United Christian Academy

🙌 UCA is blessed to welcome new staff members to our team for this coming school year! We would like to introduce you to Mr. Mark Andrews, Secondary History & Geography Teacher. I am super excited to join the UCA family. I thoroughly enjoyed being a guest teacher last year and am looking forward to my first year of teaching. Most of my professional life has been as a Pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church. I served small and large churches and even planted a new church in Florida. After the pandemic, I knew God was opening up something new for my ministry, and I found it at UCA. It’s tough to pick the thing I love most about our community, but I would have to say it’s the authentic care for each other. From the youngest kids to each staff member, people live out the Gospel in real ways. My wife Karla (pictured) and I love college hockey. (We are watching the St Cloud Huskies, but I am a U of M grad and bleed Maroon & Gold). In the other picture, you can see me mugging it up with our sons, Fernando (25) and Carlos (24), on Christmas. I have an almost limitless list of things I love to do, but if it’s fast or in/under water, it’s probably at the top of my list. Skiing & snowboarding, riding motorcycles, SCUBA diving, surfing, or playing with our dogs. Thank you for the privilege of working with your kids! Welcome to the community Mr. Andrews! #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 Miss Courtney Meyen, Elementary Resource Teacher. “Hello! I am very excited to be joining the UCA team. I have worked with children for the past eight years, the last 4 of which were at a charter school in the Special Education program. I look forward to working with a team that encourages our personal walk with God and places Him at the center. I am also looking forward to working with our students and helping them grow! I love spending time with my family outside of work. I am one of five girls and have been blessed with two nieces and two nephews who bring so much joy to my life. When I’m not with one of my sisters, I am usually working on a cross-stitch project, reading, or putting a puzzle together. I can’t wait for the school year to start, and I look forward to meeting and working with everyone!” Welcome to the community Miss Meyen! #ucathunder #ucastaff

🏐 Our Girls Volleyball program represented UCA while running skills stations at one night of the Mega Sports Camp held at Zoe Church in Burnsville. They did an awesome job of leading and encouraging the campers, and sharing their love for the sport and for God! We’re excited about all that God is doing in our volleyball program! #ucathunder #ucaathletics

We are so blessed to have received a generous donation of classroom furniture from North Central University! We had a great group of helpers accomplish moving it all from North Central to our new home in Cedar Valley Church, all in one day! Things are coming together, and we can't wait for our students to come back!

🏐 📣 We’d like to invite any UCA (or legacy schools) volleyball alumni to play our Alumni Game! Alumni vs. Current High School players 🏐 Sunday, July 28 🏐 5:00 - 8:00 pm 🏐Bethany Global University gym Spectators & families are welcome. Please spread the word! #ucathunder #ucaathletics

🙌 UCA is blessed to welcome new staff members to our team for this coming school year! We would like to introduce you to Mr. Joel Carufel, Middle School Math & Phy Ed teacher. “I’m pictured here with my wife Jodi, daughter Anna, her husband Eddy, and my son Aaron (10th grade UCA). I’m entering my 32nd year as an educator. I have taught at the International School of MN for the previous 24 years. My family and I enjoy athletics and exercise of all kinds. Spending time together and playing games. I’m thrilled to be at UCA.I love the mission statement, community, and the fact that my son and I will be in the same school. I’m looking forward to meeting you all.” Welcome to the community Mr. Carufel! #ucathunder #ucastaff

New Family Friday! ⚡Please help us warmly welcome the Lang, Viveros, and Grover families, who will join the Thunder community for the 2024-2025 school year! #ucathunder #newfamilyfriday

🍔 Staff Summer Cookout! 🌞 A good group of our amazing staff members gathered for a fantastic summer cookout, and it was a blast! We enjoyed great food, wonderful fellowship, and even some friendly competition with fun games.🌭🥳 It was the perfect way to relax, bond, and create unforgettable memories together. We are so proud of our hardworking team, the heartbeat of UCA! 💜 #ucathunder

