GENERAL QUESTIONS
Why was New City started? New City Christian School was started to address a specific issue—the need for students from under-resourced households to have the opportunity to attend a school which focuses on building a firm foundation for academic success in the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic in a Christ-centered setting. We will never waiver from this commitment.
Do I have to be a Christian to send my child to New City? No. New City Christian School is open to students and families from any faith background or from those with no faith background. We make no religious requirement of our families but we do want the families who enroll to understand that part of our mission is to show our students the love of Christ and the hope that is only found through repenting and believing in Jesus Christ. We strive to do this in an inviting, non-coercive manner. We want our students to hear of their need for Jesus Christ and see His love demonstrated. At the same time, we do not want to force or manipulate our students to act "religious." Rather, we want to give space for God to work in their hearts. Students who enroll may not "opt out" of any part of the curriculum.
What is the school like? Family-like. Personal. Committed to small classes. Known for dedicated teachers, staff and volunteers. Energetic. Positive. Christ-centered. Focused on the basics. Academically strong.
What are parents saying? You can read reviews that parents have written at the Great Schools website: http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/nc/private/3456/. In addition, you can view a short video on the bottom of our homepage that contains comments from one of our parents whose child has been enrolled with us since 2006. Lastly, our retention rate is excellent. We expect 90% of our students from the past year to return in the fall.
Your school is so new, how can I know that it is good? We will be happy to share results from our test scores but perhaps this question is best answered with a question—"What do you want in a school?" If you are looking for a school with small class sizes, focused attention on each student, lots of structure, and an emphasis on basics with room for creativity, Christ-centered staff, and diversity in the student body, we are probably a good place for your child. We will partner with each family and we will expect each child to work hard and not make excuses. If you want fancy equipment, lots of technology in the classroom, or an emphasis on unstructured learning, we might not be the best fit for your family.
QUESTIONS ABOUT APPLYING AND TUITION
What is your class size? A small class size is ideal in the early years. We prefer a class size of about 12 students.
How do parents apply? A parent can call our Principal, Mrs. Loretta Woods, to get an application or they can download an application from our website. We offer generous scholarships because our mission is to make a private Christian education an affordable option for any family that desires it.
How much is your tuition? Tuition is determined by a sliding scale which takes into account families' monthly income. Tuition can be adjusted for families whose financial circumstances change during the year.
How soon can parents begin enrolling for next year? Enrollment usually begins in March for the next academic year but interested parties can contact the principal at any time.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SCHOOL DAY
What is your school calendar? We mostly follow the same calendar as Asheville City Schools with respect to the main holidays. Occasionally, we will hold a make-up day when the city schools are not in session.
Do students wear uniforms? Uniforms are required of all students attending New City. We have found that uniforms enhance the learning environment by decreasing distractions. When we survey our parents, they are extremely pleased that we require uniforms. Most parents say that the uniforms save them money. The principal will provide information on where to purchase uniform shirts with the school logo.
Do you provide lunch? All of our students bring their own lunch and snack. We do not have the ability to provide lunch at this time. We do keep snacks on hand for students who forget their lunch.
Do you provide an after school care program? The church that we lease from, Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church provides an after school program three days a week. Please check with the church for their plans for the coming school year. In addition, the YWCA sends a bus to our school to pick up students that are enrolled in their after school program.
Where is your playground? Our school is blessed to be located near Walton Park. Each day, weather permitting we walk our students to the park to use the playground, basketball courts and ball fields.
Do you offer a structured physical education program? Our students participate in Physical Education classes twice a week with a qualified staff of instructors and volunteers.
CURRICULUM QUESTIONS
What curriculum do you use at New City? We use Wilson Fundations for reading (a phonics-based, multi-sensory approach related to the Orton-Gillingham method), Saxon math at an accelerated pace and the Core Knowledge Curriculum.
Do you offer Spanish or a foreign language in the early grades? Broadly speaking, with some exceptions, students need to have a command of their own language and a certain level of fluency before they begin foreign language study. Our teachers do expose our students to simple foreign language concepts such as counting or common phrases.
Beginning in the second or third grade we introduce our students to a powerful tool for building vocabulary—by teaching them Greek and Latin roots. Instruction will start with very easy concepts such as the Latin word for one=unus. We get many words such as united, unitary, unit, and uniform from this Latin root. Thus a student will be able to look at a word that they do not know and use the tools of understanding roots words to discover the meaning of a word.
Do you offer Title I? We offer a Title I reading program funded by the Asheville City Schools and the Buncombe County School systems. They hire the teacher and supply all the materials and space for this program which by law must be secular in nature. We are very pleased that students who need extra help in reading comprehension, vocabulary or fluency can participate in this program.
TEACHERS AND ACCREDITATION QUESTIONS
Are your teachers certified? Among our requirements, New City requires its lead teachers to have a four year college degree and some type of experience in teaching or working with children. We do not require our teachers to have a teaching certificate. Instead we look for teachers who bring special expertise and interests to their classrooms. Studies have shown that teachers who get the best results in the classroom have a good vocabulary and are highly motivated. A recent study in the journal Education Next recommended that:
School districts pay less attention to teacher credentials and more attention to monitoring teachers' performance during the first two years of teaching so that effective teachers are retained while ineffective ones are not.
A member of the Asheville City School Board has visited our school on several occasions. He asked us repeatedly where we were able to find such high quality teachers. We look for teachers who love God, love children and love to learn and are ready to convey what they have learned to our students.
Is New City accredited? No. We are regulated under the North Carolina Department of Non-Public Instruction and we meet and exceed all their guidelines and requirements. This state agency monitors our records annually and examines the immunization forms, our students' academic progress, and our compliance with health and fire safety standards.
Because we are trying to cover more subjects such as Bible and History, we provide a longer school day than the local public elementary schools. And due to our special focus on under prepared students, we offer a smaller class size than most public and private schools in the area. After the kindergarten year, our students are tested annually using a standardized test. Although direct comparisons are difficult to make, thus far our students have outperformed the Asheville City Schools in both broad categories of reading and math for every subgroup—white, black, low income, etc. We would be happy to share more data from our test results with interested parents.
QUESTIONS ABOUT SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS
What if my child has a diagnosed disability, can they attend New City? New City Christian School has limited resources to help students with special needs. We are not equipped to work with students with severe physical or academic delays. All children are made in God's image and deserve the very best education that is suited to their situation and so we want to help families find a good fit.
How can I be sure if my child would be a good fit with New City? Please call the principal and make an appointment to talk with her.
TEST RESULT QUESTIONS
What kind of test results have you achieved so far? All of our first and second graders were tested with the Woodcock-Johnson III Test of Achievement for the 2008-09 school year. All of our students tested achieved the level of average or above on the Brief Achievement assessment (a combination of reading, math and writing abilities).
OTHER QUESTIONS
Can parents volunteer? Certainly. Discuss your interest area and your availability with the principal. Our parents help the school in a myriad of ways.
Why don't you advertise? Why aren't you in the phone book? There are two main reasons for the limited advertising. First, we rely on word-of-mouth to spread the word about New City. Our parents have done a great job of telling the story about our school. Second, we don't have the staff to handle lots of inquiries about our school if our phone number was more widely publicized.
How can I find out more about New City Christian School? Parents can call the school at 776-6228 to make an appointment with our Principal, Mrs. Loretta Woods and to schedule a tour.
