United Christian Academy

⚽️ Super Soccer Saturday Success!🥅 The games, the crowd, the food, the alumni, the coach celebration, the weather...and on, and on! All of it combined made for a very memorable day indeed!👏 💜 Our community is so full of support for UCA. It was a blessing to have so many of us in one place to experience it together! #ucathunder #ucaathletics #ucacommunity

🧪 Young scientists at work 🔬 Armed with curiosity and lab equipment, our young scientists carefully selected different types of rocks, ranging from limestone to granite. They've exposed these rocks to various chemical agents, mimicking the forces of nature, such as rainwater, acids, and even soil microorganisms. 🌦️🌧️ 🌍As the chemical reactions take place, our students are documenting the changes in the rocks' composition, texture, and appearance. It's incredible to witness the gradual but powerful effects of chemical weathering! 🌱🏞️ #ucathunder #ucastem

💫 Impact Beyond the Game ⚽️ Coach Chad Peters will be stepping down from coaching after this soccer season. He has been a pillar of our coaching staff for 23 years, both at UCA and Bethany Academy, one of our Legacy Schools, before that. It's not just about the wins and losses; Coach has been a mentor, confidant, and role model for our students and athletes. He has taught life lessons that extend far beyond the soccer field, shaping the character and futures of our players. 💜 👏 We honored Coach Peters at our recent Super Soccer Saturday event. People who were either coached, taught, or impacted in any way were asked to join him at midfield. A few people spoke about the coach's impact on their lives, and we prayed over him as a group. 📸 For the finale, a group photo was taken with everyone standing in one of Coach's famous cross-armed stances! 🙏 Thank you for all you have done to touch the lives of our students, athletes, and beyond! #ucathunder #ucaathletics

📚👧 IF you give a Geometry student a children's book, THEN... Miss Caron and her geometry students used children's books to learn and practice conditional statements. Using the "if-then" statements from the books, they practiced identifying a hypothesis and conclusion, converse statements, inverse and contrapositives, and more!🤯 Conditional statements are a cornerstone of deductive reasoning, which is crucial in geometry and many other mathematical disciplines. Using these stories was a very creative way to teach and learn this lesson!👍 🌟 #ucathunder #ucahighschool #ucastem

🏀🌟 Slam Dunk News: New Basketball Hoops at Recess! 🌟🏀 Thanks to an incredible donation, we've upgraded our recess experience with not one, but TWO shiny new basketball hoops! This new option of play has been an absolute hit with the students. They are channeling their inner NBA superstar, practicing their jump shots, and working on their dribbling skills. We hope this new activity will boost well-being, teamwork, and fun! 🤝🤗 So, let the games begin, and let's make recess a slam dunk of fun, friendship, and healthy competition! 🏀💫 #ucathunder #ucaelementary

❓If you could be any character, who would it be? 📺 🎥 Our students (and staff!) had a blast choosing which TV/movie character to dress up as for Spirit Week! 🌟 From Moana to Minions, and Darla to Dumbledore, the creativity was amazing! #ucathunder #ucaspiritweek

🕊️We are one in the spirit, we are one in the Lord ✝️ Yesterday, every entity that uses the campus of Bethany Global University gathered for a joint chapel service centered around that theme. 🤝 Hand in Hand Christian Montessori School ✝️ United Christian Academy High School 🌎 Bethany Global University ⬆️ Beyond Limits Christian College We shared a time of worship, heard the Montessori children sing, heard messages from each President, Head of School, or Executive Director, and gave all the glory to God! 🙏 What a blessing to collaborate together! #ucathunder

👋Hi Barbie...Hi Ken! 🩷Yesterday's Spirit Week dress-up day was SUBLIME! 🩷 All ages, students and staff, boy and girl...everyone had fun! And the creativity was amazing! #ucathunder #ucaspiritweek

#Tuesday Testimonial - the York Family Edition In May 2016, Lori York took a job at Normandale Community College and became generally aware of a private school just across the street from her on-campus office The York children were finishing 3rd and 1st grades respectively at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Savage, their home parish. Fast forward to the 2020-2021 school year when they were ‘shopping’ for Lydia’s next school since St. John’s goes through 8th grade. Having been in private school since kindergarten, they were leaning toward private high school. Thinking mostly about proximity to Lori’s work and therefore easy logistics, they decided to visit and tour UCA. It felt good on so many levels. It was welcoming, right-sized, and financially within reach. But ultimately, hearts and minds were headed in a different direction. Lydia had a wonderful 9th grade year at a local Catholic high school but as summer break began the Yorks found themselves discerning the next school year. Lydia’s dad Tom recalls how their family’s decision for 9th grade was made during the pandemic; work/life dynamics had changed substantially, and it was time to give UCA another look. They toured and visited again, this time with Lydia as a potential transfer student just one month before Fall Semester 2022 was due to start. Lori remembers being torn in different directions, having already re-enrolled and financially committed elsewhere but knew that UCA was pulling them in. “Mr. Dalrymple, the admission staff, and the academic dean were all willing to work with us, were empathetic to our situation, and assured us that even on a short timeline that they could make it all work.” According to Lydia’s mom, “Lydia thrived during 10th grade. She found her people and her niche. Choir, art, and theater were the creative outlets she needed. She took real ownership of her academics. We’re so pleased to witness her grow in multiple dimensions and see her learning how to learn.” Now it is Fall 2023. Lydia is an 11th grader and is joined by her brother Andre who is new to UCA as a 9th grader. On the first day of school Andre reported back to his parents, “This is the best school ever. All the teachers are amazing. All of them. Why can’t every school be like this?” Andre had done a shadow day at UCA during 8th grade and participated in Chess Camp in Summer 2023, both of which helped ease his transition to high school. Both York kids are looking forward to the upcoming high school retreat and Lori will volunteer during the retreat for a second year, noting how “three days in a busy camp kitchen is my happy place. Last year, I got to make desserts for all the students and staff. It was so rewarding.” UCA is blessed to have the York family as part of our community! #ucathunder