This week's camp has something for everyone! Mr. Peter's Multi-sport and games camp included flag football, pin protection, dodgeball, and more! The kids are having a blast playing the games while learning valuable lessons in sportsmanship. #ucathunder #ucasummercamp

At UCA, our Pre-K students are part of the family! Our program is licensed through the state of Minnesota, offers several different scheduling options, and is dedicated to providing a nurturing learning environment where, along with setting an academic foundation, students learn about who God is. Our youngest students are integrated into our all-school activities, including our House System, Big/Little Buddies, and so much more. At UCA, we prioritize opportunities for mentorship between staff and students and between students of different ages, starting from their very first days here. Visit our website for more information on our Pre-K program. https://www.ucathunder.org/page/prek

We had another faithful crew to fill the float at our second parade of the season, the Lakeville Pan-O-Prog Grand Parade. 😂🎶Thank you to all of our awesome student, parent, and staff volunteers who brought their smiling faces and spread joy and faith (and candy!) along the way. We had a blast jamming to the music and enjoying the camaraderie. 👏The crowds were cheering us on, and we were so thankful for this opportunity to showcase UCA to the people of Lakeville. #ucathunder

New Family Friday! ⚡Please help us warmly welcome the Hart, Prazuch, and Ball families, who will join the Thunder community for the 2024-2025 school year! #ucathunder #newfamilyfriday

🌞Summer camps were back in session this week! Mrs. Erika had some friends join her for Crafty Camp. Their creative juices were flowing as they worked on the following projects: 💎Jewelry making bracelets/necklaces 🎨Painting wood figures 🪡Sewing felt animals 👕Tye Dye shirts/socks ☁️Slime/Play-Doh/Cloud-Doh #ucathunder #ucasummercamp

This is what it takes to get our network of phones reconnected! Thanks to Mrs. Hohnstadt and our team from Comcast, we'll be back online soon!

✝️🙏Summer Bible Camp at UCA brought in our Elementary Chaplain, Pastor Ashley, to guide students through a week of fun games, songs, daily memory verses, a missionary story, and a true story from God’s word will be taught every day as we learn how to apply biblical truth to our lives! 🎉This was such a fun week filled with excitement for God’s Word! #ucathunder #ucasummercamps

🚚📦 Yesterday was filled with so much generosity and community. We are so grateful for every single person who came to help us move. We had representation from current students and parents, current and incoming staff, alumni, board and cabinet members, legacy school community members, and numerous Hillside Church and Cedar Valley Church staff members. ⛈️People even stuck it out through the downpour at the end of the day! 💜Words cannot express our gratitude! Thank you for all the support you have given and continue to give to UCA. #ucathunder

Your fearless leaders are sorting out the last-minute details for moving day tomorrow. The lower school office space is already being renovated for Hillside Church, so we are working in makeshift offices. But tomorrow we'll be ready to give information and answer questions... look for us in the bright pink shirts! We are so excited about the transition and UCA's new beginning! We hope you will join us tomorrow to help relocate the school. Current families received an email today with more details and information. We appreciate your support! Let’s unite and make it a great day! #ucathunder

New Family Friday! ⚡Please help us warmly welcome the Otu, Roberts, and Anderson families, who will join the Thunder community for the 2024-2025 school year! #ucathunder #newfamilyfriday

🎆 Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸 Wishing everyone a joyful and safe Independence Day! As we celebrate the birth of our nation, let's remember the values of freedom, liberty, and courage that define our country. We hope you enjoy the fireworks, festivities, and time with loved ones. May your day be filled with pride for our country as we reflect on these words from the Declaration: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. ❤️🤍💙

New Family Friday! ⚡Please help us warmly welcome the Miller, Kirchner/Huddock, and Fischer families, who will join the Thunder community for the 2024-2025 school year! #ucathunder #newfamilyfriday