One of the best parts of working at a new school is starting traditions that can carry us well into the future. One of my favorite new Founders traditions is the senior sidewalk. The walkway that goes along the side of Sherwood Forest has enough space for all of our current students to write their… Continue reading The Senior Sidewalk
Clubs and activities are an important part of a student's experience at Founders Classical Academy. On top of chess club, soccer club, French club, and many others, we've offered a few unusual clubs in past years: lawn games club, for example, or ukulele club. This year we introduced a knitting club for grammar schoolers, and… Continue reading Knitting Club
Cultivating Good Habits for Success in High School by Mrs. Walley, Upper School Science Teacher Use Your PlannerDon’t just have a planner--please use it! You can purchase a beautiful Founders planner from the front office. It's customized for our school and you will find it very helpful for tracking weekly assignments, planning your academic year,… Continue reading Mrs. Walley’s Tips for Success in 9th-12th
Tell me, Muse, of the man of many ways, who was driven far journeys, after he had sacked Troy's secret citadel. Many were they whose cities he saw, whose minds he learned of, many the pains he suffered on his spirit on the wide sea, struggling for his own life and the homecoming of his… Continue reading Opening Lines of the Odyssey
Students from the Class of 2018, our second graduating class, have been accepted to colleges and universities across the country, and, as of today, have earned $2,519,380 in scholarships. This number represents the scholarship funding our 28 students from the senior class have been offered over four years of college from all of the schools… Continue reading Class of 2018 College Acceptances and Scholarships So Far
Besides blood, toil, tears and sweat, our school is the product of a partnership between Hillsdale College and Responsive Education Solutions, an organization that runs over 70 charter schools throughout Texas and Arkansas. Though the Barney Charter School Initiative (BCSI), Hillsdale College partners with charter schools across the country and provides recruiting help, teacher training,… Continue reading The Ten Points
When we started Founders Classical Academy of Leander in the Fall of 2013, in the middle of countless unknowns there were a few things we were certain of: we were going to commit to the ten points on the Barney Charter School Initiative's list of what makes a true classical school, we were going to… Continue reading The Senior Thesis
Unintended Consequences: How Four Kids' Classical Education Affected Mom and Dad by Kyle Swartz, the parent of four students at Founders Classical Academy of Leander: Anna (Class of 2019), Emily ('20), Jonah ('23), and Michael ('26) We all want what’s best for our kids. What our kids to be happy in this life. We want them… Continue reading Unintended Consequences: How Four Kids’ Classical Education Affected Mom and Dad, by Mr. Swartz
Explaining things to very young Kindergarteners requires a special talent. I learned from Mrs. Rariden that when you are talking to five year olds, rather than saying "please have a seat," you have to say "please make sure your bottom is on the chair, your feet are on the ground, and your head is facing… Continue reading What’s with the arrows and the bubbles?
While I was visiting classrooms a couple of weeks ago, I got to see our second graders learning cursive handwriting with Mrs. Horton and Ms. Sowell. They were working on capital letters and sentences from their literature and history studies. Handwriting practice is an essential part of our students' elementary education in K-2, and after… Continue reading Learning Cursive in 2nd Grade
