The first day of school can be an exciting, yet stressful time for students. Meeting friends and teachers and the excitement of a new school year are among the best parts of the first day of school, but the worry of a whole new schedule and classes can also make the first day of school feel daunting. However you feel …
VA Academy Class of 2024 by the Numbers
As another school year comes to a close, we are excited to see all that the Virginia Academy class of 2024 has accomplished. Congratulations to our Class of 2024 for their hard work and accomplishments! Here at Virginia Academy, faith, scholarship, and purpose drive everything we do. The graduating class of 2024 has exemplified those values in countless ways. Numbers …
What’s Happening with Your First Grader—What Parents Need to Know
First grade is an exciting time for your child! For a child that’s 6-8 years old, words and reading comprehension take center stage in the classroom. A life-long love affair with books can really start to take root in first grade. Here’s a quick guide to where your child is at developmentally in first grade, as well as what they’ll …
Your Child Is Not Just a Number—Personalized Attention Pays Off
Small class sizes have become a key selling point in private education, and with good reason. “Small classes” aren’t trendy—they are effective at fostering student success. In a private school setting such as Virginia Academy, you and your student become cherished members of the academic family. Your child is not just a number. Each student matters profoundly to the academic …
Parents: Pay Attention to School Settings, the School Environment Impacts Learning
Does your child’s physical classroom setting matter? Isn’t learning learning, no matter where it takes place? Not necessarily. In fact, the classroom setting can influence more than you might imagine. Researcher Annie Murphy Paul has uncovered that “the physical environment can have such an impact on students that it could affect a student’s academic progress by as much as 25%.” …
How Important Is the Right Kindergarten Through Third Grade Foundation?
Early elementary school isn’t just for dramatic play and recess anymore. The foundation your child sets in kindergarten through third grade can set the stage for the rest of their academic career. But don’t panic! There’s no need to feel heavy pressure. Early childhood education is an incredibly rich time for your child’s rapidly developing mind; their brains cannot wait …
The “New” First Grade: What to Expect When Your Child Starts Kindergarten
“I just don’t understand this math homework,” my bewildered friend texted me late one night at the beginning of the school year. His oldest had just started kindergarten, and yes, he already had homework. Homework that was perplexing to even his bright, 30-something-year-old parents. Kindergarten has changed in the last decade, and not everyone is happy about it. Today, pre-kindergarten …
The Importance of Play in Kindergarten
Play is an essential part of the way your child learns. And it’s not just about burning off all their extra energy so that they can focus on the lesson (though that plays a part), it’s about learning through play. For children, play is about solving problems in the world around them and interacting with others. When they play, they …