Program Elements

Reading is a pleasure, and a skill to be mastered. A student who reads well can study anything with confidence. Praised by students and parents alike, Columbia Academy's reading program is second to none. Each new student is assessed and placed accordingly in the program. At every level, students are introduced to a wide variety of classic and modern literature carefully selected to entertain and educate, while gradually building vocabulary and an understanding of the world around them. The completion of each "reading level" is a celebrated achievement, while the beginning of a new one offers hundreds of exciting new books to choose from. Veterans of this program typically love to read and they do so, on average, two to four years above grade level. Click here to view the full-length article on our reading program in the September/October 2007 Newsletter.

Other language skills go hand in hand with the reading program. As a student's reading material matures, so does his speech and writing. By the fourth grade, Columbia students produce essays, reports and short stories on a weekly basis — many of which have been selected for publication by Creative Communication.

Many Columbia Academy students name Math as their favorite subject. Class placement is based on ability rather than age, so students are challenged without being overwhelmed. Games, projects and art are routinely incorporated to demonstrate mathematical concepts. Consequently, the subject is embraced because the activities are fun and students understand how to apply what they learn in real-life situations. Our 100% comprehension philosophy is particularly effective here, because learning new processes is so often dependent upon previous lessons. For example, a student who knows counting-by's will grasp multiplication. If she can multiply, she can divide. If she can divide, she will understand fractions, and so on.

Click here to see our October 2006 Special Edition Newsletter regarding the alarming state of mathematics education in the U.S. today (Adobe Reader or other PDF reader required).

Students complete projects and study units in science, geography, history and social studies, with plenty of hands-on activities. Field trips and other time spent outside of the classroom is an essential part of the Columbia Academy program, allowing students to explore their environment and experience what they are studying.

Our 50-gallon African Cichlid aquarium, which the upper-classmen helped to set up, is a beautiful ongoing project. It teaches all the children about the Great Rift Lakes, the unique species of fish that have evolved there, fish anatomy, fascinating reproductive habits, the nitrogen cycle, microorganisms, water chemistry and more.

Each week, a new student has the privilege and responsibility of feeding the fish and helping with aquarium maintenance, but the greatest joy is in being the first to discover new babies!

Ethical behavior and responsibility for one's own actions are at the heart of the Columbia Academy program. It is a common misgiving that one cannot broach this subject without religious influence. Our students have fun exploring a variety of common-sense guidelines for better living, from The Way to Happiness® — a nonreligious moral code written by author and humanitarian, L. Ron Hubbard. It is the ideal way for a multi-denominational student body to learn and practice good behavior together.

Group discussion, skits and comic strips are favorite ways to examine values such as Do Not Steal, Honor and Help Your Parents, and Do Not Tell Harmful Lies. Others, like Help Take Care of the Planet and Try to Treat Others as You Would Want Them to Treat You, are often demonstrated by involving the children in community service. Food drives, raising money for rainforest conservation, planting trees for Earth Day, and collecting teddy bears for children in emergency situations are just a few past projects. Set a Good Example and Love and Help Children, which encourage older students to mentor younger ones, are practiced here everyday.

Click here to read more about ethics in our January/February 2007 Newsletter.

Physical fitness is important at Columbia. Pre-K through first grade students participate daily in games designed to entertain, increase agility and build coordination. Even on rainy days, a rousing game of balloon volleyball can be enjoyed indoors.

Second through sixth-graders complete units such as kickball, soccer, football, softball, volleyball and archery throughout the year. Each spring, they also take the "President's Challenge," which encourages people of all ages to become more active and physically fit. Participants train in a variety of events, such as the sit-and-reach, shuttle run, chin-ups, and the mile run, attempting to achieve a goal based on age and gender. Every year, many outstanding students are honored with the Presidential Physical Fitness Award for scoring at or above the 85th percentile in all events.

Twice each year, just before the winter and summer breaks, Columbia holds a "Graduation and Performance." After the graduates are announced and other special achievements are acknowledged, students delight an audience of proud parents, relatives and friends with an upbeat musical performance. The children practice for weeks beforehand to sing, dance, and even perform gymnastics to music.

Each age group participates separately, with everyone joining in for the finale. They come on stage brimming with enthusiasm, and exit beaming with pride. One audience member wrote in a recent note to Columbia staff, "Thank you so much for the wonderful holiday program, I enjoyed it very much. Tears came to my eyes as I watched them. My granddaughters have really excelled in your school."

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P.O. Box 101

19200 Willamette Drive

West Linn, Oregon 97068

phone (503) 699.1012

fax (503) 699.1013