🎨Mrs. Otterblad’s creative 2nd graders dove into a fun project this week—fingerprint art! Using their fingertips and a bit of imagination, each student chose from different examples of animals and recreated them on their own paper. 🐾
As they worked on their creations, they also talked about how each will be unique. The results were adorable and special, from interesting insects to fancy flowers, showcasing each child's creativity and individuality. 🐜🌼
It was a beautiful way to celebrate their artistic talents and the unique way God created each of them, down to their unique fingerprints.
#ucathunder #ucaelementary
📚 📝 Our American Literature class kicked off their journey into The Scarlet Letter with a thought-provoking exercise. Each student was secretly assigned a career, but one student was designated as an imposter—though no one knew who had which role.
Through conversation and interaction, the students had to figure out who was who. This activity helped them experience the themes of judgment, identity, and exclusion that are central to the novel.
It was an eye-opening way to step into the world of The Scarlet Letter and start thinking about the complex social dynamics they’ll explore in the book. We’re excited to see their insights as they dive deeper into the story! 📖🔍
#ucathunder #ucahighschool
⚽️ 👟🏐 Our fall sports seasons are off and running, and these super fans are inviting you to all the events!
Miss Coleman, Miss Ciri, and Miss Andi made themselves "Super Fan" shirts to support our athletes. On the back, you will find the names of every varsity athlete!
Go Thunder!
#ucathunder #ucaathletics
🚀Our Aviation 1 students had an exciting hands-on project last week, building and testing balloon rockets! They were challenged with engineering a balloon contraption capable of lifting as much weight as possible all the way to the ceiling.🎈
🧠Students experimented with different designs, learning about the principles of lift, thrust, and more. It was a great opportunity to apply their knowledge in a fun and interactive way!
#ucathunder #ucastem
🌊Ships Across the Ocean! 🚢
Last Friday, our secondary students kicked off the first House Games of the year with several rounds of "Ships Across the Ocean"! All four houses were filled with energy, teamwork, and lots of fun. Even the teachers joined in for a few rounds!
The game had everyone strategizing and cheering their teams on as they tried to navigate through the sea of house leaders in the middle trying to tag them out. The enthusiasm was contagious, and it was incredible to see the camaraderie and sportsmanship displayed by all students.
Kudos to all participants for making the event a huge success and setting a positive tone for the rest of the year.
We're excited for more house events and friendly competitions to come. Here's to a year of teamwork, unity, school pride, and unforgettable memories! 💙💚💛❤️
#ucathunder #ucahousesystem
🧸Our kindergarteners had a beary fun adventure last Friday! After reading the classic book "We're Going on a Bear Hunt," the class set out on their very own bear hunt in the field by the school. The excitement was visible as they searched high and low for that hidden bear!
Afterward, the fun continued with a Teddy Bear Picnic! Each student brought their favorite stuffed animal to join in the festivities. They enjoyed snacks, played games, and shared stories with their cuddly companions.
It was a day full of imagination, laughter, and sweet memories! 🐻🍯
#ucathunder #ucaelementary
🪥 The Power of Words 🗣️
Miss Anderson’s first grade class learned about the importance of our words through a fun but challenging activity. Two students were chosen to squeeze all the toothpaste out of a tube—easy enough! But then, everyone had to try putting the toothpaste back in using only a toothpick. It was quite the challenge!
This activity helped them understand how easy it is to say words but how much harder it is to take them back—just like squeezing out the toothpaste was easy, but putting it back was nearly impossible.
A powerful reminder to choose our words wisely! 💬✨
#ucathunder #ucaelementary
🛋️Ten tenth graders on a tiny couch talking about Theology!!
Less than one week into the school year, students are already incorporating the new students into the mix! The head of school and teachers have spoken to them about "looking for the lost" since day one. But even more meaningful was hearing it from students' mouths during yesterday's open mic at the secondary chapel service. Several students who have only been at UCA a year or two testified about how welcoming and caring the teachers and students are here. It was so impactful to hear the first-hand experience of our student culture. 💜
#ucathunder
📚 5th Grade Book Tasting! 🍽️
Mrs. Shogren’s 5th graders had a blast yesterday with a special "Book Tasting" activity! They sampled different literature genres, explored various books, and discovered new favorites.
From mystery to books in a series, biographies to graphic novels, each student had the chance to "taste" different stories and expand their reading horizons. It was a fun and engaging way to spark a love for reading and introduce them to new literary worlds.