📚 Our book buddies have bonded! 🤝 Each 5th grade student has paired up with a kindergarten student, Mrs. Shogren’s class with Ms. Flaga’s, and Mrs. Brown’s class with Mrs. Troost’s. These partnerships will be “Book Buddies” for the school year. 🗓️ They will get together periodically to build friendships, focus on reading, and more. 🌟 #ucathunder #ucaelementary #ucabuddies

🍎 🍏 Apple Afternoon! 🍏 🍎 Last week, our two first grade classes joined together for an afternoon of apple-themed activities. 👩‍🍳 They started in the morning by combining the ingredients to make applesauce that would be tasted in the afternoon. 😋 The classroom then turned into all things apple! 🍎 Parent volunteers joined the fun to help the students work through all the activities. 📸 🖊️ Miss Anderson's class even practiced writing sentences and captioned the pictures and activities: "This is a really fun school. We had an Apple Day. We colored apple hats and did apple centers. We got to sit under tables. We got to eat applesauce with our parents and friends. We had a blast"! #ucathunder #ucaelementary

🇺🇸 Stars and Stripes! 🌟 Yesterday kicked off Spirit Week with Red, White, & Blue Day. Our Lower School students did not disappoint! 👍🏽 🇺🇸🎆We saw so many patriotic colors, it looked like the 4th of July! Even the teachers joined in the festivities! #ucaathunder #ucalowerschool #ucaspiritweek

🛫✈️The aviation adventure begins! 🤩 Recently, our Aviation 1 students took their first steps into the world of flight simulation. As they entered the lab, you could see the anticipation in their eyes! 🛫🌟Flight simulators allow our students a hands-on approach to learning in this exciting and growing field! Guided by Mr. Poole, our Aviation Program Director, our aspiring pilots learned the intricacies of taxiing on an airfield. The first of many steps in learning the magical world of flight! #ucathunder #ucaaviation

🎨 Art in Education Week! 🖌️ Last week, the nation celebrated art in our schools, and we would love to highlight our students and teachers. 💜 Mrs. Chant and Mrs. Berry, our two crazy-talented art teachers, have huge hearts for our students and a passion for enlightening them about the art world. 💬They tell the students that "you are a MASTERPIECE, a unique creation made by a loving God, who has BIG PLANS for you. In your Art Class, we will discover how God created all of us with different gifts and talents so we can use them for His glory. We are all creative because we were created in his image, and our God is the CREATOR of all things." Thank you to Mrs. Berry and Mrs. Chant for pouring into our students! We can't wait to see all of their creations! #ucathunder #ucafinearts

📣 Fall Spirit Week is September 18-22! We hope to see many students of all ages participate in the dress-up days. Roll Thunder Roll! #ucathunder

👑 What is on the throne of your life? Wednesday evening of their retreat, our 10th-12th grade students were challenged with this question. They then spent the next couple of days diving deeper into that message, strengthening old friendships and building new ones, overcoming challenges and rejoicing in victories. 🤗 These three days always create many memories for our high school students, becoming some of the most cherished times as a UCA student. #ucathunder #ucaupperschool #ucaretreats

🍁 7th & 8th Grade Fall Retreat These students spent the last three days focusing on the theme of "ENTHRONED." Their speaker shared that God is our ultimate authority AND wants a personal relationship with us. They were challenged with questions like: ❓What is crowding the throne of your heart? ❓What needs to be dethroned in order to give God His rightful place on the throne? These sessions were mixed in with lots of outdoor time, team-building exercises, skits, and more! #ucathunder #ucamiddleschool

9th Grade Fall Retreat - "ENTHRONED" 🍂The annual fall retreat is an important and special time of the year when students begin to connect with each other and to the Lord in a deeper way. In many ways, this trip sets the tone and atmosphere for our students for the rest of the year. Our students may encounter challenges at camp that stretch them – physically, socially and spiritually – and our desire is that it brings them a sense of accomplishment and encourages them to set new goals to meet through this next year. Our vision for this retreat is that students will come back having built a stronger sense of community and a passion for pursuing their faith. Our theme this year is ENTHRONED. 📷These pictures are just a glimpse into everything our students experience in these three short days! #ucathunder #ucahighschool #ucaretreats

🏡🐛Mrs. Otterblad's 2nd-grade scientists have been busy learning about the crucial relationship between living organisms and the need for shelter. 🏠🌱 To simulate this, they built a shelter for their marshmallow out of gumdrops and toothpicks. 🐦🦡They've explored the ingenious ways animals build homes, from underground burrows to intricate nests high in the trees. 🌿🌼 They delved into how plants adapt to their environments, including how they use leaves, stems, and roots to shelter themselves and other creatures. It's fun to see the students light up with curiosity as they explore the world around them! #ucathunder #ucaelementary #ucastem

📣 Special invitation for UCA Legacy Alumni! ⚽️ We would love to have you join the festivities of SUPER SOCCER SATURDAY on September 23! Invite your classmates and come on out for a soccer shootout, a free meal from concessions, a special gift, plus an impromptu CLASS REUNION! 💰 The alumni class with the most graduates in attendance will win a $25 gift card for each attendee! Join us at Gene Kelly Fields, Bloomington: 10:00 am - Boys JV (halftime - Kids scrimmage) 12:00 pm - Girls Varsity (halftime - ALUMNI soccer shootout) Pre-game (approx 1:45pm) - Honoring of Coach Chad Peters 2:00 pm - Boys Varsity #ucathunder #ucaathletics #ucaalumni