✈️🌟Our aviation students recently experienced a “Young Eagles” flight sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association. The sole mission of this experience is to introduce and inspire kids in the world of aviation. Since 1992, the EAA has given this opportunity to nearly 2.3 million youth ages 8-17!
👩✈️🛫For many of our students, this was their first time flying in a small aircraft. EAA member volunteers took them through a pre-flight inspection as a large group, then took them to the skies in a Cessna 172, three at a time. Thank you to our local chapter of the EAA for this opportunity!
🏫🎓We are proud to offer the aviation classes to our students as our hallmark program, one of only a handful in the state of MN, and only 67 schools nationwide.
#ucathunder #ucaaviation #ucastem
📝Our imaginative 6th-grade Language Arts students are rewriting classic tales, adding their unique twists and creative spins! From enchanted castles to magical forests, our students are exploring the realms of creativity and storytelling.🏰💫
After crafting their own narrative wonders, they took the opportunity to read their classmates' work. Engaging in this way builds valuable skills in evaluating and providing feedback. They're not just writers; they're thoughtful critics and supportive collaborators. 🤝📣
#ucathunder #ucamiddleschool
🌱 Our Biology students took a hands-on approach to learning about the incredible process of photosynthesis. They deepened their understanding and developed a profound appreciation for the plant kingdom. 🌏🌻
🌞 💦 Equipped with different props to simulate sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, our students recreated the magic that happens in the chloroplasts of plant cells. From capturing light energy to producing oxygen and glucose, they experienced firsthand the wonders of this vital life process.🌿🔍
#ucathunder #ucaupperschool #ucastem
📚📝UCA is in our fourth year of using the Groves Method Literacy Curriculum for our K-3rd grade students. Groves focuses on the four pillars of reading: phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Lessons are based on the science of reading, where the students learn a systematic way to read, spell, form letters, capitalize, and understand the forms of words. Learning happens in full class, small group, or individual settings, which gives every student the support they need. 🤝
🏫🔠 A 1st grader new to UCA this year came in knowing virtually zero letters and sounds. After working with our intervention teachers, they are now blending words and sentences, keeping up with their classmates!
🧠📈 A current 2nd grade student was “at risk” as a 1st grader. After receiving daily individual and small group interventions, they now score above 80% in reading!
👏Our goal at UCA is for all students to be at or above grade level in reading. And these are just two examples of the success we are seeing.
#ucathunder #ucaelementary
Alchemists at work! 🧪
Our inquisitive chemistry students explored how different metals bond and change everyday pennies into pure magic! 🎩🪄
They watched the transformation of how new compounds were formed, going from copper, to silver, to gold. 🔍🪙
#ucathunder #ucastem #ucaupperschool
🍽️Before the Thanksgiving break, some of our staff and students finished the last details of our United Against Hunger meal-packing event.
📦🚌A smaller load of boxes filled with the oatmeal bags was delivered to VEAP on the event day. The remaining 210 boxes were loaded onto our school bus, and our driver delivered them to 360 communities in Burnsville. From there, they will be dispersed to different food shelves in the south metro.
💪🤝All this teamwork made a tough job go quickly. And the best part is that our students had so much fun doing it!
#ucathunder #unitedagainsthunger
Yesterday, our elementary students rolled out the red carpet to welcome special guests – parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and family friends – to spend a memorable day with our talented students. 🎈👨👩👧👦
It was our joy to honor our guests who support UCA in various ways. They were able to enjoy some time in the classroom learning a bit about what the student’s days are like. Some classes showcased their talents for their guests, some read stories and played games, and others took time to write notes to each other and enjoy some treats together. The morning ended with a chapel service led by our upper elementary students. 🎤📚🍪
A very special morning indeed, to see all the love and special bonds between our students and their guests. 💜
#ucathunder #ucaelementary
🦃🍽️Coolest Turkeys in Town! 👧👦
Our little ones gathered for a heartwarming Thanksgiving Feast. From adorable hats and t-shirts to the cutest turkey crafts, our preschoolers truly embraced the spirit of gratitude and togetherness. They shared giggles, smiles, and delicious "feast" delights. 🌽🍁🥧
#ucathunder #ucaprek
#tuesdaytestimonial - New Family Edition
We are the MacKenzie family and would like to share why we chose United Christian Academy.
