expansion to resume by the end of December/beginning of January.
The school's accreditation process is still on target with an ACSI site visit scheduled for January 29-31 and approval expected by February 2024. Our high school grades will also be state approved as well as accredited by Cognia, enabling students to receive a quality diploma and qualify for TOPS and other competitive scholarships.
A High School Advisory Council has been assembled to provide feedback and assist Administration with decision-making regarding the Upper School. Learn more about the Advisory Council here: https://www.courtneychristianschool.com/high-school
Numerous clubs, organizations, student activities, and current and new traditions will be available to Upper School students.
CCS will apply for membership to the ACEL (Association of Christian Educators of Louisiana) Athletic League beginning with Fall 2024 sports, until we have enough students (75 evenly distributed in grades 9-12) to apply to LHSAA. Sports offered by ACEL include: 8-Man Football, Volleyball, Cross Country, Soccer, Girls/Boys Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field. Team formation will depend on participation and interest of ninth and tenth grade students for 2024-2025. Some travel up to 1-3 hours each way may be required to compete against other ACEL schools.
Seventh and eighth grade students will continue to play in the NIAL for all school sports.
Uniforms will remain the same for seventh and eighth grade students (current polo with black pants, shorts or skorts), with a plaid skirt being added as an optional choice for girls.
Daily uniforms for ninth and tenth grades will include the current polo shirts worn with plaid skirts (girls) and black uniform pants (boys); chapel uniforms will be required once a week and for special occasions which includes a white oxford, tie, plaid skirt (girls) and black uniform pants (boys).
Current students will receive priority admission through our new Continuous Enrollment process (details to be sent soon via email). We will begin interviewing new students in January from our waiting list, and they will be required to meet certain admissions requirements such as GPA and conduct. New students can join the waiting list at www.courtneychristianschool.com/admissions.
Academics will be a strong focus and will include a variety of courses, some for high school credit at the seventh and eighth grade level, as well as the possibility of dual enrollment, AP and Honors if students meet the necessary qualifications.
Seventh through tenth grade will utilize a block schedule; seventh and eighth grades will receive Math and ELA instruction every day. Courses include Science, History, electives, Biblical Worldview options and foreign language (for ninth and tenth grades).
We will decide on changes to the traffic pattern, staggered start times, etc. with Lower School at a later date.
Dr. Monistere spoke of our school's excellent IOWA test scores from last year; she also equated current test scores to successful predicted scores on the ACT.
Tuition for seventh and eighth grades will remain consistent with that of the Lower School; fees, particularly for families, will continue to be shared across the Lower and Upper Schools. Tuition for ninth and tenth grades for the 2024-2025 school year will be set at $6,900.
We expect to advertise for available teaching positions in January 2024.
Please email mmonistere@courtneycs.org with any remaining questions.