We can't wait to see which books they choose to dive into next! 📖✨
#ucathunder #ucaelementary
Part of the first week of school at UCA is our exciting House assignments! Each new student gets to randomly draw a colored gem from a jar to discover which House they’ll belong to for their entire time here. 💙💚💛❤️
From the smallest to the tallest, every student and staff member is a proud member of one of our four Houses. This system fosters a positive and engaging school culture while promoting a sense of camaraderie. There may be four houses, but we are ONE FAMILY! 💜
#ucathunder #ucahousesystem
🧠Growth Mindset Challenge! 🚢
Mrs. Ray’s 3rd grade students took on an exciting challenge to kick off our focus on having a growth mindset. They worked together to help Fred the gummy worm in a tricky rescue mission!
The task? Rescue Fred from his capsized boat (a plastic cup), put him into his life preserver (a Lifesaver Gummy), and get him safely back into the boat. The twist? They could only use paper clips to move Fred and the other items—no poking allowed!
Through this fun and engaging activity, our students practiced problem-solving, teamwork, and perseverance. It was a great way to start thinking about how a growth mindset can help us tackle challenges, both big and small.
#ucathunder
🏡 House Leaders Unite! 🌟
Our student-elected Senior house leaders met for the first time this school year. These student leaders are already hard at work, planning exciting events and activities to unite our school community.
We’re thrilled to see their enthusiasm and dedication as they brainstorm ideas, collaborate, and set the tone for an amazing year ahead. With such passionate leaders at the helm, we know this year is going to be one for the books!
#ucathunder #ucahousesystem
🎒 ✏️Our students have made it to the classrooms for the first day of school. We couldn't be more grateful to be here, both physically in our new building and on the first day of school with all of our students back together again!
🏫 Last week, we held an event that was a true testament to our strong school community. Our families came together to kick off the school year, and we are grateful for their active participation. Students met their teachers, found their lockers, picked up their Chromebooks, and so much more.
The evening was so special and highly anticipated, and it did not disappoint! We love our community! 💜
#ucathunder
The big day is here!! 🎉
📸 We know most of you will be taking pictures today, and we'd love for you to share them with us and our community.
If you post them on social media, please tag ucathunder. If you want to send them to us to post, email us at socialmedia@ucathunder.org.
We can't wait to welcome you to school this morning!
#ucathunder
What a fun, full, and blessed day it was!
Our school year started with a day filled with reunions, new introductions, lots of learning, and of course, popsicles!
It is so good to have everyone back. Let's see how God will move at UCA this year!
#ucathunder
📝Lifelong Learning! 📚
Our incredible teachers took part in a continuing education workshop yesterday, furthering their knowledge and skills to bring the best possible education to our students.
Through engaging sessions and collaborative discussions, our educators are committed to staying at the forefront of teaching practices and innovation. We are so proud of their dedication and are grateful for their passion for making a difference in the classroom. 🍎✨
Thank you to Incubate to Innovate for leading this workshop!
#ucathunder
God is moving through this beautiful partnership!
The staff at Cedar Valley Church graciously hosted a lunch with the UCA staff today, and it was lovely! Great food, conversations, and fellowship.
Thank you to all the CVC staff for welcoming us with open arms 💜
#ucathunder
It’s Pre-season, and the teachers and staff are all back together again!
This week is full of team-building, sharing stories and information, learning new policies and procedures, and more. New staff members were also selected into their houses. We are energized and excited to see how God will move this year!
Our pre-season leads up to Kick-off Night on Friday, we’ll see you there!!
#ucathunder
🙌 UCA is blessed to welcome new staff members to our team for this coming school year!
We would like to introduce you to Mrs. Prip, Secondary Choir and Worship Arts Teacher.
“My name is Marissa Prip and I am coming from Lakeville area schools where I have worked as an elementary music teacher, but I am super excited to transition to the UCA upper school choir teacher this next school year! I am most excited to teach at UCA because I love Jesus and can't wait to teach at a Christ centered school and create community with all of the different families. I also work at ZOE Church in Burnsville as the Kids and Youth Worship Director and love spending my time with students and worshiping Jesus. My husband, Jordan, and I love hanging out with friends and family and some of my favorite hobbies are exploring vintage stores in Minneapolis, going on walks, crafting with my friends, and reading good books. I love singing so much and look forward to creating beautiful music with the students at UCA!
Welcome to the community, Mrs. Prip!
#ucathunder #ucastaff
🙌 UCA is blessed to welcome new staff members to our team for this coming school year!
We would like to introduce you to Mrs. Lynette Tillman, Secondary Science Teacher.
“I am coming from another christian school in the twin cities. Before that I taught for over 10 years in the Southern Philippines where I was a missionary for many years. I am excited to join a loving, christian community and to teach with a Godly worldview. I am a widow with three married children. I grew up in the Twin Cities, but was then in the Philippines for 30 years. I am passionate about reaching the unreached for Jesus.”
Welcome to the community, Mrs. Tillman!
#ucathunder #ucastaff