In 2021, a relationship began that has changed our family forever (in the best way!)…meet the Blacks. The Blacks, a current UCA family, entered our lives, and through this relationship, we were immersed in their love for UCA. At the time, we had been thinking about a private and/or Christian education. The closer we we came to our twin girls entering Kindergarten, the more unsettled we felt about the path through public education with everything going on in the country. We sat down, figured out what was important to us, and started to do our research. When we left our tour at UCA and met with Mr. D, we knew this was where we were meant to be—faith at the center of it all at UCA.
This year has provided a sense of calm for our family. God is moving in our family and girls. It has been fulfilling to watch our girls thrive at school. UCA feels like a family with authentic relationships and a strong sense of being invited into the classroom - encouraged to be an active part of our children’s education. Knowing our girls are receiving the best education centered around faith is an experience hard to match in a world filled with uncertainty. The constant for us has been UCA!
Most recently, one of our girls was sick and absent. Dr. Morrison immediately stopped our family at drop-off, asking to pray. The staff are an example of what it means to be centered in Christ.
We see UCA as an investment for our girls today, tomorrow and into the future as the next generation of world changers. 💜
#ucathunder #ucaelementary
Minute To Win It games with a Thanksgiving twist! ⏰ 🦃
These excited 2nd graders in Mrs. Otterblad's class took a break from their learning to play some fun games before Thanksgiving break. While the competitive nature of the students was evident, even more so was the encouragement for each other! Each student tried their best in only 60 seconds, with their classmates cheering them on. 👏
#ucathunder #ucaelementary
When we UNITE, the impact is great!
Our inaugural United Against Hunger event was a success on so many levels:
🍽️ We surpassed our goal of packing 80,000 meals and blessing people through several food shelves in the South Metro.
🤝 School community, culture, and friendships were strengthened by spending a day with classmates, housemates, and buddies, working together to serve others.
🌍 The results of our day will impact people locally, as well as in Turkey, Eswatini, and several countries where our military personnel are deployed.
💰 As a community, we raised over $55,000!
💜 There are too many of you to name, but we send a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who contributed your time, talents, and treasures! Together we can do so much!
#ucathunder #ucaunitedagainsthunger
Our spirited sixth graders are exploring the concept of structural stability in the most hands-on way possible – through destructive testing! They are gaining insights that go beyond textbooks and into the real-world applications of engineering. 🛠️💥
Using various methods, they're unraveling the secrets of what makes structures strong and resilient. It's not about breaking things just for fun; it's about understanding the limits and vulnerabilities of structures.🏗️ 🧱
#ucathunder #ucastem
🍂🍃Our adorable kindergartners embarked on an eye-opening adventure into the past, learning about people who came to America in search of religious freedom and discovering the incredible wisdom of the Wampanoag Tribe.
🍁🦃 And what better way to wrap up this journey than with a Thanksgiving feast! 🍽️ Our little historians shared a delicious meal, bonding over the joy of gratitude and togetherness. It's a reminder that the spirit of Thanksgiving goes beyond history books—it's about coming together as a community and celebrating the richness of our shared experiences.
#ucathunder #ucaelementary
🍽️ 📦 It's meal-packing day!! Thank you to Harvest Pack for this opportunity to bless others!
🚚🍎 The truck has been unloaded, the tables are all set up, and we're ready to pack 80,000 meals of apple cinnamon oatmeal for local food shelves.
Thank you to our staff, parents, and even some students who stuck around yesterday afternoon to help with the set-up.
🏃 Let's hit the ground running!
#ucathunder #ucahousesystem #ucaserviceday
🌟 Mrs. Shogren's 5th graders dove into a journey of measuring the mysteries of matter.They looked into mass, volume, and density, unlocking the secrets of substances around them. 🧪🔍
⚖️ The triple beam balance became their magical tool for mastering mass measurement.
