School Spotlight: Valley Fellowship Christian Academy

[sws_blue_box box_size=”450″] As part of our Education posts each Tuesday, RCM is featuring a monthly “School Spotlight” to help our readers learn more about private and magnet schools in Madison County. We will continue to highlight the happenings at area public schools, and are excited to expand our education coverage to include more options for local students and their parents. [/sws_blue_box]

We recently interviewed Patti Simon, Administrator of Valley Fellowship Christian Academy  in Huntsville. A church-based school that was founded in 1987, VFCA’s mission is to “train students to become Christian leaders, Godly men and women, to take places of authority in the world and in Christ’s body of believers.” Education at VFCA is infused with the newness of the Holy Spirit and emphasizes academic excellence. VFCA exists to be an extension of the Christian home and to help parents fulfill their responsibility to educate their children.

The School

Name of School: Valley Fellowship Christian Academy (VFCA) and Little Valley Academy (LVA)
Location: 3616 Holmes Ave NW  Huntsville, AL 35816
Phone: (256) 533-5248
Website : www.valleyfellowship.com

Grades/Ages of Students: VFCA (K5-12thgrade) and LVA (Infant through PK4)

Religious affiliation: Christian, Interdenominational

Teacher/Student Ratio: VFCA 1:13 LVA is according to the age of Children (infants 1:4, PK1 1:7, PK2 1:8, PK3 1:11, PK4 1:12)

What is your school’s predominant educational philosophy?
We believe in whole child education. We are educating the body, mind and spirit through a Biblical worldview and a spirit of excellence. We are partnering with Christian parents and operate as an extension of the home. Our teachers are degreed, certified, professional educators that are committed to a Christian lifestyle.

What sets your school apart from other area programs?
• We are a Christian school dedicated to keeping Christ at the center of the educational process.
• We are celebrating our 26th year.
• We are dually accredited through SACS and ICAA.
• We also offer an online academy option.
• We offer Biblically based curriculum for all ages and grades.
• We offer dual enrollment opportunities in English, Math, and Bible.
• VFCA is committed to sending students on mission outreaches.
• We offer a dual enrollment opportunity through our Bible Diploma Program.

What extracurricular opportunities exist for your students?
We offer a strong music program with a piano lab for our PK classes through 4th grade. We represent the state of AL in the Children’s Prayer Congress annually. We offer opportunities to join clubs in science, writing, Spanish, and drama. Our students are very active in local and global outreach. Our students have traveled to many countries to offer aide and support to several orphanages, other Christian school and ministries. Some of the nations outside of the US that our students have ministered include: Guatemala, Spain, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Nicaragua, Kenya, Togo, Uganda, Tanzania, and Russia. We offer many sports opportunities in soccer, volleyball, basketball, t-ball, track, baseball and softball.

What advice do you have for parents looking for a school for their child(ren)?
Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) states “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” We believe that this truth reveals the immeasurable value of educating children in the love of Christ, through His Word. Teaching a child to know and honor God is a beautiful foundation and learning is a life-long process. We believe that Christian education should influence and saturate everything a child is taught throughout their entire life. VFCA believes the spiritual and formal education of children should be based on Biblical truths, a Biblical worldview and supported from their home, church and school.

Describe your admissions process.
A parent may call our main office (256-533-5248) or go to our website (valleyfellowship.com) to obtain a student application. Our fees and admissions process is described on the website. If a parent chooses to call, we will mail a complete admissions packet to them or they may download our forms from our website. Simple steps are:
1. Contact our office for a tour of our facilities.
2. Complete and submit a student application.
3. An interview with the parent and child will be conducted.
4. An academic assessment will be conducted with the child in Math and Reading following the interview.
You may contact our admissions director to receive an admissions packet and to schedule an interview/tour. You may contact our admiissions department directly at 256-533-5248 or email at [email protected].

Accreditation Information
Valley Fellowship Christian Academy is fully accredited through two educational organizations; International Christian Accrediting Association (ICAA) and Southern Accreditation of Colleges and Schools (SACS/ADVANCED). VFCA believes in the accreditation process and has voluntarily applied the standards of both ICAA and SACS/ADVANCED. In 2009, VFCA received the most outstanding school of the year award through the ORUEF/ICAA review. VFCA pursues academic excellence and measures each program by its mission.