Academics

St. Paul Lutheran School is Accredited through National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA) and Missouri Non-Public Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The rigorous evidence-based accreditation process evaluates the following 6 standards.

NLSA Standards for Accredited Schools:

• The school is purpose-driven.
• The school is governed and administered effectively following written policy.
• A qualified and competent staff serves the school.
• The school’s curriculum, instructional design and assessment practices guide and ensure teacher effectiveness and student learning.
• Student services and activities are offered to meet the needs and foster the growth of each student in a safe and healthy environment.
• Buildings, grounds and equipment provide a safe and healthy environment that serves to enhance student learning.

In order to become accredited in good standing with NLSA, a school must comply fully with the 30 required indicators of success.

Curriculum of St. Paul Lutheran School

St. Paul Lutheran School uses The Concordia Curriculum Guide and standards, published by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. These standards correlate with International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, American Associations for the Advancement of Science and National Council for the Social Studies.

Our teachers are diverse and tend to accommodate students’ needs with techniques that are ever changing. They are flexible and do whole and small group instruction, use projectors and interactive boards, they use document cameras, iPads, Chromebooks, and they use Google Classroom, Nearpod, Wizer, Brainpop, and other technological applications.

Ministry of St. Paul Lutheran School

Parental expectations of St. Paul Lutheran School include

• excellent discipline
• high academic standards
• dedicated, conscientious teachers

St. Paul Lutheran School offers these advantages. But the real distinction is that St. Paul Lutheran School proclaims Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the world. Teaching Jesus Christ, then, is “the real difference” between Christian and public schools. In St. Paul Lutheran School, teachers and students witness personally and publicly to their faith in Jesus Christ. Students study the Bible and worship God daily. Teachers relate Jesus Christ to all aspects of the curriculum. Teachers and students share Christian love and forgiveness.

Those who teach in St. Paul Lutheran School are privileged with the opportunity to:

• teach the Word of God in its truth and purity
• acknowledge the Bible as God’s infallible Word and the Confessions as the true exposition of the Word
• identify God’s Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper as the means through which God creates and sustains faith
• emphasize Law and Gospel as the key teaching of Scripture
• seek to apply Law and Gospel properly in daily relationships with students, parents, and other teachers
• teach all of what Scripture teaches (including Christian doctrines) to all students, no matter what backgrounds they have
• share with students what Jesus the Savior means to them personally
• equip students to proclaim the Good News to others
• encourage students to find the support and encouragement found only in the body of Christ, of which Jesus Himself is the head

In St. Paul Lutheran School, Christ permeates all subjects and activities. Religion is not limited to one hour or one class. Teachers seek opportunities to witness in every class and to relate God’s Word to all aspects of life. Through this process, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, students grow in faith and in a sanctified life, and view all of life, not just Sunday, as a time to serve and worship God.

In summary, it is intrinsic to ministry in a Christian school that all energies expended in the educational process lead each child to a closer relationship with the Savior and with other members of the Christian community.