Whole Child Philosophy
WHOLE CHILD PHILOSOPHY
We believe no education is complete without addressing the whole child: mind, body, and spirit. This guiding principle allows us to create a uniquely unified academic experience.
We elevate classroom learning and movement practices by attending to matters of the spirit, providing a rich educational experience rooted in Catholic values of inclusion and service.
Our community seeks to create a closer relationship with God while helping our children appreciate our faith’s values and traditions. We respect and care for each member of our diverse community and offer opportunities for our students to excel academically, build meaningful relationships, learn responsible citizenship, and develop skills for leadership.
NCA’s Core Beliefs
- Building character is as important as the curriculum taught
- Expressing faith through kindness and integrity
- Cultivating solution-oriented and growth mindsets
- Creating habits that lead to academic excellence, spiritual and emotional health
- Promoting teamwork, relationship-building, and limited screen-time
- Inspiring accountable servant-leaders
- Nurturing a diverse community of love and belonging
- Establishing a lifestyle of intentional giving
Tenets of WHOLE Child
Moral & Spiritual Development: Our students experience a balanced curriculum for spiritual and moral development by learning to think critically about their beliefs, growing in faith through communal worship, and developing a lifelong commitment to civic engagement through works of social justice.
Wisdom: Our students are encouraged to form their conscience by asking big questions and engaging with peers and mentors in deep conversation.
Worship: All our students engage with their faith by beginning and ending the day with prayer and attending a child-focused weekly mass. We also practice active participation in the seasonal Church calendar to learn through ritual and build tradition.
Works: One of our fundamental goals is to instill principles of social justice and civic engagement in our students. Through our thoughtful works program, we raise awareness of injustice and duty in school, the neighborhood, the country, and throughout the world. Cultivating empathy and solidarity leads to lifelong civic engagement and informed, caring adults.
Community of Families: We facilitate the formation of family communities grounded in mutual support, organically growing to know, love, and encourage each other while raising children side-by-side.
Our parent community is made up of people of all races and ethnicities, Catholics and non-Catholics, as well as diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, but remain united in the support of their children's dreams. We engage families around these goals through participation in school programming, worship, and volunteer works.
Supportive Environment: Our schools provide safe, orderly, and loving environments in which children understand their worth through the eyes of God and recognize equal worth in their peers. Learning starts and ends with common prayer. Seeing Christ in each other allows us to build connections and diminish barriers within our diverse community.
When children make mistakes or act disrespectfully we treat it as an opportunity. Through acts of restorative justice, we bring them back into communion with each other and with God.