User:Dianne925
History[edit]
Contra Costa Christian Schools (CCCS) was founded in 1978 by a small group of parents representing a handful of Christian churches in the Walnut Creek, California area. It is not affiliated with any church. The campus draws students from over a hundred different churches. The schools include pre-school, elementary school, middle school and high school.
Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, CCCS draws students from the entire East Bay and the Diablo Valley region, including students from as far away as the Delta region to the east, the Oakland Hills to the west and Danville and San Ramon to the south. This brings a broad cross section of students to the Walnut Creek campus.
The school recently received a six year term accreditation from WASC with a midterm review.
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is pleased to announce the action taken by the Accrediting Commission for Schools granting Contra Costa Christian Schools a six-year term of accreditation with a midterm review, expiring on June 30, 2014. The action was taken after a careful study of the Visiting Committee Report which noted many laudable aspects of the school.
The school also accepts international students on a F-1 visa provided they also meet the other school entrance requirements.
The school is located about one mile west side of Interstate 680 in a tree-lined older neighborhood of Walnut Creek. It is across the street from Larkey Park which houses the Larkey Pool, home of the school's swim team. It is a block to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum and two blocks to the Walnut Creek Model Society.
The school is a member of the Association of Christian Schools (ACSI) and Christian Schools International (CSI).
High School[edit]
Academics[edit]
Arts[edit]
Arts are a strong focus at CCCS. High school graduation requirements include one year of arts classes, choosing from art, band, choir, drama, and digital imaging. There are several performance opportunities during the school year including at least two full length plays and at least two musical performances.
The band and concert choir perform in the community. They also compete in local and regional musical festivals.
Athletics[edit]
High school students participate in sports through the Bay Area Conference, Bay Counties League, in men’s and women’s soccer, basketball, volleyball, cross-country, and swimming. There is also an award-winning cheer squad.
Intersession (January Term)[edit]
Intersession is a special program in the week between semesters at the end of January. During intersession, teachers and students participate in a special week of learning outside the traditional classroom setting. Each high school teacher proposes an intersession topic, and once accepted, it is open to students for enrollment. Cost for each session varies.
Intersession topics change each year. Past topics have included Tropical Rain Forests of Costa Rica, Marine Biology of Hawaii, German Culture, Architecture of the Bay Area, Board Games and World Domination, Robotics, Driver's Education, Coastal California and Animation Nation.
Religious instruction[edit]
Chapel services are held each week on campus. Chapel services are planned by a worship planning team made up of students and teachers. The school worship band often plays at chapel. Area ministers, youth pastors, and other guests are invited to speak at chapel services.
Middle School[edit]
Academics[edit]
Contra Costa Christian Middle School is a three year (6th, 7th and 8th grades) accredited school helping students make the transition between Elementary School and High School academically, socially and spiritually. Students are challenged in a progression of classes to prepare the student for high school.
Classes include Bible, language arts, math (including Algebra as appropriate), science, and social studies. Physical education is offered two or three times per week depending on the schedule.
Electives include art, drama, library, Spanish and yearbook.
Arts[edit]
Middle school students are involved in band five days a week. It is required at 6th grade, and 7th and 8th grade students have a choice between band or general music. Students also produce several drama productions each year. Students compete in the Christian School International (CSI) arts festival each spring. The festival includes instrumental music, art, writing, and Bible verse recitation.
They also participate in the Association of Christian Schools International(ACSI) Honor Band competition.
Athletics[edit]
The middle school competes in the BASCAL league. Girls and boys compete in basketball, soccer, and volleyball. Boys also field a football team and girls have a softball team.
Social[edit]
There are many opportunities to foster social growth during the middle school years. Students at CCC elect student body officers which gives students a chance to lead and make decisions.
Each year the students have a week of Outdoor Education at Mission Springs (6th grade) or Hume Lake (7th and 8th grades). All grades participate in activities such as a river rafting trip, roller skating day, Funky Hair day, bowling, water slide and other spirit-building activities that promote interaction among students and faculty.
Elementary School[edit]
Academics[edit]
Students in the elementary school receive integrated instruction in Bible, language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. They also enjoy art, music and physical education classes.
Field trips are used to engage students in the greater world. They include trips to the local fire station and pumpkin patch and recreating the first Thanksgiving at the kindergarten level, to walking the Oregon Trail and attending local theatre performances for the older students.
The school is one block away from the Lindsey Wildlife Museum and across the street from Larkey Park, both which provide additional opportunities for the study of science.
Students also have chapel once a week.
Pre-school[edit]
Contra Costa Christian Preschool provides a safe and loving environment to shepherd young children through the most influential years of their life. The Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) and Jr-Kindergarten (JK) programs help foster good self-esteem using Biblical truths to lead the children to an understanding that they are loved unconditionally by God.
Children are guided to become socially competent in a setting where they can develop spiritually, physically, emotionally, and academically. Large and fine motor skills are addressed daily through circle time, art, learning centers, and music/movement activities. The program is designed to fully prepare students for kindergarten.
Students in the program don’t have to be toilet trained and the programs are designed to meet the ages of the children.
Pre-School - 3 years old by September 1
Pre-Kindergarten - 4 years old by September 1
Jr-Kindergarten - 5 years old by January 31
The hours of operation for the Preschool vary to accommodate the needs of families. There are three programs:
Preschool morning program 8:00 am to 12:00 pm
School day program 8:00 am to 3:00 pm
Full day program 7:00 am to 6:00 pm
Resource Services[edit]
Contra Costa Christian has a resource room and resource specialist for those students who need additional academic help. The amount of time spent with the resource specialist varies depending on the level of service that is needed. There is an additional charge for this service.
Accommodations can be provided after appropriate testing and a meeting with the resource specialist is completed.
Independent Study Program (Home Schooling)[edit]
The Independent Study Program (ISP) is for families who choose to home school their kindergarten-12th grade children. Contra Costa Christian supports home schooling as one valid way to educate children, and, in some cases, may be the most appropriate way to educate children.
The school recognizes the unique contributions home schooling makes to our communities. The school takes into account the gifting of the home teacher, the lifestyle of the family and the needs of the individual student. To help parents realize their Christian educational goals within their homes, the school will provide the home teacher and the individual student with as many services and opportunities as possible to aid in the fulfillment of the Biblical mandate of training a child with a solid Christian education.
Depending on the needs of the students, classes on campus, such as PE, choir, or band, are an option for home-schooled students. Participation in team sports is also an option.