Graduated cylinders took center stage, turning the liquid realm into a playground for volume measurement. These young minds measured the volume of irregularly shaped solids using water displacement.💦🚰
Hands-on experiences shaping our future scientists! 🙌
#ucathunder #ucaelementary #ucastem
#throwbackthursday
Knocking down pins and lifting up spirits!🎳🌟
Throwing it back to last Friday when our staff recently swapped their classrooms and desks for the bowling lanes and had a blast! We love to build connections around work, but it’s not just about meetings and curriculum—it's also about rolling a few balls down the alley, sharing laughter, and celebrating both strikes and gutter balls together. 🤣
There may or may not have been some competitive individuals…we did make it a house competition after all! Gratia came out on top as a team and had the best individual score!
💙💚🏆💛❤️
#ucathunder #ucahousesystem #ucastaff
🖍️🎨The second year of our Art to Remember fundraiser was a huge success! We raised $1,700 this year, $500 more than last year.
👀 Your student's artwork has been sent home in their backpacks, so please be on the lookout.
🙏 Thank you to the Parent Council for organizing this and giving our parents and grandparents a chance to keep these memories forever!
#ucathunder #ucalowerschool
🖼️ 🎨 The joy of teaching students at different levels, like our beloved art teacher, Mrs. Chant, is that she can build on their skills, year after year.
Our 6th graders are working on different elements of art. With this particular project, they focused on color, shape, line, and value. They took the color of leaves, and then found the complimentary color. Then it was all combined by weaving the strips of paper together for the final project.
Servant's hearts 💜
🚌 When students ask for a turn to be able to clean the bus...
🪑 Or when they set up chairs in the cafeteria every morning without complaining...
We love our students and how they love to help! It just takes one to start something, leading by example, and then it catches on and spreads like fire! 🔥
#ucathunder
#tuesdaytestimonial - Commuting Family Edition
"Our path to UCA was ordained by God. Our older boys, now a freshman (Weston) and junior (Ashton) at UCA, were “settled” in Lakeville public schools after a journey through another Christian school, charter school, and a magnet school over the years. As the time for our older girl (Elyse), now a first grader at UCA, was approaching to start kindergarten, the Lord began changing my (Helen’s) heart about her going to the local elementary school as we had planned, especially in light of all the alarming changes happening in our district’s school post-COVID. Our new plan quickly took shape: she was going to go to a local K-8 Christian school, right next to our girls’ preschool. The boys were going to continue in the public schools.
But God had a different, and a much better, plan for our family. When I tried to enroll Elyse into this local Christian school, she ended up being so far down on the waitlist for kindergarten that we knew that door was shut. I was crushed and panicked at the thought of possibly having to put her into public school.
We had always known about UCA---a few close friends have graduated from Bethany Academy. However, it was a Bloomington school, and we were a Lakeville family. The idea of having to drive 20-25 minutes to school was inconceivable to us. Out of desperation, as I was going through the list of all available non-public school options, I contacted Trisha, who mentioned a (much shorter) waitlist at the time and invited us for a tour. During that visit it became clear to both my husband and me that UCA was where we wanted not just Elyse, but Ashton and Weston to be too. When Trisha described the middle and high school programs, she mentioned the exact issues that the boys were dealing with in public school. As a result of that visit, an additional visit with the boys, and lots of prayer and conversations, we became a UCA family two years ago. Our youngest daughter Emi will start kindergarten at UCA in the fall (she is hoping to be in Gratia, like her big sister☺)
Even though we are eagerly awaiting the campus move to Lakeville, the drive to school has become part of our daily life and routine. We frequently use the bus---our daughter has formed some good friendships on the bus rides. We have been part of a few carpools with other Lakeville families, which helped build community and friendships. As I look back at our initial reluctance to consider UCA because of the distance, I see how God worked in our hearts to overcome the man-made barriers in the unfolding of His wise plan for our kids and our family.
We truly cannot imagine our kids at any other school at this point---we have been so grateful for the school, staff, and opportunity to have a long-term “one-stop shop” (K-12) for all four kids’ education where God is proclaimed and they are loved.
#ucathunder #tuesdaytestimonial
